BusinessMirror November 10, 2025

By Bless Aubrey Ogerio @blessogerio

WITH the country’s economic growth slowing sharply in the third quarter, economists said fiscal policy execution—especially how the government spends—will be crucial in determining the economy’s performance through 2025. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) expanded by 4 percent year-onyear from July to September, down from 5.5 percent in the previous quarter and 5.2 percent in the same period last year, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA). (See: https://businessmirror.com.ph/2025/11/07/

psa-phl-economy-up-4-in-3q/)

Jonathan Ravelas of Reyes Tacandong & Co. said he had expected a stronger 5.6 percent full-year growth but warned that spending delays could stall recovery. “For now, monitor fiscal policy execution closely. If spending remains subdued, private sector resilience and investment will be critical to sustaining growth,” he said in a Viber message.

Meanwhile, UnionBank chief economist Carlo Asuncion attributed the slowdown to tighter financial conditions, weaker government expenditure and persistent external headwinds.

“Household consumption remained resilient, but weak capital

formation and subdued exports underscore the need for stronger public investment and targeted support for trade-sensitive sectors,” he said.

He added that, “Nevertheless, we expect growth to regain momentum, though risks from global demand and fiscal constraints remain.”

From the demand side, household spending grew by 4.1 percent in the third quarter, while government expenditure rose 5.8 percent. Exports climbed 7 percent, and imports grew 2.6 percent, but investment, or gross capital formation, fell by 2.8 percent.

Private consumption accounted for 74 percent of GDP growth,

though its contribution, 3 percentage points, was the lowest since the pandemic. On the other hand, soft spending and weak investment were the main drags, per ING economists, prompting the bank to cut its 2025 growth forecast to 4.7 percent from 5.2 percent. They also expect the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) to trim policy rates by 25 basis points in December.

the impact of recent typhoons, floods

THEBy Reine Juvierre S. Alberto @reine_alberto

country’s dollar reserves climbed to $109.7 billion as of the end of October this year, providing defenses against external shocks and speculative attacks on the local currency.

SUPER Typhoon Fung-wong (local name: Uwan), the biggest storm to threaten the Philippines this year, started battering the country’s northeastern coast ahead of landfall on Sunday, knocking down power, disrupting land, air and sea mobility, forcing the evacuation of more than a million people in dozens of high-risk areas. The defense chief warned many others to evacuate to safety from high-risk villages before it’s too late.

Fung-wong, which could cover two-thirds of the Southeast Asian archipelago with its

1,600-kilometer- (994-mile-) wide rain and wind band, approached from the Pacific while the Philippines was still dealing with the devastation wrought by Typhoon Kalmaegi (local name: Tino]), which left at least 224 people dead in central island provinces on Tuesday before pummeling Vietnam, where at least five were killed.

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has declared a state of emergency due to the extensive devastation caused by “Tino” and the expected calamity from “Uwan.”

THE government extended lesser subsidies to staterun corporations in the first nine months of the year compared to the same period a year ago, data from the Bureau of the Treasury (BTr) showed.

According to the BTr, subsidies received by government-owned and -controlled corporations (GOCCs) from January to September this year declined to P79.454 billion.

This is lower by 24.50 percent from the P79.94 billion provided by the government during the same period last year.

State-run firms are given sub -

sidies by the government to fund operations not covered by corporate revenues or to finance specific programs or projects.

Major non-financial government corporations cornered 56.94 percent or P45.246 billion of the total subsidies during the nine-month period.

Among these firms, the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) received the highest amount of subsidies worth P27.757 billion, followed by the National Food Authority (NFA) with P8.682 billion.

Meanwhile, 29 other government corporations were given a total of P33.699 billion from January

to September this year.

The Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management (PSALM) obtained the biggest subsidy worth P8 billion, trailed by the Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation (PCIC) and the Philippine Reclamation Authority (PRA).

For the month of September alone, government subsidies to GOCCs dropped to P9.203 billion, down by 49.48 percent from P18.217 billion in the same month last year.

Taking the biggest subsidy among government corporations during the month is NFA with P3.432 billion, equivalent to about

37.29 percent of the total. Next to NFA are the NIA (P3.229 billion), the Philippine Fisheries Development Authority (P955 million) and PCIC (P443 million). As of end-September, the national government has yet to disburse the remaining P47.973 billion in subsidies of the P127.427-billion budgetary support allocated for this year. For 2026, subsidies are proposed to receive higher subsidies worth P149.654 billion. Of the amount, the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) will corner the big-

New tariff adjustment mechanism

UNDER EO 105, the said MFN rates for rice will be increased by five percentage points per 5-percent decrease in international price. It will be decreased by five percentage points per five percent increase in international price. The MFN rates of duty on rice, both in-quota and out-quota, shall in no case be below 15 percent or above 35 percent.

A new Inter-Agency Group on Rice Tariff Adjustment was created to formulate the guidelines for the implementation of EO 105, including thresholds on trigger prices and the needed certification for it.

The group will be composed of representatives from the Department of Economy, Planning, and Development, Department of Agriculture, Department of Trade and Industry, Department of Finance, and the Office of the Special Assistant to the President for Investment and Economic Affairs.

Marcos issued EO 105 implementing the new tariff regime last Friday while Congress was still in recess.

Lawmakers were supposed to resume their session on November 10, but it was deferred to the following day due to the impact of Super Typhoon “Uwan” (international name: Fung-wong).

Republic Act No. 10863 or the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act and RA12078 or the amended Agricultural Tariffication Act allows the president to adjust tariff rates for rice for a limited period and/or a specified volume when Congress is not in session.

Prices kept for key items in DTI’s Noche Buena Guide

By Ada Pelonia @adapelonia

THEDepartment of Trade and Industry (DTI) has released this year’s Noche Buena price guide, assuring the public that there will be no price hikes on select holiday staples.

In a statement, the DTI noted that of the 256 holiday food items across 14 categories, 129 retained their prices, while 95 posted minimal increases due to higher costs of ingredients,

packaging, and labor. The agency explained that the guide also presents new categories, such as nata de coco and kaong, to reflect the growing demand for des -

ported fatality as of Sunday.

So far, Uwan, the 21st typhoon to hit the Philippines this year and the second this month, has affected 40,323 families or 112,359 persons in 459 barangays in 63 cities and municipalities across 7 provinces. Authorities are verifying one re -

In its 5 p.m Tropical Cyclone Bulletin issued on Sunday, the weather bureau said Uwan was packing maximum sustained winds of 185 km/h with gusts of up to 230 km/h at the center. It was seen 110 km North of Daet, Camarines Norte, or 150 km Northeast of Infanta, Quezon, moving west-northwestward at 30 km/h.

The weather bureau said the Super Typhoon may hit the landmass of Aurora at

sert ingredients. Meanwhile, DTI said it has also secured price rollbacks on six items following consultations with manufacturers. This includes CDO American Style Ham 500g, now priced at P170, down from the previous market price of P174; King Sue Piña Ham 800g, now at P520 from P527; King Sue Piña Ham 1 kilo, at P637 from P643; King Sue Sweet Ham 800g, now P449 from P450; Danes Queso de Bola 500g, at P300 from P310, and; Sunshine Sweet Style Spaghetti Sauce 500g, now at P48.5 from P52. With these adjustments, the

its peak, or Super Typhoon intensity, Sunday night or Monday morning. Tropical cyclones with sustained winds of 185 kph (115 mph) or higher are categorized in the Philippines as a super typhoon, a designation adopted years ago to underscore the urgency tied to more extreme weather disturbances.

“The rain and wind were so strong there was nearly zero visibility,” Roberto Monterola, a disaster-mitigation officer for Catanduanes, told The Associated Press by telephone, adding there have been no reports of casualties so far in the island province of more than 200,000 people.

Heavy rainfall

PAGASA has also issued a heavy rainfall warning in areas affected by the storm.

Isabela, Quirino, Nueva Vizcaya, Kalinga, Mountain Province, Ifugao, Benguet, Zambales, Aurora, Nueva Ecija, Quezon, Bulacan, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Catanduanes, and Albay were forecast to receive over 200 mm of rain in the next 24 hours, making these low-lying areas or those near rivers and coastal areas, at risk of flooding and landslides.

Meanwhile, 100 to 200 mm of rain is forecast over Ilocos Norte, La Union, Pangasinan, Ilocos Sur, Cagayan, Apayao, Abra, Tarlac, Pampanga, Bataan, Metro Manila, Cavite, Batangas, Laguna, Rizal, Marinduque, Occidental Mindoro,

DTI said that four ham products have been reverted to their 2024 prices, while select queso de bola and spaghetti sauce will now be sold at prices even lower than those of last year.

DTI Secretary Cristina Roque said the agency is implementing measures to help Filipino consumers prepare for the holidays.

“With the price freeze in effect for basic necessities and the adjusted prices reflected in the new price guide, the DTI continues to carry out the President’s call to keep basic necessities and prime commodities, and holiday goods within reach of Filipino families,” Roque said.

Masbate, Sorsogon, Samar, Biliran, and Northern Samar.

Complicating the risk of floods in certain areas that host active volcanos are possible lahar flows: Mayon volcano is in Albay in the Bicol region, which Uwan started pummelling early Sunday. At 2 p.m. on Saturday, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) had issued a Lahar Advisory based on the weather advisory and preparator flood information forecast for the Bicol River Basin. According to Phivolcs, the passage of Uwan could bring intense to torrential rain of up to 400 mm over Bicol that could generate volcanic sediment flows or lahar, muddy stream flows or muddy run-off in rivers and drainage areas on Mayon Volcano.

Storm surge, gale warning THE weather bureau said because of typhoon-force winds, there is a high risk of life-threatening and damaging storm surge, with peak heights exceeding 3 meters within the next 48 hours over the low-lying or exposed coastal communities of Cagayan, Isabela, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union, Pangasinan, Aurora, Zambales, Bataan, Pampanga, Bulacan, Metro Manila, Cavite, Batangas, Quezon, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Catanduanes, Albay, Sorsogon, Northern Samar, Eastern Samar, Dinagat Islands, and Siargao and Bucas Grande Islands.

See “Uwan,” A4

The peso slipped to the P59 level again on Friday, closing at P59.04 against the US dollar. It opened at P58.94 and traded for as high as P59.115 and as low as P58.9, based on the data from the Bankers Association of the Philippines.

Ricafort added that this level is supported by sustained inflows of US dollars from overseas Filipino workers’ remittances, business process outsourcing revenues, foreign tourism receipts and foreign direct investments—all of which are expected to continue boosting reserves in the coming months and could push the GIR to a new record high.

“The latest GIR level provides a robust external liquidity buffer, equivalent to 7.3 months’ worth of imports of goods and payments of services and primary income,” the BSP said.

The GIR is deemed adequate if it can finance at least threemonths’ worth of the country’s imports of goods and payments of services and primary income, the BSP explained.

This level of GIR also ensures the availability of foreign ex-

change to meet balance of payments financing needs, such as for payment of imports and debt service, in extreme conditions when there are no export earnings or foreign loans, it added.

Moreover, the current GIR covers about 3.7 times the country’s short-term external debt based on residual maturity.

This refers to outstanding external debt with original maturity of one year or less, plus principal payments on medium- and long-term loans of the public and private sectors falling due within the next 12 months.

The central bank manages the reserves, which consist of gold reserves, special drawing rights, foreign investments and foreignexchange reserves, and uses them to underwrite obligations.

BSP data showed that the gold holdings of the central bank hit $16.890 billion in October, up by 3.08 percent from the $16.384 billion seen in the previous month.

Inflows from foreign investments also marginally rose by 0.04 percent to $87.522 billion in October from $87.480 billion in September.

Meanwhile, the foreign-exchange component increased by 21.62 percent to $626 million in September from $514.7 million in the previous month.

The Philippines’s performance also lagged behind most of its regional peers such as Taiwan, South Korea and Vietnam, where growth accelerated.

Corruption, tariffs continue to weigh POLITICAL uncertainty and tariff changes have deepened the drag on investment, per analysts. Global macroeconomic firm Capital Economics said that public investments plunged 26 percent year-onyear in the third quarter following the investigation into anomalous flood-control projects mentioned in President Marcos’ State of the Nation Address last July 25. The decline also rippled through construction and household consumption.

“Even if large-scale political unrest is avoided, a broadening of the anticorruption drive could prolong the slowdown,” the firm said, warning that uncertainty may delay new projects and public procurement.

ING also pointed to the combined effects of the corruption probe and tariff changes. The Philippines’ tariff rate, initially set at 17 percent, was raised to 19 percent in July, erasing its trade advantage within Asean.

“Corruption scandals put government spending under intense scrutiny, leading to a sharp pullback in investments,” ING said. For Ricafort, investor confidence could recover if governance and sustainability reforms are implemented. For its part, the Department of Finance described the third-quarter slowdown as “a temporary hiccup” caused by underspending and assured that fiscal reforms and more efficient infrastructure budgeting will drive a stronger rebound in 2026.

(See: https://businessmirror.com. ph/2025/11/08/infra-fiascos-impact-q3-growth-a-mere-4/)

Lowering expectations?

RAVELAS has revised his growth forecasts to 5.3 percent for 2025 and 5.6 percent for 2026, reflecting slower fiscal momentum.

Asuncion, meanwhile, said easing inflation and a more accommodative stance from the BSP could cushion the economy. Inflation held at 1.7 percent in October—unchanged from September and below the 2.3 percent posted a year ago.

Ricafort noted that average GDP growth from January to September stood at 5 percent, but quarteron-quarter expansion slowed to 0.4 percent. Moreover, investments, agriculture and government spending declined, though exports rose 1.4 percent.

He said holiday spending and improved weather could lift growth in the final quarter.

Capital Economics also expects two more 25-basis-point rate cuts within the current cycle, while ING said subdued public spending may continue to temper growth despite a likely rebound in consumption and agriculture.

gest subsidy amounting to P53.262 billion to fund the annual insurance premiums of indigent beneficiaries. To recall, PhilHealth was not given any subsidies this year after the Bicameral Conference Committee said that the health insurer should utilize its reserve fund instead. Last year, subsidies for GOCCs were the lowest in six years, at P138.763 billion, as they needed less budgetary support and had better operating income. Reine Juvierre S. Alberto and earthquakes that disrupted business operations. The Q3 2025 GDP brings the yearto-date average to 5 percent, below the government’s 5.5 to 6.5 percent target.

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Erwin Tulfo assails ‘discrimination,’ mislabeling of aid to disaster victims

By Butch Fernandez @butchfBM

SEN. Erwin Tulfo on Sunday prodded the Department of the Social Welfare to ensure that the victims of Typhoon Tino receive the proper amount of government assistance amid reported complaints of discrimination in Cebu.

“It is saddening and infuriating to hear reports that some barangay personnel have made mislabelings on the DSWD forms of several victims of Typhoon Tino in the province of Cebu. This is not the first time such an incident has happened, and it is disheartening that discrimination against disaster victims continues to

occur,” Tulfo said, speaking partly in Filipino.

Tulfo, a former Social Welfare Secretary, made the statement after a resident of Purok Isla Verde in Talisay City, Cebu, complained that a barangay official had marked his flood-ravaged house as only “partially damaged” on the DSWD assistance form. “I know DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian and I am sure that he will not like this. He will not allow these situations to continue. We have been seeing DSWD quickly respond during calamities so I know that Secretary Rex won’t let this issue pass.”

Tulfo added, “This is

Economy

50 percent of PUVs have faulty brakes

By Lorenz S. Marasigan @lorenzmarasigan

ALMOST half of all public utility vehicles (PUVs) inspected nationwide from January to September this year failed to meet brake safety standards, data released by the Vehicle Inspection Center Operators Association of the Philippines (Vicoap) indicate.

The organization disclosed that 47.3 percent of PUVs tested during the nine-month period did not pass brake inspections, raising concerns about the safety of millions of Filipinos who depend on public transportation daily.

preventable failure, and many of them start with the brakes,” said Vicoap Spokesperson Lester Cavestany.

TBy Samuel P. Medenilla

“Our goal is to offer solutions backed by data. We want to support government agencies like the Department of Transportation and the Land Transportation Office in developing standards that make vehicle safety a shared responsibility.”

According to the WRNumero Surveys for Good 2025, eight in 10 Filipinos fear road accidents, with lower-income commuters who rely most heavily on public transport expressing the strongest safety concerns.

“What makes this issue urgent is that it affects the everyday Filipino commuter,” added Mikael Degilla, Head of Public Affairs & Compliance of e-Sakay Inc.

“As roads get busier toward the holidays, we need to ensure that PUVs on the road are fit to carry passengers safely home.”

Cavestany said mandatory brake testing would align with the DOTr’s Road Safety Action

“PUV,” A5 See “Tulfo,” A5

“Behind every crash is a

He added the group calls for mandatory brake testing of PUVs and stronger enforcement of vehicle inspection standards to prevent road accidents.

300,000 enhanced electronic cards (e-cards) that grant migrant workers easier access to government services and benefits, as well as discounts from its partner establishments.  The number was almost double the 180,000 e-cards issued by the attached agency of the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) last August.  Launched in July 2024, the e-card version 2 includes enhanced security features and provides Owwa members easier access to its benefits services through the agency’s mobile application.  Among the Owwa programs e-card holds can avail is its Botika and Yakap Clinic. The e-card serves as a government-issued identification card and has a digital version, which can be accessed in the eGov.PH app.  Its holders can also avail

“Owwa,” A5

Palace suspends work, classes in super typhoon affected areas

By Butch Fernandez @butchfBM, Jovee Marie dela Cruz @joveemarie & Samuel P. Medenilla @sam_medenilla

AS the government braced for the impact of Super Typhoon Uwan (international name; Fung-Wong) during the weekend, Malacañang has announced the suspension of government work and classes on Monday at all levels in areas to be hit by the weather disturbance.

On Sunday, Executive Secretary Lucas P. Bersamin approved the recommendation of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council by declaring through Memorandum Circular 106 the work and class suspensions.

The suspension in government work on November 10, 2025 covers the National Capital Region, Cordillera Administrative Region, Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley Region, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Bicol Region, and Eastern Visayas.

The affected government offices may implement alternate work arrangements to ensure the continuity of their essential functions.

Misrepresentation

in marital status may cause deployment ban–DMW

By Samuel P. Medenilla

L@sam_medenilla

EGALLY married overseas Filipino workers (OFW), who declare themselves “single” or “separated” without court decree, can be banned from being employed abroad, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) said. In Advisory 32, series of 2025, Migrant Worker

Secretary Hans J. Cacdac warned those who will make such a declaration without the supporting legal documents can be held accountable for misdeclaration.

“The DMW urges all OFWs to uphold honesty and integrity in all their dealings to protect their rights and welfare,” he said.  Cacdac said those who

“Further, classes at all levels in the aforementioned Regions, Regions VI [Western Visayas], Region VII [Central Visayas], and the Negros Island Region are also suspended on 10 and 11 November 2025,” Bersamin said. He said local chief executives in areas not included in the aforementioned list may declare localized cancellation or suspension of classes or work or both in government.

The suspension will not cover agencies responsible for basic, vital and health services as well as disaster preparedness and response.

Also exempted from MC 106 are workers in the private sector.

Labor Secretary Bienvenido

E. Laguesma urged private companies to be “lenient and understanding in the treatment of employees who are unable to report for work due to weather disturbances like the coming Uwan.”

He said employee safety and health of their employees should be their priority during such natural calamities.

“Moreover, for those employees who report for work, provision of extra incentives or benefits should be considered and granted,” Laguesma said.

On Saturday, President Marcos placed concerned government agencies on full alert so they can start preemptive evacuations and ensure their disaster response will be prompt once Super Typhoon Uwan makes landfall.

House suspends sessions

THE House of Representatives has suspended work and its scheduled plenary session on Monday in anticipation of severe weather conditions brought by Uwan.

In an advisory issued by Secretary General Cheloy E. Velicaria-Garafil, the suspension covers all regular office operations and proceedings in the chamber.

However, offices performing essential and critical functions are directed to ensure continuity of their operations during the

suspension period.

“The House leadership remains steadfast in its commitment to safeguarding the health, safety, and well-being of all employees,” it said.

All House personnel were also advised to exercise caution, secure necessary supplies, and stay updated on weather advisories as the typhoon approaches, Garafil said.

The suspension forms part of precautionary measures to avert potential risks from the expected strong rains and winds that Super Typhoon Uwan may bring to Metro Manila and nearby provinces.

Senate reopening put off

THE highly anticipated reopening of session, following a month-long recess that saw a raging controversy over the corruption attending billions in flood-control projects— engulfing lawmakers alongside officials from the Executive Branch, has been aborted by nature.

On Sunday, the Senate leadership declared a suspension of work at the chamber on Monday, the scheduled reopening of legislative sessions, following extreme alerts over the heavy rains, winds and flooding from

A5

Military suspends exercises due to Uwan

By Rex Anthony Naval

ALL field training exercises (FTXs) for this year’s DAGIT-PA are suspended owing to the threat posed by Typhoon Uwan, the Armed Forces (AFP) said on Sunday.

“DAGIT-PA” also known formally  as the AFP Joint Exercise and is on its ninth iteration this year.

“This critical decision is made to immediately redirect the focus and assets of the AFP’s participating forces towards humanitarian assistance and disaster response [HADR] operations,” the AFP said.

The exercise, which began on November 4 and was scheduled to run until Nov. 14, includes three major events: Command

and Control, Cyber Defense Exercise, and the FTX.

“The suspension specifically targets the field maneuvers in the Northern Luzon Command  and Western Command Joint Area of Operations,” it added.

The AFP also said that priority and resources of all personnel, involved in DAGIT-PA including approximately 2,000 troops, are now fully devoted to pre-disaster preparedness and rapid response in affected areas.

“The AFP assures the public that this immediate shift is a testament to our highest commitment: the safety and well-being of our citizens,” it added.

Meanwhile, the National Police (PNP) on Sunday mobilized more than 10,000

personnel along with other assets for possible disaster response missions.

The acting PNP chief, Lt. Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr., in a statement, said that a total of 10,750 police personnel have been deployed all over the country to assist in disaster preparedness, rescue operations, and public safety measures as of 5:00 a.m.

These include uniformed officers from the National Capital Region Police Office, regional police offices in Northern and Central Luzon, Southern Tagalog, Bicol, Visayas, and Mindanao.

