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PBBM names new DOH chief Mercado to replace Pujalte; Ho tapped as PhilHealth head
By Charles Dantes and Ram Superable
P
RESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. appointed PhilHealth President and CEO Edwin Mercado as the new secretary of the Department of Health following the resignation of Jose Pujalte Jr., Malacañang said on Monday.
Ayala Healthcare Holdings Inc. chief health officer Beverly Lorraine Ho will replace Mercado as PhilHealth acting president and CEO. “Secretary Pujalte voluntarily resigned because of his health Pujalte’s tenure at the DOH lasted less than four weeks, marred by a Next page
Dr. Beverly Lorraine Ho Incoming PhilHealth chief
Dr. Edwin Mercado Acting DOH Secretary
Marcos weighing US request to extradite Quiboloy—Palace By Charles Dantes PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is expected to decide on the US request to extradite detained Pastor Apollo
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Quiboloy within the next few weeks, a Palace official said Monday. At a Palace briefing, Presidential Communications Office UndersecreNext page
‘Habagat’ rains to last until Wednesday; death toll now at 15 Most Pinoys
adopt waitand-see stance in VP Sara’s trial
RAINS due to the southwest monsoon or “habagat” will continue over parts of Luzon until Wednesday, the state weather bureau said, as the death toll from the continuing inclement weather rose to 15 according to the national police, while about 1.3 million people have been affected as of Monday. Several areas in western Luzon recorded weeks’ worth of rainfall in just five days as the habagat continued to bring persistent rains on the heels of Tropical Cyclones Luis and Maymay, according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA). Assistant Secretary Laurence Mina of the Office of Civil Defense—which put the death toll at 13 as of last night— said during a Palace briefing that the casualties were caused by landslides, fallen trees, electrocution, rockslides and drowning. From 8 a.m. on Aug. 5 to 8 a.m. on Aug. 10, the PAGASA station in Baguio City recorded 1,143.2 millimeters of rain, equivalent to about 36 days’ worth of August rainfall in the city. Last week, PAGASA data showed Metro Manila stations received four days to two weeks’ worth of August rainfall between August 5 to 7, indicating extremely heavy and persistent rain. The wettest August rainfall event on record occurred in 2012, when the Science Garden in Quezon City logged 391.4 mm in a single day — the highest August daily rainfall in PAGASA’s 1961–2025 dataset. This extreme habagat episode, enhanced by Typhoon Gener (Saola), drenched Metro Manila and surrounding provinces, producing one of the heaviest five‑day rainfall accumulations – and catastrophic flooding
By Maricel V. Cruz MOST Filipino adults (55 percent) want to see the evidence presented during the impeachment trial before deciding whether Vice President Sara Duterte should be acquitted or convicted, according to a survey by the OCTA Research group. Meanwhile, Deputy Speaker Janette Garin of Iloilo warned of what she described as a “coordinated, systematic, well-funded” online campaign targeting prosecutors, spokespersons and other figures involved in the Vice President’s impeachment trial. The latest Tugon ng Masa (TNM) poll showed that 21 percent of Filipinos prefer that the Senate vote to acquit Duterte and clear her of the charges, while 17 percent favor conviction and removal from office, and seven percent have no opinion or are undecided. Across major regions, the evidence-first stance was strongest in Balance Luzon Next page
LOWER FUEL PRICES TODAY NEWS / A2
DBM SUBMITS 2027 BUDGET
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LANDSLIDE. Rescuers continue
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to dig in yesterday to recover six people still buried in the landslide on Sunday night in barangay Guisad Surong in Baguio City. Ten persons have been recovered as of press time, two of them alive and eight dead. Conrad Rotor
EALA’S RUN ENDS IN TORONTO
Lawyer flags ‘double standard’ in using Maleta Boys testimonies PUBLIC interest lawyer and human rights advocate lawyer Antonio Bucoy has questioned alleged “double standards” in assessing the testimonies of the so-called “Maleta Boys” in the investigation involving former House Speaker Martin Romualdez.
Meanwhile, another lawyer assailed the government’s “selective use” of testimony from witnesses whose credibility is being challenged in connection with the flood control investigation, saying evidence being questioned as
false cannot be used against specific individuals while others implicated by the same testimony are cleared. Speaking on radio dzRH, lawyer Judd Roy cited the Department of Justice’s plan to file perjury and cy-
Senior US War officials see PH as ‘model ally’ PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday welcomed senior United States defense officials to Malacañang as Manila and Washington continued efforts to strengthen their longstanding defense partnership and promote a more credible regional deterrence in the Indo-Pacific. Mr. Marcos received US Undersecretary of Defense Next page
MODEL ALLY. President Ferdinand R. Marcos
Jr. engages US Undersecretary of War for Policy Elbridge Colby during a courtesy call yesterday at Malacañan Palace. PCO
ber libel charges against the so-called “Maleta Boys” who signed a joint affidavit alleging that more than 20 people were involved in the alleged delivery of large amounts of money, Next page
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ANG BUYS STAKE IN LOPEZ INC. BUSINESS / B1
Manila Standard online editor bags two climate fellowships Manila Standard deputy online editor Ratziel San Juan.
MANILA Standard’s deputy online editor Ratziel San Juan was selected for two separate environment-themed media fellowships to produce stories on extreme heat and climate finance in the Philippines. Oxfam Pilipinas recently announced San Juan as one of its six individual fellows from different media organizations as part of the Patas na Bukas media fellowships. Next page
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Fuel prices to go lower by P4.88/l By Alena Mae S. Flores
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HE Department of Energy on Monday announced an oil price rollback of as much as P4.88 per liter to reflect the movement of prices in the world oil market amid the Middle East crisis.
This is due to softening world oil prices; renewed hopes of a diplomatic breakthrough to the US-Iran conflict eased the geopolitical risk premium. The DOE said kerosene will have a
rollback of P4.88 per liter, gasoline by P4.70 per liter and diesel by P4.30 per liter effective 6am Tuesday. “The DOE continues to strengthen oil supply and protect public interest,” it said.
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Selected fellows will receive a grant to pursue stories about women and indigenous and vulnerable communities whose voices and actions are driving change and solutions for climate justice. “Ratziel San Juan... has reported on human rights, environmental issues, and marginalized communities. His interest lies in producing data-driven, accountability-focused reports on complex public interest topics, such as climate finance,” Oxfam Pilipinas posted on social media. Previously, Childfund Asia likewise announced San Juan as one of its Manila fellows for the regional campaign “Cities on Fire,” an art and media fellowship exploring how extreme heat is affecting children across urban Asia. Aside from the Philippine capital, the said fellowship spans Bangkok, Colombo, Jakarta, and New Delhi.
case filed against him before the Office of the Ombudsman by a group of concerned citizens for allegedly violating Presidential Decree No. 1869, which prohibits government officials from gambling in casinos, and Republic Act No. 6713, or the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees. Pujalte denied the allegations, saying Pujalte’s presence at a hotel on July 20, a week after his appointment, was for an official meeting with local officials from Masbate and Sorsogon to discuss assistance for public hospitals. “We ate at a place that has a casino... This is not prohibited as long as it is not inside the casino. My mistake was that I did not understand what courtesy call meant... They should be the ones to come to my office,” Pujalte said in a radio interview. A separate case was filed before the Ombudsman against Pujalte for the DOH’s suspension of the procurement of P3 billion worth of tuberculosis (TB) commodities, which the complainants claimed was done
Most Pinoys... From A1 (58 percent), followed by the National Capital Region (56 percent) and Visayas (53 percent), while Mindanao recorded the lowest support at 48 percent. In contrast, Mindanao showed the highest support for acquittal at 41 percent, while Balance Luzon had the most support for conviction at 22 percent. By socioeconomic class, the evidence-first position was dominant among Class ABC (64 percent), Class D (54 percent), and Class E (50 percent), with Class E being somewhat more inclined to favor acquittal at 30 percent. The survey also revealed that the preference to see the evidence first was strongest among those aged 55 to 64 (49 percent) and 35 to 44 (64 percent). Meanwhile, respondents aged 18 to 24 showed the highest support for conviction at 26 percent, while the 45 to 54 bracket most likely favors acquittal at 28 percent. Additionally, opinions on conviction and acquittal were particularly strong among urban respondents (57 percent) and rural respondents (52 percent). Support was fairly similar between the two groups, while men were somewhat more likely than women to favor acquittal (25 percent versus 18 percent).
Lawyer... From A1 including cash carried in suitcases. Bucoy asserted that the credibility of evidence should be assessed using a consistent standard, particularly after the Department of Justice filed perjury charges against all 18 Maleta Boys over their sworn statements in the probe of the flood control scandal. He cited the Office of the Ombudsman’s reported dismissal of the statements of the 18 witnesses, saying this raised questions about why eight of them were still being considered as witnesses against Romualdez. “I would link this to what I previously questioned when Assistant Ombudsman Clavano and Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla themselves initially declared that they would use eight of the 18 ‘Maleta Boys’ as witnesses,” Bucoy said in a dzMM radio interview. “My question, which remains pending, is why and how they will use the testimony of the eight out of 18 whom they had previously described as unreliable and, in fact, had already refuted,” he said.
DOJ perjury cases vs 18 Maleta Boys
Bucoy said the situation became
‘Habagat’... From A1 -- ever observed in the country, the bureau added. Meanwhile, the number of victims in a landslide that buried three houses in Baguio’s Riverside, Guisad Surong rose to 13, with four people confirmed dead, three rescued alive and six still missing, according to the city government. Incessant rains have also caused deep flooding in parts of Luzon, prompting Department of Public Works and Highways Secretary Vince Dizon to say there is no overnight solution to the problem. In Metro Manila, heavy rains caused
Senior... From A1 for Policy Elbridge Colby and Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs John Noh during a courtesy call at the Palace as part of the President’s diplomatic engagements with key Indo-Pa-
more problematic following the DOJ’s filing of perjury cases against all 18 witnesses, also described in the media as ex-Marines who served as bodyguards for fugitive lawmaker Zaldy Co. “That means they realized that what the 18 said under oath was all lies,” he said. The lawyer added that the Ombudsman’s reported dismissal of the statements of the 18 witnesses further complicated the issue. “In the same situation, the DOJ and the Ombudsman reached the conclusion that what the Maleta Boys said was false,” Bucoy said. He questioned whether investigators were selectively using portions of the witnesses’ statements to build a case against Romualdez and other personalities. “Are they still using the narrative or testimony of the eight or is this now the narrative of the investigators?” he asked. Bucoy said the inconsistencies surrounding the affidavits, including the late signing of the original affidavit and the filing of a supplemental affidavit, should also be considered in evaluating the strength of the case.
Numerous inconsistencies
He noted that only eight of the 18 witnesses allegedly had personal knowledge of the delivery of the bags, while the statements contained numer-
DBM submits P7.7t budget to PBBM
On Aug. 3, the DOE also announced a rollback in pump prices by P2.09 per liter for kerosene, P0.73 per liter for gasoline and P0.60 per liter for diesel. DOE data showed that for the week of Aug. 4 to Aug. 10, gasoline sells from P68.80 to P99.17 per liter, diesel sells from P80 to P101.60 per liter and kerosene from P99 to P136.10 per liter in the National Capital Region. Meanwhile, the DOE recently held a public consultation to further refine the National Oil and Gas Contingency
Plan (NOGCP)—a forward-looking framework that will strengthen the country’s preparedness and resilience against oil and gas supply disruptions, especially during international crises and other emergencies. Through collaboration with other government agencies and industry stakeholders, the NOGCP aims to ensure that the country has clear response measures, strategic fuel management, and a reliable energy supply when it matters most.
to favor an unnamed supplier. Pujalte, however, said the procurement requires careful scrutiny to verify the quantity, quality, and safety of the medicines and prevent possible irregularities. Castro said Mr. Marcos accepted Pujalte’s resignation but declined to say whether the issues raised against the former health chief played a role in the leadership change. “For now, we cannot answer that (if the issues raised against Pujalte affected the President’s decision). He voluntarily resigned, and the President accepted it,” the Palace official said. “The investigation of whatever complaints have been filed against former Secretary Pujalte is now in the hands of the Ombudsman,” Castro added. As this developed, Mercado, who was appointed to PhilHealth in February 2025, brings hospital management and health administration experience to the DOH. He served as medical director of Daniel Mercado Medical Center from 1998 to 2000 and later held president and CEO positions at various hospitals from 2000 to 2016. A University of the Philippines medical graduate, Mercado earned a Master of Medical Science in Global Health
Delivery from Harvard Medical School in 2023 and an Executive Master’s Degree in Health Care Administration from the University of North Carolina in the United States. “What the President wants is to prioritize the welfare of our fellow Filipinos when it comes to their health. Dr. Mercado knows what the President wants and intends to accomplish,” Castro said. Ho, for her part, previously held senior positions at the DOH, serving as assistant secretary from January 2023 to January 2024 and undersecretary from July to December 2022. She also served as a DOH deputy spokesperson from March 2020 to December 2023. Meanwhile, Senator Francis Escudero said the appointment of Mercado removes the leadership uncertainty in the DOH and protects the implementation of the country’s universal healthcare program. He also praised the President’s choice of Ho as new PhilHealth head. Escudero said the health department can now redirect its focus toward expanding insurance benefits and upgrading access across both public and private medical institutions.
flooding on major roads across four cities, according to the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority. In the city of Manila, more than 850 individuals from 243 families have sought shelter in evacuation centers as the city continues to grapple with persistent rains, according to the Manila Department of Social Welfare.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered government agencies to sustain flood-control and disaster-response operations as Habagat continued to bring heavy rains across large parts of the country, Malacañang said Monday.
Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Claire Castro said Mr. Marcos led a situation briefing with disaster-response and public safety agencies and directed officials to ensure that assistance reaches affected residents, particularly those in remote areas. On Sunday, Malacañang urged Filipinos exposed to floodwaters to immediately seek medical consultation as the government stepped up measures against leptospirosis and other diseases amid the continuing rains. The Department of Education said more than P135 million in response and intervention funds would be needed to clean and repair schools affected by Tropical Cyclone Maymay and the habagat.
tary Claire Castro said Marcos had been briefed on the matter and ordered a careful review of the request. “Yes, we spoke with the President earlier, and he said this really needs to be studied carefully. But in a couple of weeks, they will announce their decision,” Castro told reporters. Quiboloy, founder of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ, is facing criminal proceedings in the Philippines while US authorities also want him. Castro said the Philippines-US extradition treaty provides mechanisms allowing Quiboloy’s case in the Philippines to continue or be temporarily suspended if he is extradited to the United States. “That is in the agreement, in our treaty with the US, and it is included in the provision. So we have two options: Pastor Quiboloy can remain here while his case is heard in the Philippines, or the case here can be temporarily held or suspended for extradition to the US,” she said.
cific partners. At a forum organized by the Stratbase Group, Colby, on his first visit to Manila as US Undersecretary of Defense for Policy, described the Philippines as a “model ally” and reaffirmed Washington’s commitment to its oldest treaty ally in Asia. He said the United States was seeking
to build stronger and more sustainable alliances through its approach of achieving “genuine peace through strength.” “We seek partnerships, not dependencies, and we understand that countries will engage widely, just as we do,” Colby said. “We are putting our alliances on a sustainable, realistic, and durable foot-
ing for the long haul. When we ask our allies and partners to step up, invest more in their own defense, and take responsibility for their own sovereign security, we are not signaling abandonment,” he added. Colby stressed that Washington wants stronger partners rather than countries dependent on US protection.
ous inconsistencies. “The key to any kind of prosecution is the credibility of the evidence,” Bucoy said. “In our present issue, it is the credibility of the testimony of the eight out of the 18 Maleta Boys.” He said investigators could not reasonably rely on testimony that they had previously criticized or rejected without explaining why the same evidence was now being treated differently. “What appears now is that the standard for weighing evidence is not one, not equal, and not the same,” Bucoy said. He referred to this as the need for “consistency in the standard of assessment of evidence,” saying the DOJ and the Ombudsman should apply the same basic standards in evaluating evidence. Bucoy said the apparent conflicting positions of the DOJ and the Ombudsman could undermine the credibility of the preliminary investigation. “How can you use this, and how can it have credibility?” the lawyer asked. He stressed that a preliminary investigation is intended not only to determine whether a case should proceed but also to protect innocent persons from baseless prosecution and prevent the state from pursuing unnecessary or futile trials.
remain fair or objective and not take sides,” Bucoy said. He added that prosecutors should not disregard evidence or circumstances favorable to the respondent simply to build a case. “It is not his duty to prosecute and obtain a conviction by any means,” he said. Bucoy said the same standard must be applied regardless of who is being investigated. “Here, it seems to differ depending on who is investigating and depending on who is being investigated,” he said. His remarks came after Romualdez questioned the fairness of the investigation, saying he was seeking only equal justice and pointing out that the witnesses being used against him had already been publicly discredited by the DOJ and were themselves facing cyber libel and perjury charges.
could have serious implications beyond the case involving Romualdez. “If a high-ranking official can be prosecuted in such a manner, what happens to an ordinary person who does not have that kind of capability?” he said. Bucoy also clarified that the DOJ and the Ombudsman have different jurisdictions but both have investigative powers. He said the DOJ generally handles cases involving private individuals, while the Ombudsman has jurisdiction over public officials and employees, as well as private individuals when they are alleged to have conspired with public officials. “Their powers are the same; they only differ in terms of who is being prosecuted and whether it is connected to their work as public servants or not,” Bucoy said. Roy, former president and law dean of the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila, questioned how the government could prosecute the “Maleta Boys” for allegedly making false statements while separately using affidavits from eight of them as evidence against former House Speaker Martin Romualdez. “If you are charging them with perjury over that joint affidavit, but you are going to use the eight (men from that group) you took from it against Romualdez, can you do that?” Roy said.
PBBM orders sustained response operations
Prosecutor’s job is to be fair
“The job of a public prosecutor is to
Focus on Ex-Speaker
Bucoy said the developments appeared to support concerns that the eight witnesses were being singled out and their statements being used to focus the investigation on Romualdez. “I am for accountability. But accountability must be based on credible, legitimate and strong evidence,” Bucoy said. He warned that changing or selectively applying evidentiary standards
By Charles Dantes PRESIDENT Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. received the proposed P7.2 trillion national budget for 2027 on Monday, with the administration prioritizing education, health, livelihood, security and community development. The Department of Budget and Management, led by Secretary Kim Robert de Leon, submitted the Fiscal Year 2027 National Expenditure Program (NEP) to the President, Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said. The proposed budget carries the theme “People-Centered Growth for an Inclusive and Resilient Future,” reflecting the administration’s goal of directing public spending toward improved government services and expanded economic opportunities. Castro said the proposal seeks to make every peso of public funds more useful to Filipinos through more efficient services and programs designed to create greater opportunities. “It aims to make every peso of public funds more useful through better services and more opportunities for Filipinos,” she said. The NEP will be formally transmitted to Congress today, Aug. 11, marking the next step in the annual national budget process.
