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TIGHTLY-PACKED mountain homes reveal how working-class expansion continually reshapes Baguio’s rugged landscape.
A WORKING ECONOMY SHAPES
THE OTHER SIDE OF BAGUIO
JAIME BUTENG
VIRGINIA PAYAKDA
B
Text & photos by Joel C. Paredes
AGUIO CITY—It was getting chilly that morning, and Virginia Payakda noted that it was time to prepare for the arrival of tourists in Baguio as the Northeastern Monsoon, locally known as amihan, began to set in.
While visitors come to the city for its cool weather and familiar attractions, another side of Baguio is found in communities like the one where Payakda lives. Many of its residents came from different parts of the Cordillera, drawn by the opportunities available in the region’s commercial center. Payakda herself came from Mountain Province as a teenager. Asked why she chose to move to Baguio, her answer was simple. “The business here is better,” she said, “because of tourism.” She explained that opportunities were limited in her hometown. “It’s far there,” she said. “Here, it’s
close to town. If you want to buy something, you can buy it there. If you want to sell something, you can sell it there.” When she arrived in Baguio, she found work knitting sweaters. At the time, the city’s knitting industry provided income for many migrant workers from the highlands. Locally made sweaters were among the products associated with Baguio’s tourism economy. That industry has largely faded. Imported secondhand jackets sold in wagwag—the thrift shops that are also known as ukay-ukay—have replaced much of the market once occupied by locally knitted garments.
JEROME TOMAS and his youngest daughter in front of their house which he built with his late father.
A thriving informal economy
PAYAKDA adjusted to the changes. She later operated a small coffee stall near the Manila-bound bus terminal in the city center. The business served passengers and workers passing through the area each day. She continued running the stall until the Covid-19 pandemic, when senior citizens were advised to stay home. Instead of closing the business outright, she sold her rights to the space and retired to her home. Today, she spends her time in the community she helped build. Years earlier, the area was an informal settlement with few basic services. Residents eventually organized themselves under a government-supported community program that enabled them to secure legal tenure through a homeowners’ association. The community later became known as Blooming Hills. Asked where the name came from, Payakda laughed before answering, “Because it suddenly bloomed.” The growth of Blooming Hills reflected the growth of many Continued on A2
SUNDAY closures along Session Road transform the city’s main thoroughfare into a vibrant pedestrian zone, attracting families and local traders.
PESO EXCHANGE RATES n US 63.0490 n JAPAN 0.3991 n UK 83.7102 n HK 8.0346 n CHINA 9.4224 n SINGAPORE 49.1840 n AUSTRALIA 43.6236 n EU 70.7347 n KOREA 0.0470 n SAUDI ARABIA 16.8059 Source: BSP (October 16, 2026)
A2 Sunday, October 18, 2026
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A working economy shapes the other side of Baguio Continued from A1
similar communities around Baguio, populated by migrants who arrived looking for work and eventually made Baguio their home. The city relies on tourism, but it is also sustained by an informal economy that keeps it moving forward. According to latest data from the Philippine Statistics Authority, Baguio’s official population has grown steadily over the past decade—expanding from 318,676 residents in 2010 to over 368,000 in 2024. This growth was driven by regional migration, expanding universities, and economic opportunities that draw residents from across Northern Luzon. Among those drawn to Baguio is Jaime Tolano Buteng, who chose not to follow his parents into farming when he left Sagada as a young man. He found work that allowed him to put himself through college, earning a degree in Communication Arts from Baguio Colleges Foundation (now the University of the Cordilleras). His work eventually took him overseas to China and Hong Kong, but with modest savings, he returned to Baguio to be with his family. He opened a small convenience store that has since expanded into a mini-grocery. From a makeshift dwelling, Jaime and his wife built a concrete, two-story home overlooking the morning clouds. Asked why he chose Baguio over returning home to Sagada—itself a major tourist destination— Buteng answered directly: “We have everything here, and Baguio is known as the educational center of the North. My children will have a more secure future.”
“To be honest, I cannot say that we’re poor because everyone is able to eat. […] Everyone has a job.” — Jerome “Jake” Tomas, carpenter and former community volunteer
Dignity in labor
FOR others, Baguio has provided a pathway to build a life through skilled labor and community leadership. At 38, Jerome “Jake” Tomas followed in his father’s footsteps and became a carpenter, a trade that remains vital in Baguio’s growing urban communities. Born in the city and raised in Irisan, Jake is a proud Igorot whose family traces its roots to Sabangan, Mountain Province. Although his parents migrated to Baguio in search of better opportunities, Jake considers himself a son of the city. “My father was a jeepney driver and a carpenter, and
A FAMILY walks through the neighborhood, embodying the rhythms that sustain the city’s working economy.