In addition, an additional 11,482 members of the Reaction Standby Support

See “Military,” A5

Ecology watchdog: Don’t burn disaster debris

AWASTE and pollution watchdog appealed to the public on Sunday not

to burn post-disaster debris, as this would only cause more harm to people and the environment.

The EcoWaste Coalition made this appeal as Typhoon Tino left behind tons of debris in the Visayas, and Super Typhoon Uwan threatens to leave behind a path of destruction in Southern Luzon.

Disaster debris refers to waste and wreckage resulting from typhoons and other destructive events, and may include fallen trees and twigs, wood scraps and other organic matter, parts of homes, flood-soaked furniture, broken appliances, and general trash.

“Our hearts go out to the communities devastated by Typhoon Tino and we hope they are receiving the support from the public and private

Legislators seek fund allocation for cybersecurity risk management

AWMAKERS

Lhave proposed the creation of an annual Cybersecurity Risk Management and Mitigation Fund (CRMMF) to strengthen the country’s defenses against increasing cyber threats targeting government institutions and private businesses. Under House Bill 2826 filed by Camarines Sur Reps. Migz Villafuerte and Luigi Villafuerte, the CRMMF will finance threat identification and detection, incident response, system recovery, personnel training, equipment procurement, and other cybersecurity preparedness and prevention activities. Migz Villafuerte, chairman of the House committee on information and communications technology, said 30 percent of the fund will serve as a Quick Response Fund to restore critical information infrastructure (CII) affected by cybercrime incidents such as phishing, ransomware, social engineering schemes, and emerging artificial intelligence (AI)-driven threats like deepfakes. The amount and beneficiary agencies of the CRMMF will be determined upon the President’s approval based on the recommendation

Uwan. . .

Continued from A2

Meanwhile, a gale warning was put in effect over the seaboards of Luzon, and the eastern and central seaboards of Visayas, and the eastern seaboards of Mindanao.

The weather bureau is monitoring major river basins, including Pampanga, Agno, Bicol, Cagayan, Pasig-Marikina-Laguna de Bay, Abra, Apayao-Abulug and the Angat Sub-basin, Ambuklao-Binga-San Roque Sub-basin, and Magat Sub-basin.

Evacuation

DESPITE calls for residents to evacuate from disaster-prone areas Saturday, some still stayed on.

Over a million people were evacuated from high-risk villages in northeastern provinces, including in Bicol, a coastal region vulnerable to Pacific cyclones and mudflows from Mayon, one of the country’s most active volcanoes.

sectors for their essential needs,” said Aileen Lucero, National Coordinator, EcoWaste Coalition.

“As families pick up the pieces and make every step to bounce back, we appeal to everyone not to burn Tino’s debris as this may further put their health at risk,” she said. “Please work with your local authorities in ensuring the ecological management of post-typhoon waste in your neighborhood.”

The EcoWaste Coalition’s call against the open burning of disaster waste reinforced the timely reminder by the government of Bacolod City, one of the many places hardest hit by Tino, against such a hazardous practice.

Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr., who oversees the country’s disaster response agencies and the military, warned about the potentially catastrophic impact of Fung-wong in televised remarks Saturday.

He said the storm could affect a vast expanse of the country, including Cebu, the central province hit hardest by Typhoon Tino, and metropolitan Manila, the densely populated capital region which is the seat of power and the country’s financial center.

More than 30 million people could be exposed to hazards posed by Uwan, the Office of Civil Defense said.

Teodoro asked people to follow orders by officials to immediately move away from villages and towns prone to flash floods, landslides and coastal tidal surges. “We need to do this because when it’s already raining or the typhoon has hit and flooding has started, it’s hard to rescue people,” Teodoro said.

Authorities in northern provinces

of the proposed National Cybersecurity Agency (NCSA), which the lawmakers seek to establish under HB 2826, or the Cybersecurity Act. The proposal follows the Department of Information and Communications Technology’s (DICT) recent disclosure that it successfully thwarted Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks against major Philippine banks on November 5—known globally as Guy Fawkes Day, when hacking and cyberactivism often spike. DICT activated “Oplan Cyberdome,” coordinating with the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC), National Telecommunications Commission (NTC), and law enforcement agencies to defend against the attacks. Lawmakers said the CRMMF may also be used to address ongoing threats within the current fiscal year and those that occurred within the two preceding years. New cybersecurity legislation forms part of the 44 priority measures under the Common Legislative Agenda agreed upon by President Marcos and Congress leaders.

to be hit or sideswiped by Fung-wong preemptively declared the shutdown of schools and most government offices on Monday and Tuesday. Related stories in A3 and A4.

Transportation disrupted MEANWHILE , Uwan has disrupted transportation across the Philippines, with nearly 400 flights cancelled, major sea travel suspensions implemented, and critical roads closed as the weather system intensified into a super typhoon. As of Sunday noon, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (Caap) reported 389 affected flights between November 8 and November 10, with 325 domestic and 61 international cancellations. It also ordered the temporary closure of the airports in Bicol, Sorsogon, Cauayan, Baguio, and Sangley.

The Philippine Ports Authority implemented “no sail” policies affecting dozens of maritime routes. All vessel trips were suspended in major port management offices including NCR North, NCR South, Batangas, Bicol, Masbate, Eastern and Western Leyte, Bohol, Surigao, Agusan, and several areas in Mindanao.

Partial suspensions covered routes from Palawan to Mindoro, specific ferry services in Negros Occidental, and multiple ports across Panay including Iloilo City, Dumangas, Estancia, and Caticlan.

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) reported that the BalerDinadiawan section of Baler-Casiguran Road in Barangay Gupa, Dipaculao, Aurora became impassable to all vehicles Saturday morning due to storm surge.

The San Juan Bridge II Detour Road in Nueva Ecija is passable only to light vehicles, while the Pili-Tigaon-Albay Boundary Road is also restricted to light vehicles due to fallen trees. The Gate-Bulan Airport Road in Sorsogon remains open only to See “Uwan,” A5

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Plan, which aims to reduce traffic-related deaths by 35 percent by 2028.

Under HB 2826, agencies receiving CRMMF allocations must submit monthly utilization reports to the NCSA. A National Computer Emergency Response Team (NCERT) will also be established to lead rapid detection, mitigation, and recovery efforts in cyber incidents affecting national security or public interest. The bill mandates all national government

Continued

typhoon Uwan expected to hit huge parts of Luzon, Visayas and Northern Mindanao.

Metro Manila was among those expected to be under serious risk.

“Every unsafe vehicle on the road is a risk we can prevent,” he said. “Brake testing isn’t bureaucracy — it’s a life-saving measure. Every data point we collect represents a family that gets home safely.”

agencies, government-owned corporations, and local government units to adopt cybersecurity baselines and appoint Chief Information Security Officers. HB 2826 also imposes administrative and criminal penalties for unauthorized disclosure of confidential data and cyberattacks on CIIs. Penalties range from six to 12 years’ imprisonment and fines starting at P500,000 up to life imprisonment and a minimum P1 million fine for cases involving national security.

Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz

“In view of the forecast of heavy rainfall and other potential impacts of Super Typhoon Uwan, Senate President Vicente C. Sotto III has ordered the suspension of work at the Senate tomorrow, 10 November, 2025,” read the advisory issued by Renato N. Bantug Jr., Senate secretary, on Sunday.

Ecology.

The local Bureau of Fire Protection had earlier confirmed that the smoke billowing from some areas of the city following the onslaught of the super typhoon was “most likely due to the burning of trees and branches.”

“As the City Government continues with its road clearing and cleanup operations, Mayor Greg G. Gasataya is asking everyone to please avoid burning debris in your backyards. This practice is prohibited by law and can cause health and safety problems for our community,” the Bacolod City

Uwan.

heavy vehicles due to flooding, while the Sorsogon-Bacon-Manito Road has only one lane passable due to a fallen tree.

Acting Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez said he has ordered the full mobilization of the Department of Transportation and its attached agencies.

The department deployed Coast Guard, Land Transportation Office (LTO), and Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) assets including buses, trucks, and vessels for potential evacuations and relief operations.

Communications Office (BCCO) said through a statement.

Open burning is banned under R.A. 8749, or the Clean Air Act and R.A. 9003, or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act as this act produces toxic environmental pollutants, while destroying materials that can still be put to good use such as turning organics into compost to enrich and improve soil health.

According to R.A. 8749, “no person shall be allowed to burn any materials in any quantities, which shall cause the emission of toxic and poisonous fumes.” R.A. 9003 lists “the open burning of solid waste” as a prohibited act. Open burning generates many environmental pollutants from

Transmission lines

THE National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) said Sunday 26 transmission lines were rendered unavailable by Typhoon Uwan.

These include: 14 of the 69-kilovolt (kV) lines in Luzon and six 69KV lines in Visayas unavailable, affecting power consumers in Quezon, Camarines Sur, Camarines Norte, Albay, Sorsogon, Batangas, Leyte, Eastern Samar, Northern Samar, and Negros Oriental.

the byproduct smoke, residue, and ash such as dioxins and furans, particulate matter, heavy metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, volatile organic compounds, formaldehyde, and greenhouse gases, the EcoWaste Coalition said.

These pollutants are known to cause a variety of adverse health effects, such as eye, throat, and skin irritation, headaches, respiratory ailments, asthma, bronchitis, heart attacks, cancers, and other diseases, the EcoWaste Coalition said.

Exposure to dioxins and furans in particular “can cause reproductive and developmental problems, damage the immune system, interfere with hormones and cause cancer,” according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

Bulacan, Laguna, Metro Manila, Rizal and Batangas.

The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) reminded all local government units and police personnel that saving lives is the top priority. During preemptive or forced evacuations, local officials must lead with both firmness and compassion.

Babies in the womb, children, senior citizens, persons with chemical sensitivities, and those with underlying medical conditions are prone to the negative health effects of open burning, the EcoWaste Coalition further warned.

Instead of open burning, open dumping, and other polluting practices, the EcoWaste Coalition appealed to all households and waste generators to apply the best practices in ecological waste management, excluding incineration in keeping with the goals of RA 9003 and RA 8749.

and disaster response (HADR) operations. This ensures troops and assets are strategically positioned to respond to emergencies, conduct rescue operations, and deliver relief to affected areas.

DOH’s ‘blue alert’

Force are ready to be mobilized for immediate augmentation, while nearly a thousand police vehicles and equipment have been prepositioned in critical areas.

At present, 996 evacuation centers are occupied, sheltering more than 102,000 families or approximately 319,000 individuals across the affected regions.

Police assistance desks have been set up to ensure safety, order, and protection of evacuees, particularly the elderly, women, and children.

Meanwhile, 3,637 passengers remain stranded in various seaports, with PNP Maritime Group and regional units ensuring their welfare and security. Nartatez assured the public that all police units nationwide are fully prepared to respond to emergencies and provide assistance to affected communities.

“The PNP has long been preparing for this scenario. Our forces, equipment, and logistics are already in place to respond wherever we are needed. We are maintaining a high level of readiness so that no community will be left unattended as Typhoon Uwan moves across the country,” he added.

Coast Guard personnel were also positioned to assist local governments with rescue and rehabilitation. The Toll Regulatory Board (TRB) temporarily suspended toll collection for vehicles engaged in emergency and rescue operations.

Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon deployed 9,405 personnel and 1,603 equipment units including heavy machinery across critical areas nationwide.

Tulfo. . .

Continued from A3

a double whammy—they’re already victims of a calamity, and now they’re becoming

The NGCP also reported two 138kV, two 230kV, and two 350kV lines unavailable. NGCP said it has completed the restoration of damaged transmission lines in Visayas that were affected by Typhoon Tino.

NGCP’s Overall Command Center (OCmC) remains activated as it continues to monitor the passage of Typhoon Uwan.

The Manila Electric Company (Meralco), meanwhile, reported around 42,000 customers affected by service interruptions—most of them are in parts of Cavite, and the rest are in parts of Quezon,

victims again of manipulation in the distribution of aid.”

In July, Tulfo filed Senate Bill 254 or the proposed “AntiDiscrimination in the Delivery of Social Protection Programs Act” as one of his priority

If residents still refuse despite repeated warnings and imminent danger, LGUs and the PNP are authorized to enforce mandatory evacuation in accordance with Republic Act No. 10121 and the Local Government Code. Actions must be done peacefully, respectfully, and with proper documentation.

AFP on ‘red alert’

THE Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Sunday placed its status on “Red Alert” and mobilized its disaster response units across all major services in full support of the national government’s efforts to safeguard communities that might be affected by the severe weather disturbances.

It intensified its humanitarian assistance

bills in the 20th Congress.

SB 254 seeks to penalize selective, discretionary, and discriminatory acts committed by government employees in the delivery of social protection programs to its beneficiaries

THE Department of Health (DOH) on Sunday said the entire country is still under “Code Blue” Alert status following the onslaught of typhoon Tino and the threat of Super Typhoon Uwan.

Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa, who was stranded in Leyte after visiting Eastern Visayas on Saturday, said that the DOH activated its National Public Health Emergency Operations Center (PHEOC), that will serve as the centra hub for coordinating health-related emergency responses nationwide. Earlier, the DOH provided P135.22 million worth of health supplies and equipment as part of their recovery efforts following the devastation of Tino and Uwan response. Reports by Jonathan Mayuga, the Associated Press, Lorenz Marasigan, Lenie Lectura and Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco

to ensure fair and equitable distribution to all qualified individuals and families.

“From the word itself, it’s an ‘aid’ for the people, so it must be given to the people and nothing less,” the lawmaker added.

misdeclare their marital status can be held accountable under DMW rules.

“Submitting, furnishing, or using false information or documents or any form of misrepresentation for the purpose of job application or employment is a serious offense under DMW regulations,” he said.

“A violation of this [rule] may lead to the initiation of an administrative case before the DMW that may result in suspension from participation in the overseas employment program,” he added.

. .

Continued from A3

discounts and perks from Owwa’s partner establishments worldwide, which includes remittance centers; balikbayan box and logistics services; restaurants and hotels; airline companies; and merchants with exclusive access to OFW discounts.

To avail of the e-cards, the applicant must be an active Owwa member, have an Owwa membership card, which will not expire for at least three months, and must have a government ID such as passport.

“The rollout continues so that more active Owwa members can obtain e-Cards anywhere in the world,” Owwa said in a

Under the law, an individual’s marital status can only be considered “legally separated” if he or she obtains the a courtissued decree.

The decree allows spouses to live separately, but does not terminate their marriage, which remains valid.

“Merely living separately or being separated-in-fact does not qualify as being ‘legally separated’ without a judicial decree,” Cacdac said.

statement during the weekend.  Owwa members can apply for the e-cards locally at the agency’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 desk (Naia 3), its National Capital Region (NCR) Office, the Owwa-NCR Seafarers Hub, its Head Office, and the OWWADMW (Central Office).

In the Middle East, e-card application is available in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (Riyadh, Jeddah, and Al Khobar), Qatar (Doha), and the United Arab Emirates (Dubai and Abu Dhabi).

In Asia, it is available in Hong Kong, Singapore (starting this week), and Thailand (Bangkok).

It can also be availed by OWWA members in Italy (Milan), Rome, Austria (Vienna) and Hungary (Budapest).

Russia intensifies attacks on Ukraine, targeting power grid and civilian areas

By Samya Kullab & Joanna Kozlowska The Associated Press

KYIV, Ukraine—A Russian drone slammed into an apartment building in eastern Ukraine early Saturday while many were sleeping, killing four people—three in Dnipro and one in Kharkiv—and wounding 12 others, Ukrainian authorities reported.

The attack in Dnipro, Ukraine’s fourth-largest city, was part of a large Russian missile and drone barrage across the country that targeted power infrastructure. It also killed a worker at an energy company in Kharkiv, farther north, a local official said.

A fire broke out and several apartments were destroyed in the nine-story building in Dnipro, the emergency services said. Rescuers recovered the bodies of three people, while two children were among the wounded.

Russia fired a total of 458 drones and 45 missiles, including 32 ballistic missiles. Ukrainian forces shot down and neutralized 406 drones and nine missiles, the air force said, adding that 25 locations were struck.

Authorities switched off power in several regions because of the attacks, Ukrainian Energy Minister Svitlana Grynchuk said in a post on Facebook.

In eastern Ukraine, fighting for the strategic city of Pokrovsk has reached a key stage, with both Kyiv and Moscow vying to persuade US President Donald Trump that they can win on the battlefield.

Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Saturday that work has begun on President Vladimir Putin’s order to prepare plans for a pos -

By Wafaa Shurafa, Sally Abou Aljoud & Julia Frankel

The Associated Press

HAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip—

KMore than 69,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Israel-Hamas war so far, Gaza health officials said Saturday, as both sides completed the latest exchange of bodies under the terms of the tenuous ceasefire. The latest jump in deaths occurred as more bodies are recovered in the devastated Gaza Strip since the ceasefire began on Oct. 10, and as other bodies are identified. The toll also includes Palestinians killed by strikes that Israel says target remaining militants. Israel on Saturday returned the remains of another 15 Palestinians to Gaza, according to hospital officials there, a day after militants returned the remains of a hostage to Israel. He was identified as Lior Rudaeff, according to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ‘s office. The Hostages and Missing Families Forum said that Rudaeff was born in Argentina. The exchanges are the central part of the ceasefire’s initial phase, which requires that Hamas return all hostage remains as quickly as possible. Families and supporters rallied again Saturday night in Tel Aviv for the return of all.

The truce is aimed at winding down the deadliest and most destructive war ever between Israel and the Palestinian militant group. It began with the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on southern Israel that killed about 1,200 people and saw 251 taken hostage. Also Saturday, Israeli settlers staged two attacks on Palestinian farmers and others in the occupied

sible Russian nuclear test, according to state news agency Tass. Putin’s order on Wednesday followed statements by Trump, which appeared to suggest that Washington would restart its own atomic tests for the first time in three decades.

Energy sites attacked RUSSIA has been pummeling Ukraine with near-daily drone and missile strikes, killing and wounding civilians. The Kremlin says its only targets are linked to Kyiv’s war effort. Russia’s Defense Ministry asserted Saturday that the nighttime strikes hit military and energy sites supplying Ukrainian forces. Moscow and Kyiv have traded almost daily assaults on each other’s energy targets as US-led diplomatic efforts to stop the nearly four-year war had no impact on the battlefield. Ukraine’s long-range drone strikes on Russian refineries aim to deprive Moscow of the oil export revenue it needs to pursue the war. Russia wants to cripple the Ukrainian power grid and deny civilians access to heat, light and running water in what Kyiv officials say is an attempt to “weaponize winter.”

Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia

Svyrydenko said in an X post that the strikes damaged “several major energy facilities” around Kharkiv and Kyiv, as well as in the central Poltava region.

Thermal power plants operated by Ukraine’s state energy company Centrenergo were again knocked offline by the nighttime strikes, the company said in a statement Saturday. Centrenergo’s three plants in Kyiv, Kharkiv and Donetsk regions were damaged by Russian attacks last year and subsequently restored. Russian forces, meanwhile, repelled a “massive” nighttime strike on energy facilities in the southern Volgograd region, Gov. Andrei Bocharov said Saturday, two days after Ukraine said that it hit a key oil refinery there with long-range drones. Bocharov added that the strike knocked out power in parts of the region’s northwest, but caused no casualties. There was no immediate comment from Kyiv. Russia’s Defense Ministry said on Saturday that its forces shot down 82 Ukrainian drones during the night,

West Bank as settler violence reaches new highs during this year’s olive harvest.

‘I have not lost hope’ FOR each Israeli hostage returned, Israel has been releasing the remains of 15 Palestinians. Ahmed Dheir, director of forensic medicine at Nasser Hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis, said that the remains of 300 have now been returned, with 89 identified.

“We do not have sufficient resources or the DNA to match them with the martyrs’ families,” Dheir said. Unidentified ones will be buried in batches.

Hopeful families looked into body bags of decomposed remains. “Close it, it’s not him,” one family said. “I always come here. I have not lost hope. I am still waiting for him,” said the mother of a missing boy, who did not give her name.

Gaza’s Health Ministry said the number of people killed there since the war began has risen to 69,169. The ministry, part of the Hamas-run

government and staffed by medical professionals, maintains detailed records viewed as generally reliable by independent experts.

The ministry said 284 people were added to the total after their identities were verified between Oct. 31 and Nov. 7.

Over the past three days, 10 bodies were brought to Gaza hospitals— nine retrieved from the rubble and one newly killed, the ministry said. Since the ceasefire began, 241 people have been killed in Gaza, it said.

It added that a large number of Palestinians remain missing.

Israel’s military on Saturday said that soldiers killed two militants who had approached troops, one in northern Gaza and the other in the south.

Israeli settler attack

PALESTINIAN health officials said 11 people were injured in an attack by Israeli settlers in the West Bank town of Beita, including journalists, medics, international activists and farmers. Activists and medics have flocked to this year’s olive harvest to

including eight over the Volgograd region. Two people were wounded in the neighboring Saratov region after a Ukrainian drone strike blew out windows in an apartment building, according to regional Gov. Roman Busarin.

Russian oil

FOLLOWING weeks of long-range strikes on Russia’s energy infrastructure that Ukraine says both funds and directly fuels the Kremlin’s war, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy vowed on Friday to “find a way to ensure there is no Russian oil in Europe.”

Zelenskyy spoke to reporters shortly after Hungary secured a yearlong exemption from recent US sanctions targeting major Russian oil producers.

“We will not allow it. We will not let the Russians sell oil there. It’s a matter of time,” he said at a news briefing after meeting with senior Ukrainian military leaders, without elaborating how Kyiv might seek to

help Palestinian farmers safely reach their fields.

The U.N. humanitarian office reported more Israeli settler attacks on Palestinians and their property in the West Bank in October than in any other month since the office began keeping track in 2006. There were over 260 attacks, the office said.

Jonathan Pollak, a longtime activist, told The Associated Press that he was picking olives when dozens of masked Israeli settlers, armed with clubs, descended, chasing people and throwing rocks. Pollak was hit in the head and taken to the hospital.

Pollak said that he saw five settlers converge on a journalist and her security guard. He watched the settlers beat and bludgeon her, denting her helmet.

A Reuters spokesperson said that two colleagues were “attacked by a group of men with sticks and rocks,” despite identifying themselves as journalists, and both were injured.

The spokesperson called on Israeli authorities to investigate and hold those responsible accountable.

Israel’s military said it dispersed a confrontation “between Israeli civilians and Palestinians during an uncoordinated olive harvest in an area that requires prior coordination” and that several Palestinians had been injured.