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Consulate confirms arrest of Pinoy by ICE in New Jersey By Katrina Manubay THE Philippine Consulate General in New York has confirmed the arrest of a Filipino national by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Jersey City last week. Consul General in New York and Ambassador-designate to Cambodia Senen Mangalile declined to provide additional information about the Filipino’s identity, including his name, at the family’s request during a Media Hour at the Philippine Consulate General in New York. He said, however, that the detained Filipino is a native of Cebu. After the US Department of Homeland Security informed the Consulate of the arrest, Mangalile said a team from the Consulate’s Assistance-to-Nationals (ATN) Section visited the Filipino, who is being held at an ICE detention facility in Elizabeth, New Jersey. According to Mangalile, the Filipino is in good spirits and in good condition. Mangalile also reported the repatriation of two Filipinos who sought assistance from the Consulate to return to the Philippines. One was a victim of an abusive relationship, while the other was a tourist who could no longer afford to return home. “If I can be as brief as possible, also to protect the interests and privacy of the two individuals, one is a victim of an abusive relationship, while the other is a tourist who simply could not afford to return home,” Mangalile said. “Rather than allow them to remain in a difficult situation, we asked the Department of Foreign Affairs for funds to purchase their plane tickets. We were able to accomplish this successfully through collaboration with other government agencies, including the Commission on Filipinos Overseas, the Bureau of Immigration, and our Department of Foreign Affairs offices in the provinces, which also assisted us in ensuring the safe return of our fellow Filipinos,” he added. The Consulate declined to provide additional details about the two cases to protect the individuals’ privacy.
DATA CENTER INSPECTION. Comelec chair George Garcia, joined by election officials and ePLDT and Vitro REIT Inc. president and CEO Victor Genuino, leads a press conference and walkthrough of Data Center 1 in Barangay Bel-Air, Makati City on Aug. 10 as part of preparations for the Sept. 14 BARMM parliamentary elections. Norman Cruz
Sandiganbayan summons Bonoan in Revilla case T By Maricel V. Cruz
HE Sandiganbayan has summoned former Public Works Secretary Manuel Bonoan to testify on Wednesday, Aug. 12, in the ₱92.8-million malversation case against former Senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr.
In a statement, the Sandiganbayan said its Third Division issued two court orders on Friday, Aug. 7, upon the prosecution’s request during the hearing of Revilla’s case. One order was a subpoena directing Bonoan to appear and testify before the court on Aug. 12 at 8:30 a.m.
Bonoan is facing a ₱573-million plunder charge and two counts of graft in connection with alleged anomalies in flood control projects. Revilla’s case also involves a flood control project in Pandi, Bulacan, where the Sandiganbayan found no physical structure during an on-site inspection in April. The court also ordered Police Brigadier General Portia Manalad, director of the Philippine National Police Health Service, to bring Bonoan before the Sandiganbayan on the same date and time. The Sandiganbayan earlier granted Revilla’s petition for bail and temporarily released the former senator on July 31, ruling that the prosecution failed to present even an “iota of proof” linking him to the alleged anomalous project. The ruling was penned by the Sandiganbayan Third Division, with Associate Justice Ronald Moreno concurring.
Third Division Chairperson Associate Justice Karl Miranda dissented, saying the prosecution had presented sufficient evidence to establish Revilla’s “indispensable” role in the alleged malversation of funds intended for the Bulacan flood control project. “The allegation in the Information that Revilla facilitated or caused the inclusion of the subject project in the General Appropriations Act does not necessarily require proof that he personally intervened in congressional deliberation,” Miranda said. “It may reasonably include actions undertaken before budget legislation that enabled, initiated, or set in motion the process that eventually resulted in the project’s inclusion in the national budget,” he added. The Office of the Ombudsman has since appealed the decision, arguing that the anti-graft court disregarded evidence presented by the prosecution against Revilla.
Irregularities in Cebu P60b flood control projects eyed By Rex Espiritu THE Office of the Ombudsman has discovered that more than P60 billion was spent on flood control projects in Cebu over six years, with 20 percent allocated to the province’s 7th District and 25 percent awarded to a single contractor, Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla said Monday. Remulla was in Cebu on Monday to conduct a series of inspections of flood control projects in the province. “That’s a lot of money to control the flooding, but apparently flooding still occurred here in Cebu over the past month,” Remulla said. “We have to look at what’s happening. Is it the design? Is it the execution? Or is it just corruption?” he added. The Ombudsman is set to examine the effectiveness and implementation of flood control projects in heavily flooded areas across the Visayas.
Remulla has not implicated anyone in the alleged anomalies, but he said the Department of Public Works and Highways Regional Office in Central Visayas would be “under scrutiny,” including possible lifestyle checks on several district engineers. He added that corruption in the public works agency had become apparent and noted that some contractors engage in bid-rigging. The 7th District covers the towns of Alcantara, Alegria, Badian, Dumanjug, Ginatilan, Malabuyoc, Moalboal, and Ronda. Its current representative is Patricia Calderon, who succeeded her husband, Peter John Calderon, in 2025. The Ombudsman is also pushing for the use of digital tools to expedite investigations into flood control projects. “From the barangay to the executive level, it should be everyone’s duty to record everything digitally so transparency is promoted,” Remulla said.
House eyes to probe NCR pump stations A RESOLUTION has been filed at the House of Representatives seeking an inquiry into the non-operation of the Tumana and Iwahig pumping stations during the onslaught of the Southwest Monsoon (Habagat) on Aug. 9, when floodwaters entered streets and homes in Barangay Tumana. In House Resolution 1342 filed on Aug. 10, Marikina 2nd District Rep. Miro Quimbo directed the appropriate House committee to conduct an inquiry in aid of legislation to determine the cause of the pumping stations’ nonoperation and establish accountability for contractor and operator J.D. Legaspi Construction. “This is precisely when flood-control infrastructure should be working—not sitting idle or unattended while our people are facing rising floodwaters,” Quimbo said. The resolution noted that Barangay Tumana, the second most populated barangay in Marikina City with 49,950 residents, has long been among the communities most vulnerable to flooding. The Tumana and Iwahig pumping stations were established by the Department of Public Works and HighwaysUnified Project Management Office to help manage flooding in Tumana and nearby communities. Maricel V. Cruz
Comelec monitors BARMM poll centers
TORNADO DAMAGE. Strong winds from a tornado rip off the roofs of two houses in Tayuman, Sta. Cruz, Manila amid heavy rains brought by the intensified southwest monsoon, affecting at least three families and damaging their homes. Norman Cruz
DepEd shifts to emergency learning modes due to rains By Gabriel Oliva
DRUG BUST. Personnel of the Bureau of Customs–Port of Clark and the Clark Inter-Agency Task Force Against Illegal Drugs intercept a shipment containing about 1,706 grams of methamphetamine, or shabu, with an estimated value of P11.6 million.
IN BRIEF
THE Department of Education (DepEd) has shifted to its 4H emergency learning framework on Aug. 10 to ensure learning continuity following class disruptions caused by heavy rains from the combined effects of the southwest monsoon and Tropical Cyclone Maymay. The Department reminded schools and basic education institutions nationwide on Monday to implement the 4H protocol—Hinto (Stop), Hinga (Pause), Hinay (Ease In), and Hayo (Continue)—to prioritize the safety of learners, teachers, and school personnel. Under the framework, “Hayo” (Continue) allows in-person classes to proceed, while “Hinay” (Ease In) calls for a gradual shift to structured distance learning, including asyn-
chronous online classes. “Hinga” (Pause) involves light check-ins and distance learning through learning packets or modules focused on reviewing previous lessons. Meanwhile, “Hinto” (Stop) suspends all forms of learning. In a statement issued Aug. 10, DepEd said areas where local governments or schools have shifted to asynchronous or alternative learning modes because of the ongoing rains may adopt the “Hinay” approach, provided learners and teachers remain safe and learning requirements are adjusted accordingly. According to DepEd Order No. 14, s. 2026, or the Guidelines on Learning Continuity in Emergencies, the policy emphasizes that the well-being of learners and teachers is essential to effective learning and teaching.
THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Monday said it is monitoring flood-prone polling centers in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) ahead of its first parliamentary elections in September, adding there is no reason so far to consider postponing the polls. Comelec chair George Erwin Garcia said the poll body is assessing voting centers, particularly those in floodprone areas of Maguindanao del Sur and Lanao del Sur. The first BARMM parliamentary elections are scheduled for Sept. 14. Garcia said the Comelec is prepared to transmit votes to its three data centers and ensure election results are reflected on its servers despite bad weather. “At this point, we do not see any cause for concern, and our election equipment is currently secure,” he said during a press conference at Comelec Data Center 1 in Makati City. Vito Barcelo
DHSUD awards 427 land titles in Laguna DESPITE the rains, the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD), together with the Social Housing Finance Corp. (SHFC), on Monday awarded 427 transfer certificates of title (TCTs) to beneficiaries of two community associations in San Pedro, Laguna under the Expanded Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino (4PH) Program. DHSUD Secretary Jose Ramon Aliling and SHFC President and Chief Executive Officer Federico Laxa led the awarding of titles to beneficiaries of the Maralitang Nagkakaisa sa Tramo Buli Homeowners Association and Cupang Tramo Neighborhood HOA in Barangay United Bayanihan. At least 67 family-beneficiaries received their TCTs during the ceremony attended by San Pedro Mayor Art Mercado. Aliling said the awarding ended the more than two-decade journey of the two communities toward land ownership. DHSUD said the residents obtained land acquisition loans from SHFC in February 2004 through the Community Mortgage Program, with the two associations comprising a total of 427 members. Rio N. Araja
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Group seeks passage of revised coop code THE Philippine Chamber of Cooperatives, Inc. urges the House of Representatives’ to ratify House Bill No. 9584, or the Revised Cooperative Code of the Philippines, calling the measure a “transformative milestone for the nation’s grassroots economy.” “The proposed law modernizes legal structures, equipping Filipino cooperatives to compete, innovate, and weather economic shifts while remaining member-owned and community-driven,” the group said in a statement. The chamber cited Coop NATCCO party-list Rep. Felimon Espares, chair of the House Committee on Cooperative Development, and his co-authors for “championing the bill to the finish line.” “This isn’t just a legislative victory; it’s an economic game-changer for millions of everyday Filipinos,” chamber chairman Noel Raboy said.
BI nabs 5 foreigners for breach of PH laws THE Bureau of Immigration (BI) has arrested five foreigners in separate operations in Northern Luzon from July 30 to 31 for alleged violations of Philippine immigration laws. Immigration Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado identified those apprehended as Indian nationals Sahil Kumar, and Sharendran Doss Devadoss; Chinese national Huang Pengpeng, and South Koreans Jin Su Deo, and Oh Eiseok. Kumar and Devadoss were nabbed in Nueva Ecija and Bulacan, respectively, for overstaying and failing to present valid immigration documents. Huang was arrested in Subic, Zambales, for overstaying. Jin and Oh were collared in Angeles City, Pampanga, after they were found managing a restaurant without the required visas and work permits. Vito Barcelo
Region 6 police helps 109 minor offenders A TOTAL of 109 minors were rescued in Iloilo province through the continuing implementation of Oplan Sagip Bata, the Police Regional Office 6 (Western Visayas) road safety initiative focused on preventing children from exposure to roadrelated risks. As of 9:00 p.m. on Aug. 9, police units across the province reported interventions involving minors found driving without a license, violating curfew regulations, riding without a helmet, and smoking. Police said driving without a license was the most frequently recorded violation, with 82 violation entries, followed by curfew violations involving 43 minors. There were also 14 no-helmet violations and three smoking-related violations. The police interventions did not end with apprehension or the imposition of fines. The minors were turned over to their parents or guardians, while some cases were referred to the Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office for proper disposition. Vince Lopez
MET REDISCOVERED. First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos graces the opening of the refurbished Metropolitan Theater Manila, renamed the ASEAN Cultural Center, which she viewed as a ‘beautiful new home’ for shared stories, traditions and friendships. ‘As we welcome more of our ASEAN neighbors to the Philippines, I hope this becomes a place where we can learn from one another, celebrate what makes each of us unique and discover all that brings us together,’ she says.
PDEA agent, drug suspect die, 3 wounded in buy-bust shootout By Rio N. Araja
T
HE Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao has seized P1.8 million worth of shabu and firearms, and killed a drug suspect believed to be a former member of the Abu Sayyaf Group terror group. A PDEA agent, Enfernie Jim Dayag, was also reported killed during a three-hour armed encounter with the drug suspects. Three members of the Philippine Marines were also wounded.
The PDEA and the Marine Battalion Landing Team-4 conducted the joint buy-bust operation against the group led by Jimhar Jawadil, alias Boss M, in Barangay Paniongan, Bongao, Tawi-Tawi on Sunday.
The three-hour shootout ensued between the authorities and the suspects, leading to the death of Dayag and the suspects’ leader. Jawadil was taken to a hospital due to a gunshot wound but was declared dead on arrival by the attending physician. Authorities are now in hot pursuit against the remnants of the drug gang, identified only as Antonio, Nasser and Abon, along with two other unknown cohorts, who managed to flee. Seized during the operation were 270 grams of shabu worth P1.8 million, firearms with ammunition, and other pieces of evidence, including drug paraphernalia.
Solon slams DOE on ‘line rental’ tag to transmission fee By Maricel V. Cruz A LAWMAKER has slammed the Department of Energy (DOE) over the use of the term “line rental,” calling it an insult to the intelligence of consumers. At the same time, APEC Party-list Rep. Sergio Dagooc urged the DOE to revise its circular and reclassify the charge as a generation fee—not a transmission charge. “For the information of the DOE, I have no objection if the consumers are made to pay it. But kindly replace the term ‘line rental’ because that is an insult to the intellect of the people. Call it what it really is—a generation charge,” Dagooc said. He added that the term “line rental” wrongly leads consumers to associate the charge with the transmission operator. Dagooc said the real issue lies with the generation sector, which accounts for the largest share of consumers’ electricity bills. And yet, this remains beyond the full regulatory scrutiny of the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC). “The generation sector is the ‘special boy’ in the power industry. No loss—all paid. All losses are collected by transmission, charged by distribution, and then given to them on a silver platter. So if we are going to amend EPIRA, we should focus on that because more than 65 percent of every peso paid by consumers goes to generation,” he said. He also urged Congress to amend EPIRA to give the ERC the authority to review and validate generation costs before these are passed on to consumers, ensuring that only prudent and reasonable expenses are charged. Dagooc likewise called on the Bureau of Internal Revenue to remove the ValueAdded Tax (VAT) on system loss without waiting for new legislation. “Consumers should not be paying VAT on electricity that never even reaches their homes,” he said.
HOUSE MARKS 70TH YEAR OF PH, JAPAN TIES. The House of Representatives adopts a resolution citing the bilateral relations between the Philippines and Japan which notches its 70th year this month. Speaker Faustino Dy III formally presents a copy of the resolution to Japanese Ambassador ENDO Kazuya at the House of Representatives plenary hall.
SC reveals rules on confiscation of POGO assets By Pot Chavez THE Supreme Court has approved the rules on the civil forfeiture of Philippine offshore gaming operator (POGO)-related assets to take effect this month. The rules also govern proceedings for the provisional release of a portion of such seized assets during the pendency of the proceedings in favor of any branch, agency or instrumentality of the government for operational support and victim protection. Included in the rules are institution of proceedings, manner of filing of petition, provisional preservation and control of assets, as well as conduct of pre-trial and trial, judgment and appeal. A technical working group (TWG), chaired by SC Associate Justice Raul Villanueva, completed the drafting of the rules. The rules take effect on Aug. 24, 2026 following publication in the Official Gazette, in two newspapers of general circulation, and on the SC website. The approval came pursuant to Section 15 of Republic Act No. 12312 or the AntiPOGO Act of 2025.
House reclassifies multiple vital bills to LEDAC priority status By Maricel V. Cruz HOUSE bills that seek to protect the country’s future—its children and the natural environment they will inherit— have been elevated to priority status by the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC). This as House Speaker Faustino Dy III welcomed the inclusion of measures seeking stronger child online safety and Sierra Madre conservation among the priority bills in the LEDAC Common Legislative Agenda (CLA). The measures were among the additional priority bills approved during the fifth LEDAC meeting presided over by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., following proposals presented by the Speaker on behalf of the House of Representatives.
“These proposals are intended to complement existing priority legislation to respond to the evolving needs of our people and advancing the nation’s longterm development goals,” said Dy in his presentation to the LEDAC on Thursday. Among the newly adopted priorities is House Bill No. 9965, or the Children’s Social Media Safety Act, principally authored by Dy, Senior Deputy Speaker Ferdinand Hernandez, and House Majority Leader Ferdinand Alexander Marcos. The bill seeks to establish a comprehensive regulatory framework governing children’s access to social media through age verification, stronger parental controls, enhanced platform accountability, and digital safety standards.