Continued from A1
BAGUIO’S diverse cultural landscape is reflected in a new generation of indigenous youth embracing modern city life.
my mother was a sweater maker,” he recalled. “My parents gave us a chance to have work and a better life here.” Carpentry became more than just a livelihood. It allowed him to contribute directly to the home his family built over decades. The house where he lives today stands on a lot
his parents acquired when he was still young. His father constructed the house himself, and when Jerome began earning as a carpenter, he joined him in improving it. Despite rising living costs, Jake remains optimistic about life in Baguio. He and his wife Marissa, a former schoolmate from Irisan,
have built their lives in the same neighborhood where they grew up. Their household reflects the cultural diversity common in the Cordillera region. Jake is Kankanaey while Marissa is Ibaloi. Yet he continues to speak Kankanaey at home and with neighbors, maintaining strong ties to his indigenous heritage. While outsiders may see Irisan as a lower-income community in Baguio’s urban fringe, Jake offers a different perspective. As a former community volunteer tasked with identifying the poorest families for government programs, he found that most residents, though not wealthy, were able to support themselves through honest work. “To be honest, I cannot say that we’re poor because everyone is able to eat,” he said. “Most of them are taxi drivers, carpenters, just like me. Everyone has a job.” That observation captures what Jake believes is the defining character of Baguio’s workingclass community. The local residents may not possess substantial wealth, but their dignity comes not from status but from labor, responsibility, and the ability to provide for one’s family.
Sports BusinessMirror
A8 Sunday, October 18, 2026
mirror_sports@yahoo.com.ph | Editor: Jun Lomibao
TOP CLUBS OF 2026 Of all golf brands, the loudest traditionally are TaylorMade and Callaway. They sign the biggest players, have the biggest marketing campaigns, spend the most promoting their products.
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HE end of the year is fast approaching and soon, new clubs will be out on the market just in time for the holidays and early next year. The golf equipment market is a lucrative one, and for manufacturers, the slightest advantage—whether real or hyped, means the difference between a being in the red or black. Of all golf brands, the loudest traditionally are TaylorMade and Callaway. They sign the biggest players, have the biggest marketing campaigns, spend the most promoting their products. But if we were to look at what clubs actually are in use by pros the most vs what clubs go through the cash registers more often, we may see a completely different picture. Let’s take a look at what was used more often by the pros and which sold the most to everyday golfers like you and me.
On Tour
FOR professionals, equipment is often a compromise. While there are a few who forego equipment sponsorship in exchange for the freedom to choose clubs that work best for them, these pros make up a very, very small exception to the rule. Most professionals endorse a specific brand of equipment and are handsomely paid for it. Now, there may be contracts that require a full bag, and some give the option to choose a few clubs from other
manufacturers. But in general, pros play what the sponsors tell them to, and just tweak the clubs during fitting to fit their preferences and requirements. So which brands dominate the pro tours in each area of the bag? Driver: Titleist has been the driver of choice for most professionals for the past few years. Their focus on classic shapes, feel, and acoustics appeal to more professionals and elite amateurs. But Titleist also sponsors the most professionals worldwide. So is this a case of volume and not really choice? Woods: TaylorMade traditionally dominates this segment and after decades lording it over the fairway woods category, they’re still the brand to beat. Irons: Titleist again dominates the iron category, specifically their T100 model. I guess classic lines and a little forgiveness is what pros are after most. Worth noting is Srixon, which wasn’t a household
SRIXON has become the most popular choice this year. FILE PHOTO
MALLETS are in more bags this year than other brands. FILE PHOTO
MAY
MOSLEY
NORI
Golfing public
THIS is where all the marketing millions, the endorsements and the promotions are judged. In the golf industry, everything works towards the cash registers, and it hardly matters how many majors your clubs have won if people don’t buy them. So what clubs did we actually buy? Driver: TaylorMade’s Qi4D and Callaway’s Quantum Max were the bestselling drivers this year. That is consistent year after year, with both companies battling it out for the top spot. For a much smaller company with less marketing spend, Ping also sells quite a bit of their drivers. Unlike with the pros, Titleist is not the top choice for the general public, viewing their clubs as better-golfer clubs. Woods: Ping’s G440 woods are stealing the show this year, especially will club reviewers. But as expected, TaylorMade and Callaway are right at the top. Irons: For golf enthusiasts, Srixon has become the most popular choice this year. Combining reviews, actual sales and usage, Srixon has done it without huge marketing spending. It seems that word of mouth and actual performance dictated the irons category leader this year. Wedges: Whether on tour or in public courses, Vokey wedges are in more bags than any other brand out there. Putter: Mallets dominate putter sales and TaylorMade’s Spider, Scotty Cameron’s Phantom line, and LAB Golf ‘s DF and Oz lines are in more bags this year than other brands. Odyssey’s AI line trails behind in this category which they usually top or are near the lead. Now that 2026 is nearing it’s end and new launches are expected one after the other for the next several months, will there be surprises or will it be more of the same? Let’s wait and see.
