NVESTOR appetite remains intact in the energy sector amid corruption issues, energy officials said over the weekend. Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Sharon Garin said she is “very bullish” on energy investments as the administration demands transparency, fairness, and accountability.
“That’s shown by our GEA [green energy auction] over-subscription. It’s also shown during these past two days, the many meetings we’ve had of many investors from all over the world wanting to invest in the Philippines. So I think it’s still a very posi-
by 273,377 percent year-on-year. In contrast, amortization for foreign debt dropped by 57.99
By Samuel P. Medenilla @sam_medenilla
GYEONGJU, South Ko-
rea—While the push for artificial intelligence (AI) mainstreaming and addressing demographic shifts united Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) member-countries, the goal of upholding a “multilateral trade system” has split the regional economic bloc in their recent joint declaration.
On the last day of the 32nd Apec Summit in South Korea, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. together with other state leaders and participants of the regional economic bloc approved and issued the Gyeongju Declaration.
The new document, which was approved by consensus, highlighted the potential role of AI for enhancing industrial competitiveness and strengthening economic growth across sectors as well as other pressing matters in the Asia Pacific.
Marcos said the declaration was the result of a “very productive meeting” at the 32nd Apec summit.
To help in the wide-scale adoption of the new technology, Apec called for active coordination between the public and the private sectors to make sure its regulatory regimes are conducive to its development and deployment.
“We recognize the potential of AI to fundamentally reshape economies worldwide by unlocking new
frontiers for innovation, enhanced productivity, improved competitiveness, economic prosperity and resilience,” the declaration read.
“We hereby endorse the Apec AI Initiative as a joint step toward advancing successful AI transformation within Apec, building AI capacities at all levels, including through regional cooperation, and cultivating an investment ecosystem for resilient AI infrastructure,” it added.
Sweeping changes PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said he backed the Apec position on AI since it provides guidance to other countries on what possible policies to adopt for the new technology.
He likened AI to a wave that will sweep away countries that fail to adopt it.
“And if you don’t learn how to swim, i.e. if you do not learn how to use AI in the best way, and in a secure way, and in a benevolent way, you will be left behind,” he said in Filipino in a press conference in South Korea on Saturday. When asked about the extent of AI adoption he would allow in the government, Marcos said it was still not “clear yet” since the matter is still under study.
“We have to talk to the experts. We have not only Filipinos, we have to talk to everybody, the whole world. And try and find out, again,
tive, and I don’t think it’s anything to worry about as far as energy is concerned,” Garin, who attended the Singapore International Energy Week last week, said. In fact, Garin said Abu Dhabi has expressed keen interest to invest in the country’s energy sector. “We were talking to Abu Dhabi, a Middle Eastern country, and they wanted to check if they can also invest in upstream in the Philippines. So I think they are aware it’s private-driven, and it’s not about corruption per se. So it’s more like we’re just establishing ourselves as a good policy makers as far as energy is concerned,” said the energy chief.
DOE Undersecretary Felix William
By Samuel P. Medenilla @sam_medenilla
ture sector started in the second half of the year.
South Korea— Business confidence in the Philippines has “returned” as the government intensifies its campaign against anomalies in public
corrupt practices in the infrastruc-
In an interview with reporters after the 32nd Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) Summit in South Korea, Marcos said his initiative to expose corruption in flood control projects and other public works has improved the country’s reputation abroad as a credible investment destination.
“The level of confidence in the Philippine economy and in the Philippine government as the leader and the guider of the economy is
restored,” Marcos said. He made the statement when asked for a reaction to the remarks of American businessmen, who said they will still invest in the country despite corruption issues in the Philippines.
The President earlier created the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) to investigate public works irregularities.
“If the government were doing nothing about it, I would guess he wouldn’t say the same thing,” Marcos said.
Data from the Philippine Eco
and
MGen: Pragmatic approach
MERALCO PowerGen Corp. (MGen), the power generation arm of Meralco, said the DOE’s decision provides a pragmatic approach to balancing the country’s energy transition with the realities of the country’s supply reliability.
“By allowing limited exemptions for off-grid areas, industrial own-use, and critical mineral processing, the policy recognizes the need for dependable baseload power in regions still facing transmission and supply constraints,” said MGen President Emmanuel Rubio.
He cited Mindanao’s power exports to the Visayas that have declined significantly—from 359 megawatts (MW) in May to 164 MW in September—due to higher local demand, while the Visayas grid continues to rely almost continuously on Luzon imports. These shifts, Rubio said, highlight tightening supply margins and the need for a diversified energy strategy across the islands.
In this light, LNG and RE should be pursued where technically and economically viable, with renewable deployment tailored to the demand and resource profiles of each area. Coal, on the other hand, should be considered only when no other reliable or cost-effective alternative is available, and always under strict transition timelines as the DOE mandates.
“While the advisory rightly provides flexibility for energy security, it also underscores the importance of using this policy window to accelerate investment in cleaner, more flexible technologies—particularly LNG, renewables, and storage—so that coal exemptions truly serve as a bridge, not a fallback,” said Rubio.
Sliding consumer goods, car sales may slow Q3 growth
By Andrea E. San Juan @andreasanjuan
DECLINING
sales of passenger cars and consumer goods imports may have slowed the growth of the Philippine economy in the third quarter, according to ANZ Research.
ANZ Research also noted that the ongoing corruption probe is likely to weigh on public infrastructure spending from fourth quarter onwards.
“We expect GDP growth to ease marginally to 5.3 percent year-onyear in Q3 2025, down from 5.5 percent in Q2,” ANZ Research said.
Leading indicators, it noted, suggest a “moderation” in private consumption, with both passenger car sales and consumer goods imports showing signs of softening.
“Intermediate goods imports declined for a second consecutive quarter, pointing to weaker underlying demand,” ANZ Research noted.
Latest data from the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers Association of the Philippines Inc. (Campi)
and the Truck Manufacturers Association (TMA) showed that the number of sold passenger cars in the country continued to plummet, contracting by 23.6 percent with this segment selling only 69,306 units in the January to September 2025 period, compared to the 90,765 units sold in the ninemonth period in 2024.
Meanwhile, ANZ Research said while capital goods imports remained elevated, the impact of ongoing corruption investigations is likely to weigh on public infrastructure spending from Q4 onwards.
Another factor that could have crimped the country’s growth in the third quarter was the “subdued” business sentiment, which ANZ Research said indicates a “modest” growth in
overall investments.
On the external front, meanwhile, it highlighted that goods exports remained supported by electronics products exports and outpaced imports in the third quarter, likely resulting in a “positive” net exports contribution to third quarter growth.
The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) will present the 2025 Third Quarter Performance of the Philippine economy on November 7, 2025.
In its latest Market Call report, the University of Asia and the Pacific (UA&P) has projected the country’s economy to slow down to a 5.2 percent pace in the third quarter due to “more weather disturbances and the popular uproar over the flood control corruption controversy.”
In an interview with reporters two weeks ago, Department of Economy, Planning and Development (DEPDev) Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan said he sees “a bit of a slowdown” in the economy in the third quarter due to supply shocks such as typhoons and work suspensions.
However, the country’s socioeconomic planning chief is hoping that the economy’s growth rate in the third quarter will not be slower than the 5.5 percent posted in the second quarter.
As for the country’s Headline CPI inflation for October, ANZ Research expects it to have risen to 1.9 percent from the 1.7 percent in September.
“The increase was likely driven by higher electricity and retail fuel prices, while food prices— particularly vegetables, fish and meat—are expected to have stabilized following earlier weatherrelated disruptions,” it said.
Last week, Garin stressed the importance of aligned policies within neighboring countries to unlock the full potential of a regional power grid interconnection.
Fuentebella said the DOE’s recent endorsement for three more petroleum service contracts (PSCs) to the Office of the President reflects the strong investor interest in the country’s oil and gas sector.
“There’s also an interest upstream, especially after the signing of the eight service contracts. And there are three more additional that the DOE worked on. There’s another three more in the works,” he said. “And as far as policies are concerned, they also told us that the policies in the Philippines, the fundamentals are in place. So it’s very predictable,” he added.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. earlier signed eight new PSCs covering exploration areas across the Sulu Sea, Cagayan, Cebu, Northwest Palawan, East Palawan and Central Luzon. The eight awarded PSCs represent a potential investment commitment of around $207 million over a seven-year exploration period.
The Asean Power Grid interconnected system will drive the transition toward a cleaner, resilient, and sustainable energy future, where progress and prosperity are shared equitably across the member-states. To achieve this, Garin said cooperation must go beyond building physical links. “We must align our national policies to ensure systems can operate seamlessly across borders. Harmonized technical standards, compatible market mechanisms, clear investment frameworks, and stable cross-border governance from the foundation of our collective progress,” she said.
Garin also said the Philippines continues to explore a bilateral power interconnection with Malaysia—its first potential link to the regional grid. “We would like to explore the possibly of connecting the Philippines to Malysia, and in doing so, the rest of the region. This will take technical, financial, legal, and policy groundwork, but the building blocks are already being laid.”
P196.482 billion was paid to foreign creditors.
percent to P8.263 billion from a year earlier.
Meanwhile, interest payments in September grew by 10.63 percent to P81.704 billion from P73.852 billion in the same month last year.
The government’s domestic interest payments went up by 17.80 percent to P65.271 billion, while interest on foreign debt declined by 10.91 percent to P16.433 billion.
Michael L. Ricafort, chief economist at Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation (RCBC) attributed the sharp rise in September’s debt servicing to the maturity of large Treasury bond issuances during the month.
Data from the Treasury showed there were some P237.786 billion worth of benchmark bonds and P141.3 billion worth of Treasury bills that matured in September this year.
From January to September, total debt servicing reached P1.868 trillion, up by 13.68 percent from P1.643 trillion in the same period last year.
The amount already represents 90.97 percent of the government’s P2.054-trillion full-year debt service program. Broken down, amortization payments to both domestic and external sources climbed by 13.43 percent to P1.202 trillion from last year’s P1.060 trillion.
Of this amount, P1.006 trillion went to local lenders, while
those two things,” he said.
Earlier this year, the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) issued the National AI Strategy Roadmap, which contains the proposed infrastructure, workforce requirements, innovation, ethics and policy, and deployment for the adoption of AI. The roadmap will be implemented in phases.
Aside from Apec’s adoption of AI, other highlights of the Gyeongju Declaration also called for an enabling business environment for micro, small, and medium (MSMEs) and startups, and the proposed holistic and inter-generational policies to address declining birth rates. It also pushed for coordinated global efforts on energy, food security, environment, extreme weather crisis, and climate change.
Apec recognized the important role of natural gas and liquified natural gas (LNG) in providing sustainable, secure, affordable and reliable energy.
Multilateral trade THE new document, however, omitted the language affirming shared a commitment to uphold the “rules-based multilateral trade system,” which is the core mandate of the World Trade Organization (WTO). The statement has been included in Apec declarations between 2021 to 2024.
Marcos said many Apec leaders have expressed concern on prevailing trends, where some countries have gone against the rules-based multilateral trade system.
This, after the United States started imposing higher tariffs on other countries, which resulted in its trade war with China.
“The fear that everyone is feeling now is that the principles and the strictures that guided the creation of WTO are no longer in place or at least no longer effective,” Marcos said. In his intervention during the recently concluded APEC summit, the President urged countries to support the restoration of WTO’s dispute settlement power to bring order to global trade.
“WTO will help us open markets between countries. And that’s not what we’re not. The trend now is the opposite, it’s closing markets. Now China is the one who says, let’s open more markets,” Marcos said.
In response to the global trend, he said the country is now eyeing to engage trade agreements with its nontraditional partners like Chile and Mexico.
Brief meeting
On the other hand, interest payments for the nine-month period also increased by 14.15 percent to P665.849 billion, compared to the P583.293 billion a year earlier.
Most of these payments were made to domestic creditors, which grew by 14.40 percent to P1.006 trillion, while those to external lenders increased by 8.69 percent to P196.482 billion.
For the remaining months of the year, Ricafort said there are no more large Treasury bond maturities that could lead to lower debt servicing.
Ricafort added that the reduction in interest rates by the US Federal Reserve and the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) since the latter part of 2024 could help reduce the government’s debt servicing.
“But offset by higher US dollar/peso exchange rate in recent months that could lead to higher debt servicing of foreign debts as they fall due,” Ricafort noted. The government’s financing program amounts to P2.6 trillion this year—a sum meant to plug its projected budget deficit of P1.561 trillion. So far, P2.394 trillion has been borrowed as of the end of September, mostly sourced domestically.
As of end-September this year, the government’s outstanding debt reached P17.455 trillion, of which P11.972 trillion was owed to domestic sources while P5.482 trillion was borrowed from external lenders.
LAST Thursday, US President Donald Trump met with Xi, and they agreed to roll back some of the trade restrictions between Washington and Beijing. Trump opted to not participate in the Apec Leaders’ Summit this year. Xi decided to attend the forum for the turnover ceremony for the Apec Summit next year, which will be hosted by China, and push for multilateral trade. He said both the US and China have decided to defer further trade-related hostilities for at least a year.
“The best information I got says that they have declared peace for at least a year. So, the trade war will be less intense at least for a year. Or at least that’s the agreement. And, you know, when they told us that, they talked about it for a year. We hope it lasts a year,” Marcos said partly in Filipino.
Marcos was able to briefly meet with Xi after the turnover ceremony and before the Apec Leaders’ retreat, where he decided to wish the Chinese state well in his hosting of the Apec Summit next year as common courtesy.
“But when we came to the end [of the, I said, it’s embarrassing. I haven’t even said hello yet. Maybe if I say something, I might offend. So I tried to go to him. I said, congratulations on your assumption of the chair for the following Apec,” he said.
“And I hope to do good work together with you. That’s it. It was really brief. Really brief,” he added. He said he did not discuss the issue of China’s encroachment in the West Philippine Sea since Apec was not the right venue to discuss it.
“This is Apec. It’s an economic meeting. We don’t talk, we don’t really talk about such issues,” Marcos said.
Marcos gives ICI unlimited access to government records
By Samuel P. Medenilla @sam_medenilla
THE Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) has unlimited access to government records in its ongoing investigation of alleged anomalies in public works project particularly those involving flood control.
President Marcos made the assurance when he reiterated that the Executive department has no influence on the factfinding body aside from the appointment of its three Commissioners and allocatiion of its budget. “Funding is important, but the biggest, I think, the most important promise I made to them is that any single item of
information that you require from any department in the Executive [branch], you have it,” Marcos said.
“No questions, no subpoena, no nothing. You have it. As long as they request it from us, we will provide it to them,” he added.
As to the total funding needed for the operation of ICI, the President said the amount is yet to be finalized, but he noted
it will not be a big amount since it will be for staffing and office equipment expenses.
He said the ICI is still in the process of creating its departments to do research, investigation and forensic accounting.
“The number keeps changing. So, but we can provide some. I don’t know what the latest numbers are,” Marcos said.
“It’s a work in progress. That’s the best
PHL starts process to have submarine fleet
GYEONGJU, South Korea—The construction of a submarine base and a modular nuclear reactor, as well as the expansion of an electronic component manufacturing company, were among the investments pledges received by President Marcos during the sidelines of the concluded 2025 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) Summit in here. Marcos was also able to secure updates on the pending free trade agreement with Chile, which is expected to boost the Philippines’ trade with the Latin American country.
The Chief Executive met with Hanwha Ocean to discuss the shipbuilding giant’s proposal to build a submarine base, as
DSWD seeks foster parents
THE National Authority for Child Care (NACC), an attached agency of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), is calling on more Filipino families to consider becoming foster parents and provide temporary care to abandoned, neglected, or abused children in need of a nurturing home.
NACC Director Imelda Ronda, in a statement, said that more than 1,000 licensed foster parents all over the country are currently qualified to care for children who have been abandoned, surrendered, neglected, or exploited.
“Foster care is a temporary arrangement where licensed foster parents provide care for children who have been abandoned, neglected, or abused and have no parents to look after them,” Ronda explained.
Under Republic Act 10165, or the Foster Care Act of 2012, the State is mandated to provide children with assistance and special protection from all forms of neglect, abuse, cruelty, exploitation, and other conditions harmful to their development.
The law also safeguards the rights of the biological children of foster families, ensuring that they will not be disadvantaged by the presence of a foster child. Children under foster care also receive a monthly subsidy—P8,000 for healthy children and P10,000 for those with special needs. However, the NACC is studying the possibility of proposing amendments to the law to increase the subsidy.
“NACC is exploring the possibility of proposing amendments to increase the subsidy, considering today’s high cost of living, especially when the child is already studying,” Ronda said.
Ronda further emphasized that the foster parent application process is inclusive and open to all qualified individuals. Married couples, solo applicants, and members of the LGBTQ+ community may all apply, provided they undergo a thorough assessment by social workers to determine their capacity to properly care for a child.
So far, more than 700 children have been placed under the temporary care of licensed foster parents through NACC.
Foster care not only benefits children in need of nurturing but also parents who are willing to share their homes, like couple Vanessa Grace and Donn Albert Torres, who began fostering in 2021.
“There was just so much love to give. That’s really on top of our list,” said Albert. “We went through past misfortunes, including miscarriages, but we wanted to share our love. Fostering, for us, is both devotion and advocacy.”
Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz
well as the needed maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) center for submarine operation.
The plan will also include the training of Filipino naval operators, maintainers, and commanders for the manpower needs of both facilities.
The Philippines is one of the few navies without submarines in Asia.
Marcos also met DL Group with the subsidiary, DL E&C, which is partnering with the Manila Electric Company (Meralco) to pursue small modular reactor (SMR) projects.
Meralco tapped the United States-based Ultra Safe Nuclear Cooperation (USNC) to conduct the pre-feasibility Study on Micro-
Modular Reactors (MMRs).
The inclusion of nuclear energy in the country’s energy mix are among the priorities of the Marcos administration.
The President also witnessed the signing of the supplemental agreement between the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (Peza) and Samsung Electro-Mechanics Philippines Corporation (Semphil) for the P50.7 billion expansion of its manufacturing operations in Calamba, Laguna.
The expansion is expected to generate more than 3,000 new high-technology jobs.
Malacañang welcomed the initiative, which it said will “strengthen the Philippines’ role in the global electronics and electronic vehicle supply chain.”
During his meeting with Chilean President Gabriel Boric, Marcos called for the completion of the Philippines-Chile Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (Cepa).
If finalized, it will be the Philippines’ first free trade agreement in Latin America. “Both leaders agreed to facilitate the signing of the agreement by the end of this year. Manila hosted the third round of negotiations for the agreement in October,” the Palace said.
Chile is not among the country’s top 10 trading partners. However, last year total trade between Philippines and Chile rose to P334.1 million last year from just P141.2 million in 2023. Samuel
Customs seizes ₧42.5-M shabu at Naia
By Reine Juvierre S. Alberto @reine_alberto
HE Bureau of Customs (BOC)
Thas seized an estimated P42.5 million worth of suspected methamphetamine hydrochloride, or shabu, from an arriving passenger from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) Terminal 3. In a statement on Sunday, the BOC said its agents, along with airport security personnel and Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (Pdea) operatives, intercepted the illegal drugs weighing 6,250 grams on October 28, 2025.
The BOC said suspicious images were detected by the BOC’s x-ray technicians
in the passenger’s hand-carried baggage during a routine screening at the arrival area.
Further inspection and field testing using a Raman Spectrometer revealed the contents tested positive for methamphetamine hydrochloride or shabu.
The BOC said the arrested passenger and the seized contraband have been turned over to the Pdea for further investigation and filing of charges.
Customs Commissioner Ariel F. Nepomuceno commended the vigilance of the BOC-Naia operatives and underscored the BOC’s commitment to the administration’s anti-smuggling and anti-drug campaign.
“This operation underscores the Bureau’s firm commitment to securing our borders
and protecting the nation from illegal drugs. Following the President’s directive, we will further strengthen our enforcement efforts in coordination with our partner agencies,” Nepomuceno said.
“BOC-Naia continues to strengthen border protection efforts in line with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s call for transparency, integrity, and decisive action against smuggling and illicit trade,” the BOC added.
This adds up to the BOC’s seizure of illegal drugs valued at P4.562 billion as of the end of August.
The BOC has carried out 653 seizure operations from January to August this year, confiscating a total of P34.725 billion worth of illicit items.
FMJr: No riots in anti-corruption rallies please
PRESIDENT Marcos is wary of a possible repeat of violence during the anti-corruption protest in September, which resulted in injuries and damage to propertu, in the protest action scheduled later this month.
Marcos urged the organizers and the participants in the mass actions scheduled on November 30 to be peaceful.
“They should remove [violence] from their minds. It will not result in anything [good]. It will cause some people to be hurt, including those who will accompany them or even the police, who have nothing
to do [with corruption] and are only there to control the crowd and maintain order,” the Chief Executive said in a news conference after the 32nd Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) Summit in South Korea.
During the protest in September, some of the protesters were carrying molotovs (gasoline bombs), which they used when they tried to infiltrate the Malacañang grounds.
The violence during that mass action resulted in at least 93 police casualties.
Marcos called out those responsible for
the said incident.
“What demonstrator goes to a demonstration with molotov cocktails that are not intending to cause trouble or to hurt people?,” he said.
“Those are the people that we are worried about. And those are the people that we are watching out for. We have a good idea of who they are. And I hope that they don’t [repeat] the acts of violence,” he said.
The Kilusang Bayan Kontra Korakot, a coalition of youth, religious, labor, healthcare, and senior citizens, organized the said demonstration. Samuel P. Medenilla
Legislators: Hire more mental health experts in government schools
By Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz @joveemarie
ADEPUTY minority leader of the House of Representatives is urging the government to allocate a larger budget for the hiring and deployment of guidance counselors and mental health professionals in all public elementary and high schools, as well as in state universities and colleges (SUCs), to help address the growing mental health crisis and the alarming rise in campus bullying and suicides.
House Deputy Minority Leader Luigi Villafuerte said the 20th Congress should prioritize legislation that institutionalizes the hiring of licensed mental health experts to provide counseling services to students.
“The 20th Congress can best deal with this serious concern by writing new legislation to institutionalize the hiring of mental health experts for counselling students in schools, in the hope of arresting not only the increasing rates of depression, anxiety, and even self-harm or suicidal ideation among young Filipinos, but also campus bullying as well,” he said.
The Camarines Sur lawmaker made the appeal following Education Secretary Juan Edgardo Angara’s proposal for a higher budget to create more positions for counselor associates who can help students cope with mental health challenges, including bullying.
For 2026, the Department of Education (DepEd) has proposed over P2 billion to hire 10,000 School Counselor Associates (SCA I), a move intended to strengthen mental health and well-being support for students.
According to Angara, bullying cases in schools rose to 2,500 incidents in School Year 2024–2025, up from 2,268 the previous year. To fund the hiring of more counselor associates, the DepEd even abolished more than 4,000 other positions.
Villafuerte emphasized that the growing mental health crisis among students— fueled by academic pressure, cyberbullying, and risks from digital technology—calls for urgent intervention.
“With the psychological well-being of our adolescents and young people emerging as a critical public health issue—apparently aggravated by academic pressures, cyberbullying, and other risks
way I could put it. It’s a work in progress. We are, again, committed to provide whatever funding is necessary,” he added.
Marcos also defended the legality of the ICI, which he created through Executive Order 94 to investigate and file charges against those involved in anomalous governent projects.
spawned by digital technologies—licensed professionals should be assigned to every public school and SUC campus to ensure that our students have available and ready access in school to professional counselling, early intervention, and emotional support from these professionals or experts,” Villafuerte said.
Under his proposed measure, House Bill 163, or the Mental Health and Digital Wellbeing for Youth Act of 2025, Villafuerte seeks to deploy psychologists, guidance counselors, and psychiatric nurses to every public high school and SUC within three years, in coordination with the DepEd, Department of Health (DOH), and the Commission on Higher Education (CHED).
The bill also mandates annual mental health screenings, safe spaces for emotional processing, and training programs for teachers on trauma-informed and empathybased approaches.
Villafuerte filed HB 163 following President Marcos’ directive for the DepEd to work with the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the National Police (PNP) in investigating the recent spike in
Last week, John T. Tayam, a private citizen, filed a petition before the Supreme Court questioning the legality of the ICI. Marcos said he was not surprised by the attempts to challenge the legality of the EO 94, but he said they will address the said cases.
“The SolGen [Solicitor General] will defend our position [on the ICI] in the Supreme Court,” he said.
Tropical Storm Tino may develop into super typhoon–Pagasa
By Jonathan L. Mayuga @jonlmayuga
KALMAEGI, a severe weather disturbance, has entered the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) and is threatening parts of the Visayas, and Mindanao in the next 48 hours, the xstateweather bureau reported.
The Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) reported that Kalmaegi, now named Tropical Storm Tino, is affecting Eastern Samar in the Visayas and Dinagat Islands, Siargao and Bucas Grande Island in Mindanao. Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal 1 was in effect in these areas as of 11 a.m. on Sunday.
Pagasa said Tino eventually developing into a super typhoon is not yet ruled out. The highest Wind Signal that will likely be hoisted throughout its passage is Wind Signal 4.
The surge of the Northeast Monsoon, coinciding with the passage of Tino will also bring strong to gale-force gusts over the following areas not under Wind Signal, especially in coastal and upland areas exposed to winds, PAGASA said in its 11 a.m. Tropical Cyclone Bulletin.
