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Monday, August 25, 2025 Vol. 20 No. 316
P25.00 nationwide | 2 sections 18 pages | 7 DAYS A WEEK
By Cai U. Ordinario @caiordinario
MILDER typhoon season and stronger consumption could lead to faster economic growth to 5.8 percent in the third quarter, according to the University of Asia and the Pacific (UA&P). In the latest Market Call report, UA&P said the country’s GDP growth is expected to be buttressed by strong consumption spending boosted by slowing inflation. This expectation is within the 5.5 percent to 6.5 percent projection of the Development Budget Coordination Committee (DBCC). In the first semester, GDP growth averaged 5.4 percent.
“Less destructive typhoons and monsoon rains coupled with belowtarget inflation average of 1.2 percent in Q3 [third quarter] should further boost consumer spending, even as infrastructure works accelerate,” Market Call stated. The positive outlook for the farm sector in the third quarter was evident in the sector’s second quarter performance based on data from the See “5.8%,” A2
‘DIM’ OUTLOOK FOR U.S.-BOUND EXPORTS TO AFFECT OTHERS By Andrea E. San Juan
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@andreasanjuan
HE “dim” outlook for Philippine shipments bound for the United States this year may also affect the country’s overall export performance as Philippine exporters are unsure if they can easily penetrate other markets aside from the US, according to the head of Philippine Exporters Confederation Inc. (Philexport). “The dim outlook is for the US market, but it can affect the total,” Philexport President Sergio R. Ortiz-Luis Jr. told reporters on the sidelines of the recent
Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s (PCCI) 2nd General Membership Meeting in Makati City. While “diversification” of export markets is the ultimate strategy that the government eyes to cushion the impact of the reciprocal tariff imposed by Washington, the Philexport chief said this strategy is “Easier said than done” because, “For the last 20 years, we’ve been trying to diversify. But there’s no fund. There’s no support. Unlike our neighbors who do research and development, who do research on policies.” See “DIM,” A2
PRESIDENT Marcos Jr. inspects the extent of erosion near the rock shed in Camp 6, Tuba, Banguet, on Sunday (August 24, 2025). There are fears the 152-meter rockshed, a P264-million tunnel of prefabricated material built to serve as a catchment for debris falling from the mountain slope and as part of the initiative to eventually make the famous Kennon Road an all-weather road, has been rendered unstable by the erosion. The President was joined in the inspection by Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong. PHOTO BY REDGIE CAWIS/PIA-CAR
Unstable Benguet rockshed dismays PBBM
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By Marilou Guieb
AGUIO CITY—President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Sunday expressed disappointment as he inspected the rockshed at Camp 6 in Tuba, Benguet, which has been deemed unstable mere months after it was completed. He said that this is about the fifth inspection he has made and in exasperation he blurted out, “ It’s always the same.” The 152-meter rockshed is a P264-million tunnel of prefabricated material which was built to serve as a catchment for debris falling from the mountain slope and as part of the initiative to eventually make the famous Kennon Road an all-weather road. While the rockshed itself is intact, the series of typhoons and the ensuing habagat in July caused a massive landslide which eroded an existing slope protection of the road near and partly beneath where the rockshed stands—a situation which may cause its collapse. Marcos said the eroded part of the road holding the tunnel that was washed away is the most important part, and blamed it on the design of the
slope protection which was built too thin and too small. Because of this, he said, the water seeped in and when the water was too heavy, it washed away everything. “This was all destroyed because of the land/rock slide here,” he said. “Now the project cost us P260 million, more or less. That money spent for this project had no effect whatsoever as to protect the slope. Parang walang ginawa. Pareho lang kung wala sila tinayo, wala silang ginawang slope protection, wala silang ginawang riprap, ganun din ang nangyari [It’s as if nothing was done; they did no slope protection, they did no riprap, the outcome is the same],” he said. So this is why, he said, the value of their work is zero, a complete zero. “And here is the other thing that. I keep talking about—the economic sabotage,” he said. Marcos claimed that in talking to local officials on the effects on businesses by the closure of the road, he learned that 30 to 35 percent is lost in terms of business. “It is not only the physical damage that we see but the damage to the economy, to people’s livelihood,” he said. He bemoaned that 35 percent then goes to the
pockets of the unscrupulous. “35 percent ng kanilang hanapbuhay para ibulsa ang pera.” Because of this Marcos said that he is committed to fix the situation. “I will not leave office until I fix this,“ he said The President was further distressed to note that the estimate for fixing the problem will cost the government twice its original P260-million budget. “To correct this it will cause double that. That’s my topof-the-head estimate. This will cost P500 million,” he said. He said the damage and repair needed goes all the way under the tunnel. “So how can you tell me that it is not economic sabotage?” he repeated. Marcos, who also went to inspect the rocknetting projects in Camp 3 in Tuba, Benguet, said that because of the notorious reputation of corruption in such projects, it has been stopped but that these projects continued to be pursued anyway. Other than that, Marcos claimed that coming from the supplier whom he knows, the price of rock net is P3,200 per meter. But the government was charged more than P12,000. “ So that’s times four or 75 percent kickback that we are facing,” he said. Engr. Arnold Dacwag of the Planning Division
of the Department of Public Works and Highways in the Cordillera (DPWH-CAR) softened the pronouncement of the President that what may be needed to repair the eroded portion of the road would be an estimate of P100 million which they will request from the national DRRM calamity fund. The eroded portion holding the rockshed stretches some 60 meters and was an existing slope protection built sometime in 2000. “That’s been 15 years,“ he said, implying that time, and weather conditions could have caused the disaster. The recent habagat is the culprit, plus he suspects the tunnels of the old Black Mountain mining company that has since closed. On the rocknetting controversy, Dacwag said, it is possible that the President must have been referring to gabion with a tensile strength of only 450 compared to rock net with tensile strength of about 1700. Marcos also said that he will reinstitute the standard practice of projects gaining formal acceptance from the local government where the project is being implemented. He said abuses are being done because the system is being changed.
PESO EXCHANGE RATES n US 57.2280 n JAPAN 0.3858 n UK 76.7599 n HK 7.3237 n CHINA 7.9703 n SINGAPORE 44.4179 n AUSTRALIA 36.7289 n EU 66.4474 n KOREA 0.0409 n SAUDI ARABIA 15.2498 Source: BSP (August 22, 2025)