SPLITTER
SWEENEY
NBA season to begin with 6 coaches in new places By Tim Reynolds The Associated Press
D
USTY MAY is new to the National Basketball Association (NBA). He’s not new to the NBA stage. Thanks in large part to a Final Four run at Florida Atlantic in 2023 and leading Michigan to the NCAA title last season, May has coached plenty of big games in plenty of NBA arenas and knows what it’s like when those buildings are filled to the rafters. And that means, when he officially starts as coach of the Dallas Mavericks in a few days, May will have a real sense of what’s coming—at least from an surroundings standpoint. “I’ve been in that environment,” May said. “Not at the level, obviously, but I’m someone who’s big on visualization. I see myself there.... But I have a real unique ability to, once the game starts, for 48 minutes to have 100 percent of my focus on the court and our bench.” In other words, the coach of last season’s NCAA champion truly believes he’s ready for the NBA challenge. And
he’s not alone, with six teams under new coaching management this season. May is one of three first-time NBA coaches this season, along with Orlando’s Sean Sweeney (the former San Antonio assistant) and Portland’s Micah Nori (the former Minnesota assistant). Another trio of coaches got new jobs in the league—former Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins has taken over in Milwaukee, former Orlando coach Jamahl Mosley has taken over in New Orleans, and former interim Portland coach Tiago Splitter (who coached for basically the entirety of last season) is the new coach in Chicago. “I think just in general, the way we’re approaching things is, ‘What do we need to do today? Where are we at? How did we do with it? What do we need to improve on?’” Sweeney said. “We’ve done a good job of trying to set high standards for ourselves and lay down expectations for each other and live up to that.” It is possible to win somewhere in Year 1 as a coach—just ask New York ’s Mike Brown, who led the Knicks to last season’s NBA
The women’s section of Rome’s Rebibbia prison hosts the “MiniOlympics in Prison,” a sporting event bringing together four teams representing inmates, magistrates, prison guards and civil society. AP
name just a few years ago but is now closely competing with the big brands in the irons segment. Wedges: This is no contest and it hasn’t been for decades. When it comes to wedges, Titleist’s Vokey line just crushes the competition year after year. Putter: Titleist’s Scotty Cameron putters and Callaway’s Odyssey putters have always done well on tour. But in recent years, Taylormade’s Spider putters have been close behind, and have had huge major success in the hands of top players Scotty Scheffler and Rory McIlroy. LAB Golf has made a huge splash in the last 2-3 years and has had success on tour, too. For a newbie in the putter wars, LAB has made a noticeable dent in the last few years.
French soccer ethics body tells fans: Keep politics out of pitch
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JENKINS
‘Mini-Olympics in Prison’
championship in his inaugural season on that team’s sideline. The coach of the reigning Western Conference champions, San Antonio’s Mitch Johnson, got to the finals in his second season as coach of the Spurs (which, technically, was his first full season as head coach). Sweeney and Nori were widely considered as being ready to become head coaches for a few years before getting their current chances. May had taken two schools, one of them a mid-major, to the Final Four in a fourseason span, more than proving his ability to win. Splitter did such a good job under awkward circumstances in Portland last season that he was a coach of the year candidate, and both Jenkins and Mosley have had success at their previous stops. Nori essentially accepted a one-year contract with the Trail Blazers, an extremely rare move, especially for a first-time head coach. He’s betting on himself, saying that if he does the job the options for future seasons on the existing contract will take care of itself. “I’ve been around a lot of—I think it’s 13—head coaches, so you
start to see what you would do and what you’d like to do,” Nori said. “I guess the biggest difference, and they always talk about sliding over that one seat, is that it ends with you.... It’s your program now. That’s been the biggest adjustment.” Mosley was living in Florida a few months ago, never thinking he’d be in Louisiana now. But when the Magic decided to change coaches, the Pelicans didn’t wait long before pouncing— knowing that Mosley would be a hot commodity. And Mosley says a change of scenery gave him an opportunity for what essentially is a reawakening. “You get to do a lot of reflecting quick, right? You get to see exactly what worked, what didn’t work, how you can balance out what you do, the roster you have, you get to reflect on a lot of things that were successful and things that you need to work on,” Mosley said. “That’s what it gave me. And now look at the group of guys that we have here—young, energetic, wanting to learn, wanting to figure it out, hungry to get better. There’s so much of it here that it’s easy to pour into an organization like this.”
ARIS—The ethics body of the French soccer federation is urging fans to stay neutral amid the nationwide student protests that are drawing international attention. The muscular police response to the largely peaceful protests has drawn criticism, and soccer fans in stadiums have expressed their support to students. Riot police have liberally used tear gas and wielded their batons to disperse crowds. Almost 8,000 arrests were made nationwide as of Tuesday, an unusually high number for a French protest movement. A police tear gas grenade shattered a 14-year-old’s jaw and many of his teeth. A 15-year-old lost a hand in an incident involving a stun grenade. Other adolescents have also suffered life-changing injuries blamed on police weaponry during protests. During a Ligue 1 match between Lens and Lyon last week, the home fans unfurled a banner calling for an end to the “disproportionate and systematic police violence,” according to the Conseil national de l’Éthique et de Déontologie (CNE). The CNE also noted that at the half-hour mark of the match between
PSG and Le Mans, supporters displayed a banner reading: “Your militias repress; our youth resist.” The ethics body said in a statement that it was easy to understand why young supporters, who are often students, might take advantage of matches to publicly express their support for the demonstrators. However, it added the principle of political neutrality “is enshrined” in the laws of sport, both internationally through the Olympic Charter and FIFA statutes, and at national level. The CNE recalled that any speech or display of a political, ideological, religious or trade union nature are prohibited, as well as the wearing of symbols or clothing that expresses political, philosophical, religious or trade union affiliation. “Sport should unite, not divide,” it said. “The National Council for Football Ethics therefore calls on all supporters, who are an integral part of the football family, to uphold the principle of neutrality in all circumstances. “The aim is to ensure that the stadium does not become a political or trade union battleground, but remains a place of celebration and shared enjoyment centered on sport.” AP
STUDENTS march to protest against under-resourced schools in Rennes, France. AP
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Drone strikes in the Black Sea raise fears of Russian escalation to test NATO’s response By Stephen Mcgrath & Veselin Toshkov
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The Associated Press
OFIA, Bulgaria—A string of drone attacks on at least seven cargo vessels in the Black Sea this month, off the coasts of NATO members Romania and Bulgaria, has some members of the alliance wondering if Russian President Vladimir Putin is seeking escalation to test their support for Ukraine in its war against Moscow’s full-scale invasion. The attacks in the two countries’ exclusive economic zones threaten a global shipping route and have left two people dead, with at least 25 still missing. They also run the risk of drawing other countries directly into the war for Ukraine. Throughout the war, Russia has repeatedly bombarded Ukraine’s Black Sea and Danube river ports, leaving Kyiv increasingly reliant on alternative routes to get its grain exports to markets in Africa and the Middle East. Russian drones have repeatedly violated Romanian airspace near some of Ukraine’s Danube ports. In the latest incidents, fires broke out on two ships struck by drones Wednesday and Thursday, one in Romania’s territorial waters. Romanian President Nicusor Dan said Thursday in Brussels that “two drones” had hit the vessels but did not say whose drones they were. “There will be a reaction from the Romanian state,” he warned. Increasingly, the suspicion falls on Russia. “There is no logic in Ukraine attacking its own ships and crews, given that the outcome of all these at-
tacks favors Russia—and indeed, the logic points in that direction,” Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev told his country’s Parliament. “The problem is that we cannot prove it.”