PH, BRUNEI MARITIME EXERCISE. The Philippine Navy and the Royal Brunei Navy finalize plans for the conduct of a bilateral maritime training activity called SEAGULL 10-2026 to be held in Western Mindanao next month. The Naval Command Western Mindanao hosted the planning conference Aug. 3-5 which concluded with the signing of a document signifying their agreement and commitment for the success of the drill. PH Navy photo
OPINION
A5
TUESDAY, AUGUST 11, 2026
mst.daydesk@gmail.com
EDITORIAL
Staying the course on education reform IN the last four years, the country has taken a harder, clearer look at Philippine education. Through EDCOM II, Congress, our education agencies, schools, teachers, and countless partners, we have come to understand the crisis before us. We know where learners struggle, where teachers need support, where institutions fall short, and where the government must act with greater urgency. And we have begun turning recommendations into laws, policies, and programs. The next chapter asks something just as demanding: staying the course. Education carries problems built over generations, and undoing them will take years of steady work. The direction is now clearer than it has ever been. Our task is to keep moving. First, sustain. We must protect the reforms that reach learners directly. In basic education, classroom construction must move faster. A classroom is where learning becomes real—where a teacher meets a child, where questions are asked, where confidence grows. Easing congestion deserves sustained investment and the creative use of every public and private resource. Nutrition deserves the same commitment. The School-Based Feeding Program rests on a simple truth: a well-nourished child learns better. The ARAL Program, too, needs the resources and support to help learners master foundational literacy and numeracy. And inclusive education must keep widening opportunity—for learners with disabilities, indigenous learners, children in remote communities, and all whose circumstances demand more focused care. In higher education, we must measure success by completion. Enrollment opens a door; graduation changes the direction of a life. Students carry costs far beyond tuition—transport, meals, housing, connectivity, books, internships, clinical requirements. Financial assistance must follow them through the full journey to a degree. Second, strengthen. Good programs depend on capable institutions. Our education agencies need the mandates, structures, people, systems, and accountability equal to the demands we place on them. This is why Congress must advance the institutional reforms EDCOM II recommends for the Department of Education, the Commission on Higher Education, and our technical-vocational and skills development system. DepEd needs greater capacity to focus on learning outcomes while supporting teachers and schools. CHED needs stronger tools to drive quality, completion, research, and innovation. Our skills system must move faster and connect more closely with industry, employment, and emerging technologies. Institutional reform gives good programs staying power—it lets them survive leadership transitions, political cycles, and shifting priorities. We must strengthen complementarity, too. The Philippines has one education system, carried by public and private in-
stitutions alike. Every classroom, every qualified teacher, every quality school and training center can serve the same mission: helping every Filipino learner succeed. Third, synchronize. Our greatest opportunity may lie in connecting the pieces. A Filipino’s education stretches from early childhood through basic education, college or technical training, employment, reskilling, and lifelong learning—and these stages should flow into one another. That requires universities, colleges, technical-vocational institutions, industry, and government to work far more closely together. Curricula must respond faster to new technologies. Credentials should let learners build on what they already know. Workers should have clear pathways back to education and into better opportunities.
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Education carries problems built over generations, and undoing them will take years of steady work. Digital learning can make these pathways more accessible, bringing connectivity, devices, and quality resources closer to Filipinos wherever they live. The roadmap is clearer now. Major measures have been enacted; more are moving through Congress. What remains is implementation, investment, institutionalization, measurement, and steady improvement. And the measure should always be lived. Are children learning more? Are more students making it to graduation, and are their teachers getting the support they need? When workers reskill for a changing economy, are the pathways there? A graduate who finds meaningful work is the truest sign that reform is working. These are the questions that return reform to its purpose. A classroom built is a child’s dream given room to grow. Behind every teacher we support stand hundreds of lives shaped over a career. Help a student reach graduation and you lift a whole family with them—and every Filipino offered another chance to learn is offered, with it, another chance to move forward. Education is more than another item in the national budget or another sector of government. It is the foundation upon which many of our other aspirations depend: better jobs, greater productivity, stronger communities, reduced poverty, greater competitiveness, and a better quality of life for every Filipino family. Sustain the gains. Strengthen the institutions. Synchronize the system. Stay the course long enough, invest deeply enough, and work together consistently enough— and education can become our nation’s best chance for a better future. We have begun the work. Now we must sustain it.
Stopped broadcast, layoffs: Hungary media eyes post-Orban renewal By Andras Rostovanyi BUDAPEST — A month after Hungary’s state broadcaster MTVA suspended its news programs, many employees are Reorganizing the state media was a key campaign pledge for pro-EU Prime Minister Peter Magyar, who ousted nationalist leader Viktor Orban in April’s elections, promising a “system change.” The self-styled “illiberal” system Orban developed during his 16 years in power drew criticism from the European Union over rule of law issues. “We feel anxious and hopeful at the same time,” one longtime public media employee told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity as staff are not allowed to give interviews. “Even people who never served any political agenda are worried for their jobs... But we’re also optimistic that we can finally serve the public,” she added. Conservative media hit Private media companies are also feeling the effects of the change in administration. Mediaworks, which describes itself as Hungary’s leading conservative media company and is close to Orban’s Fidesz party announced in June it was firing 200 people of its 2,000 staff. It no longer receives the lavish govern-
ment spending on adverts it enjoyed under the previous administration. More than a dozen of the group’s daily newspapers have either gone out of print or switched to weekly publication, as flagship outlet Magyar Nemzet did this month.
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The current transition is seen as a prelude to more long-term reforms. The independent rival Nepszava also ceased its print edition in late May due to the debt it accumulated to Mediaworks, which printed the newspaper, leaving Hungary without a political daily. Full relaunch At MTVA, a relaunch is slated for later this month, with several insiders anticipating a return of TV news broadcasting on August 20, the central European country’s national holiday. Interim management -- appointed by the government -- has been mum on the details, and multiple employees told AFP that they are having to rely on internal rumors and occasional press statements for updates.
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HAMELESS, how a senator-judge at the impeachment trial badgered a state auditor to say only the disbursing officers at the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education were accountable for hundreds of millions of pesos in confidential funds. The witness, Roderick Wamil, in all humility stood his ground and told Senator Imee Marcos: “That is not entirely correct, Your Honor.” The exchange stemmed from Senator Marcos’ obvious desire to absolve Vice President and former Education Secretary Sara Duterte of any sort of responsibility for the two agencies’ confidential funds with a combined value of P612.5 million. While such funds are allowed in government, there are specific purposes for which they must be used. The money must be duly liquidated. For the violation of these rules, the COA has flagged both agencies. The sheer amount of the funds and the cavalier way in which the paperwork was accomplished have resulted in Article I of the impeachment complaint against Ms. Duterte. It has been established, and by their
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By Anne Chaon MEHMET Kusman did not spend very long at school, but he traced the ancient inscriptions chiselled into the black basalt rock and read: “Before me there was nothing. But by the power of the god Haldi I founded this city.” Kusman, 86, has dedicated his life to the fortress of Cavustepe in eastern Turkey, and to learning the language of the vanished kingdom of Urartu, to honor its forgotten gods and rulers. Brisk of step and sharp of mind despite his years and the hot winds that whip the castle, he stood at the foundations of a temple dedicated to Haldi, the warrior god of gods. Kusman wore a cap bought in Los Angeles on which he has written “USA 2009” in the cuneiform script typical of the region’s ancient civilisations. Kusman was hired as a laborer on the Cavustepe excavations after his military service in the 1960s and there encountered his first stele. “The inscription was very beautiful,” he told AFP. But the head of the dig discouraged him from learning this “very difficult” script, which borrowed its cuneiform alphabet from Assyrian. “His telling me ‘No’ hurt me,” he said. “I became relentless, thinking: ‘In my lifetime, I will learn it.’” Despite a lack of formal education, Kusman began copying the inscriptions found during excavations carried out in eastern Turkey, Iran and Armenia, over which Urartu once stretched. In three years, he said, he mastered the alphabet, but “it took me 22 years to master 650 words” of vocabulary. One of the last Academics contacted by AFP praised For now, while camera crews still record events deemed newsworthy, the footage is directly archived without being broadcast. MTVA’s main channels suspended news broadcasts on July 7, two weeks after parliament passed a media reform bill, apologizing in an on-air message for “lying” for years. A flood of social media posts welcomed it as a symbolic reckoning with the past. Under Orban, MTVA, employing over 2,000 people, received lavish funding from taxpayers’ money, with its newsroom unquestioningly echoing the government’s narratives. The ministerial commissioner overseeing the current transition, Judit Grosz, told AFP that “serious and longstanding” problems with credibility and professional standards necessitated the shutdown. Inside MTVA, reactions were mixed. Many said it was important to “break with the previous era,” while some viewed the blackout as pointless, since news broadcasts had already adopted a neutral tone after Orban’s defeat.
PPI
Philippine Press Institute The National Association of Philippine Newspapers
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This is someone who once prayed for angels of truth to descend upon the impeachment court. With whom does the buck stop? Ms. Marcos demanded that Wamil respond with either “yes” or “no” when she asked if Acosta and Fajarda
Despite retiring in 2005, Kusman continues to watch over Cavustepe, said Konyar, a specialist on Tuspa, the kingdom’s founding capital. “For 60 years, he has lived amid the excavations and introduced thousands of visitors to the history of Urartu.” But Konyar is careful to qualify Kusman’s claims to speak the language. In fact, historians do not really know how it was pronounced, he said. “The available inscriptions allow us to understand it up to a certain point, but we lack vocabulary and texts,” he said. “Only the meaning of certain words is known
with certainty. So no one can claim to speak Urartian.” “Even in the time of Urartu, people did not speak this language; it was only written,” said Mehmet Isikli, director of the Department of Near Eastern Archaeology at Ataturk University in Erzurum. ‘Grandson of the Urartians’ Kusman’s passion for the language has made him a local celebrity. His lectures have taken him “to America, five times, to Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium,” he said, reeling off the list with a touch of showmanship. “Now, I’m thinking of going to Japan,” he added. Isikli is excavating the fortress of Ayanis, the last of the great strongholds built in the kingdom before it collapsed, 35 kilometres (22 miles) north of Van, with a commanding view of the lake. “Our excavations may tell us something about the end of Urartu,” he said, noting that researchers have found “the traces of a very powerful earthquake.” Isikli admits to a certain respect for the old guardian. “I admire him,” he added. “He has worked hard and brought Urartian culture to light. “Mehmet Kusman provides a sort of publicity for Urartu, but it has nothing to do with academic work: he knows only a few alphabetical signs, or a few letters, and some very, very general information about them.” In his small stone hut at the entrance to the Cavustepe site, Kusman is undaunted by the doubters. “I am a descendant of the Urartians, their grandson,” he said. “They disappeared, but look, they are not all dead,” he declared, as he stood to welcome visitors. AFP
“After the election, most of us felt liberated. Political control ceased; we could talk about facts, quote both sides, it felt incredible,” one newsroom employee told AFP. The journalist felt that previously they were disseminating government politicians’ opinions and positions instead of news. “It is undeniable that we bear responsibility... Most of us still haven’t managed to reconcile this within ourselves,” the employee said, adding as “breadwinner” they “could not afford” to quit on principle. Litmus test The current transition is seen as a prelude to more long-term reforms. A new chief executive, chosen later through an open tender process, is expected to implement recommendations from an ongoing professional and public consultations. The government stresses the aim is to restore the public broadcaster’s credibility. “The goal ultimately is to have the audience see public media as a trustworthy, professionally run and genuinely publicservice institution,” ministerial commissioner Grosz said.
However, the transition already sparked controversy. Earlier this month, MTVA faced backlash after naming a new head of news programming who had previously been employed by media outlets and companies owned by Orban’s inner circle. Following the disapproving reactions, including from Magyar, the broadcaster reversed the appointment the next day, prompting even more criticism. “It is not up to the prime minister to comment and decide on nominations,” regional director at watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF), Pavol Szalai, told AFP. Orban’s Fidesz party leveraged the case as part of its broader efforts to cast the Magyar’s ongoing reform drive as “authoritarian.” Grosz has denied any government interference, saying MTVA’s interim leadership are responsible for all personnel and operational decisions. According to RSF’s Szalai, the litmus test on renewal will be whether public media “dares to criticize Magyar’s government on a factual basis.” AFP
Kusman’s enthusiasm and devotion. He has become something of a local curiosity, calling himself “one of the last seven people in Turkey to speak the Urartian language.” Erkan Konyar, professor of ancient history at Istanbul University, describes the kingdom as “one of the most powerful states of the ancient Near East, between the 9th and 7th centuries BC.” Urartu -- more recent than the great Mesopotamian kingdoms of Assyria, Sumeria and Babylon -- brought the tribal mountain communities together under a centralized state, building cities, fortresses, irrigation networks and vast food storage facilities, Konyar said.
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It took him three years to master the alphabet and 22 years to master 650 words of vocabulary.
Board Member & Chief Legal Adviser
Emil P. Jurado+ Chairman Emeritus, Editorial Board
ROLANDO G. ESTABILLO Publisher
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own admission, that disbursing officers Gina Acosta and Edwin Fajarda had a direct hand in withdrawing and disbursing the millions from the bank. Could we truly believe that these two employees hatched the plan and executed it by themselves alone? At whose behest did they act?
were the accountable parties. She accused the witness of picking a fight with her when he would not reply categorically. What became apparent was that she was resolute to fry these lowly officials and make them solely accountable for the millions likely squandered. The law on government audits very clearly specifies who accountable officers are. Section 102, Chapter 5 of Presidential Decree 1445 or the State Audit Code of the Philippines says that “the head of any agency of the government is immediately and primarily responsible for all government funds and property pertaining to his agency.” We expect details to be fleshed out in the coming days as Acosta and Fajarda themselves take the witness stand. But we expect, as well, senator-judges to show more of their true colors when they hog the microphones under the pretense of “clarification.” This is simply abominable. For someone who once prayed for angels of truth to descend upon the impeachment court, however, Senator Marcos is committing a diabolical deed in sacrificing lowly employees just to spare their master.
Self-taught Turkish ‘linguist’ keeps dead language alive
Former Chief Justice Reynato S. Puno
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With whom the buck stops
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WORLD
A6
TUESDAY, AUGUST 11, 2026
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IN BRIEF W. Europe experienced hottest June-July on record PARIS – Western Europe experienced its hottest June-July on record as climate change fuels an historic summer of heat, drought and wildfires across the region, the EU’s global warming monitor said Monday. Europe is the world’s fastest-warming continent and the first two months of summer have been marked by successive heatwaves, scorching temperatures and bone-dry conditions. The Copernicus Climate Change Service said the combined average temperature in western Europe for June-July was 21.62C – beating the 2022 record for the same period. This reflected “the exceptional persistence of heat” so far this summer, Copernicus said. Levels of soil moisture were “significantly lower” than in July 2022 when the last severe drought gripped western Europe, Copernicus added. “This is a clear example of how climate change is intensifying heat extremes, with heat and drought increasingly reinforcing one another,” said Samantha Burgess from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, which operates Copernicus. AFP
Netanyahu rejects Gaza plan in new break from Trump JERUSALEM – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected a US-led Gaza plan endorsed by Hamas, putting distance between himself and President Donald Trump as he tries to shore up his base ahead of close elections. After more than a week of gradually escalating criticism of the plan, and de-
spite receiving assurances that Israel would not need to start withdrawing in Gaza immediately, Netanyahu explicitly opposed the deal following pushback from his right-wing allies. “Israel rejects the 15-point document,” Netanyahu said, referring to the plan Hamas agreed to in late July.
The Israeli military “will not carry out any withdrawal until Hamas is genuinely disarmed, and will continue to thwart threats against our forces and our citizens,” he told a cabinet meeting. Netanyahu described Trump, who had hailed the Gaza deal as a milestone for peace, as “our greatest friend in the
‘Hormuz reopening up in the air’ T
EHRAN – Iran’s Revolutionary Guards insisted they would not reopen the Strait of Hormuz until the United States complied with a list of demands, including paying compensation for war damage.
Ukraine drone strike kills 12, wounds 39 in Russia MOSCOW – A Ukrainian drone strike on the central Russian region of Tatarstan killed at least 12 people in one of Kyiv’s most deadly single attacks of the more than four year war. “According to the latest information, 12 people have been killed and 39 wounded as a result of the drone attack,” in the city of Nizhnekamsk, the regional press service said in a statement on Monday. More than 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) from the Ukrainian border, the region is rich in energy resources and has many major oil refineries that Kyiv has been targeting in retaliatory strikes. Unverified footage on social media showed a large black smoke cloud billowing at the site of an oil facility near the industrial city of Nizhnekamsk. Both sides have significantly escalated their long-range attacks this year, causing a spike in civilian deaths, according to the United Nations. Near the front line in Ukraine, a Russian artillery strike killed five people in a village in the northeastern Kharkiv region, local Ukrainian officials said. AFP
White House” – but quickly made clear he was willing to challenge him, saying Israel was raising its objections with the United States. “They have ideas; some of them are acceptable to us and some are not, and we know how to stand our ground on these matters,” he said. AFP
GLOOMY WEATHER. People stand on the arch of the Sydney Harbour Bridge as storm clouds approach on a windy winter’s day in Sydney on August 10, 2026. AFP
30 years on, trial finally opens in Tupac’s killing LOS ANGELES – A former gang leader goes on trial Monday in Las Vegas over the decades-old murder of rapper Tupac Shakur, one of America’s most high-profile unresolved murders. The proceedings, expected to last a month, will likely not make clear who fired the shots that killed the hip-hop legend on the night of September 7, 1996 while he was in Sin City to see a Mike Tyson boxing match. But prosecutors aim to show that the defendant, Duane “Keffe D” Davis, the onetime leader of the South Side Comp-
ton Crips, ordered the killing and provided the gun used to kill Shakur in a driveby shooting. Davis, 63, faces life in prison without parole if convicted. The killing of Shakur, also known as 2Pac, is one of America’s most celebrated cold cases, prompting endless debate among music fans over who did it and why. The rapper, who died at age 25, was a key figure in a hip-hop rivalry pitting the East Coast against the West Coast.
Known for hits like “California Love” and “All Eyez on Me,” Shakur – the son of a Black Panther – was raised in Harlem and Baltimore, but quickly became the epitome of a California bad boy when he signed with Los-Angeles based Death Row Records. The trial will revisit the battle between Death Row, founded by Marion “Suge” Knight, and Bad Boy Records, the East Coast label created by Sean “Diddy” Combs and starring Christopher “The Notorious B.I.G.” Wallace (murdered in March 1997). AFP
Iran’s effective blockade of the crucial energy conduit has rattled allies, roiled markets and driven up prices, but US President Donald Trump said Sunday that he was “low-keying it” in his approach to Tehran, suggesting he believed he could wait them out economically. Tehran insists on retaining control of the Hormuz after the war and wants to charge tolls for passage, repeatedly striking ships it accuses of attempting to circumvent its preferred route. Attacks in the waterway, which was free to transit before the war, led to the collapse of an April ceasefire, and mediators have urged both sides to return to the terms of a subsequent June memorandum that set out a path for peace talks. Iran’s Supreme National Security Council laid out on Saturday a list of conditions for reopening the strait, including an end to the war on all fronts, the lifting of a US counter-blockade of Iranian ports, the end of sanctions, the release of frozen assets and compensation for wartime damage, the Tasnim news agency reported. Those conditions echoed the terms of the June agreement, which included a provision to create a $300 billion reconstruction fund for Iran. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said on Sunday that their strategy was to maintain their blockade “until the enemy accepts all our conditions... the strait is now actually a theatre of war for us and not just a waterway.”