Heavy rain is forecast to affect Batanes, Babuyan Islands, Ilocos Norte, the northern and eastern portion of Cagayan, the eastern portion of Isabela, Aurora, Quezon, Lubang Islands, Marinduque, Calaguas Islands, and Caluya Islands on Sunday while most of Cagayan Valley, most of Cordillera Administrative Region, Ilocos Norte, Aurora, Bulacan, Bataan, Metro Manila, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, and Bicol Region will experience heavy rain on Monday.
TBy Rex Anthony Naval
HE Philippines on Saturday assumed the chairmanship of the Asean Defence Ministers’ Meeting (ADMM) and ADMM-Plus from Malaysia.
This was after a ceremonial handover held at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, marking a new chapter in Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ collective efforts to advance regional security and cooperation.
The ceremony concluded Malaysia’s successful leadership of the 19th ADMM and 12th ADMM-Plus, and ushered in the Philippines’ chairmanship for 2026 under the theme “Navigating our Future, Together.”
In a statement, National Defense Secretary (SND) Gilberto Teodoro Jr. congratulated Malaysia’s Minister of Defence, Dato’ Seri Mohamed Khaled bin Nordin, for his strong leadership and the Ministry’s effective chairmanship.
Teodoro commended Malaysia for steering Asean’s defense cooperation with vision and inclusivity, noting that the initiatives achieved under its term will serve as an important foundation for the Philippines’ leadership next year.
Building on this momentum, Teodoro reaffirmed the Philippines’ commitment to continuity and collaboration, echoing President Marcos’ remarks during the Ceremony and Handing Over of the Asean Chairmanship earlier this week: “Our goal is not to diverge from past chairmanships, but to build upon the collective work of our predecessors.”
Teodoro also said the Philippines “commits to work with our fellow Member States and Dialogue Partners towards our shared aspiration for a peaceful, stable, and
Pagasa said because of the inclement weather, there is a potential risk of coastal flooding due to storm surge associated with Tinio over lowlying and coastal localities in Visayas and several portions of Southern Luzon and Mindanao.
“The risk of storm surge is higher in areas closer to the projected path of Tinio, especially those situated slightly to the north of the track. A Storm Surge Warning will be issued within the day in anticipation of this impending threat,” Pagasa added.
At 11 a.m., Tino was spotted 995 km east of Eastern Visayas. It is moving westward at 30 kmh and is packing maximum sustained winds of 85 km/h near the center and gustiness of up to 105 kmh.
Pagasa said Tino will move generally westward over the next three days and make its initial landfall over Eastern Samar or Dinagat Islands tomorrow night or Tuesday morning.
Tino is forecast to traverse Visayas and northern Palawan before emerging over the West Philippine Sea on Wednesday morning or afternoon. Pagasa added that Tino is forecast to continuously intensify and may reach typhoon category within the next 24 hours and will likely make its initial landfall at or near peak intensity with a strength of 150-155 kmh maximum winds.
“Rapid intensification within the next 48 hours is likely. The possibility of reaching the super typhoon category is not ruled out based on alternate scenarios and climatological data. While the passage over the country will trigger a slight weakening, Tinio is expected to remain as a typhoon throughout its passage over the country,” it said.
prosperous Southeast Asia and the broader Indo-Pacific Region.”
He emphasized that unity, trust, and solidarity remain central to ASEAN’s strength amid evolving regional security challenges.
“Our leadership in the ADMM and the ADMM-Plus comes amid heightened uncertainties about the future of our region and our world. To stay rooted in an increasingly unstable security environment, our internal cohesion and solidarity are all the more important,” Teodoro added. Meanwhile, the Malaysian defense minister expressed confidence in the Philippines’ ability to lead ASEAN’s defence track with integrity and purpose.
“As we pass the torch to our dear friend, the Philippines, Malaysia gives its full and unwavering support. We have every confidence that the Philippines will continue to lead with the same spirit of dedication, integrity, and unity,” Khaled said.
The Philippines’ 2026 Chairmanship seeks to build on these achievements by strengthening defense diplomacy and enhancing cooperation in key areas such as maritime security, counterterrorism, humanitarian assistance, and disaster relief.
Under its leadership, the Philippines also aims to advance practical cooperation to foster mutual trust, promote capacitybuilding initiatives, and strengthen mechanisms that ensure peace, stability, and regional resilience.
“We will also strive to strengthen our solidarity and promote collective action to defend the principles we all stand for,” Teodoro said.
“In that spirit, I look forward to welcoming all of you to the Philippines in 2026,” he concluded.
P. Medenilla
A4
Monday, November 3, 2025
school-based violence, while the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) reviews the implementation of child protection policies in schools.
His brother, Rep. Migz Villafuerte, filed a separate measure—HB 1700—that also focuses on mental health interventions in schools. Citing a 2022 Unicef Philippines report, Migz noted that over 30% of Filipino adolescents have experienced cyberbullying or online harassment and that excessive screen time and algorithm-driven content have contributed to emotional instability and poor academic performance.
Both bills direct the DepEd and CHED to include a “Digital Detox Week” starting School Year 2026–2027—an annual, week-long initiative promoting offline activities, creative expression, and digital self-regulation.
Malacañang earlier confirmed that the President had ordered a full investigation into the incidence of school-based violence “especially since these involve minors and mental health is becoming an issue among the youth.”
Angara, meanwhile, instructed all schools to strengthen mechanisms for reporting and responding to bullying, child abuse, discrimination, and gang-related incidents.
These directives came after three high-profile incidents of school violence last August—a Grade 3 pupil in Northern Mindanao hospitalized after being mauled by high school students, a Grade 11 student in Lanao del Sur who fatally shot his teacher, and a 15-year-old girl in Nueva Ecija killed by her former boyfriend inside a classroom.
The lawmakers said these incidents reflect a deeper mental health emergency among the youth.
Senator asks Ombudsman to crack down on red tape
SBy Butch Fernandez @butchfBM
EN. Sherwin Gatchalian on Sunday urged the Ombudsman to look into what he called as “the crippling red tape” in the government, blaming it the “biggest impediment to the country’s economic growth.”
Gatchalian raised the call a few days after the Anti-Red Tape Authority (Arta) announced it was about to seal an accord with the Ombudsman to lend sharper teeth to the enforcement side of the law on ease of doing business (EODB), to allow the agency to crack down on. Serial violators of the EODB. EODB violations have repeatedly been tagged among the top reasons that investors shy away from the Philippines.
Gatchalian stressed the importance of fighting this. “Red tape is the biggest roadblock to our country’s progress. Imbes na padaliin natin ang buhay ng mga negosyante natin, intentionally or unintentionally pinahihirapan natin,” said Gatchalian, chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance.
The senator noted that the prosecution of red tape-related offenses forms part of the Ombudsman’s mandate.
MerontayongAnti-Red Tape Authority but the prosecution rests with the Ombudsman. This is something that we need to look at dahil ito ang pumapatay sa negosyo,” he emphasized.
Newly-appointed Ombudsman Jesus Remulla vowed to work closely with the Arta to identify programs that will help
eliminate bureaucratic red tape in the government, particularly in enhancing the ease of doing business. This includes streamlining the process of securing permits for the establishment of cell sites which has long hindered the efficient delivery of internet services.
“This has to end. We have to get everyone in stride and on the same page,” Remulla said during a hearing on the proposed budget of the Office of Ombudsman.
The Arta said recently it is set to sign an agreement with the Ombudsman for the first time, which will enable the country’s red tape watchdog to go after violators of the EODB law.
“Ombudsman and Arta will sign a memorandum of agreement next week during the Ease of Doing Business Convention,” Arta Secretary Ernesto V. Perez told reporters on the sidelines of the 2025 Health Forum.
“We will have an agreement that a case will be filed if necessary, only with respect to the implementation of the Ease of Doing Business law, like imposition of unnecessary requirement, failure to act within the processing time, failure to submit an updated citizen charter,” added Perez.
Perez said Arta has tried to reach out to the Office of the Ombudsman for about three times already but it was only now that the agency secured a “favorable action” from the country’s primary anti-graft and corruption body, to give ARTA more teeth in terms of going after enablers of red tape.
He said they wrote the former
Ombudsman three times but got no reply.
“This is the first time without even us asking for it,” added the ARTA chief.
Perez said this agreement with the Ombudsman will enable the agency to fast-track the processing of cases filed by ARTA in violation of the Ease of Doing Business law.
Ask on the nature of cases that may be under this agreement’s watch, the Arta chief said: “Usually, the imposition of additional requirement, failure to act on the application within the standard processing time.”
As to the economic impact of this agreement, Perez said “This will be good for the economy because businessmen would not be afraid to file a complaint if they experience red tape or corruption especially at the local level.”
“So now that there will be a formal agreement between Arta and Ombudsman, we will be more empowered, only with respect to violations of the Ease of Doing Business law,” added the chief of the country’s anti-red tape watchdog.
Early this month, Arta expressed hope that the bill mandating its elevation to the Cabinet level would be certified as a priority measure by President Marcos, underscoring that once enacted, it would enable the agency to expand penalties and liabilities and grant the agency the power to arrest erring government personnel, among others. (See: https://businessmirror. com.ph/2025/10/01/arta-wants-to-beanother-department/)
With earlier report by Andrea E. San Juan
Dole, DOE urged to strengthen OSH enforcement
TBy Justine Xyrah Garcia
HE National Union of Building and Construction Workers (NUBCW)
has called on the labor and energy departments to intensify the enforcement of occupational safety and health (OSH) standards to prevent further workplace deaths.
The appeal came after a fire broke out on October 31 at Unit 3 of the Pagbilao Power Station in Quezon province, killing one worker and injuring nine others.
In a statement on Sunday, NUBCW urged the Departments of Labor and Employment (Dole), and of Energy (DOE) to tighten compliance monitoring and enforcement to protect workers from accidents.
“We urge authorities through the [Dole], [DOE] and employers to strengthen occupational safety and health systems, enforce compliance, and ensure that workers’ voices are heard and respected in safety planning,” it said.
The group said the death of another worker underscores how many still “face
dangerous conditions in their workplaces.”
“Every worker deserves to come home safe—no one should die in the line of duty simply for earning a living…To our fellow workers: we stand with you. Together, we continue to fight for safe, decent, and dignified work for all,” it added.
In a separate statement, Pagbilao Energy Corporation (PEC) said it is conducting a full assessment of the site to determine the cause of the incident.
“We are conducting a full assessment of the site to determine the extent of the damage and the circumstances that led to this regrettable incident. The affected area has been secured while authorities and technical teams complete their inspections,” PEC said.
Following the incident, PEC said Unit 3 has been placed under forced outage, while Unit 2 will undergo a planned maintenance outage.
Unit 1 will remain operational.
The company also assured that it is cooperating fully with authorities and extending assistance to the affected personnel and their families.
“We are actively verifying the condition of all personnel and contractors who were at the site during the incident. The safety and well-being of our people are our top priority, and we continue to provide the necessary medical and psychosocial support to those affected,” it added.
Pagbilao Energy Corporation, now under the Aboitiz Power Corp., operates a 735-megawatt coal-fired power plant that supplies electricity to the Luzon grid.
Garin to PEC: Attend to victims ENERGY Secretary Sharon Garin strongly urged PEC to attend “without let-up” to the needs of the victims of the fire incident at a power plant in Pagbilao.
“I extend my deepest condolences to the family of the individual who lost his life in the fire incident at Unit 3 of the Pagbilao Power Station on the evening of October 31, 2025.
We also continue to pray for the full and swift recovery of the nine personnel who sustained injuries,” Garin said in a statement on Sunday.
Those injured were immediately brought to the nearest medical facility and are now in stable condition. Their treatment is being closely monitored, with arrangements in place for transfer to specialized hospitals in Metro Manila should advanced care be necessary.
“We commend PEC for its prompt response and immediate mobilization of resources following the incident, and we expect them to continue working closely with attending medical teams, local authorities, and the families of the injured and the deceased to guarantee that all medical, logistical, and financial requirements are fully addressed,” added Garin.
The DOE said it is committed to assist, where appropriate, the recovery efforts for both the affected personnel and the power plant, ensuring that necessary support mechanisms are in place as operations move toward rehabilitation, while upholding the welfare of all workers involved.
With Lenie Lectura
Colliers notes BPO’s resilience to outside bumps
DESPITE legislative measures proposed in the United States, such as the Keep the Hiring International Relocation of Employment (HIRE) Act of 2025, the Call Centers in America Act of 2025, the country’s Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) industry and its associated office market have demonstrated remarkable resilience and strong performance in the third quarter of 2025, according to Colliers Philippines. In its recent Third Quarter 2025 Outlook, Colliers Philippines research director Joey Roi Bondoc said the BPO industry continues its growth trajectory, driven by strong fundamentals and aggressive expansion, even as it monitors potential headwinds from artificial intelligence (AI) adoption and foreign protectionist policies.
“The BPO sector remains the key demand driver for office space, powering the sector’s recovery and leading to a significant upward revision of full-year forecasts,” Bondoc said in an interview with the reporters on the sidelines of the event held in Bonifacio Global City. According to Colliers Philippines data, Metro Manila’s net office take-up reached 215,000 square meters (sqm) as of September 2025, already surpassing the full-year forecast of 150,000 sqm. Colliers has since recalibrated this full-year forecast to 285,000 sqm. Furthermore, gross transactions in Manila hit 232,000 sqm this quarter, marking the highest quarterly performance since the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operations ban.
Bondoc said the overall Metro Manila vacancy rate saw a slight improvement to 19.8 percent in Q3 2025 (from 20.0 percent in Q2 2025). The most resilient primary business districts (CBDs) continue to show strong performance as Makati central business district (CBD) recorded the lowest vacancy at 8.2% as Fort Bonifacio recorded a vacancy of 12.4 percent.
Bondoc noted business expansions and new setups continue to be the primary motivation, accounting for a consistent 70% of all known transactions. Moreover, he said the non-BPO/traditional companies take the largest slice of the pie but BPO and shared services companies typically require deals double or triple the size of a traditional company’s requirement (1,500 sqm to 3,000 sqm on a typical deal).
Meanwhile, Bondoc said the outsourcing industry’s growth is increasingly moving outside the capital, adding a layer of operational diversification and resilience for the country. He said the provincial office market has shown strong momentum, with transactions as of September 2025 outperforming the previous year’s figures by 30,000 sqm, reaching 210,000 sqm.
Bondoc said Cebu has emerged as the second most active submarket in the entire Philippines, boasting a larger transaction volume than most Metro Manila submarkets (except Fort Bonifacio), driven by outsourcing expansions.
In Cebu, a total of 210,000 sqm were transacted in September 2025, 14.1 percent higher than last year’s 184,000 sqm in the same month.
Interestingly, Bondoc said outsourcing companies are the primary source of provincial office demand, comprising 69 percent of transactions.
While the proposed US legislation— which includes penalties for offshoring jobs and a potential 25 percent tax on payments to foreign workers for US clients—poses a risk, the Philippine BPO sector’s intrinsic value proposition and strategic shifts are helping it sustain demand.
A key factor driving decentralization is the dwindling inventory of Peza-accredited spaces in primary CBDs. Only 541,000 sqm of Pezaaccredited space is available in CBDs, making options for locators with substantial requirements (5,000 sqm or more) increasingly scarce.
The C5 Corridor has been introduced as a rising business frontier and new submarket due to good take-up and master-planned developments, offering more competitive headline rates (P500–P850 per sqm) and access to new labor pools.
The office market is expected to return to its pre-pandemic and pre-POGO “normalized volume” of net take-up (500,000 sqm annually) in the near future. The projected average annual supply from 2026-2028 is estimated at around 51,000 sqm, a stable volume that supports the market’s recovery.
In summary, the BPO industry’s sustained
expansion, its move into provincial hubs, and the resulting strong office take-up demonstrate its ability to navigate global economic uncertainties and protectionist measures, cementing its position as a key pillar of the Philippine economy.
Moreover, the Information Technology and Business Process Association of the Philippines (IBPAP) is closely monitoring and evaluating the potential impact of the proposed U.S. legislations, namely the Keep Call Centers in America Act of 2025 and the Halting International Relocation of Employment (HIRE) Act of 2025.
Moreover, IBPAP acknowledges the bills as a potential threat to the Philippine Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) industry, particularly the call center segment, which heavily relies on American clients.
IBPAP and the Philippine government are pushing for the industry to move up the value chain toward higher-value services (such as data analytics, cybersecurity, healthcare information management, and software development) to reduce the sector’s exposure to call-center-specific legislation and potential protectionist policies.
Despite the proposed bills, IBPAP has historically expressed confidence in the Philippine BPO sector’s resilience and competitive advantages (English proficiency, skilled workforce, and high-quality service), which have attracted and retained US investment over the years. Rizal Raoul Reyes
www.businessmirror.com.ph
ABy Nonie Reyes
IR travel in Palawan took a significant leap on Sunday as Cebu Pacific Flight 5J 637 touched down at the Puerto Princesa International Airport, marking the first time a wide-body Airbus A330neo has ever landed in the province.
The landmark flight from Manila arrived earlier on Sunday, November 2, and returned to the capital later in the day, initiating a new era of higher capacity and more efficient air service for the popular tourist destination.
The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (Caap) heralded the inaugural flight as a major success, demonstrating the readiness of the regional airport for larger, more advanced aircraft. The new service is scheduled to operate four times weekly: every Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.
Caap Director General Raul del Rosario, praised the development, calling it a significant milestone that reflects Cebu Pacific’s strong confidence in Palawan’s air travel market. “The arrival of a wide-body A330neo in Puerto Princesa is a testament to how far our regional airports have advanced in terms of readiness and operational standards,” said del Rosario.
He noted that the achievement is a direct result of continuous efforts of the agency, following the directives of President Marcos and Acting Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez, to upgrade airport facilities, expand runway
capacity, and enhance terminal services nationwide.
The Airbus A330neo is known for its enhanced fuel efficiency, low emissions, and high passenger capacity. Its deployment to Puerto Princesa highlights the airport’s increasingly vital role as a regional hub for tourism and economic activity in Palawan, promising to boost the influx of visitors and trade to the island.
Earliter, budget carrier Cebu Pacific took delivery of its 13th Airbus A330neo, claiming the title as the “largest operator” of the wide body aircraft type.
The 459-seat A330neo is the third of four such aircraft scheduled for delivery this year. Two previous deliveries arrived on March 28 and July 18.
“Being the largest A330neo operator in Asia reflects our strong commitment to enhance connectivity across the region. This aircraft enables us to serve more passengers while keeping costs low, which is a key part of our mission to offer affordable fares for every Juan,” Cebu Pacific President Xander Lao said.
The budget carrier plans to deploy the jet on domestic trunk routes starting this month. Beginning Sunday, the A330neo will operate four weekly flights between Manila and Puerto Princesa, followed by daily Manila-Bohol service launching on November 16. The latest-generation aircraft burns 15 percent less fuel per flight, while reducing noise and carbon emissions. With Lorenz S. Marasigan
BCDA partners with Tarlac govt to put up college in New Clark City
By Andrea San Juan @andreasanjuan
STATE-RUN Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) and the Provincial Government of Tarlac have forged a partnership to establish the Tarlac Community College in New Clark City, a move seen to expand access to “affordable and quality” education, and build a “future-ready” workforce in Central Luzon.
BCDA President and Chief Executive Officer Joshua M. Bingcang and Tarlac Gov. Christian Tell A. Yap signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to initiate the planning and development of a five-hectare community college that will position New Clark City as an “emerging hub” for academic excellence, innovation, and inclusive growth.
Bingcang said this is in line with the state-run company’s goal to strengthen university-industry linkage and to “equip” the people in this region with the skills needed for future industries.
Under the agreement, BCDA said it will identify and make available an area within New Clark City for the proposed campus, while the Provincial Government of Tarlac will lead its development, financing, and academic programming.
Yap thanked the BCDA for offering the property to develop the future training center and community college in the western side of the province of Tarlac.
“The best service we can provide them [Tarlac residents] is to empower them with livelihood, jobs, and other opportunities. We have the platform here in New Clark City to develop all of our dreams,” the governor of Tarlac added.
BCDA said the Tarlac Community College is set to offer courses aligned with “emerging” industries and future employment trends, enhancing human capital and contributing to the “socioeconomic advancement” of Tarlac and its surrounding areas.
BCDA and the Provincial Government of Tarlac will convene regular coordination meetings to ensure the project’s “alignment” with the New Clark City master plan and national development objectives. A separate agreement, the staterun firm noted, will be executed upon finalization of the project’s scope and implementation terms.
BCDA said New Clark City dedicates 60 percent of its land area to open spaces and “sustainability-driven” development.
“The addition of a premier educational institution strengthens its identity as a city built not only for infrastructure and commerce, but also for community building and nationbuilding,” the state-run firm noted. Other institutions that are already establishing their presence in New Clark City, including the National Academy of Sports, the University of the Philippines, and the Philippine Science High School, further solidifying its position as an emerging academic and innovation hub for the country.
The World BusinessMirror
Editor: Angel R. Calso | Monday, November 3, 2025 A5
Ukrainian forces strike key fuel pipeline near Moscow, deal major blow to military logistics
By Samya Kullab The Associated Press
KYIV, Ukraine—Ukrainian forces hit an important fuel pipeline in the Moscow region that supplies the Russian army, Ukraine’s military intelligence said Saturday, as Russia kept up a sustained campaign of massive drone and missile attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
The operation was carried out late Friday, according to a statement on the Telegram messaging channel. The agency, which is known by its acronym HUR, described it as a “serious blow” to Russia’s military logistics.
HUR said its forces struck the Koltsevoy pipeline, which spans 400 kilometers (250 miles) and supplies the Russian army with gasoline, diesel and jet fuel from refineries in Ryazan, Nizhny Novgorod and Moscow.
The operation, which targeted infrastructure near Ramensky district, destroyed all three fuel lines, HUR said.
The pipeline was capable of transporting up to 3 million tons of jet fuel, 2.8 million tons of diesel and 1.6 million tons of gasoline annually, HUR said.
“Our strikes have had more impact than sanctions,” said Kyrylo Budanov, the head of HUR, referring to international sanctions on Russia imposed over its all-out war and the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Moscow strains to take key eastern city
MEANWHILE , Russia’s Defense Ministry on Saturday claimed its forces defeated a team of Ukrainian special forces that were rushed to the eastern frontline hot spot of Pokrovsk in a bid to stop Russian troops from pushing farther into the city.
It later posted videos showing two men it said were Ukrainians who surrendered in the embattled city. The videos show the men, one dressed in fatigues and the other in a dark green jacket, sat against a peeling wall in a dark room, as they speak of fierce fighting and encirclement by Russian forces. The videos’ authenticity could not be independently verified, and there was no immediate public comment from Kyiv on the Russian ministry’s claims.
Russia and Ukraine have presented conflicting accounts of what is happening in Pokrovsk, a key Ukrainian stronghold in the eastern Donetsk region. Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed last week that his forces had encircled the city’s Ukrainian defenders.
But Ukraine’s army chief, Oleksandr Syrskyi, said Saturday that while the situation in Pokrovsk remains “hardest” for Ukrainian forces, who are trying to push Russian troops out of the city, there is no encirclement or blockade as Moscow has maintained. “A comprehensive operation to destroy and push out enemy forces from Pokrovsk is ongoing. The main burden lies on the shoulders of the units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, particularly UAV operators and assault units,” Syrskyi said in a statement on Telegram. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy acknowledged on Friday that some Russian units had infiltrated Pokrovsk, but insisted that Ukraine is weeding them out.
Zelenskyy said that Russia had deployed around 170,000 troops in Donetsk in a major push to capture the city and claim a major battlefield victory.
Putin is trying to persuade the United States, which wants him to seek a peace deal, that Ukraine can’t hold out against Russian military superiority. He has also stressed what he says is Russia’s improving nuclear capability as he refuses to budge from what he says are his country’s legitimate war aims.
A key goal for Moscow has been to take all of Ukraine’s industrial heartland of Donbas, made up of the eastern Luhansk and Donetsk provinces. Kyiv still controls about a 10th of the coal-rich region. Russian nighttime strikes kill 1 and wound over a dozen ELSEWHERE, a civilian died and 19 more were wounded, including a 9-year-old girl, when Russia struck the southern Mykolaiv region with an Iskander ballistic missile on Saturday morning, local official Vitaliy Kim said.
Another Russian strike early Saturday sparked a fire at a gas plant in the central Poltava region, Ukraine’s emergency service reported.
The strikes came as Russia pressed large drone and missile attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, bringing power outages and restrictions across the country earlier this week in what Kyiv described as a “systematic energy terror.”
Moscow launched 223 drones at Ukraine overnight into Saturday, 206 of which were shot down, according to the Ukrainian air force. Seventeen struck targets in seven Ukrainian regions, the air force said, without providing details.
Russia also hit an agricultural enterprise in Ukraine’s northern Chernihiv region, injuring a 66-year-old woman, according to a Telegram update by regional government official Viacheslav Chaus. Russian forces during the night shot down or intercepted 98 Ukrainian drones over the country, including six on the approach to Moscow, the Russian Defense Ministry said Saturday.
In this image captured from video released by the Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Friday, October 31, 2025, a Russian “Grad” self-propelled 122 mm multiple rocket launcher fires at Ukrainian positions in an undisclosed location in Ukraine. RUSSIAN DEFENSE MINISTRY PRESS SERVICE VIA AP
Top diplomats from Germany, Jordan and UK call for an immediate ceasefire in Sudan war
By Jon Gambrell The Associated Press
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates—
The foreign ministers of Germany, Jordan and the United Kingdom jointly called on Saturday for an immediate ceasefire in the war in Sudan, describing the situation there in stark, apocalyptic terms after a paramilitary force seized the last major city in the East African nation’s Darfur region.