Rights groups say that arrests for settler violence are rare, and prosecutions even rarer. Israel’s left-leaning Haaretz newspaper reported in 2022 that based on statistics from the Israeli police, charges were pressed in only 3.8% of cases of settler violence, with most cases closed without action taken.

Julia Frankel reported from

lem, and Sally Abou AlJoud from Beirut.

stanch the oil flows.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, a Trump ally who has long urged the European Union to repair ties with Moscow, argues that landlocked Hungary has no viable alternatives to Russian crude, and that replacing those supplies would trigger an economic collapse. Critics dispute that claim.

The Trump administration unveiled sanctions against Russia’s major state-affiliated oil firms Rosneft and Lukoil last month, a move that could expose their foreign buyers— including customers in Central Europe, India and China—to secondary sanctions.

While most of the EU’s 27 member states sharply reduced or halted imports of Russian fossil fuels after Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, Hungary and Slovakia have maintained their pipeline deliveries. Hungary has even increased the share of Russian oil in its energy mix.

Fighting for Pokrovsk

THE city of Pokrovsk sits along the eastern front line, part of what has been dubbed the “fortress belt” of Donetsk, a line of heavily fortified cities crucial to Ukraine’s defense of the region. It could also be a key point in influencing Washington’s stance and sway the course of peace negotiations, analysts say.

Russia troops advanced near Pokrovsk and the nearby town of Myrnohrad, according to the Russian Defense Ministry on Saturday, saying both were encircled. It also said Russian forces surrounded Ukrainian defenders in Kupiansk, a key railway hub in the northeastern Kharkiv region. Kyiv didn’t immediately respond to Moscow’s statements, which couldn’t be independently verified.

Nuclear plant reconnected to grid ELSEWHERE , the International Atomic Energy Agency said that Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, which is in an area under Russian control, has been connected to the power grid with a second transmission line.

The plant was operating on diesel backup generators for a month after Sept. 23 when its last remaining external power line was severed in attacks that Russia and Ukraine each blamed on the other. On Oct. 23, the connection to the grid was restored using a single transmission line. The plant is not in service, but it needs reliable power to cool its six shutdown reactors and spent fuel to avoid any catastrophic nuclear incidents. Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, the facility has lost external power and had to rely on emergency diesel generators on 10 occasions as a result of the fighting.

Joanna Kozlowska reported from London.

Pakistan-Afghanistan peace talks fail amid rising border tensions

By Sajjad Tarakzai The Associated Press

ISLAMABAD—Peace talks between Pakistan and Afghanistan in Istanbul have ended without agreement, with the sides trading blame for the breakdown in negotiations aimed at easing border tensions and upholding a fragile ceasefire, officials said Saturday.

Tensions have escalated in recent weeks following deadly border fighting that killed dozens of soldiers and civilians. The violence erupted after explosions in Kabul on Oct. 9, which Afghanistan’s Taliban government said were drone strikes conducted by Pakistan and vowed to avenge. The clashes subsided after Qatar brokered a ceasefire on Oct. 19, which remains tenuously in place.

Afghanistan’s government spokesman, Zabiullah Mujahid, blamed Pakistan for the talks’ failure, saying that “Pakistan’s demands in the negotiations were unreasonable and the talks could not proceed, the meeting ended and the talks are at a standstill for now.”

Speaking during a press conference from the southern Afghan city of Kandahar Saturday, Mujahid said Afghanistan “(does) not want insecurity in the region, and entering into war is not our first choice,” but he noted that “if war breaks out, we have the right to defend ourselves.”

Earlier, he had reiterated in a written statement that Afghanistan “will not allow anyone to use its territory against another country, nor permit actions that undermine its sovereignty or security.”

Talks come to an end without progress

THE two-day talks in Istanbul, mediated by Turkey and Qatar, were the third round of peace negotiations that were viewed as one of the most significant diplomatic ef -

forts between the two neighbors since the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan 2021. Despite intense back-channel diplomacy, officials said discussions stalled late Friday without tangible progress.

Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Asif told the private Geo News channel late Friday that the “talks are over” and that the Pakistani delegation was returning home with “no plan for any future meetings.” He added that the ceasefire would remain in place as long as “it is not violated from the Afghan side.” Pakistan has repeatedly accused Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers of harboring the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a militant group responsible for a surge in attacks inside Pakistan since 2021. Kabul denies the charge, saying it does not allow its territory to be used against other countries. Although separate from Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban, the TTP is closely allied with it and has been emboldened since the Taliban’s 2021 takeover of Kabul. During his news conference, Mujahid rejected accusations that Afghanistan was responsible for the actions of the TTP, saying the creation of the group had long predated the Taliban’s 2021 takeover of Afghanistan. Clashes continue THE collapse of talks came the night after Afghan officials reported that four civilians were killed and five others wounded in cross-border clashes despite the ongoing negotiations.

Asif said the Afghan delegation came “without any program” and refused to sign a written agreement, insisting only on verbal assurances. “They said they would respect a verbal agreement, but there is no room for that,” he said. “There is no plan or hope for any fourth round of talks. Talks have entered an indefinite pause.” See “Pakistan,”

Data fog intensifying for Federal Reserve as shutdown delays US inflation numbers

By Vince Golle & Craig Stirling

TWO monthly jobs reports have fallen victim to the longest US government shutdown and a key inflation snapshot due in the coming week is also in jeopardy, illustrating a thickening data fog for a Federal Reserve that’s the most divided in recent memory.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics was scheduled to report the October consumer price index on Thursday, yet the government’s closure has not only delayed its release but also halted inperson data collection. It’s increasingly likely the BLS will forgo issuing an October CPI report altogether.

The absence of official reports that inform policymakers about the trajectory of inflation and the job market will prolong a debate about whether another rate cut is needed at the Fed’s December meeting. While central bankers had the September CPI in time for their last meeting, they didn’t have an updated jobs report.

Assuming the government reopens in the coming weeks and statistics start moving again, Fed officials will still be confronted with data compiled via retroactive surveys and other methods—if the figures are published at all. And while several private-sector reports on the job market are helping to fill the void of official data, alternatives to government inflation figures are harder to come by and more limited in scope.

The CPI and its core measure, which excludes more volatile food and energy costs, each rose a lower-thanforecast 3 percent in September from a year ago. Alternative measures, like the Cleveland Fed’s “nowcast” CPI, suggest a similar outcome for October.

“Even if the government were to reopen, it’s unlikely the Bureau of Labor Statistics would be able to collect and process data for both the October and November CPI reports ahead of the December FOMC meeting. We think October’s figures would have greenlit a rate cut at the final

meeting of the year,” said Bloomberg economists Anna Wong, Stuart Paul, Estelle Ou, Eliza Winger, Chris G. Collins and Troy Durie. Still, following the Fed’s rate reduction in October, Chair Jerome Powell said a December cut wasn’t assured. For policymakers focused on the potential for inflation to reaccelerate, the absence of official figures is likely gives them further reason to hold next month.

And while market odds still favor a December rate reduction, investors will monitor several appearances in the coming week by Fed officials, including John Williams, Raphael Bostic, Stephen Miran and Alberto Musalem. Week ahead for the US TURNING north, the Bank of Canada will release a summary of the deliberations behind its October rate cut, shedding light on why it deemed borrowing costs to be at “about the right level” as long as the economy and inflation evolve as expected. Prime Minister Mark Carney may announce a second tranche of fast-tracked major projects that aim to diversify trade and stoke growth.

Elsewhere, Chinese production and retail data, UK wage and growth numbers, and central bank meeting minutes from Japan to Sweden will be among the highlights.

Asia

THE week begins on Sunday with data expected to show that China’s longest streak of price declines in more than four decades persisted in October—albeit with some moderation thanks to Beijing’s actions to curb price competi -

tion. The year-on-year drop in factorygate prices is seen moderating to 2.2 percent, while consumer prices are estimated to have fallen 0.1 percent.

India publishes price data Wednesday that economists predict will show inflation slowing in October to 0.4 percent year on year, boosting the case for the Reserve Bank of India to resume rate cuts when it sets policy in December.

Australia releases two key sentiment indexes on Tuesday, the Westpac Consumer Confidence gauge for November and the NAB Business Confidence index for October.

Two days later, Canberra issues labor statistics that will show whether employment growth continued to slow and unemployment nudged higher in October, both of which would encourage the Reserve Bank of Australia to consider resuming rate cuts on Dec. 9.  India’s trade statistics for October may be released, and the week ends with China’s monthly data blast that will likely underscore fragility in domestic demand. Growth in retail sales and industrial output both probably slowed in October, while the slide in investment in fixed assets and prope rty accelerated.

Also on Friday, New Zealand releases its manufacturing PMI for October after the gauge was slightly contractionary in the previous two months.

No central bank decisions are scheduled in Asia in the coming week, but the Bank of Japan on Monday will release the summary of opinions from its October meeting, the sec -

ond straight gathering that featured two dissenters calling for a rate hike. The record may give an indication if authorities are leaning toward an increase in December, as about half of surveyed economists predict.

Europe, Middle East, Africa

UPCOMING data will inform UK officials on the economic backdrop following the Bank of England’s decision on Thursday to keep rates on hold while teeing up a cut for December. On Tuesday, labor statistics will probably show wage growth slowed slightly in the third quarter, while gross domestic product numbers two days later may point to a moderate weakening in growth in the same period.

BOE appearances will also draw attention. Deputy Governor Clare Lombardelli, policymaker Megan Greene and chief economist Huw Pill—all of whom voted in the majority for no change in rates—will speak on successive days, starting on Monday.

Over in the euro zone, remarks from several European Central Bank officials are on the calendar, including Executive Board members Isabel Schnabel and Luis de Guindos on Wednesday. The week will be quieter for data, with highlights to include Germany’s ZEW investor confidence on Tuesday and eurozone industrial production two days later.

The Nordics have a busy few days ahead following decisions by the Riksbank and Norges Bank to keep borrowing costs unchanged.

In Sweden, minutes of its mon -

etary meeting will be published on Tuesday, and the Riksbank will release its financial stability report on Thursday. Governor Erik Thedeen speaks in Frankfurt the following day.

Norwegian inflation figures are due on Monday, Norges Bank Governor Ida Wolden Bache is scheduled to appear in Amsterdam the next day, and the central bank’s own financial stability report is down for Wednesday.

Turning south, economists will watch how a mid-October fuel price hike filters through to inflation in Egypt early in the week. On Friday, Israel’s rate of annual price growth is expected to remain at 2.5 percent in October, keeping policymakers cautious about easing monetary policy.  Russian policymakers will watch October inflation data for evidence that it remains on a downward trend, after the central bank warned that elevated expectations may weigh on prospects for more rate cuts. Analysts expect GDP data to show that Russia’s economy continued to cool in the third quarter. It’s a big week for public finances in Africa. On Wednesday, South African Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana will deliver his medium-term budget in Cape Town, to be watched for signs of fiscal restraint as the government works to stabilize debt and reassure markets ahead of next year’s local elections.  A tax windfall and spending restraint may help the National Treasury narrow deficit forecasts, but pressures to fund state companies and expand social programs risk eroding those gains and could weigh on the rand if fiscal consolidation falters.

On Thursday, Ghana’s Finance Minister Cassiel Ato Forson presents the second annual budget under President John Mahama—a key gauge of the administration’s economic direction. Investors will assess whether Forson maintains fiscal discipline under the International Monetary Fund program, and how he plans to finance the deficit.

Two days later in Zambia, the central bank may cut its benchmark after holding it at 14.5percent for two straight meetings. Inflation is easing, and the kwacha has strengthened nearly 23 percent against the dollar this year.

Romania’s central bank is expected to hold its interest rate at 6.5 percent, waiting for a temporary spike in inflation to ease. Governor Mugur Isarescu will likely present the quarterly inflation report in the following days.

Serbia’s central bank will decide the following day whether to resume easing after more than a year of keeping borrowing costs on hold.

Latin America BANCO Central do Brasil early Tuesday posts the minutes of its Nov. 4-5 rate meeting, where the board, led by Governor Gabriel Galipolo, kept the key rate at a near two-decade high of 15 percent. The minutes are unlikely to offer much in the way of guidance on the big question—that is, could BCB consider a rate cut in December—regardless of the likely deceleration in October’s inflation readings to be reported a hour later.

Colombia’s October inflation data, if the early consensus holds up, may land with a thud at the central bank and among investors, especially after September’s bigger-than-expected rise. The core print likely re-accelerated to top 5 percent yet again, while the headline reading jumped closer to 5.5 percent, both well above BanRep’s 3 percent target. The near-death experience for Argentina’s peso and economy ahead of the Oct. 26 mid-terms—coupled with expectations that devaluation has to be on the menu—likely raised the temperature on October consumer price data, due on Wednesday. Analysts’ year-end estimates have crept back up over 30 percent.

With assistance from Brian Fowler, Monique Vanek, Robert Jameson, Laura Dhillon Kane, Mark Evans, Ros Krasny, Piotr Skolimowski, Tony Halpin and Beril Akman / Bloomberg

A few monetary decisions are on the calendar in the wider region: On Monday, Uganda is expected to keep its rate unchanged at 9.75 percent for a fifth consecutive meeting as policymakers seek more clarity on the inflation outlook.

Hunger, flight chaos and health-care woes fail to end US govt shutdown Pakistan...

By Erik Wasson & Steven T. Dennis

CONGRESS showed momentary signs of life in the nation’s longest government showdown, but the hope for a post-election compromise faded quickly, with frustrated senators apparently no closer to an escape plan. Democrats, fresh from a sweep of coast-to-coast victories on Tuesday, scaled back their demands, offering a plan to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits for one year in exchange for re-opening the government.

Within half an hour, Republicans called it dead on arrival and unserious.

Even so, senators stayed in Washington over the weekend for the first time in the 39-day shutdown after President Donald Trump chided lawmakers to “not leave town” until the spending impasse is resolved.  Republican leader John Thune told reporters on Saturday that the Senate aims to vote this weekend to advance a new stopgap measure that would fund the departments of Agriculture and Veterans Affairs along with the Food and Drug Administration and Congress itself through Sept. 30, 2026. Other agencies would likely be funded through Jan. 31, lawmakers have said.

A rare Saturday session was spent debating the merits of Obamacare on the Senate floor with no votes con -

ducted. Whether the Senate votes on Sunday depends on when the text is drafted and whether enough Democrats would support it. Thune said there have been some positive bipartisan conversations in the last day.

Thune said he wouldn’t entertain any Obamacare provisions as part of the new bill, however, saying the talks can only happen after the 39-day shutdown ends.

“We are not going to extend this for a year,” Senator Lindsey Graham said on the Senate floor. “We are going to replace this broken system.” Republicans were unable to unite behind a major attempt to repeal Obamacare during Trump’s first term and have not agreed on a comprehensive replacement since then.

Republicans tried dozens of times without success during Trump’s first term to repeal and replace Obamacare.

Democratic leader Chuck Schumer called Republicans’ current stance “a terrible mistake.”

“We are willing to negotiate once the subsides are extended,” he said.

Still, the decision to work through the weekend is at least a symbolic departure from the laissez-faire approach lawmakers had taken until now toward negotiating a deal to re-open the government. Trump, however, didn’t indicate he’d play a direct role in the talks, decamping on Friday to his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida and issuing directives to Re -

publicans over social media.

Democrats say Trump himself must get involved in the negotiations and that Republicans must involve their members in crafting a spending bill to re-open the government, because it needs Democratic votes to pass.

“Families across this country told us on Tuesday that affordability is a huge issue for them, and want us to continue to press the Republicans,” Senator Elizabeth Warren, a Massachusetts Democrat, told reporters Friday. “They’ve just drawn a line in the sand and said little kids can go hungry, airplanes can slow down and people can just suck it up and pay double and triple their health care premiums.”

Republicans say they will only negotiate over an extension to the Affordable Care Act subsidies once

Democrats vote to re-open the government.

“All they have to do is take yes for an answer. We’ve offered them a solution,” Thune said Friday. “The president’s willing to meet with them. I’m willing to give them the vote.”

The effects of a shutdown compound the longer it persists. Federal workers continue to go without pay, and contingency funds—used as a stopgap to fund some benefits and pay military members—risk running dry. Backlogs for tax refunds, small business loans and other federal applications build up.

Lawmakers have pointed to pain points—ranging from airline chaos to delayed food aid—that could serve as inflection points to end the shutdown. So far, none of those developments have delivered any clarity to how or when the shutdown might end, inducing more uncertainty about what else needs to go wrong to heighten pressure on lawmakers to act.

Some 24 million Americans are buying Obamacare health coverage at prices multiple of what they paid last year, and even more have yet to receive their November food benefits, which remain mired in a legal battle. Democrats’ victories on Tuesday only hardened the party’s resolve to stay in the shutdown fight, and federally mandated flight cancellations that went into effect on Friday stranded travelers in some of the na -

tion’s biggest airport hubs.

Political process

THE effects, largely contained to federal workers in the shutdown’s early weeks, are starting to hit a broader swath of Americans. The Federal Aviation Administration ordered airlines to cut flight totals by 10% by Nov. 14, a move that could cause chaos for fliers over the travel-heavy Thanksgiving weekend. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy on Friday said that mandate could reach 20% if the situation worsens. Ground stops for flights were ordered briefly Saturday for major airports in New York and Chicago.

And the budgets of millions of low-income Americans are straining as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or food stamp benefits, are delayed amid a legal battle about funding the payments during the shutdown. Many of those same households are also poised to pay much higher health care costs next year with ACA subsidies set to expire.

The shutdown consequences are costing the US economy about $15 billion a week. And the Congressional Budget Office estimates that the shutdown will reduce annualized quarterly growth rate of real GDP by 1.5 percentage points by mid-November. Consumer sentiment hit a three-year low on Friday amid heightened anxiety about the shutdown, prices and the job market. Bloomberg

Earlier this month, Pakistan’s military said it carried out airstrikes on the hideouts of the Pakistani Taliban inside Afghanistan, killing dozens of people it described as insurgents. Afghan officials denied the claim, saying civilians were among the dead, and said Afghan forces had struck Pakistani military posts in retaliation, killing 58 soldiers. Pakistan’s military acknowledged losing 23 troops in the fighting. The violence prompted Qatar to invite delegations from both sides to Doha, where they agreed to a ceasefire on Oct. 19. It was followed by six days of talks in Istanbul, which resulted in an agreement to extend the truce and hold a third round on Nov. 6 and 7—talks that ultimately failed to produce any breakthrough.

Border closure

SINCE then, Pakistan has kept all of its border crossings with Afghanistan closed, though it partially reopened the main Torkham crossing last week to allow stranded Afghan refugees to return home.

The closure, imposed on Oct. 12, has disrupted vital trade and transit routes and stranded thousands of people. Hundreds of trucks loaded with goods remain backed up on both sides of the frontier, cutting off one of the busiest economic arteries linking South and Central Asia.

Abdul Qahar Afghan contributed to this report from Kabul, Afghanistan

US airlines cancel more than 2,500 weekend flights largely due to government shutdown

By John Seewer | The Associated Press

US airlines canceled more than 2,500 weekend flights by Saturday evening as the Federal Aviation Administration’s mandate to reduce air traffic because of the government shutdown showed no signs of easing.

The slowdown at many of the nation’s busiest airports did not cause immediate widespread disruptions. But it deepened the impact felt by the nation’s longest federal shutdown.

“We all travel. We all have somewhere to be,” said Emmy Holguin, 36, who was flying from Miami to see family in the Dominican Republic. “I’m hoping that the government can take care of this.”

Analysts warn that the upheaval will intensify and spread far beyond air travel if cancellations keep growing and reach into Thanksgiving week.

Already there are concerns about the squeeze on tourism destinations and holiday shipping.

Here’s what to know about the flight reductions:

How many flights have been canceled?

CANCELLATIONS jumped Saturday— typically a slow travel day—to more than 1,500, following just over 1,000 the previous day, according to the tracking website FlightAware. By the evening US airlines already had canceled another 1,000-plus for Sunday. Airports in Atlanta and Chicago, as well as Charlotte, North Carolina, and Newark, New Jersey, saw numerous disruptions throughout the day. Ongoing staffing shortages in radar centers and control towers added to the cancellations and delays at several East Coast airports, including those around New York City.

Not all the cancellations were due to the FAA order, and those numbers

represented just a small portion of the overall flights nationwide. But they are certain to rise in the coming days if the slowdown continues.

The FAA said the reductions impacting all commercial airlines started at 4 percent of flights at 40 targeted airports and will be bumped up again Tuesday before hitting 10 percent on Friday.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned this week that even more cuts might be needed if the shutdown continues and more air traffic controllers are off the job.

Why are the flights being canceled?

CONTROLLERS have gone without paychecks for nearly a month during the shutdown, leading many to call in sick and compound previously existing staffing shortages.

Most are working mandatory overtime six days a week during without pay, and some are taking second jobs to pay their bills, the National Air Traffic Controllers Association has said.

On Saturday the union said it had delivered 1,600 handwritten letters from members to Congress calling for the shutdown to end.

How are passengers being affected?

MOST were relieved to find that airlines largely stayed on schedule Friday, and those whose flights were called

off were able to quickly rebook. So far, longer international flights have not been interrupted.

There is still a lot of uncertainty about which flights will be canceled next.

And not everyone has the means to pay for a hotel or deal with a last-minute disruption, said Heather Xu, 46, who was in Miami on Saturday after a cruise and flying home to Puerto Rico.

“Travel is stressful enough. Then you put these disruptions in place, and it really makes everything more challenging,” she said.

Rental car companies reported a sharp increase in one-way reservations Friday, and some people simply canceled flights altogether.

Diana Alvear of Bridgewater, New Jersey, scratched her family’s trip next weekend to see in-laws in California because of concerns about flying when controllers are working long hours and understaffed.

She also was nervous about being stranded, which would be “a huge debacle” for work. United Airlines gave her credit for the airfare, but the family is still out nearly $700 for the deposit on an Airbnb.

“This has been costly to us, and it’s a huge disappointment for us and our family,” Alvear said. “It’s really weighing on our hearts that we had to do this.”

What could be the impacts beyond air travel?

FIRST there is the potential for higher prices in stores, as nearly half of US air freight is shipped in the bellies of passenger aircraft.

Major flight disruptions could bring higher shipping costs that get passed on to consumers, said Patrick Penfield, professor of supply chain practice at Syracuse University.