the ship’s deck and hull were hit by three aerial drones. Earlier this month, sea and aerial drones attacked two other commercial vessels in Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone. A Togo-f lagged ship sank with no sign of the 12 sailors reported on board, while a Bulgarian ferry evacuated 18 crew members from a Palau-flagged vessel that was damaged. A day earlier, a Turkish-owned cargo ship carrying corn caught fire following a drone attack and later sank off the coast of Romania. Two people died and 11 crew members were rescued. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the attack as “a horrific strike by two Russian drones on a civilian vessel” in neutral waters. Russia’s ambassador in Sofia, Bulgaria, said she didn’t have any information from the Russian defense ministry.
NATO’s defense clause under scrutiny
THE San Marino-flagged Wine Trader, a chemical tanker traveling from Tunisia to Romania, was struck by a drone Thursday and caught fire. Five crew members were rescued but another seven are missing. On Wednesday, a drone strike and fire were reported on the Comorosflagged Yara J, a chemical and oil tanker traveling from Turkey to Romania. Romania’s acting Defense Minister Radu Miruta said an investigation was underway. On Tuesday, two ships were struck by drones off Bulgaria’s coast. Rescuers evacuated all 15 crew members from the Ukraine-operated Chelsea 3, sailing under a Maltese flag, but 11 crew from the Guinea-Bissau-flagged HS Dignity are still missing. The crew of the Chelsea 3 reported
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said on X on Thursday that he met Radev and Dan to discuss security in the Black Sea and “the latest attacks on commercial shipping.” “NATO has strengthened our posture along the eastern flank including with increasing counter-drone capabilities,” he said. “NATO will continue to work closely with our Allies in the Black Sea, adjusting our deterrence and defense posture as needed.” Article 5 of the NATO charter has a mutual defense guarantee— an attack on one is an attack on all—but Romanian defense analyst Radu Tudor said it was uncertain as to whether it covers many of the Black Sea drone strikes because they occurred in the alliance members’ exclusive economic zones. “It’s a matter of discussion whether the exclusive economic zone is included in the Article 5-type reaction or not,” he said. “And it seems that until now, it isn’t—which raised a lot
Malnutrition stalks the most vulnerable in Afghanistan as aid cuts leave millions helpless
Rise and fall of America’s deadly love affair with the cigarette
By Elena Becatoros & Abdul Qahar Afghan The Associated Press
K
ABUL, Afghanistan—Lying in her hospital cot, the 3-year-old girl roamed the room with her graygreen eyes, but her body was listless. Her mother sat by her bedside, quietly weeping. Just a few months ago, she lost her 5-year-old daughter, Khadija, to the same condition: malnutrition. Both girls had the same symptoms: thin limbs but swollen hands, feet and belly, signs of a severe type of malnutrition caused by protein deficiency. And now 25-year-old Malika is terrified that Kalsoum, her youngest daughter, will meet the same fate as Khadija. “I am worried about her, that she might die,” Malika said, wiping her tears with her green headscarf. “My husband is a day laborer. Sometimes there is work, sometimes there isn’t.” The $3-$4.60 he earns on days when he can find work just isn’t enough to feed the family, which also includes three young boys. Kalsoum is far from alone. In the malnutrition ward in the Indira Gandhi Institute of Child Health, Afghanistan’s main children’s hospital, all 20 beds—the maximum the hospital can afford—are full. Across Afghanistan, hunger and malnutrition are rising dramatically.
Malnutrition is at unprecedented levels
“MORE people are suffering from hunger
Multiple vessels struck by drones in October
than ever before,” John Aylieff, Afghanistan country director for the World Food Program, told The Associated Press. He said 19 million people—nearly 40% of the population—would be facing acute hunger, “the life-threatening type of hunger,” in the next few months. Even more worrying is that acute malnutrition, which kills if left untreated, is spiraling. “Acute malnutrition is at unprecedented levels already,” Aylieff said. “In the next year 5.3 million women and children in this country will need treatment for acute malnutrition, the type of malnutrition which if not treated leads rather precipitously to to death.” That is 1.3 million more than in 2022, Aylieff said, when Afghanistan’s economy teetered on the brink of collapse after the US-led coalition’s withdrawal and the Taliban’s seizure of power. The vast majority are children, according to data in the latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification issued Thursday. Children, whose bodies are still developing and therefore have higher nutritional needs, are most at risk when food runs scarce.
