Manila Standard - 2026 June 22 - Monday

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Chinese influx, black sand mining, minerals movement on AFP radar

By Vince Lopez and Rex Espiritu AUTHORITIES are keeping a keen eye on the the influx of Chinese nationals into the country and extraction of mineral resources following reports of Chinese activities and the

construction of a structure near Bajo de Masinloc in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).

Retired Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad, spokesperson of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) for the WPS, said Sunday they are closely watching the movement of rare

VOL. XL • NO. 128 • 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P20 • MONDAY, JUNE 22, 2026 •

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Marcoleta ‘ready to be arrested, won’t resist it’ PNP, DILG's Remulla unaware Sandigan arrest warrant exists

By Vince Lopez and Jimbo Gulle

S

ENATOR Rodante Marcoleta said he expects to be arrested anytime this week for a plunder and indirect bribery charge—and would not resist arrest—even as the Philippine National Police (PNP) on Sunday neither confirmed nor denied that a warrant may soon be issued against the minority lawmaker.

Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla, who oversees the national police, likewise said he was unaware of any case against Marcoleta that could lead to a warrant being issued.

“For a warrant to occur, a charge must be filed against him at the Sandiganbayan (special anti-graft court). I know of no such charges being filed,” Remulla told ABS-CBN News.

If Sen. Marcoleta is arrested, he would be the second member of the 24-member upper house to be detained and charged with plunder.

Earlier, Sen. Jinggoy Estrada was arrested on graft and plunder charges. A third Senator, Sen. Bato dela Rosa, is in hiding after the International Criminal Court issued a warrant for his arrest on being a co-perpetrator in the crimes against humanity case against former President Rodrigo Duterte.

Marcoleta said he had received information that he could be arrested in connection with the complaints filed by the Ombudsman arising from his alleged failure to disclose campaign Next page

Lower gas, diesel prices seen despite peace deal snag

By Alena Mae S. Flores CONSUMERS can still expect a rollback of fuel prices this week despite the renewed closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

This, as the first round of negotiations between the United States and Iran since the two sides signed a preliminary agreement to halt their war was due to begin in Switzerland on Sunday, with the conflict in Lebanon threatening to derail the deal.

Meanwhile, Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian filed a bill seeking to accelerate the country’s transition to electric vehicles (EVs) through additional incentives aimed at reducing dependence on oil imports.

An industry source said closure of the Strait of Hormuz as announced by Iran would likely push up prices the following week.

The source also said Friday’s diesel prices were expected to drop by P7.50 to P9.50 per liter, and gasoline by P3 to P5 per liter due to the peace deal.

The computation is based on the movement of the Mean of Platts Singapore and the foreign exchange average from June 15-18 compared to the previous week.

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PBBM okays P3b more for displaced Mid-East OFWs

By Katrina Manubay

LUCERNE TALKS. Iran's Minister of Foreign Affairs Seyyed Abbas Araghchi (L) and Swiss Federal Council, Ignazio Cassis shake hands as they take part in bilateral discussions at the Burgenstock resort in Obbuergen, near Lucerne on June 21, 2026. A new round of negotiations over the Middle East war was set to kick off on June 21, 2026 with Iranian negotiators arriving in the Swiss host city hours ahead of US Vice President JD Vance, even as Tehran said it was closing the Strait of Hormuz again over Israeli attacks in Lebanon. AFP

PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has approved an additional P3 billion for the repatriation and reintegration of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) affected by the conflict in the Middle East.

In a statement on Sunday, Executive Secretary Ralph Recto said the increased funds will cover the entire repatriation process, including predeparture assistance, transportation, and reintegration.

“War or not, there are Filipinos in extreme distress that we should bring home,” Recto said.

As of June 17, a total of 10,446 Filipinos have been safely repatriated Next page

VP Sara’s impeach trial on sked; Drilon warns of ‘Jose Velarde’ mess

By Rio N. Araja THE impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte remains on schedule despite lengthy pre-trial proceedings before the Senate impeachment court, even as former Senate President Franklin Drilon warns of public backlash if attempts to conceal evidence happens in the trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.

House prosecutor and Akbayan party-

list Rep. Chel Diokno said Sundaythe ongoing pre-trial conference is expected to be completed within days and will not affect the scheduled start of the trial proper on July 6.

“Our pre-trial will probably end, if not tomorrow, the day after tomorrow,” he said in an interview over dzBB’s Bantay Balita sa Kongreso.

The process takes time because both the prosecution and defense are required to identify, mark, and organize the documentary evidence they intend to present during the trial, he noted.

“It’s not just the prosecution that will mark the evidence, the defense will as well. So they Next page

HOME SAFE. Foreign Affairs Secretary Theresa Lazaro welcomes home twenty-four Filipino workers detained in Russia for nine months, who arrived in the Philippines early Sunday following diplomatic efforts that culminated in President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s appeal to Russian President Vladimir Putin during a bilateral meeting in Kazan. DFA

Medical students call for resignation of Herbosa Alexandra Eala

EALA HEADS OFF TO BAD HOMBURG OPEN SPORTS/ A8

By Ram Superable A GROUP of medical students has demanded the resignation of Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa, accusing him of corruption and gross mismanagement of the agency.

The Philippine Medical Students’ Association made the accusation nearly three years into Herbosa’s ten-

ure under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., saying the administration has failed to deliver tangible improvements in the national healthcare system.

“Groups of health workers and health sciences students have been calling for Secretary Herbosa’s resignation. His questionable background and morals, his promotion of priva-

tization of government hospitals as Health Undersecretary from 2015 to 2018, and anti-people remarks during his term as special adviser to the National Task Force Against COVID-19 during the pandemic should have already disqualified his appointment in 2023,” the coalition said in a statement on Friday.

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NEWS

MONDAY, JUNE 22, 2026

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Marcoleta...

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donations from former Quezon City congressman Mike Defensor and businessmen Joseph Espiritu and Aristotle Viray.

In an interview on Net 25 television’s “Sa Ganang Mamamayan,” the senator said: “Nabalitaan ko na. Nabalitaan ko na, kaya nga ako nagpapahayag ngayon. Kung sakasakali pong ituloy nila ang pagaresto sa akin, ako po ay sasama sa kanila peacefully.”

(I have already heard about it. I have already been informed, which is why I am speaking out now. If they do proceed with my arrest, I will go with them peacefully.)

I won't resist arrest—Marcoleta “Ibig sabihin, I will not resist.

Sapagkat tungkulin po yun ng arresting officer. Alam ko naman po yung tuntunin kung paano ka aarestuhin. Eh talagang ganyan,” he added.

(That means I will not resist, because that is the duty of the arresting officer. I understand the procedures for making an arrest. That is simply how it works.)

Plunder is a non-bailable offense for crimes involving amounts of at least P50 million. Marcoleta is accused of receiving a total of P75 million from Defensor, Espiritu, and Viray.

Chinese...

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earth minerals and black sand allegedly being extracted from Philippine territory.

He noted that some Chinese entities have reportedly coordinated with local government units for dredging operations linked to black sand mining and the extraction of rare earth minerals. “’Yung rare Earth minerals na binabantayan natin include the influx of foreign nationals coming from Mainland China. Marami itong binabantayan natin sa lupa natin, hindi lamang sa karagatan,” Trinidad said in an interview with Super Radyo dzBB. (The rare earth minerals that we are monitoring include concerns related to the influx of foreign nationals from Mainland China. We are keeping watch over many activities on our land, not just in our waters.)

“We are closely monitoring many areas in our territory, not only in our waters but also on land,” he explained.

Strong case if legal action pursued Retired Supreme Court Associate Justice Francis Jardeleza expressed confidence that the Philippines would have a strong case should it pursue new legal action.

Lower...

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World oil prices declined last week as the market expected the eventual reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and the immediate return of Middle Eastern crude to the market following the US-Iran interim peace agreement.

On Monday last week, the Department of Energy announced a mandated oil price rollback of P3.71 to P5.71 per liter, while kerosene will drop by P0.50 to P2.50 per liter. Meanwhile, gasoline will see either a rollback of P0.32 per liter or an increase of P1.68 per liter.

Washington and Tehran signed a memorandum of understanding earlier in June to extend the ceasefire in the Middle East war, which began in late February with US-Israeli strikes on Iran, and enable negotiations on a broader deal.

As part of the agreement, the Israel-Hezbollah war in Lebanon was due to stop, but Iran said it would close the Strait of Hormuz again because of Israeli attacks. There were no reports of fresh strikes in Lebanon since Saturday evening.

US Vice President arrives in Burgenstock US Vice President JD Vance arrived at the Swiss mountainside resort of Burgenstock early on Sunday to meet Iranian negotiators for the second time since the months-long conflict sowed chaos across the Middle East and rattled the global economy.

"I think we're going to hopefully make progress on the nuclear issue, make progress on the Lebanon ceasefire issue. Those are the two big things that I think we're to be focused on," Vance told reporters before departing from

In a March 18 en banc resolution, the elections commission cleared Marcoleta of election offenses but ordered the filing of a complaint against the alleged donors.

The senator maintained that the allegations against him were fabricated and politically motivated.

“As for me, because of my fight for what is right and for the rule of law, if this is the price I have to pay for defending our country and our fellow Filipinos, then that is up to them,” Marcoleta said in Filipino.

“I am not aware of having violated any law. The cases they have filed against me are all fabricated,” he said.

“But in my case, the allegations are simply made up. They have nothing to do with public funds. I did not steal anything. My only offense in their eyes—not in the eyes of the Filipino people—was insisting that the hearings on the alleged anomalies in the flood control projects continue,” he added.

The senator also reiterated that the funds in question came from private individuals and not from public coffers.

“So that is what they are holding against me—private funds that were given to me as assistance. How did those become public funds? How could that be considered plunder?

Even ordinary people who are not lawyers are wondering, ‘How did you end up being accused of steal-

ing public money?’” he said.

“Well, I do not know about them, but they seem willing to invent any accusation against me just to have me arrested and permanently stop the Blue Ribbon hearings,” Marcoleta said.

PNP does not confirm or deny arrest warrant Meanwhile, the PNP was noncommittal on Marcoleta’s claim that an arrest warrant may soon be issued against him for plunder and indirect bribery.

“The Philippine National Police does not confirm or deny the existence of warrants issued against any specific individual,” PNP Public Information Office chief Col. Allen Rae Co said in a statement.

“The issuance of warrants is a matter within the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts, and it would be improper for us to publicly disclose such information,” Co added.

“What we can assure the public is that the PNP will always implement and execute any warrant issued by a competent court, through proper legal channels and in accordance with the law,” he said.

Earlier this month, Marcoleta submitted a counter-affidavit to the Office of the Ombudsman, where he “vehemently and categorically denies” committing acts that would constitute plunder or indirect bribery.

The senator argued that the do-

nations were lawful and properly documented.

“Donor's taxes were paid, and the corresponding tax payments were accepted by the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR). This is material because it directly contradicts any attempt to characterize the donations as concealed, illicit, or undocumented transfers,” he said.

He added that the donations were allegedly given in January 2025, before the official campaign period, and were intended to support his planned senatorial bid rather than influence his duties as a congressman.

“The donations were allegedly given in January 2025, at a time when I was publicly preparing for a senatorial campaign. Thus, the motivating factor was political support for a future electoral undertaking, not the discharge of congressional functions,” he said.

Marcoleta further explained that the donations were not included in his Statement of Contributions and Expenditures (SOCE) because they were received before the official campaign period.

He also said the funds were not reflected in his Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN) because they had already been spent on election-related activities and were no longer assets in his possession when the SALNs were prepared.

“Questions concerning the proper treatment or reporting of assets in the SALN do not automatically serve as conclusive evidence of ill-gotten wealth, which requires a clear showing that the assets in question were acquired through unlawful means,” he said.

He also argued that the complaint failed to establish any accumulation of ill-gotten wealth or the existence of a scheme to conceal assets.

“Wala po akong binulsa sa mga ‘yan (I did not pocket any of that money),” he said.

“It claims financial misconduct yet lacks evidence of corruption; specifies an amount but does not establish a legal connection; and raises suspicion yet fails to provide the requisite quantum of evidence for initiating criminal prosecution,” the senator added.

Marcoleta maintained that the complaint should be dismissed for lack of legal and evidentiary basis.

“The inescapable conclusion is that the Complainant most certainly failed to show the existence of probable cause against me. Hence, the dismissal of the complaint filed against me must come as a matter of course,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Sandiganbayan’s Seventh Division earlier issued a precautionary hold departure order against Marcoleta and his alleged contributors while the Ombudsman continued its investigation.

“Malaki ang chances natin (Our chances are strong),” Jardeleza said in a separate interview with Super Radyo dzBB. “Ang kaigihan, ang strength, o ang lakas ng kaso natin ay magmula doon sa una nating ipinanalo. So mali po ‘yung haka-haka na baka matalo pa tayo. Paano ka matatalo eh nanalo na tayo sa unang kaso,” added Jardeleza (The advantage—the strength of our case—comes from the fact that we already won the first one. So the speculation that we might lose is misplaced. How can we lose when we already prevailed in the original case?)

The former solicitor general was part of the legal team that brought the Philippines’ arbitration case against China before the Permanent Court of Arbitration in 2013.

In 2016, the court in The Hague ruled in favor of the Philippines, declaring that China’s sweeping claims in the South China Sea had “no legal basis” under international law. China has continued to reject the ruling.

Trinidad said authorities have observed the extraction of black sand and other rare minerals allegedly transported to mainland China and potentially used in reclamation activities in the disputed waterway.

“The fill material reportedly being used for reclamation comes from our own territory. Some of these materials may have been used in the West Phil-

ippine Sea, but they were originally taken from areas surrounding our own features. This is reclamation on a massive scale,” he said in Filipino.

Laws to regulate dredging activities mulled Authorities are exploring possible legislation to regulate dredging activities, Trinidad said.

He said the government is considering filing another arbitration case against China in connection with recent developments in the West Philippine Sea. “I believe that one of the options the government can pursue right now is to file a new case, and I also believe the other side does not want that to happen, which is why they are being cautious. But we have every reason and every right to file a new one,” he said.

The issue gained attention after maritime monitoring group SeaLight released satellite images showing an alleged structure near the southern entrance of Bajo de Masinloc’s lagoon.

The structure was estimated to be about 10 meters in diameter.

SeaLight said it obtained commercial satellite imagery captured on May 28, 2026 by Satellogic “via our imagery partners at SkyfiApp, showing the southern entrance to Scarborough Shoal’s lagoon. The inset is a magnified crop of the same scene.”

“At the tip of the southern reef rim,

the imagery reveals a small, reflective object clearly distinguishable on the reef flat near the lagoon entrance,” it added.

The Philippine government subsequently filed a diplomatic protest over the movable floating platform allegedly deployed by China within Bajo de Masinloc.

However, the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea (NTFWPS) reported on Wednesday that the floating platform had been removed and that a Chinese research vessel previously monitored in the area had departed following consecutive maritime patrol flights.

Meanwhile, tensions briefly rose on Saturday when four Chinese warships confronted the Philippine Navy’s BRP Diego Silang during a maritime patrol mission near Bajo de Masinloc, also called Panatag Shoal

by Manila and Scarborough Shoal internationally.

According to reports, the Philippine warship was initially shadowed by a single Chinese vessel before three additional warships joined the encounter.

Chinese and Philippine forces exchanged radio challenges, with a Chinese vessel warning the BRP Diego Silang to leave the area.

Despite being outnumbered, the Philippine Navy vessel continued its patrol mission.

In a demonstration of operational capability, the BRP Diego Silang launched its onboard Agusta 109 helicopter while underway at 18 knots.

China later accused the helicopter of entering what it claimed was Chinese airspace without authorization.

The Philippine Navy maintained that it was conducting a lawful operation and urged Chinese vessels to comply with international collision regulations.

Chinese Navy Warship 554 reportedly monitored the BRP Diego Silang for several hours as it approached within 20 nautical miles of Bajo de Masinloc.

Capt. John Percie Alcos, commanding officer of the BRP Diego Silang, said the Philippine military would continue to assert the country's maritime rights and jurisdiction in the area.

A Philippine Navy helicopter later flew over the shoal at an altitude of 300 feet and confirmed that the previously reported structure had already been removed, according to Navy pilot Windel Cayago.

During the patrol, a Chinese aircraft also reportedly flew over the area, passing above the Philippine Navy helicopter at an altitude of about 17,000 feet.

The mission concluded without incident.

Joint Base Andrews, saying he could only join the talks "for a day or two.”

The Swiss foreign ministry said both US and Iranian delegations, plus mediators Pakistan and Qatar, were all present at the luxury resort, with talks set to begin later on Sunday morning.

The talks are meant to trigger a two-month period to negotiate the terms of a final deal between the foes, including issues such as Iran's nuclear program and crippling sanctions on the Islamic republic.

“We need to break our economy’s dependence on foreign oil by accelerating the transport sector’s shift to EVs,” Gatchalian said, noting that spikes in global crude and refined petroleum prices have led to some of the steepest increases in domestic fuel prices.

Extend EV incentives – Win Gatchalian’s Senate Bill No. 2270 seeks to amend Republic Act No. 11697, or the Electric Vehicle Industry Development Act (EVIDA), mainly authored by Gatchalian. The bill extends the validity of fiscal and non-fiscal incentives from eight to 12 years and imposes a zero percent import duty on electric vehicles, as well as related equipment and infrastructure.

The measure introduces additional non-fiscal incentives for EV users, including waived or discounted parking fees, toll-free access to dedicated EV expressway lanes, and a Buy Now, Register Later program.

The bill also increases the minimum allocation of exclusive EV parking slots to 20 percent of total parking spaces, with a five-percent increase every five years.

The Department of Energy earlier said that permitting delays are slowing the rollout of EV charging stations in the Philippines. With AFP

VP...

In a statement on Friday, Drilon said the “greatest risk” facing the country today is the possible failure of the impeachment process, recalling the events that ended the impeachment trial of former President Joseph Estrada.

He recounted that during Estrada’s trial in 2001, senator-judges voted 11–10 against opening the so-called “second envelope,” which was believed to contain more damning evidence regarding his alleged P3.3-billion secret bank account.

The impeachment court’s decision prompted the prosecution team to walk out in protest. This triggered large rallies against Estrada and ignited the “EDSA 2” uprising, which forced him to leave Malacañang and led then Vice President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to assume the presidency.

PBBM...

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have their own markings, and that will really take up time,” he said.

The party-list lawmaker downplayed reports of alleged tensions during the first pre-trial conference held on June 18, saying disagreements between opposing sides are a normal part of legal proceedings.

“In the pre-trial, even in court, both sides naturally have different views. And it is normal that they will say different things, and that there will be contradictions,” he said.

“But nothing really happened that we can say was unusual in our pretrial,” he added.

Medical...

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They also cited internal misconduct complaints filed by Herbosa’s colleagues, saying these justify his immediate suspension pending investigation into the alleged misuse of public funds.

“While many Filipinos endure long queues in various offices, spending the whole day seeking medical assistance, or worse, dying of preventable diseases due to chronic government negligence, the Department of Health under Secretary Herbosa is blatantly misusing public funds and failing its mandate to protect and promote the health of Filipinos,” they said.

On the same day, a national labor group of public and private nurses also demanded Herbosa’s resignation, citing neglect of a worsening workforce crisis and mismanagement

of billions in medical resources.

Filipino Nurses United issued the call following prolonged frustration over low wages, severe hospital understaffing, and the continued exodus of healthcare workers under Herbosa’s leadership.

“Under his leadership, nurses remain underpaid, overworked, understaffed, and undervalued. Thousands continue to leave the profession while hospitals struggle with severe workforce shortages. Nurses in many private and local government hospitals still receive poverty-level wages of only P15,000 to P20,000 monthly despite carrying life-saving responsibilities,” the group said.