United Nations officials have warned that fighters with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces have rampaged through the Darfur city of el-Fasher, reportedly killing more than 450 people in a hospital and carrying out ethnically target -
ed killings of civilians and sexual assaults. While the RSF have denied killing people at the hospital, those who have escaped el-Fasher, satellite images and videos circulating on social media provide glimpses of what appears to be mass slaughter
With pharaoh-fanfare, Egypt unveils huge new museum dedicated to its ancient civilization
By Samy Magdy
The Associated Press
CAIRO—In an extravaganza of pharaonic imagery with a drone light show depicting ancient gods and pyramids in the sky, Egypt on Saturday inaugurated its long-delayed Grand Egyptian Museum, a megaproject aiming to give the country’s millennia-old heritage a rich, modern display.
Two decades in the making, the museum located near the Giza Pyramids and Sphinx is the centerpiece of the government’s bid to boost Egypt’s tourism industry and bring cash into the troubled economy.
At the elaborate grand opening ceremony, attended by a number of European and Arab royals and other presidents and prime ministers, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi sought to give the event an international scale.
He called on attendees to “make this museum a platform for dialogue, a destination for knowledge, a forum for humanity, and a beacon for all who love life and believe in the value of humankind.”
A bid to join the ranks of the world’s top museums
THE museum, known as GEM, is one of several megaprojects championed by el-Sissi since he took office in 2014, embarking on massive investments in infrastructure with the aim of reviving an economy weakened by decades of stagnation and battered by the unrest that followed the 2011 Arab Spring uprising.
Egypt’s pharaonic history has long made it a tourist magnet. But it has also long struggled to organize and display the sheer huge number of artifacts – everything from tiny pieces
of jewelry and colorful tomb murals to towering statues of pharaohs and animal-headed gods, with more discoveries constantly being made across the country.
Touted as the world’s biggest museum dedicated to a single ancient civilization, the new building, in a contemporary style, aims to correct that. Its large, open halls give space and rich explanations for some 50,000 artifacts on display, along with virtual reality exhibits. It displays the entire collection of treasures from the tomb of the famed King Tutankhamun for the first time since its discovery in 1922.
The museum replaces the Egyptian Museum, housed in a building more than a century old in downtown Cairo that – while elegant in its Neo-Classical style – had become antiquated and was often compared to a warehouse, overpacked with artifacts with little explanation.
Construction on the $1 billion project began in 2005 under then-President Hosni Mubarak. But work was interrupted by turmoil surrounding the 2011 uprising that brought down Mubarak. Further delays ensued, and a planned grand opening over the summer had to be put off after the 12-day-long war between Israel and Iran erupted in June.
GEM is expected to attract 5 million visitors annually, said Egypt’s tourism and antiquities minister, Sherif Fathy. That would put it in the realm of the most popular museums in the world. In 2024, by comparison, Paris’s Louvre brought in 8.7 million, the British Museum 6.5 million and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York 5.7 million.
An elaborate opening ceremony SATURDAY night’s grand opening
stoked the pharaoh-mania.
As an orchestra played fanfares, lines of actors dressed in ancient Egyptian garb arrayed around the museum, the pyramids and the Sphinx. Hundreds of drones created a light show in the sky, depicting well-known Egyptian gods like Isis and Osiris and the pyramids.
El-Sissi posed with delegates from more than 70 countries, including members of the royal families from Belgium, Spain, Denmark, Jordan, Gulf nations and Japan, and a number of European and regional presidents and prime ministers. It was a throwback to the grand opening of another megaproject in Egypt, the 1869 inauguration of the Suez Canal, when Egypt’s rulers gathered a host of European royal families.
Ramses the Great and King Tut THE museum boasts a towering, triangular glass façade imitating the nearby pyramids, with 24,000 square meters (258,000 square feet) of permanent exhibition space.
It opens to a granite colossus of Ramses the Great, one of ancient Egypt’s most powerful pharaohs who reigned for around 60 years, from 1279-1213 B.C., and is credited with expanding ancient Egypt’s reach as far as modern Syria to the east and modern Sudan to the south. The statue greets visitors once they step inside the museum’s angular atrium.
The museum’s 12 main galleries, which opened last year, exhibit antiquities spanning from prehistoric times to the Roman era, organized by era and by themes.
Two halls that will be opened for the first time after Saturday are dedicated to the 5,000 artifacts from the collection of King Tutankhamun — a boy pharaoh who ruled from 13611352 B.C. The tomb was discovered by British archaeologist Howard Carter in 1922 in the southern city of Luxor. But the old Egyptian Museum didn’t have enough room to display the whole collection.
The collection includes the boy pharaoh’s three funeral beds and six chariots, his golden throne, his goldcovered sarcophagus and his burial mask, made of gold, quartzite, lapis lazuli and colored glass.
Zahi Hawass, Egypt’s most renowned archaeologist and former minister of antiquities, said the Tutankhamun collection is the museum’s masterpiece.
Associated Press journalist Ahmed Hatem in Cairo contributed to this report.
military force known as the Rapid Support Forces has seized the city.
“Just as a combination of leadership and international cooperation has made progress in Gaza, it is currently badly failing to deal with the humanitarian crisis and the devastating conflict in Sudan, because the reports from Darfur in recent days have truly horrifying atrocities,” Cooper said.
“Mass executions, starvation and the devastating use of rape as a weapon of war, with women and children bearing the brunt of the largest humanitarian crisis in the 21st century. For too long, this terrible conflict has been neglected, while suffering has simply increased.”
She added that “no amount of aid can resolve a crisis of this magnitude until the guns fall silent.”
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul echoed Cooper’s concern, directly calling out the RSF for its violence in el-Fasher.
“Sudan is absolutely in an apocalyptic situation,” Wadephul said.
Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said Sudan has not received “the attention it deserves. A humanitarian crisis of inhumane proportions has taken place there.”
“We’ve got to stop that,” he added.
Bahrain’s government late on Wednesday rescinded an accreditation for The Associated Press to cover the summit, after a “post-approval review” of that permission. The government did not elaborate on why the visa was revoked. Earlier that day, the AP published a story on long-detained activist Abdulhadi al-Khawaja beginning an “open-ended” hunger strike in Bahrain over his internationally criticized imprisonment. Al-Khawaja halted his hunger strike late on Friday after receiving letters from the European Union and Denmark regarding his case, his daughter Maryam al-Khawaja said.
Protesters demand governor’s resignation after Rio Favela’s deadliest police raid
By Eléonore Hughes The Associated Press
RIO DE JANEIRO—Hundreds of protesters on Friday marched through one of the favelas targeted in Rio de Janeiro’s most lethal police raid that left more than 100 dead, calling for Rio state Gov. Cláudio Castro to resign amid continued outrage over the deadly operation.
Locals, politicians, activists, grieving mothers who lost their sons in prior operations and people from other Rio neighborhoods gathered to voice their fury in Vila Cruzeiro, part of the Penha complex of favelas, where days prior residents laid out scores of bodies they had collected from a nearby green area following the raid.
At least 121 people were killed in Tuesday’s operation, including four policemen, according to police. Rio’s public defender’s office says 132 people died.
“Coward, terrorist, assassin! His hands are dirty with blood,” said Anne Caroline Dos Santos, 30, referring to Castro, an ally of former President Jair Bolsonaro and opponent of leftist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Castro has accused the federal government of abandoning Rio in its fight against organized crime, a claim that Lula’s administration has refuted.
Dos Santos came from Brazil’s biggest favela Rocinha in Rio’s southern zone to voice her indignation. Like many other protesters, she accused law enforcement of torture and extrajudicial killings.
“Mothers are now battling to retrieve their sons’ bodies and bury them,” she said, adding that she had lost a friend in the operation.
Many shops have reopened since
shuttering early this week, but there were still signs of recent events on the streets, including burned cars used as barricades against the police’s entry into the low-income neighborhood.
Many were wearing white, which a protester said symbolized their desire for peace, with some T-shirts printed with red hands. Others held signs saying: “stop killing us” or wore stickers reading “enough massacres.”
“This is a disgrace to Brazil,” said Leandro Santiago, 44, who lives in Vila Cruzeiro and earns a living through his motorbike, giving rides and doing deliveries. “Nothing justifies this.”
Tuesday’s raid, conducted by some 2,500 police and soldiers, targeted the notorious gang Red Command in the Complexo de Alemao and Complexo da Penha favelas.
The operation’s stated objectives were capturing leaders and limiting the territorial expansion of Red Command, which has increased its control over favelas in recent years but also spread across Brazil, including in the Amazon rainforest.
The police raid drew gunfire and other retaliation from gang members, sparking scenes of chaos across the city.
Castro said on Tuesday that Rio was at war against “narco-terrorism,” a term that echoed the Trump administration in its campaign against drug smuggling in Latin America. He called the operation a success.
The state government said those killed were criminals who resisted the police.
But the death toll, the highest ever in a Rio police operation, sparked condemnation from human rights groups and the U.N. and intense scrutiny from authorities. Brazil’s Supreme Court, prosecutors and lawmakers ordered
Castro to provide detailed information about the operation. Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes scheduled a hearing with the state governor and the heads of the military and civil police in Rio on Nov. 3.
Much of the fury in Vila Cruzeiro on Friday was directed at Castro, with protesters calling him an “assassin” and demanding his resignation or even that he be sent to prison.
“The governor said he was doing this operation to combat drugtrafficking. But we need to suffocate who is financing it. We need policies that seek to tackle corruption,” said Mônica Benício, a local councilwoman and the widow of slain councilwoman Marielle Franco.
“Assassinating young people in favelas isn’t public policy, it’s a massacre,” she added.
While some in Brazil, particularly right-wing voters and politicians, applauded the operation against the heavily-armed gang, others questioned whether it would achieve lasting results and argued that many of those killed were low-ranking and easily replaceable.
On Friday, the state government said that of the 99 suspects identified so far, 42 had outstanding arrest warrants and at least 78 had extensive criminal records.
But local newspaper O Globo said that none of the 99 names were indicted by the Rio de Janeiro public prosecutor’s office in the investigation that supported the major operation.
At the protest, many condemned the state the bodies were found in, with at least one decapitated, while others reportedly found with puncture wounds or tied up.
taking place in the city. At the Manama Dialogue security summit in Bahrain, British
Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper on Saturday spoke in grim words about events in el-Fasher, where a para -
Obama campaigns in Virginia and New Jersey to curb Trump’s influence ahead of midterms
By Olivia Diaz, Mike Catalini & Bill Barrow The Associated Press
NORFOLK, Va.—Former President Barack Obama is encouraging voters to elect Democratic governors in Virginia and New Jersey in races this Tuesday to rebuke Donald Trump 10 months into his second presidency and a year ahead of midterm elections that could reshape it.
Obama’s appearances Saturday for Abigail Spanberger and Mikie Sherrill contrast with Trump spending the weekend at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, leaving Republicans Winsome Earle-Sears in Virginia and Jack Ciattarelli in New Jersey to campaign for themselves.
At the same time, California advocates made a final push ahead of a statewide referendum over whether to redraw the state’s congressional map in Democrats’ favor. The effort, backed by Gov. Gavin Newsom, is part of a national redistricting battle that began when Trump urged GOP-run states to help him maintain a friendly House majority in 2026.
Obama praised Spanberger and Sherrill, center-left Democrats who helped their party win a US House majority halfway through Trump’s first presidency, as experienced figures who would improve voters’ financial circumstances. Yet Obama, who remains Democrats’ most popular figure nearly nine years removed from the White House, spent much of his time during
separate rallies lambasting Trump for “lawlessness and recklessness” and “shambolic” economic policy. Obama urged voters to “set a glorious example for the nation” by rejecting nominees loyal to a president with “autocratic impulses.”
“The stakes are now clear,” Obama said in Virginia. “We don’t need to speculate about the dangers to our democracy. We don’t need to ask ourselves how much coarser and mean our culture can become. Elections matter, and they matter to you.”
Obama took care not to blame voters who backed Trump in 2024 because of inflation and a roiled economy. But, he asked in New Jersey, “Has any of that gotten better for you?” In some ways, it was standard partisan fare in the closing stretch of a campaign. Yet it stood out as an unusually intense rebuke of a sitting president by a predecessor and because Republicans offered little defense of Trump in their own campaign stops Saturday, instead trying to localize the off-year elections as much as possible.
On a bus tour across New Jersey, Ciattarelli referenced the president mostly to chide Sherrill for mentioning him so much, along with her experience as a Navy helicopter pilot.
“Her disdain for the president. And she can fly a helicopter. Is any of that going to fix New Jersey?” Ciattarelli said in suburban Westfield.
Earle-Sears did not mention Trump at all as she campaigned with termlimited Gov. Glenn Youngkin. “We are not going back,” she said, arguing for conservative continuity in Purcellville. “There’s only darkness back there. Abigail Spanberger represents the darkness.”
Trump isn’t on site, but he’s been in the conversation TRUMP endorsed Ciattarelli and has said—without naming Earle-Sears— that he backs her Virginia bid. He conducted a phone rally for Ciattarelli but has not campaigned in person for either nominee.
On Friday evening in south Florida, Trump attended a shindig at his resort with the theme “A Little Party Never Killed Nobody.” On Saturday, he headed to Trump International Palm Beach in West Palm Beach, Florida, and is scheduled to attend a dinner for MAGA, Inc., a super PAC founded by allies. The president is due to return to Washington on Sunday.
Trump’s arms-length approach reflects a complicated reality for Republicans: He remains intensely popular among the most conservative voters but has a more precarious standing with the rest of the electorate.
Some of their supporters greeted Ciattarelli and Earle-Sears wearing red “Make America Great Again” hats from Trump’s campaigns. But the nominees stayed focused on state policies.
In suburban Westfield, Ciattarelli took selfies for about an hour and talked about proposals to lower energy costs and property taxes, among other ideas. His campaign also has concen -
Uncertainty over federal food aid deepens as US shutdown fight reaches crisis point
By Stephen Groves, Ali Swenson & Susan Haigh
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON—The crises at the heart of the government shutdown fight in Washington were coming to a head Saturday as the federal food assistance program faced delays and millions of Americans were set to see a dramatic rise in their health insurance bills.
The impacts on basic needs—food and medical care—underscored how the impasse is hitting homes across the United States. Plans by the Trump administration to freeze payments to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program on Saturday were halted by federal judges, but the delay in payouts will still likely leave millions of people short on their grocery bills. It all added to the strain on the country, with a month of missed paychecks for federal workers and growing air travel delays. The shutdown is already the second longest in history and entered its second month on Saturday.
“This is more than a crisis,” said the Rev. John Udo-Okon, who runs the Word of Life Christian Fellowship International food pantry in the Bronx, where hundreds more people than usual lined up in the New York City borough as early as 4 a.m. Saturday to collect groceries. “Right now, you can see the desperation, you can feel the frustration that the people are going through.”
But back in Washington, there was little urgency to end the government funding impasse. Lawmakers are away from Capitol Hill and both parties are entrenched in their positions.
The House has not met for legislative business in more than six weeks, while Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., closed his chamber for the weekend after bipartisan talks failed to achieve significant progress.
Thune said he is hoping “the pressure starts to intensify, and the consequences of keeping the government shut down become even more real for everybody that they will express, hopefully new interest in trying to come up with a path forward.”
The stalemate appears increasingly unsustainable as Republican President Donald Trump demands action and Democratic leaders warn that an uproar over rising health insurance costs will force Congress to act.
“This weekend, Americans face a health care crisis unprecedented in modern times,” Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York said this week.
Delays and uncertainty around SNAP THE Department of Agriculture planned to withhold $8 billion needed for payments to the food program starting on Saturday until two federal judges ordered the administration to make them. Trump said he would provide the money but wanted more legal direction from the court.
On Saturday, US District Judge John J. McConnell in Rhode Island ordered that the government needed to tell the court by Monday how it would fund SNAP accounts. McConnell, who was nominated by President Barack Obama, said the Trump administration needed to either make a full payment by Monday, or if it decides to only tap $3 billion in a contingency fund, figure out how to do that by Wednesday.
“There is no question that the congressionally approved contingency funds must be used now because of the shutdown,” McConnell wrote in his order.
But that still leaves uncertainty about whether the department will use additional money or only provide partial benefits for the month. The SNAP program serves about 1 in
8 Americans and costs about $8 billion per month.
Benefits were already facing delays because it takes a week or more to load SNAP cards in many states. Some governors and mayors have stepped in, using what money they have available to fill the program that feeds about 42 million Americans.
“People are just nervous, scared,” said Jill Corbin, the director of the St. Vincent De Paul soup kitchen and food pantry in Norwich, Connecticut. “It’s not really a definite answer that we have right now.”
As people lined up early Saturday for hot meals and groceries, the organization had 10 extra volunteers to help newcomers navigate the process.
On Wednesday, some 400 families visited the food pantry and 555 people received hot meals.
“It’s kind of like everything is unraveling at the same time,” Corbin said.
House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York criticized Trump for spending Saturday at one of his Florida golf courses, saying on social media that “Trump and Republicans are illegally withholding SNAP benefits.”
“Millions of children could go hungry,” he added.
Democrats demanded this week that the government fund SNAP, but Republicans responded by arguing the program is in such a dire situation because Democrats have repeatedly voted against a short-term government funding bill.
“We are now reaching a breaking point thanks to Democrats voting no on government funding, now 14 different times,” House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said at a news conference Friday.
Trump injected himself into the debate late Thursday by suggesting that Republican senators, who hold the majority, end the shutdown by getting rid of the filibuster rules that
prevent most legislation from advancing unless it has the support of at least 60 senators. Democrats have used the filibuster to block a funding bill in the Senate for weeks.
Republican leaders quickly rejected Trump’s idea, prompting the president to double down on the demand Saturday night.
“Don’t be WEAK AND STUPID. FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT! WIN, WIN, WIN!” Trump posted on social media, arguing that Democrats would terminate the filibuster rules if they regain the Senate majority. “We will immediately END the Extortionist Shutdown, get ALL of our agenda passed, and make life so good for Americans that these DERANGED DEMOCRAT politicians will never again have the chance to DESTROY AMERICA!”
“Republicans, you will rue the day that you didn’t TERMINATE THE FILIBUSTER!!!” he added.
Health care subsidies expiring THE A nnual sign-up period for the Affordable Care Act health insurance also begins Saturday, and there are sharp increases in what people will have to pay for coverage. Enhanced tax credits that help most enrollees pay for the health plans are set to expire next year.
Democrats have rallied around a push to extend those credits and have refused to vote for government funding legislation until Congress acts.
“Millions of Americans in every state across this country are waking up to drastically higher premiums for the same health care coverage they’re already on.” said Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., in a statement.
Haigh reported from Norwich, Connecticut. Associated Press writers Todd Richmond in Madison, Wisconsin, Jacques Billeaud in Phoenix and Kevin Freking in Washington contributed to this report.
trated on his family’s deep roots in the state and argued it’s time for a “Jersey guy” as governor. Sherrill was born in Virginia.
In multiple small-town stops, Earle-Sears promised to lower taxes, defend parents’ ability to shape education policy and stave off unions and business regulations. “I’m for common sense,” she said in northern Virginia. She has previously embraced Trump, while Ciattarelli has played up his good relationship with the White House.
Two Democrats take slightly different approaches to Trump AS she has been throughout the fall, Sherrill did not shy away from Trump and the national stakes.
“When everything seems to come down to our election, when people across the nation, look at me with fear and despair in their eyes and ask me, is New Jersey up for this moment? My answer was, ‘Hell yeah,’” she said in Newark.
Spanberger kept to her more circumspect style regarding Trump, pairing economic arguments against his policies with more opaque references to the president’s moves that upend democratic norms.
“Virginia voters can and will send a message amid the recklessness and the heartlessness coming out of Washington,” she said ahead of Obama. She criticized “the political turmoil coming out of Washington right now” and introduced Obama by recalling “a time not that long ago ... when we had a president ... who worked to bring us together instead of tearing us apart.”
Still, according to AdImpact data, Spanberger’s biggest advertising expenses are for spots that try to tie Earle-Sears to Trump.
The economy and shutdown overshadow the governor’s races SPANBERGER and Sherrill have both pledged to tackle rising consumer costs. In New Jersey, however, Ciattarelli has blamed Democrats for higher energy costs because outgoing Gov. Phil Murphy has been leading the state for two terms.
The Democrats have blasted Republicans’ federal domestic policy and tax cut bill. Spanberger on Saturday criticized Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency and the ongoing federal shutdown — both of which have a disproportionate impact in a state with more than 300,000 federal employees, according to the US Census Bureau. Earle-Sears has pinned the shutdown on Spanberger, arguing the former congresswoman should use her leverage with Virginia’s Democratic US senators. Both have voted against the GOP’s spending extension bill as Democrats demand Republicans address looming health care cuts. Additionally, the contests could offer some clues as to whether social issues carry any less weight with voters than in previous elections. Spanberger and Sherrill herald their support for abortion rights, Spanberger doing so in the last Southern state not to impose new restrictions or bans in recent years. Earle-Sears did not mention her opposition to abortion rights Saturday but has said repeatedly that Spanberger in an extremist on transgender rights—attacks similar to those that Trump wielded effectively against Democrat Kamala Harris in 2024.
Barrow reported from Atlanta. Catalini reported from Newark. Associated Press writer Aamer Madhani in West Palm Beach, Florida, contributed to this report.
Bill Gates says climate doomsday focus hurts the poor, calls for new approach
By Jennifer Mcdermott The Associated Press
NEW YORK—Bill Gates thinks climate change is a serious problem but it won’t be the end of civilization. He thinks scientific innovation will curb it, and it’s instead time for a “strategic pivot” in the global climate fight: from focusing on limiting rising temperatures to fighting poverty and preventing disease.
A doomsday outlook has led the climate community to focus too much on near-term goals to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that cause warming, diverting resources from the most effective things that can be done to improve life in a warming world, Gates said. In a memo released Tuesday, Gates said the world’s primary goal should instead be to prevent suffering, particularly for those in the toughest conditions in the world’s poorest countries.
If given a choice between eradicating malaria and a tenth of a degree increase in warming, Gates told reporters, “I’ll let the temperature go up 0.1 degree to get rid of malaria. People don’t understand the suffering that exists today.”
The Microsoft co-founder spends most of his time now on the goals of the Gates Foundation, which has poured tens of billions of dollars into health care, education and development initiatives worldwide, including combating HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. He started Breakthrough Energy in 2015 to speed up innovation in clean energy.
He wrote his 17-page memo hoping to have an impact on next month’s United Nations climate change conference in Brazil. He’s urging world leaders to ask whether the little money designated for climate is being spent on the right things. Gates, whose foundation provides
financial support for Associated Press coverage of health and development in Africa, is influential in the climate change conversation. He expects his “tough truths about climate” memo will be controversial.
“If you think climate is not important, you won’t agree with the memo. If you think climate is the only cause and apocalyptic, you won’t agree with the memo,” Gates said during a roundtable discussion with reporters ahead of the release. “It’s kind of this pragmatic view of somebody who’s, you know, trying to maximize the money and the innovation that goes to help in these poor countries.”
Climate scientists say every fraction of a degree of warming matters EVERY bit of additional warming correlates to more extreme weather, risks species extinction and brings the world closer to crossing tipping points where changes become irreversible, scientists say.
University of Washington public health and climate scientist Kristie Ebi said she thoroughly agrees with Gates that the U.N. negotiations should focus on improving human health and well-being. But, she said, Gates assumes the world stays static and only one variable changes — faster deployment of green technologies—to curb climate change. She called that unlikely.
Jeffrey Sachs, director of the Center for Sustainable Development at Columbia University, called the memo “pointless, vague, unhelpful and confusing.”
“There is no reason to pit poverty reduction versus climate transformation. Both are utterly feasible, and readily so, if the Big Oil lobby is brought under control,” he wrote in an e-mail.
See “Bill Gates,” A8
FORMER President Barack Obama endorses New Jersey Democratic gubernatorial candidate Mikie Sherrill at a campaign rally, Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025, in Newark, N.J. AP PHOTO/ANGELINA KATSANIS
Trump threatens Nigeria with potential military action, escalates claim of Christian persecution
By Dyepkazah Shibayan & Aamer Madhani The Associated Press
ABUJA, Nigeria—US President Donald Trump on Saturday said he’s ordered the Pentagon to begin planning for potential military action in Nigeria as he stepped up his allegations that the government is failing to rein in the persecution of Christians in the West African country.
The president also warned that he “will immediately stop all aid and assistance to Nigeria.”
“If the Nigerian government continues to allow the killing of Christians, the USA will immediately stop all aid and assistance to Nigeria, and may very well go into that now disgraced country, ‘guns-a-blazing,’ to completely wipe out the Islamic Terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities,” Trump posted on social media. “I am hereby instructing our Department of War to prepare for possible action. If we attack, it will be fast, vicious, and sweet, just like the terrorist thugs attack our CHERISHED Christians!”
The warning came after Nigeria’s President Bola Ahmed Tinubu earlier on Saturday pushed back on Trump announcing a day earlier that he was designating the West African country “a country of particular concern” for
allegedly failing to rein in the persecution of Christians. In a social media statement on Saturday, Tinubu said that the characterization of Nigeria as a religiously intolerant country does not reflect the national reality.
“Religious freedom and tolerance have been a core tenet of our collective identity and shall always remain so,” Tinubu said. “Nigeria opposes religious persecution and does not encourage it. Nigeria is a country with constitutional guarantees to protect citizens of all faiths.”
Trump on Friday said “Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria” and “radical Islamists are responsible for this mass slaughter.”
Trump’s comment came weeks after US Sen. Ted Cruz urged Congress to designate Africa’s most populous country as a violator of religious freedom with claims of “Christian mass murder.”