By Mike Stobbe
AP Medical Writer
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AFGHANISTAN, one of the world’s poorest countries, has been buffeted by a myriad of overlapping crises in recent years. The legacy of four decades of war is
EW YORK—Cancer stick. Coffin n a i l. Cow b oy ki l l e r. Th o s e are nicknames, through the decades, for the cigarette—the onceglamorous desideratum of American society that has been tied to tens of millions of US deaths. The cigarette is not an invention of the United States. And while Marlboro is a top-selling international brand, more than 100 countries make cigarettes. The largest manufacturer is in China. But US ingenuity drastically altered the global tobacco industry. And American culture embraced it in the 20th century, making it—for a time—a symbol of stylish adulthood in US movies and media, and omnipresent in bars, restaurants, airplanes and even hospitals. Smoking became “a rite of passage for many young people,” and by the 1950s nearly half of US adults smoked, says K. Michael Cummings, a tobacco history scholar at the Medical University of South Carolina. “I remember making ashtrays for my parents for Mother’s Day and Father’s Day gifts,” says Cummings, 73. “I remember giving cartons of cigarettes as Christmas gifts. I mean, smoking was so common. It was just part of Americana.” Early versions of cigarettes can be traced
See “Malnutrition,” A4
See “Cigarette,” A4
Overlapping crises are contributing to spiraling hunger
of questions.” NATO has been too slow to respond in the Black Sea, he argued. “Tens of incidents are happening and Russia is getting closer to NATO borders.…Words are not enough,” Tudor said.
A growing threat THE Black Sea drone incidents in October are just the latest in a long string of drone airspace incursions to rock Romania and other NATO members since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. While most have come from Russia, Ukrainian drones have also crossed borders. In August, Romania deployed two F-16 fighter jets to destroy a naval drone that was reportedly carrying explosives and was spotted near a major Black Sea gas project, a decision that Acting Defense Minister Miruta said was made to “protect the lives of the several hundred people” working on the gas platform. A source in Romania’s defense sector, who was not authorized to speak publicly about the incidents, told The Associated Press that the attacks are designed to hurt Ukraine economically and that “Romania is not the target right now.” “All summer we’ve been hunting all
kinds of (drone) debris, water drones, sea drones, air drones, debris in the water, on the beaches,” they said. “If this continues … someone should do something about that.”
Potential calls for an escort corridor THE source added they have heard Turkey “would like to summon all the riparian (Black Sea) states to plan a mission to escort these convoys” through a militarized safe corridor. “I’m not sure about Turkish, but our Romanian vessels don’t have anti-air defense systems to protect against drones,” they said. “That would be a high risk for the Navy, for military vessels to escort this.” In July, Romania, Bulgaria, and Turkey expanded the Black Sea Mine Countermeasures Task Force naval pact to “expand the missions to the protection of critical submarine infrastructure,” according to Romania’s defense ministry. It would include, it said, a permanent naval presence in Romania’s exclusive economic zone. Many commercia l vessels are flagged to one country and owned by a company based elsewhere. “Why would Romania and Turkey
escort a ship from Bermuda with, I don’t know, an Argentinian owner just to transport a few hundred tons of grains from Egypt?” the source said. “It’s difficult.” Bu lgar ian Defense Minister Dimita r Stoya nov sa id Wed nesday that the country plans to join NATO’s Drone Edge project by the end of October. Launched in July, the initiative—which Romania also joined—aims to invest over $40 billion in “counter-drone capabilities” over the next five years. Cezar Gheorghe, founder of grain consultancy firm Agricolumn, told the AP that the drone incidents have not negatively impacted trade at Romania’s Black Sea port of Constanta. The main concern is a rise in insurance costs in the wider Black Sea, he said. “The (premium) for the risk is increasing...everyone that wants to come to Constanta, let’s say from Turkey, from the Bosphorus Strait and across that area, will have a (premium) on insurance costs,” he said. He added his main concern is a “serious incident” occurring at or near Constanta. In June, a Ukrainian maritime drone exploded at the port, and three others nearby. “It’s a matter of time,” he said.
Sunday, October 18, 2026
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Wheat boom in Australia’s Victoria State to boost global supply
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NE of Australia’s largest graingrowing states is seeing signs of a significantly larger wheat crop year-on-year, potentially helping bring relief to buyers across Southeast Asia and the Middle East facing supply headaches from the escalating conflict in the Black Sea. During a two-day tour of wheat a nd ba rley c rops i n nor t hwester n Victor ia’s grain belt, scouts repeated ly saw large crops w ith high y ields, and only minor signs
of water damage and disease. T he tour was organized by the Grain Industr y Association of Victoria, w it h t hree legs head ing toward Horsham and Ouyen, and Wag ga
Wag ga in neighboring New South Wales. The official findings will be released w ithin the coming week. “We struggled to find a poor lowyielding crop that would normally be cut for hay, or put the sheep on, over the 900 kilometers (559 miles) we traveled over two days,” said Dominic Hogan, manager at Outlook Commodities, who took part in the tour. “In fact, the crops were so high, we couldn’t see any sheep at all.” Victoria is expected to be a bright spot in a mixed season for Australia, with dry conditions severely hampering grain yields in northeastern states including Queensland, while the Western Australia crop is currently forecast to come in about three million tons below the previous bumper year.