Further losses will ripple through the economy if the slowdown continues, from tourism to manufacturing, said Greg Raiff, CEO of Elevate Aviation Group.

“This shutdown is going to impact everything from cargo aircraft to people getting to business meetings to tourists being able to travel,” Raiff said. “It’s going to hit the hotel taxes and city taxes. There’s a cascading effect that results from this thing.”

Associated Press journalists Cody Jackson in Miami, Paul Wiseman in Washington, Josh Funk in Omaha, Nebraska, and Anne D’Innocenzio in New York contributed.

From accusation to action: How Jair Bolsonaro’s false claim led to Leonardo DiCaprio funding Amazon activist

BBy Mauricio Savarese

The Associated Press

ELEM, Brazil—Being falsely accused of setting fire in the Amazon with funds from an Oscar-winning actor eventually became a blessing in disguise for Caetano Scannavino, the coordinator of a nonprofit organization in the heart of the rainforest.

Brazil’s then President Jair Bolsonaro falsely claimed in November 2019 that actor Leonardo DiCaprio had funded nonprofit groups that he alleged were partly responsible for setting the fires. The accusation, though false, created risks for Scannavino and his work promoting sustainable development and citizens’ rights in a region along the Tapajos River popular with tourists for its blend of rainforest and beaches.

Four of Scannavino’s friends who volunteered as forest firefighters were jailed for two days and then prosecuted as alleged perpetrators of fires in the region, only to be cleared later. Police scrolled through documents of Scannavino’s Saúde e Alegria nonprofit for weeks. Scannavino received anonymous threats, and his car was set on fire.

DiCaprio takes notice BUT Bolsonaro’s comments helped DiCaprio take notice of Scannavino’s work and decide to sponsor his work through Re:wild, a nonprofit conservation group that the actor helped found. Their partnership has already

lasted five years, the Brazilian activist said.

“When the accusations emerged, DiCaprio came out to say he was not funding us, but added we deserved his support after he saw our work,” Scannavino told The Associated Press in a phone interview. “I’ve never been with him or spoken to him. But he gives us support, uses his social media to show what this partnership does.”

The 59-year-old Scannavino became the coordinator of Saude e Alegria, or Health and Happiness, in 1988 to promote integrated and sustainable community development in Para state, whose capital Belem will host the United Nations’ Conference of the Parties, or COP30, next week. Scannavino arrived in Belem on Tuesday from Santarem, the city where the initiative is based, after a two-day boat ride that featured broadcasts with journalists, activists and climate experts.

Local products hub THE project started as a health care initiative, but it has since grown to work with rural communities to improve their quality of life and exercise of citizenship.

One project sponsored by DiCaprio’s institute is the Forest Economy EcoCenter in Santarem, which serves as a hub for processing, storage and commercialization of products made by locals. Organizers said the facility enhances the economic viability of sustainable practices in the region. The hub was opened a year ago, and is

also supported by the governments of Brazil, Germany and Norway, all contributors of the Amazon Fund, a Brazilian initiative that pays for anti-deforestation and sustainable development efforts.

Scannavino said that the initiative cost about 5 million Brazilian reais ($938,000), mostly paid for by the Amazon Fund.

“Those first few days after Bolsonaro’s accusation were terrible. People insulted us and our families on the streets, the firefighters had to leave. But then a surprising thing happened,” Scannavino said.

“Usually, people get away from you if such a big target appears on your back. It was the opposite with us. Eventually the accusations went away, the firefighters were released, and people were curious about us—including DiCaprio,” he added.

‘Meet the moment’

IN an Instagram post this week, DiCaprio said the world leaders gathering in Brazil must ensure that those defending nature have the resources they need. He said Re:wild is pledging more money to protecting forests.

“I urge leaders to unite and meet the moment,” he said. “Our future depends on it.”

The AP e-mailed Re: wild seeking further comment on its work with Scannavino and at COP30.

Scannavino, who left the Brazilian metropolis Sao Paulo for the Amazon more than 37 years ago, said that DiCaprio and other

Residents turn to community patrols as illegal gold mining grows in Ghana

JBy Edward Acquah The Associated Press

EMA, Ghana—As day broke in a remote part of western Ghana, a priest, farmers and other residents combed through the forests, looking for signs of illegal gold mining.

They have done this for the past year as part of a grassroots task force created to combat the mining that has poisoned rivers in one of the world’s largest gold producing countries.

The group is also driven by the sight of Ghana’s unemployed youth being attracted to illegal mining and the elusive promise of quick wealth. Meanwhile, the economy suffers: Ghana has lost $11.4 billion in the last five years to gold smuggling, the development nonprofit Swissaid said this year.

The task force’s 14 members call themselves the Jema AntiGalamsey Advocacy, and their arrests of suspected illegal miners have sparked debate in Ghana’s Western North region over their potential abuse of power.

Members point to the 450-square-kilometer (173-squaremile) Jema area’s relatively clean water bodies as evidence that their approach can be effective.

A weakening economy RAMPANT illegal mining, or galamsey—local shorthand for “gather and sell”—is a growing concern in this West African nation, Africa’s top gold producer. Ghana’s once-promising economy collapsed under the strain of the Covid-19 pandemic. Inflation hit a 21-year high of over 50 percent. Nearly 39 percent of youth are unemployed, according to government data, pushing thousands into illegal mining.

backers of his nonprofit also came in support because he chose to show Bolsonaro he was working with the support of local police and armed forces instead of trying to score political points.

The former president was recently sentenced to 27 years in prison for a coup attempt in 2023 after losing his reelection bid.

“Our critics are specialists in hatred, and since that incident we chose to be polite, provide evidence we worked with all stakeholders, everyone who mattered in the region. We refused to leave our local communities without due health care assistance just because of an absurd accusation,” Scannavino said.

Many awards and acknowledgments later, Scannavino is expected to meet with Re:wild officials and perhaps DiCaprio himself at COP30.

Scannavino said that he nearly met DiCaprio about 20 years ago while setting up for a photo exhibition in New York. He said that the team preparing the photo exhibition didn’t recognize the actor under a cap and complained that he was getting in the way, so he left.

“Shortly later our producer raced to tell me that was Leonardo DiCaprio,” Scannavino said. “I told her to run after him and get him back. She caught him on his bike a few blocks away. He thanked her, but had to leave.

“I hope that the next encounter is a very different one, so we can thank him duly,” he added.

The illegal mining has contaminated significant portions of Ghana’s water bodies with cyanide and mercury, according to government authorities and environmental groups.

As of January 2024, illegal miners were present in 44 of the country’s 288 forest reserves, Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources data show. It said nine of them were “completely taken by armed thugs.”

Tip-offs from villagers SINCE 2015, the Jema community of about 15,000 people has banned all mining on its land, empowered by a law that grants local chiefs powers to make and enforce customary law. Chiefs and the heads of clans and families serve as land custodians.

The new task force usually patrols water bodies and the Jema Forest Reserve, wielding sticks in place of guns, at least once a week, watching for changes in water color as a sign of mining activity upstream and for new clearings in the forests.

When it receives a tip-off from villagers, it arrests the suspects and hands them over to the district police office. Such arrests are allowed by laws that grant powers to citizens to make arrests in certain cases.

So far, the group has arrested two Nigerien nationals caught at -

tempting to mine gold in the forest. The court case has proceeded slowly, and villagers seek the establishment of special courts to try illegal miners.

Task force members say they are filling a void left by a lack of government enforcement.

“All our water bodies that take their source here are clean because of our strong resistance to galamsey,” said Joseph Blay, a Catholic priest and Jema resident who helped to form the task force.

“If we stop fighting, we will lose everything,” he said.

Another member, Patrick Fome, said the local Ehole River was starting to turn a milky brown color, a sign that illegal miners appeared to be working upstream.

“We cannot go there now without adequate preparation,” Fome said, calling their unarmed patrol work dangerous. “We sometimes receive death threats.”

A national crackdown A YEAR ago, Ghana saw nationwide protests against illegal mining. Thousands took to the streets to demand a government crackdown.

President John Mahama, who took office in January, has inaugurated a national task force to combat the practice. But he has rejected calls for a state of emergency, which would grant more powers to police and the military to tackle the issue, saying his government has not exhausted all other approaches.

The government’s inability to crack down on illegal mining points to a lack of political will, said Daryl Bosu, deputy national director for the A Rocha Ghana conservation nonprofit.

While the Jema task force could have its benefits, operating without the supervision of security forces could lead to human rights abuses by its members, said Festus Kofi Aubyn, a regional coordinator with the West Africa Network for Peacebuilding, a civil society group.

“If the task force is not properly regulated by the state, it could have dangerous consequences, including ethnic targeting or stereotyping,” he said.

Tensions at home

SOME Jema residents said they don’t support the task force because they want to work with the illegal miners for financial gain.

One 27-year-old resident said he was willing to sell his land to the miners, citing the lack of profit in farming. Fertilizer prices have tripled since 2022. He spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation.

Local leaders acknowledged that declining farming income and limited job opportunities could create divisions and weaken community enforcement of the mining ban. Residents called for investment in other work to make illegal mining less attractive.

Blay, the priest, proposed turning the Jema Forest Reserve into a tourism park to create sustainable jobs.

“And if the government is really serious to fight, we can use the Jema template to also diffuse it in other communities,” he said.

Report: Coconut oil, coffee costlier in October

GBy Ada Pelonia @adapelonia

LOBAL prices for commodities traded by the Philippines continued to post increases in October, according to the World Bank’s (WB) latest report.

World Bank data showed that the average price of the arabica coffee variety soared by nearly 46 percent to $8.90 per kilo last month from $6.10 per kilo in the same period last year.

The international organization expects the arabica variety to average at $8.30 per kilo this year, higher than last year’s $5.62 per kilo.

Fertilizers like DAP and urea, which are critical farm inputs imported by the Philippines, were costlier in October. The price of DAP jumped by 31.5 percent to $754 per metric ton (MT) from $573.4 per MT, while urea inched up by 5.23 percent to $394.40 per MT from $374.80 per MT last year.

In 2025, the international organization forecasts DAP and urea prices to average $710 per MT and $440 per MT, respectively.

World Bank figures indicated that the average price of coconut oil, the country’s top agricultural export, surged by 50.41 percent to $2,599 per MT in the reference month from $1,728 per MT a year ago.

It expects the average quotation for coconut to settle at $2,505 per MT this year due to the sustained rally of the tropical oil on the back of tight global supply in top-producing countries. This price is higher than the average price of $1,519 per MT recorded in 2024.

Buy early harvests from farmers for relief operations, LGUs urged

By Butch Fernandez @butchfBM

ENCOURAGE farmers to harvest their crops early and directly purchase these at fair prices, in accordance with the Sagip Saka Act, for use in relief operations in evacuation centers.

This piece of advice to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), and local government units (LGUs) comes from Senator Francis Pangilinan. The senator had lobbied hard for setting floor prices at which government entities must buy from farmers in a bid to blunt the impact on them of steadily declining farmgate rates.

Pangilinan, author of the Sagip Saka Act, recalled in a recent interview how, during a previous typhoon, farmers were forced to harvest their crops early to avoid losing them entirely. However, the challenge then was where to sell their produce. To address this, Pangilinan coordinated with the Quezon City Government during the typhoon, and the LGU operated 12 to 14 hot meals kitchens serving evacuees in various centers.

“What happened then was, the LGU bought the vegetables from the early harvest: the squash, okra, tomatos, string beans –and these were distributed in the evacuation centers as part

Trump

Pof relief operations,” Pangilinan said, speaking partly in Filipino.

Both farmers and LGUs benefited from this initiative, the senator pointed out. Farmers were able to sell their early-harvested crops at just prices instead of suffering losses from typhoon damage, while LGUs gained access to fresh, locally sourced vegetables for their relief efforts—ensuring healthier, freshly cooked meals for evacuees.

“The farmers gained because their crops were bought at a fair price when they did early harvest. The local government was a winner too because it secured fresh food for hot meals that were served in evacuation centers.”

Meanwhile, he said, the recently signed twin executive orders—the Floor Price on Palay and the Sagip Saka Act Implementation—will help protect farmers from losses and ensure that they will continue to earn fair income when properly implemented.

The senator also urged national government agencies and LGUs to continue supporting local farmers, especially during these challenging times, reminding everyone that crises can also open opportunities for meaningful action.

“We now call on the LGUs to engage the farmers, maybe they can start an early harvest and the LGU can buy these because they can use them anyway at the evacuation centers. So, early harvest and Sagip Saka — direct purchase by our LGUs.”

Of the metal quotations, only nickel and lead recorded declines in October, while others showed an uptick in prices.

The average price of aluminum rose by 7.59 percent to $2,793 per MT in the reference month from $2,596 per MT recorded in the previous year.

Copper and tin quotations showed a 12.65 percent and 12.5 percent increase to $10,740 per MT and $36,012 per MT, from last year’s $9,534 per MT and $32,012 per MT, respectively.

Iron ore and zinc prices also went up during the reference month to $103.50 per dry MT (DMT) from $101.40 per DMT and $3,152 per MT from $3,106 per MT, respectively.

Vegetable oils

MEANWHILE , vegetable oils bucked the downward trend in global food prices as it rose to a 3-year high in October, according to a report from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

FAO’s Food Price Index released by the UN agency last Friday indicated that most food commodity

prices declined last month mainly due to ample supplies.

The index, which tracks monthly changes in the international prices of a set of globally-traded food commodities, averaged 126.4 points in October, down 1.6 percent from its revised September level.

“The FAO Vegetable Oil Price Index moved against the overall downward trend, rising by 0.9 percent in October to its highest level since July 2022,” FAO said. “Quotations for palm, rapeseed, soy and sunflower oils all rose, due to a mix of factors including bio -

fuel mandates and harvest delays in the Black Sea region.”

A separate FAO report released last month indicated that quotations for sunflower and rapeseed oils continued to increase, reflecting, respectively, lingering supply tightness in the Black Sea region and in Europe.

Most food commodities, however, recorded lower prices in October, according to FAO.

For one, the FAO Cereal Price Index declined by 1.3 percent from September, with declines recorded across all the major cereals.

“The wheat price index dropped by 1 percent, the coarse grain index by 1.1 percent, and the FAO All Rice Price Index by 2.5 percent.” Pork and poultry prices were also lower last month, based on FAO data. Its meat price index fell by 2 percent. Bovine meat prices, however, continued to rise, driven by higher quotations from Australia due to firm global demand.”

Meanwhile, the FAO Dairy Price Index declined by 3.4 percent in October, led by a sharp decline in butter quotations tied to ample export availabilities from the European Union and New Zealand. Milk powder quotations also fell, due to limited import demand and strong export competition.

Among all food commodities monitored by FAO, sugar recorded the steepest drop last month. Its sugar price index slid by 5.3 percent from the previous month to its lowest level since December 2020, driven by strong production trends in Brazil and anticipated larger outputs in Thailand and India.

“Lower crude oil prices also exerted further downward pressure on world sugar prices through lower demand from the biofuel sector.”

Govt to use NFA scheme for rice purchases—DA chief

THE government will employ the National Food Authority’s (NFA) pricing scheme as a temporary benchmark for the palay floor price.

This move follows the issuance of Executive Order (EO) 100, which mandated the setting of a floor price for government procurement of unmilled rice to prop up the farmgate prices of palay.

Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said the NFA’s pricing scheme would be the benchmark for government purchases until the steering committee sets the regional floor prices.

The NFA Council has autho -

rized a palay buying price range of P17 to P30 per kilo, depending on moisture content and market conditions. Dry palay is currently purchased at P20 to P23 per kilo.

“The floor price is an integral part of the solutions we need to help improve our rice farmers’ income,” the Department of Agriculture (DA) chief said. “We will always act in the best interest of both farmers and consumers.”

He said the government’s move to impose a floor price for rice purchases by state agencies would raise farmers’ incomes and strengthen the grains agency’s role in ensuring fair prices.

Industry sources, however, raised a caveat that while a floor price for government procurement of palay could serve as a benchmark to drive private traders and millers to follow suit, its impact on farmers would depend on the volume of government purchases.

Meanwhile, the DA chief noted that the floor price and the Sagip Saka Act would “expand market access and stabilize farmgate prices.” Under EO 101, which directed the full implementation of the Sagip Saka Act, all government agencies, state universities, and local governments should procure food supplies directly from accredited

farmer and fisherfolk cooperatives and enterprises (FFCEs). These purchases would be exempt from standard bidding procedures under the newly enacted Government Procurement Act, which allows for faster and more direct transactions.

Despite higher procurement costs, the DA chief assured the public that mechanisms are in place to keep milled rice affordable.

These measures align with the government’s decision to slap a temporary ban on foreign rice shipments until year-end to lift palay prices. Ada Pelonia

PHL nickel earnings surge despite slump in global prices

EXPORT receipts from nickel ores and concentrates soared to nearly $1.2 billion as of the third quarter, exceeding the value of shipments in 2024, despite the slump in world market prices.

Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showed that the value of nickel ores and concentrates exports jumped by 41.4 percent to $1.195 billion in January to September, from last year’s $845.388 million.

The latest figure has already breached the $1.044 billion total earnings from nickel ores and concentrates last year.

PSA data also showed that the volume of nickel ores and concentrates exported reached 44.51 million metric tons (MMT) in the reference period, higher than the 37.81 MMT posted in

the previous year.

China, the top buyer of Philippine nickel ores and concentrates shipments as of the third quarter, accounted for $827.36 million.

Indonesia trailed with $363.04 million, followed by Japan with $4.86 million.

Data from the World Bank indicated that average price of nickel in the international market had been on a steady decline in the past five quarters at an average rate of 1.9 percent.

Nickel’s average price settled at $15,092 per MT in October, from the $16,766 per MT recorded in the same period last year, according to the international organization.

In its latest commodity markets outlook report released last month, the World Bank said global

production of nickel would expand steadily, particularly in Indonesia, a powerhouse of the base metal that accounts for around 60 percent of global output.

“Indonesia’s plan to revert to one year [from three-year] production quotas is intended to strengthen oversight and support prices, but the impact on the still-oversupplied global market is envisaged to be limited, with the surplus projected to narrow only gradually.”

On the demand side, the World Bank expects stainless steel production to partially serve as an upside risk for prices “amid subdued global activity,” while banking on sustained adoption of electric vehicle to buoy quotations for the base metal.

“Demand is also set to ben -

efit from continued EV adoption, where nickel is a key input for nickel-rich EV batteries, particularly in China, despite the growing use of nickel free lithium-ironphosphate batteries.” Against this backdrop and following the slip in nickel prices by around 9 percent year-onyear in 2025, the international organization projects quotations for the base metal to inch up by 1 percent in 2026 and by a further 3 percent in 2027 “as the demand-supply balance gradually tightens.”

This year, the World Bank forecasts nickel prices to settle at $15,300 per MT, from $16,814 per MT in 2024. This would slightly grow to $15,500 per MT in 2026 and $16,000 per MT the following year, it added. Ada Pelonia

accuses foreign-owned meat packers of inflating US beef prices

RESIDENT Donald Trump on Friday

accused foreign-owned meat packers of driving up the price of beef in the United States and asked the Department of Justice to open an investigation.

The Republican president announced the move on social media days after his party suffered losses in key elections in which the winning Democratic candidates focused relentlessly on the public’s concerns about the cost of living. But experts said it’s unlikely that an investigation would result in lower prices at grocery stores, and a trade group representing meat packers said they’re not to blame.

Trump did not present evidence for his claims, writing on social media that “I have asked the DOJ to immediately begin an investigation into the Meat Packing Companies who are driving up the price of Beef through Illicit Collusion, Price Fixing, and Price Manipulation.” He said he was taking the action to help ranchers, who were recently angered by his suggestion that the US would buy Argentine beef to bring down stubbornly high prices for American consumers.

“We will always protect our American Ranchers, and they are being blamed for what is being done by Majority Foreign

Owned Meat Packers, who artificially inflate prices, and jeopardize the security of our Nation’s food supply,” Trump said.

Why beef prices have climbed BEEF prices have soared to record levels in part after drought and years of low prices led to the smallest US herd size in decades. Trump’s tariffs on Brazil, a major beef exporter, have also curbed imports. Meanwhile, demand for beef remains strong.

Prices are high because consumers want to eat it, and they’re willing and able to pay for it, said Glynn Tonsor, who leads the Meat Demand Monitor at Kansas State University.

Tonsor said the ownership mix in the meat packing industry has not changed significantly in the past four years.

Concentration in the meat packing business has been a longtime concern for farmers and politicians on both sides of the aisle. Four major meatpacking companies dominate the beef market in the United States. There’s no evidence to back up claims that the big packers have undue market power and use it to drive up beef prices, said Derrell Peel, an agricultural economist at Oklahoma State University. “The packing industry in this country

has been investigated and researched for 50 years, and it’s been an issue for over a hundred years, at least, for some producers,” Peel said, expressing skepticism that consumers or producers will benefit from the investigation Trump announced. “If the outcome is to break up the big packers, the outcome will be higher beef prices for consumers, and lower cattle prices for producers,” Peel said.

‘Pinched by high prices’ OKLAHOMA Sen. Markwayne Mullin

of

‘Ber’ months blues: Job market defies seasonal optimism

THE onset of the “ber” months in the country is traditionally synonymous with a surge of economic optimism. Streets become busier, malls fill up, and cash registers ring more frequently as the nation gears up for a long Christmas season. This festive prelude is typically underpinned by a robust uptick in hiring, as businesses in retail, logistics, and services staff up to meet the holiday demand. The latest labor report from the Philippine Statistics Authority, however, tells a different story. (Read the BusinessMirror story: “Key sectors shed jobs, September employment dips,” November 7, 2025).

The headline figures for September defy seasonal expectations. A net loss of 494,000 jobs from August and 270,000 from the previous year is a significant contraction that signals underlying economic fragility. The decline is not isolated to a single weak area but is spread across crucial sectors. The losses in “other service activities,” construction, and transportation are particularly worrying as these are precisely the areas expected to thrive in a pre-holiday environment.

Perhaps most concerning is the persistent decline in manufacturing, which has been shedding jobs consistently throughout the year. As National Statistician Claire Dennis S. Mapa noted, this trend is likely tied to a slump in export production.

In the face of these troubling numbers, the official response has been to project an image of resilience. Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan highlights the year-on-year improvement in job quality, evidenced by a lower underemployment rate. It is indeed positive that fewer of those employed are seeking additional hours, suggesting more stable and better-paying work for some. However, this silver lining is attached to a rapidly darkening cloud. Celebrating the quality of jobs becomes a difficult proposition when the overall quantity of jobs is shrinking and, more alarmingly, when people are dropping out of the labor force altogether.

