Mariana Zobel, RLC’s GoBio on Forbes list
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RIZAL VANISHES IN THE CITY OF LIGHT File photo shows then Philippine Ambassador
Junever Mahilum-West unveiling the bust of Dr. José Rizal at Place José Rizal in Paris, joined by Deputy Mayor Arnaud Ngatcha, Mayor Delphine Bürkli of the 9th arrondissement, Maria Cecilia Lopez Bretault—a direct descendant of Dr. Rizal through his brother Paciano—and Sir Ferdinand Suba of the Knights of Rizal Supreme Council. (Inset) The bust of national hero Dr. José Rizal is now missing from its pedestal at the same plaza, as seen in this screenshot from a video taken by Paris-based journalist Richard Villanueva. French authorities have launched an investigation into the reported theft. Story in A12, “Rizal bust stolen in Paris; French govt launches probe”. PHOTOS COURTESY
OF THE PHILIPPINE EMBASSY IN PARIS AND RICHARD VILLANUEVA
ROTARY CLUB OF MANILA JOURNALISM AWARDS
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By VG Cabuag
YALA Corp. heiress Mariana Zobel de Ayala and Robinsons Land Corp.’s president and CEO Mybelle V. Aragon-GoBio landed on the Forbes magazine’s list of 20 Asia’s Power Businesswomen. Mariana, the eighth-generation leader of the Ayala family, is shaping the future of the Philippines’s oldest conglomerate, Ayala Corp., Forbes said. She currently handles the leasing and hospitality business of its listed property arm Ayala Land. Mariana was given a $1.5-billion fund to refresh its extensive portfolio of malls, offices and hotels. The company’s redevelopment of eight existing malls and build
of new ones is expected to increase gross leasable area by a third to 2.9 million square meters by 2028. Mariana is also steering a $500-million hospitality capital expenditure, seen to double Ayala Land’s room inventory to 8,000 by 2030. That includes the 578-room New World Makati, acquired in June from Hong Kong’s New World Development, the opening of new Mandarin Oriental, Marriott ’s Moxy and Hilton’s Canopy hotels in the Makati financial district next year. “In March, Mariana was appointed Ayala Corp.’s managing director, 12 years after she left her job as an investment analyst at JPMorgan in New York to join her family’s 191-year-old, banking-to-property
group, where her father, Jamie Augusto Zobel de Ayala, is chairman,” Forbes said. Mariana, a Harvard graduate who earned her Masters in Business Administration from Insead, was named senior vice president at Ayala Land in 2023.
First woman to lead RLC
MEANWHILE, the Gokongwei family named GoBio as its new president and CEO of its property development arm RLC, earlier this year. She is the first woman and nonfamily member to lead the developer, founded in 1980 by the late John Gokongwei, who was succeeded by his son Lance Gokongwei, executive chairman. Gokongwei described AragonGoBio as “The best [hu]man for
the job.” GoBio joined RLC in 1993 as an administrative assistant and went on to oversee the company’s logistics business as well as residential and office projects. In May, she laid out a five-year, P125 billion expansion) plan for the company. “By 2030, she aims to double net income to P25 billion, boost the number of malls it operates to 69 from 55 and grow its office portfolio by 50 percent to 1.2 million square meters of leasable space.” The roadmap also includes a 25-percent increase in hotel rooms to 5,300, doubling logistics capacity and building new mixed-use estates. GoBio has a degree in international business from the University of Antwerp. See “GoBio,” A12
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Wednesday, November 5, 2025 Vol. 21 No. 28
P25.00 nationwide | 2 sections 20 pages | 7 DAYS A WEEK
TINO’S TEMPEST Cebu reels from the wrath of Typhoon Tino (international name: Kalmaegi), which unleashed torrential rains and powerful winds across the central Philippines on Tuesday, November 4, 2025. Flash floods swept through communities, submerging vehicles, trapping residents on
rooftops, and leaving streets buried under mud and debris. Rescue teams waded through chest-deep waters as thousands sought safety in evacuation centers. A devastating scene unfolded in Talisay City, where floodwaters wiped out two barangays, while Danao City and other nearby areas were left submerged. At least two people were reported dead, and tens of thousands displaced, after Tino made landfall in Southern Leyte before barreling across the Visayas toward the South China Sea. Authorities warned of continued flooding and possible volcanic mudflows near Mount Kanlaon as the nation endured its 20th storm of the year. Stories in A8 News, “Typhoon ‘Tino’ wreaks havoc, brings life-threatening conditions in Visayas” and A9 News, “Over 17K families affected as ‘Tino’ batters VisMin–OCD”. AP/JACQUELINE HERNANDEZ, CEBU PROVINCE PIO AND PHILIPPINE RED CROSS
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By Andrea E. San Juan
MORE gradual and flexible tariff adjustment on rice shall be adopted starting January 1, 2026 depending on the change in international prices, according to the Economy and Development (ED) Council chaired by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., the Department of Economy, Planning, and Development (DEPDev) announced Tuesday night. This, the Council said, after it approved the recommendation of the Tariff and Related Matters Committee (TRMC) to maintain
the tariff rate on rice imports at 15 percent until December 31,2025, for both in-quota and See “flexi-tariff,” A2
POLL: BIZ LEADERS SAY FIRMS LOST P4-T REVENUE TO FRAUD By Andrea E. San Juan
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@andreasanjuan
HILIPPINE business leaders reported that their companies lost P4 trillion in revenues due to fraud over the past year, according to a study by TransUnion. The report noted that business leaders surveyed in Canada, Hong Kong, India, the Philippines, UK and US reported their companies lost on average 7.7 percent of revenue in the past year due to fraud,
which is up from 6.5 percent in 2024. This represents $534 billion of fraud losses among the 1,200 business leaders surveyed in 2025, TransUnion said. Based on the study, the 200 Philippine business leaders surveyed said the “most prominent” cause of fraud loss was scam/authorized fraud and first-party fraud, “reflecting a dual threat from deception and internal misrepresentation.” See “Biz leaders,” A2
ERC approves lower open access threshold By Lenie Lectura
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@llectura
HE Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) has lowered the electricity consumption threshold to 100 kilowatts (kW) from the 500 kW average monthly peak demand to allow more endusers to choose their electricity supplier. The new threshold will take effect on June 26, 2026, paving the way for more medium-sized enterprises and institutions to directly choose their electricity suppliers or aggregate their demand under the Retail Aggregation Program (RAP).
“By expanding retail access to more end-users, we are promoting genuine consumer choice and driving competition that can lead to better prices, improved service quality, and innovation in the power sector,” said ERC Chairperson and CEO Atty. Francis Saturnino C. Juan. The commission has opted for a phased and coordinated approach to ensure market readiness and operational stability. The eight-month transition period before effectivity allows Distribution Utilities (DUs) and Retail Metering Service Providers (RMSPs) sufficient time to procure and install See “ERC,” A2
PESO EXCHANGE RATES n US 58.7550 n JAPAN 0.3810 n UK 77.2099 n HK 7.5594 n CHINA 8.2520 n SINGAPORE 45.0472 n AUSTRALIA 38.4081 n EU 67.6975 n KOREA 0.0411 n SAUDI ARABIA 15.6667 Source: BSP (November 4, 2025)