Australia’s 2026/27 crop is being closely watched across the world, as the escalation of Russia’s war in Ukraine has led to strikes on grain terminals and ships in the Black Sea, significantly constraining exports of wheat from two of the world’s largest producers. Nations such as Vietnam and Indonesia have already begun seeking out alternative sources for agricultural produce, with Australia on track to ship about 50% more grain than average in October, partly off the back of surging international demand. It also comes at a time of rising global food inflation, which hit the highest since November 2022 this month due to geopolitical challenges and weather disruptions.
Ukraine faces new world in which Europe is its only true ally By Andrea Palasciano, Alberto Nardelli & Ott Tammik Bloomberg News
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UROPEAN leaders know they can’t stop courting Donald Trump. But as the US president menaces Ukraine and offers Russia an economic lifeline, they are preparing for a world where he effectively sides with Moscow. In the span of a week, Trump has trashed years of energy sanctions on the Kremlin, pressured Kyiv to quit bombing Russian oil refineries and suggested Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy was an illegitimate president—echoing Moscow’s propaganda. At one point, Ukraine also lost full access to the Elon Musk-owned Starlink system, leaving it hobbled on the battlefield. In response, Zelenskyy let rip. He felt betrayed, he said. He called out Trump in public. It was a dismaying moment for the Europeans, according to people familiar with the conversations at a leaders’ summit in Brussels this week. For many, it exposed a painful reality they’ve been avoiding for months: Trump’s instinct is to bash Kyiv and boost Russia. And that’s unlikely to change, several European Union leaders, including those of France and Germany, said during their private conversations. Zelenskyy himself will address the meeting on Friday. “We see that Zelenskyy has only one ally now, it’s actually the Europeans,” Latvian Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs told Bloomberg TV in Brussels. Trump and Zelenskyy have been here
before, of course, and always found a way to patch things up. Their first meeting in the Oval Office last year descended into a shouting match and prompted the US to briefly curb intelligence sharing. Later, the US tried to convince Kyiv to accept a 28-point peace plan that overwhelmingly favored Russia, prompting Zelenskyy to warn his country risked losing its key partner. By this summer, European leaders had managed to persuade Trump to show a degree of sympathy for Ukraine’s long fight against the Russian invasion. At the Group of Seven summit in France, President Emmanuel Macron engineered a brief meeting with Trump at which Zelenskyy showed him pictures of a cathedral in Kyiv decimated by Russian missiles. “The western alliance is in a weaker position now than it was a few days ago,” Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen told reporters as she arrived for talks in the Belgian capital on Thursday. “If you do not support Ukraine, then you put Europe as a whole, and in my view therefore also NATO as a whole, in a much, much more dangerous situation.” Their latest falling-out is happening at a particularly inopportune moment. Winter is setting in and Ukraine has a shortage of the US-made Patriot interceptors needed to shoot down Russian missiles. Kyiv’s military costs are also blowing a hole in its budget that Europe is struggling to fill. Meanwhile, Russia is striking more civilian targets, leaving Kyiv experiencing intermittent power and water supply cuts. Next month, Russian President Vladimir Putin will have a chance to meet with Trump at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation
summit in China—where neither Zelenskyy nor the Europeans will be present. Trump, for his part, is weeks away from a midterm election where his Republican party is expected to suffer heavy losses— sending him searching for quick ways to lower gas prices. That fixation is informing Trump’s push to buy Russian diesel despite sanctions, and his calls for Ukraine to halt attacks on oil refineries, even if experts say the US war on Iran is the largest culprit behind high fuel costs. “The most important thing that we’re going to discuss today is what he needs for this winter. It’s all about this winter,” the Latvian prime minister told Bloomberg. “We also have to understand that the United States is now running into the midterms. It’s election time,” Kulbergs said. “That’s a different vibe.” For now, most Europeans are recommending that Zelenskyy temper his criticism of Trump, given there is no alternative to working with the US, the people said. The country continues to sell Ukraine weapons and share intelligence vital to Kyiv’s defense. If that intelligence disappeared, Europe would not have a good solution, one official said. That’s likely why EU leaders were careful not to be too publicly critical of Trump as they arrived Thursday for their summit in Brussels. Behind closed doors, however, several still expressed shock at the US president’s recent behavior, the people said. An Elysee official said France’s priority is for Europe to continue supporting Ukraine. A German chancellery spokesperson didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment.
Europe is sticking to its guns by upholding sanctions and insisting that Ukraine shouldn’t cede territory in a peace settlement, especially after Kyiv’s forces regained some lost ground in the eastern region of Donbas Putin wants to control. US leverage over Ukraine has also diminished over the last few months. While intelligence remains an important factor, the money to support Kyiv and buy US weapons comes primarily from Europe. Ukraine is also finally receiving ammunition for F-16 fighter jets to shoot down Russia’s menacing jet-powered drones. Meanwhile, Washington’s efforts to deliver peace, which Trump promised to bring shortly after taking office last hear, haven’t made much headway. The latest meetings in Florida over the weekend, which the Ukrainian delegation cut short following Trump’s Russia diesel deal, largely focused on going over the same set of points that the president’s envoys—Steven Witkoff and Jared Kushner—drew up months ago, according to people familiar with the matter. During a meeting on Monday, EU foreign ministers privately agreed that Europe’s policy on Ukraine must remain constant, regardless of the gyrations in Washington, according to people briefed on the discussions. They resolved to engage the US when it’s possible, and maintain their support for Kyiv when it’s not. “We definitely have a different approach to this war,” EU top diplomat Kaja Kallas told reporters in Brussels on Thursday. “We see that we have to pressure the aggressor to stop the war, not the victim to surrender. Squeezing Ukraine is not the right approach.”