This is the most disquieting detail in the PSA report: the decline in the Labor Force Participation Rate. The fact that both employment and unemployment fell is not a sign of a balanced market, but an indicator that a significant number of Pinoy workers—over half a million in a year—have stopped working or even looking for work. The sharp drop in participation among the youth is a particularly loud alarm bell. When young people, who should be entering their most productive years, exit the labor market citing “household duties” or “temporary sickness,” we must ask more profound questions. Is this a sign of widespread discouragement? Are the available opportunities failing to match their skills or meet their needs, forcing them to retreat?

To label this complex and troubling picture as simply “resilient” risks complacency. While it is true that the country’s unemployment rate remains competitive regionally, this comparison offers little comfort to the hundreds of thousands who have recently lost their jobs or given up the search. The government’s long-term vision to upskill the workforce for a digital, AI-driven future is both commendable and necessary. Preparing for the economy of tomorrow is a crucial task.

However, this forward-looking strategy cannot come at the expense of addressing the very real struggles of today. The worker laid off from a manufacturing plant or a construction site needs more than the promise of a future AIrelated job. The government’s challenge, therefore, is twofold: it must navigate the immediate economic turbulence by supporting the sectors that are currently faltering, while simultaneously building the foundation for future growth. The September job report should serve as a reminder that economic progress requires continuous effort, and that seasonal trends are not guaranteed. Rather than papering over the cracks with optimistic rhetoric, our economic managers must engage in an honest assessment of the vulnerabilities this report has exposed. Resilience is not just about weathering a storm; it is about ensuring the ship is sound and all hands are on deck. Right now, it appears too many are being left on the shore.

Our shared responsibility

TRISING SUN

HE recent flooding in Cebu—a tragedy that unfolded with shocking swiftness—has left over 2.4 million Filipinos affected across eight regions, with the central province of Cebu enduring much of the devastation. More than 200 lives have been lost, 135 injured, and over 120 remain missing, with over 87,000 families sheltered in evacuation centers, tens of thousands displaced to relatives’ homes, and at least 12,600 homes damaged. While the numbers feel overwhelming, behind each figure is a story: a family scrambling for higher ground, children clutching beloved pets on rooftops, barangays sharing meals under candlelight.

Even as Cebu reels, northern Luzon braces for the full force of Super Typhoon Uwan (international name: Fung-Wong). The Philippine weather bureau warns of “life-threatening storm surges of up to five meters” and destructive winds, potentially affecting millions more. The calamities, though natural, are worsened by our own doing. Government investigations earlier this year exposed billions lost to substandard or unfinished flood-control projects — funds meant to safeguard lives si-

phoned away instead by inefficiency and corruption. This is not a call to arms nor blame alone, but an invitation to look beneath the floodwater’s surface. Rivers overflowed not just from relentless rain but years of quarrying and poor urban planning, while flood-control infrastructure either failed or simply didn’t exist. Scientific studies highlight how unsustainable land use—deforestation, informal settlements in vulnerable zones, and neglect of watershed manage-

This is not a call to arms nor blame alone, but an invitation to look beneath the floodwater’s surface. Rivers overflowed not just from relentless rain but years of quarrying and poor urban planning, while flood-control infrastructure either failed or simply didn’t exist. Scientific studies highlight how unsustainable land use—deforestation, informal settlements in vulnerable zones, and neglect of watershed management—have made Central Visayas and Luzon ever more defenseless to storms and typhoons.

ment—have made Central Visayas and Luzon ever more defenseless to storms and typhoons. The World Bank warns climate change could shrink Philippine GDP by as much as 7.6 percent by 2030, rising to 13.6 percent by 2040, if adaptation and resilience efforts lag.

Cebu’s governor noted that P26 billion ($440 million) of flood control funds were allotted for Cebu, and yet the area still suffered tragic flooding. The frustration is not just politics—it is a lived reality. Ac-

countability must be more than a buzzword: regular audits of disaster management funds, transparent procurement for infrastructure, and community-level oversight could ensure resources reach those they’re meant to protect.

Experts note that the surge in rainfall (Typhoon Tino dumped more than a month’s worth of rain on Cebu in less than 24 hours) was partly to blame for this disaster. So reimagining our approach is equally important. Moving families out of flood-prone areas, restoring mangroves and riverbanks, supporting climate-smart agriculture, and enforcing environmental laws—with urgency and compassion—would build more than barriers; they build hope. Filipinos have always shaped community networks and found hope even in hardship. For businesses, this is more than disaster recovery; it is a challenge to lead responsibly. Investing in green technologies, flood-resistant infrastructure, and insurance solutions tailored for local realities are not just ethical choices — they are prudent, strategic decisions. Collaboration between the government, the private sector, and civil society is essential. Every raincloud is also a call for unity—a moment to find what is broken and mend it, together.

A new era for DPWH: Lara Marisse Esquibil’s appointment signals hope and reform

T. Anthony C. Cabangon

Lourdes M. Fernandez

Jennifer A. Ng Vittorio V. Vitug

Lorenzo M. Lomibao Jr., Gerard S. Ramos Lyn B. Resurreccion, Dennis D. Estopace Angel R. Calso, Dionisio L. Pelayo Ruben M. Cruz Jr.

Eduardo A. Davad Nonilon G. Reyes

D. Edgard A. Cabangon Benjamin V. Ramos Aldwin Maralit Tolosa

Rolando M. Manangan BusinessMirror is published daily by the Philippine Business Daily Mirror Publishing, Inc., with offices on the 3rd floor of Dominga Building III 2113 Chino Roces Avenue corner De La Rosa Street, Makati City, Philippines. Tel. Nos. (Editorial) 817-9467; 813-0725. Fax line: 813-7025. (Advertising Sales) 893-2019; 817-1351, 817-2807. (Circulation) 893-1662; 814-0134 to 36. E-mail: news.businessmirror@gmail.com www.businessmirror.com.ph

TLITO GAGNI

HERE is a fresh wind of change blowing through the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH)—and it comes at a moment when the agency is most maligned for the ghost flood control projects that have rocked the nation’s conscience and exposed its fractured soul.

DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon has just appointed 36-year-old Lara Marisse I. Esquibil as undersecretary—an appointment that could mark a turning point in the agency’s transformation from a scoundrel’s lair into a professional institution Filipinos can once again believe in. It took some persuasion for Dizon to bring Esquibil on board, following the resignation of former Undersecretary Arrey Perez, who had been unjustly accused of corruption by Batangas Rep. Leandro Leviste—a charge the young legislator later retracted. But Perez had already resigned, choosing dignity over discord.

At Monday’s flag-raising ceremony, Dizon invoked love of country in asking Esquibil to serve. She eventually relented, driven not by ambition but by duty. And with her entry, Dizon has found a partner in restoring integrity and intelligence to a department that has become one of the most distrusted in government. Esquibil’s appointment signals the dawning of a new era at the DPWH—one defined by youth, intellect, and integrity. More than planting the seeds of reform, Dizon is tilling the soil, removing weeds so the ground can once again bear fruit. This couldn’t come at a more criti-

The appointment drew immediate positive response, both within and outside the DPWH. At 36, Esquibil stands as one of the youngest—and few female— officials to hold such a high technical position. Her rise is not only a triumph of merit but a signal that the new leadership is betting on youth, rigor, and reform to rebuild the agency’s battered credibility.

cal time. The country’s third-quarter GDP growth slowed to 4 percent, down from 5.5 percent in the previous quarter—making the government’s target of 5.5 to 6.5 percent by year-end difficult, if not impossible, amid corruption scandals and eroding public trust.

In this context, Dizon’s moves to clean house at the DPWH are more than bureaucratic reshuffles; they are economic imperatives. His earlier order to curb overpricing in construction materials is projected to save the government P60 billion. He has also revived a promotion system based on merit, dismantling the old padrino

culture, and formed internal committees to detect and stop corruption before it metastasizes. Esquibil, who now heads the Office of the Undersecretary for Technical Services and Operations for External Convergence Projects, has Dizon’s full trust. “Just do the right thing and keep your integrity,” he told her. “We are behind you.” Her new post covers critical functions: convergence projects, technical design, construction oversight, and monitoring—areas where corruption once thrived. That Dizon entrusted these to a 36-year-old woman engineer is itself a message: change will not come from seniority, but from sincerity. The appointment drew immediate positive response, both within and outside the DPWH. At 36, Esquibil stands as one of the youngest—and few female—officials to hold such a high technical position. Her rise is not only a triumph of merit but a signal that the new leadership is betting on youth, rigor, and reform to rebuild the agency’s battered credibility. Esquibil’s roots run deep in the DPWH. She joined the department in 2013 as part of the pioneering batch of the Cadet Engineering Program

Plunge in Asia’s AI shares sows doubts over world-beating rally

By Winnie Hsu

THE sudden slump in Asia’s technology shares last week has jolted investors, serving as a stark reminder that the worldbeating rally in artificial intelligence and semiconductor stocks may be nearing a short-term crest.

The region’s sharpest decline since April—triggered by a tech-led selloff on Wall Street—has refocused attention on cracks beneath the surface: the rally’s narrow breadth, heavy reliance on retail traders, and growing uncertainty around the timing of Federal Reserve interestrate cuts.

Last week’s “selloff is a reminder that Asia’s market structure is just more vulnerable,” said Charu Chanana, chief investment strategist at Saxo Markets in Singapore. “Further corrections will come. The trigger, in my opinion, was extended valuations and we have not corrected that. So the Asia chip market is likely to be volatile.”

Asia’s tech sector has outpaced its US counterpart this year, fueled by cheaper valuations and the excitement sparked by China’s AI breakthroughs, particularly that of DeepSeek. The MSCI Asia Pacific Index has climbed 24 percent in 2025—on track to outperform the S&P 500 by the widest margin in 16 years. But its meteoric rise has also stirred concern about overheating. Korea’s stock exchange has even warned about the dangers posed by the more than 200 percent surge in SK Hynix Inc. shares this year. Those lofty gains helped set the stage for last week’s reversal. The MSCI Asia technology gauge slid as much as 4.2 percent on Wednesday, its biggest intraday fall since April’s US tariff shock. South Korea’s Kospi plunged up to 6.2 percent, while Japan’s Nikkei 225 tumbled as much as 4.7 percent. Key Nvidia Corp. suppliers—including SK Hynix and Advantest Corp.—were among the hardest hit, each losing roughly 10 percent.

Concentration risks

ANALYSTS say Asia’s outsized losses reflect another structural issue: the extreme concentration of tech giants in regional benchmarks. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. now accounts for over 40 percent of the Taiex, triple its share a decade ago. In South Korea, Samsung Electronics Co. and SK Hynix together make up about 30 percent of the Kospi. Japan is no exception: the top five stocks in the Nikkei 225 account for about 38 percent of total weighting. “If anything goes wrong with the AI or semiconductor boom, the Nikkei will plunge immediately,” said Takehiko Masuzawa, head of equity trading at Phillip Securities Japan in Tokyo. “I do think we’ll continue to see more corrections and heightened volatility going forward.”

. .

Continued from A10

launched by former Secretary Rogelio Singson—a merit-based initiative designed to train young engineers for public service. She later became Officer-in-Charge of the Bureau of Design, where she oversaw key flagship projects that define the country’s future connectivity: the Bataan-Cavite Interlink Bridge, the Samal IslandDavao City Connector Bridge, and the Fourth Cebu-Mactan Bridge.

A graduate of the University of the Philippines with a Master’s in Civil Engineering (Structural Engineering), she also played a pivotal role in adopting new Bridge Seismic Design Specifications, collaborating with professional associations like ASEP to improve standards in flood control, water resource management, and earthquake resilience.

Esquibil credits her mentors— some of the nation’s finest engi-

One recipe, one kitchen: Coordinating flood control probes

Asia’s tech sector has outpaced its US counterpart this year, fueled by cheaper valuations and the excitement sparked by China’s AI breakthroughs, particularly that of DeepSeek. The MSCI Asia Pacific Index has climbed 24 percent in 2025—on track to outperform the S&P 500 by the widest margin in 16 years.

The heavy involvement of retail investors in the current rally has also amplified swings, analysts say.

“With foreign investors still on the sidelines, higher retail and domestic participation is driving greater volatility and sector rotation across Asian markets,” said Peter Kim, managing director at KB Securities Co. in Seoul. “Less liquidity and institutional participation, and the high beta features of Asian stocks are especially evident in AI themes.”

Stronger dollar

MEANWHILE , a strengthening US dollar has intensified pressure on Asian chipmakers, luring funds back to American assets. Traders are also scaling back bets on imminent Fed rate cuts, removing a key tailwind for global equities.

To be sure, not everyone viewed last week’s pullback as a reason for alarm.

“What we saw was taking profit, nothing more, nothing less,” said Shawn Oh, an equity trader at NH Investment & Securities Co. in Seoul.

“Psychology is playing a big role rather than fundamentals. Many people probably thought there would be a correction at least once too.”

Even after the rout, valuations in Asia’s chip sector remain comparatively appealing: Bloomberg’s regional semiconductor gauge trades at around 18 times forward earnings, well below the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index’s 28 times. For others, the Asian tech selloff—following the warnings from Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Morgan Stanley chief executives about the likelihood of a global stock pullback—was just another reason to turn more cautious.

“We’ve been sellers over the past few weeks,” said Vikas Pershad, an Asian equities portfolio manager at M&G Investments in Singapore. “We are focused on prospective returns, which is why we took profits in the sector last month. We’re not at levels where we would be looking to increase our exposure to those sectors yet.” Bloomberg

neers—for instilling in her one core value: that every design must first serve the Filipino people. In entrusting Esquibil with a crucial reform portfolio, Dizon is rebuilding the DPWH’s moral and technical architecture from within. He is betting that honesty, hard work, and professionalism—the virtues he invoked at her appointment—can still take root in government. For an institution battered by public scorn, this is more than a personnel move—it is an act of faith. Faith that amid corruption’s enormity, there remains a spark of decency worth fanning into flame. Faith that young engineers, guided by conscience and competence, can help rebuild not only our roads and bridges, but our belief that public service can still be noble. Indeed, Esquibil represents what was never fully lost in the DPWH: a remnant of integrity, a fragment of faith, and perhaps, the foundation of a renaissance.

Joel L. Tan-Torres

DEBIT CREDIT

Part eight

THE Department of Public Works and Highways’ flood control controversy has rekindled one of the nation’s oldest frustrations—that while billions are poured into public works, the results often vanish in murky waters of inefficiency, overpricing, and corruption. Yet, in this age of heightened citizen awareness and participation, something has changed: citizens, professionals, civil society organizations (CSOs) now have the tools to see, verify, and report what was once hidden.

Government oversight alone cannot catch every irregularity in a complex, multi-layered infrastructure system. That is why citizen and CSO participation in auditing and monitoring has become essential. The Philippines was, in fact, an early pioneer in this undertaking through the Commission on Audit Citizen Participatory Audit (COA CPA) program, launched in 2012.

COA CPA is a performance audit mechanism where citizens and CSOs join COA teams to plan, fieldvalidate, analyze, and/or report on public programs (flood control, roads, school buildings, etc.). Findings are published and transmitted to auditees (coa.gov.ph+1).

The full COA CPA pilot phase (2012–2014) was implemented un-

der the then CPA Chair Maria Gracia Pulido-Tan, as part of the Philippine Open Government Partnership commitment. Under COA Chair Michael G. Aguinaldo (2015–2022), COA mainstreamed/institutionalized CPA after successive pilots, with guidance notes and a growing library of CPA reports. (coa.gov.ph+3World) Even without formal training, citizens equipped with smartphones and community awareness can act as early warning sensors. Their photos, videos, and testimonies become data points that confirm or contradict official project reports. Some communities have bravely reported “ghost projects”— those with budget releases and contract awards but no actual construction on the ground.

The CPA gave ordinary citizens a

seat at the audit table — empowering them to partner with COA auditors in reviewing project implementation, validating accomplishments, and identifying ghost or defective projects. It was a bold innovation: for the first time, the public was not just an observer but an active partner in holding the government accountable.

When I served as Chairman of the Professional Regulatory Board of Accountancy, I recognized the transformative potential of this COA CPA initiative. Accountants are the country’s largest corps of trained financial verifiers, yet few have been mobilized for public-interest auditing. In 2016, during the Philippine Institute of Certified Public Accountants (PICPA) Annual National Convention held in Palawan, I initiated and formalized a partnership between COA and PICPA to strengthen the COA CPA initiative. Through this collaboration, professional accountants and auditors joined citizen volunteers in project validation work. Their training in financial controls, documentation, and valuation enhanced the accuracy of community-level audits. This partnership demonstrated how professionals could serve not just corporations but also the country’s accountability ecosystem. The collaboration created a nationwide roster of volunteer Certified Public Accountants, defined training, conflict-of-interest and confidentiality rules, and embedded professional accountants in COA audit teams to conduct procurementto-performance testing.

The COA CPA program has since evolved into a model for participatory governance. Volunteers have inspected school buildings, flood-control channels, farm-to-market roads, and even environmental projects. In many cases, their findings prompted reworks, sanctions, or recoveries of overpayments.

One of the CPA’s greatest strengths is its ability to turn data into dialogue. Citizens can provide field evidence—photos, measurements, or observations—while COA auditors cross-check official reports and disbursements. In flood control projects, this simple exchange can expose sub-standard work or false completion certificates long before the next typhoon reveals them. As citizens become equipped with these collaboration tools, the old excuse that “nobody knew” about corruption will lose its power. Accountability is no longer just a function of government—it is now a shared civic enterprise.

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.

‘The Nuclear Option’ and Trump’s filibuster flashpoint

By Troi Santos

AT sunrise on November 4, 2025, President Donald J. Trump opened Truth Social with a post that read less like a rant and more like a directive. In the all-caps urgency that defines his digital cadence, he urged Senate Republicans to “TERMINATE THE FILIBUSTER,” to take what he branded the “NUCLEAR OPTION,” and to do it now. Within minutes, the post was racing across Washington phones, landing like a flash alert on Capitol Hill.

The timing was deliberate. The 2026 midterms are less than a year away, the Senate is narrowly divided, and Trump, newly settled into his second term, is pressing his party to move before momentum slips. His message was unmistakable: if Republicans keep the 60-vote rule, nothing passes, and they’ll be blamed for paralysis. End it, he said, and the party can deliver its agenda at full speed.

For Trump, the filibuster isn’t a time-honored safeguard of deliberation; it’s a structural roadblock. The rule requires 60 votes to close debate on most bills, forcing bipartisan cooperation in an era when cooperation is scarce. Removing it would clear the way for a simple-majority Senate, typically 51 votes to pass, allowing the governing party to act without procedural gridlock.

The filibuster’s story reaches deep into Senate memory. It wasn’t written into the Constitution. It took shape after an 1806 rules change, following Vice President Aaron Burr’s recommendation to drop the “previous question” motion that had allowed a majority to cut off debate. The Senate agreed, and for decades the change went largely unnoticed. Senators argued, bargained, and voted, ending debate when patience ran out.

That quiet gap turned consequential in the early twentieth century when senators realized they could use unlimited debate to stall legislation indefinitely. In 1917, under President Woodrow Wilson, frustration over obstruction led to the first cloture rule, requiring a two-thirds vote to end debate. It was meant as a last resort, but over time became routine. In 1975, amid rising partisanship, the Senate reduced the threshold to three-fifths, 60 votes, a number that remains today.

The rule’s intent was once noble: to encourage reflection and compromise. Its practice turned darker. Through the mid-twentieth century,

Southern senators used the filibuster to block civil-rights legislation, speaking for days to prevent votes on equality bills. Television turned those marathons into political theater, casting the chamber’s slow machinery in high contrast.

As partisanship hardened, both parties began treating the filibuster not as an emergency measure but as a standard weapon. What was meant to protect minority voices became a tool to suppress majority action. By the early 2000s, it was routine. A senator no longer needed to stand and speak for hours; merely threatening to do so could halt a bill.

Then came a pair of decisive breaks. In 2013, Democrats under Majority Leader Harry Reid ended the filibuster for executive-branch and lower-court nominees, arguing that Republican obstruction had left crucial posts unfilled. Four years later, in 2017, Republicans under Majority Leader Mitch McConnell extended that change to Supreme Court nominations, allowing confirmation by simple majority. Each side defended its move as necessary, and each set a precedent the other would inherit. Today, only ordinary legislation still faces the 60-vote barrier, the final wall between majority control and pure numerical dominance.

Trump’s November post calls for removing that wall completely. His tone carried the rhythm of a rally, but the content was strategic. He warned that if Democrats regain Congress, they will do the same, possibly granting statehood to Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico, adding new senators and Electoral College votes. The logic was pre-emption: act before the other side does. To supporters, it sounded like seizing initiative; to critics, it was an open call to rewrite the rules of balance.

Ending the filibuster would redefine how America passes laws. Every major policy fight in modern history,

The Nuclear Option is no longer about Senate math alone. It’s about control, about the speed of decision-making in a polarized age, and about whether the oldest legislative chamber in the republic still sees value in slowing itself down. Trump’s call has reopened that argument with a clarity rarely seen in Washington, and for the rest of the world watching, it’s a reminder that even the oldest democracies keep rewriting their rulebooks.

civil rights, healthcare, climate, taxation—has been shaped by the need to reach 60 votes. Without that rule, the majority could legislate with neartotal freedom. Immigration reform, border enforcement, energy strategy, and social policy could all move swiftly through a 51-vote Senate.

But power cuts both ways. The same mechanism that speeds legislation also makes it easier to undo.

A future Senate could repeal or rewrite everything with equal ease. Each election could swing national law in the opposite direction, fast and absolute.

That tension is the filibuster’s paradox. It slows government down, but it forces negotiation. It’s inefficient, but it protects stability. Ending it would make lawmaking faster, sharper, and far more volatile. For advocates of decisive government, that’s progress. For defenders of restraint, it’s risk. For the Senate itself, it’s an existential choice, whether to remain the cooling saucer of democracy or become its political racetrack.