Beyond hospitals, the organization criticized the health department for failing to fund basic community clinics, which has weakened primary care and left tertiary hospitals overwhelmed with critically ill patients.

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from the Middle East by Department of Migrant Workers(DMW)-organized humanitarian flights.

These included 8,281 OFWs, 1,803 dependents, and 362 stranded citizens.

“The order is not to let them take care of themselves upon arrival. What the President wants is to bring them home to the provinces, particularly the most vulnerable, and to provide economic opportunities,” Recto added.

The DMW said that upon the OFWs arrival, the “standard welcome package” which includes “financial assistance, psychosocial counseling, medical assessment, reemployment guidance, livelihood” should be unfolded.

The agency also conducted 15 Bayanihan Para Sa Balikbayang Manggagawa National Reintegration Network and Job Fairs nationwide .

The DMW said that an OFW can receive as much as P20,000 as a small business start-up assistance upon coming home.

Additionally, for returning Philippine-licensed teachers, the Department of Education (DepEd) has also created a “hiring pathway” that will allow them to teach in public schools, Recto said.

Latest data from DepEd showed that about 10,000 former OFWs had joined the public teaching sector through several administrations.

Earlier this week, the Philippines welcomed the ‘peace deal’ between the US and Iran, expressing hopes that it will lead to a permanent end to hostilities and provide a durable resolution to a conflict with significant humanitarian and economic impacts.

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NEWS

MONDAY, JUNE 22, 2026

MST.DAYDESK@GMAIL.COM

Ortega defends anti-political dynasty bill

By Rio N. Araja DEPUTY Speaker and La Union Rep. Paolo Ortega V defended the passage by the House of Representatives of what critics have described as a “watereddown” anti-political dynasty bill.

He said it was the realistic version acceptable to most lawmakers and a “good, necessary first step” taken by the 20th Congress—something previous Congresses had failed to accomplish.

Ortega said there are good emerging leaders who belong to political families, citing House Majority Leader Ferdinand Alexander Marcos of Ilocos Norte as an example. He praised Marcos for his consistent attendance and commitment to his duties in Congress.

He said elected officials should be judged not only by their surnames but also by their performance. “There should be metrics included, based on leadership and overall governance.

That’s why it’s good to have numbers and not opinions,” he said.

Ortega also cited Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto and the Belmonte family of Quezon City as examples of effective leaders from political families. “Vico Sotto is there, right? Sandro Marcos is there, and the Belmontes are there,” he said.

Not many people know that Marcos takes his role as Majority Leader so seriously that he has never been absent from plenary sessions, Ortega added.

TENT CITY FOR EVACUEES. The DSWD Field Office XI establishes a Tent City at Ignacia A. Guillermo Central Elementary School in Barangay Nuing, Jose Abad Santos, Davao Occidental, providing temporary shelter to displaced families.

Typhoon Francisco intensifies—PAGASA

By Rio N. Araja

S

IN BRIEF

EVERE tropical storm “Francisco” intensified into a typhoon on Sunday afternoon.

Tulfo backs ‘no work, no pay’ for high-ranking officials A BILL that would apply a “no work, no pay” policy to high-ranking government officials who are absent without a valid reason is set to be filed by Sen. Erwin Tulfo once Senate sessions resume.

The proposed legislation would cover the president, vice president, senators, congressmen, other elected leaders, Cabinet secretaries, and department heads. Tulfo said it is unfair that ordinary government employees lose pay when absent while senior officials continue receiving compensation despite prolonged absences.

Under the proposal, top officials who fail to report for work without approved leave would also lose their government allowances.

Tulfo noted that high-ranking officials have traditionally been shielded from scrutiny, allowing them to continue drawing salaries despite being absent from their duties. Ram Superable

Two policemen arrested on rape, domestic abuse PHILIPPINE National Police chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. has ordered intensified monitoring and enforcement against erring personnel following the separate arrests of two active-duty police officers facing rape and domestic abuse charges.

Nartatez said the arrests underscore the PNP’s continuing campaign against personnel involved in criminal activities. “Let these simultaneous arrests serve as a stern warning that our badge and our uniform will never be a shield against the law, and the Philippine National Police will aggressively hunt down anyone within our ranks who believes they can evade accountability,” he said.

One of the arrested officers, a Police Master Sergeant assigned to the Presidential Security and Protection Group, was arrested in Quezon City on June 20 after authorities served a warrant issued by the Regional Trial Court of Taguig City for rape under Article 266-A of the Revised Penal Code. Investigators said the officer had also been under monitoring for alleged involvement in illegal activities, including illegal drug use. The court recommended no bail. Vince Lopez

Cebu Port Authority opens child development center CEBU CITY — The Cebu Port Authority (CPA) has opened a Child Development Center (CDC) for the children of its employees, becoming the first government-owned and controlled corporation (GOCC) in Central Visayas to establish such a facility.

The center, inaugurated on June 15 at the CPA compound, is designed to provide childcare services and a learning environment for employees’ children under five years old.

CPA General Manager Francisco Comendador III said the initiative seeks to promote the health, safety, and holistic development of young children while helping working parents manage childcare responsibilities.

“This initiative is not only about providing accessible childcare services for our employees. It is also our humble contribution to addressing the broader challenges in early childhood care and development in our country,” Comendador said. Minerva Newman

FOREST PROTECTION PACT. DENR and BFP officials in Central Visayas sign an agreement to strengthen forest fire prevention, emergency response, suppression operations, capacity building, and environmental protection across the region.

Manhunt for masterminds of Muntinlupa scam

By Vince Lopez THE Philippine National Police (PNP) has ordered follow-up operations to identify and arrest the masterminds and financiers behind a newly discovered underground scam hub in Muntinlupa City.

PNP Chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. directed investigators to conduct a thorough probe to determine the individuals and groups funding and operating the illegal enterprise.

He emphasized that authorities will not stop at raiding facilities but will focus on dismantling the syndicate’s leadership structure.

“This successful operation proves that our monitoring and aggressive

action are continuously being sustained against this kind of illegal activity. And we in the PNP will keep it that way until we fully accomplish our mission,” Nartatez said.

The intensified enforcement effort stemmed from the arrest of an alleged Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) operator during a police operation in Muntinlupa City on June 15, which led authorities to uncover the suspected scam hub.

Police reported that the facility was allegedly operating several fraudulent websites.

“Our personnel are actively tracking down these scam hubs, which have splintered into guerrilla-style operations following the govern-

ment’s total ban on POGOs,” Nartatez added.

Investigators are now focused on tracing the group’s command structure and digital footprint after authorities seized computers, laptops, mobile phones, flash drives, and other electronic devices during the raid.

The confiscated equipment is undergoing forensic examination to determine the scope of the operation and identify possible links to other illegal networks.

Nartatez said the PNP is coordinating closely with other government agencies and local government units to strengthen intelligence-driven operations against similar scam hubs operating across the country.

The center of “Francisco” was estimated at 820 kilometers northeast of Eastern Visayas.

It was moving west-northwestward at 25 kph, with maximum sustained winds of 120 kph near the center and gusts of up to 150 kph.

The onset of heavy rains due to the enhanced southwest monsoon is possible beginning Monday. Based on the latest forecast track, Wind Signal No. 1 may be hoisted over several localities in the northern and eastern portions of Cagayan, including the Babuyan Islands and Batanes, by Monday morning.

The southwest monsoon will bring strong to gale-force gusts, especially in coastal and upland areas exposed to winds, over La Union, Pangasinan, CALABARZON, Romblon, Masbate, most of the Visayas, Basilan, Sulu, Zamboanga Peninsula, Misamis Occidental, Lanao del Norte, Camiguin, Surigao del Norte, Dinagat Islands, the eastern portion of Davao Occidental, and the eastern and southern portions of Davao Oriental. On Tuesday, these conditions are expected over most of Luzon, the Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula, Northern Mindanao, Surigao del Norte, Dinagat Islands, Davao Occidental, and Davao Oriental.

“Francisco” will likely remain over the Philippine Sea throughout the forecast period.

However, a closer approach to Extreme Northern Luzon is not ruled out should its track continue to shift westward. The typhoon is expected to move west-northwestward until Wednesday, then slow down as it recurves toward southern Japan. It is forecast to further intensify and reach peak strength by Tuesday before gradually weakening.

Despite the rainy season, raw water levels in eight major dams continue to decline, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said Sunday.

Based on the weather bureau’s 8 a.m. dam bulletin, Angat Dam in Bulacan dropped to 165.04 meters, well below its normal high water level (NHWL) of 210 meters. Ipo Dam also declined to 99.59 meters from its NHWL of 101.10 meters.

PNP set to secure June 28 White Ribbon Movement rally

By Vince Lopez

THE Philippine National Police (PNP) will deploy security and coordination measures for the planned White Ribbon Movement rally at the EDSA People Power Monument on June 28 to maintain peace and order and ensure the safety of participants and the public.

PNP Chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. directed National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) Director Maj. Gen. Anthony Aberin and concerned regional offices to conduct a comprehensive security threat assessment around the EDSA People Power Monument and nearby critical infrastructure.

“While we respect the public’s right to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression, the Philippine National Police will remain completely apolitical and focused solely on maintaining public order and safety during the scheduled June 28 mobilization,” Nartatez said.

Religious and civil society groups led by the Interreligious Leaders Council for National Transformation (IRCNT) have called for the nationwide march to advocate electoral reforms, stronger government accountability, and action against corruption and political dynasties.

The gathering is expected to draw participants from faith-based organizations and civil society groups.

“We have already initiated strategic security assessments and directed the National Capital Region Police Office, alongside concerned local units, to exercise maximum tolerance while strictly enforcing traffic management and civil disturbance protocols,” Nartatez said.

“Our priority is to ensure that the White Ribbon Movement march at the EDSA People Power Monument remains completely peaceful, prevents any form of lawlessness, and causes minimal disruption to the commuting public and nearby business establishments,” he added.

MARIKINA CAR-FREE SUNDAYS. Every Sunday, Gil Fernando Avenue is opened to pedestrians, cyclists, fitness enthusiasts, and families enjoying outdoor activities and leisure walks. Marikina PIO

NEWS IN BRIEF ‘Face El Niño with P1-b PSF’ A

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DHSUD garners ‘good’ public approval rating

THE Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) on Sunday cited a latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey showing that the administration’s implementation of the housing program for the poor was among the top gainers in terms of public satisfaction.

The survey gave DHSUD public approval for housing programs for the poor improved by seven points, translating into a “good” net satisfaction rating of +45 amid the continued rollout of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s Expanded Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino (4PH) Program.

Results of the first quarter 2026 SWS national poll conducted from March 24 to 31 showed that the housing sector’s rating increased from the moderate +38 in November 2025 to +45, making it one of the administration’s programs which posted huge gains during the period.

DHSUD Secretary Jose Ramon Aliling welcomed the results reflecting the government’s continuing efforts to expand housing opportunities for more Filipino families through the implementation of the Expanded 4PH Program.

Rio N. Araja

LAWMAKER on Sunday urged local government units (LGUs) and community organizations to brace for potential El Niñoinduced dry weather conditions by tapping the P1billion People’s Survival Fund (PSF) for practical climate adaptation projects, including rainwater harvesting systems.

“In the 2026 General Appropriations Act, Congress allocated P1 billion for the People’s Survival Fund to help finance climate adaptation initiatives, including the installation of functional rainwater collection and storage systems that can strengthen communities’ resilience against potential freshwater shortages,” House Minority Leader and 4Ps Party-list

Rep. Marcelino “Nonoy” Libanan said.

He stressed that both LGUs and community organizations may access PSF financing for eligible projects aimed at reducing communities’ vulnerability to climate-related risks.

Libanan issued the call as the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PA-

GASA) warned that Metro Manila and 47 provinces could experience belownormal rainfall in the coming months due to El Niño.

“We should make rainwater harvesting a regular practice so communities can build up additional freshwater reserves before severe dry periods set in,” Libanan said.

“Every liter of rainwater captured and stored today can help cushion households and communities from water shortages tomorrow. Investing in rainwater harvesting is one of the simplest, most practical, and most cost-effective climate adaptation measures available to us,” he added.

PAGASA forecasts that Metro Manila and the following Luzon provinces may be under “dry condition” by November: Abra, Albay, Apayao, Aurora, Bataan,

Batangas, Benguet, Bulacan, Camarines Norte, Catanduanes, Cavite, Ifugao, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Isabela, Kalinga, La Union, Laguna, Marinduque, Masbate, Mountain Province, Nueva Ecija, Nueva Vizcaya, Occidental Mindoro, Oriental Mindoro, Palawan, Pampanga, Pangasinan, Quezon, Quirino, Rizal, Romblon, Sorsogon, Tarlac, and Zambales.

The weather agency defined “dry condition” as two consecutive months of below-normal rainfall, equivalent to a 21 percent to 60 percent reduction from average precipitation.

Meanwhile, PAGASA also predicted that Camarines Sur may be under a “dry spell” by November. A dry spell is defined as three consecutive months of below-normal rainfall, equivalent to a 21 percent to 60 percent reduction from average precipitation.

Agents seize P1-m shabu in Batangas Port operation AUTHORITIES have intercepted more than P1 million worth of illegal drugs during a joint operation at the Port of Batangas on June 17, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said.

The operation was conducted by the PCG in coordination with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) after a suspicious package was flagged during routine port security screening.

PCG spokesperson Commodore Noemie Cayabyab said a thorough inspection of the package was conducted, yielded positive indications of illegal drugs.

The raiding team recovered three sachets containing about 150 grams of suspected methamphetamine hydrochloride, or shabu, with an estimated street value of P1.02 million. Rex Espiritu

Weekend ops net P17-m illegal drugs in Region 6 POLICE in Western Visayas seized more than 2.5 kilograms of suspected shabu worth P17.14 million and arrested 11 suspects in five separate anti-illegal drug operations conducted within a 24-hour period.

Region 6 police director Brig. Gen. Randulf Tuaño said the operations were carried out from on June 21 across several provinces as part of ongoing efforts to curb the illegal drug supply chain.

The operations resulted in the confiscation of more than 2,500 grams of suspected shabu with a total standard drug price of P17.14 million, Tuaño said.

The largest haul came from an operation conducted by the Regional Police Drug Enforcement Unit 6 (RPDEU-6), which led to the arrest of three high-value individuals and the seizure of approximately 2,055 grams of suspected shabu valued at about P13.97 million. Vince Lopez

GUIMARAS MANGOES’ MARKET BREAKTHROUGH. The famous mangoes of Guimaras Island appears to be heading into an auspicious breakthrough of the Spanish market with a test shipment of 100 kilograms under the sponsorship of the Philippine Embassy in Madrid. ‘Introducing premium Philippine products to European markets creates opportunities not only for our exporters, but also for our farmers, entrepreneurs, and local communities,’ says Philippe Lhuillier, Philippine Ambassador to Spain. Philippine Embassy photo

BOC chief tells importers to promptly claim shipments

By Vito Barcelo BUREAU of Customs (BOC) Commissioner Ariel Nepomuceno advised importers and consignees to promptly withdraw their perishable shipments, saying delays can lead to spoilage, food waste, and port congestion.

To address the problem, Nepomuceno ordered the issuance of notices of delinquency with final demand to parties with unpaid, unclaimed, or unwithdrawn cargo to ensure compliance with Customs requirements and the correct payment of duties and taxes.

The BOC said perishable goods such as food products should not re-

main in ports for extended periods because delays can lead to spoilage and food waste.

Importers and consignees were advised to monitor their shipments, promptly settle duties and taxes, complete documentation requirements, and immediately withdraw cargo once cleared.

The measure aims to strengthen accountability across Customs collection districts, speed up cargo clearance, and reduce port congestion.

The BOC said faster processing protects government revenue and helps keep supply chains moving, ensuring essential goods reach consumers on time and in good condition.

Chiz wants some FDA powers transferred to proper agencies

HAILSTORM. As if adding injury to insult, a severe hailstorm sweeps Paoay, Atok, Benguet province, causing widespread agricultural damage even as farmers were still struggling to get over their economic losses on account of slumps in vegetable prices in the local market. Dave Leprozo

SENATOR Francis Escudero is looking at the possibility of stripping certain powers of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to make its approval processes more efficient and business compliance much easier.

According to Escudero, the FDA’s mandate is so broad that its functions have led to overlaps and delays, giving rise to calls for the redistribution of its powers that would allow specialized departments to handle regulation more efficiently and effectively in a timely manner.

“In my view, the FDA’s mandates are so broad it resulted in slow processes. It would be better to transfer some of its responsibilities to other government agencies for faster and much clearer regulation,” Escudero said in Filipino.

Under his proposal, key functions of the FDA would be absorbed by appropriate government agencies. He cited for instance the

regulation of fresh food being relegation to the Department of Agriculture (DA), processed food and cosmetics to the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), and medicines to the Department of Health (DOH).

Escudero asserted that the redistribution of FDA functions would streamline government processes and reduce overlapping mandates.

“For a long time, the FDA has been a catch-all agency, I think, it is about time that we fix this and move some of its functions to the right departments or offices,” he pointed out.

The senator also emphasized that his proposed bill aims to ease compliance for businesses while ensuring consumer that protection remains intact.

“We are not removing regulation. We are just transferring them to the proper agencies,” he explained.

Guimaras mangoes make landfall in Europe market

By Katrina Manubay THE famous mangoes of Guimaras Island appears headed for an auspicious breakthrough across the European market with a trailblazing shipment of 100 kilograms introduced by the Philippine Embassy in Madrid, Spain.

In a statement on Saturday, the Philippine Embassy said the export aims to gather insights into logistics, shelf life, and market potential for high-quality Philippine produce across Europe.

“Introducing premium Philippine products to European markets creates

opportunities not only for our exporters, but also for our farmers, entrepreneurs, and local communities. We hope this initiative will open doors for future partnerships and strengthen appreciation for the quality and diversity of Philippine agricultural products,” Philippine Ambassador to Spain Philippe J. Lhuillier said.

The Guimaras mangoes also mark the first export to Europe by woman-led enterprise Guimaras Wonder Farms.

The European journey actually started in Brussels, Belgium, and continued through key European cities, including The Hague, Paris, Berlin,

and Madrid, introducing new audiences to a premium Philippine product with a remarkable origin story.

Additionally, the initiative was made through collaboration among the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), the provincial government of Guimaras, the Guimaras Wonder Farms, logistics partners, and Philippine embassies and trade offices across Europe working together to expand market access and promote Philippine products abroad.

Guimaras mangoes became the first registered Geographical Indication (GI) product of the Philippines.

REGULATED ‘BASAAN’ FESTIVAL. The General Trias City government has enacted a special ordinance imposing some restrictions to ensure that the revelries during the traditional ‘Basaan Festival’ or dousing of water marking the annual observance of the June 24 Feast of San Juan do not go out of hand and nobody gets hurt apart from being ceremoniously drenched by friends, relatives, and strangers alike. Dennis Abrina

OPINION

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MONDAY, JUNE 22, 2026

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

EDITORIAL

Never forget THERE are two proximate reasons why the administration of Ferdinand Marcos Jr. could not stand the group of Alan Cayetano, Rodante Marcoleta, Loren Legarda, even presidential sister Imee Marcos, and had to move heaven and earth to thwart the new majority installed on May 11 this year.

The immediate reason is fear that the Blue Ribbon Committee chaired and run by other than political allies would dig and dig, and unearth in due time the unvarnished whole truth about its “Floodgate,” the crime of the century whose provenance came from three straight years of budgetary manipulation, capped by the 2025 GAA, the “most criminal”, no less than its senator-ally called, until one discovers a greater crime in the 2024 budget.