US ties with South Korea hit low point over intelligence row By Soo-Hyang Choi Bloomberg New
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OUTH KOREA’S longstanding alliance with America is being tested by spats spanning from investment deals to intelligence leaks, compromising Seoul’s ability to respond to North Korea. In a rare admission, Seoul’s top envoy to the US on Monday acknowledged an “issue” with Washington’s sharing of covert data. “There are limitations in our communication with the White House,” Kang Kyung-wha told lawmakers. “I find it somewhat frustrating.” That follows reports earlier this year that a South Korean official disclosed US intelligence about a secret North Korean nuclear facility. President Lee Jae Myung had rejected those allegations, calling them “absurd.” Underscoring the tensions, a prominent South Korean politician was
forced to cancel a US trip this month after reports his visa was held up. President D onald Trump has also scaled back military drills with South Korea, while in June local media reported the country’s spy agency was excluded from a trilateral meeting with the US and Japan on North Korea at Washington’s request. Ties between Washington and Seoul have been rocky for months, marred by US accusations South Korea has slow walked its investment deal and discriminated against American-listed e-commerce giant Coupang. Those frictions are bleeding into the security partnership, just as North Korea ramps up missile tests and Trump floats restarting talks with Kim Jong Un. “The most damaging aspect of the friction over intelligence restrictions is it conveys the US does not have trust in Korea as an ally,” said Victor Cha, Korea Chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. “It’s serious because it hits at the
heart of the military alliance.” While there’s no sign the US will prematurely withdraw any of its 28,000 troops stationed on the peninsula, reduced intelligence cooperation makes it harder for Seoul to respond to North Korea’s growing nuclear arsenal. The disagreements also add weight to Trump’s threat of new trade penalties. An official at South Korea’s presidential office said the government is working to strengthen trust with the US, and stressed the alliance is the cornerstone of Seoul’s foreign and security policy. The National Intelligence Service didn’t respond to calls. A State Department spokesman said the US has been clear that it expects South Korea to uphold the standards of an alliance that, for over 70 years, has been a linchpin of security in the Indo-Pacific. “This is particularly true of intelligence and counterintelligence matters,” the person added.
“The United States has a strong relationship with South Korea,”White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said, adding that a meeting between Trump and Lee last month “enhanced” their relationship. At that meeting with Trump on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Lee sought help restarting dialogue with North Korea. “President Trump kindly reminded me of our plan to play golf,” Lee said after the 30-minute sitdown. South Korea has set up a task force to prepare for a golf outing between the men ahead of the Group of 20 summit in December, Yonhap News said. Alienated allies South Korea is not the only US ally struggling to maintain a stable relationship with Trump — but for Seoul, the stakes are especially high. Washington provides Seoul with direct military deterrence against North Korea, a country now capable of producing as many as 20 nukes a year and which has declared the South its “principal enemy.” Despite that reliance, Lee last month p u b l i c l y q u e s t i o n e d Wa s h i n g t o n’s characterization of Seoul’s participation in a liquefied natural gas project in Alaska, saying cooperation was contingent on the deal being financially viable. That combined with Trump’s complaints South Korea hasn’t done more to help with Iran and unrealized US promises to assist Seoul with nuclear-powered submarines has soured ties.
An average of spot prices for premium white wheat at five of Australia’s largest grain ports is currently sitting near a more than two-year high despite harvesting beginning across the country. The results from the tour would buoy grain buyers struggling to find supplies of wheat, said Eliza Redfern, senior manager industry insights for Bendigo Bank Agribusiness. “It’ll be good and it’ll be in high demand both here and internationally,” she said in an interview during the crop tour. “Even for those regions in Victoria that typically do see lower-yielding crops, they’re stronger than what they historically are.” Like much of the farming world, Victoria was initially expected to
Malnutrition. . . Continued from A3
compounded by a yearlong closure of border crossings with Pakistan due to a simmering conflict, depriving Afghanistan of its main trade route. Added to that is the forcible return since 2023 of more than 5 million Afghan refugees from neighboring Iran and Pakistan who are putting pressure on limited resources; natural disasters such as drought, floods and earthquakes; and the crisis in the Middle East. Poverty is the main driving force behind the hunger crisis, with millions simply unable to afford nutritious food. With the crisis in the Middle East impacting economies across the world, Afghanistan has not been immune. “The price of food has gone up by between 10 and 30% for the basic staple commodities, the commodities that the poor eat. So the poor are being priced out of the market,” Aylieff said. But one of the most significant factors has been the sharp decline in international aid on which Afghanistan has long relied. The Taliban takeover in 2021 saw direct foreign aid halted almost overnight, driving millions into poverty and hunger. 6 out of 7 malnourished women and children are being turned away Funding cuts to humanitarian organizations, including the halting of US aid to programs such as the WFP’s food distribution, have severed a lifeline for millions. The UN’s food agency is the largest provider of food assistance in Afghanistan but has just 12% of the funding it had in 2022, Aylieff said. “We are forced to turn away six out of seven acutely malnourished women and children from those health clinics because we simply do not have the food to give them to save their child’s life,” Aylieff said. “That is, in my view, an international scandal.... And the very bleak challenge is that too many members of the international community are woefully indifferent to the suffering of Afghan children.”