Debates over the filibuster resurface whenever the country changes direction. After the Great Depression, during the civil-rights era, and again in the twenty-first century, the same argument reappears under new names: tradition versus urgency, deliberation versus action. The phrase “nuclear option,” coined in the early 2000s, captured the gravity of detonating the rule entirely. Trump’s post revives that metaphor with presidential weight. Inside the Senate, reactions split. Some Republicans quietly echoed his frustration, pointing to stalled border and spending votes. Others warned that ending the rule would

destroy the leverage they might one day need. Veteran senators often describe the filibuster as a constitutional conscience—a self-imposed brake reminding them that they govern by persuasion, not momentum. For all its drama, the filibuster’s power lies in numbers. Sixty votes mark the symbolic line of consensus. Reaching it demands crossing party lines, building coalitions, bargaining across divides. That process often fails, leaving urgent bills stranded. Yet defenders argue democracy should be difficult by design, that durable laws are built slowly or not at all.

Trump’s appeal compresses that philosophy into urgency. His argument is that the opposition will end the rule eventually, so Republicans might as well move first. To his base, it’s tactical realism; to institutionalists, it’s a rupture with the Senate’s identity as the chamber of pause.

The debate now stretches beyond procedure into architecture. A filibuster-free Senate would resemble the House, majority-driven, fast, and fiercely partisan. The president’s agenda could move at the pace of a news cycle. Markets, allies, and states would adjust to laws that change as quickly as elections.

Trump’s message spread within hours, amplified by conservative outlets and parsed by constitutional scholars. It signaled that the rulebook itself is no longer off-limits. What began in 1806 as a housekeeping edit now stands at the center of a modern power struggle.

Two centuries later, the United States still asks the same question: how long should debate last, and who decides when enough has been said? The filibuster was born from the belief that talk itself was democracy, that argument preserved balance. Trump’s post reframes it as inertia, a relic between a majority and its will. The Nuclear Option is no longer about Senate math alone. It’s about control, about the speed of decisionmaking in a polarized age, and about whether the oldest legislative chamber in the republic still sees value in slowing itself down. Trump’s call has reopened that argument with a clarity rarely seen in Washington, and for the rest of the world watching, it’s a reminder that even the oldest democracies keep rewriting their rulebooks.

Monday, November 10, 2025

‘UWAN’ AFFECTS THOUSANDS

IN BUTUAN

CITY, AGUSAN DEL N.

By Erwin Mascarinas

BUTUAN CITY—Typhoon

Uwan has displaced and affected thousands of families in Butuan City and several towns in Agusan del Norte due to flooding caused by heavy rains and strong winds.

According to the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) Caraga, a total of 1,057 families or 3,763 individuals have been affected in the towns of Buenavista, Cabadbaran, Carmen, Magallanes, Nasipit, RTR, and Tubay.

According to OCD Caraga, the flooding occurred on November 8, while Uwan was still under typhoon category. Although Butuan City and Agusan del Norte were not placed under any storm signal, the typhoon brought torrential rain that caused rivers and creeks to overflow, resulting in floods.

Preemptive evacuations were carried out for 1,787 families or 6,357 persons to protect residents from rising floodwaters. Local authorities opened 13 evacuation centers, which currently house 1,004 families (3,480 individuals), while 26 families (162 individuals) stayed outside the centers.

OCD Caraga noted that overflowing creeks and swollen rivers prompted the immediate evacuations to ensure safety.

Relief assistance has also been provided to affected families and individuals.

As of Sunday, November 9, a total of 13 evacuation centers are still open as the water level in some of the affected barangay have not yet totally subsided.

In Butuan City alone, thousands of residents have been displaced, according to the latest situational report released by the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Department (CDRRMD) based on the 10:00 a.m. advisory on Sunday, November 9.

The CDRRMD reported that a total of 3,589 families, or 13,117 individuals, have fled their homes. Of these, 3,471 families (12,603 individuals) are currently staying in evacuation centers, while 118 families (514 individuals) are sheltering outside designated sites.

The total affected population in the city has reached 44,317 people. Authorities also reported 21 damaged houses and distributed 65 modular tents to assist displaced residents. Agricultural losses have been estimated at P4,546,973.47, with damage reported across multiple farming areas.

“Residents are advised to remain alert and follow official advisories as recovery efforts are underway,” said the Butuan City Public Information Office.

BusinessMirror

Agri group warns: Retaining 15% tariff rate to hurt farmers

By Samuel P. Medenilla and Ada Pelonia

ANEW

mechanism for adjusting Most Favored Nation (MFN) tariff rates for rice will take effect starting next year to shield farmers from the impact of cheap imports under President Ferdinand Marcos’s Executive Order (EO) No. 105.

The same new issuance also extended the duration of the 15-percent tariff rate for the local food staple, both in-quota and out-quota, under EO No.92 , series of 2024, until 31 December 2025.

However, the biggest farm sector alliance warned that retaining the 15-percent tariff rate for imported rice further threatens local farmers already reeling from depressed farmgate prices of palay.

Marcos reduced the tariff rate to help stabilize the local price for rice by allowing imports to address the demand in the market, which domestic producers were unable to address at that time.

By next year, the tariff rate for rice is expected to revert to 35 percent upon the recommendation of the Economy and Development Council.

Sinag’s warning ACCORDING to agriculture group Sinag, the retention of the 15-percent tariff rate for imported rice further threatens local farmers already reeling from depressed farmgate prices of palay.

Sinag executive director Jayson Cainglet made the pronouncement after the issuance of Executive Order (EO) 105, which retained the 15-percent duties levied on foreign

Meralco’s November rates possibly higher

By Lenie Lectura @llectura

Epass-through charg -

es,” said Meralco spokesperson Joe Zaldarriaga on Sunday. The utility firm will announce the final rates on November 10. There is an additional P0.0884 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) that will be reflected in the consumer bill brought about the higher Feed-in Tariff Allowance (FIT-All). The FIT-All is a uniform charge imposed on all on-grid electricity consumers, and is a component of the electricity bill, that ensures

development and promotion of renewable energy (RE) in the country.

System-wide WESM rates soared by 49.4 percent to P4.54 per kilowatt-hour in October from P3.04 per kWh in September. “In addition, the continued depreciation of the Peso to historic lows is expected to affect dollardenominated costs from Independent Power Producers and Power Supply Agreements,” added Zaldarriaga. Meralco registered over 8 million subscribers.

rice shipments until December 31, 2025.

“We affirm the position that the starting point of any sensible rice development policy must be the restoration of the 35 percent rice import tarif” Cainglet said in a statement.

He noted that the 15 percent tariff only served as a “temporary emergency measure” when global rice prices surged to around $680 per metric ton (MT).

However, current world market prices of the staple grain plunged by nearly 50 percent, hovering at around $330 per MT.

He noted also that the landed cost of imported rice stands at a low P25 to P26 per kilo, claiming that imported rice would remain affordable for consumers even with a 35-percent tariff.

“The longer the reduced tariff remains in effect, the greater the damage to our local rice farmers, who are already reeling from depressed farmgate palay prices,” Cainglet said.

“The immediate restoration of the 35-percent rice tariff will send a strong signal that the Philippines stands with its farmers, upholds local agriculture and the livelihood

of the rural sector, and is no longer hiding behind an outdated ‘emergency’ excuse.”

Last week, the President issued EO No. 102 extending the suspension of importation of regularmilled and well-milled rice until the end of the year.

DA said Marcos approved the extension since the country is projected to produce 20.2 million metric tons of rice this year, which is higher than the estimated over 14 million tons of consumption and wastage of the local food staple per year.

The government recently extended the rice import ban until the end of 2025 in a bid to arrest the slide in farmgate prices of palay.

“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,” Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel said. Tiu Laurel earlier noted that overimportation and poor-quality harvests in some areas, exacerbated by weather-related shocks, had depressed farmgate prices.

See “Farmers,” A2

Visitor spend in PHL to surge 80% by 2030 —WTM Global Report

By Ma. Stella F. Arnaldo Special to the BusinessMirror

THE Philippines will be one of the top five “fastest-growth markets” in terms of international leisure tourism spending by 2030.

According to the World Travel Market (WTM) Global Travel Report 2025 released this month, international visitor spend in the Philippines is projected to surge by US$21.1 million, or 80 percent, by 2030 from 2025. The country ranks ahead of other fastest-growth markets such as Vietnam, seen expanding by $16.1 million (+76 percent); South Korea, up $28.5 million (+68 percnt); Cambodia, up $56 million (+56 percent); and Indonesia, up $21.5 million (+51 percent).

The Department of Tourism (DOT) has targeted international tourist spend this year to reach P527 billion or $9.9 billion ($1:P53), under its National Tourism Development Plan 20232028. Foreign visitor spend last year hit P760 billion ($13.3 billion) as the forex rate averaged $1:P57.31.

The WTM report was produced in cooperation with Tourism Economics, a unit of Oxford Economics, an independent economic advisory firm. Held in London annually, the WTM is among the most influential travel trade shows in the world.

“Many destinations heavily reliant on Chinese visitors have seen relatively slow recoveries. This includes Thailand, the Philippines and South Korea. But this will improve as Chinese outbound travel recovers,” said the report.

Slow recovery in Chinese travel

THE report noted, however, the slower-thanprojected recovery in China’s outbound travel.

“This reflects some weakening in the Chinese economy and associated deterioration in consumer sentiment. Current expectations are for Chinese visits to all destinations to recover pre-pandemic levels in 2027, though economic uncertainty and the associated impact on sentiment remains a downside risk to the outlook,” said the report.

Chinese tourists, the report added, consider the “accessibility of destinations” among their important considerations in traveling to a particular destination. Specifically, these include ease of entry, availability of translators and Chinese payments platforms, “along with perceptions of crowding, safety and security.”

Nevertheless, China’s spending on international travel is estimated to reach $235 billion by 2030, an increase of more than 74 percent from prepandemic 2019.

India’s outbound travel has reached a new peak, which in turn, will also help drive the recoveries of other countries in Asia. “Growth among Indian leisure visitors is ramping up, albeit from a much smaller base, with leisure spend among these travelers to more than double by 2030 relative to 2019,” but China will still remain the larger market.

Long-haul travel fuels growth MANILA is finally rolling out an electronic visa (e-visa) scheme for mainland Chinese tourists this month, and already allows visa-free entry to Indian nationals. The twin schemes are seen boosting inbound arrivals in the Philippines, which in 2024, reached just 5.95 million in 2024. (See, “PHL bets on e-visas to woo Chinese tourists” in the BusinessMirror, Oct. 18, 2025.)

Overall, global travel and tourism will continue to grow by 3.5 percent in the next 10 years, outpacing the average 2.5-percent expansion in gross domestic product over the same period. “Longer-haul travel will spearhead much of this growth as inter-regional—travel to other global regions rather than within a region—should capture a greater share of the overall market,” said the WTM report. “This will be buoyed by a range of factors, including expanding air connectivity and increased visa liberalization, making global destinations

Editor: Jennifer A. Ng

B1

November 10, 2025

Idle RE contracts shelved

By Lenie Lectura @llectura

THE Department of Energy (DOE) continues to terminate renewable energy (RE) service contracts that are not meeting their committed project timelines.

Out of the 105 service contracts that the agency earlier flagged for delays, DOE Undersecretary Rowena Guevara said “majority” of these were already terminated.

“There are those who submitted motions for reconsideration. Some of them, we consider. We continue to terminate projects that are far from the work plan, supposedly they should have achieved this about three years ago, but they haven’t yet.”

Garin. “If it’s not moving then they should not be holding those contracts. There are so many that want to invest and we’re telling them we’re purging and trying to clean up and there will be other areas that are more interesting.”

The DOE is now implementing a more stringent process to avoid future delays, which includes requiring developers to secure a certificate of authority before a contract is finalized.

an extension. If the reasons are insufficient or the developer does not respond, the REMB will recommend to the DOE Secretary the termination of the contract.

The developer will also be required to fulfill all financial obligations, such as performance bond, payments for training commitment and development assistance, as provided under the service contract.

Malls offer shelters, waive parking fees

By VG Cabuag @llectura

HOPPING malls in Metro

SManila and nearby provinces have offered their facilities where people can seek temporary shelter during the onslaught of typhoon Uwan (international name Fung-Wong).

Guevara said solar power projects are ideally constructed within two years while geothermal power projects take longer. The reasons for the delay include the failure to secure necessary permits or connect to the grid, among others.

“We are purging many of these contracts with proper procedure,” commented DOE Secretary Sharon

Last year, the DOE reported that it was processing at least 105 RE projects that are up for termination. The majority of these contracts were awarded in 2017 and 2019. Out of the total 105 projects, 88 are either delayed in their pre-development timeline or not progressing at all. Among these 88 projects, 53 are solar, 17 are hydropower, 10 are wind, five are geothermal, and three are biomass.

RE developers have two years to complete the pre-development stage, which includes obtaining permits, conducting surveys, performing feasibility studies and securing possessory rights. Should a developer fail to submit the declaration of completion or demonstrate reasonable efforts within this timeframe, the DOERenewable Energy Management Bureau (REMB) will issue a showcause order to request an explanation for the delay. Valid reasons for the delay, such as force majeure, may be allowed for

The DOE is in its fourth round of green energy auction (GEA-4), a government program that assures more renewables are injected into the grid.

Under GEA-4, 10,195.49 megawatts (MW) of new renewables capacity are committed for delivery between 2026 and 2029.

“So far, our GEA winners have 16.6 gigawatts (GW) of capacity. By the end of this year, it may reach 20 GW so we are assured of that capacity from 2028 to 2030. The GEA programs carry performance bond requirements so the developers really have to make their committed projects happen,” said Guevara.

Esports firm unveils property listing platform

PHILIPPINE esports compa -

ny TNC Group has ventured into the real estate sector with the launch of its property

listing platform, TNC Properties, which “aims to open up opportunities based on talent rather than financial capital.”

According to TNC Group and TNC Properties President Eric Redulfin, the idea of going the into real estate business came

from his interactions with online followers who wanted to start a business but lacked the necessary capital. John Eiron R. Francisco

Ayala Malls opened designated areas as temporary shelters. Waiting areas and restrooms were available beyond mall hours, with overnight parking waived on November 8 and 9.

The following branches that participated include Bonifacio High Street, Circuit in Makati, Cloverleaf, Fairview Terraces, Feliz, Glorietta, Greenbelt, Harbor Point, Manila Bay, Market Market, Marikina, One Ayala, The 30th, TriNoma, UP Town Center and Vertis North.

Filinvest Malls, meanwhile, provided temporary shelters, free Wi-Fi, charging stations and restroom access, with parking waived in some areas. Participating branches include Festival Mall Alabang, Fora Mall Tagaytay, Main Square Bacoor, Westgate, Bloc 10 and South Station.

Several branches of Megaworld Lifestyle Malls, owned by Andrew Tan, offered shelters, lounges, charging stations and restrooms. Overnight parking is waived from November 8 to 10.

Megaworld malls that offered to help are Uptown Bonifacio, Venice Grand Canal at McKinley Hill in Taguig, Eastwood City in Quezon City, Arcovia City in Pasig, Lucky Chinatown in Manila, Newport Mall in Pasay, Paseo Center, Three Central Mall, San Antonio Place, San Lorenzo Place Mall, Alabang West Parade, Twin Lakes Shopping Village (Tagaytay), and Greenhouse at The Village Square Alabang. Robinsons Malls provided shelters, charging stations and Wi-Fi, with free overnight parking on November 8. Branches participated include Antipolo, Galleria in Ortigas, Manila, Magnolia, Cainta, Otis, Las Pinas and Malabon.

Malls of SM opened their parking areas for motorists seeking safe shelter. Overnight parking fees will be waived on November 8 and 9.

Participating branches include North Edsa, Congressional, Megamall, Podium, Pasig, Shaw, Mall of Asia, By the Bay Leisure Park, S Maison, MOA Square, Aura in Taguig, Southmall, Las Piñas, Valenzuela, Sangandaan, Savemore Malabon, Grand Central in Caloocan, Fairview, Novaliches, Caloocan, Manila, San Lazaro, Savemore Nagatahan, Sta. Mesa, BF Parañaque, Bicutan, Sucat, Muntinlupa and SM Hypermarket Sucat Lopez.

MakatiMed’s Dr. Ryan Bautista: Focus on Control with Joy to Celebrate the Holidays Healthily

By Vincent Peter Rivera

The Yuletide season is a time of joy and celebration but also of endless activity. Between finishing year-end work and indulging in festive feasts, many overlook their well-being, leading to preventable health problems.

In the latest episode of BusinessMirror’s Freshly Brewed, Dr. Ryan Raymond Bautista, Head of the MakatiMed Wellness Center, explained to host Anne Ruth Dela Cruz, BusinessMirror’s Health and Fitness Editor, that this tendency has biological roots.

“The season floods us with food, friends, and feel-good hormones. Our brains are wired to celebrate, not to count calories or reps,” he said. “It’s not weakness. It’s human biology enjoying Christmas.”

Dr. Bautista noted that during this brief, merry stretch, people tend to eat too much sugar, sleep too little, and live by the “onemore” mindset—one more bite, one more drink, one more late night. Fortunately, these habits are manageable through simple practices like staying hydrated, moving daily, and getting enough sleep to boost the immune system.

Celebrating Without Guilt WHEN asked how to enjoy the

holidays without guilt, Dr. Bautista stressed that health should never feel like punishment but about rhythm and recovery.

“Enjoy the lechon and the laughter, then balance it out by walking, exercising, hydrating, resting, and resetting,” he said, urging people to focus on mindful indulgence, not deprivation.

The key, he emphasized, is to start healthy habits now, even amid the holiday rush. Simple acts like parking farther, taking the stairs, or dancing at parties “keep the metabolism awake.”

“For feasting, start smart, not strict,” he advised. “Eat protein and veggies first. They tame your appetite and your sugar spikes. Then enjoy your favorites mindfully.”

The goal, he added, is control with joy, finding balance instead of excess.

Beyond food and fitness, Dr. Bautista also reminded everyone to manage stress during the

season. “Pause before you burn out. Breathe, hydrate, and step away from deadlines, traffic, and social pressures,” he said. Stress, he explained, is not merely emotional but biochemical. Even a short fiveminute pause can calm the nervous system more effectively than another cup of coffee.

Most importantly, he advised treating sleep as a non-negotiable health requirement. “Sleep is your body’s night shift doctor. It repairs, resets, and recharges you,” he said. “Miss it and everything else— mood, immunity, metabolism— will fall apart.”

The Executive Checkup ONCE the celebrations wind down, Dr. Bautista urged busy professionals not to let work overwhelm their health priorities. He recommended scheduling an Executive Checkup (ECU), a comprehensive and preventive assessment that offers a clear snapshot of one’s overall well-being.

“A few hours spent on an ECU

can save you months of recovery,” he said. “You can rebuild a career, but you can’t rebuild a body once it’s broken.”

An ECU typically includes laboratory tests, imaging, and consultations tailored to a patient’s age, gender, and risk factors, and are designed to detect “silent issues” before symptoms appear. These may include early signs of heart disease, diabetes, thyroid disorders, high cholesterol, or certain cancers.

Dr. Bautista emphasized that early detection allows doctors to intervene before complications develop. “Prevention will always cost less than cure,” he added, countering the belief that feeling fine means being healthy. “Many diseases stay silent until it’s too late. A checkup isn’t about finding illness; it’s about confirming wellness.”

At the MakatiMed Wellness Center, ECUs go beyond routine testing. “It’s not just about finding the disease,” he explained. “It’s about optimizing the health of

the patient.” By customizing each checkup to an individual’s history, age, and lifestyle, the center helps patients take proactive steps toward long-term wellness.

Caring for Inner and Outer Health

DR. Bautista also discussed how aesthetic services complement holistic health. When practiced responsibly, aesthetic medicine bridges the gap between outer vitality and inner wellness.

“Our goal is not merely to enhance appearance but to restore balance, confidence, and overall harmony,” he said.

He explained that improving skin integrity and managing stress-related aging nurture both psychological and emotional healing. “When people feel good about how they look, it often leads to better mental health, social engagement, and lifestyle choices.”

To restore skin health at the cellular level, he recommended safe, evidence-based treatments such as medical facials, chemical

peels, laser rejuvenation, and neuromodulators like Botox. More advanced options, such as biodegenerative injectables and energy-based therapies like radiofrequency microneedling, can enhance hydration and tighten the skin.

However, he cautioned that such procedures require professional oversight. “Aesthetic medicine involves anatomy, pharmacology, and clinical judgment,” he said. “Always seek trained professionals in licensed facilities like MakatiMed.” True aesthetics, he added, is not about altering one’s identity but enhancing self-care and confidence. “Investing in your appearance is an extension of caring for your physical and emotional health,” he said. “When done responsibly, it promotes self-respect and mental wellness.” Health as the Ultimate Wealth WRAPPING up, Dr. Bautista offered a powerful reminder: “Health is the most profound form of wealth.”

He encouraged Filipinos to see wellness not as a temporary New Year’s resolution but as a lifelong act of self-respect, one that includes regular checkups, mindful nutrition, and emotional balance.

“When you care for yourself physically, mentally, and emotionally, you don’t just add years to your life, you give life to your years,” he said.

Dr. Bautista also underscored that gratitude and kindness are scientifically proven to boost mood, immunity, and overall well-being. “Spread warmth, compassion, and good energy,” he urged. “When you’re genuinely happy and at peace, your glow becomes effortless and contagious in the best possible way.”

• Watch the full episode on BusinessMirror’s YouTubechannel. Catch new episodes of “Freshly Brewed” airing on Mondays, 10 a.m. on YT, Facebook, and X.

Apex Life placed under liquidation by regulator

IFE insurer Apex Life and Gen-

Leral Assurance Corp., formerly Travellers Life Assurance Corp., was placed under liquidation by the Insurance Commission (IC).

In its latest notice to the public, the IC said the company is now under liquidation effective November 4, 2025, pursuant to Section 256 of the Insurance Code.

Under the law, the IC may place an insurer under liquidation if it finds that the company is insolvent or that its continued operations would be “hazardous” to policyholders and creditors.

The IC will then designate a liquidator to convert the company’s assets into cash, reinsure outstanding policies and settle obligations.

Accordingly, the IC has appointed Attorney Ermar U. Benitez as liquidator.

“Parties having claims against the company or claimants who have not yet filed their claims are hereby notified to file their claims,” the IC said. Claims must be filed not later

than 180 days or until May 21, 2026, together with all supporting documents and/or relevant proofs, detailing the character, basis and amount of each and every claim for consideration in the company’s liquidation.

Claims filed after that will be barred from normal liquidation proceedings but instead will be referred to the company for reconsideration in its dissolution and winding up proceedings, the IC added.