SPORTS
A7
TUESDAY, AUGUST 11, 2026
PUMA PH Half Marathon Series heads to Clark CLARK—The PUMA Philippine Half Marathon Series 2026 continues its nationwide run as RUNRIO Inc. and PUMA Philippines bring the country’s premier six-city half marathon series to Clark on August 23. Thousands of runners are expected to take part in the fourth stop of the series, with 21K, 10K, and 5K categories giving both seasoned racers and recreational runners a chance to experience the Clark leg. RUNRIO and PUMA Philippines officially launched the Clark staging on Friday, with the race coming at an important point in the six-city series following successful legs in Iloilo, Davao, and Cebu. After Clark, the series will head to Cagayan de Oro before culminating in Manila. More than just a series of road races, the PUMA Philippine Half Marathon Series aims to combine running with the experience of discovering different destinations across the country. Each leg gives runners an opportunity to compete in a new environment while experiencing the local culture, tourism, hospitality, and attractions of the host city. That combination of running and tourism is particularly fitting for Clark, which has continued to establish itself as a major destination for sports events, leisure, and tourism in Central Luzon. Adding another layer of excitement to the series is the return of the All-City Legacy Medal, which will be awarded to runners who complete all six official cities in the 21K category. The challenge also remains open to participants who began their journey during the previous edition of the series. Runners who have already completed some of the cities can continue collecting their destinations this year, giving them a chance to complete the six-city journey and secure the coveted Legacy Medal. For those taking part in the Clark race, race-kit claiming will be eld from August 19 to 21 at participating PUMA stores, including PUMA Caltex MegaStation and PUMA SM City Clark, as well as Sports Central at SM City Pampanga.
RUNRIO event manager Carlos Dean and Clark City Half Marathon race director Jumbo Tayag
Table tennis, rowing execs at PSA Forum ROWING and table tennis make up Tuesday’s (August 11) guests list in the Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum at the Philippine Sports Commission media room. Making up the rowing side are national team foreign coach Aliaksandra Tsekanovich together with foreign-based athletes Enzo Elpidio Santos, Jesu Matteo Manalo, and Ross Geoffrey Llaneta as they tackle their coming participation in the 20th Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan. Weather permitting, the session starts at 10:30 a.m. The other half of the public sports program features two upcoming table tennis events to be held next month at the Edward S. Hagedorn Coliseum in Puerto Princesa, namely the World Table Tennis Youth Contender Series and World Table Tennis Feeder Series. Discussing the two tournaments are Philippine Tables Tennis Federation Inc. president Ting Ledesma, Executive Assistant IV and City Sports Director Atty. Gregorio Austria, PTTF Inc. secretary general and operations manager Rodolfo ‘Pong’ Ducanes, and PTTF Inc. board member and competition manager Daniel Deleniana. The Forum is presented by San Miguel Corporation, PSC, Philippine Olympic Committee, MILO, and the country’s 24/7 sports app ArenaPlus. The session is being livestreamed via the PSA Facebook page fb.com/ PhilippineSportswritersAssociation, and aired on a delayed basis over Sports Radio 918 AM. It is also shared on the Facebook page Sports Radio 918 AM.
POC president Abraham Tolentino and secretary-general Atty. Wharton Chan with volleyball officials. POC Photo
Lao elected new volleyball chief, Tolentino calls group ‘committed’ F RANK Lao was elected president of the Philippine National Volleyball Federation (PNVF) whose new set of board of directors was described by Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino as “committed.” “This is a ‘committed team’ and I believe they could sustain the progress of volleyball that started when the PNVF was established in 2021,” said Tolentino after the elections that were held on Monday morning at the Solaire Theater Southlinks Boardroom 2M.
Also elected were Atty. Donn Kapunan (vice president), Rommel Ng (treasurer), POC secretary-general Atty. Wharton (auditor) and board of trustees Sienna Olaso, Francis Chad Salimbangon, C armela Gamboa, R ustico Camangian, Mohamad Bernan Jr. and J onas Cabochan.
Asian Volleyball Confederation president Ramon “Tats” Suzara, the first PNVF president, was also elected to the board while Donaldo Caringal was appointed secretarygeneral. The two others on the 13-member board—male and female representatives from the athletes’ commission—will be announced soon. The POC thus relinquished its role as “caretaker” of the federation, which was mandated by volleyball’s world governing body, FIVB, which
suspended the previous PNVF elected into office November 21 last year primarily on poor governance. The Alas Pilipinas Men and Women teams that were formed under POC supervision for the Aich-Nagoya 20th Asian Games during the suspension, Tolentino said, will remain. FIVB appointed Ad Hoc Committee chair Hila Asanuma of Palau and FIVB External Legal Consultant Atty. Alexa Monica Dabao witnessed and certified the exercise.
Tropang Giga try to settle score with Road Warriors By Jeremiah Sevilla TNT tries to settle the score with NLEX as the two teams seek to boost their respective playoff bids at the resumption of the PBA Season 50 Governors’ Cup on Tuesday at the Ynares Center in Antipolo City. The Tropang Giga and the Road Warriors lock horns in a grudge Group A rematch in the main game at 7:30 p.m, with both squads targeting to bolster their chances of securing a top four spot for a quarterfinal berth. In the 5:15 p.m. opener, Terrafirma aims to follow up its massive 114-109 upset over erstwhile unbeaten NLEX as the Dyip look to break their 3-4 deadlock on No. 4 with the skidding Converge FiberXers, who are bringing in veteran import Cameron Clark. Defending Governors’ Cup champion TNT is out for vengeance after surrendering an 83-88 loss to group leader NLEX with a depleted lineup in their first encounter last week. With star two-way guard Roger Pogoy and another top gun Jordan Heading back in the fold, the Tropang Giga bounced back big with a 114-80 thrashing of Titan Ultra to improve to 4-3 and stay on No. 3 last Saturday. “We really made a concerted effort to focus on defense. Even when we lost to NLEX, I thought we played great defense except we just couldn’t put points on the board because we didn’t have Jordan and Roger in that game. Thankfully, we had both of them in,” TNT head coach Chot Reyes said. Reyes’ crew will look to get the job done this time with Pogoy and Heading at the forefront alongside recent returnee Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser, import Rahlir Hollis-Jefferson, and mainstay guard Rey Nambatac. Coach Jimmy Alapag’s NLEX, on the other
TNT guard Rey Nambatac takes a layup against NLEX forward JB Bahio during their first PBA Season 50 Governors’ Cup game. PBA Images
hand, is eager to rebound from a shocking defeat to Terrafirma that cut short its six-win run in the first round of eliminations. The trio of Robert Bolick, Schonny Winston, and DeQuan Jones will continue to spearhead the Road
Warriors’ assault as they eye to get their quarterfinal bid back on track. The PBA resumes after postponing its Sunday doubleheader due to the severe weather conditions brought by the enhanced southwest monsoon.
Rojo breaks through, Reig stays hot in IM 70.3 Lapu-Lapu LAPU-LAPU CITY—Nicole Rojo announced her arrival as a rising force in Philippine triathlon, emerging as the first Filipina finisher in the IRONMAN 70.3 Lapu-Lapu while multi-titled Irienold Reig Jr. continued his remarkable run of form with another age-group victory in Cebu here last Sunday. Rojo, who has built her credentials through a string of victories in smaller endurance races, finally delivered a breakthrough performance on a major stage, clocking 5:15:27 over the grueling 1.9-km swim, 90-km bike and 21km run course. She got off to a strong start in the swim and sustained her charge through the bike and run legs, posting split times of 19:16 in the swim, 2:59:38 on the bike and 1:49:37 in the run. The performance enabled the South Cotabato native to pull away from Melona Yucot, who finished in 6:06:54, and Rachel Wong (7:38:52) to dominate the women’s 18-24 agegroup division in the 12th staging of the premier endurance race presented by Megaworld and organized by Sunrise Events Inc. Reig, meanwhile, further cemented his status as one of the country’s most promising young triathletes, ruling the men’s 18-24 division in
Nicole Rojo
4:23:03 on splits of 18:24, 2:26:00 and 1:32:49. He beat Dutchman Rik Beugel, who clocked 4:34:28, while fellow Filipino Eryk Omandam placed third in 4:45:41. The victory came months after Reig also topped the IRONMAN 70.3 Davao, giving further weight to the Quezon City standout’s emergence as a potential next big name in Philippine triathlon. His back-to-back victories also underscored the consistency of his form against strong fields. Jewin Ochea provided another local highlight, capturing the Elite Category title put up by the Philippine Sports Commission in 4:26:10. He registered
Irienold Reig Jr.
splits of 20:09 in the swim, 2:27:55 on the bike and 1:32:38 in the run. The specialized Elite Category featured top-tier athletes, including members of the national pool and teams as well as high-performing local elites, placing them in a separate division from the standard agegroup competition while running parallel to the international professional fields. The race drew more than 1,400 triathletes from 48 countries, with South Africa’s Henri Schoeman and Natalie Van Coevorden of Australia taking the professional men’s and women’s titles, respectively. Schoeman captured his second title in the event, while Van
Coevorden won for the first time. Beyond Rojo and Reig, however, foreign athletes stamped their class across the other age-group divisions, underscoring the depth of international competition in this year’s race. Strong currents forced organizers to shorten the swim leg for the age-group divisions from the scheduled 1.9 kilometers to one kilometer. Japan’s Kazuhiro Oishi topped the men’s 25-29 division in 4:03:39, beating Frenchmen Fabien Celeste (4:10:07) and Sebastien Refane (4:19:12). Multi-titled Bea Quiambao ruled the women’s side in 5:22:12, ahead of Aira Lopez (5:37:02) and Cynthia Ras (5:39:54). Another Japanese standout, Maeda Ryosuke, topped the men’s 30-34 division in 3:56:26, beating Julian Teves (4:26:36) and Mervin Santiago (4:29:48). Canada’s Casey Logan claimed the women’s crown in 5:20:59, ahead of Nicole Andaya (5:30:34) and Pauline Fornea (5:34:35). Hong Kong’s Ho Tin Kwok ruled the men’s 35-39 division in 4:34:40, beating Britain’s Matthew Gibson (4:40:06) and Junrey Cabarrubias (5:55:20). Malaysia’s Eva Wong took the women’s title in 5:21:25, edging Japan’s Yui Matsumoto (5:23:30) and ultrawoman Jennifer Uy (5:50:15).
SPORTS
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TUESDAY, AUGUST 11, 2026
RIERA U. MALLARI, Editor RANDY M. CALUAG, Asst. Editor
Rybakina survives scare as Gauff, Osaka race into Toronto quarters TORONTO—World number two Elena Rybakina survived a huge scare to battle into the Canadian Open quarter-finals on Sunday in Toronto while fourth-ranked Coco Gauff cruised through. Kazakhstan’s Rybakina recovered from 0-3 and two breaks down in the final set to beat Liudmila Samsonova 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 before American Gauff swept aside Russian teenage qualifier Alina Korneeva, 6-3, 6-1. Rybakina will face four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka, who eliminated home hero Leylah Fernandez 6-4, 6-4. Gauff reached the last eight in Canada for the first time since 2023 and next meets 14th-ranked Swiss Belinda Bencic, who won 6-4, 6-0 in 73 minutes over 20th-ranked Alexandra Eala, a Filipina who won her first WTA title last Monday in Washington. “My main focus today was let me try and close it out,” said Gauff, who has not dropped a set in Canada. “Probably not the way I should be thinking but it worked today. “I’m proud of how the last three matches have gone and just knowing if I have to go the distance I’m ready, but obviously would prefer to cut it short if I can.” Osaka broke in the seventh game of each set to advance in 82 minutes. “It was all pretty good for me,” the 13th-ranked Osaka said. “She has a great attitude. She’s consistent and she will fight. She’s kind of like a bulldog.” The Japanese star, who has never faced Rybakina, said sound groundstrokes were key. “When I feel comfortable or at least confident in myself knowing I can run things down, I loosen up a lot,” Osaka said. “I was catching my service toss a couple times. Hopefully in the next match I don’t do that as often. “I need to be confident in myself, execute what I can and at the end of the day just try my best and whatever happens happens.” AFP
Alexandra Eala thanks the predominantly Filipino crowd at the Sobeys Stadium. National Bank Open
Top 20 grip intact as Eala heads to Cincinnati Open By Jeremiah Sevilla
F
ILIPINA ace Alexandra “Alex” Eala will quickly turn her attention to the WTA 1000 Cincinnati Open, where she is expected to compete as a seeded player from August 13 to 23 in Ohio, USA, while keeping a tight grip on her career-high No. 20 ranking despite her fourth-round loss in the National Bank Open.
Eala’s impressive run in the 2026 National Bank Open came to a screeching halt as she bowed to Olympic champion Belinda Bencic of Switzerland, 4-6, 0-6, at Sobeys Stadium in Toronto, Canada,
Monday morning (Philippine time). Despite the defeat, Eala earned 110 ranking points in Toronto, which should be enough to keep her at No. 20 in the next WTA rankings update. The 21-year-old Filipina netter also pocketed $81,800, or more than P4.9 million, for reaching the fourth round after her pulsating three-set victories over unseeded Americans Alycia Parks and Caty McNally. Eala saw the end of her seven-match North American hard-court winning streak that started with her historic campaign in the WTA 500 Mubadala DC Open. Eala displayed resistance in the opening set, but the No. 14-seeded Bencic proved too much to handle in their Round of 16 match at the WTA 1000 tournament. Eala erased a double-break deficit in the first set to forge a 4-4 deadlock as the 25th seed pierced through Bencic’s game with her blazing return hits amid the cheers of Filipino fans at the packed
Centre Court. The 12th seed Bencic shrugged off the noise and converted a crucial third break point before sealing the opening set with a forehand winner. The 29-year-old Swiss standout sustained her relentless momentum in the second set, delivering a variety of winners to punctuate the dominant victory with a bagel. “I know most of you guys were cheering for Alex, but I still have to say it was very nice to play in front of you all. Thank you so much for the great crowd tonight,” said the 12th-seeded Bencic during the post-match interview. Winner of the 2015 edition in her tournament debut, the Tokyo Olympics gold medalist and 10time Tour winner Bencic moved closer to claiming another Canadian Open title as she advanced to the quarterfinals. Bencic is set to face No. 4 Coco Gauff of the USA, who swept Russia’s Alina Korneeva, 6-3, 6-1, in the Round of 16.
PH sepak takraw bets bag King’s Cup silver By Randy M. Caluag THE Philippines captured the silver medal in the men’s regu event of the 39th ISTAF World Sepaktakraw Championship–Thai King’s Cup 2026 after falling to host Thailand, 0-3, in the championship match. Despite missing out on the gold medal, the Filipino athletes completed an impressive campaign highlighted by a commanding semifinal victory over regional powerhouse Malaysia. Team Philippines swept the Malaysians, 2-0, winning the opening set, 15-6, before holding its nerve in a tightly contested second set, 15-13, to secure a place in the final.
The Philippine men’s regu team (white jersey) plays against Thailand. Screengrab from We Are Sepak Takraw
The International Sepaktakraw Federation congratulated the Pilipinas Sepaktakraw Association, along with its coaches, officials and athletes, on the team’s strong showing in the prestigious international tournament. Malaysia has traditionally ranked among the strongest and most successful countries in sepak takraw, making the Philippines’ straightset semifinal victory a significant achievement. The federation said the silvermedal finish reflected the progress of the country’s athlete-development program, implemented through the cooperation of the Pilipinas Sepaktakraw Association and the Philippine Sports Commission.
Golf’s online booking platform Golaman launched A FIRST for Philippine golf and a boost to sports tourism. That, in a nutshell, is Golaman, the official online booking platform that covers 79 golf courses spread over the country, including Manila, Tagaytay, Clark and Subic, Batangas, Cebu and Davao. After almost a year of development by the Koreanled company PGRR (Philippine Golf Resort Reservations), the breakthrough app is downloadable on the Android Play Store. It is expected to be fully online by Sept. 15, according to PGRR CEO Aaron Kim, who graced the app’s well-attended media launch Friday at the swanky Philippine Sports Commission House. Kim filled the air with optimism that the online booking app will help establish the Philippines as another major golfing destination in Asia and in the ranks of Vietnam, Thailand, Japan, South Korea and Singapore. The launch gathered major stakeholders led by PSC chairman Patrick Gregorio, National Golf Association of the Philippines president Al Panlilio and secgen Bones Floro, Department of Agriculture Undersecretary Arrey Perez and Tourism Promotions Board COO Marga Nograles. “I think this program will click. We’ve been talking about this for the last 12 months and now it’s here. It’s a perfect collaboration,” said Gregorio, confident that more golf courses, among the 120-plus in the country, will step forward. “I’m sure they will,” added the PSC chief, who is leading the way as chairman of the Philippine Sports
PSC chairman Patrick Gregorio, NGAP president Al Panlilio and proponents of Golaman
Tourism-Inter Agency Committee. “If we push sports tourism, we push sports development,” he said. The PGRR also pledged a share of the revenue to the PSC, NGAP for grassroots golf. Also in attendance were representatives of golf courses Lakewood, Pradera, Subic International, Mimosa Plus, South Pacific, Philippine Navy, Villamor and Mt. Malarayat; and Philippine Airlines, Cebu Pacific, Sunlight Air, Jeju Air, Singapore
Airlines, Korean Air and Hana Tour. “Golaman is not simply a booking platform but a launch of the national golf tourism initiative,” said Panlilio. “And this will reposition our country as a premier golf destination. This is a national effort that is designed to showcase the Philippines to the rest of the world. Golf tourism creates jobs and creates business. This will attract more tourists to our country,” he said.
Sharina Lleses Volleyball World
Alas Girls aim higher, face key test against Peru SAN FELIPE, Chile—The Alas Pilipinas Girls chase a place in the next tier of the FIVB Volleyball Girls U17 World Championship, looking to turn their first appearance on the global stage into something more than just participation. With two huge wins under their belt and two pool matches still to play, the Philippines has a foot in the Round of 16 and will try to cement its place when it takes on world No. 6 Pearu on Monday at Liceo Particular Mixto San Felipe. The Philippines, the lowest-ranked team in Pool B at No. 25, has already shaken up the order with a 2-1 win-loss record, sitting second behind world No. 1 China after historic victories over No. 8 Mexico and No. 20 Tunisia. The top four from the sixteam pools advance to the Round of 16, and a straight-sets victory by the Philippines will not only seal passage into the next round but put the Alas Girls in a potential top two finish in the group. Team manager and assistant coach Karl Chan said what Alas Pilipinas Girls have done to this point is commendable, but the next stage is within reach and they need to seize the moment. “The players understand what is at stake right now, what they need to do, and what our goals are,” Chan said. “We’re not done yet. The next step is to make the Round of 16. We can’t get complacent just because we beat two top teams. We still have two more top teams to beat, so we have to keep the same focus.”