The Blue Ribbon under friendlier senators refused to hear the testimony of the 18 ex-soldiers who were in the employ of Elizaldy Co, the “genius” behind the three successive budget sleights-of-hand. Who ordered Co to use his financial engineering skills, and who profited most from the caper, the Blue Ribbon has yet to establish.

The same Blue Ribbon would not call the former budget secretary, Amenah Pangandaman, she whose signature is required to release the provenance for Floodgate projects, nor the previous executive secretary and his favorite grandnephew, Adrian Bersamin, whose names were mentioned under direct testimony of Roberto Bernardo, the “other genius” in the employ of former DPWH secretary Emmanuel Bonoan.

The latter has been charged by the Ombudsman, while the former has been accepted as state witness after the planning genius took her own life.

Instead, it singled out fellow senators Jinggoy, Joel and Chiz, submitted its findings to the Ombudsman who charged the first, now detained by orders of the Sandiganbayan, while the latter two are in limbo, easy prey for the persuasive machinations of powers that be.

Meanwhile, many others in the HoR, in the executive, are simply untouchable.

“Nolite nos tangere,” to paraphrase from our national hero’s immortal novel.

And because two senators were persuaded, they left Cayetano et al. and joined the senator allies now led by Sherwin Gatchalian, since their previous SP, Tito Sotto, has been tainted by “delivered maletas.”

That new majority has named Erwin Tulfo, also said to have been the recipient of maletas, the new chair of the Blue Ribbon.

What a farce!

The administration has another proximate reason for wanting a majority led by those who are friendlier due to personal or political agendas they find congruent with the executive branch in the meantime.

By July 6, the Senate acting as an impeachment court, will try the “hated” vice president on charges filed by the House of Representatives, who, if convicted, will be eliminated from the 2028 presidential race

where she presently enjoys a comfortable lead, commanding in some surveys, minimized though by some others.

The Senate dice is loaded in her favor, for the high bar to convict is not easy to reach.

But then again, a desperate administration, wary that people will not forget and an Inday Sara would not be allowed to forget by the public who would vote for her in 2028, needs still to ensure her political destruction, so that its weaker candidate, whether loyal ally or pseudo-ally, may have a chance to capture the throne two years hence.

—“—

We await God’s good time, when the suffering people will collectively declare ‘nemo me impune lacessit’ and defiantly demand rightful justice So if the magic 16 to convict, or as the HoR and the 1Sambayan now want reduced to 14 or 15 cannot be reached, the political demolition might, just might, dent the vice president’s survey numbers enough to make her vulnerable in 2028.

They have been trying to destroy her and her family’s political brand since 2024, yet two years down the road, she is still politically alive.

“Buhay ka pa!” the Diehard Duterte Haters cry among themselves.

They thought the Binay demolition template via the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee in 2014 would be just as “successful” in demolishing the vice president.

They did not have to impeach Binay, because the president then, Benigno Simeon Aquino III, would not countenance any such move.

But for the current leadership, the impeachment of the vice-president is highly desirable, a consummation devoutly to be pursued.

And so the political telenovela that has bedeviled every effort of well-meaning citizens to just mind their own business in an effort to survive the worsening economic crisis, continues to hound and haunt all in the benighted land.

All because the powerful cannot moderate their greed and cannot let go of their power for fear of imminent justice.

We await God’s good time, when the suffering people will collectively declare “nemo me impune lacessit” (no one provokes me with impunity) and defiantly demand rightful justice.

But first, we must never allow the people to forget. “Nunquam obliviscaris.”

Investments in the power grid cannot wait THE Philippine economy cannot sustain its growth ambitions on an electricity system that is constantly playing catch-up.

Every summer, consumers experience recurring yellow and red alerts, periodic power supply concerns, and increasing vulnerability to extreme weather events.

These developments underscore that critical investments in energy infrastructure can no longer be delayed if the country is to build a reliable and resilient power system capable of supporting future growth.

While public discussions often focus on power generation and electricity prices, the distribution network that delivers electricity to homes, businesses, schools, and hospitals deserves equal attention.

The substations, transformers, distribution lines, and digital systems that make up the power grid require continuous modernization to keep pace with rising demand and evolving technologies.

This is why the Energy Regulatory Commission’s efforts to complete the longdelayed rate reset process deserve public attention.

Contrary to common perception, the rate reset is not simply about determining rates.

It is also about ensuring that distribution utilities can undertake prudent investments needed to provide reliable service to consumers.

The term “rate reset” sounds highly technical. Yet its impact is reflected in matters that consumers care about most: service reliability, restoration times after outages, and the ability of the grid to withstand disruptions.

—“—

As the country pursues higher economic growth, attracts new investments, and expands opportunities for Filipino families, the power grid must be ready to support that progress Consumer protection and infrastructure investment are often portrayed as competing priorities. In reality, they are complementary.

A distribution network that is not adequately maintained eventually becomes more vulnerable to outages, operational inefficiencies, and service disruptions.

Delayed investments may appear cost-

F

Something for fathers

ILIPINOS marked Father’s Day on Sunday, as is customary every third Sunday of June.

The occasion is not an official holiday, and yet it has become a traditionally special day marked by greetings, presents, and meals out with the family.

Restaurants find themselves just a little bit fuller; on social media, tributes -- to biological fathers, father figures, and others playing the role of fathers -- abound.

Over at the Lower House of Congress, a drastic increase in the number of leave days for fathers is being proposed by Akbayan Partylist Rep. Chel Diokno. The Paternity and Parental (PAPA) Leave Act seeks to expand paternity leave to 90 continuous days from the current seven days. In addition, fathers can avail themselves of 15 more paid days within a year from childbirth.

According to Rep. Diokno, the proposal reflects changing times; fathers assume an increasing role in caring for their children, a mindset different from one where the men’s primary task is to earn money while the women’s is to manage the home and take care of babies.

If passed, the law would cover both married and unmarried fathers.

ManilaStandard

ONLINE

PPI

Philippine Press Institute The National Association of Philippine Newspapers

Today’s childrearing challenges necessitate the active participation of both parents Women and Children Act, an existing law providing protection against different kinds of abuse done to vulnerable members of the family.

BOGOTA, Colombia – Colombians elect a new president on Sunday, with the frontrunner’s plans for a military offensive against resurgent armed groups splitting voters, and even the military ranks.

On the eve of the vote, hard-right Abelardo de la Espriella has a slight polling edge over his leftist rival -- having promised an end to peace talks and to launch a wave of airstrikes against guerrillas and cartels.

A decade after peace accords ended a FARC leftist insurgency that killed a quarter of a million people, an alphabet soup of armed groups still control chunks of the country.

Many dissident fighters have long since cast off ideology, focusing instead on illegal mining, kidnapping, extortion and above all global cocaine trafficking -- their coffers filled by high prices and record production.

De la Espriella’s promise to end years of sputtering peace talks with these groups, retake territory and put “thugs” in “prison” or in “plastic bags” has won the backing of many Colombians.

In the first round, De la Espriella won 44 percent of the vote against his nearest rival, leftist Ivan Cepeda, who tallied 41 percent.

The military could expect to be a major winner from any De la Espriella presidency.

He has promised bumper defense budgets and wants to mend ties with Washington, which has provided the Colombian military with billions of dollars worth of aid over decades.

But sources inside the military have told AFP the armed forces were, like the

Many said peace talks under the current government had failed, but warned zero-sum campaign promises to launch airstrikes and retake territory were going to collide with a difficult reality.

“I don’t think a solution solely through armed confrontation is viable,” said former admiral Pablo Romero, echoing doubts about De la Espriella’s strategy.

“Unfortunately, what we’ve seen is a decline in the capabilities of the public security forces, or a notable increase in the offensive capabilities of criminal organizations,” he warned.

“De la Espriella’s party can say he

wants to implement that policy starting August 8. But it’s another thing for the Armed Forces... to actually be in a position right now to do it.”

There is also concern that De la Espriella’s policies could spark retaliatory attacks on major cities, cause violence to spiral in already badly hit areas and even derail the broader peace process.

Former defense minister, center-right president and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Manuel Santos -- the architect of the 2016 accords and a strategy of blending peace talks, military action and intelligence operations -- has tacitly distanced himself from De la Espriella.

“I am going to vote for whoever defends the peace process,” he said ahead of the runoff.

Ricardo Gomez, a former army commander, said ongoing talks with armed groups -- championed by leftist Cepeda and outgoing leftist president Gustavo Petro -- deserved scrutiny.

“We have to analyze what has happened and why they haven’t produced results,” he told AFP. Still, the scale of the challenge was clear, he said.

“Look, when the FARC demobilized we had maybe around 12,000 men under arms. Today, the statistics show us that there are more than 27,000,” he added.

“At the end of the day, this is big business. The cash flows from drug trafficking, extortion, kidnapping, and illegal mining are extremely high. And we’re not talking about domestic crime, but transnational crime.” AFP

saving in the short term, but consumers ultimately pay the price through deteriorating reliability and more expensive corrective measures later on.

The real issue is not whether investments should happen. The question is whether proposed investments are necessary, efficient, and beneficial to consumers.

This is precisely the responsibility entrusted to the ERC. Under the leadership of Chairperson Francis Saturnino Juan, the Commission has moved to complete a regulatory process that has been delayed for far too long.

Equally important, it has maintained its commitment to prudence, efficiency, and least-cost regulation. Proposed capital expenditures are subjected to rigorous review to ensure that only justified and beneficial investments are allowed.

This is an important consumer safeguard.

The ERC’s role is to determine whether proposed projects are necessary, whether costs are reasonable, and whether consumers ultimately benefit from them.

The objective is to strike the right balance between affordability and service reliability.

Completing the rate reset process also restores much-needed regulatory certainty.

For years, delays have complicated longterm planning across the distribution sector

even as demand, technology, and climate risks continued to evolve.

The investments being proposed are not cosmetic upgrades.

They include advanced metering infrastructure, grid automation, storm-hardening initiatives, cybersecurity enhancements, underground cabling in strategic areas, and network improvements that will support renewable energy integration and emerging technologies.

Meralco, which serves the country’s largest distribution franchise area, has the capacity to undertake these modernization efforts at the scale required by rising electricity demand and an increasingly digital society.

As consumers, we need these upgrades to strengthen reliability and resilience across the distribution network.

In return, we should expect fewer service interruptions, faster restoration during outages, and a more reliable and resilient electricity network.

As a consumer advocate, I believe affordability must remain a central consideration in every regulatory decision.

Consumers deserve protection from unreasonable costs and inefficient spending.

That principle should never change.

At the same time, affordability cannot be pursued in isolation from reliability. Consumers deserve electricity service

that is dependable, resilient, and capable of supporting the demands of a growing economy.

The conversation should not be framed as a choice between protecting consumers and investing in infrastructure. Consumers need both.

Reliable electricity is built on prudent regulation, long-term planning, and sustained investment.

The ERC’s responsibility is to ensure that only necessary and efficient investments move forward while safeguarding consumers from unnecessary costs.

Chairperson Juan and the Commission deserve credit for pushing to complete a process that has languished for years. Regulatory uncertainty benefits no one.

Consumers are best served by a transparent system that subjects every proposed investment to rigorous scrutiny while allowing critical infrastructure projects to proceed.

As the country pursues higher economic growth, attracts new investments, and expands opportunities for Filipino families, the power grid must be ready to support that progress.

The investments being discussed today are ultimately investments in a stronger economy, more competitive industries, and a better quality of life for Filipino families.

population, divided on De la Espriella’s plans.

One military source told AFP the younger ranks preferred to continue peace talks launched under the current leftist government and backed by Cepeda, while the older guard would support a fight to the death.

‘Big business’ Colombia’s constitution prevents the military from voting or campaigning openly. But former officers have been willing to speak publicly.

—“—

An alphabet soup of armed groups still control chunks of the country

Emil P. Jurado Chairman Emeritus, Editorial Board

Board Member & Chief Legal Adviser ROLANDO G. ESTABILLO Publisher

can be accessed at: manilastandard.net

MEMBER

—“—

Specter of military escalation hangs over Colombia vote

Former Chief Justice Reynato S. Puno

Published Monday to Sunday by Philippine Manila Standard Publishing Inc. at 6/F Universal Re Building, 106 Paseo de Roxas, corner Perea St., Legaspi Village, Makati City.

Telephone numbers 8-5646225 and 8-5646229 (connecting all departments), (Editorial) 832-5554, (Advertising) 832-5550. P.O. Box 2933, Manila Central Post Office, Manila. Website: www.manilastandard.net

The bill comes with a fair warning, however, to those who might exploit this privilege to collect the leave benefits without commensurate paternal effort. They could be charged under the Violence Against

The assumption is that the additional benefits would enable fathers to take a more active role in caring for their infant, in effect providing much needed help and relief to their wives or partners. Aside from nurturing the child, new mothers have to deal with postpartum recovery of the body and the mind, manage the family resources, and care for other, older children they might have.

Generations of Filipinos have been raised to believe that fathers and mothers play distinct and separate roles in the family. This has perpetuated stereotypes and oppressive conditions, as well as deprived parents of the meaning and satisfaction of performing duties thought to be the province of the other parent.

It is comforting to think that these gender-role delineations are being blurred. Today’s child-rearing challenges necessitate the active participation of both parents, complementing each other’s strengths and efforts just as they render mutual help in other aspects of family life.

We should do away with the narrow view that simply fathering children reinforces one’s manhood.

Instead, it is the man stepping up to the role of parenthood, both its rewards and challenges, who exemplifies a decent human being.

Mario R. Policarpio Jr. Head - Finance

Baldwin R. Felipe

Head - Ad Solutions

Joyce Pangco Pañares Managing Editor

Honor Blanco Cabie

Opinion Editor

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Head - Suppplements

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Aytch dela Cruz

Online Editor

Edgar M. Valmorida Circulation Manager

News Editor

Lino M. Santos Chief Photographer

WORLD

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MONDAY, JUNE 22, 2026

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Trump-backed hardliner faces leftist in high-stakes election BOGOTA, Colombia—Colombians pick a new president on Sunday (Monday, Manila time), a choice between a hard-right White Housebacked lawyer and a leftist senator that will decide the fate of the country’s stumbling peace process and strained ties with Washington.

Up to 41 million voters will choose between frontrunner Abelardo de la Espriella and his rival Ivan Cepeda— the latest in a series of Latin American elections hyper-polarized between left and right.

Security has dominated a campaign marred by bomb attacks and the murder of a leading conservative presidential candidate in broad daylight in Bogota.

De la Espriella, a dual US-Colombian national who calls himself “The Tiger,” won May’s first-round vote by

IN BRIEF Los Angeles under state of emergency

LOS ANGELES—Los Angeles was under a state of emergency Saturday as fire crews fought a days-long battle against a stubborn warehouse blaze that has filled the air with acrid black smoke.

“This is a major, multi-jurisdictional incident,” Karen Bass, mayor of the secondlargest US city, said in a statement.

The declaration will “ensure the city has the resources it needs.”

The fire broke out Wednesday afternoon in a 500,000-square-foot (46,400-squaremeter) frozen food warehouse, where burning foam insulation, suspected ammonia leakage and melting solar panels have complicated the firefight, officials said.

“The smell of smoke has reached most of the city, and we encourage everyone to limit exposure as much as possible,” the Los Angeles Fire Department said in a Facebook post.

The fire has been contained to the warehouse but continues to burn, spewing fumes that smell of burning plastic.

Early on, residents of the area surrounding the warehouse in Boyle Heights, a diverse neighborhood in east Los Angeles, were warned to shelter in place, close windows and avoid breathing the air.

Authorities opened 24-hour relief centers for people unable to otherwise escape the smoke. AFP

Former doctor faces hospital abuse trial

CAIRO—A former Egyptian doctor is to stand trial after prosecutors on Saturday accused her of spreading false information through a social media post alleging abuses against women at a major university hospital in Alexandria.

Omnia Swaydan was arrested at her home in Egypt’s Nile Delta province of Beheira last week and questioned on charges of spreading false news and misusing social media, according to her lawyers, Asmaa Naeim and Mohamed Ramadan.

She was later released on bail of 20,000 Egyptian pounds ($401), they said on social media.

Swaydan’s Facebook post detailed allegations of obstetric violence, patient neglect and degrading treatment of women at Alexandria’s Al-Shatby University Hospital, where she trained as a medical resident between 2020 and 2021.

Egypt’s public prosecution said on Saturday that it had referred her to criminal court over the post.

It added that Swaydan told investigators some incidents were based on procedures she had witnessed during her training but that, due to her “limited experience”, she believed they were unusual and outside accepted medical practice.

Prosecutors said she also acknowledged that some claims had been relayed to her “by others whom she was unable to identify” and that she had not verified whether they had occurred.

In the now-deleted post, Swaydan alleged widespread abuse at the hospital, including claims that a doctor sexually violated a patient during labour and later mocked the incident, and that another woman was slapped and verbally humiliated while giving birth. AFP

ELUSIVE PEACE. A man sits atop a hill near destroyed and heavilydamaged buildings at the Nuseirat camp for Palestinian refugees in the central Gaza Strip durig the weekend. Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas on Monday hailed a deal between the United States and Iran, expressing hope it would help put an end to violence in the Gaza Strip.

Israel and Hamas trade near-daily accusations of truce violations and the Gaza Strip remains gripped by bloodshed as progress on permanently ending the war remains stalled. AFP

promising to wage war on drug-running guerrilla groups who refused to sign a 2016 peace deal.

He told AFP that if elected, he wants US backing for a 90-day campaign of airstrikes against armed groups producing coca, the main ingredient in cocaine.

Cepeda is a 63-year-old senator and human rights defender and has been a key figure behind the policy of negotiating “total peace” with armed groups.

He is the son of a communist senator killed by right-wing paramilitaries and is the political heir to outgoing President Gustavo Petro—who is constitutionally barred from running.

Critics say Petro’s leftist government has allowed armed groups to grow richer from trafficking, expand their territory and gain power. AFP

BROAD STRIKES. Civilians and first responders gather at the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted the southern Lebanese village of Qennarit during the weekend. Israel carried out deadly strikes in south Lebanon and Hezbollah maintained it had the right to respond, hours after the United States announced a renewed ceasefire in fighting that had strained a fledgling deal with Iran.

Lebanon was drawn into the Middle East war on March 2 when Tehran-backed militant group Hezbollah launched attacks on Israel to avenge the killing of the Iranian leader. Israel has responded with broad strikes across Lebanon and a ground offensive. AFP

US, Iran set for new talks after delay and deadly Israel strikes G ENEVA—A new round of negotiations over the Middle East war was set to kick off Sunday, with Iranian negotiators arriving in the Swiss host city hours ahead of US Vice President JD Vance, even as Tehran said it was closing the Strait of Hormuz again over Israeli attacks in Lebanon.

Before boarding his flight to Europe, Vance told reporters he hoped to “make progress on the nuclear issue, make progress on the Lebanon ceasefire issue. Those are the two big things that I think we’re going to be focused on”.

Follow-up talks had been planned in Switzerland on Friday but were

postponed at the last minute after Israel launched deadly strikes in Lebanon following the deaths of four of its soldiers in combat.

Washington announced a renewed ceasefire there later Friday—a condition of its preliminary agreement with Iran -- but Israeli troops clashed again

with Hezbollah fighters on Saturday, with each side accusing the other of breaking the truce.

Citing a US “breach of contract” and “the Zionist regime’s continuous and relentless violation of the ceasefire in southern Lebanon”, Iran’s central military command said “the Strait of Hormuz will be closed to vessel traffic.”

Hormuz, a key conduit for oil and gas shipments, was blockaded by Iran for much of the war, sending shockwaves through global energy markets.