Nigeria’s population of 220 million is split almost equally between Christians and Muslims. The country has long faced insecurity from various fronts including the Boko Haram extremist group, which seeks to establish its radical interpretation of Islamic law and has also targeted Muslims it deems not Muslim enough.
Attacks in Nigeria have varying motives. There are religiously motivated ones targeting both Christians and Muslims, clashes between farmers and herders over dwindling resources, communal rivalries, secessionist groups and ethnic clashes.
While Christians are among those targeted, analysts say the majority of victims of armed groups are Muslims in Nigeria’s Muslim-majority north, where most attacks occur.
Kimiebi Ebienfa, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
reiterated the commitment of Nigeria to protect citizens of all religions.
“The Federal Government of Nigeria will continue to defend all citizens, irrespective of race, creed, or religion,” Ebienfa said in a statement on Saturday. “Like America, Nigeria has no option but to celebrate the diversity that is our greatest strength.”
Nigeria was placed on the country of particular concern list by the US for the first time in 2020 over what the State Department called “systematic violations of religious freedom.” The designation, which did not single out attacks on Christians, was lifted in 2023 in what observers saw as a way to improve ties between the countries ahead of then-Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit.
Madhani reported from West Palm Beach, Fla.
Tanzania’s president wins disputed election with more than 97% of vote
By Rodney Muhumuza
The Associated Press
KAMPALA, Uganda—Tanza -
nia’s President Samia Suluhu
Hassan won the country’s disputed election with more than 97% of the vote, according to official results announced Saturday. Her two main opponents had both been prevented from running, leaving her virtually unopposed.
Hassan, who took power in 2021, appeared at an event in the administrative capital, Dodoma, to receive the winner’s certificate from electoral authorities. In remarks afterward, she said it was notable that Tanzanians voted overwhelmingly for a female leader.
She said now the election was over “it’s time to unite our country and not destroy what we’ve built over more than six decades.” She added. “We will take all actions and involve all security agencies to ensure the country is peaceful.”
As vice president, Hassan was automatically elevated when her predecessor, John Pombe Magufuli, died months after the start of his second term. The result is likely to amplify the concerns of critics, opposition groups and others who said the election in Tanzania was not a contest but a coronation.
Tundu Lissu, leader of the Chadema opposition group, has been jailed for months, charged with treason after he called for electoral reforms that he said were a prerequisite for free and fair elections. Another opposition figure, Luhaga Mpina of the ACT-Wazalendo group, was barred from running.
Chadema said in a statement late Saturday that the party “strongly rejects the so-called election results” giving victory to Hassan.
“These results have no basis in reality, as the truth is that no genuine election took place in Tanzania,” the statement said, charging that Hassan was keeping power by force.
‘Prevent further escalation’
poll and stop the counting of votes. The military was deployed to help police quell riots. Internet connectivity has been on and off in the East African nation, disrupting travel and other activities.
The protests spread across Tanzania, and the government postponed the reopening of universities, which had been set for Nov. 3. There was a tense calm in the streets of Dar es Salaam, the commercial capital, on Saturday. Security forces manning roadblocks asked to see the identity cards of those who went out.
Tanzanian authorities have not said how many people were killed or injured in the violence. A spokesman for the U.N. human rights office, Seif Magango, on Friday told a U.N. briefing in Geneva by video from Kenya that credible reports of 10 deaths were reported in Dar es Salaam, alongside Shinyanga and Morogoro towns.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Friday he was concerned by the situation in Tanzania and urged all parties to “prevent further escalation.”
The foreign ministers of the U.K., Canada and Norway in a joint statement cited “credible reports of a large number of fatalities and significant
injuries, as a result of the security response to protests.”
Enforced disappearance
AT stake for the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi, or CCM, party was its decades-long grip on power amid the rise of charismatic opposition figures who hoped to lead the country toward political change.
Still, a landslide victory is rare in the region. Only President Paul Kagame, the authoritarian leader of Rwanda, regularly wins by a landslide.
Rights groups including Amnesty International warned of a pattern of enforced disappearances, arbitrary arrests and extrajudicial killings in Tanzania ahead of the polls.
In June, a United Nations panel of human rights experts cited more than 200 cases of enforced disappearance since 2019, saying they were “alarmed by reports of a pattern of repression” ahead of elections.
Hassan oversaw “an unprecedented crackdown on political opponents,” the International Crisis Group said in its most recent analysis. “The government has curbed freedom of expression, ranging from a ban on X and restrictions on the Tanzanian digital platform JamiiForums to silencing critical voices through intimidation or arrest.”
Independence from Britain
The political maneuvering by Tanzanian authorities is remarkable even in a country where single-party rule has been the norm since the advent of multi-party politics in 1992.
Government critics point out that previous leaders tolerated opposition while maintaining a firm grip on power, whereas Hassan is accused of leading with an authoritarian style that defies youth-led democracy movements elsewhere in the region.
A version of the governing CCM party, which maintains ties with the Communist Party of China, has ruled Tanzania since its independence from Britain in 1961, a streak that Hassan extends with her victory.
CCM is fused with the state, effectively in charge of the security apparatus and structured in such a way that new leaders emerge every five or 10 years.
The orderly transitions within CCM have long sustained Tanzania’s reputation as an oasis of political stability and relative peace, a major reason for the party’s considerable support across the country, especially among rural voters.
An Associated Press reporter in Dodoma, Tanzania, contributed.
US envoy calls Lebanon ‘failed state’ as Syria seen joining anti-IS coalition
By Sally Abou Aljoud The Associated Press
BEIRUT—The US’s special envoy for Syria on Saturday called Lebanon “a failed state” in remarks underscoring Washington’s frustration with Beirut’s “paralyzed government,” even as Syria inches toward closer ties with the US.
Speaking at the Manama Dialogue summit in Bahrain during a panel on “US Policy in the Levant,” Thomas Barrack hailed developments in Syria following the downfall of Bashar Assad in December. He confirmed that Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa is expected to visit Washington on Nov. 10 — the first such visit by a Syrian president since the country’s independence in 1946.
Barrack also said that Syria is expected to join the US-led anti–Islamic State group coalition, describing it as “a big step” and “remarkable.” The coalition includes some 80 countries working to prevent a resurgence of IS.
As for Lebanon, Barrack pointedly said it was the only state in the region “not jumping in line” with the new Middle East realignments. “The state is Hezbollah,” he said, noting that the Iran-backed group provides for its supporters and fighters in ways the Lebanese state cannot—in a country where basic services like electricity and water are chronically unreliable.
“It is really up to the Lebanese. America is not going to get deeper involved in the situation with a foreign terrorist organization and a failed state dictating the pace and asking for more resources and more money and more help,” he said.
Barrack added that the US would not intervene in regional disputes but would support its ally “if Israel becomes more aggressive toward Lebanon.”
Israel recently intensified its strikes on southern Lebanon. Both sides have accused each other of violating a ceasefire, which nominally ended the latest Israel-Hezbollah war last November. The conflict started after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on Israel that triggered the war in Gaza.
Hezbollah began firing rockets into northern Israel in support of Hamas and the Palestinians, prompting Is -
Continued from A7
Stanford University climate scientist Chris Field said there is room for a healthy discussion about whether the current framing of the climate crisis is typically too pessimistic.
“But we should also invest for both the long term and the short term,” he wrote in an email. “A vibrant long-term future depends on both tackling climate change and supporting human development.”
Princeton University climate scientist Michael Oppenheimer said he doesn’t dispute the principle of making human well-being the primary objective of policy, but what about the natural world?
“Climate change is already wreaking havoc there,” he wrote in an email. “Can we truly live in a technological bubble? Do we want to?”
Gates is clear in his memo that every tenth of a degree of warming matters: “A stable climate makes it easier to improve people’s lives.”
Carbon dioxide pollution is increasing
A DECADE ago, the world agreed in a historic pact known as the Paris agreement to try to limit human-caused warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) since preindustrial times. The goal: to stave off nastier heat waves, wildfires, storms and droughts.
In a 2021 book, Gates laid out a plan for reducing emissions to avoid a climate disaster.
But humans are on track to release so much greenhouse gas by early 2028 that scientists say crossing that 1.5-degree threshold is now nearly unavoidable.
Breakthrough Energy focuses on areas where the cost of doing something cleanly is much higher than the polluting way, such as making clean steel and cement. Gates concluded his memo by saying governments should work toward driving this difference to zero, and be rigorous about measuring
raeli airstrikes and artillery shelling in return. The low-level exchanges escalated into full-scale war in September 2024. Since the ceasefire, Israel has continued to carry out near-daily strikes across southern Lebanon, saying they target Hezbollah militants, weapons depots and command centers. Israeli forces have also maintained positions on several strategic points inside Lebanese territory.
Lebanese officials have accused Israel of striking civilian areas and destroying infrastructure unrelated to Hezbollah, calling on Israeli forces to withdraw and respect Lebanon’s sovereignty. Barrack said that Israel is still bombing southern Lebanon because “thousands of rockets and missiles” remain there, threatening it. But he acknowledged that “it is not reasonable for us to tell Lebanon to forcibly disarm one of its political parties—everybody is scared to death to go into a civil war.”
“The path is very clear—that it needs to be to Jerusalem or Tel Aviv for a conversation along with Syria. Syria is showing the way,” Barrack said, adding that Syria and Israel are expected to hold a fifth set of de-escalation discussions.
The United States is leading a diplomatic push involving Syria and Israel, who are engaged in direct negotiations to de-escalate tensions and restore a 1974 ceasefire agreement. That deal established a demilitarized separation zone between Israeli and Syrian forces and stationed a U.N. peacekeeping force to maintain calm. Tensions have soared between the two neighbors following the overthrow of Assad in December in a lightning rebel offensive led by Islamist insurgents.
Shortly after Assad’s overthrow, Israeli forces seized control of the U.N.patrolled buffer zone in Syria set up under the 1974 agreement and carried out airstrikes on military sites in what officials said was aimed at creating a demilitarized zone south of Damascus.
Israel has said it will not allow hostile forces to establish themselves along the frontier, as Iranian-backed groups did during Assad’s rule. It distrusts Syria’s new government, which is led by former Islamist insurgents.
the impact of every effort in the world’s climate agenda.
Gates is optimistic innovation will curb climate change GATES said the pace of innovation in clean energy has been faster than he expected, allowing cheap solar and wind energy to replace coal, oil and natural gas plants for electricity and averting worst-case warming scenarios. Artificial intelligence is helping accelerate advances in clean energy technologies, he added. At the same time, money to help developing countries adapt to climate change is shrinking. Led by the United States, rich countries are cutting their foreign aid budgets. President Donald Trump has called climate change a hoax.
Gates criticized the aid cuts. He said Gavi, a public-private partnership started by his philanthropic foundation that buys vaccines, will have 25% less money for the next five years compared to the past five years. Gavi can save a life for a little more than $1,000, he added. Vaccines become even more important in a warming world because children who aren’t dying of measles or whooping cough will be more likely to survive when a heat wave hits or a drought threatens the local food supply, he wrote.
Health and prosperity are the best defense against climate change, Gates said, citing research from the University of Chicago Climate Impact Lab that found projected deaths from climate change fall by more than 50% when accounting for the expected economic growth over the rest of this century. Under these circumstances, he thinks the bar must be “very high” for what’s funded with aid money.
“If you have something that gets rid of 10,000 tons of emissions, that you’re spending several million dollars on,” he said, “that just doesn’t make the cut.”
AP Writer Seth Borenstein in Washington contributed to this report.
NIGERIAN President Bola Ahmed Tinubu attends an ECOWAS meeting in Abuja, Nigeria, Sunday,
GBEMIGA
CEMF tweaks to raise PHL coffee output–DA
TBy Ada Pelonia @adapelonia
HE Department of Agriculture
(DA) will increase the price ceiling of each project funded by the competitiveness enhancement measures fund (CEMF) to as much as P200 million.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said the revised CEMF guidelines would boost the production of domestic industries affected by increased imports, such as the local coffee sector.
need to scale up fast. If we limit it to smaller funding, we won’t get where we need to go sooner.”
The DA chief said the agency will release the revised guidelines on CEMF within the month.
He added that at least 70 percent or the majority of the funding allocated to the earmarked fund would be bankrolled for projects in the local coffee sector, which needs to raise its output by 200,000 metric tons (MT).
Sarangani farmers get tractors from DAR
By Jonathan L.Mayuga @jonlmayuga
THE Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) in Sarangani has turned over P4.96 million worth of farm machinery to two (2) Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Organizations (ARBOs) in Barangays Kablacan and Kamanga in the town of Maasim, Sarangani Province.
DAR awarded two brand-new 4WD tractors with implements to the Salbuyan Organic Farmers Association (SALOFA) and the KamangaKlaga Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries and Farmers Association (KKARBFA).
SALOFA received a 108-horsepower tractor, while KKARBFA received a 50-horsepower tractor.
The initiative aims to reduce production costs, improve land cultivation, and increase farmers’ income in agrarian reform communities.
DAR officials, led by Provincial Agrarian Reform Program Officer (PARPO) II Oding Yusoph and PARPO I Mharlie Pasal, urged farmers to maximize the machines to deliver greater value to their communities.
“These tractors will cut labor expenses and raise productivity. As your cooperatives grow stronger, more projects will follow,” said Pasal.
SALOFA President Teofilo Sambilad and KKARBFA President Kharyn Amor Taduran thanked DAR and committed to using the machines to expand their operations and strengthen their organizations.
Meanwhile, San Miguel Foods Corp. representative Jevan O. Nemenzo also expressed interest in partnering with the ARBOs for future agrimarket linkages, which could further strengthen Sarangani’s local agricultural value chain.
“We’ll also raise the price limit for each project to as much as P200 million from the previous P50 million ceiling, depending on the size of the project, because we
“We’re making the [CEMF guidelines] more accessible to our farming communities and stakeholders,” the DA chief told reporters on the sidelines of the closing ceremony of Nestle Philippines’s banner coffee program dubbed Project Coffee++ in Sultan Kudarat last week.
To plug the country’s coffee shortfall, the DA chief said 200,000 hectares should be planted with coffee if the average yield per hectare stands at 1 MT. For the coffee-producing area of Sultan Kudarat, he noted that the target was to plant 32,000 hectares.
While the funding shouldn’t be a cause of concern, he noted that infrastructure issues continue to
hamper coffee production in the country.
“Most of those 32,000 hectares in Sultan Kudarat don’t have roads. It’s a wasted opportunity, so that’s one of our priorities. The second is irrigation.”
The country’s coffee yield has
averaged around 31,000 MT in the past decade, based on data from the Philippine Statistics Authority.
Earlier, he said the DA has yet to use the money earmarked for the CEMF in its 2025 budget, which stands at P1.25 billion, due to
“complicated rules.”
The CEMF is established under Republic Act 8800 or the Safeguards Measures Act to boost the competitiveness of domestic industries injured by increased imports through agricultural and fisheries programs. Under RA 8800, 50 percent of revenues collected from fees, charges, and safeguard duties on imported goods would be earmarked for this fund. The special safeguard (SSG) duty is a trade mechanism that a country can impose on imported products that fall below a trigger price. Industry stakeholders said the earmarked fund consists mostly of safeguard duties collected from coffee and poultry imports. The current balance of CEMF at the end of last year stood at P5.16 billion.
Nestlé: Program allows Mindanao planters to hike income
ULTAN Kudarat—Nestlé
SPhilippines said 3,000 coffee farmers in Mindanao increased their yield by threefold under its banner program.
Nestlé Philippines SVP and Head of Corporate Affairs Jose Uy III said the firm equipped 3,000 farmers from Bukidnon and Sultan Kudarat with “advanced agricultural skills, financial literacy, and market access.” These initiatives were part of its banner program under the Nescafé Plan dubbed the Project Coffee++, which began with its pilot phase,
Project Coffee +, in 2018.
The firm’s partnership with the German agency for cooperation GIZ, which was extended in 2023, will end by December 31.
“In the past, without our intervention, normally the yield per hectare was just 300 kilos. [This currently grew to] three times at almost 900 kilos,” Uy told reporters in a press conference of the official culmination ceremony of its banner project here.
He added that the firm’s target was to reach 1 metric ton (MT) per hectare or 1,000 kilos since neigh -
boring countries like Vietnam— the world’s leading robusta coffee producer—could grow as much as 2 MT per hectare.
“But there are breakthroughs also in some areas here in Sultan Kudarat wherein they managed to get 2 MT per hectare.”
While the current coffee output remains below Nestle Philippines’s target, Uy said that the company managed to help farmers increase their yield three times over the years was already a feat.
“So, we’re still far from the goal, but we will do our best to hit that
number as well,” he said. “As of today, I think that is a significant progress that we’ve managed to increase (yield) threefold from 300 kilos per hectare to almost 1 MT per hectare.”
Citing the results of its pilot project, Nestle Philippines said its first 1,500 beneficiaries tripled their yield and income after applying the best practices they learned in their training. It added that 80 percent of the participants have since crossed the poverty threshold.
“The results of Project Coffee+ under the Nescafé Plan prove
Gene-edited pigs resistant to deadly viral disease
By Manuel T. Cayon @awimailbox
DAVAO City—Scottish researchers have successfully edited the genes of experimented pigs to resist classical swine fever (CSF), a highly infectious and often fatal disease that poses a major threat to pig farming worldwide.
The University of Edinburg of Edinburg, Scotland, reported that its study found out of its gene-edited pigs that were exposed to the virus and that remained healthy, “while unedited animals showed typical signs of disease.”
“The genetic change provided complete protection against infection, with no observable impact
on the animals’ health or development,” researchers said.
The researchers said the work “demonstrates that precise gene editing can prevent infection by disrupting a pig protein the virus relies on to make copies of itself within the cells of the pig.”
The findings offer a promising route to bolstering disease resilience in livestock, they added.
The university said that before producing gene-edited pigs, “researchers worked with collaborators to study how a group of viruses including CSF, collectively known as pestiviruses, interact with pig cells.”
The team focused on a key pig protein, named DNAJC14, that had previously been shown
to play an important role in the virus replication process when studied in cultured cells. In lab studies using these cells, altering the gene that produces DNAJC14 prevented the virus from reproducing.
This suggested that making the same genetic change in live animals could produce livestock resistant to these viruses.
“Researchers made a precise change in a region of the DNAJC14 gene in pig embryos, preventing the virus from using the pig cells to produce all of its own viral proteins,” the university said in its post on October 22.
The embryos were then implanted into surrogate mothers, and once the pigs reached adulthood,
the research team exposed these gene-edited pigs to classical swine fever virus.
Experts monitored the pigs’ health over several weeks, finding no signs of viral infection in the edited animals. By contrast, pigs which had not undergone gene-editing, and were exposed the virus, showed typical signs of infection.
It said the research “highlights the growing potential of gene editing in livestock to improve animal health and support sustainable agriculture.”
“While previous research had identified this protein’s role in cell cultures, translating that into living animals is a major step, and one that requires the
that sustainable farming leads to economic empowerment and new agri-entrepreneurship opportunities for the next generation of farmers,” Nestlé Philippines Chairman and CEO Mauricio Alarcon said.
“As we turn over the institutionalized knowledge products developed by Nestlé Philippines and GIZ, it will become easier for coffee industry stakeholders to offer programs that will train more farmers to become productive, profitable, and more sustainable.”
Ada Pelonia
infrastructure to breed, monitor, and safely test gene-edited livestock.
Our Large Animal Research and Imaging Facility allows us to gene edit and assess a variety of livestock species, with colleagues at the Animal and Plant Health Agency providing expertise and biosecure facilities for this viral challenge,” it added.
The University of Edinburg described classical swine fever as “not currently found in the UK but continues to cause significant outbreaks in parts of Asia, Africa, Latin America and Europe, resulting in trade bans and serious financial losses for farmers” pointing to the African swine fever as its version in many contaminations in Asia.
Soy sees biggest monthly gain since 2020 as China buys cargoes
SOYBEAN futures notched their biggest monthly gain in almost five years as Beijing moves to boost purchases of American farm goods following a trade truce.
China bought at least four United States soybean cargoes after a summit between President Donald Trump and his counterpart Xi Jinping. The cargoes are for shipment later this year and in early 2026, and the total volume is about 250,000 tons, said people familiar with the matter, asking not to be identified because they’re not authorized to speak to media. The soybeans will be shipped from the Pacific Northwest and US Gulf, they added.
US Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said in a social media post Thursday that the Asian nation agreed to buy at least 12 million tons this year. Sales would rise to 25 million tons annually over the next three years, she added.
Soybean futures in Chicago settled at the highest level in almost 16 months on Friday, bringing the monthly gain to 11 percent. Prices have been rallying in recent weeks on optimism over a trade breakthrough.
The deal is expected to provide relief to struggling American farmers, who have been hard-hit by inflation and high input costs
even as China shunned US soybeans in favor of South American supplies. The US trade with China was worth more than $12 billion last year.
“Our farmers are very happy. I suggest that they go out and buy larger tractors and more land,” Trump told reporters Friday. “Nobody’s ever seen anything like it.” Still, China’s level of commit -
ment highlights the limitations of America’s reliance on the trading partner for its exports. Analysts noted that the base numbers merely return trade to previous levels.
China has drastically reduced its reliance on US crop supplies since Trump’s first trade war, leaning more on top producer Brazil to meet its needs.
Futures fluctuated earlier Fri -
day as there was some caution among traders, who are “hesitant to make big market moves without Chinese confirmation of an agreement,” said Consus Ag Consulting analyst Karl Setzer. China booked its first US soybean cargoes earlier this week, just days before the summit between Trump and Xi, lifting the monthslong pause that had hurt American farmers. Traders now are watching for additional US soybean cargoes booked by China, though some have questioned whether the deal’s terms will be met.
“There’s a cautious sense of optimism that de-escalation has occurred between China and the United States, but also a knowing reality that the two countries are far from settling all of their differences, leaving us vulnerable to re-escalation at any point that could unravel these agreements,”
BLOOMBERG
4 decades of poverty: SWS survey reveals stagnant progress for millions of Filipinos
THE latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey reveals a concerning reality: half of Filipino families—a staggering 14.2 million households—still rate themselves as poor. This figure, unchanged from April 2025 and slightly up from June, is a searing indictment of the persistent economic struggle endured by millions, and a deafening alarm bell demanding a fundamental shift in approach. (Read the BusinessMirror story: “Half of Pinoy families rate themselves ‘poor’—SWS poll,” October 30, 2025).
For over four decades, SWS has meticulously tracked this self-perception of poverty. While the current 50 percent is significantly lower than the harrowing peaks of the mid-80s and early 90s, it remains depressingly high, stubbornly hovering far above the record low of 38 percent achieved in 2019.
The regional breakdown paints an even more alarming picture. Mindanao’s 69 percent self-rated poverty rate is a crisis demanding immediate, focused intervention. While the Visayas saw a welcome 6-point decline (to 54 percent), this was accompanied by a worrying doubling of families rating themselves as “borderline,” suggesting acute vulnerability and economic fragility. Meanwhile, significant increases in poverty perception in both Metro Manila (up 7 points to 43 percent) and Balance Luzon (up 4 points to 42 percent) indicate that economic pressures are tightening their grip even in areas traditionally seen as more affluent. Equally concerning is the parallel story of food poverty. The 41 percent of families rating themselves as “food-poor”—meaning they feel they cannot afford even basic decent meals—remains unchanged since April. While marginally lower than 2024’s average, it underscores the daily battle against hunger faced by a massive segment of the population.
These numbers are not just about income; they are stories about the most fundamental human need. They represent parents skipping meals to feed children, workers trapped in low-wage jobs with no security, families living in constant fear of the next unexpected expense pushing them over the edge, and generations seeing limited pathways out of hardship. The “borderline” category, holding steady at 12 percent nationally but surging in the Visayas, represents millions teetering precariously, one shock away from slipping into outright poverty.
The persistence of this high self-rated poverty points to deep-seated structural issues. It highlights the failure of economic growth to translate into broad-based prosperity, the inadequacy of social safety nets, the crushing weight of inflation on basic goods, and the persistent inequalities plaguing different regions. It speaks to a lack of quality jobs, accessible healthcare, affordable housing, and reliable pathways to upward mobility.
Policymakers and leaders must move beyond complacency, recognizing that incremental change is no longer sufficient. There is a pressing need for targeted interventions in regions like Mindanao, where generic national programs have failed to address specific community challenges. Additionally, immediate relief from inflation is crucial to combat rising costs of food, energy, and transportation, which significantly impact purchasing power and contribute to the perception of poverty.
Job creation should focus on quality, offering fair wages and benefits to enable families to build sustainable futures through dignified employment.
Social safety nets must be robust and adaptable, effectively supporting those at risk of poverty to prevent their situations from worsening.
When half the country says it has nothing left to lose, that should alarm everyone. This “national emergency” reflects a failure to deliver on the fundamental promise of a decent life for all Filipinos. An economy’s success shouldn’t be judged only by growth but by whether families can feed their children, keep them in school, and avoid eviction.
Half of Filipino families seeing themselves as poor is a moral indictment— and a call to design policies rooted in family realities, invest in people as well as infrastructure, and judge progress by how inclusive it is. If the nation truly seeks shared prosperity, it must act with urgency and compassion.
Opinion BusinessMirror
Vigilance in PHL cyberspace
TRISING SUN
HE Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) advisory about increased cyber risks on November 5 underscores the need for vigilance and technological awareness in the Philippine digital sphere. Research reveals that this is connected with the global symbolism of Guy Fawkes Night and past hacktivist incidents targeting this day.