The insurer was issued a cease and desist order last April 30, 2024 due to its inability to comply with the requirements under the Insurance Code.

Last data available from IC showed that the company, when it was still The Travellers Life Assurance of the Phils. Inc., suffered a net loss of P12.237 million as of end-2023

The firm’s assets stood at P 1.724  billion during the same period, while its paid-up capital amounted to P1.5 billion.

Reine

Juvierre S. Alberto

Banks’ bad loans dropped  to 3-mo low in Sept—BSP

By Reine Juvierre Alberto @reine_alberto

SOURED loans held by local banks dropped to a three-month low in September 2025, according to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP).

BSP data showed that the gross non-performing loans (NPLs) ratio stood at 3.31 percent in September 2025. This is the lowest in three months or since the 3.34-percent recorded in June 2025. This was also lower than the 3.50 percent in August 2025 and 3.47 percent in September 2024.

Fear is coming back to the junk bond market

JUNK bond investors are getting more skittish about risk.

An index of CCC rated bonds in the US has dropped nearly 0.8 percent over the month ended Thursday, underperforming the broader highyield market as investors increasingly avoid the riskiest debt. Distressed US dollar loans jumped to $71.8 billion at the end of October—the highest since President Donald Trump outlined his tariff policy in April.  Spreads between US investmentgrade bonds and junk have widened over the last week, signaling that investors are favoring safer bonds instead of high-yield notes.

“There is a greater level of caution at the first whiff of potential problems right now,” said Steven Oh, global head of credit and fixed income at PineBridge Investments.

The junk bond market is hardly tanking. Spreads on the securities are still below their average for 2025. For much of the year, high-yield bond spreads have resisted the force of gravity, even as signs of potential trouble emerged. In July, investors were piling into CCC bonds, shrugging off a warning from Jamie Dimon, JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s chief executive officer, that credit spreads were “a little unnaturally low.”  In September, risk premiums on highyield bonds came close to their lowest levels of the year, even after car parts maker First Brands Group, which had borrowed in the leveraged loan market, filed for bankruptcy amid allegations of fraud. Tricolor Holdings, a used car seller that had borrowed in the asset-backed market, also filed for bankruptcy that month amid fraud allegations.

The latest weakness in junk bonds is a sign that the debt won’t rally forever, particularly for the riskiest securities. Spreads on CCC debt widened about 27 basis points from October 31 through Thursday, compared with 13 basis points on average for all high-yield debt, data compiled by Bloomberg shows. The extra

TAXPAYERS affected by the recent severe typhoon “Tino” in Cebu have been granted relief by the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), which extended the tax filing and payment deadlines until November 28, 2025

Internal Revenue Commissioner

Romeo D. Lumagui Jr. issued Revenue Memorandum Circular (RMC) 099-2025 and RMC 100-2025 to provide relief to taxpayers following the typhoon that struck the province on November 4, 2025.

Under the circulars, all deadlines in November 2025 for filing tax returns, paying taxes and submitting reports, attachments and other required documents are extended to November 28, 2025.

The extension covers all taxpayers and BIR personnel under the jurisdictions of Revenue District Office

compensation investors demand to hold blue-chip BBB rated bonds compared to more speculative BBs rose 11 basis points over that period.

Some market watchers point out that investors aren’t necessarily avoiding all CCC bonds, but rather credits that have been downgraded to CCC recently, and are on a downward trajectory.

The fact that investment-grade spreads are still close to historical levels of tightness—at 81 basis points as of Thursday’s close—and high-yield spreads aren’t, is a trend to watch, said Mike Schueller, senior portfolio manager at Allspring Global Investments. More consumer-related sectors within high-yield are weakening, like subprime lenders and retailers that cater to lowerend consumers, he added.

Distressed bond supply has “swung wildly” this year, climbing to $100 billion in April from $50 billion in January, according to Bloomberg Intelligence. October marked the second-straight month of increasing supply, hovering at about $72 billion. While still relatively benign, previous breakouts in distressed supply from troughs have signaled the start of a “notable bout of risk aversion,” analysts Philip Brendel and Negisa Balluku wrote. Meanwhile in the leveraged loan market last month, four deals were shelved, following an August and September that saw six deals pulled. On Thursday, Bloomberg reported that Energos Infrastructure shelved a $2 billion junk-debt sale, as the company owned by Apollo Global Management Inc. struggled to attract investor demand.

Investors also pulled $1.3 billion from bank loan exchange-traded funds in October—the biggest monthly outflow from the sector since April—according to data compiled by Bloomberg Intelligence. Add it all up, and there may be good reason for investors to be more skittish now.

“What sticks out to me is that while the share of distressed debt is small on a historic perspective, it’s quite large

(RDO) 80 (Mandaue City, Cebu), 81 (Cebu City, North), 82 (Cebu City, South), 83 (Talisay City, Cebu) and 123 (Large Taxpayers DivisionCebu), including their authorized agent banks.

The BIR also expanded the scope of RMC 99-2025 to additional areas in Negros Occidental, such as RDO 76 (Victorias City), 77 (Bacolod City), 78 (Binalbagan) and 79 (Municipality of Vallehermoso and Cities of Guihulngan and Canlaon).

The complete list of covered BIR forms and returns is enumerated in the RMC.

Taxpayers covered by the circulars will not be subjected to penalties, surcharges and interest, provided that their filings, payments and submissions are completed within the extended period. “The purpose of this extension is

compared to prior periods when you’ve had very tight spreads,” said Winnie Cisar, global head of strategy at CreditSights Inc.

What to watch ABOUT $40 billion of US high-grade bond sales are expected in the coming week.

In Europe, 40 percent of professionals surveyed expect €20 billion ($23.1 billion) to €25 billion of sales next week, while a same-sized cohort expects €25 billion to €30 billion.

In the US, the government shutdown adds uncertainty on the state of US inflation and consumer strength. If October CPI were available, Bloomberg Economics expects it would support a Fed rate cut at the December meeting.

Headline retail sales growth likely slowed in October to 0.3 percent (vs. estimated 0.4 percent prior). Data due November 10, assuming the federal government has reopened.

Across the pond, UK wage pressures likely moderated, while GDP growth probably slowed modestly in the third quarter. Data due November 11 and November 13, respectively.

In China, credit expansion likely cooled in October on reduced government financing and slower bank lending. Data due November 9-15. Consumer and producer prices—due November 9—likely fell at a slower pace in October.

Week In Review

n Alphabet Inc. sold $17.5 billion of bonds in the US, after issuing €6.5 billion ($7.48 billion) of notes in Europe, adding to a wave of borrowing from technology companies as they invest aggressively in artificial intelligence.

n Cipher Mining Inc. raised $1.4 billion through a high-yield bond offering to help fund the construction of a data center linked to Alphabet’s Google, the latest example of the AI borrowing boom spilling into the US junk-debt market. Bloomberg

to give taxpayers and BIR personnel in the affected areas sufficient time to file returns, pay taxes, and submit the required documents without incurring penalties, surcharges, or interest,” Lumagui said in a social media post last Saturday.

Typhoon Tino (international name Kalmaegi) entered the Philippine area of responsibility last weekend, devastating many parts of the country with heavy rainfall. (See: https://businessmirror.com. ph/2025/11/07/state-of-calamityfor-regions-hit-by-tino/)

As of Thursday morning, the Office of Civil Defense said the death toll from Typhoon Tino has reached 114.

Among the provinces that suffered the brunt of the typhoon was Cebu, which is currently under a state of calamity. Reine Juvierre S. Alberto

NPLs, also known as “bad” loans, are credit accommodations that borrowers have not serviced for more than 90 days from the due date.

A lower NPL ratio renders banks less susceptible to loan quality erosion and that the banks loan assets are healthy, with only a small percentage of bad loans.

In absolute terms, local banks’ NPLs amounted to P538.688 billion in September 2025, lower than the P550.095 billion in August 2025, but higher yearon-year from P517.452 billion.

Meanwhile, the total loan portfolio of the Philippine banking system rose to P16.262 trillion in September 2025 from P15.708 trillion a month earlier.

Broken down, the gross NPL ratio of universal and commercial banks (UKBs) settled at 3.02 percent in September 2025, the lowest since the 3.05 percent posted in June 2025. The gross NPLs of UKBs amounted to P453.393 billion, while the total loan portfolio of these major banks reached P15.030 trillion in September 2025.

As for thrift banks, the NPL ratio stood at 6.42 percent in September

2025. This is higher than the 6.33 percent posted in August 2025, but lower than the 6.94 percent recorded in September last year.

Gross NPLs were at P63.255 billion in September 2025, higher than the P60.481 billion in August 2025 and the P54.196 billion recorded in September 2024.  Digital banks (DGBs), meanwhile, the gross NPL ratio averaged 6.42 percent in September 2025.  The gross NPL ratio of DGBs was 6.33 percent in August 2025 and 6.94 percent in September 2024. These banks’ gross NPLs is equivalent to P63.255 billion, while their TLP reached P984.872 billion in September 2025.  The BSP still did not have NPL data for rural and cooperative banks as of press time.

Another Barmm town to use QR pay system

By Manuel T. Cayon @awimailbox Mindanao Bureau Chief

DAVAO CITY—Another town in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (Barmm), has adapted cashless transaction in market and public transportation.

The town of Parang, Maguindanao del Norte, became the first municipality in the Bangsamoro region, and the second local government after Cotabato City, to adopt the Paleng-QR Ph Plus program.

Parang Mayor Cahar P. Ibay said he expects about 300 public market vendors,150 business establishment owners and 1,000 tricycle drivers to adopt the program that was formally rolled out on November 6.

The Paleng-QR Ph Plus is a joint initiative of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) and the Department of the Interior and Local Government to promote digital

DHSUD suspends housing payments in Tino-hit areas

TBy Bless Aubrey Ogerio

HE Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) announced last Friday key housing agencies were told to suspend amortization payments for homeowners affected by Typhoon “Tino” and to prepare for an incoming storm.

The moratorium covers the Home Development Mutual Fund (Pag-IBIG Fund), the National Housing Authority (NHA), the Social Housing Finance Corp. (SHFC) and the National Home Mortgage Finance Corp. (NHMFC).

According to the DHSUD, the advisory was issued after government’s declaration of a “state of national calamity” covering the Visayas and Mindanao island-groups.

A statement issued by the DHSUD read the agency also provided temporary shelters for typhoon-hit families in Cebu through modular housing units at Bayanihan Village in San Remigio town. According to the DHAUD, it has activated regional shelter clusters to ensure readiness and coordination with other government units.

As of 11:00 a.m. on Sunday, the state weather bureau reported that the Super Typhoon Uwan had reached Signal Number 5 over parts of Aurora, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, and Catanduanes

Meanwhile, the National Housing Authority recently conducted a community outreach in General Santos City for over 1,600 participants, mostly housing beneficiaries.

The event offered basic government services, health consultations and distribution of limited food packs.

Also, a ceremonial awarding of Transfer Certificates of Title to three families of former Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and Philippine National Police (PNP) personnel also took place.

The NHA plans its last outreach caravan of the year in Iligan City later this month, marking the 37th caravan since 2023

payments. This electronic application uses the national QR Ph standard, particularly among market vendors and tricycle operators.

Barmm Acting Senior Minister Abdullah M. Cusain lauded the Parang municipal government for pioneering the move and reaffirmed the Bangsamoro government’s continued support.

“This is proof that progress does not skip the Bangsamoro. We are not being left behind. We are rising, striving to keep pace and moving forward with pride,” he said. “We want everyone to keep pace and take part in progress in this modern era.”

BSP Cotabato Branch Acting Area Director Gregorio E. Baccay III  emphasized the importance of LGU engagement in sustaining the program.

“We recognize the crucial role that the local government units play in making the Paleng-QR Ph Plus program’s success,” Baccay said.

He, Ibay and Cusain visited the municipality’s public market after the launching ceremony.

“This will truly provide a service for faster transactions in our area,” Ibay said, expressing gratitude to the central bank.

Residents also expressed openness to the initiative.

“Para po sa akin okay lang po ’yung online payment [For me, online payment is fine],” said Fatima Ali, 44, who has been vending for more than a decade. However, she noted that challenges may arise when there is no smartphone or Internet connection.

The invention of the QR code is credited to Masahiro Hara and his team at Denso Wave, a subsidiary of Denso Corp., a Japanese automobile parts manufacturer. The company chose to make the essential patents freely available immediately after its development and patent application in  1994 to encourage widespread use. Source: Generative AI

SCAMDEMIC: INSIDE THE FORCED-WORK NETWORKS POWERING

ASIA’S

DIGITAL SCAMS

By Huizhong Wu The Associated Press

IT often starts with a text message asking if you are available on weekends, looking for a part-time job, or you get a simple “hello” from an unknown number. Halfway across the world, a laborer is usually pulling in 12-16 hour days, sending non-stop messages, hoping someone will take the bait.

The ultimate goal is always to take your money—victims have lost tens of billions to scams and hundreds of thousands of people are in forced labor to keep the schemes going. These workers are often housed in massive complexes scattered across southeast Asia, where the industry has flourished.

Here is why rooting out the scamming industry is such a complex issue:

The crackdown in Myanmar THE Myanmar military last month went into one of the most wellknown scam compounds—the massive KK Park, along the border with Thailand—and announced its shutdown, though civil society groups later said parts of the compound are still operating.

The workers fled, with about 1,500 laborers—hundreds of them from India but also Chinese, Filipinos, Vietnamese, Ethiopians and Kenyans, among other nationalities—crossing into Thailand. Troops then demolished several structures within the massive complex, according to Thai military officials.

Thailand is now working with India and other foreign governments to repatriate their citizens.

On Thursday, one of the largest groups of workers was flown home aboard Indian air force transport planes and more are to return next week.

However, KK Park was just one of dozens such centers along the

Thai-Myanmar border and hundreds across Southeast Asia.

Emerging from casinos and illegal gambling

SCAM compounds are often located in rural areas, sprawling complexes with sleeping quarters, shops and entertainment venues for the staff.

They are constructed on a model where developers may build out a single property and then lease out the space inside to various companies. They often operate with the protection of local elites. Smaller operations also exist—housed in one floor of legitimate office buildings, or even a rented house in an urban area.

The centers originated from casinos—both online and physical casinos that mushroomed across Southeast Asia. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime counted more than

340 licensed and non-licensed casinos in 2021 alone.

The casinos and attached junket tours attracted high-rollers from China, where gambling is outlawed and are operated by Chinese criminal groups.

During the pandemic, visiting such locations became difficult amid strict travel restrictions. Lacking customers, some online casinos shifted their work model to a criminal operation: defrauding targets from all over the world through digital schemes.

Relying on both trafficked and willing labor

IT’S estimated that at least 120,000 people across Myanmar may be held in situations where they are forced to work on online scams, with another

100,000 people in Cambodia, according to a 2023 Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights report.

The numbers are estimates at best, but scam centers rely on a mix of trafficked and willing laborers, lured by false promises of relatively high salaries and an easy office job.

Early on, workers came from China and Chinese speaking countries, but now the UN drugs and crime office says laborers are drawn from 56 countries, from Indonesia to Liberia.

The reality is a stark contrast from their expectations—their passports are often confiscated to keep them from leaving the complex. Only very senior managers and trusted lieutenants are able to have freedom of move -

ment, workers have said. Workers who don’t perform are beaten or face other physical punishments.

A global scourge

SCAMMERS don’t discriminate— they target people across the world, aided by translation tools that are powered by artificial intelligence.

In the Philippines, authorities raided a complex in March 2024 where workers had been targeting Chinese nationals in an investment scheme.

Working off a script, the scammers pretended they were a high-ranking employee at the state-owned China National Petroleum Corporation and got their targets to invest in crude oil futures, according to a copy of a script seen by The Associated Press.

Last month, about 50 South Koreans were repatriated from Cambodia, arrested over several months on accusations they worked for online scam organizations.

Also recently, US prosecutors unveiled an indictment against Chen Zhi, a Chinese-Cambodian businessman, on charges of defrauding people in a massive criminal network. The prosecutors charge that his organization scammed 250 Americans out of millions of dollars, with one losing $400,000 alone in cryptocurrency. In 2024, Americans lost at least $10 billion to Southeast Asia-based scams, according to the US Treasury Department.

The victims S CAMS vary in how they’re carried out, ranging from investments in cryptocurrency, to online task scams where people are asked to top-up to get their next task—with real money sometimes paid out in the earlier stages of a scam.

Many scammers build a sense of urgency when asking for an investment, saying the target will miss out if it’s not done by a certain time.

Despite government efforts to crack down and free workers trapped in scam centers, and raids that have shut down some compounds, activists say the main culprits are still at large. There are new reports of scam centers continue to surface both in Southeast Asia and across the world

A United Nations report in April said scammers have bilked victims out of billions of dollars through false

Best-selling

Careline Blush On now has 20 shades with Cup of Joe’s GiRaph leading the campaign

THE makeup brand known for its fun, fearless, and creative spirit, Careline has expanded its best-selling Single Blush On to 20 shades—making it easier than ever to find the perfect match for every skintone and undertone.

Fronting the campaign is GiRaph, the pairing of Gian Bernardino and Raphael Singson from OPM breakthrough band Cup of Joe.

The band has quickly risen in the local music scene with hits like “Tingin,” “Estranghero,” and “Tataya.” For this campaign, Gian and Raphael bring their natural charm and relatability beyond the stage, embodying Careline’s edgy and expressive brand personality.

The launch features a lighthearted digital video where GiRaph chase each other over their favorite Careline Single Blush On, a fun nod to the product’s vibrant appeal. Fans will also spot a clever Easter egg: a scene of Gian enjoying his favorite ramen—an inside reference long-time supporters of Cup of Joe will instantly recognize.

Carmen “Mikee” Torralba, brand manager of Careline, shared: “GiRaph connects with fans in such an authentic and joyful way, exactly how we want Careline to connect with our consumers. Just like our blush, Gian and Raphael bring color, energy and warmth wherever they go. They are the perfect faces to represent our expanded 20-shade line that celebrates individuality, self-expression, and the beauty of being true to yourself.”

The collection now spans a diverse spectrum— from new cool tones like Pink Glacier and French Rose to OG warm favorites like Peach Glow and Brick Rose. With its lightweight, blendable, and long-lasting formula, the Careline Single Blush On remains a go-to for beauty lovers who want versatility—whether aiming for a natural flush, a bold pop of color, or a sun-kissed glow.

THE Beauty Edit Gallery has opened at Spatio in Opus Mall. This is an editorial-led retail concept and the first of its kind in the Philippines. The Beauty Edit is a media platform that presents a mix of editorial content, expert insights, and community engagement, with a paid membership option for exclusive content. The Beauty Edit also offers boxes of curated collections of beauty products. The Beauty Edit is also a community of editors, experts and enthusiasts who share a passion for beauty.

“What excites me most is how this allows us to reimagine what beauty retail can look like,” said Martin de Leon, deputy general manager of Spatio. The Beauty Edit brings curation, storytelling, and sensorial discovery to the forefront, values that align

Refreshing frocks for the festive season

UNDER the radar but definitely on every smart woman’s wardrobe, Ever New Melbourne is a stylish must-have from Down Under. Believing “that every woman has a unique story to tell, and her wardrobe is one of the ways she expresses it,” the brand currently has 19 stores in Metro Manila and Cebu.

Known for its effortlessly wearable and beautifully designed collections, Ever New combines elegance with contemporary trends. It offers timeless styles that can seamlessly transition from day to night, from the workroom to weekend getaways.

Ever New’s holiday campaign is called the “Ever Festive,” its November and December collection, which was launched in advance at SM Aura Premier in Taguig City on October 25.

“As you can see, the assortment and display that you see in walls and in the fixtures are not yet available in other stores. These are a wide assortment of dresses, tops, bottoms, a lot of styles for cardigans, for skirts, and of course our clutches for holiday outfitting. So, these are again our perfect collection and story for the holidays,” Kimrae CañeroDimarucut, the brand manager of Ever New.

On November 1, the rust and brown, porcelain, and black range of outfits were rolled out into the brand’s various branches across Manila and Cebu. By November 16, the pastel and vibrant colors of florals— ig florals—and abstract designs will be launched.

“This is part of the Christmas collection. But in December, there will still be a new collection and additional styles to this. It can be seasonless, and the sophisticated styles can go from the holidays to summer,” said Cañero-Dimarucut. “As you can see, we’re very versatile. You can see timeless pieces. But our main story for November is more about the solids.”

The only handwriting for this November range is the polka dots, perfect for a New Year’s Eve celebration. There are neutral colors in army green and muted red, as well as some vibrant designs that really you can extend until summer outfitting.

There is also formal wear that you can wear for holiday events, for the red carpet, and for theme events.

“The silhouette of our PM dresses are modern. It’s simple, but you can see the details,” said CañeroDimarucut. “The details of the dresses are competitive enough to focus on the silhouette of each style.”

The bags and accessories, meanwhile, are more of the blacks and the beige that are perfect for matching with any of the brand’s timeless and on-trend designs.

“We are launching evening clutches as well as office-to-evening handbags,” Cañero-Dimarucut said. “These are perfect for day dressing and as well as for PM dressing.”

The brand enlisted 16 influencers who had their event appearance for the advance launch and did a

perfectly with what Spatio stands for. Together, we’re creating a space that feels elevated but also deeply personal, where each product, scent and texture tells a story.”

The Beauty Edit’s founder is Nicole Morales, a former magazine editor who is an expert at all things beauty. She may be younger than me but she has introduced me to so many beauty products and services (like Rejuran).

“When I started The Beauty Edit, it was with a simple belief: that beauty should make you feel good. That discovery should come with learning, that products should be chosen with care, and that every story should come from a place of intention— something that gives value, sparks curiosity, and helps people learn something new. Today, that belief takes physical form here at Spatio,” said Morales.

The Beauty Edit Gallery is a celebration of Filipino beauty spotlighting some of the country’s indie innovators, cult icons, and niche trailblazers shaping the local scene.

There are over 25 Filipino beauty brands at the space and I already have favorites out of all the products that I have tried. Of course, my favorites change depending on my needs at the moment, but for now these are my top five.

I have gone through two tubes of the Popique Kiss

“Their most preferred item is the coordinates in a rusty brown color. So, the halter detailing and the backless detailing of the top is really a must-have and a go-to style nowadays, paired with the shorts.