Tehran had agreed to reopen it under the preliminary accord signed by President Donald Trump and his Ira-

Albanian protests vs. Trump-linked resort swelling

STATE OF EMERGENCY.

Indigenous people wearing signs reading ‘Union Police’ on their hats attend a meeting of ‘Ponchos Rojos’ leaders to discuss the future of protests ongoing for more than six weeks in Tilata, La Paz department, Bolivia, on June 18, 2026.

For weeks, protesters demanding that US-backed conservative President Rodrigo Paz’s fledgling government address a deep economic crisis, while others called for his resignation, have marched and set up roadblocks, bringing Bolivia to a near standstill, driving up food and fuel prices and causing shortages of basic goods.

AFP

Bolivia declares state of emergency, deploys military LA PAZ, Bolivia—Bolivia’s president on Saturday (Sunday, Manila time) declared a state of emergency and deployed soldiers and bulldozers to raze anti-government roadblocks that have paralyzed the Andean nation.

For more than six weeks, unions, Indigenous groups and coca farmers have marched through cities and blocked roads across the country with rubble, logs and debris in protest of the conservative government.

Major cities have suffered acute shortages of fuel, food and medicine, the economy has lost billions of dollars and the protests have threatened to topple Bolivia’s first non-socialist

nian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian, and shipping traffic had begun to recover.

US Central Command said after Iran’s announcement that safe passage through the international waterway had “remained intact” and that US forces were “present and vigilant”.

Trump later warned that Washington could impose its own tolls on Hormuz if negotiators failed to complete the deal.

There would be no tolls “unless they are imposed by and for the United States of America”, Trump wrote on Truth Social. AFP

government in two decades.

President Rodrigo Paz on Saturday appeared in a predawn televised address to warn protesters they would face “the full force of the law” as he moved to end the crisis.

He declared a 90-day state of emergency, which curbs the right to protest and allows the military to be deployed domestically.

Hours after his address, AFP reporters in the city of El Alto saw squads of soldiers and armed police moving in a convoy as bulldozers moved in to clear roadblocks.

Some residents clapped as they passed. One man handed a bag of

bread to a police officer riding in the back of a pickup truck.

“I’m very happy” Carla Butron, a 39-year-old shopkeeper, told AFP. “Everything has been difficult here in El Alto during these 50-some-days— work, free movement.”

In nearby La Paz, military police and navy personnel guarded the presidential palace and police tactical units were stationed on main squares.

“Bolivians cannot continue to be held hostage by blockades that prevent them from working, studying, receiving medical care, getting supplies and bringing food to their homes,” Paz said in a social media post. AFP

Gaza health officials say Israeli strikes kill 11 GAZA CITY, Palestinian Territories— Gaza health officials said Israeli strikes on Saturday killed at least 11 people, including four members of the same family, in the latest violence to rock the Palestinian territory despite a ceasefire.

Israel and Hamas trade near-daily accusations of truce violations and the Gaza Strip remains gripped by bloodshed as progress on permanently ending the war remains stalled.

An overnight Israeli airstrike on an apartment building in the Sabra neighborhood of Gaza City killed four members of the Al-Safadi family, including the husband, wife and their two daughters, according to the civil defense agency, a rescue service that

operates under Hamas authority.

It said the strike also injured 12 others.

Gaza City’s Al-Shifa hospital confirmed receiving the bodies of four members of the Safadi family, including two children.

“Around 2 o’clock, my cousins were asleep when a missile struck them.

They have no connection to Hamas, nor are they involved in anything. They’re just innocent children,” said Nael alSafadi, a relative.

AFP footage from the scene showed an exterior wall of the apartment blown off, exposing rubble, clothes, mattresses and other household belongings strewn across the shattered interior. AFP

TIRANA, Albania—Thousands of protesters marched through Albania’s capital during the weekend, one of the largest demonstrations since rallies against a planned resort linked to US President Donald Trump’s family began almost three weeks ago.

Since late May, protesters have gathered every evening to oppose the construction of a luxury hotel linked to Trump’s daughter Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner, planned in a nature reserve on the Balkan nation’s coast.

Opposition to the development has become a flash point for frustrations over perceived corruption, with demands now including the resignation of Prime Minister Edi Rama.

Although official numbers were not available, AFP journalists said the crowd appeared to be the biggest since demonstrations began.

Boosted by a large number of Albanian diaspora who traveled to the country for the rally, a sea of marchers waved Albanian and American flags as red balloons were released into the air.

The protesters said they would stay in the streets until Rama resigns.

Some protesters projected the slogan “Albania is not for sale” PM’s offices building.

The protesters accuse him and his government of a lack of transparency concerning the developments planned on the Albanian coast.

“We are not against the country’s development; we are against the arrogance and lack of transparency surrounding projects that affect our lives,” said one protester, Alma, a student at the Faculty of Science.

Rama, who has remained defiant throughout the protests, told a party meeting earlier Saturday that he would not resign. He claimed that Kushner’s involvement, rather than concerns about the development itself, was fuelling the protests.

“The world did not wake up from the fate of Narta, but from the name of Kushner and the shadow of Trump,” he said. AFP

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SPORTS

MONDAY, JUNE 22, 2026

FIFA draws flak as Infantino stacks air miles at World Cup LAUSANNE, Switzerland—FIFA president Gianni Infantino has been a busy man at this World Cup, but his unquenchable thirst to pack in as many matches as possible is causing unrest among environmentalists who are questioning his indifference to climate change.

Mexico City, Guadalajara, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Vancouver, Seattle, Kansas City, Houston: the ItaloSwiss boss has already powered up his private jet to appear in the stands 10 times in seven days.

His insatiable use of a Qatar Airways private jet is nothing new: in September 2024, the investigative outlet Josimar revealed that he had used the plane to clock up 600,000 kilometers (372,822 miles) over the previous three years.

But the expanded 2026 World Cup, staged for the first time with 48 teams across the United States, Canada, and Mexico — meaning a jump from 64 to 104 matches — has magnified the impact of Infantino’s flying habit.

“Just one hour in this plane emits roughly what an average human being emits in an entire year,” Greenly, a French company specializing in carbon footprint assessments, said this week.

‘Sustainability paradox’ If Infantino strings together two cities a day until the end of the round of 16, then attends the last eight matches, Greenly estimates he will rack up “a defensible range of 300 to 500 tons of CO2 for his plane alone” over the course of the tournament.

That is the equivalent, they say, of “the annual footprint of around 35 to 55 French people”.

FIFA defends the president’s travel by stressing that its executives choose between commercial and private flights “based on what is most efficient and cost-effective” and that in all cases the organization covers travel costs. AFP

Germany’s midfielder Nadiem Amiri (left) and teammates celebrate their team’s second goal during the 2026 World Cup Group E football match between Germany and Ivory Coast at the Toronto Stadium in Toronto. AFP

Germany edges Ivory Coast to book place in KO rounds

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OS ANGELES—Germany booked their place in the knockout rounds of the World Cup with a dramatic injury-time winner in a 2-1 victory over Ivory Coast on Saturday as a heroic goalkeeping performance helped tiny Curacao clinch their first-ever point in a goalless draw with Ecuador.

Substitute Deniz Undav was Germany’s saviour, scoring a 68th-minute equaliser before calmly slotting his second in the fourth minute of stoppage time to settle an enthralling game in Toronto.

The result marks the first time since 2014 that Germany have reached the knockout rounds after back-to-back

Japan strolls to 4-0 victory over Tunisia MONTERREY, Mexico—Japan marked the 1,000th game in the history of the World Cup with a 4-0 thrashing of Tunisia on Saturday to close in on a place in the last 32.

Ayase Ueda scored twice while Daichi Kamada and Junya Ito were also on target as the Asian giants joined the Netherlands on four points at the top of Group F. Tunisia, which was thumped 5-1 by Sweden in their first game of the tournament, can no longer hope for a place in the knockout rounds.

The Blue Samurai, who held the Netherlands to a 2-2 draw in their Group F opener, were always in control against Tunisia at the Monterrey Stadium.

The result marked a losing start for new Tunisia manager Herve Renard, who was hastily appointed to take over the World Cup campaign after predecessor Sabri Lamouchi was sacked in the wake of the Sweden drubbing.

But Renard’s team never looked like threatening a technically superior Japanese side that were quickly into their trademark, smooth passing game.

Daichi Kamada opened the scoring after just four minutes, finishing from close range after deft interplay from Ao Tanaka and Keito Nakamura.

The Japanese almost scored again moments later, with only a desperate goalline clearance from Dylan Bronn denying the Asian giants a second goal.

Tunisia goalkeeper Aymen Dahmen was also working overtime, and had to claw away a shot that just went agonisingly short of crossing the goalline. AFP

first-round eliminations in the 2018 and 2022 tournaments.

“This is exactly what we hoped for and I’m very happy for my team,” Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann said.

Germany’s come-from-behind victory was made even sweeter later on Saturday as Curacao -- the smallest nation by population ever

to qualify for the World Cup with just 160,000 inhabitants -- dug deep to secure a shock 0-0 draw with Ecuador in Kansas City.

The result means the Germans win Group E with a game to spare.

Curacao goalkeeper Eloy Room was the hero, keeping out a record 15 shots -- the most ever saves in a game that did not involve extra time -- as the underdogs secured their first ever World Cup point.

Dutch swat Swedes In Houston, the Netherlands stayed firmly on course for qualification with a stylish 5-1 demolition of Sweden.

Sweden, 5-1 winners against Tunisia in their opening Group F match, went

into Saturday’s showdown with the Dutch knowing that a victory would guarantee their passage out of the group stage.

But Graham Potter’s side were torn apart by a rampant Netherlands team, who roared into a 2-0 lead after after just 17 minutes thanks to a brace from Sunderland’s Brian Brobbey.

Liverpool’s Cody Gakpo scored twice in the first nine minutes of the second half to put the Dutch 4-0 up, ensuring that Sweden’s lone strike from Anthony Elanga was only ever going to be a consolation goal.

Crysencio Summerville completed the Dutch rout with a fifth goal on 89 minutes. AFP

New mindset, prior win give Clark confidence at US Open SOUTHAMPTON—Wyndham Clark says a new mindset and a major victory in 2023 give him a confidence boost as he enters Sunday’s final round of the US Open with a six-stroke lead.

Clark eagled the par-five 16th but closed with a three-putt bogey to fire a level-par 70 in Saturday’s third round to stand on sevenunder 203 at windy Shinnecock.

“Tomorrow is going to be a new challenge.

There’s going to be some ups and downs. I’m really hoping I kind of bring my A-game finally, just sharper,” Clark said.

“I made some dumb mistakes with wedges, which I normally don’t do, and a couple of bad three-putts. If I can have my game, then I really love the opportunity.”

Clark, the 2023 US Open winner, will be in the final group with top-ranked American compatriot Scottie Scheffler, a four-time major winner who can complete a career Grand Slam with a victory.

“I get to play with one of the best players in the world on one of the best courses in the world in one of the best championships, so it’s a dream come true,” Clark said.

“Scottie is the best player in the world and he’s going to play probably really good. He always does, but it’s nice to have a six-shot lead on him.

“I’m going to keep approaching it the same way. If I go out and execute and go through my process and hit the shots I know I can hit,

I like my chances.”

One major reason Clark does is because he has become less emotional and better at letting go of mistakes to focus on upcoming holes.

“I’m trying to get more consistent. Today was very volatile,” Clark said. “Hopefully tomorrow it can be a little more low-key and hopefully I can play some boring golf.

“I’ve just gotten a lot better at moving on and making each shot its own shot and not thinking, wow, why did I do that, how did I get myself here.

“I’ve gotten so much at better at going, ‘OK, now I have this shot, this is the new challenge,

embrace it, and try to hit the best shot you can.’”

Winning the 2023 US Open has made him more confident than when he took his first major title.

“I’m definitely a lot more confident and believe I can do it,” Clark said. “I’d say in ‘23 there was still doubts. Not necessarily doubts, but I hadn’t done it, so there was a lot of unknown. Now that I’ve done it, I know I can do it, and I can do it again.

“I’ll definitely lean on that experience and other experiences from when I’ve won. Hey, I can break through and do t h i s again.” AFP

Wyndham Clark of The United States plays his tee shot on the 17th hole during the third round of the 126th U.S. OPEN at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, New York. AFP

Phuket cements status as ‘Active Sport Destination’ with Laguna Phuket Marathon

Phuket draws over 7,000 runners, boosting Green Season Tourism.

PHUKET—The paradise island of Phuket has successfully redefined its tourism landscape, welcoming over 7,000 runners and international visitors from across the globe for the 20thanniversary celebration of the “Laguna Phuket Marathon 2026 Presented by Supersports.”

The monumental success of this year’s event not only highlights the island’s breathtaking natural beauty but also serves as a massive economic catalyst during Thailand’s lush “Green Season,” firmly elevating Phuket to the ranks of a world-class Active Sport Destination.

Held on June 13 and 14, 2026, at the spectacular Laguna Grove within the award-winning Laguna Phuket integrated resort, the internationally sanctioned

marathon demonstrated the powerful synergy between sports and tourism.

By drawing thousands of athletes, their families, and supporters during the traditional off-peak travel months, the event provides a vital injection into the local economy, benefiting hotels, restaurants, transportation services, and local communities.

Driving the “Green Season” Economy and Active Lifestyle Tourism The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) and Phuket Provincial authorities have strategically championed the event to showcase that Phuket is a year-round destination. The marathon proves that the island’s “Green Season”—characterized by cooler breezes, vibrant tropical foliage, and refreshing occasional showers—

is the perfect backdrop for outdoor sports and wellness travel.= Sunset-Sunrise: Showcasing Phuket’s Scenic Charm To maximize the destination experience, the 20th-anniversary marathon featured a unique “Sunset-Sunrise” concept, allowing international travelers to experience the island’s charm at its most magical hours.

The Sunset Run (Saturday, June 13): Designed for families, casual runners, and lifestyle travelers, this evening session featured the 2KM Junior Run, 5KM, and 10KM races. Runners navigated through charming local villages and along pristine coastal roads, crossing the finish line against the backdrop of Phuket’s world-renowned romantic twilight.

SPORTS

A8 MONDAY, JUNE 22, 2026

RIERA U. MALLARI, Editor RANDY M. CALUAG, Asst. Editor

USA downs Serbia, sweeps matches in VNL Pasig leg

USA players celebrate after beating Serbia, 25-22, 18-25, 25-16, 25-19, on Sunday in the Pasig City leg of the Women’s Volleyball Nations League at the Philsports Arena.

WTA top-30-bound Eala returns to action in Bad Homburg Open

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EFORE Wimbledon comes, Alexandra Eala will try to be good at the Bad Homburg Open.

Barely a day after her breakthrough semifinal run in the Berlin Open came to an end, the Filipina sensation returns to action as she opens her campaign in the WTA 500 event, also in Germany, her final tune-up before the Wimbledon Championships beginning next week.

Eala enters the tournament riding the momentum of the best grass-court stretch of her young career despite absorbing a 6-2, 6-4 semifinal defeat to Czech standout Linda Noskova in Ber-

lin early Sunday (Manila time).

The loss denied the 21-year-old Filipina a spot in the final and handed Noskova her second straight victory over Eala after also prevailing in their Indian Wells meeting earlier this year.

Still, Berlin proved to be another landmark tournament for Eala.

Currently ranked No. 35 in the world, Eala is projected to climb five spots to a career-best World No. 30 when the official WTA rankings are released on Monday, following her semifinal finish that earned her 195 ranking points and €57,395 (around P3.9 million) in prize money. She also moved within just one ranking point of matching No. 29 and two points away from setting another career high.

Her rise was fueled by a pair of stunning victories over two Top-10 oppo-

nents. Eala first upset former Wimbledon champion and World No. 2 Elena Rybakina, 7-5, 6-4, before dispatching World No. 8 Elina Svitolina, 6-3, 6-4, to reach her first career WTA grasscourt semifinal.

Those wins raised her tally to six career victories over Top-10 players, further cementing her emergence as one of the tour’s fastest-rising stars.

Despite struggling to find her rhythm against Noskova, who blasted nine aces and 33 winners, Eala chose to focus on the positives from an unforgettable week in Berlin.

THE USA hit a snag but found its stride to finish off Serbia, 25-22, 18-25, 2516, 25-19, on Sunday and complete a sweep of its matches in the Pasig City leg of the Women’s Volleyball Nations League at the Philsports Arena.

The second-set stumble was the Americans’ first of the week, breaking a streak of three straight-set victories in the event presented by the Philippine Sports Commission.

The USA wound up with the most points from Pool Five action, earning the full 12 to raise its total to 20 for the provisional lead in Week Two of the FIVB’s premier annual international competition.

Unbeaten Brazil has 19 points after a four-set win over China, and will face Germany later on Sunday in the Ankara leg in Turkiye.

The competition features 18 elite teams, with the top eight after nine legs advancing to the final in Macau.

Avery Skinner and Logan Eggleston scored 32 of the USA’s 62 attack points.

Eggleston wound up with 18 points and Eggleston 17, while Jordan Thompson scored 14 and Asjia O’Neal chipped in with 10 for the USA, which next plays in Pool 9 in Week Three in Osaka.

Serbia hosts Pool 7 in Belgrade for Week Three.

Nina Cajic scored 10 of her 18 points in the second set, while Anja Zubic had 12 points as Serbia wound up 1-3 at Philsports Arena for a total of 11 points.

The Philippines’ Alexandra Eala serves the ball to Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina during the women’s singles quarter-final match at the WTA500 Berlin Tennis Open tournament in Berlin. AFP

French town hosts medieval combat cage fights

Anton Eusebio strikes for Gensan.

Gensan foils Zamboanga THE Gensan Warriors quashed Zamboanga SiKat’s final assault to prevail, 75-70, on Saturday and tightened their grip on second spot in the South division of the SportsPlus MPBL (Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League) 2026 Season at the sweaty, people-packed Pola Gymnasium in Oriental Mindoro.

Zamboanga rallied from 16 points down to within 65-70, but Gensan held the fort with seven charities in the last minute to raise its record to 13-2, trailing only back-to-back division champion Quezon Province (9-0) in the round-robin elimination phase of the two-division, 28-team tournament.

Anton Eusebio drilled in back-toback triples to push Gensan to a 54-37 spread with 4 minutes and 40 seconds left in the third quarter, from which Zamboanga couldn’t overhaul.

The 6-foot-5 former College of St. Benilde Blazer finished with 22 points, spiked by six triples, 3 rebounds and 2 assists to earn the SportsPlus best player honors.

Hesed Gabo provided support with 17 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists, followed by Mark Cruz, with 8 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 steals.

Zamboanga fell to 4-9 despite the 20-point effort of Brandon Wilson, the 11-point, 9-rebound output of Joseph Gabayni, and 10 points each from Paeng Are, Levin Hernandez and Reggz Gabat, including a buzzer-beater triple that knotted the count, 32-32, at the half.

ONET-LE-CHATEAU, France—French town on Saturday hosted a special event inside a hexagonal cage normally used for mixed martial arts: duels between fully armoured warriors wielding medieval weapons.

Fighters used swords and axes to battle it out in 20 combats at Onet-le-Chateau in the Aveyron region of southern France.

The local council described the fights as the modern-day equivalent of “what was effectively the mixed martial arts of the Middle Ages”.

While most of the action involved men from France, Poland and Britain, some women fighters were also on the bill.

The fights were held in a local club that organises this kind of armoured combat, known as behourd.

Organizers say it includes not just weapons combat but wrestling, ground work and strikes with the fists, feet, elbows, knees, the head and the shield.

“The word ‘behourd’ comes from Old French,” said Clement Carsac, president of the local club.