Historically, November 5 commemorates Guy Fawkes Night in the United Kingdom—marking the failed Gunpowder Plot of 1605, when Fawkes and his co-conspirators tried to overthrow the government.
Over centuries, this date evolved and entered Internet culture as a rallying symbol for digital protest. The Guy Fawkes mask, popularized by the film “V for Vendetta,” became a signature icon for hacktivist groups
like Anonymous. For years, Anonymous and similar movements have coordinated digital attacks and protest campaigns on November 5, often targeting government websites and institutions worldwide as acts of “resistance.” The date, once rooted in England’s turbulent history, now serves as a global emblem of cyberactivism and digital disruption.
With this context in mind, the recent DICT warning is both timely
and relevant. The advisory cites the risk of a “possible Internet traffic flood,” specifically referencing the likelihood of a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack—where web servers are bombarded with overwhelming traffic, rendering online services inaccessible. Such attacks not only disrupt businesses and government operations but also threaten critical infrastructure, especially as digitalization deepens across the country.
The DICT’s proactive stance links directly to previous incidents: November 5 has seen cyberattacks orchestrated by local and international hacktivist circles. In past years, Anonymous Philippines pledged and coordinated strikes on the date, defacing websites and drawing public attention to perceived failures in governance, digital rights, and privacy. The continuity of these attacks illustrates a pattern that reflects real vulnerabilities in cybersecurity.
In light of these warnings and our past experiences, vigilance must transcend mere awareness: Philippine
organizations, public agencies, and individuals are called to fortify their digital practices. Technological precautions—such as robust firewalls, regular security audits, and incident response planning—are essential, and so is a culture of cyber hygiene. The Guy Fawkes mythos serves as a metaphor into the age of information: a reminder that our interconnectedness is both strength and risk. Digital literacy must become a civic priority, matched by reforms in infrastructure and responsive leadership. Each November 5 has become a recurring test: are we alert or complacent, prepared or exposed? The lesson from Guy Fawkes, the hacktivist movements, and the latest DICT advisory is clear. The real “plot” to foil is internal—thwarting inertia and creating a nation of vigilant individuals empowered by technological awareness. We all have to move towards proactive readiness and ensure that the digital space remains safe, reliable, and resilient in the uncertain landscape of cyber threats.
The peso’s plunge: A reflection of corruption and trust deficits in governance
LAST week, the peso hit its weakest level in 10 months, closing at P59.13 to the US dollar. On paper, a soft currency might sound like a bonanza for exporters. In reality, it exposes something grimmer: a nation’s fractured soul, where corruption has seeped so deeply into governance that even the exchange rate now tells a moral story.
The peso’s slide coincides with the ghost of P1.7 trillion in so-called flood-control projects—roughly a fourth of the proposed P6.7-trillion national budget for 2026. When Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) officials are seen parading stacks of cash allegedly bound for legislators and phantom projects, what collapses is not just the peso, but the country’s confidence.
What truly weakened was not our currency’s worth but our collective faith—faith that budgets are spent wisely, that public office remains public trust. As one revelation follows another—defunded ODA projects, shrunken allocations for health and education, trillions siphoned by greedy contractors, greedier bureaucrats, and the greediest lawmakers—it becomes clear that the peso is sim-
ply translating our moral deficit into monetary terms.
Currencies are not just exchange instruments; they are reflections of trust. When corruption becomes the quiet denominator of governance, the market senses the fracture before the charts do.
No wonder the stock market has been limping below 6,000 points, far from the 9,000-point euphoria of earlier years, while other Asian bourses continue to flourish.
Corruption doesn’t merely stain morality; it cripples markets. It breeds the expectation effect—that eerie pre-recession behavior when households begin tightening their belts long before a downturn officially arrives. People sense that the economy is headed south, and they spend less. Stores sell less. Factories slow down. Jobs dry up. The prophecy fulfills itself.
The dampening force, in our case, is not inflation alone but disbelief— disbelief that public funds serve public good. Every scandal, every ghost project, becomes more than outrage; it becomes a monetary signal. Investors sell, foreign funds flee, and the peso trembles under the weight of moral exhaustion.
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, which has just announced a 25 basis point cut in interest rates, insists the peso’s weakness stems from market forces. “We continue to maintain robust reserves,” the BSP said, “and when we do participate in the market, it is to smooth volatility rather than defend the rate.” But markets trade not just in reserves—they trade in reputation.
In a healthy economy, every peso spent by the government multiplies demand. In ours, the corruption multiplier works in reverse. Every peso lost to graft subtracts two from growth: one from the project left undone, another from the trust destroyed. Investors read it as risk, lenders as premium, consumers as despair.
When bridges collapse after ribbon-cuttings or dikes crumble with the first rain, people withdraw—not only their money but their belief. That invisible withdrawal drains the economy faster than any capital flight.
And as the state borrows more to spend, each loan grows costlier when credibility is low. The irony bites: the more the government borrows
to build, the less the public believes the buildings will stand. No interest-rate cut can reverse that psychology. Recovery rests not on liquidity, but on legitimacy. Confidence—once lost—cannot be conjured by fiscal tricks. What this economy truly needs is transparency, not transactions. The most powerful stimulus is a moral audit. A peso spent honestly ripples farther than billions disbursed under suspicion. Accountability is not mere virtue; it is an economic asset that steadies the peso, lowers borrowing costs, and restores that priceless capital called trust. Growth, after all, is not purely arithmetic. It is ethics quantified— the sum of honesty, efficiency, and faith in rule of law. Until those numbers rise, the peso will continue to reflect not just trade imbalances but trust deficits.
The true exchange rate to watch, then, is not peso versus dollar, but faith versus corruption. The peso’s depreciation is a metaphor for moral devaluation. And until governance itself appreciates — until those who plunder are punished and those who serve are honored—no central bank can stabilize the exchange rate of hope.
Because confidence is the currency of progress. When it deflates, the economy follows. When it is restored, even a weak peso can purchase something stronger than money—belief that tomorrow will still be worth investing in today.
Atty. Jose Ferdinand M. Rojas II
LITO GAGNI
One recipe, one kitchen: Coordinating flood control probes
NJoel L. Tan-Torres
DEBIT CREDIT
Part seven
O investigation of corruption in public works can be complete without the involvement of ordinary citizens and civil society organizations (CSOs). Communities on the ground are often the first to witness anomalies in flood control projects— whether in the form of unbuilt structures, substandard work, or projects that exist only on paper. Citizens can provide photographs, geo-tagged data, testimonies, “sumbong” to government whistleblowers platforms, and on-site monitoring reports, which serve as vital evidence to validate or contradict official contractor submissions.
CSOs attended on October 29, 2025 the public hearing of the Senate Committee on Finance, presided over by Senator Willian Gatchalian. This hearing aimed at enhancing budget transparency and accountability. The hearing responded to recent concerns over weak planning, coordination, and oversight—especially in the context of large infrastructure programs(including flood-control projects) where irregularities have been flagged (web.senate.gov.ph)
CSOs that participated came from a broad spectrum of organizations focused on budget transparency, infrastructure watchdogs, fiscal governance advocacy groups, and sectoral CSOs (education, health, transport) that offered budget-process feedback.
The CSOs proposed that all budget-related data should be made public: from the first version of the National Expenditure Budget, to department submissions, to bicameral amendments, and the final General Appropriations Act (GAA).
The CSOs also recommended reallocating funds from large infrastructure projects (especially under the Department of Public Works and Highways) toward sectors such as education, health, and transport, on the premise that infrastructure budgeting has been subject to repeated irregularity risks.
These CSOs flagged specific issues such as weak planning and coordination between agencies, lack of clarity in budget documentation, problems with project-selection criteria, and insufficient public engagement in budget audits/monitoring.
As a private citizen, I suggest the following for better transparency, accountability, and oversight in the budget preparation and expenditure process.
A provision in the annual GAA should be included for a CSO Observer-Participation (mirroring procurement law’s CSO observer rules) to ensure NGOs/CPAs monitor early budget stages of large-scale infrastructure programs.
Setting up of an online Budget Transparency Data Module (accessible via open-data portal) that includes full procurement packages, linked to audit findings and sanc-
The CSOs proposed that all budget-related data should be made public: from the first version of the National Expenditure Budget, to department submissions, to bicameral amendments, and the final General Appropriations Act.
tion referrals (e.g., for flood control) and maintained by the Department of Budget and Management. This can include a dedicated budget submodule for high-risk project types (infra, flood control) that triggers automatic audit and investigation whenever the appropriation exceeds a threshold. Representatives from the CSOs should be part of this government-CSO audit team that should be organized for this purpose.
If these measures and the other recommendations of the CSOs that were presented during the Committee on Finance hearing are heeded, these can prevent another cycle of flood-control anomalies and other infrastructure irregularities. Transparency and coordination should not merely rely on ad-hoc hearings or public outrage, but on codified, technology-enabled systems that empower citizens, professionals, and public servants alike. In the end, good governance follows the same recipe as good project management: clarity, coordination, and consistency. With “one recipe and one kitchen,” the Philippines can finally transform citizen vigilance into institutional integrity— ensuring that every peso appropriated is a peso that truly serves the public good.
To be continued
Joel L. Tan-Torres was a former Commissioner of the Bureau of Internal Revenue. He has also held various positions, including Dean of the University of the Philippines School of Business, Chairman of the Professional Regulatory Board of Accountancy, Tax partner of Reyes Tacandong & Co., and SyCipGorres and Velayo & Co., and director of various corporate boards. He is a Certified Public Accountant who ranked No. 1 in the CPA Board Examination of May 1979. He has his own tax and consultancy practice in JL2T Consulting and can be contacted at joeltantorres@yahoo.com.
Halloween trick or treat activities
ASiegfred Bueno Mison, Esq.
THE PATRIOT
S millions of Filipinos visited the cemeteries during the past weekend, I cannot help but remember the time when I did the same during my teenage years. We spent as much time as we could, sometimes sleeping overnight, in Himlayang Pilipino in Quezon City where my paternal grandfather, Rafael Dy Mison, was buried sometime in the seventies. My uncle, Rafael Jr., followed soon thereafter in 1986, then my paternal grandmother, Consuelo Massey Mison.
My extended family will spend eating, drinking, laughing, flying kites (yes, we could easily fly those before), playing cards and board games, among other fun things we did with our loved ones who have passed. Of course, there was praying for the souls of the dead as it was customary in the Catholic faith. Visiting the dead was an event that everyone anticipated with much preparation and coordination.
Through the years, as the crowds got thicker, traffic became a bigger mess, and some people got more unruly, most of my family members have ditched visiting the dead on the exact dates of November 1 and 2. We opted to visit our loved ones a few days before or after just to avoid the chaos during the back to back celebrations of All Saints Day and All Soul’s Day.
While some opted to continue this annual tradition of mini-reunion, others have opted to make use of these holidays to go on short vacations, here or abroad. Instead of spending time with their dead in the cemeteries, they opted to make memories with the living. However this long weekend was spent, whether in the cemetery or in a vacation house
Xi
Cor beach resort, most families chose to have some quality bonding time. Due to Western influence, I noticed that some trick or treat activities, which were confined to homes and subdivisions before, have invaded the work places and student campuses. Before, only children wore ghost and ghastly costumes. Today, I noticed some adults even outdoing themselves to get the award of Best Costume, both at work and in school.
This year, I saw one student who satirically represented himself as a legislator by dressing himself in a white sheet and claiming that he is the ghost that everyone is looking for—the Ghost of all ghost flood control projects! Some adults in shopping centers were seen to be wearing safety helmets and vest, passing themselves as DPWH engineers, some of which have been involved in ghost projects.
In a related but equally ghostly development is the report that the number of functionally illiterate Filipinos has nearly doubled to 24.8 million in the past 30 years! The Department of Education is involved in more than 261 inter-agency bodies, which, according to the report from
renews China-Korea
By Soo-Hyang Choi & James Mayger
the Second Congressional Commission on Education, has diverted the agency’s focus from its core mandate of basic education.
This rising number of functionally illiterate Filipinos based on the 2024 Functional Literacy, Education and Mass Media Survey has resulted to a Halloween protest participated in by the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) Philippines, with the theme “Trick or Threat” as it denounced the government’s deception and intimidation of the education sector. The “Trick” part stems from the fact that teachers have lower salaries despite government claims that education is a priority. The “Threat” part comes the supposed government harassment against leaders and teachers unions, according to ACT chair Ruby Bernardo. Allowing more of our students to be functionally illiterate is irresponsible on the part of government.
Most believers and Jesus’ followers I know refrain from participating in any trick or treat celebration, which roots can be traced to some dark or evil rituals. Over time, this once pagan celebrations were repurposed into a church holiday by the Catholic Church to celebrate the saints but not ghosts or spirits. Yet, despite this conversion, some believers chose to continue the debate—whether or not to participate in traditional Halloween festivities.
I found little or no reference in the Bible about Halloween. What I understand is that the Bible speaks clearly on the subject of physical and spiritual death. My pastor friend taught me that a physical death is the separation of the soul from the body, whereas spiritual death is the separation of the soul from God. The very first spiritual death occurred when Adam and Eve, after eating the forbidden fruit, heard the voice
of the Lord, and hid themselves from the presence of God. Any person who is without Christ is spiritually dead—“They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts.” (Ephesians 4:18). Any person who chooses to follow his earthly desires is spiritually dead. “As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.” (Ephesians 2:1-2). Those in public service and their cohorts in the private sector, whether in the DPWH, Bureau of Customs, Congress and Senate, or even in the highest office of the land who continue to pillage the government coffers for their selfish desires are evidently spiritually dead. They have been constantly engaging us in Trick or Treat. They “Trick” and deceive the Filipino people and “Treat” their “nepo babies” and families lavishly and recklessly. They chose to live a life of reckless ignorance of the Word of God.
For those families with physically dead relatives, may we be grateful for All Souls Day knowing that our loved ones who died are no longer suffering from earthly pain. For those families with spiritually dead relatives, may we be reminded that All Saints Day is a celebration for those believers who are called to be saints.
While living, may all of us live a life worthy of the calling of saints by reuniting with our families through the grace of our Almighty God! Either in life or in death, we have the choice to make our loved ones less functionally illiterate in the Word of God.
ties with Lee on first visit in 11 years
HINA’S President Xi Jinping emphasized the importance of ties with South Korea in talks with President Lee Jae Myung on Saturday, as both leaders sought to rebuild relations after years of Seoul moving closer to the US.
The two met for about 100 minutes on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in South Korea. It follows separate talks both leaders held with US President Donald Trump, during which Washington and Seoul finalized a trade and investment deal that will see Korean companies channel billions of dollars into the US each year.
“The importance of peace and stability in the region cannot be overstated as we work to advance this forward-looking partnership,” Lee said at the start of the meeting, according to a pool report.
Xi described China and South Korea as inseparable neighbors and said Beijing was ready to deepen communication and cooperation, according to the report.
The trip marks Xi’s first visit to South Korea in 11 years and is the two leaders’ first meeting since Lee took office in June. While Lee’s pre-
decessor Yoon Suk Yeol prioritized strengthening defense and economic ties with the US and Japan to counter threats from North Korea, Lee has sought a more balanced approach, signaling caution about taking sides amid intensifying US-China rivalry.
Economic links between the two countries have weakened in recent years, with Korean firms facing tougher competition in China and fallout from a past dispute over a US missile defense system. Tensions rose again when Beijing sanctioned the US units of Hanwha Ocean Co. over its investment plans in America.
“Relations between South Korea and China may seem free of major problems on the surface, but in reality, it’s difficult to say that the relationship has been fully normalized or restored,” Lee said earlier in the day. His office later said the meeting signaled that “full restoration” of ties is on track.
Lee also sought China’s help on North Korea. Beijing remains Pyongyang’s most important backer, offering vital economic support while the US and its allies maintain sanctions. In September, Xi hosted Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at a military parade in Beijing, with Xi and Kim pledging to strengthen relations.
Lee told Xi he welcomed the frequent high-level exchanges between China and North Korea, and that he hoped to step up strategic communication with Beijing to create conditions for dialogue with Pyongyang. Just hours before Saturday’s meeting, North Korea issued a statement calling the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula a “pipe dream” that could “never be realized.”
Last week’s events underscored Seoul’s delicate balancing act between the world’s two largest economies. Lee also reaffirmed South Korea’s deep ties with Washington, its only defense ally and a major trading partner.
Apart from the investment deal with the US, Lee secured Trump’s approval for South Korea to build nuclear-powered submarines in
American shipyards. Kim Dong-yup, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies and a retired Navy officer, warned the project could draw backlash from China.
“This move essentially signifies South Korea’s declaration to join the US-led containment strategy against China as a front-line spear and shield,” he said “Who would believe that a submarine, built in an American shipyard with an approval by a US president, would supposedly operate only in waters near the Korean peninsula?”
Economically, South Korea’s trade dynamics have shifted. The country now runs a growing trade surplus with the US, but its once-strong trade surplus with China has flipped into a persistent deficit as Chinese firms become more competitive and move up the value chain.
A major blow came from the collapse of Korean car sales in China following Beijing’s backlash over Seoul’s decision to host the US THAAD missile defense system nearly a decade ago. Sales have continued to fall, worsening during the Covid-19 pandemic as Chinese consumers turned to local electric vehicles. With assistance from Myungshin Cho and Josh Xiao/Bloomberg
Trump pivot is a ‘watershed moment’ for climate, says EU’s Hoekstra
By Danielle Bochove
EU Climate Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra said the US retreat on green commitments will damage the potential for global impact as well as the overall mood at the upcoming COP30 talks in Brazil, but that it points to new “partnerships and opportunities” for other nations to forge progress.
The US said on Friday that it will not send high-level officials to the United Nations-sponsored events, which start next week in the Amazonian city of Belém. President Donald Trump in January initiated the country’s withdrawal from the Paris Agreement, a process that takes a year.
“We’re talking about the largest, the most dominant, most important geopolitical player from the whole world. It is the second largest emitter,” Hoekstra said of the US, in an interview in Toronto on Saturday. “So if a player of that magnitude basically says, ‘Well, I’m going to leave and have it all sorted out by the rest of you,’ clearly that does damage.” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer have confirmed their attendance at COP30, while French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz are expected to confirm in coming days. While describing the US absence from COP30 as a “watershed mo -
ment,” Hoekstra, the EU’s climate chief and a former minister in the Netherlands, pointed to the continuing engagement of many US governors and mayors on climate issues. He also cited the ongoing business case for decarbonization.
American companies “might no longer write the C word in capitals,” he said, referring to climate. “But if there is a business case to continue with solar or batteries or wind, and that business case is sound, well, what do business people do? They try to reap these benefits, and rightly so.”
COP30 organizers haven’t laid out a main goal or deal going into the talks. The first such summit to be held in the Amazon rainforest, it is set to focus on implementation,
or turning policies into tangible outcomes. Hoekstra said he hopes for three key achievements: steps to close the gap between current climate policies and what scientists say is needed to limit temperature rise; action to scale up carbon markets; and for countries to “get concrete” about climate adaptation.
Most countries missed the deadline to submit their climate pledges to the UN ahead of the talks, and a recent analysis found those pledges would result in emissions cuts far lower than what’s needed to avoid the worst impacts of global warming.
While the EU is a leader on ambitious climate policy with a binding target of net zero emissions by 2050,
it hasn’t yet submitted its own pledge, or Nationally Determined Contribution, for 2035.
“If you are more than walking the talk yourself, you always have an easier conversation,” Hoekstra said. At COP30, the EU “can motivate, we can build coalitions, we can bring others into the tent,” he said. But he noted that the 27 countries in the bloc together only account for a small fraction of the world’s annual emissions. That means “there is no alternative for the others, amongst roughly the group of the G20, to take action themselves,” said Hoekstra.
The world’s biggest greenhouse gas polluter, China, submitted a NDC that was largely seen as modest. Hoekstra
described China’s climate policies as having “pluses and minuses,” noting he’s particularly worried about the superpower’s coal-plant-building push, which risks locking in future fossil fuel use. “It would be very important for the world if they would actually refrain from that,” he said. And its NDC, he said, is inadequate. “Most experts were hoping for an NDC north of 30 percent [in reductions], or at least something around 20 percent,” he said. “And then an NDC that is in all likelihood below 10 percent? I mean, even with all the diplomatic language I would love to wrap around that, it’s hard to see how that is enough.” With assistance from John Ainger, Laura Millan and Ewa Krukowska/Bloomberg
Monday, November 3, 2025
2nd Front
BusinessMirror
MARCOS EXTENDS RICE BAN TILL END-’25 TO HALT FARMGATE DIP
By Ada Pelonia @adapelonia
RESIDENT Ferdinand
PMarcos Jr. has approved extending the rice import ban until the end of 2025 in a bid to arrest the slide in farmgate prices of palay, according to the Department of Agriculture (DA).
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said the Executive Order (EO) that would formalize the extension of the import freeze will be released on November 3.
“With the import ban having little impact on retail prices and supply of rice but a significant effect on the farmgate price of palay, President Marcos deemed it necessary to extend the suspension for two more months,” Tiu Laurel said.
Initially, Marcos suspended the foreign shipments of rice until October 31 to counter the sharp drop in palay prices ahead of the wet harvest season.
While the measure briefly lifted prices, the DA said whatever gains the rice sector attained had tapered off as the suspension neared its expiry.
He noted that amid the ongoing harvest, the extended import ban, along with the rollout of the Sagip Saka program and the establishment of a floor price for government procurement of palay,
should help support rice farmers.
Earlier, Tiu Laurel said overimportation and poor-quality harvests in some areas, exacerbated by weather-related shocks, had depressed farmgate prices.
Despite this, the DA projects that rice availability would remain ample even under a 120-day import suspension.
It added that conservative estimates place supply at 89 days by yearend, while optimistic scenarios forecast up to 92 days, considering 122.7 kilos per annum the projected per capita consumption compared with just 58 days’ worth of stocks at the end of 2024.
The agency also said retail rice prices remained broadly stable amid the suspension, citing its price monitoring records.
The DA projects that by November, well-milled rice will average around P42 per kilo, while regularmilled rice will hover near P40.
Tiu Laurel said he recommended the extension to Marcos as “a necessary measure to provide sustained support to local producers, maintain market stability, and allow a more comprehensive assessment of the policy’s effects.”
He said the move would also enable a fuller evaluation of the ban’s impact on farmgate and retail markets, while continuing to shield local farmers from the downward pressure of cheaper imports.
DOE stands pat on wider exceptions to coal freeze
By Lenie Lectura @llectura
THEDepartment of Energy (DOE) took a firm stand on its recent decision to widen the exceptions to the 2020 coal moratorium, saying the phaseout has to be calibrated because coal is still needed for now.
“We want coal out, what do we replace it with? So, we have to plan it out properly. It’s not basically just put LNG [liquefied natural gas] or gas there. because gas will make it more expensive. We have to plan it out and that’s why the phasing out of coal has to be very well calibrated,” said DOE Secretary Sharon Garin.
The DOE released last month a list of exceptions for coal power projects such as those for self-generation and critical national needs. These exemptions apply to industrial parks, such as those in the Philippine Economic Zone Authority
(PEZA), planning to use the power solely for their own operations; projects located in off-grid areas; facilities dedicated to the mining and processing of critical minerals for the energy transition; and ongrid facilities only when there is an imminent power crisis.
This move was welcomed by Consunji-led DMCI Power Corp., which has been pushing for the exclusion of the small power utilities group (SPUG) from the coal moratorium.
“I think it’s practical and economically correct,” Isidro Consunji, chairman and president of DMCI Holdings Inc., said via Viber.
Permanent Michelin Guide partnership for PHL?
By Ma. Stella F. Arnaldo Special to the BusinessMirror
THE Department of Tourism (DOT) is looking to institutionalize the partnership with Michelin Guide to ensure the annual inspections of Philippine restaurants, and expanding to destinations outside of Metro Manila and Cebu.
“That’s certainly what we’re hoping for,” said Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco, when asked if she had plans to continue the partnership with the prestigious and sought after restaurant guide beyond this year. “We envision that the recognition of the Philippines by the Michelin Guide is one that deserves to be institutionalized...We’re pitching for more destinations as possible. Our regional cuisine is so diverse, it really deserves to be highlighted,” she added. Michelin Guide is a guidebook of restaurants created by a European tire company, and on October 30, unveiled its Philippine edition which included one 2-star restaurant (Helm by Josh Boutwood), eight 1-star establishments, 25 Bib Gourmand restaurants, and 74 on the Guide’s Select list. (See,
“Two Michelin Stars-resto Helm leads 108 honorees in first-ever Michelin Guide PHL,” in the BusinessMirror, Oct. 30, 2025.) Jokingly reminded by the BusinessMirror that her agency had limited funds, the DOT chief laughed and said, “Oo nga e. Tulungan mo naman ako para magka-budget! (That’s right. Please help me get a budget!).” Noting that Congress is the one which approves funds for government agencies, she said: “We continue to advocate and fight for the appropriate budget that our country deserves...And from over a hundred places recognized tonight [and their stars], our country deserves this investment.” While the DOT did not want to reveal how much it had paid for the partnership as it has a “non-disclosure agreement” with Michelin Guide, rumors had been rife in the tight-knit restaurant and food community since October last year that the government agency paid at least $3 million (P177 million) for the partnership. Maan Villareal of Spotlight Asia, the public relations company handling all press inquiries for the Michelin Guide also told this paper, “Unfortunately, details of the partnership [are] not discussed.” It has been standard practice in recent years
for certain Asian destinations to pay for Michelin Guide inspections, although these are still independently run. “The Guide has many partners around the world and none of them has any influence in its selection process,” added Villareal.