BUSINESS
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TUESDAY, AUGUST 11, 2026
extrastory2000@gmail.com RODERICK T. DELA CRUZ, Editor ALENA MAE S. FLORES, Asst. Editor
Foreign direct investments Ang takes 25.7% FDI inflows in May 2026 fell 64.7% to $210m in May in Lopez Inc. in
$210 million $595 million
FDI inflows in May 2025
$2.18 billion
FDI inflows in 5 months
By Thony Rose Lesaca
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OREIGN direct investment (FDI) inflows to the Philippines plunged 64.7 percent to $210 million in May 2026 from $595 million a year ago, as geopolitical risks continued to weigh on investor confidence, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) said Monday. The latest figure marked the lowest monthly FDI inflow in more than 11 years, when investment reached $200.43 million in March 2015. The decline was led by a 92.1-percent drop in nonresidents’ investments in debt instruments to $35 million from $440 million a year earlier. Equity and investment fund shares
rose 13.6 percent to $175 million from $154 million in May 2025, including $98 million in reinvested earnings and $77 million in net equity capital. Data showed that for the JanuaryMay period, FDI inflows also dropped 33.4 percent to $2.18 billion from $3.27 billion a year earlier. The BSP attributed the decline to
lower foreign net investment in debt instruments and reinvestment of earnings, which offset an increase in net equity capital investment. The BSP said the decline reflected lower intercompany borrowing from foreign direct investors and reduced earnings retained for reinvestment. Equity capital placements came mainly from Japan, the United States and Singapore and flowed largely into the manufacturing, financial and insurance and real estate industries. Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. chief economist Michael Ricafort said the annual decline in FDI could be attributed to geopolitical risks, particularly the impact of the conflict in the Middle East.
WHAT’S INSIDE?
PH stocks close nearly flat
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Visayas, Mindanao face power alerts
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SM Prime posts steady net profit
B4 AVIATION HUB.
The Department of Transportation witnesses the groundbreaking of Lufthansa Technik Phillippines’ new maintenance facility at Clark International Airport on Aug. 6, 2026 which is expected to provide highly skilled employment to around 1,200 Filipinos. This also means the country is expanding its aviation capacity to maintain and service wide-body aircraft.
BUSINESS CONFERENCE. Undersecretary Krystal Lyn Uy, head of the Department of Finance’s legal services
and local finance group, delivers the keynote on behalf of Secretary Frederick Go during the 34th Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) Metro Manila Business Conference, highlighting the Philippines’ strong economic fundamentals and investment-friendly reforms. Uy says genuine progress happens through strong public-private collaboration, citing key reforms like the CREATE MORE Act, which offers up to 40 years of fiscal and non-fiscal incentives, and the Real Property Valuation and Assessment Reform Act (RPVARA), which promotes a fairer and more predictable property valuation system.
family peace bid
BUSINESSMAN Ramon Ang has acquired a 25.68-percent stake in Lopez Inc., the private holding company of the Lopez Group, from Eugenio “Gabby” Lopez III, a move Lopez said could help restore peace within his family. The stake was held through Crème Investment Corp., the holding company through which Lopez’s branch of the family owns its interest in Lopez Inc. Ang acquired the shares in his personal capacity through Illumina Investment Holdings Inc., a company he wholly owns. Lopez said the sale was driven by two reasons, the first being his family. “This dispute has not been good for any of us, or for the people who work in our companies. This allows us to take a step towards the restoration of family peace,” Lopez said. He said the transaction would also allow his family to direct its resources toward businesses aligned with its personal mission. “Our families have known Ramon a long time. I am confident he will be a good partner to Lopez, Inc.,” Lopez said. Ang said he had known the Lopez family for decades and maintained relationships with all its branches. “I came in because I believe in these businesses, and because a steady partner at the table can be good for everyone around it. The family branches that continue to hold the controlling majority of Lopez, Inc., will continue to lead it. My interest is that the group comes out of this stronger,” Ang said. San Miguel Corp. said in a disclosure to the stock exchange the transaction followed an invitation from the Lopez family. Lopez Inc. president Federico Lopez welcomed Ang’s investment in the company.
Meralco announces lower August power rates after refund approval By Alena Mae S. Flores MANILA Electric Co. (Meralco) said Monday power rates will go down by P0.0428 per kilowatt-hour in August, bringing the overall rate for a typical household down to P14.7833 per kWh from P14.8261 per kWh in July following a recently-approved refund. For residential customers consuming 200 kWh, the adjustment translates to a reduction of around P9 in the monthly electricity bill, Meralco vice president and head of corporate
communications Joe Zaldarriaga said. The reduction is largely due to a P9.5billion refund, equivalent to P0.5861 per kWh for residential customers, that the Energy Regulatory Commission authorized Meralco to execute over six months starting in August. The refund covers the difference between Meralco’s actual weighted average tariff and its approved distribution tariff from January to December 2025. Customers will see the credit listed as “AWAT Refund/(Collect) 2” under the distribution portion of their
bills starting this month. This applies alongside an ongoing refund of P0.4278 per kWh, which also pertains to Meralco’s actual weighted average tariff for residential customers. “As earlier explained by the regulator, this refund stems from the delay in rate reset process of distribution utilities in the country that includes Meralco,” Zaldarriaga said. “We submitted the refund application in accordance with the rules. We hope that this will help provide relief to our customers and assure them that
this will be implemented in a transparent manner,” he said. Meralco said the rate cut would have been larger if not for price increases in other bill components. Charges from the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines rose P0.3024 per kWh due to higher ancillary service fees from the reserve market, which accounted for roughly 60 percent of NGCP charges this billing month. Per ERC directives, the ancillary service charge now appears as a separate line item from transmission charges.
Manila Water completes buyout of remaining stake in WawaJVCo By Jenniffer B. Austria
MANILA Water Company, the concessionaire for the east zone of Metro Manila and led by businessman Enrique Razon, said Monday it completed the acquisition of the remaining minority interest in WawaJVCo Inc., making the unit wholly-owned by Manila Water. San Lorenzo Ruiz Builders and Developers Group previously held the minority stake in WawaJVCo, a special purpose vehicle established in 2019 to manage critical water infrastructure in Rizal province. MWC did not disclose the value or other financial terms of the transaction.
The deal follows MWC’s acquisition in September of a 92.97-percent interest in WawaJVCo, including an 82-percent stake in common shares. WawaJVCo’s assets include the Tayabasan Weir in Antipolo, Rizal, and the Upper Wawa Dam in Rodriguez, Rizal, with a contracted capacity of 518 million liters per day (MLD) and additional available capacity of up to 200 MLD. The facility transports water from the Upper Wawa Dam to MWC’s downstream Calawis treatment facility and supplies 80 MLD to the utility’s treatment plant in Antipolo. It will also supply water to the Kaysakat and Pasig treatment facilities once construction there is completed.
MODULAR CLASSROOMS. ABG Modular Development Corp., a wholly owned subsidiary of Asiabest Group International Inc, turns over five prefabricated classrooms to the Department of Education (DepEd), providing safe classrooms for a public school in General Santos City. ABG Modular supplied one single-storey building containing five classrooms to Romana C. Acharon Central Elementary School.
Dominion Holdings to buy 20.43% stake in Atlas Mining DOMINION Holdings Inc. (DHI), controlled by the Sy family, said Monday it will acquire a 20.43-percent stake in copper and gold producer Atlas Consolidated Mining and Development Corp. by taking over Anglo Philippine Holdings Corp.’s (APO) subscription to the mining company. DHI said it signed a deed of assignment to acquire subscription rights to 727,200,292 Atlas shares from APO. Under the transaction, DHI will pay P857 million in cash and assume APO’s remaining subscription payable of P2.391 billion. “The acquisition marks the first investment of DHI into the mining industry. As mentioned, DHI intends to hold a broader portfolio of assets by
primarily investing in mining corporations,” Dominion Holdings said in a disclosure to the stock exchange. APO has already paid 25 percent of the subscription price, with the remaining 75 percent payable to Atlas upon a call by its board. Atlas, through its operating subsidiary Carmen Copper Corp. (CCC), is engaged in metallic mining and mineral development. CCC operates Atlas’ copper mines in the City of Toledo, Cebu province, which primarily produce and export copper metal in concentrate as well as gold and silver. Atlas shares last week reached a 52week high of P16.50 after the company reported a core net income of P4.84 billion for the first half of 2026, a turnaround from a P788-million net loss a year earlier. Jenniffer B. Austria
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TUESDAY, AUGUST 11, 2026
extrastory2000@gmail.com
PH stocks closes nearly flat as investors digest weak Q2 GDP By Jenniffer B. Austria
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HILIPPINE shares closed nearly flat Monday as investors treaded cautiously following dismal second-quarter economic data. The peso improved slightly against the U.S. dollar, closing at 60.705 on Monday from 60.900 on Friday. The benchmark Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) slipped 0.02 percent, or 1.26 points, to 6,289.21. The broader all shares index gained 0.07 percent to 3,420.77. “Investors are assessing the next market catalyst following the weak second-quarter GDP print,” said Luis Limlingan, head of
sales at Regina Capital Development Corp. “Attention now shifts to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ next policy move and its potential impact on market sentiment,” Limlingan added. Sectoral performance was mixed. Holding firms posted the biggest gain, rising 0.98 percent, while the financials index rose 0.10 percent. Conversely, industrial stocks dropped 0.47 percent, followed by services, which declined 0.22 percent. Mining and oil fell 0.17 percent, and property dipped 0.03 percent. Trading was thin, with value turnover reaching P4.09 billion. Foreign investors were net sellers, with net outflows recorded at P217.2 million. Despite the main index’s decline, market breadth was positive as advancers outnumbered decliners 113 to 75, with 63 stocks unchanged. DigiPlus Interactive Corp. was the day’s top index gainer, rising 3.77 percent to P10.46. Semirara Mining and Power Corp. was the main index laggard, falling 3.90 percent to P19.22. Asian stocks rose Monday as investors pared their bets on a Federal Reserve interest rate hike after data showed thousands of US jobs were lost in July, though sentiment was dented by another spike in oil prices. Tech firms enjoyed a fresh bout of buying following a volatile run in recent weeks, with Japanese and Korean chipmakers leading the charge. The positive mood was fueled by figures from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics that showed 23,000 jobs were lost last month, while growth in May and June was revised down. The reading suggested the world’s number one economy was slowing, though traders welcomed the prospect the Federal Reserve will hold off hiking borrowing costs for the time being. The chances of an increase in September were slashed to about 43 percent from 64 percent a week ago, according to Bloomberg. Inflation data due later this week will be the next guide for investors. The news Noticeofof Deed Deedofof Extra-Judicial Extra-JudicialSettlement Settlement Notice helped Wall Street Of The intestate Estate of Of The intestate Estate of higher, with the LuzvimindaGalvez GalvezSoriano Soriano Luzviminda S&P 500 ending Noticeis ishereby herebygiven givento tothe thepublic publicthat thatthe thedeed deed Notice at a fresh record of extra judicial settlement of the intestate of of extra judicial settlement of the intestate of high, while tech Luzviminda Galvez Soriano has been executed Luzviminda Galvez Soriano has been executed by and and among among her her heirs, heirs, namely: namely: Ali Ali Augustus Augustus firms—which by Robles Soriano; Soriano; Elisha Elisha Galvez Galvez Soriano Soriano and and Robles benefit from lowDavid Jan Jan Galvez Galvez Soriano Soriano as as per per doc. doc. No. No. 719; 719; David er rates—helped Page No. 61; Book No. XIV; Series of 2025 of Page No. 61; Book No. XIV; Series of 2025 of the Nasdaq pile the notarial notarial Register/Book Register/Book of of Atty. Atty. Bernardino Bernardino the on more than one O. Lavitillo, Lavitillo, Notary Notary Public Public for for and and in in the the City City of of O. Makati; December December 15, 15, 2025. 2025. percent. Makati; And the gains filtered through to Asia, with Tokyo climbing more than two percent N O T I C E NOTICE thanks to healthy advances for ToNotice is hereby given that CAMSUR Notice is hereby given that CAMSUR PHILIPPINES RENEWABLE RENEWABLE CORPORATION CORPORATION isis kyo Electron and PHILIPPINES applyingfor forregistration registrationwith withthe theBoard Boardof ofInvestments Investments applying Advantest. (BOI) as a Renewable Energy Developer of Wind (BOI) as a Renewable Energy Developer of Wind Energy Resources Resources (200 (200 MW MW Calabanga Calabanga Wind Wind Seoul was also Energy Project) in in the the Municipalities Municipalities of of Calabanga, Calabanga, and and Project) up, along with Tinambac, Camarines Sur to avail of the incentives Tinambac, Camarines Sur to avail of the incentives under R.A. R.A. No. No. 9513, 9513, otherwise otherwise known known as as the the Hong Kong, under Renewable Energy EnergyAct Act of of 2008. 2008. Renewable Taipei, Shanghai, Wellington, Any person person with with valid valid objection/s objection/s on on the the aboveaboveAny mentionedproject projectmay mayfile filehis/her his/herobjection objectionin inwriting, writing, mentioned Mumbai, Bangunder oath, oath, with with the the BOI BOI within within three three (3) (3) days days from from under kok and Jakarta. the date date of of this this publication. publication. the London and Paris dipped but (SGD.) ARRIANNE ADA Z. ANTONI (SGD.) ARRIANNE ADA Z. ANTONI Officer-in-Charge Officer-in-Charge Frankfurt edged Resource-Based Industries Industries Service Service Resource-Based higher. With AFP (MS-JULY 28/AUGUT 28/AUGUT 4/11, 4/11, 2026) 2026) (MS-JULY (MS-JULY 28/AUGUT 4/11, 2026)
CareerOpportunity Opportunityin in JAPANESE JAPANESEHELP HELPDESK DESKINC. INC. Career Positiontitle: title:Medical MedicalAssistant Assistant Position Vacancy(1) (1) Vacancy Job Description: Responsible toarrange arrangethe theconsultation consultationand andassisting assistingpatient patientas as Job Description: Responsible to neededat atnight nighttime timeand andholidays holidaysififyou youare areon oncall callduty. duty. needed Qualifications: Qualifications: ●● ●● ●●
Well-spokenininJapanese Japaneselanguage. language. Well-spoken Japanesewith withgood goodcommunication communicationskills, skills,customer-oriented, customer-oriented,knowledgeable knowledgeablein in Japanese medicalterminologies, terminologies,flexible, flexible,organized. organized. medical At least 2 years of experience in healthcare-nurse/medical support & medical At least 2 years of experience in healthcare-nurse/medical support & medical assistant,or orequivalent. equivalent. assistant, Applicationmay maybe besent sentto: to: Application Emailaddress: address:admin@j-helpdesk.com admin@j-helpdesk.com Email
Company/Employer Employer Company/
Nameof ofForeign ForeignNational NationalIntending Intending Name toApply Applyfor forthe thePosition Position to
CompanyName: Name:Japanese JapaneseHelp HelpDesk DeskInc. Inc. Company CompleteAddress: Address:S/LP-11 S/LP-11Medical MedicalPlaza Plaza Complete Makati, 102 Amoroslo St. Cor. Dela Rosa, Makati, 102 Amoroslo St. Cor. Dela Rosa, SanLorenzo, Lorenzo,Makati MakatiCity City San Natureof ofBusiness: Business:Health Healthand andSocial Social Nature Work Work
Name:Nana NanaIwabuchi Iwabuchi Name: Address:Taguig TaguigCity City Address: Nationality: Japanese Nationality: Japanese IntendedPeriod Periodof ofEmployment: Employment: Intended one(1) (1)year year one
JAPANESE HELP HELP DESK DESK INC. INC. hereby hereby declares declares that that the the above-named above-named foreign foreign national national JAPANESE able,willing willingand andqualified qualifiedto toperform performthe theservices servicesand andjob jobdescription descriptionfor forthis thisposition. position. isisable, The company has the intention to employ the said foreign national and apply for an Alien The company has the intention to employ the said foreign national and apply for an Alien EmploymentPermit Permitwith withthe the Department Departmentof ofLabor Laborand andEmployment Employment(DOLE), (DOLE),located located Employment at Dole Building, Muralla Wing, corner General Luna Street, Intramuros, Manila. at Dole Building, Muralla Wing, corner General Luna Street, Intramuros, Manila. Any Filipino Filipino jobseeker jobseeker who who isis competent, competent, able able and and willing willing to to perform perform the the services services Any for which which the the foreign foreign national national isis intended intended to to be be hired hired for, for, may may file file an an objection objection at at the the for Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), located at Dole Building, Muralla Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), located at Dole Building, Muralla Wing, corner corner General General Luna Luna Street, Street, Intramuros, Intramuros, Manila. Manila. after after this this publication. publication. Please Please Wing, inform the the Department Department of of Labor Labor and and Employment Employment (DOLE), (DOLE), ifif you you have have any any information information inform on criminal offenses committed by the foreign national. on criminal offenses committed by the foreign national.
CareerOpportunity Opportunityin inLUCKY LUCKY821 821CONSULTANCY CONSULTANCY& &SOLUTIONS SOLUTIONSCORPORATION CORPORATION Career CHINESECONSULTANT CONSULTANT (2) (2)Vacancies Vacancies CHINESE
PositionTitle: Title: Position
JOB DESCRIPTION: DESCRIPTION: JOB JOB DESCRIPTION: Develop project proposals, work plans, and feasibility studies.