“It was a recreational activity practised by men in the Middle Ages, It’s where history and combat sports meet.”

The fights were preceded by weighing-in sessions, because behourd is divided into weight classes, like boxing or judo.

The combatants then put on their armour and helmet, which can weigh up to six kilos (13 pounds).

It is a rather expensive activity: “A full kit costs between 3,000 and 4,000 euros,” said to Carsac -- $3,450 to $4,600. AFP

Competitors fight in an MMA (mixed martial arts) arena during the Knights of the Cage, a gala of a medieval armored combat or buhurt, in Onet-le-Chateau, southwestern France.

Pinewoods hosts first-ever PGT, LPGT mountain test

Pinewoods is about to throw down a unique challenge for every single player in the field.

THE third leg of the Philippine Golf Tour couldn’t have found a more fitting title than the ICTSI Pinewoods Challenge.

For when the country’s leading pros and a talented wave of rising stars converge at Pinewoods Golf and Country Club in Baguio from June 30 to July 3, they won’t merely be battling one another. They will also be confronting the great unknown.

Making its PGT debut, Pinewoods presents a fresh puzzle for every player in the field. No course records, no competitive history, no reliable blueprint for success. Just 6,614 yards of mountain golf that could prove deceptively tame on paper yet brutally exacting once the first shots are struck.

That uncertainty alone promises to add another intriguing layer to the P2.5-million championship, which will also feature the Ladies PGT competing simultaneously on one of the country’s most scenic and potentially treacherous layouts.

Perched high in the Cordillera mountain range, Pinewoods offers breathtaking views of Baguio’s rolling terrain and, on clear days, the distant Bay of La

Union. As one of Sta. Lucia’s premier golf courses, the par-72 layout winds through towering pine trees and dramatic elevation changes, creating a setting as beautiful as it is demanding.

At first glance, its yardage may suggest an opportunity for the tour’s longest hitters to dominate. But Pinewoods has never been about raw power alone. Its fairways place a premium on accuracy, while elevated greens demand precise distance control and disciplined course management. Add swirling mountain winds and the possibility of sudden fog rolling across the property, and the course can change character from one hole – or even one shot – to the next.

The result could be a fascinating clash between aggression and restraint, with players forced to decide when to attack and when to simply survive.

That makes the upcoming championship, organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc., one of the most anticipated stops of the season, especially after the dramatic finish at Caliraya Springs where fortunes shifted repeatedly before Angelo Que emerged victorious.

BUSINESS IN BRIEF PH solar panel sales double amid ME crisis

PHILIPPINE solar kit sales soared 100 percent over the last six months amid the Middle East crisis, according to an industry group.

Philippine Solar and Storage Energy Alliance (PSSEA) founder Tetchi Capellan said the industry is optimistic about continued growth because it does not expect domestic electricity prices to drop anytime soon.

“So solar will be an alternative solution,” Capellan said. She added that talks are ongoing with Department of Energy Secretary Sharon Garin to further promote the solar industry.

Capellan said the government should look into subsidizing the solar rooftop industry because it will generate power for 25 years without operating expenses. “If possible, allocate the budget to rooftop solar... allocate to the low-income groups since they need the buffer for the increase in electricity,” Capellan said.

She alson lauded the efforts of the Social Security System (SSS) and the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) to open lending programs for solar rooftop projects. “If you are a government employee, you can loan for solar.

Same with SSS. So PSSEA is working with SSS and GSIS to build that confidence,” Capellan said. Alena Mae S. Flores

ASEAN rises as global manufacturing hub

THE Philippines underscored its priority economic deliverables under its 2026 ASEAN chairship as it sought to deepen economic cooperation between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and Russia.

Speaking as a panelist during the Russia– ASEAN Business Forum, Department of Trade and Industry Undersecretary Allan Gepty highlighted ASEAN’s rapid emergence as a global manufacturing and innovation hub. He attributed this growth to a young workforce and an expanding network of free trade agreements, including the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership.

“For Russia and the Eurasian Economic Union, ASEAN presents opportunities not only as an export destination, but also as a strategic partner in infrastructure development, energy cooperation, industrial manufacturing, technology transfer, logistics, and innovation,” Gepty said.

The trade undersecretary said ASEAN’s trajectory toward its Community Vision 2045 reinforces its position as one of the world’s most open and dynamic economic regions.

Gepty said the Philippine priority economic deliverables under its ASEAN chairship aim to strengthen cooperation in key sectors such as industry, infrastructure, energy and micro, small and medium enterprise development.

Othel V. Campos

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MONDAY, JUNE 22, 2026

PH posted $131-m BOP surplus in May T

By Thony Rose Lesaca

HE Philippines posted a $131-million balance of payments (BOP) surplus in May 2026 on steady remittance inflows and government foreign borrowings, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas said over the weekend.

The surplus marked a turnaround from a $2.12-billion deficit recorded in April and a $298=million shortfall in May 2025. It was also the country’s first surplus in seven months.

The latest BOP position helped narrow the five-month deficit to $7.28 billion as of end-May from $7.41 billion in April, although the cumulative figure still reflected a continued trade in goods deficit and net outflows from foreign portfolio investments.

“This was partly offset by the sustained net inflows from personal

remittances of overseas Filipinos, foreign borrowings by the [national government], trade in services, and foreign direct investments,” the BSP said in a statement.

Lower global crude oil prices helped improve the country’s BOP position, following a tentative USIran ceasefire on April 8, 2026 alongside some demand destruction as oil prices exceeded $100 per barrel.

“Lower global crude oil prices resulted in lower oil import bill, narrower trade deficits, rollback in local fuel pump prices from

the peak in April 2026, and some easing in inflationary pressures,” Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. chief economist Michael Ricafort said.

Gross international reserves declined 1.13 percent to $103.99 billion as of end-May from $105.18 billion in the previous year.

The BSP attributed the reserve movement to government drawdowns on foreign currency deposits to service external debt, downward valuation adjustments amid price changes in gold and foreign currency-denominated reserve assets, and net foreign exchange operations.

The reserve level remains an adequate external liquidity buffer equivalent to 6.7 months of imports of goods, service payments and primary income. The reserves also cover about 3.9 times the country’s short-term external debt based on residual maturity.

$131 million BOP surplus in May 2026

$7.28 billion BOP deficit in 5 months

$103.99 billion GIR as of end-May 2026

DOT expects Halal tourism to boost economic growth

By Othel V. Campos

LTFRB, Maya team up for PUV fuel subsidies

THE Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) has teamed up with digital financial services platform Maya to electronically disburse fuel subsidies to eligible public utility vehicle (PUV) drivers and operators.

The move comes as the government expands its use of digital channels for social assistance programs amid volatile global fuel prices linked to tensions in the Middle East.

Under the program, beneficiaries can receive financial assistance directly through the Maya app. This digital approach complements existing distribution channels while significantly reducing reliance on slow, manual or overthe-counter payout processes.

Maya has completed the first batch of disbursements to beneficiaries, including operators and drivers of public utility jeepneys (PUJs), UV Express units, taxis and minibuses.

To support transparency and proper targeting of assistance, the LTFRB and other relevant government agencies continue to handle beneficiary validation and identification.

“Digital disbursement helps make the release of assistance more efficient and accessible for our transport sector beneficiaries, while also supporting broader efforts to modernize public service delivery,” LTFRB chairperson Vigor Mendoza II said.Darwin G. Amojelar

extrastory2000@gmail.com RODERICK T. DELA CRUZ, Editor ALENA MAE S. FLORES, Asst. Editor

ELECTRONICS MEETING. Executive Secretary Ralph Recto (sixth from left) and Finance Secretary Frederick Go (fifth from left) join the 5th Semiconductor and Electronics Industry Advisory Council (SEIAC) meeting to discuss initiatives to enhance the competitiveness of the Philippines’ semiconductor and electronics sector. Discussions focused on strengthening supply chain resilience and improving critical infrastructure and utilities to support industry growth, attract more investments and create high-quality jobs. Wiith them are Trade Undersecretary and Board of Investments managing-head Ceferino Rodolfo, Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) director-general Tereso Panga and Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) chairman Jerry Marasigan.

PH infrastructure spending slumped 51.7% in April on weak DPWH activities PHILIPPINE infrastructure spending and capital outlays slumped 51.7 percent to P41.5 billion in April 2026 from P85.8 billion a year ago due to a persistent contraction in government project disbursements, Department of Budget and Management (DBM) data showed.

The DBM attributed the decline to weak spending by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH). The department faced an overlap in implementing carry-over projects from last year and the current year’s budget, alongside stringent validation procedures for processing payment claims.

The DPWH also recorded P13.8 billion in outstanding checks at the end of April because suppliers and contractors had not yet presented them for payment or encashment.

Despite the slump, infrastructure spending found support from Department of National

Defense modernization projects and direct payments by development partners for foreignassisted railway projects.

These initiatives include the NorthSouth Commuter Railway Project, South Commuter Railway Projects, Malolos-Clark Railway Project and the Metro Manila Subway Project.

Total government disbursements climbed 5.1 percent to P1.996 trillion in the January-to-April period from P1.899 trillion last year.

Higher subsidy support to government corporations, transfers to local government units, interest payments and personnel services expenditures drove the overall growth.

The DBM said the release of allotments for various DPWH projects should support the recovery of infrastructure spending in the coming quarters.

“Once contracts for various projects are awarded and subject to applicable procurement rules and regulations, contractors can usually request for mobilization fees or costs to jumpstart construction activities, such as the transport of equipment and setting up of machinery, among others, in relation to civil works,” the DBM said.

Thony Rose Lesaca

THE Department of Tourism (DOT) is banking on Halal and Muslimfriendly tourism to drive economic growth and investment after the country secured top positions in a major global travel index.

The Philippines placed among the top 5 Muslim-friendly destinations among non-member countries of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in the Mastercard CrescentRating Global Muslim Travel Index 2026.

The latest index also ranked the Philippines among the top 10 destinations globally in the communications category, while Mindanao won the title of Most Promising Muslim-Friendly Region among non-OIC destinations.

Department of Tourism Secretary Dita Angara-Mathay said at the opening of SALAAM: The Halal Tourism and Trade Expo Philippines 2026 on June 19 that the government’s Muslim-friendly tourism initiatives aim to attract more international visitors and create economic opportunities for local communities.

Angara-Mathay said the global Halal economy now extends beyond food certification to include tourism, hospitality, manufacturing, logistics, retail, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and financial services, serving nearly 2 billion consumers worldwide.

“That is why Halal tourism matters.

For the Philippines, it is a major opportunity. It is not a niche or a side market, but a growing global economy that we are now engaging more deliberately. It connects tourism to agriculture, hospitality to manufacturing, and local communities to global markets,” Angara-Mathay said.

The department said the country has expanded its Muslim-friendly tourism infrastructure. The number of Halal-certified accommodation establishments rose to around 70 in 2026 from just 17 in 2024, and inspections are underway for more properties.

Tourism establishments are also increasingly adopting Halal-compliant food preparation systems, prayer facilities, culturally sensitive services and specialized staff training to serve Muslim travelers better.

BUSINESS

B2

MONDAY, JUNE 22, 2026

extrastory2000@gmail.com

FIRST GEN VOLUNTEERS. Employees of renewable energy producer First Gen Corp. join a coastal cleanup drive on May 30, 2026 at the Freedom Island portion of the Las Piñas–Parañaque Wetland Park in Metro Manila as part of the Month of the Ocean celebration in the Philippines. The activity, coordinated by First Gen volunteers under their Employee POWER (EmPOWER) program, brought together employees and dependents from the First Gen Group and the broader Lopez Group community. It was held in collaboration with First Gen’s Create for the Climate program and in partnership with Communities Organized for Resource Allocation (CORA), a nonprofit organization that mobilizes volunteers to help address social and environmental challenges such as marine pollution and climate change.

Chiongbian family to buy back 40% stake in FAST Logistics THE Chiongbian family has signed definitive agreements to reacquire full ownership of FAST Logistics Group by buying back a 40-percent stake from private equity firm CVC Capital Partners.

The transaction will restore full ownership to the Chiongbian family, which holds a 60-percent controlling interest in the company through its designated acquisition vehicle. The deal remains subject to regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions.

Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

The acquisition ends a six-year partnership between the founding family and CVC Capital Partners Asia Pacific IV, a fund managed by CVC. During the partnership, FAST Logistics expanded its nationwide capabilities, invested in technologyenabled solutions and upgraded its warehousing and transportation infrastructure.

FAST Logistics Group president William B. Chiongbian II said the company remains committed to investing in its people, customers and capabilities while pursuing sustainable long-term growth.

“We are grateful for the partnership and support provided by CVC over the past several years,” Chiongbian said.

“Their contribution helped accelerate our growth, strengthen our organization, and position FAST for its next chapter,” he said.

The company said operations, customer commitments and management focus will continue without disruption while the transaction progresses toward completion.

CVC Philippine country head and senior managing-director Brice Cu commended the company’s progress during their tenure.

“The company’s success reflects the quality of its people, the strength of its culture and the vision of its leadership team,” Cu said.

“We thank the Chiongbian Family and the entire FAST organization for their partnership and wish them continued success as they build on more than five decades of leadership in the industry,” said Cu. FAST Logistics has operated in the Philippines for over 50 years, providing end-to-end logistics, warehousing, distribution and supply chain solutions.

AlphaPrimus Advisors acted as financial advisor and Romulo Mabanta Buenaventura Sayoc & delos Angeles acted as legal counsel to the Chiongbian family.

Tech firms’ IPOs to boost 2026 equity fundraising

By Jenniffer B. Austria

T

HE planned stock market debuts of financial technology giants GCash and Maya, alongside a proposed data center real estate investment trust (REIT) from PLDT Inc., could turn 2026 into a banner year for Philippine equity fundraising.

Market analysts, however, warn that these mega-offerings alone may not possess enough leverage to propel the local benchmark index significantly higher.

The Philippine Stock Exchange Index (PSEi) hovers between the 6,100 and 6,200 levels. Analysts note

GREEN LIGHT

that persistent macroeconomic headwinds continue to cap broader market growth.

China Bank Capital Corp. managing-director and chief investment officer Juan Paolo Colet said the upcoming pipeline positions 2026 as a major year for capital generation, but

general economic conditions remain tough.

“It’s potentially a banner year for equity fundraising in view of the upcoming IPOs of GCash, Maya and the PLDT data center REIT,” Colet said.

“I don’t think that will be enough to push the PSEi to the 7,000 level anytime soon. Our country is still battling high inflation and low growth, so those conditions will keep our stock market in check,” he said.

Among the highly anticipated listings, GCash parent firm Mynt recently announced plans to file for an initial public offering (IPO) with corporate regulators.

SME DAY. John Eric Alviz, vice-president and head of digital and trade marketing at PLDT Enterprise, echoes mandate from PLDT Inc. chair Manuel Pangilinan to take care of the country’s entrepreneurs. PLDT Enterprise, through its micro, small and medium business unit PLDT SME, convened hundreds of key industry leaders, entrepreneurs, business owners and executives at SME Day Manila for focused discussions on how to level-up Filipino businesses to thrive in today’s digital-first economy.

By Alena Mae S. Flores VIVANT Energy Corp. said it signed a term loan agreement with Metropolitan Bank and Trust Co. for up to P8.5 billion to fund its power generation projects and capital expenditure requirements.

The loan facility carries terms of 5 and 7 years, providing the company with long-term funding to advance its strategic growth initiatives and expand its energy portfolio.

“The financing will be used to partially fund VEC’s investments in power generation projects and support other capital expenditure requirements as the company continues to expand its energy portfolio,” Vivant Energy said in a statement.

The agreement underscores the commitment of Vivant Energy to develop reliable and sustainable energy infrastructure while maintaining a strong financial position to support future growth.

Parent firm Vivant Corp. earlier announced an investment of about P67 billion in its energy and water businesses through 2030. The company plans to fund the capital expenditure through a mix of debt and equity.

Energy projects will capture 90 percent of the total investment, or P60 billion, while the company allocated the remaining P7 billion for water.

Vivant Corp. will direct about 78 percent of the total planned investment toward renewable energy projects as it moves to a more balanced portfolio across conventional and renewable energy assets.

From Davao to New York: A crisis without borders —“—

Jan Jumine T. Reyes I USED to understand the Philippine housing crisis as a number: a 6.5-million unit backlog.

That changed in Davao when I sat across a family contemplating whether their dream of owning a home was within reach. As we spoke, it became clear that their story was not isolated; it reflected the lived reality behind the country’s housing crisis. At that moment, far from the case studies and classroom discussions at Taft Avenue, the crisis became real.

And yet, nearly 8,500 miles away in New York, under a different context, the same problem exists: the search for affordable housing.

This was the reality we confronted when we underwent the DLSU–NYU Stern Signature Project (SSP), a collaboration among MBA students from De La Salle University (DLSU) and New York University (NYU) working on a real business case. From January to April, our team partnered with PHINMA Community Housing (CoHo), the community housing arm of PHINMA Corporation, focused on making homeownership accessible to low-income Filipino families.

The experience revealed a simple truth: meaningful learning extends beyond the classroom, just as the problems we face know no borders.

Learning outside Taft Avenue Business education emphasizes models, frameworks, and structured thinking. But working on affordable housing made it clear that real-world problems are far more complex.

Our task was to support PHINMA CoHo’s goal of delivering 7,000 homes across the country. At first, we looked at it as a strategic chal-

Vivant Energy secures P8.5-b Metrobank loan

lenge. But field immersions and stakeholder engagements quickly raised deeper questions: What defines a livable home and a cohesive community? How do we measure impact beyond financial returns—treating social impact as a core objective of PHINMA’s model, not just compliance? How can companies work with families, and not just serve them, to make homeownership attainable? And how can this be done sustainably?

Speaking with potential homebuyers during our Davao immersion grounded these questions in reality. Families often face trade-offs between affordability and location, immediate needs and long-term stability. We saw how decisions are shaped not only by income, but also by uncertainty and aspiration. These experiences deepened our understanding of the problem and reshaped how we learned. We moved beyond finding the “right answer” toward developing human-centered, context-driven solutions.

A crisis without borders One might assume housing challenges are unique to developing countries, but working with our NYU counterparts showed otherwise.

In cities like New York, the issue looks different but is no less urgent. High rents, limited access to affordable housing, and displacement affect not only low-income families but also middleincome households. Conversations with our peers highlighted the widening gap between housing costs and incomes, alongside broader livability concerns.

We then came to see housing insecurity as a shared global problem that is shaped by different

One truth became clear: housing shapes lives in deeply personal ways.

More than a shelter, it represents dignity, stability, and upward mobility. systems but is rooted in similar pressures. One truth became clear: housing shapes lives in deeply personal ways. More than a shelter, it represents dignity, stability, and upward mobility.

From ideas to action Working with MBA students from NYU added both complexity and depth. Differences in perspectives, communication styles, and context required constant adjustment. Despite a 12–hour time difference, the collaboration proved both challenging and enriching. It strengthened our work by challenging assumptions and pushing us to balance global insight with local relevance.

Together, we developed recommendations to strengthen PHINMA CoHo’s model. These include a social impact framework anchored on Environmental and Social Standards and the Sustainable Development Goals, buyer-readiness and KYC (Know Your Customer) tools to support aspiring homeowners, and an interactive resource map to connect communities to essential services.

These were not just technical outputs, but an effort to translate the lived realities of Filipino house-

holds into actionable, scalable solutions that can strengthen CoHo’s impact.

Carrying the experience forward What began as an academic requirement became something more. This experiential learning project showed addressing crises like this one cannot be resolved by strategy alone. It requires a fundamental shift in how we approach business itself.