And it’s really our first time in this season when we launched this shade of color. So, also the bottom-down detailing is something that got their attention,” shared Cañero-Dimarucut, who wore an ensemble from the autumn-winter collection.

Ever New Aura is actually the brand’s seventh store. It was renovated this year and reopened with an expanded space of 174 from 100 square meters. With a wider space and more walls, more styles and more stories were showcased, and more options are offered to customers.

“We are planning to expand. We don’t have it in Mindanao yet, but it’s definitely in our plans. A lot of our customers are also asking if we’ll be having our store in Mindanao, and definitely our management is on top of that to look for a perfect space for Ever New,” said Cañero-Dimarucut.

strengthening its regional presence while enhancing the full brand experience for shoppers in these growing markets. Now live at www.cos.com/en-ph the official site will offer exclusive collections, iconic styles, and the latest designs from the brand.

Me Multi-peptide Lip Balm. It’s very moisturizing (the texture is quite thick though). To be honest, this can hold a candle to more expensive lip balms. Habitude recently revamped its skincare lineup and I have been loving the Skin On Holiday Serum. What I like about Habitude is that it’s owned by three women who believe in sustainability and realistic Enigma Skintroduction Longwear Liquid Concealer is probably one of the

DOH Ilocos Region strengthens malaria diagnosis skills through intensive microscopy training

The Department of Health (DOH) – Ilocos Region, through its Communicable Diseases Unit (CDU) and Malaria Control and Elimination Program, in partnership with the Cagayan Valley Center for Health Development (CVCHD), successfully conducted the Intensive Malaria Microscopy Training for Medical Technologists from October 20 to 31, 2025, in Tuguegarao City, Cagayan.

The 12-day training course aimed to strengthen the capacity of medical technologists in accurately diagnosing malaria through microscopy.

Participants were equipped with essential knowledge and technical skills to identify malaria parasite species, prepare and stain blood smears, and ensure high-quality, standardized laboratory results.

Regional Director Paula Paz M. Sydiongco of DOH Ilocos Region highlighted the importance of such initiatives in sustaining the region’s progress toward malaria elimination.

“Proper testing is essential to

maintain malaria-free areas and prevent the re-emergence of the disease. By continuously building the skills of our health workers, we strengthen our collective effort toward a malaria-free Philippines,” she said.

During the training, medical technologists undergone combination of lectures and hands-on laboratory exercises, needed to enhance their diagnostic competencies and understanding of malaria morphology, slide reading, and quality assurance practices.

Likewise, the training reflects DOH’s ongoing commitment to capacity building and inter-regional collaboration in support of the National Malaria Control and Elimination Program, contributing to the country’s goal of eliminating malaria by 2030.  This month of November is Malaria Awareness Month, which is celebrated by conducting various activities to raise awareness and promote prevention and control of malaria as per Proclamation 1168 series of November 2006.

Anlene Sounds the Alarm on the Silent Health Crisis

Alarming new data from bone scans conducted by Anlene between 2024 and 2025 reveal a silent health crisis among Filipinos. Out of more than 80,000 Filipinos who took part in the initiative, a shocking six out of 10 (59 percent) were found to be at risk of osteoporosis or osteopenia, with cases detected in individuals as young as 24 years old.

Osteopenia signifies lower-thannormal bone density without fractures, serving as a critical precursor to osteoporosis, a more severe condition involving weak, fragile bones and a high fracture risk, even from minor falls.

“By 2050, around 10.2 million Filipinos could be affected by osteoporosis, with another 30 million at high risk of developing osteopenia,” shared Dr. Len Lugue Lizardo, member of the Board of Trustees of the Osteoporosis Society of the Philippines Foundation, Inc. (OSPFI). Lizardo highlighted that a lack of exercise and natural aging are among the primary reasons why individuals might develop these conditions.

A 2023 National Nutrition Survey (NNS) Food Consumption Survey also revealed that Filipinos across

all age groups are not consuming enough to meet their Recommended Energy Intake (REI). The average intake of calcium, vitamin A, and vitamin C remains low across nearly all age groups, except for infants and preschoolers. Protein deficiency is another concern, particularly among pregnant and lactating women.

Getting back pain after sitting for too long is one sign of weakening bone-joint-muscle (BJM) health. Unfortunately, most Filipinos don’t act until it’s too late.

Osteoporosis can significantly impact an individual’s ability to live a full and productive life, hindering their pursuit of personal goals and family responsibilities as they age. This includes other conditions such as sarcopenia and osteoarthritis, where muscle mass and joint cartilage progressively deteriorate.

As bone-joint-muscle health continues to decline among Filipinos, Anlene launches its latest advocacy campaign, #KilosLagi, to sound the alarm on this silent health crisis and urge Filipinos to act now.

#KilosLagi is a call to action that prioritizes bone, joint, and muscle health through intentional movement

ABOITIZPOWER SCORES FOUR-PEAT. Aboitiz Power Corporation (AboitizPower) received its fourth Golden Arrow Award in a row, improving to a 4-arrow recognition after scoring 105.52 out of 130 in the 2024 ASEAN Corporate Governance Scorecard (ACGS). The assessment measures a publicly listed company’s performance with respect to the rights and equitable treatment of shareholders, sustainability and resilience, disclosure and transparency, and board responsibility. AboitizPower received 3-arrow recognitions in the two previous ACGS assessments, preceded by a 4-arrow recognition in 2021. Its fourth consecutive Golden Arrow Award signals the company’s consistent compliance with corporate government standards and favorable standing

and optimal nutrition. No step is too small as anyone can start by being more mindful in their daily actions: using stairs instead of elevators, parking farther to walk to an entrance, or going to the market instead of ordering online.

Optimal nutrition is equally critical, as it helps sustain increased physical activity.

Beyond simply eating “healthy food,” it’s about mindful eating and maintaining the right balance of macronutrients like carbohydrates and protein, and micronutrients including essential vitamins and minerals.

While meat, fruits, vegetables, and conventional milk are traditional sources of these nutrients, drinking adult milk such as Anlene offers a simple and effective way to help ensure daily nutritional needs, especially calcium, vitamin D, protein, and other essential nutrients, are consistently met.

“For years, Anlene has been committed to supporting every Filipino’s bone, joint, and muscle health because we know that when our bodies feel strong, we can move freely, age stronger, and enjoy life doing what we love with our loved ones,” says Jasmin Magsajo, Sales & Marketing Director of Fonterra Brands Philippines Inc., the local distributor of Anlene.

“We encourage everyone to get a bone scan as soon as possible, prioritize proper nutrition with Anlene, specially formulated with high calcium and protein, and adopt the Kilos Lagi mindset to consistently support their bone, joint, and muscle health,” said Magsajo.

To address this national health concern long-term, Anlene is amplifying its efforts to further the #KilosLagi campaign by conducting free bone scans across the country, with the goal of reaching one million scans by 2030.

In partnership with OSPFI, Anlene is also strengthening collaborations with local government units and private organizations to help significantly reduce the number of Filipinos at risk of osteoporosis.

Visit www.anlene.com.ph/movecheck for the latest schedule of Anlene bone scan activations.

Learn more about the Kilos Lagi movement and stay updated on how to support bone-joint-muscle health by following Anlene Philippines on Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram.and Jen Chua (Anlene)

This November, it’s time to enjoy supercharged savings with Smart and JuanHand. Through the Load Now, Pay Later program, Smart

rolling all the way to November 21 and 28. Take your pick from your favorite load promos: Power All TikTok 99, Power All TikTok 149, Power All FB 99, Power All FB 149, Saya All 99, and Saya All 149. Thanks to the partnership of Smart’s

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Suzuki Philippines, DES Strong Motors Strengthen Partnership, open Suzuki Auto

Suzuki Philippines Incorporated (SPH), the country’s leading distributor of compact vehicles, continues to expand its reach in Mindanao with the grand opening of Suzuki Auto Iligan, in partnership with DES Strong Motors, Inc.

The newly opened 3S dealership, offering Sales, Service, and Spare Parts, is strategically located in Purok Ilang-Ilang, Santa Filomena, Iligan City, and stands as a symbol of Suzuki’s continued commitment to provide accessible, high-quality vehicles and exceptional customer care to Filipinos nationwide.

Suzuki Auto Iligan is the fourth Suzuki dealership under the management of DES Strong Motors, Inc., led by Dr. Silvestre Lumapas Jr., President; Marilou Du-Lumapas, Vice President; and Louise Camille D. Lumapas, Managing Director. This expansion underscores the group’s strong belief in the Suzuki brand and its dedication to delivering reliable products and excellent service to customers in Northern Mindanao.

During the ceremony, Koichiro Hirao, President of Suzuki Philippines, expressed his gratitude and optimism for the partnership, stating:

“This marks another milestone in our partnership with DES Strong Motors. Their passion and commitment continue to inspire us at Suzuki. We are proud to open Suzuki Auto Iligan, a new home for customers in Lanao del Norte and nearby areas.”

Known as the City of Majestic Waterfalls, Iligan City is one of Northern Mindanao’s most progressive urban centers, rich in industry, trade, and tourism. The establishment of Suzuki Auto Iligan reinforces the brand’s presence in the region and supports the city’s

TRANSFORMING

The Philippines’s journey toward open governance

TRANSPARENCY is more than a policy. It is a pledge to make governance not only visible but accountable; not only accessible but truly responsive to the people it serves. In the Philippines, this promise comes to life through the Philippine Open Government Partnership (PH-OGP), a cornerstone of our administration’s resolve to make openness, participation, and integrity the hallmarks of public service.

From October 6 to 10, 2025, over 2,000 leaders, policymakers, and civil society champions from around the world gathered in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain, for the 2025 Open Government Partnership (OGP) Global Summit. This brought together nations united by the common goal to build a future where integrity anchors governance and citizens are genuine partners in progress.

MCDONALD’S PHILIPPINES NAMED EMPLOYER OF THE YEAR BY PMAP

MANILA, PHILIPPINES—

McDonald’s Philippines triumphed at this year’s People Management Association of the Philippines (PMAP) Awards as it bagged the coveted Employer of the Year Award, given to a company showing exceptional business and people management practices.

McDonald’s, which was the unanimous choice, bested

some of the country’s most esteemed companies, meeting the awards’ criteria for a purpose-driven organization that puts its people- first philosophies, principles, and values at the core of its operations.

Aside from winning top honors, the quick service restaurant (QSR) giant was also one of the companies given the Exemplar Status for the National Capital Region.

McDonald’s President and CEO Kenneth Yang received the award during the PMAP annual conference held recently in NUSTAR, Cebu City. PMAP is the country’s premier organization for human resource practitioners and people managers.

“This recognition fuels our

Guided by this collective vision, the Philippine delegation, composed of officials from various government agencies, joined the OGP global community in reaffirming that transparency knows no borders— that good governance is strongest when it is shared, and most enduring when it remains open to all. Leading the delegation was Budget Secretary Amenah “Mina” F. Pangandaman, who also serves as Chairperson of the PH-OGP.

One of the highlights was the Open Gov Awards, which recognized the most promising and impactful reforms submitted through the Open Gov Challenge, celebrating innovation and progress in open governance. The Philippine flag stood tall as we brought home six Open Gov Challenge Awards. Among these, the Procurement Service-Department of Budget and Management (PS-DBM) was recognized as the overall winner in both the Anti-Corruption Thematic Category and the Asia and Pacific Regional Category for its commitment to “Improve Data Availability, Interoperability, and Public Participation in Procurement.”

The Climate Change Commission also earned distinction in the Climate and Environment Thematic Category for its reform initiative to “Increase the Accessibility of Climate Finance

commitment to our purpose: lighting the way to brighter opportunities for our people and the communities we serve,” said Kenneth. “Though I accepted the award onstage, the honor truly belongs to close to 1 million Filipinos who have become and are part of the McFamily.”

He added: “McDonald’s Philippines is part of a worldclass brand, proudly rooted in the Filipino spirit. Today, we stand as the largest market in Southeast Asia, and the 10th largest globally. Our scale is more than a number—it’s a responsibility. It empowers us to serve communities, create opportunities, and support nation building.”

Every new McDonald’s

Data.” Meanwhile, the Presidential Communications OfficeFOI Project Management Office received an Honorable Mention in the Access to Information

Thematic Category for its project to “Co-Create a Framework to Implement Local Right to Information (RTI) Ordinances.”

Lastly, the Quezon City Government and People’s Council of Quezon City emerged as the Regional Winner in Asia-Pacific and the Overall Winner in the Civic Space Thematic Category for their initiative “Support Capacity Building for Civil Society to Participate in Governance.”

All these recognitions reflect the steady progress of our government and of PH-OGP’s work and clear direction toward meaningful reform. They show that the initiatives under our national action plan are making a tangible impact on government policy. As we move toward a more open and transparent government, we are accelerating the digital transformation of our bureaucracy, harnessing technology to make public service more efficient, accountable, and citizen centered. Under the leadership of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr., the administration continues to leverage innovation to enhance bureaucratic efficiency and promote good governance. This ensures that the policies and reforms we implement are more

store translates to 80 to 100 new jobs, driven by the company’s commitment to supporting economic activity on the local and national levels and providing employment opportunities through inclusive and diverse hiring practices.

Since Chairman and Founder Dr. George T. Yang opened the first McDonald’s store in the country in 1981, the company has upheld the practice of direct hiring and non-contractualization, setting it apart from QSRs in the country.

Earlier this year, McDonald’s Philippines owners Dr. George T. Yang and Kenneth S. Yang secured a new-term license to operate McDonald’s

responsive to the needs of the Filipino people.

In line with the administration’s objectives and shortly after the 2025 OGP Global Summit, Secretary Mina led the launch of the Procurement Service-DBM Modernized PhilGEPS Open Data Portal on October 21, 2025. The Open Data Portal provides access to relevant information on government procurement activities, such as the eMarketplace, Virtual Store, and eBidding Facility. Information about the government agencies involved, merchants, observers, bid notices, and awards is likewise accessible through the portal.

Once again, our Budget Secretary and PH-OGP Chairperson has demonstrated her firm commitment and eagerness to lead the government toward greater transparency. With the Open Data Portal in place, ordinary citizens are now empowered to take an active role in scrutinizing government procurement and the parties involved in the process, ensuring that every centavo of public funds is spent wisely and properly accounted for.

And that is where we are today. Gone are the days when we had to wait for many years before we could truly feel the impact of the reforms introduced. Today, we are not only witnessing these reforms unfold, we are

in the country for the next 20 years—a strong vote of confidence for their leadership and stewardship of the brand. The new-term license also came at a time of accelerated growth, with the company opening and operating stores in virtually all provinces in the country, bringing the McDonald’s experience closer to every Filipino.

At present, McDonald’s operates over 800 stores all over the country, and has a workforce of about 70,000 individuals, 70 percent of whom are working students. With the help of flexible work hours, they can continue pursuing their studies while also gaining significant work experience.

The company provides

also experiencing their tangible benefits firsthand. The initiatives that we once presented on the global stage are now taking shape in our everyday lives, driving progress and reaffirming our commitment to genuine, people-centered governance. With the right leaders at the helm and the unwavering support of the Filipino people, we move forward—transforming transparency into action, participation into empowerment, and governance into genuine service for all. This is the vision of a Bagong Pilipinas—one built on openness, inclusivity, and lasting progress.

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 premier association for senior professionals around the world. Wilford Will Wong is an IPRA member and is currently working as an Undersecretary of the Department of Budget and Management. He carries with him over 20 years of experience in Corporate Communications and Public stakeholder relations.

We are devoting a special column each month to answer the reader’s questions about public relations. Please send your comments and questions to askipraphil@gmail.com.

a world-class training program, on par with the global standards upheld by McDonald’s Corporation. Covering various aspects of restaurant operations and even beyond, the training provided by the company allows employees to succeed not just in the company, but also in other professional fields.

Said Kenneth: “Since opening our first store in 1981, we’ve contributed to economic growth and have provided employment and business opportunities for our franchisees, partner suppliers, and the communities we serve. We remain committed to lighting up more Golden Arches—and more opportunities—for generations to come.”

Team

worlds in Chile.

Moments after beating Thailand, Philippine National Volleyball Federation and AVC president Ramon “Tats” Suzara congratulated the team members for their accomplishment.

The Philippines clinched the final Asian spot as China had already qualified as the defending world champion even before reaching the Final Four. T he other Asian teams which are goinf to Chile are Korea, Chinese Taipei and Japan.

“That’s really the icing on the cake,” said Alas U16 coach Edwin Leyva. “We only had two weeks to prepare, and at first, we were just a ragtag team. But we took it one set at a time and now our dream came true.” Alas recovered from dropping the third set and held off a late Thai rally in the fourth. With the score tied at 19-all, Rayco delivered in the clutch, scoring the final three points to seal the victory and the world championship slot.

South Korea beat Chinese Taipei in an epic 26-28, 25-21, 25-11, 19-25, 1513 match on Saturday to win the crown.

“I ’m inspired because I’m still young, but I’ve already come this far and I know there’s still a higher level waiting for me,” Rayco said.

Nadeth Herbon backed Rayco with 16 points, while middle blocker Madele Gale added 11 points with five blocks

T he win was a redemption for the Philippines which blew a 2-1 match lead and lost to Thailand in five sets

Alas girls headed to U16 worlds

during the final eight. “In the third set, we started to feel down, but in the fourth, we didn’t let it happen again because we didn’t want a repeat of our last game,” Rayco said.

Despite limited preparation, the young Filipinas impressed in their international

debut—taking a set against defending champion Japan, defeating Iran to reach the final eight and sweeping Hong Kong to earn a spot in the battle for fifth.

Thailand finished sixth led by Natacha Thongkham with 18 points and Chamikon Cankawe with 13 points.

HE Philippine Sports Commission

T(PSC) marked a pivotal moment in Mindanao’s journey toward peace and development through sports after forging a partnership with the Bangsamoro Sports Commission (BSC) during the Mindanao Sports Summit at Mindanao State University (MSU) in Marawi City.

“This is more than a summit, it’s a movement toward a resilient, peace-driven sporting future for our region,” said MSU System president Atty. Paisalin PD Tago, CPA. The summit featured in-depth discussions on sports psychology and science, women’s participation in athletics, coaching and management strategies, and media promotion—all essential components of a long-term and inclusive sports development roadmap for Mindanao.

A reemerging center of opportunity in

the region, Marawi City is now rising as a springboard of dreams where sports will begin igniting hope, nurturing talent and uniting communities across Mindanao.

“M arawi is the land of promis and we are committed to supporting its youth, athletes and community every step of the way,” PSC Chairman Patrick “Pato” Gregorio said. B eyond the sessions, the summit celebrated Marawi’s vibrant cultural identity—its deep faith, creativity and unyielding spirit.

The fusion of tradition and athleticism sent a powerful message: peace is not just a dream, but a shared goal realized through passion and purpose.

“This occasion is more than just a meeting of minds. It is a celebration of unity, resilience, and shared purpose among

Cantada, NU go 1-up in race-to-two finals

Rookie Sam Cantada scores 18 points on 16 kills in National University’s 15-25, 25-23, 25-17, 13-25, 15-12, victory over University of Santo Tomas in Game 1 of the Shakey’s Super League Preseason Unity Finals on Saturday night at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum. SSL PHOTO

safety and scenery–a rare mix that has athletes calling Bataan a rising

NBA youth movement of coaches

Eall who believe in the power of sports to transform lives and communities,’’ BSC chairperson Arsalan Diamaoden said.

A lso joining Daimaoden in the summit were BSC executive director Salihwardi Alba, MSU College of Sports, Physical Education and Recreation (SPEAR) Dean Mirian Aman and the Philippine Sports Institute’s Pearl Managuelod.

Karate Pilipinas president Richard Lim, Pilipinas Sepak Takraw Federation head Karen Caballero, Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines secretary general Marcus Manalo, Philippine Amateur Baseball Association deputy secretary general Professor Francis Diaz, PSC Chief of Staff Professor Loujaye Sonido and PSC media consultant June Navarro served as speakers.

destination for endurance racing.

“It’s ideal for beginners who want a challenge on their first try, especially on the bike leg,” said seasoned campaigner Mervin Santiago. “You’ll feel the thrill of pushing your limits.” F or race details, visit  www. ironman.com/races/5150-fab  or email sai.mayol@ironman.com

YES will be on 13-year-old

Cathleya Casals and Aurora’s very own in the Baler International Pro QS 4000 andLQS 1000 that puts Sabang Beach on the world surfing map anew from November 17 to 23. Casals, who’s been riding Sabang’s waves since she was five, leads a fiery Baler and local contingent in the competition— the second in the four-leg World Surf League (WSL)-organized Philippine series that started two weeks ago in General Luna in Siargao off Cloud 9. With Casals—ranked No. 17 in the WSL world junior tour alongside compatriots Kaila Jane de la Torre and Mara Lopez—are Neil Sanchez, Allen Magos, John Mark Tokong, Nilbie Blancada and Eduardo Alciso, as well as longboard specialists Mark Agila and Warren Valenzuela.

John Carby, technical director of the official Philippine license holder and event operator SDMI Sports, said the strong Philippine presence in Baler that lured more than a hundred top surfers in the region, makes the competition high-octane.

“But don’t count what Baler offers,” said Carby ahead of the competition supported by Bagong Pilipinas, Philippines Sports Commission

chaired by John Patrick “Patò” Gregorio and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. with official radio partner RX 93.1, NYC, LGU Baler, ASRAI, Kudo Surf, Vissla, Costa Pacifica, Sulong and the Department of Education headed by Secretary Sonny Angara.

“B aler is one of the most beautiful beaches in the Philippines with unique sand bottom waves that make surfing more intense and competitive,” Carby said. “It’s a fantastic opportunity to see the competition off the elegant Sabang Beach.”

There will be 52 surfers in the men’s qualifying series and 21 in the women’s side and 14 in women’s longboard qualifying series and 23 in the men’s category in the event that will be streamed live worldsurfleague.com | @wsl @wsl.qs Indonesian Bronson Meydi and 16-year-old Australian Ziggy Aloha Mackenzie topped the WSL QS6000 in General Luna town.

A fter Baler, the WSL goes to La Union from January 11 to 16 and 20 to 26 for the culmination of the Philippine series.

Kidd, Green, Splitter, Redick and Christie. And there are several foreign coaches—Tuomas Iisalo who is from Finland, Serbian Rajokovic, Splitter who hails from Brazil and Spaniard Fernandez. I actually find that more amazing than the age thing. And of that four,