Developproject projectproposals, proposals, workplans, plans, andfeasibility feasibilitystudies. studies. Develop Identify project project objectives, objectives, work deliverables,and and key key performance performance indicators indicators Identify deliverables, and project deliverables, and key performance Identify Conduct needsobjectives, assessments and research research to support support projectindicators formulation. Conduct needs assessments and project formulation. Conduct needs assessments and research totosupport project formulation. QUALIFICATION: QUALIFICATION: QUALIFICATION: Preferred one to two years of working experience
Preferredone onetototwo two years of working experience Preferred At least least High High School School years of working experience At At least High School Application may may be be sent sent to: to: Application Application may be sent to:
LUCKY 821 CONSULTANCY & SOLUTIONS CORPORATION LUCKY 821 CONSULTANCY & SOLUTIONS CORPORATION MARIAH GEHRON ALEXIE CANJA MARIAH GEHRON ALEXIE CANJA MARIAH GEHRON ALEXIE CANJA Lucky821consultancy@gmail.com Lucky821consultancy@gmail.com Lucky821consultancy@gmail.com
Company/Employer Employer Company/
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Name: LI, XIAOMING XIAOMING Name: LI, Name: LI, XIAOMING Address: 2209 Leveriza St. St. Cartimar Cartimar arcade arcade Pasay Pasay City City Address: 2209 Leveriza Address: 2209 Leveriza St. Cartimar arcade Pasay City Nationality: Chinese Nationality: Chinese Nationality: Chinese Intended period of Employment: Two (2) (2) years years Intended period of Employment: Two Intended period of Employment: Two (2) years NATURE OF BUSINESS: NATURE OF BUSINESS: Name: QIN, LIGAO LIGAO NATURE OF BUSINESS: Name: QIN, Consultancy, Documentation Documentation Visas Visas related related to to foreign foreign Name: QIN, LIGAO Consultancy, Address: 75 Sampaguita Sampaguita St. Brgy. Brgy. Mamayan Mamayan Mandaluyong Mandaluyong City City Consultancy, Documentation Address: 75 St. nationals and and other other services.. Visas related to foreign Address: 75 Sampaguita St. Brgy. Mamayan Mandaluyong City nationals services.. Nationality: Chinese nationals and other services.. Nationality: Chinese Nationality: Chinese Intended period of Employment: Three (3) (3) years years Intended period of Employment: Three Intended period of Employment: Three (3) years Lucky 821 821 Consultancy Consultancy & & Solutions Solutions Corporation Corporation Lucky Lucky 821 Consultancy & Solutions Corporation
ADDRESS: ADDRESS: ADDRESS: 3rdrd Floor Cynros Bldg. 513 Alonzo St. Brgy. 699 Malate Manila
3 Floor Cynros Bldg. 513 Alonzo St. Brgy. 699 Malate Manila 3rd Floor Cynros Bldg. 513 Alonzo St. Brgy. 699 Malate Manila
PositionTitle: Title: Position
PROJECT CONSULTANT CONSULTANT (2) (2)Vacancies) Vacancies) PROJECT
JOB DESCRIPTION: DESCRIPTION: JOB JOB DESCRIPTION:
Assistininplanning, planning,organizing, organizing,and andcoordinating coordinatingproject projectactivities. activities. Assist Provide professional advice and recommendations on project implementation. Provide professional advice and recommendations on project implementation. Reviewproject projectrequirements, requirements,timelines, timelines,budgets, budgets,and anddeliverables. deliverables. Review
Preferredone onetototwo two years of working experience Preferred At least least High High School School years of working experience At At least High School
QUALIFICATION: QUALIFICATION: QUALIFICATION: Preferred one to two years of working experience
Name: JOO JANG JANG HUN HUN Name: JOO Name: JOO JANG HUN Address: Funda Dalipe San Jose Jose Antique Antique Address: Funda Dalipe San Address: Dalipe San Jose Antique Nationality: Funda Korean Nationality: Korean Nationality: Korean Intended period period of Employment: Employment: Two Two (2) (2) years years Intended of Intended period of Employment: Two (2) years NATURE OF OF BUSINESS: BUSINESS: NATURE NATURE OF BUSINESS: Name: Name: SUKHWINDERÊSINGHÊ Ê Consultancy, Documentation Documentation Visas Visas related related to to foreign foreign Name: Consultancy, SUKHWINDERÊSINGH Consultancy, Documentation Address: Capital House House BGC BGC Fort Fort Bonifacio Bonifacio Taguig Taguig Address: Capital nationals and and other other services.. Visas related to foreign Address: nationals services.. Capital House BGC Fort Bonifacio Taguig nationals and other services.. Lucky 821 821 Consultancy Consultancy & & Solutions Solutions Corporation Corporation Lucky Lucky 821 Consultancy & Solutions Corporation ADDRESS: ADDRESS: ADDRESS: rd rd
Floor Cynros Cynros Bldg. Bldg. 513 513 Alonzo Alonzo St. St. Brgy. Brgy. 699 699 Malate Malate Manila Manila 33 Floor 3rd Floor Cynros Bldg. 513 Alonzo St. Brgy. 699 Malate Manila
Nationality: Indian Indian Nationality: Nationality: Indian Intended period period of Employment: Employment: ThreeÊ(3)ÊyearsÊ ThreeÊ(3)ÊyearsÊ Intended Intended period ofofEmployment: ThreeÊ(3)ÊyearsÊ
LUCKY 821 821 CONSULTANCY CONSULTANCY & & SOLUTIONS SOLUTIONS CORPORATION CORPORATION hereby hereby declares declares that that the the above-names above-names foreign foreign nationals nationals are are able, able, willing willing and and LUCKY LUCKY CONSULTANCY & and SOLUTIONS CORPORATION hereby foreign nationals are able, willing and qualified821 to perform perform the services services job description description for this this position. position. The declares companythat hasthe theabove-names intention to to employ employ the said said foreign foreign nationals and qualified to the andjob job for The company has the intention the nationals and qualified perform services and description for this position. The company the intention to employ the said foreign nationals apply for fortoan an Alien the Employment Permit with the the DOLE DOLE Central Office Department ofhas Labor and Employment (DOLE) Building, Muralla Wingand cor. apply Alien Employment Permit with Central Office Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Building, Muralla Wing cor. apply for an Alien Employment Permit with the DOLE Central Office Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Building, Muralla Wing cor. General Luna Luna St., St., Intramuros, Intramuros, Manila, Manila, 1002, 1002, General General Luna St., Intramuros, Manila, 1002, Any Filipino Filipino jobseeker jobseeker who who is is competent, competent, able able and and willing willing to to perform perform the the services services for for which which the the foreign foreign national national is is intended intended to to be be hired hired for, for, may may file file an an Any Any Filipinoatjobseeker who is of competent, able and willing to perform services for which theand foreign national is intended be hired file Luna an objection the Department labor and Employment DOLE Centralthe Office Department of Labor Labor Employment (DOLE) Building,to Muralla Wingfor, cor.may General objection at the Department of labor and Employment -- DOLE Central Office Department of and Employment (DOLE) Building, Muralla Wing cor. General Luna objection at theManila, Department of labor and Employment - DOLE Central Office Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Building, Muralla Wing cor. General Luna St., Intramuros, Intramuros, 1002, after after this publication. publication. St., Manila, 1002, this St., Intramuros, Manila, 1002, after this publication. Please inform inform Department Department of of Labor Labor and and EmploymentEmployment- Dole Dole Central Central Office, Office, IfIf you you have have any any information information on on criminal criminal offenses offenses committed committed by by the the foreigh foreigh Please Please inform Department of Labor and Employment- Dole Central Office, If you have any information on criminal offenses committed by the foreigh national national national
++
BUSINESS Causes of the economy’s underperformance, 1946-2026 EIGHT decades after its receipt of independence from the US, the Philippines is an economically weak and geopolitically minor country. This should not be the case: by now this country should be at least a member of the Group of 20. The Philippines is where it is today because the Philippine economy has underperformed. It either has misused, or has not made the most efficient use of, the economic resources — tangible as well as intangible — at its disposal. Rampant misuse of government resources has been a feature of this country’s governance since Day 1 of its existence as an independent nation. Today corruption in government is manifesting itself in the worst anomaly in the history of the Philippine government — the flood control projects scandal. Among the earliest post-independence government scandals. Among the earliest post-independence government scandal were those associated with the exchange control regime and the Japanese Reparations Program. Other grievous scandals occurred in the succeeding decades. Corruption is odious per se, but governmental corruption is particularly odious because it usually targets a part of public sector spending that is crucial to an economy’s development and growth — infrastructure spending. Absence or inadequacy of infrastructural facilities — energy, water, highways, communications — is one of the principal deterrents to the development of an economy. By forcing a slowdown in the infrastructure projects approval process, the public outcry over the flood control projects scandal has led to gross domestic product (GDP) declines in 2025 and 2026. Prime examples of the combination of corruption combined with government inefficiency are the continued non-completion of the Clarkto-Calamba and Mindanao railway projects decades after their approval. Arguably the most important of the resources available to the managers of the Philippine economy is their government’s capacity to enact economic policies. Used in an efficient manner, this resource can propel an economy toward rapid and sustained development; misused or used in an inefficient manner, it can misdirect or stall an economy’s development.
—“—
The Philippines is where it is today because the Philippine economy has underperformed.
Four crucial areas of the economy in which the government has failed to make optimal use of its economic policy-making capacity are agriculture, external merchandise trade, foreign direct investment (FDI) and manufacturing. Together, the failures in these areas of the Philippine economy have largely accounted for its underperformance during the last eight decades. One thing that an analyst of this country’s economic history finds difficult to understand and accept is why, despite its resource endowment — abundant arable land, a corps of dedicated farmers, ample government financial support and a continually growing market — Philippine agriculture remains inefficient, unstable and unable to adequately fulfill its economic function. Filipino farmers continue to be unable to feed all of this country’s population, production yields are comparatively low and the Philippines remains the world’s No.1 rice importer. Not too many decades ago agriculture accounted for the largest share of this country’s gross domestic product (GDP) and total employment. In 2026 that is no longer the case. Manufacturing has never accounted for a major share of Philippine GDP, but there was a time, in the 1960s and 1970s, that this country appeared poised for a manufacturing-sector surge. The creation of the Board of Investments (BOI) in 1967 and the establishment of a number of progressive-manufacturing programs gave rise to hope among Filipinos that here at last was an industrial takeoff. But political developments dashed that hope and today manufacturing is not one of the leading sectors of the Philippine economy. Another major cause of the Philippine economy’s underperformance during the last eight decades has been this country’s failure to establish a strong external trade in merchandise exports. Over the last few decades Philippine external trade has become distressingly imbalanced in favor of imports, and today the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) and the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) monotonously report gaping monthly merchandise trade deficits. Clearly the trade part of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has not been delivering the positive trade balances that it is mandated to deliver. East Asia’s economic powerhouses — Japan, South Korea and Taiwan — got to where they are today on the backs of strong merchandise export programs. Vietnam is rapidly moving along that same economic- strategy path. Finally, there is the Philippines’ failure to attract a high level of FDI. This country has long been one of East Asia’s underperformers in this area of economic activity. While Vietnam races ahead with FDI around three times that of this country, the Philippine government’s investment policymakers continue to operate in a business-as-usual, uninnovative fashion. There is an answer to this dismal FDI situation, and that answer can, and should, be found in rapid order. The failures discussed above, together, have largely accounted for the Philippine economy’s underperformance since 1946. Correcting these failures will lead to an improved performance in the days ahead. (llagasjessa@yahoo.com)
BUSINESS
B3 TUESDAY, AUGUST 11, 2026
extrastory2000@gmail.com
Red alerts declared for Vis-Min power grids S By Alena Mae S. Flores
YSTEM operator National Grid Corp. of the Philippines placed the Visayas and Mindanao grids on red alert for several hours Monday due to surging demand and limited power imports. NGCP placed the Visayas grid on red alert from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m., followed by a yellow alert from 9 p.m. to 10 p.m. The Mindanao grid was placed on red alert from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., with yellow alerts in effect from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. The red alert status signals potential rotating power outages in both regions.
In the Visayas grid, 26 power plants are currently offline and 13 are running at reduced capacity, taking a total of 909.8 megawatts out of service. Outages include five plants that went offline this month, two since July, three since June, seven since May, one since March, three since 2025, two since 2024, two since 2023, and one since 2021. The offline status of major coal-
fired facilities—specifically TVI 1, TVI 2, and CEDC 1—along with restricted imports from Mindanao due to extended and forced outages at SEC 2 and GNPK 1, contributed to the grid strain. A red alert is issued when power supply is insufficient to meet consumer demand and the transmission grid’s regulating requirements. A yellow alert indicates that the operating margin is insufficient to meet contingency requirements. The Department of Energy acknowledged that the Visayas power supply remains tight, but it expects the upcoming addition of a 200-megawatt battery energy storage system and a power barge to bolster supply in the short term.
PLASTIC-FREE. The Climate Change Commission joins the “Walang Plastikan, Walang Iwanan!” Plastic-Free July 2026 activities, supporting collective efforts to cut single-use plastics and advance sustainable consumption and production. The campaign brought together government agencies, civil society organizations, youth groups, and local communities to strengthen waste reduction, promote climateconscious lifestyles, and support a just transition that leaves no one behind.
BUSINESS
B4
TUESDAY, AUGUST 11, 2026
extrastory2000@gmail.com RODERICK T. DELA CRUZ, Editor ALENA MAE S. FLORES, Asst. Editor
SM Prime’s first-half profit steady at P24.5b By Jenniffer B. Austria
S Ayala Land Inc. (ALI) and its wholly owned subsidiaries are infusing P30 billion worth of malls and hotels into its real estate investment trust firm AREIT Inc. through a property-for-share swap. Shown is the Tower One and Exchange Plaza in Makati City.
Ayala Land to inject P30b worth of assets into AREIT AYALA Land Inc. (ALI) and its wholly-owned subsidiaries will infuse P30 billion worth of malls and hotels into its real estate investment trust firm AREIT Inc. through a propertyfor-share swap, the company said Monday. For the first tranche, ALI chief finance officer Jose Eduardo Quimpo II said the group will inject four malls and hotels into AREIT worth P20 billion, while another P10 billion will be injected before the end of the year. The four malls to be injected are Glorietta 4, Ayala Malls Cloverleaf, Capitol Sentral in Bacolod and
Circuit Makati. The three hotels are New World Hotel Makati, Seda Hotel Vertis North and Fairmont Hotel Makati. The infusion will expand AREIT’s assets under management to P179 billion and further diversify its asset base across malls, offices, hotels and industrial land, ALI said. “Through active capital recycling, the cash proceeds generated from AREIT infusions are strategically redeployed to fund ALI’s pipeline of leasing and hospitality assets, accelerating the company’s growth of ALI’s recurring income,” ALI said.
ALI reported a 19-percent decline in first-half net income to P11.5 billion, while revenues fell 10 percent to P75 billion. Property development, which includes the residential business, dropped 22 percent to P41 billion. Residential sales declined 15 percent to P35.5 billion, while office and estate lot sales fell 49 percent to P5.6 billion. The group’s leasing and hospitality businesses continued their growth trajectory, with first-half revenues reaching P25.2 billion, 9 percent higher than the previous year. Jenniffer B. Austria
IN BRIEF MMPC eyes PH as hybrid vehicle production base MITSUBISHI Motors Philippines Corp. (MMPC) is positioning the Philippines as a production and export base for hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), committing P7 billion to expand its local manufacturing operations under the government’s Electric Vehicle Incentive Strategy (EVIS). MMPC chairman Noriaki Hirakata said the planned hybrid manufacturing facility in Laguna could produce units not only for the Philippine market but also for export, potentially strengthening the country’s role in Mitsubishi Motors Corp.’s regional production network. “We committed P7 billion investment. And that will be enough for everything that we need to get the production done,” Hirakata said in a briefing Monday. He said the company could increase its investment depending on market demand and the number of units that can be sold under the EVIS program. The planned HEV production will expand MMPC’s local manufacturing portfolio and could allow the Philippines to supply hybrid vehicles to other markets in the region. Hirakata said Mitsubishi considers the Philippines its top sales market outside Japan, making the country an important market for the automaker’s regional operations. Othel V. Campos
Lite Shipping expands Western Nautical Highway LITE Shipping Corp. has deployed a new vessel on the Batangas City-Caticlan route, extending the Western Nautical Highway and linking Southern Luzon’s industrial hub directly to the main gateway for Boracay and Western Visayas. Lite Shipping president Lucio Lim Jr. said the company’s entry into the BatangasPanay corridor supports its broader push to strengthen inter-island connectivity and boost economic activity in the areas it serves. “Our presence here means that we are connecting the Western Nautical Highway already,” Lim said, citing the company’s continuing expansion across key island destinations. The new vessel, MV Lite Ferry Twenty,
Consolidated revenues grew 5 percent to P71.7 billion from P68 billion a year ago on stronger mall operations and higher contributions from the company’s office, warehouse, hotel and convention businesses, SM Prime said Monday in a disclosure to the stock exchange. Rental income from malls, offices, hospitality and MICE accounted for 61 percent of total revenues, while real estate sales contributed 27 percent. Cinema ticket sales, food and beverage, amusement and related businesses made up the remaining 12 percent. Costs and expenses rose 6 percent to P35.6 billion from P33.6 billion, mainly due to higher depreciation and amortization charges, fixed overhead costs and construction expenses. “Our focus on tenant relationships, customer experience and cost management supported our performance. Despite challenging market conditions, commercial demand remained resilient across our portfolio,” SM Prime president Jeffrey Lim said.
Mall revenues increased 8 percent to P41.8 billion from P38.6 billion, helped by higher occupancy, stronger tenant sales and improved operating efficiency. Residential revenues slipped 1 percent to P20.6 billion from P20.9 billion as the company recognized less revenue from prioryear sales. Hotels and convention centers generated P4.4 billion in revenues, up 8 percent from P4.1 billion, on higher bookings and average daily room rates. Office and warehouse revenues rose 9 percent to P5 billion from P4.6 billion as space take-up improved. For the second quarter, SM Prime’s consolidated net income increased 1 percent to P12.9 billion from P12.8 billion a year earlier. Second-quarter revenues rose 9 percent to P38.4 billion from P35.3 billion, while costs and expenses also increased nearly 9 percent to P19 billion from P17.5 billion, mainly due to higher construction costs.
AI SUMMIT. Bangko Sentral ng
measures 90 meters long with a gross registered tonnage of 3,923 tons. It can carry 30 12-meter (ten-wheeler) trucks and 6 cars per voyage, adding substantial logistics capacity to the route. The ship’s direct roll-on/roll-off service bypasses multi-leg transshipments, cutting freight costs and transit times for goods, agricultural produce and commercial inventory moving between Luzon and Panay. Lite Shipping plans to deploy a second vessel before the end of August, shifting the route to daily service and giving businesses and shippers more predictable schedules. Minerva Newman
Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Eli Remolona Jr. underscores AI’s potential to create new opportunities for consumers and businesses during the BSP AI Summit on July 27, 2026 at the BSP Head Office in Manila. The event gathered regulators, banking industry leaders and tech professionals to discuss the responsible use of artificial intelligence (AI).