When business education is confined to models and classrooms, it risks producing leaders who can analyze problems but not truly understand them. Experiences like this challenge that limitation and call for leaders who not only engage on-the-ground realities but also consider the human impact of their decisions.

DLSU Ramon V. del Rosario College of Business’ mission of “nurturing Lasallian business leaders who make a difference” becomes more meaningful in this context. The value of this experience lies in what we carry forward in how we lead, in how we decide, and in how we choose to make business a force for good.

Because the true measure of business is not just profit, but the lives it makes better.

Jan Jumine T. Reyes is an MBA student at the Ramon V. del Rosario College of Business, De La Salle University. He served as the Colead of DLSU-NYU Stern Signature Project 2026.

The views expressed above are the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the official position of DLSU, its faculty, and its administrators.

BUSINESS

B3 MONDAY, JUNE 22, 2026

extrastory2000@gmail.com

Megaworld cuts NTA urges early tobacco planting to beat El Niño dry spell capital budget amid headwinds

By Othel V. Campos

By Jenniffer B. Austria

M

EGAWORLD Corp. has cut its 2026 capital spending budget to P55 billion from an earlier plan of P65 billion as the property developer takes a more cautious approach amid global economic uncertainty.

Megaworld executive-director Kevin Andrew Tan announced the revised budget during the company’s annual stockholders meeting. Despite the cut, Tan said Megaworld still plans to roll out P50 billion worth of residential projects this year.

“Our plan reflects a measured but meaningful growth with P50 billion in residential launches, P55 billion in capital expenditures and continued expansion of our recurring income base,” Tan said.

“We are not waiting for the environment to improve, and our strategy is built to perform within it,” he said.

Tan said Megaworld’s township model, which integrates residential, office, retail and hotel projects, helps generate internal demand and shields the company during downturns.

The company is also relying heavily on its expansion into

provincial areas outside Metro Manila to drive growth.

While the broader office market faces headwinds, Megaworld reported that its office leasing division remains a significant driver of earnings.

To support its growth, Megaworld continues to transfer assets to its real estate investment trust, MREIT Inc. The developer completed its fourth asset injection into MREIT earlier this year with properties valued at P16.2 billion.

The deal expanded MREIT’s gross leasable area by 34 percent to 647,000 square meters.

Megaworld recently submitted a proposal for a fifth asset injection, which it expects to close in the second half of 2026.

The latest asset transfer is projected to push MREIT’s total gross leasable area to at least 1 million square meters by next year, hitting its growth target three years ahead of schedule.

THE National Tobacco Administration (NTA) is encouraging farmers to plant tobacco earlier than usual to minimize the potential impact of an impending El Niño dry spell, while projecting flat production for crop year 2025-2026.

NTA administrator Belinda Sanchez said the agency expects tobacco output to remain at roughly the same level as last year despite the looming threat of dry conditions.

“For Virginia tobacco, our projection for this year is around 20 million kilos, while for all tobacco types, including Burley, native and Virginia, the target is 51 million kilos,” Sanchez said on the sidelines of the 3rd International Tobacco Summit.

The agency is advocating early planting to ensure that crops are harvested before the peak of the summer dry spell, NTA deputy administrator Nestor Casela said.

“We ‘re advising farmers to shift to early planting so that when summer comes, there will still be moisture in the soil and the tobacco plants will survive,” Casela said.

The tobacco cropping season in the Philippines usually begins between September and November, with harvesting taking place from May to June of the following year.

To avoid the impact of prolonged dry weather, the NTA is advising farmers to complete Manila

TODAY

 Authenticated Birth Certificate/s of petitioner’s child/children (issued by PSA);

SCN FORM NO. 1 (R.A. NO. 9139)

 Certified true copy of NBCR/s of petitioner’s child/children (issued also by BT);

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON NATURALIZATION IN THE MATTER OF THE PETITION OF KENT NICERL ANG CHAN to be naturalized as Filipino citizen pursuant to Republic Act No. 9139.

SCN CASE NO. 000971 x - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - -- - - - - - - x PETITION Pursuant to the provisions of Republic Act No. 9139, petitioner hereby submits a petition for naturalization to become a citizen of the Republic of the Philippines and respectfully declares: 1. My full name is KENT NICERL ANG CHAN , but I have also been known since childhood as KENT NICERL ANG CHAN or I have been judicially authorized to use the alias name(s) ZENG JINXIN .

ELYSIUM TOWN HOMES UNIT 1B-15 WEST AGUIRRE AVE., BF HOMES, PARAÑAQUE (1998-2007)

3. I was born on MARCH 29, 1998, in MANILA Philippines. I have been a resident of the Philippines since birth. At present, I am a citizen or subject of CHINA 4. My father's name is EDWIN CO CHAN and he was born on APRIL 11, 1963 in FUJIAN. He is a citizen or subject of CHINA. My mother's name is ANNIE YAO ANG and she was born on NOVEMBER 03, 1963, in FUJIAN. She is a citizen or subject of CHINA. 5. My trade, business, profession or lawful occupation is STUDENT and from which I derive an average annual income of N/A, inclusive of bonuses, commissions and allowances. My wife's/husband's trade, business, profession or lawful occupation is N/A and from which she derives an average annual income of N/A. (Where the above does not apply): I am exempt from the requirement of lucrative trade or occupation and from submitting income tax returns for the past three (3) years because I am a college degree holder [please state (1) degree obtained: N/A (2) name of school: N/Aand (3) years graduated: N/A ] who cannot practice my profession (the practice of which requires a government licensure examination) by reason of my citizenship.

6. My civil status is Single, I was married on N/A in N/A. My wife's/husband's name is N/A and she/he was born on in N/A in N/A She/he is a citizen or subject of N/A and presently resides N/A. 7. I am legally separated from my spouse; my marriage was annulled, per decree of legal separation/annulment dated N/A granted by N/A. (please indicate the particular court which granted the same). I am a widower/widow and my spouse died on N/A in N/A. 8. I have N/A child/children, whose names, dates and places of birth and residences are as follows:

PH ranks 6th top importer of rare-earth magnet—UN THE Philippines accounted for 6.6 percent of global rare-earth permanent magnet imports in 2024, ranking sixth worldwide as nations race to secure supply chains for the green energy transition, according to a United Nations agency report.

The UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) June Global Trade Update revealed that the European Union, Japan and the United States together drove 55 percent of global imports for these critical components. Mexico led individual importing nations at 7.3 percent, followed closely by the Republic of Korea at 6.7 percent.

High-performance rare-earth permanent magnets serve as crucial inputs for electric vehicle motors, wind turbines and defense systems.

UNCTAD calculated the figures using UN Comtrade data, highlighting the country’s growing role in critical energy transition minerals (CETMs).

Demand for these minerals is projected to skyrocket between 2024 and 2040, led primarily by lithium and graphite. UNCTAD noted that clean technologies will consume a rapidly growing share of these resources, with nickel demand from clean tech rising from 17 percent to 42 percent, and magnet rare earth elements increasing from 21 percent to 31 percent.

Mounting trade measures are actively reshaping these critical mineral supply chains, given that most economies remain deeply dependent on imports across multiple stages of the value chain.

“This interdependence increases exposure to supply disruptions and highlights the need for diversified sources, greater market transparency, and stronger international cooperation for an open, stable, secure, transparent, rules-based and sustainable CETM supply chain,” UNCTAD said.

Major mineral importers are pursuing supply chain resilience through a mix of diversification, domestic capacity building, recycling and strategic partnerships. Meanwhile, resource-rich developing countries are increasingly introducing export restrictions to capture more domestic value and strengthen their positions in global supply chains.

Othel V. Campos

Name N/A

Date of Birth N/A

Place of Birth N/A

Residence N/A

9. I received my primary and secondary education from the following public schools or private educational institutions duly recognized by the Department of Education, Culture and Sports (DECS), where Philippine history, government and civics are taught and prescribed as part of the school curriculum and where enrollment is not limited to any race or nationality: Name of School PHILIPPINE CULTURAL HIGH SCHOOL MAKATI HOPE CHRISTIAN SCHOOL UNIVERSITY OF SANTO TOMAS

Place of School MANILA MAKATI ESPAÑA, MANILA

Dates of Study 2004--2007 2007-2015 2015-2019

SAN BEDA UNIVERSITY

MENDIOLA, MANILA

2023-PRESENT

Highest Grade Completed GRADE 2 HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATE BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN BIOLOGY (GRADUATE) DOCTOR OF MEDICINE-3RD YEAR (ONGOING)

10. I am able to read, write and speak Filipino and/or any of the following dialects of the Philippines: TAGALOG. 11. I have enrolled my minor children of school age in the following public schools or private educational institutions duly recognized by the Department of Education, Culture and Sports (DECS), where Philipine History, government and civics are taught and prescribed as part of the school curriculum and where enrollment is not limited to any race or nationality: Name of Child N/A

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES REGIONAL TRIAL COURT NATIONAL CAPITAL JUDICIAL REGION BRANCH 94, QUEZON CITY

 Certified true copy of ACR or 1-Card Certificate/s of petitioner’s child/ children (issued by BI);

UNIT 304 MCS TOWER, CHINO ROCES AVE., MAKATI CITY (2007-2011) UNIT 601 MCS TOWER, CHINO ROCES AVE., MAKATI CITY (2011-2021)

behind McDonald’s Philippines, receives the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Asia Pacific Tambuli Awards, a fitting recognition for a career dedicated not just to serving Filipino customers, but taking care of people and communities as well. From a single McDonald’s store opened in 1981 in Morayta, Manila—of which Dr. Yang himself was the first store manager—he has led the brand’s remarkable growth in the Philippines, now considered as one of the largest McDonald’s markets in the world. At present, McDonald’s Philippines has over 860 stores nationwide, with many more in the pipeline.

th

Standard

2. My present place of residence is UNIT 202 JOLLILAND CONDOMINIUM, 670 EDSA Municipality of PASAY Province of METRO MANILA and all my former places of residence are (please indicate periods of residence)

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT. Dr. George Yang, the visionary

planting by mid-December instead of extendmanufacturers, including Japan Tobacco Ining activities until the end of the month. ternational and Philip Morris International, The agency is also preparing support source their tobacco through wholesale dealmeasures should El Niño affect production. ers such as Universal Leaf and Trans Manila Manila Casela said farmers hit Standard by calamities can acInc., helping sustain demand for locally proTODAY cess assistance through the NTA risk manduced tobacco. agement program and contract-growCareer Opportunity in Sumitomo Corporation of the Philippines ing scheme.

Position Title: Assistant Manager • Assist in evaluating data or feasibility Despite conreports of new projects or business cerns over weather Job Description: undertakings. Cultivate opportunities and develop plans and strategies for new disruptions, the • Assist to determine and implements the markets. company’s business plans and strategies and NTA said the toensures the attainment of revenue targets Qualification (Education, Experience, bacco market reProfessional License, Skills Certification, through effective marketing and sales efforts in Specialized Training): the assigned department. mains healthy, with • Assist to manage long-term relationship with excess production • Japanese and English language proficient clients and continually seeks to improve • Possess in-depth knowledge of the enumerated business through the development and from the previous key responsibilities acquisition of new accounts and expansion in harvest nearly ab• Graduate school education the assigned department.

• Assist to prepare and submit regular reports sorbed by buyers. on business development and sales or project Applications may be sent to: Lyka Revillosa activities to superior in the assigned department. (lyka.revillosa@sumitomocorp.com) “Based on the Formulates marketing plans and strategies reports, the reand ensure implementation thereof. Prepares and submits budgets projections and sales maining volume forecasts. from the glut proName of foreign national intending Company/ Employer duction is about to to apply for the position Company Name: Sumitomo Corporation Name: Makoto Fujiwara be finished,” Caseof the Philippines Address: Makati City la said, adding that Complete Address: 35 Floor, AIA Tower, Nationality: Japanese 8767 Paseo de Roxas, Makati City Intended Period of Employment: trading operations Nature Of Business: Wholesale and Retail Three (3) Years Trade for Virginia tobacCompany hereby declares that the above-named foreign national is able, willing, and co are expected to qualified to perform the services and job description for this position. The company has continue until the the intention to employ the said foreign national and apply for an Alien Employment Permit with the Bureau of Local Employment (BLE) located at 6th Floor, Banco Filipino end of the month.

Condominium, Solana Street, Intramuros, Manila.

Major cigarette

Name and Place of School N/A

Date of Enrollment N/A

12. I shall never be a public charge. I am of good moral character. I believe in the principles underlying the Philippine Constitution. I have conducted myself in a proper and irreproachable manner during the entire period of my residence in the Philippines in my relations with the constituted government as well as with the community in which I am living. I mingled socially with Filipinos and have evinced a sincere desire to learn and embrace the customs, traditions and ideals of the Filipino people. I have all the qualifications and none of the disqualifications under Republic Act No. 9139.

I am not opposed to organized government or affiliated with any association or group of persons who uphold and teach doctrines opposing all organized governments. I am not defending or teaching the necessity or propriety of violence, personal assault or assassination for the success and predominance of one's ideas. I am not a polygamist nor a believer in the practice of polygamy. I have not been convicted of any crime involving moral turpitude. I am not suffering from mental alienation or from any incurable contagious disease. The country of which I am a citizen or subject is not at war with the Philippines and grants to Filipinos the right to be naturalized citizens or subjects thereof.

13. It is my true and honest intention to become a citizen of the Philippines and to renounce absolutely and forever all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state or sovereignty, and, particularly, to CHINA of which at this time I am a citizen or subject. I will reside continuously in the Philippines from the date of the filing of this petition up to the time of my admission to Philippine citizenship.

14. My character witnesses are LYNN SABILLO QUISIMUNDO and DAENNIELLE TAPIA PEREZ both Filipino citizens, of legal age, and residing at UNIT 202 JOLLILAND CONDOMINIUM, 670 EDSA , BRGY 152, PASAY CITY and 45-E 16TH AVE., BRGY. SAN ROQUE, QUEZON CITY respectively, who have executed sworn statements attached hereto in support of my instant petition, together with: (a) brief biographical data about themselves; (b) detailed statements on the dates they first came to know me, the circumstances of our initial acquaintance and the reasons and extent of our continuing familiarity; and (c) the number of times they have acted as character witnesses in other petitions for naturalization.

15. Attached hereto as annexes and made part of this petition are the duplicate originals or certified photocopies of the following documents (please check the appropriate box):  Authenticated copy of Birth Certificate of petitioner [issued by PSA (Philippine Statistics Authority)]  Certified true copy of petitioner’s Alien Certificate of Registration (ACR) or I-Card Certificate [issued by BI (Bureau of Immigration)];  Certified true copy of petitioner’s Native-Born Certificate of Residence (NBCR), if available (issued also by BI);  Authenticated copy of petitioner’s Marriage Certificate, if petitioner is married (issued by PSA);  Authenticated copy of Death Certificate of his/her spouse if petitioner is widowed, or of his/her parent’s if petitioner is a student or candidate for a government licensure exam;

 Duty notarized Affidavit of Financial Capacity of the petitioner, or Affidavit of Support from the person financially supporting petitioner, if petitioner is either a student, a new graduate, spouse or war cities without income or a candidate for a government licensure exam, who has no own income. In addition, submit: (1)* Bank Certifications (two are required: [1] said bank certifications must indicate the present balance and [2] average daily balance for the past six months); (2)* Certificate of Employment if employed or Proof of Registration of Company if doing business (if doing business, please submit also the latest GIS (General Information Sheet) which was submitted to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the financial statements of the company, which was submitted to the BIR/appropriate government agency]; (3)*Proof of Ownership of Real Property/ies such as condominium, etc.; and if owner of motor vehicle, proof of ownership of the same (4) Proof of Ownership of other property/ies, such as shares of stock, insurance, etc.

Note: If petitioner is relying on support from another person, the said person must also submit the above-mentioned documents.

Note: If petitioner is already a graduate but unemployed, submit a notarized affidavit of what petitioner is currently preoccupied with.  Latest Income Tax Returns (ITR) and Tax Documents (must show the receiving stamp of the BIR (Bureau of Internal Revenue)] for the past three (3) years of the petitioner or of the person supporting him/her, with Proof of Payment of said taxes (such as official receipts, alphalist, etc.)

Note: If petitioner is employed in a family-owned company, the company’s ITR and the company’s Proof of Payment of Taxes must also be submitted, aside from the submission of petitioner’s own ITR and tax documents and Proof of Payment of Taxes. Note: The company’s latest GIS (General Information Sheet), which was submitted to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the financial statements of the company, which was submitted to the BIR/appropriate government agency, must also be submitted.  Duly notarized Affidavits of at least two (2) credible and disinterested witnesses who must be Filipino citizens (preferably natural-born citizens of the Philippines), of good repute in their community, and have no criminal record (Note: submit National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) clearance of character witnesses; also submit a copy of the ID which the character witness used in the notarization of the affidavit) [Note: character witness must attest in the affidavit: (a) that he/she has known petitioner for at least 10 years or more (must also indicate how he/she got acquainted with the petitioner); (b) the good moral character of the petitioner (and how he/she mingles with Filipinos and the society); (c) that in his/her own opinion, petitioner has all the qualifications necessary to become a citizen of the Philippines and none of the disqualifications provided for by law);  Medical Certificate from a government hospital stating that petitioner is not suffering from mental alienation, or a user of prohibited drugs or otherwise a drug dependent, and that he/she is not afflicted with acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) or any incurable contagious disease [please attach the following to the certificate: (1) Neuro-Psychiatric Evaluation Report (from a duly licensed psychiatrist (who is a medical doctor), not a psychologist); (2) Laboratory Test Results for Drugs Test and HIV Teat, and, (3) other laboratory test’s (Note: all laboratory tests must also conducted from a government hospital)]; Note: Petitioners for naturalization are required to have their medical examination/diagnostic procedures conducted in a government hospital or facility, and not merely hospitals or facilities which are accredited by the government. The mere fact that the government hospital or facility is not near the residence or place of work of petitioner is not a valid reason for petitioner not to have said medical examination or diagnostic procedure conducted in a government hospital or facility. Note: It must be clear in the medical certificate and the diagnostic/laboratory test results that the subject of said medical examination or diagnostic/laboratory test is the petitioner.  Certified true copy with school seal of the Diploma and Transcript of Records of the petitioner from the school’s he or she attended to and/or graduated from in the Philippines (Elementary, High School and College) Note: If petitioner is still a student, please submit a Certification from the school where he/she is currently attending, stating his/her year level, that he/she is currently enrolled therein, and please attach proof of petitioner’s enrollment therein and submit a certification as to the amount of tuition fee and other required school fees paid (such as official receipt/s, certificate of matriculation, etc.)

Note: if petitioner has no own income and is relying on another person for support, the person financially supporting petitioner must submit certifications as to the amount of tuition and other required school fees paid by said person for the education of his/her other dependents (example: the tuition and other required school fees of the children of the person financially supporting petitioner).  Certified true copy with school seal of the Diploma, Transcript of Records, or Certification (if applicable) from the school’s attended by, currently enrolled in, and/or graduated from by petitioner’s child children [the school’s must either be public schools or private educational institutions duly recognized by the DEPED (Department of Education), where Philippine history, government and civics are taught and prescribed as part of the school curriculum and where enrollment is not limited to any race or nationality); (Note: please submit a Certification from the school where said child/children is/ are currently attending, stating his/her year level, that he/she is currently enrolled therein, and please attach proof of said child/children’s enrollment therein and submit a certification as to the amount of tuition fee and other required school fees paid (such as official receipt’s, certificate of matriculation, etc.) for said child children’s enrollment in said school.  Clearances NBI Clearance; Barangay Clearance of the barangay where petitioner is currently residing (It should be a barangay clearance, not a residence certification); Police Clearance from the Police Station Police Office having jurisdiction of the place where petitioner is currently residing: RTC Clearance (Regional Trial Court), from the RTC which has jurisdiction over the place where petitioner is currently residing; MeTC/MTCC/MTC/ MCTC Clearance (Metropolitan Trial Court/Municipal Trial Court in Cities/ Municipal Trial Court/Municipal Circuit Trial Court, as the case may be) from the MeTC/MTCC/MTC/MCTC which has jurisdiction over the place where petitioner is currently residing); and Office of the Prosecutor Clearance, from the Office of the Prosecutor of the place where petitioner is currently residing.