According to a piece by Eater in July 2018, the Tourism Authority of Thailand paid some US$4.4 million back for a five-year partnership with the guide, for its first listing starting in 2017. The prior year, about $2 million was paid by the Korean Tourism Organization to bring the guide to Seoul. (https://tinyurl.com/4kmfbavt)
Under the National Expenditure Program for 2026, the DOT-Office of the Secretary was allocated P3.14 billion, almost unchanged from its budget this year. Next year’s proposed budget includes some P1.1 billion for its market and development program, under which falls a P500-million branding campaign. (See, “DOT, attached agencies to defend lower ’26 budget,” in the BusinessMirror, Aug. 20, 2025.)
Meanwhile, Frasco said her administration had been working on the partnership with Michelin Guide “for three years” and was among “the highest aspirations and desire” of the chefs and gastronomy stakeholders she had met during her earlier so-called
“listening tours” when she assumed office in 2022.
Asked if there were Filipinos among the Michelin Guide inspectors, she noted that, “All inspectors are employees of Michelin. We are not privy to their nationalities. Their identities remain a secret.”
The inspectors repeatedly visited establishments in Metro Manila, Cebu, Pampanga, Tagaytay, and Cavite. The DOT chief said she wanted the inspectors next year to also explore Western Visayas and Mindanao.
Asked if higher tourist arrivals will be the measure of success of the agency’s partnership with Michelin Guide, Frasco said, “That is certainly one of our key performance indicators...More importantly, it is the employment and livelihood that tourism generates. We anticipate that with the Michelin Guide, many more people will come to the Philippines, and that will provide more opportunities for businesses to sprout up, and [for food producers] to increase their supplies to the culinary industry.”
DOT data showed showed 4.3 million foreign nationals arrived from January to September 2025, some 2.4 percent less than the same period last year. The agency projects 6.7 million foreign tourists next year.
DMCI Holdings is the parent firm of DMCI Power.
Consunji earlier pointed out that coal is a cheaper alternative than diesel-fed SPUG power facilities.
The energy chief stressed that the widening of exceptions doesn’t mean that the DOE is abandoning its renewable energy (RE) goal: a 35-percent share of the power generation mix by 2030 and 50 percent by 2040.
“It’s because we want to reach it, that’s why we need to sustain until the technology is there, that we can have a cleaner and cheaper baseload while we’re waiting for nuclear, while we’re waiting for other technologies to come in, for battery to be cheaper, and LNG to be cheaper. Coal is sustaining that because without coal, I don’t think we can support the demand of the country,” Garin pointed out.
The DOE, however, has faced criticism from energy watchdogs and environmental groups.
The Center for Energy, Ecology, and Development (CEED) said the coal moratorium was put in place to promote the entry of more renewables, and flexibility, sustainability, and reliability of energy supply.
“With every exemption, the DOE undermines the very objectives set out by the policy,” said Gerry Arances, Executive Director of CEED.
A 2024 report by CEED revealed that coal-fired power plants, alongside fossil gas and oil, recorded the highest number of forced outages between 2019 and 2023.
“The DOE knows very well that recurring outages from coal and fossil fuel power plants have even prompted legislative inquiries and investigations on gaming, collusion, and even economic sabotage. We find it alarming that it now sets ‘exceptional circumstances’ as a blanket condition for non-coverage, when coal power plants and their proponents have been the primary culprit for outages for years and are thus capable of creating such conditions in bids to expand the use of coal,” Arances explained.
The two energy sources are in a significant struggle but Garin said, “whether there’s more coal or less coal, the fact is it’s because we need it so that we can reach our renewable energy goals.
“It’s not one against the other, it’s because we want more renewables.”
ILO flags urgent need for ‘renewed social contract’ as gaps widen
By Justine Xyrah Garcia
THE International Labour Organization (ILO) has urged governments and employers to rebuild labor and social systems that can deliver fair wages, safety nets, and inclusive growth.
It said this must take shape through a “renewed social contract” anchored on rights, justice and people-centered development.
In its new global report, “The New Social Contract: Towards the Second Summit for Social Development,” the ILO outlined a framework that integrates economic, social, and environmental goals within a single policy agenda.
The proposed contract envisions full and productive employment as the driver of growth, social protection as an investment in resilience, and freedom of association and collective bargaining as foundations of democracy and stability.
The report, prepared by the ILO Bureau for Workers’ Activities, reflects priorities gathered from trade unions across Africa, the Arab States, Asia and the Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Europe and Central Asia.
It will guide workers’ inputs to the Second World Summit for Social Development in Doha, Qatar, from November 4 to 6.
“This report brings together the voices, experiences, and proposals of trade unions worldwide,” ACTRAV Director Maria Helena André said.
“Through regional dialogues… workers have defined shared priorities for advancing social justice and shaping a more inclusive future of work.”
Decent work, trust in crisis ACCORDING to the ILO, over half or 58.2 percent of workers globally remain in informal employment, while nearly 700 million people continue to live in extreme
poverty.
Social protection systems cover less than half (47 percent) of the world’s population, leaving more than four billion people without safety nets.
These figures, the report noted, show how fragile social and economic systems have become. Weak labor inspection, shrinking civic space, and anti-union practices have undermined rights to organize and bargain collectively, with many trade unionists warning that “when workers cannot organise freely, society as a whole becomes weaker.”
“Decent work deficits persist, democratic space is shrinking, and too often employment is treated as a by-product of growth rather than as its driving force. Workers’ organixations therefore reaffirm that what is needed today is not merely reform, but renewal, a renewed social contract anchored in rights, grounded in justice, and centered on people,” the report noted.
The organization added that governments must rebuild fiscal and legal systems that expand protection to all workers and ensure democratic participation in shaping economic policy.
“Macroeconomic policies must link directly to social and environmental outcomes, making the reduction of inequalities and the pursuit of full, productive employment central priorities,” it said.
The report also called on international financial institutions to align their programs with the ILO’s Decent Work Agenda and avoid “socially regressive conditions” that weaken labor standards.
“Inclusive social dialogue among governments, employers, and workers, anchored in the ILO’s tripartite model, remains the most reliable means to ensure that future policies reflect the lived realities of all sectors of society. Such dialogue also enables the social contract to evolve, maintaining its relevance as new challenges emerge,” it added.
FRUITS OF FAITH A fruit vendor carefully sorts her lanzones in front of the historic Quiapo Church in Manila—a quiet moment of livelihood unfolding beneath the shadow of faith. BERNARD TESTA
Editor: Jennifer A. Ng
B1 Monday, November 3, 2025
Meralco: Power sales may rise
By Lenie Lectura @llectura
THE Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) is betting on stronger electricity demand next year in anticipation of temperature normalization and repurposing of unused condominium space, possibly leading to higher energy sales.
“As we continue our aggressive energization this year, it will sort of generate a lot of sales next year. We’re also hoping that when things normalize, well, technically, temperature is extreme from El Niño to La Niña, we recover some of those lost organic sales by some sort of normalization of temperature.
Those vacancies left by POGOs [Philippine offshore gaming operators], including condominiums, we see that occupancy is repurposing.
I think if you heard the POGO
Grab unveils dedicated hub for gig workers
hub at Island Cove was bought by EEI and the plan is to repurpose it to some sort of a township. Of course, some of the occupancy left by POGOs, some of it will be occupied by office spaces,” said Meralco Senior Vice President and Chief Revenue Officer Ferdinand O. Geluz. Yuchengco-led EEI Corp. said last week it acquired 100 percent of First Orient International Ventures Corp. (FOIVC) shares from KC Land Oriental Pacific Inc. of businessman Kevin Wong. OIVC is a real estate holding
SUPER app Grab Philippines is poised to accelerate its progress toward generating 500,000 livelihood opportunities by 2028 following the launch of its first Asenso Center, a dedicated hub designed
company that owns 49 hectares of land in Cavite.
Meralco is already in discussions with EEI to energize the property. “We’re already talking to them.”
From January to September this year, the energy sales of Meralco’s distribution business recorded 40,719 gigawatt hours (GWh), almost flattish compared to the 40,872 GWh recorded in the same period a year ago. This was brought about by inclement weather affecting the electricity demand in residential and commercial segments.
Meralco customers reached 8.2 million at end-September this year.
“We’re still confident that by next year, with the continuous energization that we’re having now, plus some sort of normalization, an increase of around 1,700 megawatt hour, so more than 3 percent,” added Geluz.
Meralco Chief Operating Officer Ronnie Aperocho said the weather will also play an important role in the utility firm’s energy sales growth next year. “But the weather is also a big factor. In fact, if you have noticed, in the Philippines, the past few days
to professionalize platform work and expand earning pathways for Filipino gig workers and micro-entrepreneurs. Ronald Roda, country managing director for Grab Philippines, said that the new facility
or the past week, it’s a bit hot, right? On a daily basis, I hope it continues.”
Geluz also said that October energy sales went down. “It’s minus 4 percent because of the typhoon impact this October, but it’s already part of our fourth quarter forecast. We are already 0.4 percent down as of the third quarter. For our fourth quarter, we forecasted that it will pull us down.”
Meralco said it is looking at between 0.5 to 0.8 percent reduction in energy sales by yearend. “So, technically, it’s still flattish. While we energize a lot of customers, so additional 194,000 in net count. We’re at 8.18 million now compared to last year. So that’s a differential of 194,000. These newly energized customers have to be added around 750 gigawatt hours, if I’m not mistaken.
But the thing is, we had some sort of what we call organic contraction. Technically, because the extreme temperature last year compared to this year, we lost around 950, around 910-something gigawatt hours. So, net on net, we’re minus 160-gigawatt hours,” added Geluz.
could help Grab achieve its fiveyear commitment to the Philippine government ahead of schedule, as it addresses a critical bottleneck that has limited the pace of partner onboarding. Lorenz S. Marasigan
Samsung unit ties up with PHL universities
By Samuel P. Medenilla @sam_medenilla & Andrea E. San Juan @andreasanjuan
GYEONGJU, South Korea – Samsung Electro-Mechanics Co. Ltd. (SEMCO), the subsidiary of Samsung ElectroMechanics Philippines Corp. (SEMPHIL), is now banking on Filipino talents for its future technological developments.
This after the multinational manufacturing conglomerate based in South Korea has agreed to partner with the Philippine universities for its research and development initiatives during its meeting with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in South Korea last Saturday.
The President welcomed the said initiative since it will help the Philippines produce more skilled workers, who may be tapped by high-tech industries.
“I don’t think they do that in every place where they operate. And so, that is a very good development that we had just a few minutes ago,” Marcos said in a press conference last Saturday after he attended the closing ceremony of the 32nd AsiaPacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) Summit in South Korea.
He said he is pushing for every
foreign investor to emulate the same practice and also to transfer technology to Filipino firms to help the country in building its high-tech industry.
“I always tell to those who invest in the country for them to train people. And it should not be one time, but it should be done regularly.”
The chief executive said he met with Samsung officials to discuss its commitment to invest P50.7 billion for the expansion of its manufacturing operations in Calamba, Laguna, which will generate more than 3,000 new high-technology jobs.
“I met with them today and they asked me what we could help them and they asked me what we could help them with an expansion in the Philippines,” Marcos said.
Samsung currently employs 8,000 workers for its local operations. SEMPHIL’s P50-billion investment will be poured into a “hightechnology” manufacturing facility which will churn out key components used in electric vehicles (EVs) and smart devices.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the Office of the Special Assistant to the President for Investment and Economic Affairs (OSAPIEA) noted that the project is expected to begin commercial operations by July 2027 and create over 3,500 “high-quality” jobs for Filipino workers.
‘Online gambling is a recreational activity, not a source of livelihood’–political, campaign strategist Alan German
BSP’s Elmore Capule on AFASA: Anti-scam law encourages people to trust the banking system
By Candy P. Dalizon
By Francine Medina
THEFclamor is growing louder: Should the Philippines tighten regulations or pull the plug entirely on online gambling?
inancially challenging times call for measures to protect hard-earned funds or at least keep cash safe in the bank. However, times like these also come with unscrupulous entities seeking to exploit people through illegal means. The Anti-Financial Account Scamming Act (AFASA) was enacted to combat fraud and scams.
This was the topic of BusinessMirror’s latest episode of “Freshly Brewed” as discussed by veteran political and campaign strategist Alan German with BusinessMirror’s Multimedia Content Producer John Eiron Francisco.
It was signed into law as Republic Act No. 12010 on July 28, 2024, to combat the misuse of financial accounts in online scams. The law mandates financial institutions to implement safeguards. Recently, the law’s implementing rules and regulations were finalized, with the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) playing a significant role in their implementation.
ing moments or moments of applause. It goes beyond that. At least it tells me that the government is really focused on its priorities to deliver social services to its populace,” he continued.
During the interview, German argued against a total ban. He asserted that the online gambling industry, if properly regulated and safeguarded, provides a substantial contribution to the social services promised by the current administration. Therefore, he believes the government should focus on finding the “perfect quadrant of regulation” instead of an outright prohibition.
AFASA began before the Covid-19 pandemic. The original bill, the Financial Accounts Circulation Act, was proposed by the Bankers’ Association of the Philippines.
German explained that social services for the people, such as housing, water supply, expanded education, feeding programs, and livelihood programs are funded through revenues.
“Social engineering scams existed at that time, but it wasn’t too rampant then. However, the bankers had the foresight to draft a bill that was subsequently submitted to the BSP for review.
German shared that the government must ensure that those alternatives are also licensed and regulated. If an operation is found to be unlicensed or unregulated, authorities must immediately enforce sanctions and bans, using tools like geo-tracking and IP blocking to shut them down.
receives a text message informing them that they won money in a random raffle draw. To receive the cash prize, the victim is required to deposit cash into a disclosed account. The victim is asked to provide personal information such as bank account numbers and PINs.
“Taking them out of mobile platforms is a brick in the wall. It’s a good brick, but it has to be fortified by other bricks. Regulation, enforcement, and yes, education,” he added.
Information and education campaigns
GERMAN reiterated his personal wish that a dedicated portion of the online gambling revenues should be specifically allocated to information and education campaigns (IECs).
He mentioned one major issue which is the tendency of people to “flex” their winnings from online gambling.
“Before the victim realizes it, there is no prize and the thieves have accessed the former’s bank funds,” Capule warned. Money muling. An extension of social engineering schemes, the victim is asked to deposit money in another person’s account. A money mule misleads fraud victims into depositing the money into their accounts.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. took a significant step last year by banning Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs). However, the President made no mention of a broader online gambling ban in his State of the Nation Address (SONA) this year.
“It could have been so easy for President Marcos to again recapture that winning, clapping, happy moment, that big morale-boosting moment, to just have announced during his last SONA that online gambling, isasara ko rin yan, and that would have been met with rousing applause as well,” said German.
To understand this law, BusinessMirrorBanking and Finance editor Dennis Estopace sat down with BSP Deputy Governor Elmore O. Capule to discuss the features of AFASA. Capule is a longtime lawyer of BSP. He was head of the Office of the General Counsel and Legal Services in 2013 and became Deputy Governor in 2016.
“But the fact that he did not, it shows me that this government is tempered by pragmatism, that it’s not chasing after simple wins or morale-boost-
He led the push to have the bill approved. When Estopace asked how the law came about, Capule explained that the move to have an
“It shows me that the administration took a step back, decided probably to weigh the pros and the cons, and saw that if you regulate it, it can still deliver the social services from the revenues generated by this booming industry, and at the same time, mitigate the social costs involved with it through stricter regulations,” he added.
We decided that it was important and emerging,” he recalled.
“In the banking world, everything moves fast. It was a minor concern, but we decided it was time to act. Then we had the pandemic.”
Social ills of gambling it a “silent epidemic,” Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri is pushing to prohibit all forms of online gambling, even those licensed by the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR), to address the serious problems they create.
The disruption hastened the digital transformation. Payment apps and online banking became the new normal, he related.
German acknowledged that Senator Zubiri, along with Senators Raffy and Erwin Tulfo and other legislators, are highlighting stories of everyday Filipinos falling victim to the social ills of gambling, encompassing not just online forms but gambling
“The level of the magnitude of payments increased. Our electronic payments in retail are 55 percent now. Can you imagine
as a whole. He stated that any form of recreational activity carries inherent risks.
However, German said that looking at international models, prohibition will only drive the market to the underground.
This demonstrates that major players are allies who are genuinely committed to cooperating with the government, policing the industry, and improving its standards. They want to move forward within a regulated environment.
criminal operators,” said German.
While these gains are framed as winnings from a game of chance, they must be presented alongside the inherent risks. A player may win today but lose everything tomorrow. This cycle of immediate gain and potential loss is a deeply rooted and very entrenched psychological factor tied to the activity.
Economic sabotage. “If the social engineering scheme involves three or more victims, then that is considered economic sabotage and is non-bailable,” Capule clarified.
“But I think if we just really bite down hard on the message that this is recreation, this is a game, this is not a livelihood, don’t pin your economic hopes and dreams on this. I think eventually we’ll see,” said German.
“Prohibition of a recreational activity has never actually worked as well as people who theorize about it foresee. Because when you outright prohibit a recreational industry like that, the people won’t stop. They will just seek unregulated, illegal, and underground activities to do that, which is more dangerous,” he pointed out.
how big that is?” he observed, Along with the growth in electronic transactions, online scams and digital fraud have also increased, he added: “Scammers follow the money. Kung naasan yung pera, nandoon sila. (They are drawn to the money). It is like highway robbery. Where the armored car passes by, the highway robbers are there.”
Big players GERMAN said leading industry players like BingoPlus have proven to be cooperative and responsive. Not only did they immediately implement all new regulations, but they also took the initiative to police their own industry, effectively going above and beyond mere compliance.
The BSP advocates online banking and electronic transactions because it promotes inclusion, Capule stated. “But if scams abound, how can we encourage people to go online if they are being scammed? The problem is escalating. So, the original bill evolved into AFASA.”
“If you are a legitimate, licensed, regulated company, if you’re one of those large companies that really want to do everything above board, it does not play in your favor to cut corners or to try to trick the government or to try to be shadowy about your movements,” he added.
When he was the BSP General Counsel, Capule convened with all the main Central Bank general counsels in the region. They traded notes about lessons learned and best practices.
“We discussed how they were helping their citizens and what legal tools they were using to combat scams and fraud. We
German cited a clear example in online gambling where the major players themselves are leading the reforms. When they were instructed to remove their services from a mobile payment platform, they complied immediately. Similarly, when told to take down billboards, they were promptly removed.
gathered all these insights at BSP and included them in the proposed bill. That’s how AFASA transformed into what it is now.”
Adapting to the times
Crucially, this attitude establishes a clear demarcation between legitimate operators and fly-by-night schemes. Illicit operators will never implement these changes because they don’t care about compliance. Their only goal is to keep people gambling, often through dishonest means. German, who expressed uncertainty regarding the exact number of legitimate online gaming sites, insisted on setting a very high standard for what defines a legitimate operator.
The Philippine bank secrecy law (RA 1405) was enacted in 1955 and is also known as the Secrecy of Bank Deposits Law. It stipulates that all bank deposits and certain investments are confidential. It prohibits disclosure or examination by any person or government official except when the depositor provides a written permission or by court order. The law provides penalties for its violation.
For him, true legitimacy requires more than just a license; operators must have all corporate papers in order and maintain a verifiable physical office so authorities and the public know where to find them. Furthermore, these companies must be actively participative in regulation and cooperative within industry groups. Essentially, they should act as industry leaders, offering valuable insight and setting a strong example for responsible operation.
No outright ban
IS it total prohibition or regulation with safeguards?
Although it is meant to protect the depositor, the bank secrecy law has its downside, too, observed Capule. “When a person is the victim of scamming and reports the incident to the police, that person is directed to report the matter to their bank.”
Gambling addiction is undeniably a social ill.
“They will be asked at the bank, ‘How did you get scammed?’ ‘I divulged my PIN.’ The complainant
“But again, to fight it, to outright ban it, will only drive the market to unregulated, shady fly-by-night, and I’ll use the word very strongly,
He also said that the government must find a delicate balance and apply just the right amount of regulation and control to keep the industry stable. As previously mentioned, the major players themselves are the government’s allies in this effort because cooperation works to their advantage. German emphasized that everyone wants a stable industry and nobody benefits from it being either overly restricted or completely unrestrained.
will not be able to get the cash back due to the bank secrecy law. The money has been transferred to that scammer’s account already.”
As a former BSP lawyer, Capule explained that the law needs to be relevant to the times. He said, “The law is a living organism. It has to grow and adapt to changing circumstances. If a law signed in the 1960s isn’t relevant anymore, why keep it? It should be revised through the proper legislative and judicial channels. Or else, people will lose trust in the banking system. We will be left behind.”
“The government should really focus on finding that perfect quadrant of regulation,” said German.
German outlined specific protective features that should be introduced. While acknowledging the current age restrictions are a good start, he insisted on strict enforcement and mandatory age verification. Beyond this, he recommended implementing clear limits on deposit and playing amounts. Finally, he stressed the need for robust self-regulation tools that enable players to selfexclude or block access when they recognize they are spending excessive time, such as six hours a day, on the platform.
Scams to avoid Capule cites three main scams that AFASA aims to mitigate.
“And I think a dedicated portion of the revenues from online gambling should really be redirected towards education and information campaigns.”
Committing these scams is a criminal act, and should the accused be convicted, penalties range from fines to imprisonment.
German also said that the decision to remove online gambling from mobile payment platforms is a positive step. However, this is only part of the solution; the strategy must be more holistic and cannot stop there.
If operators are simply banned from mobile platforms, they will inevitably find other avenues.
Social engineering. This scheme involves deceiving and manipulating a victim to get control of the person’s personal and financial information. The victim
The message must be cascaded as one unified, fully aligned statement that is easily digestible, clearly understood, and action-oriented.
Here to stay
GERMAN recalled that PAGCOR representatives showed the Senate how online gambling revenues, once introduced, grew geometrically, characterizing the period as one of hyper growth.
“So if we’re just following the trend, online gambling is here to stay, it will grow. Whether we will grow in the sunlight, hope we grow in
“The law sounds complicated, but when you study it, it is actually simple. But, of course, we give it some legal wording,” he stated. He also assured the public that the BSP is vigilant about implementing AFASA regulations and has mandated financial institutions to implement advanced fraud prevention measures and risk management systems. Financial institutions that fail to apply requisite risk management systems will be held accountable for fraud losses. By June 2026, SMS, email, and OTPs for high-risk transactions will be phased out to give way to more secure methods such as multifactor authentication, “no password” logins, and biometrics.
Deputy Governor Elmore O. Capule talks about guarding against financial scams with BusinessMirror's Banking and Finance editor Dennis Estopace.
BOC starts e-processing of bid for tax exemption
By Reine Juvierre Alberto @reine_alberto
THE Bureau of Customs (BOC) has adopted a digital platform to streamline the processing of tax and duty exemptions in its bid to digitalize and modernize its administrative processes.
Customs Commissioner Ariel F. Nepomuceno issued Customs Memorandum Order (CMO) 07-2025 to implement and use the Enhanced Tax Exemption System Lite (e-TES Lite) of the Department of Finance (DOF).
The e-TES Lite is a database management system developed by the DOF’s Revenue Office for the electronic processing of tax and duty exemption applications.
The BOC said the platform is part of efforts to “better serve the public and streamline customs operations,” as it enables online monitoring of Tax Exempt Indorsements (TEIs) from approval to utilization at the ports and to ensure quick and efficient access to TEIs through QR code scanning.
TEIs are signed DOF documents confirming the exemption from taxes or duties for a specific shipment, authorizing the BOC to release the goods.
Only authorized BOC personnel with official @customs.gov.ph e-mail accounts will be given access to the platform, which will be granted by the system administrator from the DOF.
Each transaction will be tracked through a unique Tax Exemption System (TES) number and, upon approval,
a Tax Exempt Certificate (TEC) number generated in BOC’s E2M System for formal goods declarations.
An endorser from the BOC’s Tax Exempt Division (TED) will review, endorse or reject TEIs with discrepancies, while the chief from TED will approve or disapprove the TEIs.
Once the TEI is approved, importers may request the generation of a TEC number in the BOC’s E2M System for goods declaration under the formal entry process.
The endorser will initiate the generation and encode the TEC number in the e-TES Lite.
The BOC’s Management Information Systems and Technology Group will issue a memorandum detailing the schedule of the system’s nationwide rollout and conduct training sessions for all concerned personnel.
Moreover, the CMO warns that unauthorized access, credential sharing or failure to comply with its provisions will constitute administrative or criminal liability.
Nepomuceno, since assuming his post as BOC commissioner, has been pushing for the full digitalization of customs processes to curb smuggling and corruption within the Bureau.
Among these are fully digitalizing import entry submissions, assessments and release processes to minimize tampering and improve transparency. This includes expanded use of scanning technologies, CCTV monitoring, and surveillance. The initiative is expected to roll out within one to oneand-a-half years.
Is the dust finally settling?
THE start of 2025 saw cautious optimism in the consumer and retail merger and acquisition (M&A) world.
After a volatile 2024, many dealmakers expected the new year to bring stability: a return to fundamentals, a rebound in cross-border flows, and a release of pent-up dry powder. Instead, they encountered something different: a pause that never quite ended.
Each quarter delivered fresh disruptions, from unexpected tariffs and geopolitical escalations to macroeconomic churn. While sentiment showed signs of recovery, intermittent waves of uncertainty introduced caution. Rather than a sharp downturn, the market experienced a gradual recalibration, with global deal volumes easing by 10 percent year-onyear. Notably, deal value rose by approximately 24 percent, though some of this reflects a few big-ticket deals.