Jollibee to open 26 Canada franchise restaurants JOLLIBEE Foods Corp. is adding 26 restaurants in British Columbia over the next five years under a new franchise agreement, expanding its footprint in Canada, the company said in a disclosure to the stock exchange Monday. JBM LLC, Jollibee’s North American franchisor, signed a multi-unit development agreement in July with an experienced multibrand food retail operator for the planned stores, the company said. The agreement brings Jollibee’s committed franchise pipeline in Canada to 26 restaurants, including a 10-store development deal for Edmonton signed in June. It also marks Jollibee’s official franchise entry into British Columbia. Jollibee operates 28 company-owned restaurants in Canada. With the 26 committed franchise locations, the group’s total store network in the country is expected to reach 54 over the next five years. Jollibee Group chief financial and risk officer and Jollibee Group International chief executive Richard Shin said Canada remains an attractive growth market, supported by consumer demand and growing interest from experienced franchise operators. “This latest agreement reflects the growing appeal of the Jollibee brand and our confidence in the long-term opportunity in Canada. As we continue to expand through disciplined franchising, we remain focused on partnering with operators who share our commitment to operational excellence, sustainable growth and building scale in priority markets,” Shin said. Jenniffer B. Austria
Semirara to cut 462 jobs as coal target falls SEMIRARA Mining and Power Corp. (SMPC) said Monday it filed a notice of redundancy with the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) affecting 462 workers at its coal mine site in Antique. The job cuts follow SMPC’s decision to reduce its 2026 annual coal production target by more than onethird compared with last year. SMPC adjusted its production goals in response to operational uncertainty surrounding an upcoming coal mine auction by the Department of Energy (DOE), now expected between August and September. The redundancies affect more than 11 percent of SMPC’s workforce, which stood at 4,045 employees, including more than 2,000 workers from host communities, as of late July. “We recognize the impact of this decision on our affected employees and their families, and we will do
M Prime Holdings Inc. kept its first-half net income steady at P24.5 billion in 2026 as higher revenues were offset by rising costs and expenses.
our best to support them through this transition,” SMPC president and chief operating officer Maria Cristina Gotianun said in a statement. SMPC’s coal operating contract with the DOE will expire on July 14, 2027. The company plans to participate in the DOE’s competitive bidding round, where the government will auction 10 blocks on Semirara Island under the Philippine Conventional Energy Contracting Program. SMPC said displaced personnel will receive separation benefits under labor laws and company policy. The company is launching an Employee Assistance Program to support affected families. The program will offer job placement services in the energy sector, potential redeployment within parent company DMCI Group, financial literacy courses, skills retraining, livelihood support and relocation assistance. Alena Mae S. Flores
PH secures $600-m Borromeo Motoring taps COREnergy supply US grant to boost By Alena Mae S. Flores healthcare system By Thony Rose Lesaca THE Department of Finance has facilitated a grant of up to $600 million from the United States to support the Philippines’ health sector, under the Strategic Objective Agreement (SOAG) for Integrated and Sustainable Health Systems. The Department of Health will implement the grant which aims to build an integrated, sustainable, resilient and self-reliant health system by strengthening health security, improving healthcare delivery and enhancing the country’s capacity to respond to infectious disease threats. The initiative will also advance strategic bilateral cooperation on global health security and other priority health programs. Grants are assistance provided by development partners with no obligation for repayment, allowing the government to invest in priority programs such as healthcare. Finance Secretary Frederick Go said the grant would strengthen the country’s ability to respond to health emergencies. “Investing in healthcare is investing in our people, our productivity and our future. Through this grant, we are strengthening the country’s ability to respond to health emergencies while building a more resilient and sustainable healthcare system that benefits our people,” Go said.
BORROMEO Motoring Group has selected COREnergy as its retail electricity supplier for 20 dealership and automotive facilities with a combined contracted capacity of about 1.22 megawatts, under the Department of Energy’s Retail Aggregation Program. The deal marks the automotive group’s entry into the competitive retail electricity market as it moves to manage power more strategically across its Luzon operations. The sites are expected to complete their transition by September, marking the first phase of the group’s broader initiative to enhance energy
management across its dealership network. Borromeo Motoring operates dealerships representing globally recognized automotive and motorcycle brands including Ford, Mitsubishi, Mazda, Honda, Suzuki, Hyundai and Yamaha. Across these sites, electricity powers more than showroom operations. It also supports service centers, diagnostic equipment, parts storage, administrative offices and customerfacing facilities. “At Borromeo Motoring Group, we continuously look for opportunities to improve efficiency across our operations,” Borromeo Motoring Group director Andre Borromeo said.
Borromeo Motoring Group teams up with COREnergy to power 20 of its Luzon automotive sites under the Retail Aggregation Program. Attending the event are (from left) Arlo Sarmiento, chief executive of Vivant Corp.; Jose Daniel Borromeo, president of Motor Ace Philippines Inc.; Marco Borromeo, president of Sakura Autoworld Inc.; Andre Rafael Borromeo, general-manager ofFairlane Automotive Ventures Inc.; Marko Sarmiento, vice-president and head of operations of COREnergy; Maxcy Francisco Borromeo, president of Motor Ace Philippines Inc.–Lending; and Paolo Martin Borromeo, chief executive of Dearborn Motors Co. Inc.
ENVIRONMENT
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TUESDAY, AUGUST 11, 2026
extrastory2000@gmail.com RAY S. EÑANO, Editor
& SUSTAINABILIT Y The La Castellana Clustered Waste Management Facility in Negros Occidental. Other municipalities that will use the provincial governmentsupported sanitary landfill are Pulupandan, Valladolid, Pontevedra, Moises Padilla, Isabela, San Enrique, Hinigaran, and Binalbagan. Negros Occidental PIO
Clustered sanitary landfill boosts Negros compliance By Nanette Guadalquiver
BACOLOD CITY – The establishment of a clustered sanitary landfill serving nine local government units (LGUs) in Negros Occidental has strengthened the province’s compliance with Republic Act (RA) 9003, or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000, which sets the country’s policies on solid waste management. Data from the Provincial Environment Management Office (PEMO) showed that the number of local government units (LGUs) in Negros Occidental with sanitary landfill facilities will increase from 13 to 22 out of the province’s 31 LGUs following the establishment of the La Castellana Clustered Waste Management Facility. RA 9003 strictly bans open dumpsites and mandates sanitary landfills
as the final disposal sites for residual solid wastes. La Castellana Mayor Añejo Nicor, whose LGU hosts the clustered sanitary landfill, said after the signing of the memorandum of agreement (MOA) among the nine municipalities on July 29, preparations are underway for the utilization of the solid waste facility, although there is no specific date yet for the start of the operations. “It will still be discussed by the PEMO with the LGUs in the province. We signed MOA to start putting things into place for its implementation. The nine LGUs will dispose only of residual waste in the sanitary landfill,” Nicor said in an interview. Aside from La Castellana, the clustered LGUs include Pulupandan, Valladolid, Pontevedra, Moises Padilla, Isabela, San Enrique, Hinigaran and Binalbagan. Situated in Barangay Manghanoy,
the provincial government-supported facility serves as an engineered sanitary landfill designed to cater to clustered LGUs within the province’s fourth and fifth districts. The agreement among the participating LGUs ensures compliance with environmental laws while promoting a coordinated and sustainable approach to solid waste management. The MOA signing held in La Castellana was witnessed by Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson and OIC Regional Director Vicente Losbañes of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Environmental Management Bureau Negros Island Region. “Waste management is a responsibility that cannot be addressed by one municipality alone. It requires planning, resources, discipline, and, most importantly, cooperation,” Lacson said.PNA
Mangroves are making a comeback as global losses sharply decelerate A composite image of a monsoon storm with multiple lightning strikes over a desert landscape with saguaro cacti in the United States. WMO/Edward Mitchell
WMO expects strong El Niño until October AS MUCH of the world faces grapples with above normal temperatures and major rainfall changes, the UN Meteorological Organization (WMO) warned that El Niño, a powerful climate pattern shaping global weather, will intensify starting next month. A strong El Niño is developing and expected to strengthen during August through October, bringing powerful weather events around the world, according to WMO’s latest monthly global seasonal climate update. Wetter conditions are expected in some regions while drought risk increases in others. Tropical Atlantic sea surface temperatures are projected to remain warmer than average. Forecasts provide a window for early action and support decision making. Multi-model forecasts indicate expected anomalies related to seasonalaverage sea-surface temperature to exceed 2.9°C in key monitoring regions, according to WMO. “El Niño is strengthening, adding fuel to a planet already on fire with scorching heat domes, apocalyptic wildfires and record hot seas,” UN Secretary-General António Guterres said. “El Niño is not just on our doorstep; it is inside the house and turning up the heat, and this is only a warmup act.” He said fossil fuels are “fanning the flames of this crisis,” and expansion must stop. “More coal, oil and gas will lead to a more combustible future,” he warned. “Unless we act to protect people and tackle the root cause of the crisis, the dangers will become deadlier still. The warm-up act is over. We cannot afford to wait for the main event.” The WMO is stepping up coordination, climate information services and early warning to help those affected prepare for potential impacts, including governments, humanitarian agencies, such climate-sensitive sectors as agriculture and health as well as vulnerable communities.UN News
FOR decades, mangrove forests were considered one of the world’s fastest disappearing ecosystems, due to pressures from coastal development, overharvesting, aquaculture, agriculture, pollution and climate change. However, a global study that recently appeared in the journal Science offers one of the most encouraging conservation stories in recent years. Using satellite imagery from the 1980s to 2023, researchers tracked annual changes in mangrove extent and canopy condition, finding that global losses have slowed dramatically while gains have increased. It appears that natural regeneration and expansion are now offsetting much of the historical decline, suggesting that mangroves are far more
resilient than previously believed. These findings reinforce conclusions from UNEP’s 2023 report, The Decade of Mangrove Forest Change, which found that global mangrove losses had largely stabilized and gains were occurring in and around many of the world’s major rivers, estuaries and deltas. “This is encouraging news for global restoration and conservation efforts at a time when we all need that glimmer of hope,” says Sinikinesh Beyene Jimma, chief of Marine and Coastal Ecosystems Unit at the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP). “But it is important to remember that there are threats, like pollution and biodiversity loss, that satellite imagery does not reveal.” Mangrove forests represent unique ecosystems along tropical and subtropical coastlines and estuaries. Although comprising less than 1 per cent of the world’s tropical forests, they provide a vital lifeline for the estimated 2.4 billion people living within 100 kilometers of the coast, shielding shorelines from storms, erosion and flooding, filtering water, storing large amounts of carbon and supporting fisheries. More than 1,500 species depend on mangroves as their habitat.UNEP News
CCC steps up action against plastic waste T
HE Climate Change Commission (CCC) reinforced its commitment to scale up the drive against plastic pollution and engage government, civil society and community partners in promoting sustainable consumption and production as the month-long observance of Plastic-Free July concluded.
Anchored on the theme “Walang Plastikan, Walang Iwanan!,” the campaign brought together government agencies, civil society organizations, youth groups and communities to promote sustainable consumption and production, strengthen waste reduction efforts, and encourage climate-conscious lifestyles under the principle of a just transition that leaves no one behind. The Commission kicked off its participation by joining the “Walang Plastikan, Walang Iwanan! Takbuhan!” on July 26, an initiative designed to demonstrate that community sporting events can be organized without generating single-use plastic waste. It aimed to raise awareness on local plastic reduction policies and strengthen collaboration among local governments, civil society organizations, and communities. The activities culminated in the Arts, Culture, and Music Festival on July 31, where the CCC mounted an information booth to highlight its climate action initiatives and the “Bawal Plastik Dito” campaign. CCC vice chairperson and executive director Robert E.A. Borje and Commissioner Rachel Anne S. Herrera joined government and civil society leaders during the event to pledge their full support for plastic reduction.
“At the heart of this effort is a simple principle: walang iwanan (no one is left behind). Solutions must be inclusive, ensuring that no community is left behind. Zero Waste is not just about reducing trash, it is about rethinking systems, values, and how we use resources,” Borje said. “Through art, culture, and music, today’s celebration transforms awareness into action and inspires hope,” he said. Reaffirming reducing plastic pollution as a climate action, Herrera recognized these efforts as a shared responsibility. “Real transformation happens when governments, businesses, civil society, communities, artists, educators and young people move together with a shared purpose. As we shift toward more sustainable systems and practices, we must ensure that no one is left behind, especially the communities, workers, and sectors most affected by both climate change and plastic pollution,” she said. The event featured interactive exhibits, community murals, cultural performances, reuse and refill demonstrations, workshops on circular living and performances honoring environmental champions and communities affected by ecological hazards. CCC News
The Climate Change Commission joins the “Walang Plastikan, Walang Iwanan!” Plastic-Free July 2026 activities, supporting collective action to reduce single-use plastics and promote sustainable consumption and production.
Sustainable global energy system Conclusion While renewables are becoming increasingly popular, they still only generate about 15 percent of the world’s energy. What are the keys to raising that number and “decarbonizing” the global energy system? DL: First and foremost, we need to scale up investments in renewable energy. Along with being better for the planet, solar plants, wind farms and the like are also often the cheapest way to generate electricity. We should also repurpose fossil fuel subsidies, the cost of which hit US$7 trillion in 2022, directing them instead towards clean and affordable energy. The world also needs to speed up the electrification of key sectors, like transport, and embrace alternative fuel–like green hydrogen– in hard-to-electrify sectors. Beyond decarbonizing the energy system, what else do we need to do to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and keep the worst of climate change at bay? DL: We need to reduce the amount of energy we use, which we can do in several ways. We can improve the efficiency of our buildings by using more insulation, installing heat pumps and embracing passive cooling techniques, which would reduce our need for heating and air conditioning. We can make our cities more compact, lessening the need to travel, which generates greenhouse gases. Finally, we can change our behaviors, including by, when possible, walking and cycling for shorter trips,
and driving electric cars for longer ones. What would all of this mean for the hundreds of millions of people who still lack access to electricity? DL: That’s an important question. While we’re decarbonizing the energy system and improving efficiency, we can’t leave them behind. To provide electricity to those without, we need to extend electric grids and expand the use of offgrid systems, like household-sized solar panel kits. We also need to invest in community-scale solar generation and small-scale hydroelectricity, where appropriate. Scaling up subsidies and concessional financing for large-scale renewable energy projects in electricity-starved regions would also be
game changing for many poor and vulnerable communities. Any new power plants we build– large or small–should be renewables-based. Finally, we need to support communities as they move away from using firewood for cooking and heating, something that spurs deforestation and releases toxic smoke, which can sicken and kill. We do this by supporting the uptake of clean cooking solutions, including electric cooking and other modern fuels and technologies appropriate to the local context. The scientific consensus is that the world will soon overshoot one of the key targets of the Paris Agreement, which aims to limit global warming to 1.5°C. Are you optimistic that we’ll be able to decarbonize the global energy system fast enough to stave off a full-blown climate catastrophe? DL: We will overshoot the 1.5°C target, yes. But we have the solutions we need to limit the overshoot–and bring temperatures back down again. That having been said, we will still struggle to adapt to some forms of climate change, which could make the energy transition even more challenging. Right now, there are a lot of embedded interests that are stymieing the transition to a more sustainable and more equitable energy system. We need political will to overcome those forces. If we can work in a more systemic way across multiple systems, not only energy but also food, waste, and the environment, we can deliver on many goals simultaneously and lay the foundation for a fairer, more sustainable future. UNEP News
SHOWBIZ
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TUESDAY, AUGUST 11, 2026
lifeandshow.manilastandard@gmail.com NICKIE WANG, Editor ANGELICA VILLANUEVA, Writer JASPER VALDEZ, Writer
A’TIN fuels demand as SB19’s Wakas at Simula Global CD sells out
SB19’s two-disc collector’s edition features all 24 tracks and exclusive items for A’TIN worldwide
SB19’s first physical album has sold out its first batch of pre-orders, driven by strong demand from A’TIN, the P-Pop group’s global fan community. The second batch of the Wakas at Simula Global CD Version is now available for preorder. Released by Backspacer Records and Sony Music Entertainment, the Global CD Version turns SB19’s digitally released Wakas at Simula into a collector’s edition designed for fans worldwide. “For us, the Global CD Version represents a way to stay connected with A’TIN around the world and remind them that no matter where they are, they will always have a piece of home with them,” SB19’s Pablo said. The two-disc set features all 24 tracks from Wakas at Simula, along with a 52-page full-color lyric booklet, two exclusive photo prints and one random photocard from five collectible variants.
The album comes in a premium tri-fold package with a built-in NFC tag that provides quick access to the online album. Selected copies also contain rare memorabilia from the Wakas at Simula universe. One hundred randomly chosen albums include an authentic fragment from the album’s tome. Justin described the release as a meaningful milestone for SB19, noting that it gives fans a more personal and lasting way to experience the album. Josh said the physical pieces were intended to give A’TIN something tangible that represents their connection to the group and its music. Stell said the physical format allows fans to revisit the album’s story through its lyrics, visuals and memorabilia, while Ken noted that the group was closely involved in the creative process behind the packaging. Limited on-hand stocks are also available at Backspacer Records.
MarJo is back and TV5 is ready to serve the kilig S
Marvin (left) and Jolina bring their longtime onscreen partnership to a new family series set to premiere in September
OME love teams simply refuse to retire.
Marvin Agustin and Jolina Magdangal, better known to 1990s kids as MarJo, are proving exactly that as they reunite on television for TV5’s upcoming daytime series Mommy Guard. And yes, the kilig is apparently still alive and well. The feel-good family series is set to premiere in September, giving longtime fans a chance to revisit the chemistry that made MarJo one of the era’s most beloved tandems. Jolina, who plays a mommy guard in the series, admitted that the project challenged her because it is her first time taking on the role. “Yes, it’s feel-good. It’s for the family. Just because it’s called Mommy Guard, it doesn’t mean it’s only for guards,” she said. The actress and TV host explained that the story is really about people fighting their way through life. But naturally, the question everyone wanted answered was this: After all these years, does MarJo still have it? Apparently, yes. “Marvin and I are happy because they still get kilig. Even Marvin and I get kilig, right?” Jolina said. That is quite the endorsement. If the stars themselves are still getting butterflies, what chance does the audience have? Jolina believes their appeal has also crossed generations. “It means that until now, we can still reach their hearts, whatever our ages are,” she said. Joining MarJo in Mommy Guard are Roxanne Guinoo and Dominic Ochoa. Korina goes back to her roots While MarJo is bringing back the romance, Korina Sanchez is bringing back the receipts. Rated Korina premiered on TV5 on Aug. 9, continuing a television journey that began three decades ago with Balitang K on ABS-CBN. “Yes, I started when I was only 2 years
Seasoned broadcast journalist Korina Sanchez (center) continues her career of telling extraordinary stories of ordinary Filipinos through ‘Rated Korina’
Marvin Augustin (left) reunites with former on-screen partner Jolina Magdangal in TV5’s upcoming daytime series ‘Mommy Guard’
old,” Sanchez said in jest. She quickly got serious, describing her three decades in television as a career built around ordinary Filipinos and their extraordinary stories. “Thirty years of telling ordinary stories because the real gold in every story of an ordinary Filipino is something extraordinary,” she said. “From Balitang K to Rated K and now Rated Korina with TV5.” Sanchez will also remain part of “Face to Face,” which TV5 has revamped with a lighter, more lifestyle-oriented approach. TV5 keeps the cards coming The network has plenty more in
store. At its Tara, Kapatid! 2026 Midyear Media and Trade Celebration on Aug. 6 at MVP Studios in Mandaluyong City, TV5 unveiled a lineup that includes new and revamped programs across its daytime and evening schedules. Gud Morning Kapatid has now been given a new identity as Frontline Sa Umaga, which began airing Monday, Aug. 10. Its hosts include Dimples Romana, Ed Lingao, Angela Lagunzad-Castro, Maoui David, Chiqui Roa-Puno, Alvin Pura, and Dr. Richard Gadiaza. Romana also appears in the net-
Andrea Brillantes’ (second from left) ‘A Secret in Prague’ ranks among Netflix’s top 10 titles for several consecutive weeks
work’s evening programming, including “Someone, Someday.” TV5 President and CEO Guido R. Zaballero said the network’s recent launches, including A Secret in Prague and My Bespren Emman, have connected with audiences in different ways. A Secret in Prague, in particular, found an audience on Netflix, where it ranked among the platform’s top 10 titles for several weeks. TV5 has also leaned into its renewed partnership with ABS-CBN, widening the reach of its programming while creating more opportunities for Filipino stories.