Note: All clearances must be current and must not be expired.

16. Other documents submitted by the petitioner in support of his/her petition: _______________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ PRAYER WHEREFORE, it is respectfully prayed that petitioner be conferred Philippine citizenship pursuant to the provisions of Republic Act No, 9139.

Dated at Parañaque City, Metro Manila, this 30th day of March, 2026.

KENT NICERL ANG CHAN Name and Signature of Petitioner Telephone Number: 09958515333 Email Address: kentnchan11@gmail.com

MARY ANN ROSETE, Petitioner, -versus-

CIVIL CASE NO. Q-99-37082

PETER GOMEZ, Respondents. x-----------------------------------------------x

DECISION This disposes of the petition for declaration of nullity of marriage filed

by Mary Ann Rosete (Petitioner), against Peter Gomez (Respondent), on the ground of the latter’s failure to comply with the essential obligations of marriage due to psychological incapacity, under Article 36, in relation to Article 68 of the Family Code of the Philippines, as amended.

Respondent failed to file any responsive pleading despite valid service of Summons upon him, hence, the Court ordered Asst. Prosecutor Ben Dela Cruz to investigate whether or not collusion exists between the parties. Said Public Prosecutor then submitted a report stating that “there appears to be a no collusion between the parties,” and the Court proceeded hearing the case.

Petitioner’s evidence consisted of her testimony and that of Ms. Nedy Tayag, a Clinical Psychologist, and several documentary evidence in support of their testimonies.

The evidence tends to show that petitioner and respondent were married on May 31, 1991 before Hon. Ruth C. Santos, as stated in their Marriage Contract (Exhibit “A”), Out of the parties’ relationship, they begot four (4) children, namely, Michael Rosete, born on October 23, 1990 (See Exhibit “B”), Miguel Rosete Gomez, born on September 14, 1992 (See Exhibit “C”); Michelle Rosete Gomez, born on November 21, 1994 (See Exhibit “D”); and Marielle Rosete Gomerz, born on June21, 1996 (See Exhibit “E”).

Petitioner and respondent first met each other at a social gathering sometime in 1989. They had a whirlwind romance, engaging in intimate relationships without the benefit of marriage. Petitioner got pregnant, and when she informed respondent of said fact, the latter disappeared and left petitioner to fend for herself during her pregnancy. However, after the birth of their first child, respondent reappeared to rekindle his relationship with petitioner. Petitioner, who was then so in love with respondent, agreed to a common law relationship with respondent.

Later, petitioner was able to convince respondent to marry her for the sake of their child.

During the first few months of their marriage, respondents appeared to be a good husband and father, but later on, respondent displayed uncontrollable drinking of alcohol, frequently staying out until the wee hours of the morning for drinking sprees with his friends at beer houses.

Respondent also failed to provide for his family and whatever income he derived from unknown sources, he would spend in gambling and drinking. Hence, to support their family, petitioner engaged in selling Ready-to Wear Clothes. Her meager income was, however not enough to sustain their family, so petitioner was forced to beg her mother and brother for money for their daily sustenance. It was also petitioner’s mother who provided for all the educational needs of their children.

In addition to respondent’s failure to provide for his family, he also displayed extreme and unreasonable jealousy, at times becoming very violent towards petitioner, when it was respondent who was engaged in womanizing and drug abuse. Eventually, petitioner, could no longer bear the maltreatment and abusive ways of her husband (respondent), so she left their conjugal home, bringing along their children for all for all o them to live with her mother. From the time of herein parties’ separation, respondent never gave any support to petitioner and their children.

The expert witness, Ms. Nedy Tayag, Clinical Psychologist, testified that she conducted clinical interviews with petitioner and subjected her to a battery of psychological test in oral and written form so the psychologist could arrive at an opinion on whether psychological incapacity exists on the part either of the parties or both of them. The clinical psychologist concluded that respondent was suffering from Personality Disorder – Anti-Social type. The expert witness also opined that respondent’s Personality Disorder started from early childhood and gradually manifested throughout adulthood. Respondent’s personality disorder is deeply ingrained and this prevents him from performing his marital obligations. Such Personality Disorder had also been found to be grave, serious and incurable as treatment is impossible.

After presenting the aforementioned two witnesses and formally offering petitioner’s documentary evidence, petitioner rested her case.

The Court then ordered both the Public Prosecutor and the Office of the Solicitor General to submit their respective Certification of Agreement/ Opposition in the petition. The Public Prosecutor stated in his Certification that it was established by preponderance of evidence that respondent suffers from psychological incapacity which was clinically determined to be of the anti-social type which is grave and incurable in character, thus be prayed that the certification of agreement to the petition be considered by the Honorable Court and the Office of the Solicitor General stated that it does not have any objection to the grant of the petition.

After a careful examination of all the evidence presented, the Court indeed finds preponderance of evidence in favor of petitioner. There is sufficient proof that respondent is psychologically incapacitated to comply with the essential obligations of marriage. The expert witness categorically stated, that respondent suffers from a Personally Disorder – Anti-Social type and thus, concluded that respondent is psychologically incapacitated to comply with the essential obligations of marriage. She also opined that respondent’s Personality Disorder appears to be grave, permanent and incurable.

The Court is convinced that the behavior displayed by respondent is indicative of a failure to comply with the obligations of marriage as enumerated in Article 68 of the Family Code, and the expert testimony of the clinical psychologist has established the respondent’s failure to comply was brought about by his inability to do so due to his Personality Disorder – Anti-Social type.

Verily, the evidence presented by petitioner has sufficiently complied with the requirements set out in the Molino case, to find the marriage null and void ab initio under Article 36, in relation to Article 68, of the Family Code.

WHEREFORE, premises considered, judgment is hereby rendered: 1) Declaring the marriage contracted by herein petitioner and respondent as absolute nullity with all the effects provided by law.

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES) CITY/MUNICIPALITY OF CITY OF PASAY S.S. I, KENT NICERL ANG CHAN AKA ZENG JINXIN of legal age and a resident of UNIT 202 JOLLILAND CONDOMINIUM, 670 EDSA , BRGY 152 , PASAY CITY after being duly sworn, depose and say that I am the petitioner herein, that I have read the foregoing petition and know the foregoing petition and known the contents thereof, and that the same is true of my own knowledge.

2) Declaring the dissolution and liquidation of their marriage in accordance with law and henceforth their property relationship shall be governed by the regime of complete separation of property, and herein parties are ordered to deliver to the minor children their presumptive legitimate in accordance with law.

3) Allowing petitioner to consume the use of her maiden name.

KENT NICERL ANG CHAN Name and Signature of Petitioner th

SUBCRIBED AND SWORN to before me at CITY OF PASAY this 30 day of MAR. 2026.

4) Ordering the Local Civil Registrar of Antipolo City and the National Statistics Office to cancel from their records the marriage contracted by the herein parties appearing thereat, and in lieu thereof to record the instant Decision in accordance with law.

SO ORDERED. Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines, August 15, 2000.

(Sgd.) ROMEO F. ZAMORA Judge

 Certified true copy of Court Decree Judgment annulling/nullifying of petitioner’s marriage or granting legal separation, if such was the fact; RFZ/ebru

(MStandard - June 22, 2026)

REAL ESTATE

B4

MONDAY, JUNE 22, 2026

extrastory2000@gmail.com Jenniffer B. Austria, Issue Editor

F

OR years, sustainable real estate developments in the Philippines have largely been associated with luxury residential projects. Arthaland is now expanding that concept to a broader market through Una Apartments, a residential development within the Sevina Park mixed-use estate in Biñan, Laguna.

Arthaland brings sustainable living to mid-income market The recent topping-off of Tower 2 marks a significant milestone for the project and reinforces the company’s belief that environmentally responsible homes should not be limited to high-end buyers.

Arthaland marketing and corporate communications head Pamela Go said the company believes that sustainability and affordability can go hand in hand, with green building features translating into longterm savings and healthier living conditions for homeowners.

Una Apartments is part of Sevina Park, a master-planned community that is the first and only mixeduse development in Southeast Asia to achieve Platinum certification for both LEED for Neighborhood Development and LEED for Homes.

Masterplanned by Boston-based Sasaki Associates, the estate devotes 60 percent of its land area to green and open spaces, creating a community centered on wellness, walkability and environmental stewardship.

The strong market response suggests that buyers are embracing this vision.

All lots in Sevina Park Villas have already been sold out, while demand continues to remain strong as the township community grows.

Efficient living What sets Una Apartments apart is its integration of sustainability features that directly benefit residents.

Units are equipped with energyefficient air-conditioning systems, lighting fixtures and low-flow plumbing fixtures that can help reduce water and energy consumption by as much as 20 percent. Operable windows maximize natural ventilation and daylight, while dedicated outdoor air systems and commercial-grade filters help improve indoor air quality.

The residences also feature 2.6-meter floor-to-ceiling heights, private balconies and durable stone polymer composite flooring that is water-resistant, scratch-resistant and easy to maintain.

These features have resonated

with a diverse range of buyers. Some units have been purchased by parents seeking homes for children studying in nearby universities, while others were acquired by overseas Filipino workers looking for investment opportunities. International buyers have also emerged as a growing segment, with some planning to use their units as retirement homes.

Tower 1, which consists of 392 units, was fully sold within its first 10 months and is scheduled for turnover beginning October this year. Tower 2, meanwhile, is already 83 percent sold and is expected to be completed by December 2028.

Building for the future Arthaland is the only real estate developer in the Philippines with a residential and commercial portfolio 100 percent certified as sustainable by localand global organizations.

To further support buyers, qualified purchasers may avail themselves of the government’s BALAI BERDE financing program, which offers

preferential rates for certified green developments. As of April 2026, more than 130 Una Apartments units had already been enrolled under the program.

The company’s commitment to sustainability extends beyond individual projects. As of 2025, Arthaland reported achieving 54 percent energy savings and 39 percent water savings across its developments.

It is also pushing innovation further through Project BEAM, a commercial-scale bamboo structure set for launch later this year. The initiative aims to demonstrate how alternative building materials can contribute to a more sustainable built environment.

As Metro Laguna continues to emerge as a major growth corridor fueled by industrial expansion, improved infrastructure and rising residential demand, Arthaland sees increasing opportunities to bring sustainable housing to a wider audience.

For the company, Una Apartments represents more than another residential project. It is part of a broader effort to make green living a realistic option for more Filipinos and to show that sustainability can be an essential feature—not a luxury—in the homes of the future. Jenniffer B. Austria

Makati leads Metro Manila office take-up in early 2026

Present from left are: RHR director of marketing Genny Puno; RHR senior vice president and business unit general manager Barun Jolly (2nd from left); DFP chief operating officer Joel M. Cinco; and lawyer Richard Clarin, DFP deputy chief operating officer at the contract signing between Robinsons Hotels and Resorts and Duty Free Philippines.

Robinsons Hotels widens reach with Duty Free Philippines partnership ROBINSONS Hotels and Resorts (RHR) is strengthening its customer offerings through a partnership with Duty Free Philippines (DFP), extending exclusive hotel privileges to members of the DFP loyalty program while introducing more travelers to its growing nationwide portfolio.

The collaboration gives DFP loyalty members access to special rates and discounts across participating RHR properties, creating added value and flexibility for travelers.

According to RHR senior vice president and business unit general manager Barun Jolly, the partnership supports tourism growth while enabling the company to deliver more targeted benefits to customers.

“At Robinsons Hotels and Resorts, we continuously seek meaningful partnerships that support the growth of tourism while enabling us to offer more targeted

value, including special perks for Duty Free Philippines loyalty members,” Jolly said. He added that the collaboration also introduces more travelers to RHR’s diverse portfolio of brands and destinations, helping them find accommodations that best suit their needs.

DFP chief operating officer Joel M. Cinco said the alliance enhances the DFP loyalty program by expanding the range of exclusive perks available to Balikbayan Plus Cardholders and Premier Club Cardholders, including access to special rates at participating RHR properties.

To date, RHR’s hospitality portfolio has grown into the country’s largest and most geographically diverse hotel network, with 30 properties across 20 cities and municipalities nationwide. Through a portfolio of 10 brands, the company caters to a wide range of travelers, from luxury guests and business executives

to families and budget-conscious tourists.

Leading its luxury offerings are Fili Hotel and NUSTAR Hotel Cebu, complemented by internationally recognized brands such as The Westin Manila, Crowne Plaza Manila Galleria, Holiday Inn Manila Galleria and Dusit Thani Mactan Cebu. Its homegrown brands further strengthen its reach, with Grand Summit Hotels serving upscale travelers, Summit Hotels and Resorts targeting the midscale market, and Go Hotels and Go Hotels Plus providing affordable accommodations in key urban and provincial destinations.

By combining a diverse brand portfolio with strategic partnerships, RHR continues to strengthen its position in the Philippine hospitality industry while supporting the continued growth of tourism and delivering greater value to travelers.

MAKATI City emerged as Metro Manila’s top office leasing market in the first five months of 2026, accounting for the majority of office take-up despite ongoing geopolitical and domestic uncertainties, according to latest data from property advisory firm Leechiu Property Consultants (LPC).

LPC data showed that combined office take-up in Makati City and Bonifacio Global City (BGC) reached 154,000 square meters (sqm) from January to May 2026.

Makati captured 66 percent of total take-up, or about 102,000 sqm, driven largely by demand for more competitively priced office spaces.

Managed facilities, government offices and corporate headquarters accounted for most of the leasing activity in Makati during the period, reflecting continued demand from traditional tenants seeking strategic business locations.

Meanwhile, live office demand

Ayala North Exchange BPO

111 Paseo de Roxas

stood at 137,000 sqm. Information technology and business process management (IT-BPM) firms accounted for 76 percent of this demand, underscoring the sector’s continued role as a key driver of the office market.

LPC noted that 82 percent of active IT-BPM demand is bound for BGC as the district’s continued appeal among occupiers seeking modern office developments and access to a deep talent pool.

The sustained level of live demand indicates that the IT-BPM sector remains resilient despite the widespread adoption of hybrid work arrangements and broader economic challenges, LPC said.

While Makati led office take-up during the period, vacancy levels in the city are expected to remain elevated, prompting landlords to continue offering competitive lease rates and flexible lease terms to attract and retain tenants.

BGC, meanwhile, remained the strongest-performing office market in Metro Manila, posting occupancy levels of around 91 percent. Other office districts continued to face softer market conditions amid an existing supply overhang, LPC said.

REAL ESTATE

C1

MONDAY, JUNE 22, 2026

advertise@manilastandard.net

Located around an hour from the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) and less than 30 minutes from Tagaytay, Arden Botanical Estate offers a more relaxed setting embraced by nature as the Philippines’ first-ever botanical-themed township.

Wellness and nature take center stage in this Cavite destination From flower farms, off-road trails, to a vibrant retail strip, Arden Botanical Estate in Cavite offers an ideal address surrounded by garden landscapes, leisure spaces, and areas for active lifestyles

By Briana David

A

S development expands further into Cavite, one township is building its identity around outdoor living.

Arden Botanical Estate, a 251-hectare township in Trece Martires City, Cavite developed

by Global-Estate Resorts, Inc. (GERI), a subsidiary of Megaworld Corporation, is laid out around lush open spaces, natural waterways, and tree-lined roads. The main public space is Arden Bloompark, a landscaped park along Governor’s Drive that offers a refreshing change of scenery through its landscaped gardens and open green spaces while serving as the township’s primary outdoor gathering area.

On weekends, Arden Bloompark transforms into a dining, retail, and live music space through The Arden Market. Scheduled Thursdays to Saturdays, it draws residents and visitors from surrounding areas and gives them a place to stop by and smell the flowers. Sprawling as it is, Arden Botanical Garden is shaping up to become another growing active lifestyle hub in Cavite - the neighboring Spine Road becomes a

The residential villages within Arden Botanical Estate — The Lindgren, Arden Botanical Village, and Arden Westpark Village — each feature amenities that keep wellness, an active lifestyle, and tranquility on top of mind.

Residential villages inside Arden Botanical Estate highlight the abundance of lush, open spaces that allow residents to enjoy nature everyday.

Individuals who embrace wellness and various active lifestyles will enjoy doing so along the township’s Spine Road and the Arden Trails.

route for active lifestyle aficionados through the Eco Active Hours. It also recently opened Trails at Arden Botanical Estate which places multiple offroad disciplines from cycling, motorcycling, autocross/ rallycross to trail running in one location.

Beyond the weekend visits, Arden Botanical Estate is also a place people can move into as three residential villages are currently in various stages of development within the township.

Megaworld’s Arden Botanical Village covers 18 hectares, while Arden Westpark Village spans 15.2 hectares. The Lindgren, developed

by GERI, covers 17 hectares, and all three residential villages are planned around the township’s waterways and green spaces.

The public programs give the estate a reason to visit outside of property sales — and give prospective buyers a working look at what the finished community is meant to feel like.

For inquiries about Arden Botanical Estate, contact 0917 172 8840 or visit ardenbotanicalestate.com. Directions to Arden Bloompark are at bit.ly/ ArdenBloompark.

Visitors of Arden Botanical Estate can explore Arden Bloompark, a landscaped open space that offers a variety of vibrant, picturesque corners and transforms into a garden night market during weekend evenings.

C2

SHOWBIZ

MONDAY, JUNE 22, 2026

lifeandshow.manilastandard@gmail.com NICKIE WANG, Editor ANGELICA VILLANUEVA, Writer JASPER VALDEZ, Writer

Caprice Cayetano, Heath Jornales

By Angelica Villanueva

C

aprice Cayetano and Heath Jornales are carrying the pressure of their first lead television roles, but the young stars are taking it with the same excitement that runs through their new youth-oriented series.

The two stars are headlining GMA Public Affairs’ afternoon series You’re My Favorite Song.

“For this project, what I feel most is excitement. I know working with them will be easy because we’ve already been friends for a long time,” said Caprice.

“Those expectations give me more motivation to do better and better. To do my 100% best every scene and memorize all my lines again. It makes me wanna do my best every time,” Heath told Manila Standard Entertainment.

The series follows Angel Dimaculangan, a 16-year-old science genius who moves to Solmera City to help her grandfather protect their family’s beachfront property.

The young actress said she sees herself in Angel’s friendliness, closeness to family, and determination to choose her own dreams.

“Angel is pretty cool because she stands up for herself whenever someone picks a fight with her,” Caprice said.

Heath plays Miguel Miraflor, a young musician whose sudden rise to fame comes at the cost of a normal childhood. For Heath, the character’s connection to music is one of the easiest parts to understand.

“I can relate to him because of his love and passion for music as well,” Heath said, adding that Miguel’s conflict comes from having a father who is “very controlling” and does not give him much freedom.

The series also stars Marco Masa as Zion Licaro, Angel’s close friend who struggles with shyness and bullying, and Clifford as Calix Arcilla, Angel’s academic rival. Calix was the smartest

navigate first lead roles in new youth drama series Heath Jornales (left) and Caprice Cayetano partner up in ‘You‘re my Favorite Song’, a new series that follows young students dealing with family, pressure, music, and self-discovery

From left: Marco Masa, Caprice Cayetano, Heath Jornales, and Clifford reunite in GMA’s new teen show after their reality-show stint

The cast said the series aims to connect with Gen Z viewers while also giving parents a clearer look at what young people go through.