Within the broader decline in deal volumes, 2025 has continued to see some blockbuster deals that highlight strategic clarity in specific niches. One of the most notable announcements was Prada’s $1.4-billion proposed acquisition of Versace, to capitalize on the latter’s strong brand equity and global appeal. This deal reflects the luxury sector’s trend towards global consolidation.
Similarly, L’Oréal’s $1.1-billion capture of Medik8 reinforced the company’s intent to scale in the premium skincare segment. The purchase elevates L’Oréal’s luxury offering while tapping into booming demand in Asia and other emerging markets.
Private equity (PE) firms continue to adopt a strategic lens, pursuing opportunities in corporate carve-outs and operational turnarounds. For instance, the ongoing Walgreens Boots divestiture attracted strong interest from PE players, who seek to unlock value in businesses where they can bring in operational expertise and scale efficiencies. Six of the top ten deals by value in 1H 2025 involved PE buyers.
No article on M&A trends in 2025 can stay silent on the clear elephant in the deal room. Tariffs have emerged as one of the most unpredictable challenges to M&A. Companies such as Crocs, Mattel, P&G, and PepsiCo have all revised growth forecasts due to disruptions in global supply chains and shifting cost structures.
The uncertainty is not just about current tariffs but also potential new rounds, causing volatile earnings guidance and complicating
Interest rates on unsecured loans to be capped by SEC
By VG Cabuag @villygc
THE Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) wants to limit interest rates and other fees imposed by financing companies as part of the regulator’s campaign to protect borrowers from predatory lending while ensuring the viability and competitiveness of legitimate lenders.
The SEC last week issued for public comment a draft “Memorandum Circular on Recalibrated Ceilings on Interest Rates and Other Fees Charged by Financing Companies, Lending Companies and their Online Lending Platforms.”
Under the proposed rules, the ceiling on interest rates and other fees will apply to unsecured generalpurpose loans that do not exceed the amount of P20,000 and whose terms do not exceed six months.
The regulation will cover all
long-term planning. Deals are being delayed as buyers and investors reassess financial models, pricing assumptions, and margin projections.
A Philippine Perspective
PHILIPPINE dealmakers welcomed 2025 with optimism, with total deal values reaching $8.6 billion across 113 transactions, marking a 37-percent increase from the previous year with 113 recorded transactions. Notably, a major Philippine food corporation acquired a 70-percent majority stake in a South Korean coffee chain last year, and a 70-percent stake in a Taiwanese food company, bringing to light an appetite that is expanding beyond Philippine shores.
Meanwhile, a leading specialty retailer from the Philippines is bringing a popular UK athleisure brand to local consumers. This strategic expansion will ensure access to globally competitive retail experiences and exemplifies the inherent enthusiasm that can be observed in the M&A activity of local companies.
Recent regulatory developments, such as the Capital Markets Efficiency Promotion Act (Republic Act 12214) improve liquidity and investor confidence, which can help retailers and consumer firms finance acquisitions more cheaply, while the Philippine Competition Commission’s adjustment of notification thresholds, further signal efforts to keep the investment climate responsive and aligned with market growth.
R.G. Manabat & Co. Deal Advisory Principal and Consumer and Retail Sector Head
Jerome Andrew H. Garcia notes that “the renewed dynamism in consumer and retail M&A reflects how Philippine companies are thinking beyond domestic borders and embracing global opportunities.” Garcia also talked about how “supportive reforms and a maturing capital market environment are helping unlock this potential, enabling local players to scale up, diversify, and compete on an international stage.”
The Philippine market remains attractive despite global volatility. Success will depend on businesses recalibrating portfolios, strengthening supply chains, and seizing opportunities in premium and digital segments to lead in the next growth cycle.
such loan contracts entered into, restructured or renewed beginning December 1, 2025, whether online or through traditional and offline distribution channels.
“The number of borrowers struggling under excessive interest rates has continued to grow in recent years, as certain entities exploit the accessibility of online lending applications to trap our fellow kababayans in cycles of debt,” SEC Chairman Francis E. Lim said.
“Through responsive policies and
stronger enforcement actions, the SEC will ensure that lending practices remain fair, transparent, and aligned with consumer protection standards, while promoting the continued viability and competitiveness of legitimate financing and lending companies,” Lim said.
Under the proposed rules, the SEC is fixing the maximum nominal interest rate at 6 percent per month, or about 0.2 percent per day.
Likewise, the effective interest rate will be limited to 10 percent per month, or about 0.33 percent per day. The amount shall include the nominal interest rate and all other applicable fees and charges, such as processing fees, service fees, notarial fees, handling fees and verification fees, among others, but shall exclude fees and penalties for late and non-payment on outstanding scheduled amounts due.
Meanwhile, lending and financing companies may only charge penalties of up to 5 percent per month for late payment or non-payment on outstanding scheduled amounts due.
A total cost cap of 100 percent of the total amount borrowed, applying to all interest, other fees and charges and penalties, regardless of time the loan has been outstanding, will also be imposed.
The interest rate ceilings and other fees will be subject to a periodic review to ensure it remains in line with evolving industry needs and regulatory requirements.
Lending companies that fail to comply with the interest rate limits will be fined P25,000 for the first offense, and P50,000 for the second offense. Financing companies will be subject to a fine of P50,000 and P100,000 for the first and second offenses, respectively.
For the third offense, the SEC may impose a fine equivalent to at least twice the penalty for the second offense, but not more than P1 million. This may also result in the suspension of the company’s financing and lending activities for a period of 60 days, and/or the revocation of its secondary license, as appropriate for each circumstance.
The SEC may also suspend or revoke the company’s primary registration.
The regulator earlier imposed an interest rate cap for lending and financing companies in 2022, as fixed by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas. The regulation, however, applied only to unsecured general-purpose loans not exceeding P10,000 and payable up to four months.
LandBank’s Negros Occidental ‘phygital’ branch seen to
KABANKALAN City, Negros Occidental—The Land Bank of the Philippines (LandBank) has strengthened its presence in Southern Negros with the opening of the Negros Occidental South Corporate Center in Kabankalan City, highlighting the bank’s commitment to accessible and inclusive financial services.
The new facility will serve as a onestop hub for farmers, fishers, cooperatives, micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), local government units (LGUs) and private depositors from the cities of Kabankalan, Sipalay and Himamaylan and the municipalities of Ilog, Cauayan, Candoni, Hinobaan, Hinigaran and Binalbagan.
Landbank President and CEO Lynette V. Ortiz and Negros Occidental 6th District Representative Mercedes K. Alvarez led the inauguration ceremony on October 29, joined by Kabankalan City Mayor Benjie M. Miranda and Vice Mayor Divina Gracia S. Miranda, Candoni Mayor Ray R. Ruiz, Sipalay City Mayor Maria Gina M. Lizares, other local partners and Landbank senior officials.
“Today’s inauguration of the Landbank Negros Occidental South Corporate Center reaffirms our deep commitment to stand with Kabankalan and the entire Negros Occidental. This new facility strengthens our presence in Southern Negros—so that together, we can continue providing every Negrense with better, more efficient and more inclusive financial services,” said LandBank President and CEO Ortiz.
boost financial inclusion
Located along Justice JY Perez Highway, the center houses the upgraded LandBank Kabankalan Branch—the first “phygital” branch in Negros Occidental, with modern facilities and ample space that offers a comfortable environment for clients and staff.
It combines physical and digital banking, featuring LEA (LandBank Easy Access) for paperless queuing, the LandBank Digital Online Banking System (DOBS) for faster account opening, four ATMs, a cash deposit machine and meeting pods for client consultations. The second floor hosts the Land-
bank Negros Occidental South Lending Center, offering easier access to loans and credit assistance, eliminating the need to travel to Bacolod City. Other Landbank units such as the Loan Operations Field Unit (LOFU), Field Support Services Center (FSSC) and Field Legal Services (FLS) are also housed in the building to provide integrated services.
Bank currently operates 16 branches, two lending centers,
Solon seeks abolishing laws-backed travel tax
By Butch Fernandez @butchfBM
SENATOR has filed a bill abol-
Aishing the travel tax, arguing that the levy hinders the right to travel for Filipinos. Senate Bill (SB) 1409 proposed by Senator Erwin T. Tulfo seeks to remove the travel tax, citing an agreement the Philippines signed up for in 2002.
“Nearly fourteen years since the Philippines signed the Asean Tourism Agreement, we still impose this travel tax,” Tulfo said. He said his proposed measure is a “concrete step toward ensuring that travel
becomes more equitable, accessible, and reasonably priced for Filipinos.”
The current collection of the travel tax, however, is based on several laws. Republic Act (RA) 1478 (Tourism Board Law) allots 50 percent of the collections to the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority Board of Travel and Tourist. Other laws are RA 7722 (Higher Education Act), which allots 40 percent of the revenue to the Commission on Higher Education, and, RA 9593 (Tourism Act of 2009), which allots the remaining 10 percent of the collections to the National Commission for Culture and the Arts. Currently, travel tax rates for econ -
omy to first-class passage range from P1,620 to P2,700. The “Standard Reduced” rates are P810 to P1,350, while “Privileged Reduced” rates for dependents of Overseas Filipino Workers are P300 to P400.
“If we really want to improve the country’s tourism sector and be at par with our neighboring Southeast Asian countries, we have to remove these barriers that disempower Filipinos to travel,” Tulfo remarked.
“Filipinos deserve a better travel experience that could render not only good memories but also better expose them to various cultures around the world,” he added.
THIS undated photo courtesy of the Land Bank of the Philippines shows the lender’s one-stop hub in Negros Occidental. CREDIT: LAND BANK OF THE PHILIPPINES
Explainer
What’s the filibuster and why does Trump want to get rid of it during the shutdown?
By Seung Min Kim The Associated Press
WASHINGTON—Seeminglyfrustrated by the government shutdown and Democrats’ unwillingness to accept a Republican funding bill, President Donald Trump is once again demanding that the Senate eliminate the legislative filibuster.
The filibuster is a longstanding parliamentary tool that halts action on most bills unless 60 senators in the 100-member chamber vote to move forward. Over the years, it has stymied policy priorities for Democrats and Republicans alike, and Trump has been complaining about the maneuver since his first White House term. Getting rid of it would be a way for Republicans to immediately end the now month-long shutdown, he said. “It is now time for the Republicans to play their ‘TRUMP CARD,’ and go for what is called the Nuclear Option — Get rid of the Filibuster, and get rid of it, NOW!” the president wrote on his social media site Thursday night. But majority Republicans have strongly resisted calls to eliminate the legislative filibuster, since it would dilute their power if and when they are in the minority again. In its best form, the filibuster encourages compromise and dealmaking. Here are some common questions about the filibuster, and why it’s coming up now in the shutdown debate.
What is a filibuster?
UNLIKE the House, the Senate places few constraints on lawmakers’ right to speak. But sena -
tors can use the chamber’s rules to hinder or block votes. That’s what’s effectively a filibuster— a term that, according to Senate records, began appearing in the mid-19th century.
The filibuster isn’t in the Constitution and it wasn’t part of the Founding Fathers’ vision for the Senate. It was created inadvertently after Vice President Aaron Burr complained in 1805 that the chamber’s rule book was redundant and overly complicated, according to historians.
But how the filibuster is used today doesn’t resemble the public’s longstanding perception of the tactic, which was made famous by the 1939 film, “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington,” in which James Stewart played a senator who spoke on the floor until exhaustion.
Now, senators inform their leaders—and often confirm publicly—that they will filibuster a bill. No lengthy speeches required. Nonetheless, the Senate still needs to muster 60 votes to move past that obstacle. If they get that, then senators can move to final passage, which only requires a simple majority.
Wait—isn’t the filibuster already gone? YES , but only for nominations. In
2013, then-Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., led Senate Democrats in eliminating the filibuster for all nominations except for candidates to the Supreme Court, triggering what’s known in the Senate as the “nuclear option.” Democrats were fed up with repeated Republican filibusters of President Barack Obama’s nominees, especially to the influential U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.
Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell, then the minority leader, furiously warned Democrats that they’d come to regret going nuclear. And he returned the favor in 2017, when Republicans moved to eliminate the filibuster on Supreme Court nominees as they confirmed Neil Gorsuch to the high court.
Trump mentioned in his Truth Social post that eliminating the filibuster would help Republicans get the “best Judges” and the “best U.S. Attorneys,” but it’s unclear what he meant since he needs only a simple majority to install those picks.
Democrats came close to dump -
ing the legislative filibuster for voting rights legislation in 2022, but faced resistance from thenSens. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona and Joe Manchin of West Virginia. They said changes to the filibuster would haunt Democrats if Repub -
licans regain control of Congress and the White House—which the GOP did, not long after.
Earlier this year, Republicans changed the Senate’s rules further to make it easier to confirm large groups of the least controversial executive branch nominees. But they have resisted calls from Trump to eliminate so-called “blue slips” that allow both senators to sign off on some lower court judges regardless of party.
What does this have to do with the shutdown?
AS with any government funding bill—and most other legislation—Republicans need help from at least a handful of Democrats to clear the 60-vote threshold in the Senate since they control just 53 votes.
In exchange for their votes on a stopgap funding bill, most Democrats have been demanding an extension of subsidies for people who purchase health cov -
erage under the Affordable Care Act. Republicans say that’s a costly nonstarter, especially on a bill that keeps the federal government operating for a mere seven weeks.
Democrats argue that because the Senate needs 60 votes to advance funding bills, that gives them leverage. As the shutdown drags on, frustrated Republicans have been floating the idea of getting rid of the filibuster in order to erase that leverage.
“Maybe it’s time to think about the filibuster,” said Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, on Fox News earlier this month. “Let’s just vote with Republicans. We’ve got 52 Republicans. Let’s go, and let’s open the government. It may get to that.” (There are 53 GOP senators, but one—Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul—is a committed ‘no’ on funding bills.)
Where do Republicans stand on dumping the filibuster?
UNLIKE many other demands from Trump, GOP senators have generally resisted his calls to get rid of the filibuster.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune has long defended the filibuster, and began his tenure as the Senate’s top official in January pledging to preserve it. He reiterated those sentiments in early October, saying the filibuster is “something that makes the Senate the Senate” and that the “60-vote threshold has protected this country.” His spokesman emphasized on Friday after Trump’s comments that Thune’s position hasn’t changed.
Veteran senators who have seen the chamber swing back and forth from Democratic to Republican control are generally the ones who are the most firm on keeping the filibuster. But even some newer members agree.
“The filibuster forces us to find common ground in the Senate,” Sen. John Curtis, R-Utah, elected in 2024, said on social media on Friday. “Power changes hands, but principles shouldn’t. I’m a firm no on eliminating it.”
Oftentimes, House Republicans weigh in on Senate strategy, urging GOP senators to follow Trump’s wishes to eliminate the filibuster. But House members— unfortunately for them—have no influence on what the Senate does.
Speaker Mike Johnson said he texted with the president after Trump’s late-night demand but refused to publicly weigh in on the filibuster question.
“It’s not my call,” Johnson said during his daily press conference at the Capitol.
SENATE Majority Leader John Thune, of S.D., walks out of the White House after meeting with President Donald Trump about the government shutdown, Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025, in Washington. AP/EVAN VUCCI
PRESIDENT Donald Trump walks down the stairs of Air Force One upon his arrival at Joint Base Andrews, Md., Thursday, Oct. 30, 2025, after returning from Asia. AP PHOTO/LUIS M. ALVAREZ
Sibling revelry: Rajo Laurel and sisters Venisse and Gela
The Body Shop unwraps season of joy with 2025 Christmas collection
THIS holiday season, The Body Shop invites you to experience the spirit of Christmas wrapped in love. Start off with the Classic Beauty Advent Calendar. From shower gels, shampoos, and sheet masks to balms, butters, and body scrubs, there’s something for everyone in this cult classic calendar. It’s Christmas after all. The calendar launches on the Body Shop website on October 30. Celebrating nearly 50 years as a joyful gifting destination, indulge your senses with new seasonal special editions. The 2025 festive range from the ethical beauty brand introduces three unique special-edition seasonal scents—Caramel Cuddle, Cranberry Crush, and Sugarplum Passion— alongside a wide selection of meaningful gift sets curated to reflect the values of the brand.
n Caramel Cuddle: Wrap yourself in the comforting embrace of golden caramel, creamy vanilla, and toasted almond. This sweet and cozy range includes the Caramel Cuddle Bath & Shower Gel, Body Butter, Body Yogurt, and Hand Balm—all made to transform your daily routine into a warm, festive escape.
n Cranberry Crush: Get ready for a burst of juicy, festive cheer with frosted cranberry, blood orange, and refreshing mint leaves. The Cranberry Crush range, including the Bath & Shower Gel, Body Butter, Body Yogurt, and Hand Cream, are perfect for invigorating your senses and adding a sparkle to your holiday season
n Sugarplum Passion: Dive into a fruityfloral fantasy with sparkling notes of plum sorbet, raspberry, and pink grapefruit, accented with apricot blossom and magnolia. The Sugarplum Passion Bath & Shower Gel, Body Butter, Body Yogurt, and Hand Balm, offer an irresistible, magical experience.
Each new seasonal range is crafted with The Body Shop’s signature commitment to skin-loving, natural origin ingredients and Community Fair Trade partnerships. The brand’s Community Fair Trade ingredients, such as the aloe vera from Mexico in the Shower Gels, the almond milk from Spain in the Body Yogurts, and the shea butter from Ghana in the Body Butters, ensure that every gift gives back; by helping to empower communities and foster positive change.
This Christmas, celebrate the joy of giving with gifts that go beyond the season. With The Body Shop’s collection, every present not only delights the senses but also helps make a positive difference in communities around the world. The holiday collection is now available at all stores nationwide.
EVEN after more than 30 years, fashion still gives Rajo Laurel the thrills. “Fashion is my love language. Through shapes and silhouettes, I get to celebrate the beautiful women who inspire me,” the celebrated designer says. “My fulfillment is predicated on using my art to unleash her most exquisite self, evoke joy, and play a role in the milestones in her life.”
He celebrated the 10th anniversary of The Rajo Store, located at the Power Plant Mall in Makati City, on October 14. It also coincided with the launch of his retail line’s holiday 2025 collection, which is made more refreshing, updated and more exciting because it’s a collaborative between Rajo and his sisters Venisse Laurel-Hermano, who has been working with her brother behind the scenes as chief operating officer, and noted makeup artist Gela LaurelStehmeier.
After the fashion show, directed by his best friend Robby Carmona, I caught up with the articulate Rajo via an email exchange. Ever engaging, he shares his thoughts on his remarkable career trajectory: What took you and your siblings this long to have this conversation to collaborate?
“I guess because we were really more working in a way that we essentially respected our own boundaries; each one of us, you can say, had our own responsibilities. For instance, Venisse has always been in charge of operations, I was always in charge of creative, while Gela was always in charge of visuals and merchandising. Although we work independently, we would always sort of ask questions and show what we do for approval but we always respected these boundaries. I think for this particular collection, we just decided to create this wonderful confluence of activity and creativity.
“The collection actually started with Gela and Venisse wanting to do a small capsule collection for their clothes for traveling. Then it dawned on me, you know, because the ideas were actually quite beautiful and relevant, I said: You know what, let’s not do a capsule collection, let’s do the entire collection using your ideas. And from there it began.
“For the holiday collection, for The Rajo Store, we really concentrated on fabrics that were easily taken care of, or fabrics that don’t need to be ironed or are wrinkle-free. We wanted to really create a collection and create clothes for people to live in not just necessarily for these special occasions. Clothes that will resonate with their lifestyle, whether it be at work or play. We wanted clothes that would really have that resonance to our clients.”
With an illustrious and legendary family name, do you consider yourselves nepo babies?
“I think we are all nepo babies. At the end of the day, we all have family and we all use our family as a point of reference for networking. Yes, we are nepo babies and we use it in a positive light. Being a nepo baby is not really a bad thing. It’s just that nowadays, if you are a nepo baby, sadly, you steal and it’s given a bad light because of all the people who use this word as an anchor toward corruption.
“If you think about it, how can we go on in this
beauty, fitness, and LGBTQIA. She is also one half of a DINK (double income, no kids) couple. She is outspoken and her reviews are always honest and enlightening.
“Beauty on TikTok is so much more than makeup or skincare; it’s about stories, identity and self-expression. Events like Beauty Fest show the power of this community. We uplift each other, grow together, and celebrate every kind of beauty.” Marj is another lovely morena who is a favorite of Filipino beauty enthusiasts. She is my shade twin so I go to her TikTok to find out what foundation or skin tint shades would suit me from launches that aren’t available offline. She’s also outspoken and supports the right causes and advocacies. Marj said that for her, TikTokBeauty Fest Philippines is special because “whether you’re a beginner or a pro, this festival creates a space where everyone can explore, feel inspired, and truly belong. That inclusivity is what makes this community so vibrant and empowering.”
“Filipinos are redefining beauty on TikTok, making it inclusive, personal and inspiring. This festival brought that vision to life, offering a space for people to connect, explore and express themselves confidently,” said Bea Bautista, head of communications for TikTok Philippines. “More than
“My cousin Gela was part of the makeup team, some of the models were my cousins and nephews and nieces, because as a family that’s what we do: you help each other. You help each other realize your dream. And I am very lucky that I have a family that realizes this. And that’s how we were and that’s how we are. And that’s how hopefully we will be able to teach our children on how to move forward in this particular world.”
You have your eponymous house, The Rajo Store, Rajo Man and Rajito. Were you in any way influenced by the recently departed Giorgio Armani (who also has his eponymous couture line, Armani Exchange, Emporio Armani and A/X)?
“Yes, I think Giorgio Armani is a huge influence. In fact, he was the one who started to really explore the different levels of what it means to be a brand. You know, from his Armani Prive, which is his couture, his Emporio Armani and all that. I think as a designer you are able to touch lives and really share your narrative to different demographics and different price points.
“I think all designers dream of that because we would like to express our thoughts and express
happy and blessed.”
Who do you think should be the next National Artist for Fashion and Design? What about Patis Tesoro or Kenneth Cobonpue?
“I think the next National Artist should be Dolphy. Really, he deserves it. Now, for fashion and design, I would like to nominate Joe Salazar and, of course, Patis Tesoro should be up there, and Kenneth Cobonpue. I think all these names that you have mentioned are deserving to be National Artists. I think they have proven what it means to be a Filipino artist in the most excellent light. So, yes, Patis Tesoro, Joe Salazar and Kenneth Cobonpue are worthy to become National Artists.”
As a designer, how important is it to listen (to clients, collaborators, critics, etc)?
“Very important. I think listening is such an important tool for you to design because it makes you really digest and really think of how you can design better. It’s a skill that I have learned and constantly learn by listening to all of these voices; you learn to distill and you learn to make sure that your voice is devoid of noise. So, I think listening is important. It’s key to good design.”
showcasing trends or products, Beauty Fest celebrates the moments, the stories, and the people who make beauty meaningful.”
After the talk, festivalgoers were treated to special performances by global Filipina drag superstar Marina Summers and Femme MNL, an all-LGBTQIA+ performance group. There were also brand-led interactive segments and product showcases from Nestlé, Colgate-Palmolive, Dermorepubliq, and Unilever, alongside exclusive TikTok Shop offers and immersive content booths powered by top beauty and lifestyle brands on the platform. The sponsors and supporters of the festival included Dermorepubliq, Cream Silk, Pond’s, Colgate, Rexona, Vaseline, Palmolive Naturals, Glad2Glow, Maybelline, L’Oréal, Garnier, UL Skin Sciences, Inc., Fitnesse Granola, Nature’s Bounty, Nestea Cleanse, Samsung, Ever Bilena, Andrea Secret, Careline, Blackwater,
Rodolfo
THE RAJO STORE HOLIDAY 2025 COLLECTION Siblings Rajo, Venisse and Gela Laurel; (front center) Venisse Laurel-Hermano, Rajo Laurel and Gela LaurelStehmeier with (back) Paco Laurel Sanz, Olivia Banzon, Matt Laurel, Asia Palanca Go, Nicole Asencio, Chema Laurel Marquez, Angia Laurel, Samantha Santa Maria; printed scarves and black Donnie pants; Rochas vest in linen, Todo Polo and Donnie linen pants.
Unilever, DepEd Join Forces To Rollout Nutrition Education to Schools Nationwide
In a shared mission to champion balanced lifestyles, Unilever Philippines, through its brand Knorr, has partnered with the Department of Education (DepEd) to make nutrition education more accessible to DepEd school learners and their families, nationwide.
Marinelle Villanueva, Foods Marketing Head of Unilever Philippines, shares, “Education is a powerful tool. When people are empowered with the right information, even with limited resources, they can make better decisions for themselves and their families. This is the foundation of the Makulay ang Buhay program, which aims to transform the way we teach nutrition - making it engaging, accessible, and practical for children and parents across the country.”
The partnership, sealed through a Memorandum of Agreement signed in October 2024, distributes sciencebased learning tools, The Makulay ang Buhay EduTainment series, produced by GMA Network, and the Knorr NutriSarap Recipe Booklet, developed in collaboration with the Department of Science and Technology – Food and Nutrition Research Institute (DOSTFNRI). These tools were thoughtfully designed to ensure that the content not only features nutritious meals but are also relevant to the everyday challenges Filipino families face when it comes to balanced eating.
The launch was held in July, at Taguig Integrated School, where over 300 students, parents, and teachers
turnover
Integrated School. came together for a day of interactive nutrition education games, a screening of the Makulay ang Buhay episodes, and a special performance from the cast of the 2000s Makulay ang Buhay series - Sab San Diego and Sharlene San Pedro. The school was selected as the pilot site for its strong nutrition advocacy and active parent engagement, making it a fitting model for the program’s mission to bring quality nutrition education to schools in the Philippines.