‘Bespren Emman’ stars JM De Guzman (left) and Shaina Magdayao grace TV5’s Media Trade event
SunKissed Lola gets cheeky about love and lovers’ quarrels OPM band SunKissed Lola takes a lighter approach to relationship disagreements in ‘Edi Magalit Ka’
AFTER more than a year since its last EP, SunKissed Lola is back with “Edi Magalit Ka,” a playful yet heartfelt single about choosing love over pride when relationships hit a rough patch. The Olongapo, Zambales-based band behind “Pasilyo” and “Paki Sabi” takes a familiar Filipino phrase and gives it a softer meaning. Rather than sounding dismissive, “Edi Magalit Ka” becomes an affectionate reminder that even when couples fight, love remains. “It’s a song about relationships,” vocalist Laura Lacbain said. “Hindi maiiwasan ang away sa relationship, pero hindi pa rin mawawala ang love. Susuyuin pa rin sa huli.” Vocalist and guitarist Alvin “Bino” Serito calls the track a “loving anthem,” built around the idea that arguments do not have to become contests. “No one has to win,” Bino said. “I
will always choose the relationship over the argument.” The song began in 2021 with a more prideful tone before the band gradually softened its lyrics. Bino helped shape its confession-like sections, including the line “’Di ba?” which Dan Ombao said made the song feel gentler. The title itself is designed to make listeners curious. “You will be curious. Pwedeng isend sa jowa,” Laura said. “You really need to listen to the song to understand the context.” Musically, the band also opted for simplicity. Dan said the song started as an acoustic piece before the rest of the group developed the arrangement. Bassist Danj Quimson said the band wanted the lyrics to take center stage, describing the finished track as “laidback” and simple. “For this one, we made it simple for
the audience,” Bino said. “We made it magaan sa tainga.” Drummer Genson Viloria said the song was so catchy when he first heard it that he initially thought it was a cover. As SunKissed Lola approaches its fifth year, the band sees “Edi Magalit Ka” as a sign of a more deliberate chapter. “We know our strengths and now we are able to maximize it,” Bino said. “We are more intentional in releasing this song.” The band hopes the single will make listeners smile and kilig while reminding younger couples that relationships require patience and compromise. “Sana kiligin din sila,” Laura said. “Sana our young listeners na bago pa lang sa relationship, ma-realize nila na they need to work it out.” “Edi Magalit Ka” is now available on major streaming platforms.
LIFE & SHOWBIZ
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TUESDAY, AUGUST 11, 2026
Nolan’s ‘Odyssey’ sends travelers sailing toward Ithaca STANDING on the ferry as it waits to dock on the Greek island of Ithaca, Giorgia Ongarato is keen to talk about the Odyssey, the epic poem that inspired Christopher Nolan’s blockbuster film. The Italian lawyer said it was her dream to visit Ithaca, widely believed to be the home of Odysseus in the poem. Dressed in a T-shirt emblazoned with “Odyssey” in ancient Greek alongside a line from the poem, she said: “I studied Greek when I was a child, and I studied the Odyssey.” The 50-year-old said the film was not her entry point into the tale of the hero battling his way home from the Trojan War, but she was also a fan, calling it “wonderful.”
‘The Odyssey’ renews interest in Greek myth, even as Ithaca residents note that the island was not used as a filming location
Ithaca’s businesses and officials now expect the film to inspire many more visitors. The Ionian Sea island, off mainland Greece’s west coast, is far from the country’s tourist hubs. Despite its clear waters and spectacular bays, it has never been a regular stop for travelers. Its rugged interior is carpeted with olive and cypress trees and remains strikingly calm even during peak season. The movie has piqued interest but has also sparked some controversy in Greece. Although Greek locations were used, not a single scene was shot on Ithaca. That has disappointed some of the island’s roughly 3,000 residents. The film has been shown twice in open-air screenings since its July 16 worldwide release. Xhimi Xoxha, who runs a restaurant in the capital of Vathi, said he was pleased the movie was “generating publicity for the island.” Ithaca Mayor Dionysis Stanitsas called the publicity “tremendous” but said he was disappointed the island itself did not feature. “We had reached out to the production team and asked that some scenes be filmed here on the island,” he said. “Unfortunately, that wasn’t feasible.” He is counting on rising demand next year, although the island was already fully booked for this season when the film was released. “As more people see it, they will begin planning trips to visit the island,” he said. Visitors will not find Odysseus’ palace or a spectacular archaeological site confirming the hero’s existence. But village squares and the town hall are dotted with statues of Odysseus and Homer. In the sun-drenched port, boats bear names such as “Telemachus,” Odysseus’ son, and “Calypso,” the goddess and nymph who imprisoned him. Shops sell busts of Homer and Penelope, Odysseus’
Ithaca, Greece, gains fresh attention from travelers as interest in Homer’s epic grows following Christopher Nolan’s big-screen adaptation
wife, along with T-shirts featuring the Cyclops Polyphemus and wall plates decorated with the Trojan Horse. Archaeologist Spyros Couvaras expects a sharp increase in visitors, saying travelers want more than sand and sea. They also want history and mythology. A short distance from the port, holidaymakers relax at Dexia beach beneath parasols, surrounded by the sound of cicadas. According to legend, this is where Odysseus landed after years of voyaging. Couvaras said the movie was the “driving force” behind the renewed interest. “But behind Nolan’s film stands Homer,” he said. AFP
Maricel Soriano’s secret to showbiz longevity Maricel Soriano credits family, discipline, and a happy set for helping her stay active after more than five decades in showbiz
I
T’S a fact that Maricel Soriano has one of the most enduring careers among her contemporaries. Until now, she remains active and relevant in the ‘biz, doing hit films and soap operas. It can be remembered that she entered the entertainment scene at the tender age of six. Curiously, what was going through her mind then? “Well, my mentality then was I had to work for my family so that we’ll have food on the table,” she reveals. Despite the negative feedback on the attitude of the young crop of stars nowadays compared to her time, the Diamond Star still has good words for them. “I’m glad that despite the negative comments about them, I’m lucky that whenever I work with them, I don’t have unpleasant experiences, especially when it comes to their work attitude. That’s why I don’t believe all those negative comments,” she says.
After more than five decades in showbiz, Maricel knows that success goes beyond fame. “It’s when you feel the unconditional love and support of the family! Of course, when you’re popular, it’s success but it’s hard to maintain. But if you’re dedicated and serious to your craft, it will come back to you. I can attest to it because it happened to me!” For the Diamond Star, respect for one’s work and the people around you also matters. “I always love a happy set. I don’t want to communicate with people who are cynical and will just pull you down.” These days, Marya simply wants to spread love and happiness. “With all the chaos and uncertainties in this world, we should just stay happy and positive. Like before retiring at night and waking up in the morning, I never fail to tell my children and dear ones how I love and care for them. Because you’re not sure of tomorrow.” And after more than five decades in the spotlight, what does the public still not know about her? “That I’m a human being…” Maricel is part of Regal’s upcoming Haunted Carnival, intended for the 2026 Metro Manila Film Festival. “There are so many Christmases that people get to watch me. I’m happy and proud with it,” she ends. *** James Reid is set to explore a new genre in Regal Entertainment’s upcoming horror film “Haunted Carnival,” which he describes as a
A bold new turn for James Reid as he enters the eerie world of ‘Haunted Carnival,’ an 1980s horror story that tests his range
once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. “I think one of the main reasons why I said yes to this project, it’s really a genre that I haven’t explored yet,” Reid said. The 1980s-set horror film also excited him because of its cast and director Joey de Guzman. “When I heard from the Regal team a horror slash set in the ’80s, I said that sounds really fun. And I’m very excited to work with Direk Joey de Guzman and I love his works so far,” he says. Reid will star alongside John Arcilla, Maricel Soriano, Julia Barretto, Fyang Smith, RK Bagatsing, Prince Carlos, JM Salvador, Charlie Fleming, Joaquin Arce and Celyn David. “Imagine, I’ll be with Mr. John Arcilla and Ms. Maricel Soriano,” he shares. He is now eager to play Lean and immerse himself in the film’s world. “I’m very excited to build this character and dive into this crazy Haunted Carnival world,” Reid states.
Zsara Laxamana sets high bar for VMX Hot Babes By Jasper Valdez VMX Hot Babes member Zsara Laxamana does not mind being compared with the original Viva Hot Babes, saying the group’s past success gives the new generation something to work toward. During the press conference for the VMX special Viva Hot Babes: Muling Pagbukaka, Zsara said she considers it an honor whenever the two groups are placed alongside each other. “I’m really happy that we’re being put on the same level as the Viva Hot Babes. We really look up to them as members of the VMX Hot Babes,” she told Manila Standard Entertainment. Zsara said the members look up to what the original group achieved and recognize that the Viva Hot Babes remain familiar to audiences years after their peak. “We look up to everything they achieved and how far they were able to go because we all know they’ve remained relevant even until now,” she said. “It really inspires us and motivates us every rehearsal.” The comparison took a sharper turn when Zsara was later asked what
Zsara Laxamana embraces comparisons with the original Viva Hot Babes while pushing the new group to work harder
separates VMX Hot Babes from their predecessors. “I’ll say this so we can put some pressure on ourselves and stay motivated: I think we’re better,”
she said. Zsara later clarified that the remark was not intended as a slight against the original members. “I didn’t mean it in a negative way. We’re doing our best to be better because we know how good our ates are. So we know we have to work even harder,” she said. She added that the six-member group follows a disciplined routine, including regular workouts, as they prepare their performances and music. The connection is also personal for Zsara, who said she grew up dancing to Viva Hot Babes songs and even owned one of the group’s CDs. She named Maui Taylor as her favorite among the original members. “Ate Maui has always been my favorite among the Viva Hot Babes. She’s cute, beautiful, and sexy, and she’s also a really good actress,” she said. Directed by Bobby Bonifacio Jr., Viva Hot Babes: Muling Pagbukaka compiles clips from films featuring the original Viva Hot Babes, with Zsara and Queenie de Mesa serving as hosts. The special is now available to stream exclusively on the VMX platform.
While honoring the foundation laid by previous members, the current Hot Babes lineup is actively focused on setting higher benchmarks for the group’s future
LIFE
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TUESDAY, AUGUST 11, 2026
lifeandshow.manilastandard@gmail.com NICKIE WANG, Editor ANGELICA VILLANUEVA, Writer JASPER VALDEZ, Writer
Before your dinner reaches the door, someone has to brave the storm
By Nickie Wang
The Bistro Group extends its hospitality to delivery riders through complimentary refreshments, snacks and designated waiting spaces across its restaurants (AIgenerated image)
W
HEN dark clouds gather and rain starts hammering the streets, the first thing many of us do is check the delivery app and wonder: Will dinner still arrive on time?
N O W & N E out there, X a Somewhere delivery rider is already the answer. T navigating They are out on wet roads,
navigating traffic, waiting for orders, and spending longer hours outside while the rest of us stay dry. A simple food delivery can mean a complicated journey for the person making it happen. That is why I find The Bistro Group’s Rider Hospitality Care Initiative worth paying attention to. The program extends the restaurant group’s hospitality beyond its dining rooms and into the spaces where delivery partners wait for their orders. Across its restaurants nationwide, the initiative provides designated waiting areas, drinking water and snacks, priority assistance with order updates, access to clean restrooms, and charging stations where available. None of these gestures sounds particularly grand. But perhaps that is precisely the point. A dry place to wait when rain is coming down hard. A restroom after hours on the road. Drinking water during a long shift. A chance to charge a phone that is essentially a rider’s lifeline. Small comforts can carry considerable weight when your workplace is a motorcycle and the weather refuses to cooperate. The initiative has also found its way into social media, where delivery partners and content creators have shared their experiences with The Bistro Group’s rider-friendly spaces. Their stories offer a glimpse of an aspect of dining that customers rarely see. We tend to think of food delivery as a transaction: tap an app, place an order, wait for the notification, and open the door. But there is a person in between the
Restaurant hospitality extends to delivery partners through rider-friendly spaces designed to make waiting for orders more comfortable
The initiative focuses on essential everyday needs, providing riders with water, snacks, dedicated seating, and hands-on order assistance
kitchen and our doorstep. As delivery becomes an increasingly familiar part of Filipino dining culture, the people behind those orders deserve consideration, too. Through its #BistroCares initiative, The Bistro Group is trying to create a culture where riders are not simply accommodated because they are picking up an order but welcomed as part of the restaurant community.
Complimentary drinks and snacks are made available to delivery riders as part of a broader effort to recognize their role in the dining experience
And perhaps that is what hospitality should look like when the restaurant doors extend beyond the dining room. Founded in 1994, The Bistro Group operates a portfolio of local and international restaurant concepts, including TGIFridays, Italianni’s, Denny’s, Texas Roadhouse, Fogo de Chao, Morton’s The Steakhouse, Dave & Buster’s, Hard Rock Cafe and Randy’s Donuts.
The restaurant group provides dedicated spaces where delivery partners can access refreshments and rest between trips.
Participating restaurants provide delivery partners with small comforts while they wait for customer orders during their shifts
Its local concepts include Siklab and Krazy Garlik, while its portfolio also includes Asian and Spanish dining brands. The group’s culinary portfolio also includes concepts led by corporate executive chef Josh Boutwood. In 2025, the Michelin Guide awarded Helm two Michelin stars, while The Test Kitchen, Ember, and Juniper were recognized as Michelin Selected.
The Bistro Group was acquired by Inoza Business Holdings Inc. in 2025, adding corporate backing to its expanding restaurant portfolio. Yet behind the menus, Michelin stars, and growing restaurant empire are people waiting outside in the rain to make sure our dinner gets to us. Sometimes, better hospitality starts with simply giving them a place to sit.
Zhou Guanyu shifts gears as Tommy Hilfiger’s newest global brand ambassador
The 57th Ronald McDonald Bahay Bulilit Learning Center in Marikina City provides a safe environment for young children to develop foundational skills before entering formal school
Marikina preschool opens new chapter for working families FOR tricycle driver Monica Dela Cruz, putting food on the table while giving her three children a good education is a daily balancing act. The Barangay Sto. Niño resident spends long hours on the road as her family’s primary breadwinner. This year, her three-year-old son is starting preschool, bringing a fresh set of hopes and responsibilities. Her story mirrors the struggles of many Filipino families who work hard to provide for their children while seeking access to quality early childhood education. To help address that need, McDonald’s Philippines and Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) Philippines inaugurated the 57th Ronald McDonald Bahay Bulilit Learning Center on June 26 in Barangay Sto. Niño, Marikina City. The center offers young children a safe and nurturing environment where they can develop foundational literacy, numeracy, and socio-emotional skills before entering formal school. Marie Angeles, executive director of RMHC Philippines, said education remains central to the organization’s community work.
“For us at McDonald’s and RMHC, making a difference in communities, especially through education, has and will always be part of who we are and what we do—from early childhood education all the way to preparing students to be workforce ready,” Angeles said. Marikina Mayor Marjorie Ann “Maan” Teodoro welcomed the initiative, saying the center would help make quality early childhood education more accessible to local children. For Dela Cruz, the learning center offers something deeply practical: peace of mind. “Malaki talaga ang pasasalamat ko sa McDonald’s Philippines at Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) Philippines sa pagbigay ng Bahay Bulilit Learning Center sa Brgy. Sto. Niño, sa Marikina sapagkat matitiyak kong makakatanggap ng tamang edukasyon ang aking bunsong anak,” she said. With 57 Bahay Bulilit learning centers now operating nationwide, RMHC Philippines continues to expand access to early childhood education, giving families like Dela Cruz’s a little more room to dream about what comes next.
FORMULA 1 reserve driver Zhou Guanyu is adding a new title to his racing résumé: global fashion ambassador. Tommy Hilfiger has named Zhou, China’s first Formula 1 driver, as its newest global brand ambassador, expanding the fashion house’s partnership with the Cadillac Formula 1 Team. Zhou, who currently serves as Cadillac’s reserve driver, joins the brand as it continues to blend motorsport, fashion, and entertainment. “Zhou Guanyu represents a new generation of talent with influence that reaches far beyond the racetrack,” Tommy Hilfiger said. “What excites me most is the way he approaches style—with confidence, individuality, and authenticity.” Zhou said fashion has long been part of his identity, describing clothing as a way to communicate without words. “For decades, Tommy Hilfiger has helped show the personality beyond the helmet, opening the door for individuality to become part of the sport,” Zhou said. “I’m proud to be part of that legacy and to represent the brand on and off the track.” The partnership also puts Zhou alongside fellow Cadillac F1 driver Sergio “Checo” Pérez as a Tommy Hilfiger brand ambassador. He follows previous sporting collaborators, including Lewis Hamilton, Rafael Nadal, and Thierry Henry. As F1 continues to attract a younger, fashion-conscious audience, Zhou’s influence could give Tommy Hilfiger another route into the fast-growing overlap between
racing and pop culture. In the Philippines, Tommy Hilfiger is exclusively distributed by Stores Specialists Inc., with stores at Central Square, Bonifacio High Street Central, Alabang Town Center, Ayala Center Cebu, Marquee Mall, TriNoma, Mall of Asia, Greenbelt 5, Newport Mall, Rustan’s Makati, Rustan’s Shangri-La, Tommy Jeans Robinsons Place Manila and Tommy Hilfiger Rockwell. The brand is also available through Rustans. com, Zalora, and Lazada.