“I hope viewers can connect with us through this show. I also hope adults

student in school before Angel arrived, a shift that unsettles him as he also tries to meet his family’s expectations.

The project reunites the four young stars after their stint in Pinoy Big Brother: Celebrity Collab 2.0. But working together on a scripted series showed them a different side of one another.

“Inside PBB house, I got to know

them as who they really are. But when it came to our taping, I got to know them as workmates and how professional they are,” said Clifford.

Caprice said their friendship helped build the chemistry required for the show.

“We didn’t really have to work on it because we already built that connection inside the PBB house,” she explained.

can better understand what Gen Zs are going through,” Caprice shared.

Marco said they also want the series to serve as a voice for their generation.

“We try our best to be their voice. We want to use this platform not only for entertainment, but also to set a good example for our generation,” he stated.

Music is also part of the story. Clifford said viewers will hear the cast sing, while Marco said they are also performing for the original soundtrack.

Directed by JP Habac, You’re My Favorite Song also features young stars Waynona Collings, Princess Aliyah, Lee Victor, Kairo Lazarte, Andrei Fajardo, and Geo Mhanna. The cast also stars seasoned actors Boboy Garrovillo, Katya Santos, James Blanco, Kazel Kinouchi, and Wilma Doesnt.

You’re My Favorite Song airs Mondays through Caprice Cayetano (left) and Heath Jornales carry their Fridays at 4:00 p.m. on off-screen friendship into a new story about young GMA Afternoon Prime. people finding their voice

Lotlot de Leon, Ian de Leon trade accusations over Nora Aunor foundation, inheritance issue

By Jasper Valdez THE rift among Nora Aunor’s children deepened after Lotlot de Leon and Ian de Leon traded accusations over plans to honor the late National Artist’s legacy and handle the properties she left behind.

Lotlot first addressed the issue during the press conference for the mystery drama 40 Days, where she disputed Ian’s claim in a Fast Talk with Boy Abunda interview that he had informed his siblings about plans for a one-person corporation honoring their mother.

She made the statement in front of the film’s cast and production team, including Dina Bonnevie, Snooky Serna, Elizabeth Oropesa, Lloyd Samartino, Diego Gutierrez, and director Louie Ignacio.

“Hindi ko alam bakit kasinungalingan lumalabas sa bibig mo, Ian. Sinabi niya magtatayo daw siya sa Fast Talk. He never told us, he never shared anything with us. Wala siyang ni-share, sinabi, kinuwento. Hinahayaan na nga namin, tahimik na ako. But I will not allow anyone to put Matet [De Leon] down, to put Kiko [De Leon] down, to put Ken [De Leon] down, to say these lies because it is not true,” Lotlot said.

She added, “Enough. Enough with the lies. Tahimik na kami. Wala na kami sinasabi and then you go out, and tell everyone you told us—which is not true.”

Ian, in his interview with Boy Abunda, said he discussed the concept with his siblings 40 days after Aunor’s death, when it was still only an idea.

“We were gathered together. All five of us. I also wanted them involved. This was still a concept at the time. Wala pa OPC

Lotlot de Leon disputes Ian de Leon’s account of their family discussions and denies that she and her siblings are after Nora Aunor’s properties

Ian de Leon pushes back against Lotlot de Leon’s claims as the siblings’ dispute over Nora Aunor’s legacy and properties continues publicly

noon,” Ian said.

Lotlot countered that Ian was the one who earlier said he was not ready when she raised the idea of forming a foundation for their mother.

“Tinanong ko siya—are you willing to do the foundation with us? Magtayo tayo para kay Mommy, sabi niya ‘I am not ready.’ Sabi niya wala siya ilalabas na pera,” she said.

Lotlot also denied that she and her siblings were after Aunor’s properties in Bicol, saying Ian could have them all.

“Kung ano ang iniwan ni mommy, mga lupa sa Bicol—’yun lang meron siya. Wala ibang naiwan ang mommy kung hindi iyon… He can have it all, para sa akin sapat nang natawag kong mommy si Nora Aunor.

Sapat na pinalaki ako ng isang superstar.

Sapat nang nabigyan ako ng pangalan ni Mommy. He can have it all,” Lotlot said.

She admitted, however, that she had asked Ian if he was willing to share the

properties with their siblings because she felt for Matet, Kiko, and Ken. “And after mommy died, and after she was buried—to be honest, kinausap ko Ian. After a few weeks. Are you willing to share the properties with us. And tinanong ko ‘yan without Matet, Kiko, and Ken knowing.

Why? Hindi para sa akin, naawa ako sa tatlo kong kapatid. Dahil wala iniwan si Mommy sa kanila. At tanggap namin, kung ano meron si Mommy, kay Ian iyon.

Walang nanghihingi, walang nang aagaw,” she said.

Ian later pushed back through his Facebook page, IDL Arts and Paintings.

“Enough with the lies? You stop. You stop telling lies, especially to my dad,” he posted.

He said he only told Lotlot he was not ready because he wanted the legal papers fixed first. Ian also claimed there were Zoom meetings and said he had been clear that everything would be handled transparently among the five siblings.

“Sakin na lahat? After the state funeral when five of us are talking. I was clear, that told you guys na tulong-tulong tayong lima dito at maging transparent sa isa’t isa and everything will take time and everything will be divided equally,” Ian said.

He also denied trying to put down his siblings, saying his appearance on Abunda’s show was for a Father’s Day episode.

“Who put down the siblings? Did you even watch the whole show before reacting? Kayo lang ba pwede magpainterview? I don’t go out just like that.

It’s for Father’s Day episode. Tinuring mo kong kapatid? Tinuring din kitang parang totoong kapatid! And I still call you Ate,” he added.

Director Louie Ignacio (4th from left) with the cast of his new film ‘40 Days’

Jordan Santos’ quiet summer in the Philippines takes a supernatural turn as ancient forces pull him into a larger destiny in ‘Sun Chaser’

‘Sun Chaser’ marks milestone for Filipino animation FILIPINO animation takes a major leap with Sun Chaser, a creator-owned fantasy series developed and produced entirely in the Philippines.

Produced by Manila-based Toon City Animation and Playlab, the series brings Filipino mythology to a global audience through a story of ancient powers, family secrets, and a teenager caught between the human and spirit worlds.

Award-winning actress Charo Santos-Concio leads the Filipino names attached to the series, with Manny Jacinto, Liza Soberano, Eugene Cordero, Dingdong Dantes, Zia Dantes, J.R. De Guzman, AC Bonifacio, and KD Estrada also lending their voices.

Sun Chaser follows Jordan Santos, voiced by Manny, an ordinary teenager who arrives in the Philippines for what he expects to be a quiet summer vacation. His trip takes a darker turn when a supernatural threat throws his island into chaos.

As old forces awaken, Jordan discovers a destiny tied to protecting the boundary between humans and spirits. The series centers on self-discovery, family, courage, and the search for purpose under extraordinary circumstances.

The project was created by Filipino animation talents Bobby Pontillas and Bernard Badion. Bobby is a Disney Animation veteran whose credits include Zootopia, Moana, Big Hero 6, and Wreck-It Ralph. He also received an Academy Award nomination for the animated short film One Small Step in 2018.

Bernard, meanwhile, has developed projects for major studios in Los Angeles, including Transformers: EarthSpark.

Ahead of its premiere, Sun Chaser earned international recognition after winning the Animation du Monde Prize for international projects at Annecy/ MIFA 2025.

The pilot episode premieres for free on YouTube on Tuesday, June 23, at 12:00 noon. A Kickstarter campaign will also launch alongside the premiere to help fund future episodes.

LIFE & SHOWBIZ

C3 MONDAY, JUNE 22, 2026

All seats taken for a star-powered OPM music festival

Fans get to secure tickets to the music festival by redeeming tickets based on the value of their purchases at participating Puregold branches

THE Araneta Coliseum is set for a full house on July 11 after Puregold’s OPM Con Generations 2026 sold out in just two days of ticket redemption, marking a milestone for the retail-backed concert series.

All seats for the third staging of the event were taken through Puregold’s grocery-based redemption system, where fans obtained tickets by buying items at participating branches. The quick sellout reflects strong demand for the lineup, as well as the increasing popularity of the concert’s unusual ticket access system.

This year’s edition brings together SB19, Ben&Ben, Alamat, Flow G, Skusta Clee, SunKissed Lola, G22, KAIA,

and Xonara, spanning P-pop, hiphop, and contemporary Original Pilipino Music (OPM). The mix of acts drew fans across different age groups, contributing to the quick depletion of available seats.

Puregold senior marketing manager Ivy Hayagan-Piedad said the response highlights both the reach of OPM and the connection between artists and everyday listeners.

“Selling out our third OPM Con in two days is another huge milestone for Puregold. Our artists are not just performers; they provide the soundtrack to everyday moments, milestones, and memories. Puregold OPM Con 2026 brings those shared experiences together in one

space, creating a celebration that belongs to both the artists and the fans,” Hayagan-Piedad said.

Unlike traditional ticket sales, admission to OPM Con Generations 2026 was tied to grocery purchases, with fans redeeming tickets based on the value of items bought at Puregold stores. Some customers queued overnight at branches, while others arrived early in the day to secure remaining slots before supplies ran out.

The sellout has heightened anticipation for the July 11 concert at the Big Dome, where thousands of fans are expected to gather for a one-night showcase of some of the country’s most streamed OPM acts.

KAIA to perform at NBA Rising Stars International in Singapore

By Angelica Villanueva

P

-POP girl group KAIA is set to perform at the second NBA Rising Stars International in Singapore later this month.

On Friday, June 19, NBA Philippines confirmed that KAIA will be part of the entertainment program for the tournament, which runs from June 23 to 28 at the OCBC Arena, joining a lineup of athletes and entertainers at the regional youth basketball event.

The group becomes one of the featured performers at the event, alongside newly formed K-pop boy

band Lngshot, which is scheduled to appear on the tournament’s final day.

NBA Rising Stars International will bring together 24 high school teams from across the Asia-Pacific region, with 12 boys’ teams and 12 girls’ teams competing.

The Philippines will be represented

by Far Eastern University-Diliman in the boys’ division and the University of Santo Tomas in the girls’ division.

Both schools earned their spots after winning their respective Under-19 championships in the recently concluded UAAP season.

Several basketball personalities are also expected to attend, including NBA champions Jeremy Lin and Mitch Richmond, Los Angeles Lakers forward Rui Hachimura, and Australian basketball legend Lauren Jackson.

P-pop girl group KAIA is joining a lineup of athletes and entertainers at the regional youth basketball event

AirSWIFT flights to be operated

by Cebgo starting July PASSENGERS flying under AirSWIFT will soon see changes in flight operations, as Cebu Pacific (Cebu Pacific) moves to place all AirSWIFT services under its regional subsidiary Cebgo starting July 1.

Under the transition, all AirSWIFT flights will be operated by Cebgo (Cebgo), though Cebu Pacific said there will be no changes in existing flight schedules and services. Flights to and from El Nido in northern Palawan will continue as scheduled during the shift.

The airline also confirmed that AirSWIFT’s current T6-coded flights will be reclassified as DG flights once Cebgo assumes operations.

AirSWIFT currently connects Clark and El Nido, as well as key tourist destinations including

BTS RM (right) shakes hands with National Museum of Korea director You Hong-jun after being appointed as the museum’s first Global Public Relations Ambassador

Boracay, Bohol, Cebu, and Coron.

Cebu Pacific said the integration is part of streamlining operations within its network, which already spans 35 domestic and 26 international destinations.

Passengers were also advised to book flights only through official channels, including Cebu Pacific’s website, mobile application, and accredited travel partners, to avoid issues in managing bookings during the transition.

AirSWIFT has long been known for operating routes to El Nido, one of Palawan’s most popular tourist destinations, with services catering to both local and international travelers.

Further details on the transition are available through Cebu Pacific’s customer support page.

BTS RM named first global ambassador of National Museum of Korea

By Angelica Villanueva

All current T6-coded flight services connecting key tourist destinations will be reclassified as DG flights under Cebgo operations

BTS leader RM has been appointed the first Global Public Relations Ambassador of the National Museum of Korea.

On Saturday, June 19, the museum said RM, whose real name is Kim Namjoon, formalized the appointment through a contract signing. He also toured the museum’s collections and exhibitions with museum director You Hong-jun.

Among the exhibits he visited were Kim Hongdo: Painting His Era and the upcoming Amazing Thailand: Masterpieces of Thai Art. RM was also presented with a small reproduction of the Daedongyeojido scroll,

an ancient map of the Korean peninsula.

The museum said RM will help promote the value and beauty of Korea’s cultural heritage to audiences around the world.

RM has long shown interest in Korean art and heritage. He previously donated 100 million won twice to the Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation.

Later this year, RM is set to hold a special exhibition of works from his personal collection at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. RM is currently also part of BTS’ ongoing Arirang world tour, which is scheduled to end with three sold-out nights at the Philippine Sports Stadium in March in 2027.

LIFE

C4

MONDAY, JUNE 22, 2026

lifeandshow.manilastandard@gmail.com NICKIE WANG, Editor ANGELICA VILLANUEVA, Writer JASPER VALDEZ, Writer

I

NEVER imagined I would live to see the day when I could get into a transportation vehicle and drive around a city without a driver.

I mean, I saw this scenario in futuristic movies many decades ago but experiencing it in my lifetime was a total surprise, albeit, a pleasant one.

During my recent visit to San Francisco, my cousins were busy with their own lives, so I didn’t want to bother them. Of course, there is always Uber, my default choice every time I need to travel around any US city. But one of my friends suggested that I try out Waymo. Since I’ve never heard of it, I asked him for more information.

Making itself available to the public, just like Uber, Waymo is an autonomous driving technology company that provides driverless transportation to anyone. It is available in major US cities and has more than 3700 robotaxis, meaning, the car that you ride in functions like a robot, which is why it is equipped with a radar, cameras, and other sophisticated technology, which operate the vehicle like any driver would when maneuvering it through any street or highway.

As early as 2004, the idea evolved from Stanford’s Self-Driving Car Team which, five years later developed into Google’s Self-Driving Car Project.

After many tests, seven years later, the Project was renamed Waymo. In 2020, it was the first company to offer public transportation service without drivers.

Each Waymo vehicle relies on the radar on top, the cameras on both sides, and external audio receivers, all managed by a central computer onboard. All these instruments are always in sync, to create awareness of any object as far as one kilometer away.

Driving around San Francisco without a driver

The stunning Conservatory of Flowers in Golden Gate Park, one of the popular San Francisco destinations reachable via driverless Waymo technology

Mercury Rising Bob Zozobrado

A Waymo autonomous vehicle showcasing the specialized roofmounted hardware and sophisticated sensor technology

YOUR WEEKEND CHUCKLE

without anybody maneuvering it.

Of course, since I just wanted to try it out first, I made sure the route we would take that first time would only be along city streets where, I noticed, the Waymo vehicle’s average speed was only 35 mph. Since my first ride was smooth and safe, I became more

Why can’t anyone’s hand be 12 inches long? Because then, it would be called a foot!

Just like Uber, you have to have the Waymo App to book the vehicle you need. Out of curiosity, I asked my friend, as he has the required App, to book me a car. After a few minutes, a white Jaguar parked outside my hotel, and my friend told me that was our car. Of course, I insisted for my friend to come along, just in case something wrong happens.

Both of us stayed at the back seats and it was such a weird feeling to be inside a moving vehicle and seeing that there was nobody at the driver’s seat, yet the car smoothly moved along the streets, made flawless turns at corners, stopped at all red lights, etc. Overall, the ride was comfortable and very pleasant. It was just that, being human, one can’t help worrying about being in a moving vehicle

The view from inside a moving Waymo vehicle in San Francisco, showing the driverless interior as the steering wheel turns on its own

adventurous. I wanted to experience Waymo driving along the freeways, so I asked my friend to book us a ride to Golden Gate Park which would require us to go along the freeway. The vehicle ran at a speed never exceeding 65 mph and exited from the freeway smoothly

completely symmetrical and looks like a box. It is for bidirectional driving, and has no designated front or back because it can travel towards either direction.

For example, the vehicle is running towards a certain direction, then it senses that the road ahead is jammed

Waymo’s autonomous Jaguar I-Pace robotaxi, featuring a colorful art wrap on the side door and advanced sensors

towards our destination.

While raving to my friends about this encounter with a futuristic vehicle, they told me that Waymo now has a competitor which they wanted me to try as well. It’s called Zoox, which uses the same technology as Waymo but is designed differently. Zoox is

Zoox robotaxi is a unique vehicle designed for bidirectional driving and face-toface passenger seating

with traffic and it wants to turn around, there is no need for it to make a U-turn as the other end of the vehicle can just move towards the opposite direction.

And, unlike Waymo, which still has the steering wheel and an empty space where the drive is supposed to be, Zoox has that space occupied by a passenger seat, offering a total of four passenger seats facing each other. This version really takes the travelling experience to a higher level as passengers enjoy being able to engage in conversation, face-toface, throughout the entire journey.

Never have I felt the real meaning of the oft-repeated phrase, “the future is now,” as I do today. I consider myself truly blessed to have lived to see the day that vehicles on the road can now go about their journeys without the use of a driver. Now that they’ve made possible some of the wonders of the future, is it too much for me to look forward to joining a Familiarization Tour to Mars…in my lifetime?

For feedback, I’m at bobzozobrado@ gmail.com

Bayanihan effort transforms classroom, school garden in Laguna FOR students of Sinalhan Elementary School in Santa Rosa, Laguna, a once-ordinary kindergarten classroom has been quietly transformed into something more inviting with walls now filled with colorful murals of storybook characters and native wildlife, turning a simple learning space into an environment that feels closer to a storybook come to life.

Enchanted Kingdom (EK), the first and only world-class theme park in the Philippines, turned over its 15th adopted kindergarten classroom to the school on June 5 as it marked its 12th year of participation in the Department of Education’s Brigada Eskwela program.

The annual nationwide initiative mobilizes communities and organizations to help prepare public schools for the opening of classes.

This year’s theme, Bayanihan Para sa Paaralan: Nagkakaisa Para sa Kaayusan at Kaalaman, aligns with EK’s own education program, which promotes engaging and accessible learning environments for young students.

As part of the effort, EK’s maintenance team repaired and

part of its long-standing education initiatives.

“As Enchanted Kingdom celebrates its 30th year, we continue to uphold our commitment to nurturing young minds as we extend our active participation in Brigada Eskwela in the years to come,” Mamon said.

The turnover ceremony was attended by local officials, school administrators, teachers, parents, and students from Sinalhan Elementary School.

EK has supported Brigada Eskwela since 2014, focusing on classroom improvements and community-based education projects in Santa Rosa, Laguna.

EK chairman and president Cesar Mario O. Mamon (rightmost) takes part in the hands-on revitalization of the ‘Taniman Para sa Paaralan’ garden, planting for sustainability

upgraded classroom fixtures, while its artists painted murals featuring its Storyverse characters and native Philippine species, including those highlighted in its attraction AGILA The EKsperience: SARIBUHAY. The artwork also incorporated the company’s core values and messages on environmental responsibility.

The theme park also helped revitalize the school garden, Taniman Para sa Paaralan, where vegetables and ornamental plants were cultivated.

EK chairman and president Cesar Mario O. Mamon said the company aims to further expand its participation in Brigada Eskwela as

The spirit of Bayanihan is alive at Sinalhan Elementary School as the community, students, and EK executives celebrate the successful transformation of a kindergarten classroom.