DepEd Assistant Secretary for Operations Jocelyn DR Andaya reminded us of the program’s shared mission at the launch saying, “We are reminded of the power of proper nutrition in shaping not only strong bodies but also brighter, better futures. Let this be our call to action: to keep building bridges, and to strengthen our shared commitment to promoting proper nutrition among learners and communities alike.”
At the heart of this program is the distribution of 40,000 USBs containing the Makulay ang Buhay episodes.
Taguig City Mayor Lani Cayeto shares, “We know that today’s kids need fresh and engaging approaches to get them
Maybank Philippines, and Etiqa Philippines to discuss opportunities within the Halal economy and its role in fostering inclusive, ethical and sustainable development. His Excellency Dato’ Abdul Malik Melvin Castelino Anthony, Ambassador of Malaysia to the Philippines, set the tone for the afternoon session on “Mainstreaming Islamic Finance.” His keynote opened the discussions on the growing potential of Islamic finance in the Philippines. The session delved into key topics such as Islamic Banking Legislation and Emerging Opportunities in Islamic Banking and Financing; and Key Differences from Conventional Banking.
As part of the program, Gladys Pascual, Head of Strategy and OIC Chief Operating Officer of Etiqa Philippines, participated in a high-level panel discussion alongside
interested in nutritious eating. As parents and teachers, we also have a role to playboth in the classroom and at home. You can dream of becoming the CEO of a big company, but those dreams can be cut short by the harsh realities of malnutrition and stunting. That’s why Makulay ang Buhay, a 13-episode EduTainment series produced by GMA and Unilever, is such an important step. It offers practical guidance on how to prepare meals that are nutritious, delicious, and affordable.” Supporting this series are 60,000 nutrition-focused recipe booklets containing the Knorr Nutrisarap Recipes, all being distributed to DepEd schools nationwide. To date, Knorr’s NutriSarap efforts have reached more than 12.5 million individuals. Through this partnership with DepEd, Unilever aims to reach even more Filipinos and integrate nutrition education more deeply into the Philippine school system.
The Makulay ang Buhay program underscores Unilever’s commitment to nutrition education but also reaffirms a shared vision with DepEd: to build a healthier, more informed, and betternourished Philippines.
representatives from DTI, BSP and Maybank Philippines. The panel explored how Halal innovation can empower communities, promote financial inclusion, and strengthen purpose-driven economies.
“This forum reflects the shared belief that ethical finance and inclusive innovation can build stronger, more resilient communities,” said Pascual. “At Etiqa, we see our role not just as a provider of protection, but as a partner in advancing financial inclusion guided by integrity, cooperation, and shared growth.”
This advocacy aligns closely with Etiqa Philippines’ Takaful Personal Accident Insurance, a Shari’ah-compliant and ethical way of protecting families through trust, mutual support, and shared responsibility. For as low as P1,400 per year, the Etiqa Takaful Personal Accident Plan offers affordable protection against life’s uncertainties, including accidental death, disability, and medical expenses resulting from accidents. A cashback benefit may also be granted when no claims are filed, no cancellations occur before expiry, and all contributions are paid in full during the certificate term.
“Through Etiqa Takaful Personal Accident Insurance, we aim to make financial protection accessible to every Filipino, guided by the values of fairness, compassion, and collective well-being,” said Don Divinagracia, Head of Takaful at Etiqa Philippines. “It’s a meaningful way to help families stay secure while staying true to their faith and principles.” By supporting platforms like the Halal Economy Forum, Etiqa Philippines reinforces its vision of creating a more inclusive and purpose-driven financial ecosystem, one that empowers individuals and strengthens communities across the country. Through this advocacy, the company continues to champion ethical innovation, shared prosperity, and community empowerment, reflecting Etiqa’s unwavering mission to make the world a better place, one community at a time. To learn more or purchase the Takaful Personal Accident Plan, visit shop.etiqa.com.ph/takaful-personal-accident.
ArenaPlus, PBA join forces for its 50th season.
THE Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) together with its official partner ArenaPlus, signed a threeyear renewal of partnership for the league’s golden anniversary, marking a historic and impactful partnership between the two leading entertainment brands. For its 50th golden anniversary, the PBA held its pre-season press conference and signing ceremony at Bonifacio Global City, Taguig last October 1, 2025. Known to be Asia’s first professional basketball league, the PBA has always been a staple when it comes to Philippine basketball with aspiring professional athletes making their dreams a reality by joining the league. One of the highlights during the event was the renewal of partnership between PBA and ArenaPlus, a PAGCOR licensed and the Philippines’ best online sportsbook. ArenaPlus is the official sports entertainment gateway of the PBA dedicated to provide everyone with an enjoyable basketball experience. PBA Commissioner Willie O. Marcial and Rafael Jasper Vicencio of ArenaPlus, signed a partnership agreement for the golden season. ”Thank you always for ArenaPlus’ support in the PBA” said the commissioner while they shook hands, a statement of strong partnership between the two largest entertainment brands in the country. This season will feature three conferences in a 16-month schedule namely; the Philippine Cup, Commissioner’s
Cup, and the Governors’ Cup. The PBA’s commitment in supporting the Gilas Pilipinas Men’s National Team and preparing them for the FIBA World Cup qualifiers and the 2026 Asia Games in Japan are the main reasons for the league to extend its season through late 2026.
and
Wilcon Opens New Branch in La Union
WILCON successfully opened its doors to residents, professionals, and DIYers in Barangay San Martin, Bacnotan, La Union on October 24, 2025. The long-standing retail business brings home-building solutions closer to the community, offering a wide array of home improvement and construction supplies that were previously harder to access in the area.
Wilcon’s SEVP and COO Rosemarie Bosch-Ong graced the opening program together with LGU representatives. BoschOng extended a heartfelt promise of community growth and adaptability in ever-changing markets, as a new Wilcon finds its home in La Union. “We refuse to remain stagnant in our success. Our company and our clients continue to grow together, to find better and more dynamic products that cater to every need imaginable in the mind’s eye of the Filipino builder. We welcome changing tastes and needs and respond to these immediately. No builder’s dream will remain at a standstill. You imagine it. We will find ways to make these dreams a reality.”
Bacnotan is a first-class municipality with 47 barangays. These figures point to a community with home improvement and construction needs. It is the second big-box store of Wilcon in La Union following the success of the store in Bauang. Many residents in Bacnotan and its neighboring municipalities often travel to distant towns to get materials and home-needs. With Wilcon now locally present, that travel burden lessens. Wilcon’s mission is to provide quality building and home improvement solutions to Filipino homeowners, and communities. With this new branch, it aims to reach local areas that have difficulty accessing a full range of building needs.
Through its staple services such as expert product consultation, multiple delivery options, and after-sales support, Wilcon will support homeowners and professionals in Bacnotan. The store also intends to host community engagement events, inviting local residents, especially the
professionals, and aspiring ones to learn building practices, cost-saving tips, and sustainable techniques.
Bacnotan’s municipal charter describes the town as “a premier honey producer, agri-industrial and tourism hub with environment-friendly, innovative and resilient citizenry.” In that spirit, Wilcon’s presence aligns with the local vision: providing resources that help communities build homes, livelihood facilities, and public infrastructure more steadily and sustainably.
Wilcon likewise sees this branch as one of many steps in its vision: to bring home solutions closer to every Filipino household. The company’s mission emphasizes not just selling products but enabling construction, renovation, and building dreams in communities that have been underserved. It hopes that through having a local branch, the cost, time, and uncertainty of construction and home repair projects will decrease.
Wilcon Depot brings in a wide variety of products from both local and international brands names trusted by professionals and households alike. Among them are Heim, Alphalux, Rubi, Grohe, Kohler, Pozzi, Franke, Hills, and P.Tech. But what truly anchors the store is the experience it offers. Shoppers can explore curated showrooms, consult at the Design Hub, compare styles at the Tile Studio, or find support at the ABCDE Lounge—an area specifically designed for architects, builders, contractors, designers, and engineers. Let this store be one resource you rely on as you build or improve your home and community. Wilcon Depot Bacnotan is now open daily from 8:00am to 7:00pm. Visit the store at San Martin, Bacmotan, La Union, or explore products online via shop.wilcon.com.ph. For more information about Wilcon, visit www. wilcon.com.ph or follow their social media accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, or subscribe and connect with them on Viber Community, LinkedIn, and YouTube. Or you may contact Wilcon Depot Hotline at 88-WILCON (88-945266) for inquiries.
Tala
reaches 4 million customers in PHL, continues strategic expansion, tech innovation globally
TALA marked a new phase of growth with the announcement of its expansion in Latin America that started with the launch of its services in Guatemala. Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, it continues to serve the global majority, or the portion of the world’s population who has historically been excluded from accessing financial services, across three continents.
Leveraging on AI to deliver financial services to customers here and around the world, the company’s proprietary software Tala in a Box now allows for rapid geographic expansion. This enables Tala to scale its platform across new markets simultaneously, fulfilling its mission to address insufficient access to essential financial products like credit among the global majority.
“This marks the start of Tala’s next chapter, grounded in the belief that potential exists everywhere and that technology and data can unlock immense value for underserved people and markets,” said Shivani Siroya, CEO & Founder of Tala. “Over the past few years, starting in 2020, we’ve built a next generation data engine and proprietary software platform that takes full advantage of Tala’s data moat—billions of data points from a decade of customer relationships across multiple geographies.”
Considered as one of its key markets, Tala’s presence continues to grow in the Philippines where it has over four million customers. It has disbursed more than 26 million loans totaling to around P129 billion since entering the country in 2017. While this growth can be attributed to Filipinos
becoming more open to using credit, it is also anchored on the increasing positive perception of customers to the impact of financial services to their day-to-day lives. Tala’s latest Impact Report has revealed that 91% of
Ceremonial
of Makulay ang Buhay episodes and Knorr NutriSarap Recipe Booklets at Taguig
Wilcon Depot officially opened its newest store in Barangay San Martin, Bacnotan, La Union, on October 24. Leading the ceremonial ribbon cutting are, from left, HCG Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing David Chang; Wilcon Depot AVP for Sales and Operations Rowell Suarez; Bacnotan, La Union Vice Mayor Francis Fontanilla; Bacnotan, La Union Mayor Divine Fontanilla; Wilcon Depot SEVP-COO Rosemarie Bosch-Ong; La Union Governor Eduardo Ortega; Limson Marketing President and CEO Carl Lim; and Rev. Fr. Romeo Lopez
Tala Philippines is committed to expanding
‘Viber
me!’ Here’s a super app whose impact goes beyond simple messaging
I’VE written about Viber several times in the past and cannot help but declare that among all the apps that have been with us since the pandemic, I believe Viber is the one that has emerged to be the most dominant messaging app for both personal and business communication.
I’ve reviewed and approved an entire calendar on Viber, twice. My team and I communicate every day through the app, we exchange ideas and we have group chats with clients, and now every time I meet someone new, more often than not, we usually end up asking each other if we’re on on Viber.
The app has become so ingrained in our daily lives that we use “Viber” as a verb. Instead of “call” me or “text” me, we say “Viber” me. I think it’s a testament to how much Viber continues to effectively serve its purpose, and how it fits right into Filipino culture.
Viber cuts across age groups, professions, countries, families and very conveniently, through many businesses, big and small. We always see business ads announcing we are on Viber or contact us through Viber.
We like being able to reach out and talk with someone. It’s reassuring, and true for both personal and professional reasons. In the recent years that Viber has expanded its features, it has kept that sense of connection at its core. The app has pushed conversational com -
QUEZON: A RECKONING WITH THE HEROES WE BUILT MANILA, PHILIPPINES—
Earlier this year, I was one of the few invited to Rolling Stone Philippines’ “State of Affairs” event at Sine Pop in Cubao, Quezon City. The program opened with “The State of Culture,” a live panel that confronted the challenges and possibilities at the intersection of culture, economy, education, and technology.
After that, we were treated to a private screening of Food Delivery: Fresh from the West Philippine Sea, Baby Ruth Villarama’s timely documentary on Filipino fisherfolk navigating the contested West Phil -
ippine Sea. Then came what many of us were waiting for: “The State of Film.” TBA Studios shared a 10-minute work-in-progress clip from Jerrold Tarog’s Quezon, the long-awaited conclusion to his Bayaniverse trilogy that began with Heneral Luna in 2015. Tarog was joined by producer Daphne Chiu-Soon and cinematographer Pong Ignacio, with Film Development Council of the Philippines chairman Jose Javier Reyes leading a conversation that felt half celebration, half inquisition.
When Jose asked about the risk of humanizing those long considered national heroes and of reinterpreting Philippine history, Jerrold simply said: “I can always point to the books.” His answer carried a calm certainty that history, when told truthfully, can withstand discomfort.
Quezon follows the Philippines’ second president
across four defining chapters of his life, and like the men it portrays, the film refuses to stay confined within reverence. This year, I’ve seen two historical dramas that dared to confront the myths we’ve built: Lav Diaz’s Magellan, which questioned Lapulapu’s very existence, and Jerrold’s Quezon, which drew fire for its audacity of tone.
But Quezon is no joke. It is one of the most technically accomplished and intellectually daring Filipino films in recent years, a masterpiece that knows how to teach without preaching and entertain without diluting its politics.
Jerrold achieves something rare here, shaping a twohour, dialogue-driven historical epic that remains deeply cinematic. It has the Bayaniverse’s sharpest production design and most polished cinematography, but Jerrold uses that very gloss to question what it means to make heroes
look this good. Its grandeur doesn’t come from spectacle or rhetoric, but from how it makes history feel tangible again, restless with contradiction.
And this is where the film transcends. Part of me is left debating if this is finally our next Oscar submission, and it certainly makes a strong case. While many Filipino historical films, by their very nature, struggle to find purchase with international audiences, Quezon is built differently. It demands local introspection while showing that a Filipino historical film can speak a universal language. It translates the colorful ambition and political machinations of Quezon’s life into something a global audience can genuinely and viscerally care about.
Jericho Rosales turns in a performance that feels studied yet alive. He captures Quezon’s cadence, the strange
merce to a larger scale, providing a great platform that supports the growth of small and medium businesses. It even has a dedicated inbox for MSMEs and customers to engage and transact, and for free too.
You might have noticed a new tab on your Viber feed. That’s Viber Marketplace, a kind of modern-day Yellow Pages, which helps users discover local businesses, especially ones conveniently near them, for a range of products and services they may want or need. It’s equally fantastic for businesses to be able to share their profiles and catalogs, and for shoppers
lilt and rhythm that historical recordings made familiar, but filters it through an actor’s empathy. There’s precision in the mimicry, but it never becomes parody.
For me, it’s Mon Confiado, as Aguinaldo, who quietly steals the film. He carries an air of fatigue, of a man whose justifications have outlived their conviction. What’s bold about Jerrold’s direction is how it subtly reorients the viewer’s sympathy toward Aguinaldo, not to absolve him, but to understand the human frailty behind the myth. It reshapes the trilogy into something less about heroes and traitors, and more about the uneasy truths that history refuses to settle.
That’s what makes Quezon so compelling. It refuses the easy binaries of national memory. It doesn’t paint Quezon as a saint or Aguinaldo as a relic. It lets both men exist in their contradictions. The
to browse and message business owners directly without sharing their phone numbers. These interactions highlight how we Filipinos respond to and appreciate this community and conversational type of business model that Viber has been able to cultivate.
Even a feature like Viber Dating, which many may consider off beat and completely from left field, really goes back to our desire to form genuine, meaningful connections in a safe and private space. And with your dating profile being separate from your main Viber account, you can try to find love without comment or interference from nosy parents, aunties, and friends.
Viber just gets us. The audio stickers featuring their new brand ambassador Rufa Mae Quinto are a unique and inspired choice, and actually a caring one. The comedian’s iconic voice and catchphrases are hilarious and inject much needed humor during stressful workdays. I personally appreciate a funny reminder to not take work too seriously.
If Viber has positively impacted our personal and work lives, livelihood, and even our love life, I think it’s appropriate to call it our super app. Viber me!
PR Matters is a roundtable column by members of the local chapter of the United Kingdom-based International Public Relations Association (Ipra), the world’s premiere association for senior communications professionals around the world. Joy Lumawig-Buensalido is the President and CEO of Buensalido PR and Communications. She was past Chairman of the IPRA Philippine chapter for two terms.
PR Matters is devoting a special column each month to answer our readers’ questions about public relations. Please send your questions or comments to askipraphil@ gmail.com
satire feels less like mockery, more like mourning for a history that keeps repeating itself.
And perhaps that’s why it unsettled the descendants.
The story of Quezon becomes a story of what we choose to celebrate, and how easily heroism gets confused with infallibility.
Where Heneral Luna raged and Goyo brooded, Quezon contemplates. It is an ending devoid of fanfare or glory. It simply settles, leaving us with a clear, decisive thought that equips us to finally and confidently confront the narratives we’ve inherited.
The film offers no statues, no slogans, just men whose choices reverberate through generations. Only men whose fates become the ground we walk on. It’s less a conclusion than a quiet confrontation with the myths that raised us and the truths we are still too afraid to face.
VIBER marketplace helps users discover local businesses conveniently near them for a range of Products and services they need.
A RELATABLE brand ambassador who can provide humor during stressful work days
VIBER dating could form meaningful connections in a safe and private space.
PBBM puts imprimatur on sports tourism body
THE Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) hailed President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for putting his stamp of approval on the creation of the National Sports Tourism InterAgency Committee (NST-IAC) through Administrative Order No. 38.
President Marcos Jr. has mandated the NST-IAC to “harmonize, coordinate and oversee all government initiatives to develop, promote and sustain sports tourism in the country.”
It stated that the NST-IAC was created to oversee the “development, promotion and implementation of sports tourism initiatives.”
Under Administrative Order No. 38, which was signed by the President on October 29, 2025, PSC chairman Patrick Gregorio will serve as chairman of the NST-IAC with his counterparts from the Department of Tourism as vice chairperson and the Department of Interior and Local Government, Department of Budget and Management, Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority and Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. as members. Also in the fold is the Private Sector Advisory Council-Tourism Sector Group headed by Lance Gokongwei. Gregorio cited the NST-IAC as “an invaluable recognition of how sports can enable the youth, enable regional development, enable tourism and enable new industries.”
“We understand our role. We are enablers. Whether it’s working with DepEd for grassroots development or with the DOT for sports tourism, sports will be a key catalyst and driver of the national agenda,” Gregorio said. Gregorio said the President, an avid sportsman and the biggest supporter of the Filipino athlete, has recognized the hosting of major international sports events as a perfect avenue to promote the country before a global audience.
“The biggest tourism events in the world are sports events. Sports is a multibillion industry and the Philippines can absolutely position itself as a sports hub in the Southeast Asian region,” added Gregorio, citing the full support and cooperation from Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco.
“This is best done in close partnership with the DOT and LGUs that will be hosting these events,” he added.
The creation of the NST-IAC comes on the heels of the country’s successful hosting of the FIBA Men’s Basketball World Championship in 2023 and recently the FIVB Men’s World Volleyball Championship.
This month, the country will also host the FIFA Futsal Women’s World Cup and the Junior World Artistic Gymnastics Championships.
The NST-IAC is designed to “strengthen the Philippines’ position as a premier international sports destination, but also [to] generate employment, attract investments, stimulate local
and
contribute to
and tourism development.”
The creation of the NST-IAC is also in line with the Philippine Development Plan 2023-2028 which “highlights the need to expand the country’s participation in major international events and investment missions to strengthen positive global perceptions of the Philippines.”
AMMAN, Jordan—The Alas Pilipinas girls team impressed by putting up a gallant stand against defending champion Japan in a 17-25, 2521, 16-25, 20-25 loss in the Second Asian Volleyball Confederation Asian Women’s U16 Volleyball Championship on Saturday at Princess Sumaya Hall.
Xyz Rayco and Nadeth Herbon introduced themselves on the Asian stage by leading Alas girls’ impressive debut in the U16 championship in front of the Overseas Filipino Workers in Amman cheering for them with AVC and Philippine National Volleyball Federation president Ramon “Tats” Suzara and officials of the Philippine Embassy in Jordan, led by Ambassador Wilfredo C. Santos. Rayco and Herbon led the Philippines’ strong showing in the second set with nine points each to tie the game to one set apiece, but they were dominated by the Japanese in the third frame. Alas held a 12-9 lead in the fourth after Madele Gale’s ace, only for Ren Sugimoto, Miko Takahashi and Rina Hayasaka to rescue Japan, with Hayasaka drilling two consecutive kills to win their first assignment in Pool B.
“We’ll apply everything we learned in Japan in our next game because we know it’s still going to be a tough fight. We’ll keep giving our all and keep fighting until the end,” said team captain Rayco, a 14-year-old opposite spiker from Saint Michael College of Caraga. Japan coach Daichi Saegusa was impressed by the Filipino players, especially setter Resty Jane Olaguir,
Coo bags bronze in Asian BMX tourney
PATRICK COO finished with the bronze medal at the Asian BMX championships in Japan over the weekend to raise hopes for a potential gold at the 33rd Southeast Asian Games in Thailand next month.
“It’s a strong prelude for Patrick to win the gold medal in Thailand which are a little over a month away,” said Philippine Olympic Committee president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino, who also heads the national federation for cycling, PhilCycling.
“He’s a strong potential for the gold and improve on the two bronze medal our sport got in Cambodia two years ago,” added Tolentino, referring to Ronald Oranza’s two bronze medals in road in 2023 in Siem Reao.
Japanese Asuma Nakai and Ryo Shimada frolicked at home on the Nagoya Keirin Stadium BMX Race Course in Aichi Prefecture to bag gold and silver, respectively, in the eightathlete race where Filipino Niño Martin Eday finished eight. Conspicuously absent was Thailand
ace Sukprasert, who won the race and time trial gold medals the last time BMX racing was on the SEA Games program during the 30th edition in 2019 in Tagaytay City.
Nakai got the maximum 300 UCI ranking points, Shimada earned 258 points and Coo 22 points in the event
that also featured riders from Indonesia, Hong Kong and South Korea. Jeanne Soliel Cervantes, meanwhile, was fourth in the Women Junior race behind Korean Kim Yeseo and Thais Praphada and Paphichaya Khongpong.
Dodgers first World Series repeat champs in 25 years
ORONTO—Will Smith homered in the 11th inning after Miguel Rojas connected for a tying drive in the ninth, and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Toronto Blue Jays, 5-4, in Game 7 Saturday night to become the first team in a quarter century to win consecutive World Series titles.
Los Angeles overcame 3-0 and 4-2 deficits and escaped a bases-loaded jam in the ninth to become the first repeat champion since the 1998-2000 New York Yankees, and the first from the National League since the 1975 and ‘76 Cincinnati Reds. Smith hit a 2-0 slider off Shane Bieber into the Blue Jays’ bullpen, giving
the Dodgers their first lead of the night. Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who threw 96 pitches in the Dodgers’ win on Friday, escaped a bases-loaded jam in the ninth and pitched 2 2/3 innings for his third win of the Series. He gave up a leadoff double in the 11th to Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who LOS Angeles Dodgers’ Will Smith celebrates his home run against the Toronto Blue Jays in the 11th inning. AP
Championship standings.
Fans feel that Piastri is being shafted by McLaren so Norris will win. And there’s Mexican fans not taking to Norris’ comments about Sergio Perez in the previous season when he said that the latter wasn’t good enough to push teammate Max Verstappen.
while Sugimoto praised Rayco.
“It was a difficult game because the Philippines was so good,” Saegusa said. “We couldn’t play well, but this match is going to be good for us because we have more games. It was a good opportunity.” Sugimoto and Takahashi delivered 16 points each for the Japanese, while Hayasaka had 13 points, as they eye a Pool B sweep against Iran on Monday.
Alas U16 coach Edwin Leyva was proud of the girls’ performance, proving that they belong despite the short preparation because most of the players are from different provinces in Luzon, Visaya and Mindanao.
“The team jelled quickly. It wasn’t like what we feared at first, that they might struggle to connect since they came from different places. Our main issue before was communication because of the different dialects, but they managed it well. They played great, and I’m very happy with how they performed,” said Leyva, who also drew contributions from Gale, Merish Beltran and Jhenica Sadia.
“Everybody contributed to the game. Our defense was solid. It was really good. Unfortunately, we lacked a bit of energy, experience, and endurance. But we definitely had what it takes to win.” Alas tries to reach the quarterfinal, facing Iran in a must-win game on Sunday at 11 p.m. (Philippine time).
“We’re hoping to perform even better in tomorrow’s game against Iran. Like I said before, our goal was to win one or two games in the elimination round, and we’re still working toward that,” Leyva said.
With four races left—Sao Paolo, Las Vegas, Qatar and the season-ending Abu Dhabi—the title is still up for grabs—third running Max Verstappen can still win it. And a couple of weeks ago, when the Oklahoma City Thunder received their championship rings, Kevin Durant’s Houston Rockets were in town. The OKC crowd cheered for their former center Steven Adams who now wears a Rockets uniform. Yet, when Durant was announced immediately after, a rain of boos cascaded down the Paycom Center.
Fans feel that Durant was supposed to lead them to a title but departed for Golden State where he won with Steph Curry. The funny thing is—Durant booed the fans right back. Of course, it is nothing new especially in sports as booing is a sign of displeasure whether because of a loss, unsportsmanlike behavior, players leaving their team
PATRICK COO (right) in action against Asuma Nakai. PATRICK COO FB PHOTO