A doctor pleads for funding
THE Indira Gandhi hospital’s malnutrition ward is almost always at capacity now. Sometimes, it has more patients than beds, and two children will share a cot, said Dr. Mohammad Arif Hassanzai, head of the
Cigarette. . . Continued from A3
back thousands of years to the Mayans. But hand-rolling each cigarette was timeconsuming and labor intensive. That changed in the 1880s, when a Virginia inventor named James Bonsack invented an automated cigarette-rolling machine that could make smokes 50 times faster. Early tobacco magnate James Buchanan Duke invested in the technology, and used it—along with the development of more palatable tobacco blends—to build the cigarette business into a major American industry. Cigarettes were clearly addictive, and the idea that smoking could kill was long suspected. Automaker Henry Ford warned against cigarettes in the 1910s, putting out a brochure in 1914 that called them
experience a smaller harvest due to high input prices for fuel and fertilizer sparked by the war in Iran, while the looming risk of a severe El Niño weather system threatened to bring long stretches of dry, hot weather just as the crop was reaching a crucial stage. However the fears appear unfounded at this stage, although a low chance of severe weather hangs over the crop until it is harvested through the coming month. Outlook Commodities’ Hogan said the final yield and quality will be in the hands of “the weather gods.” “If it gets through this period unscathed, it’s time to ring the bell on the Victorian grain crops,” he said.
Bloomberg News
hospital’s internal medicine department. “The number of patients with lowergrade malnutrition is extremely high, yet our current capacity limits us to admitting only the severe cases to these 20 beds,” Hassanzai said. “The assistance we receive from donors covers only this specific capacity, but if more resources were available, we could potentially accommodate 60, 70 or even up to 100 patients.” The funding cuts both pain and anger Hassanzai. “I am deeply concerned about why this health assistance has been reduced,” he said. “Must the politics unfolding in Afghanistan inevitably impact patients, causing them to suffer from malnutrition and even die? Healthcare should always remain separate from politics.... I must ask, as a doctor: why has this aid been cut off?”
A child is hospitalized while her 3 siblings are hungry at home
A FEW floors up from his office in the malnutrition ward, 25-year-old Zarmina cradles her daughter, Fatma, whose forehead is covered with white surgical tape holding a nasal feeding tube in place. At 2 years old, Fatma weighs just 4.8 kilograms (10.5 pounds), about half of what is considered healthy. Zarmina, whose husband is a day laborer from Logar province, says Fatma was initially admitted to a hospital in Logar, along with three of her other four children. All were malnourished. But Fatma’s condition was so serious she was referred to the hospital in Kabul. Her family had to borrow money to fund the trip. Twelve days after she was admitted, Fatma is still struggling to gain weight. Zarmina isn’t sure how long she will have to say in Kabul. “I am here, and I am also worried about my other children,” she says. Her other daughters have been discharged from the hospital in Logar and are being cared for by relatives. But the family is still desperately poor, and she doesn’t know how they will be able to eat. In other times, aid organizations might have been able to step in. But the funding cuts mean more and more families like Zarmina’s are left helpless. “The humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan is not so much being defined by what humanitarians can do, but actually by what we cannot do,” Aylieff said. “Because funding cuts are preventing us from mounting the response that we need.” “little white slavers” and argued they were habit-forming, bad for health, and were associated with bad morals. A watershed moment came in 1964 with an authoritative US surgeon general report that said smoking causes illness and death, helping to lead the way to warning labels on cigarette packs, bans on cigarette commercials, and restrictions on where people could light up. The dangers of smoking began to sink in to the public consciousness, though it took decades for smoking rates to plummet to the historically low levels they’re at now. The chain-smoking writer Kurt Vonnegut Jr., who favored Pall Malls, in 1968 penned that “the public health authorities never mention the main reason many Americans have for smoking heavily, which is that smoking is a fairly sure, fairly honorable form of suicide.”
www.businessmirror.com.ph • Editor: Lyn Resurreccion
Sunday, October 18, 2026 A5
USM launches 1st lab for disaster control in Mindanao Created to prevent the reoccurrence of the harrowing ordeal brought by “Sendong” in December 2011
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Story & photo by Manuel T. Cayon
ABACAN, North Cotabato— The latest science laboratory in Mindanao that will tackle disaster management in the region was born from the scarred experience of a community in northern Mindanao 15 years ago, the deadliest flooding on the island in a century.
The images of people drowning and carried away by the flash flood in Hinaplanon, Iligan City, was so emotionally unner ving for Engr. Cristopher A. Benito, project leader of the Center for Flood/Landslide Preparedness and Mitigation at the University of Southern Mindanao (USM), steeled his resolve to never for his hometown here suffer the same harrowing ordeal. Hinaplanon is the northern barangay in Iligan City, and its Bayug Island sustained the worst casualty when the Mandu log R iver overf lowed with high-velocity f lood current carrying logs and debris, sweeping more than half of the casualties in the barangay. Hinaplanon alone sustained 751
total casualties and missing persons, with at least 230 bodies recovered from the area during Typhoon Sendong (international name Washi) in December 2011, the first strong typhoon to barrel through Mindanao. The worst damage and casualties occurred in Northern Mindanao, when “Sendong” deposited rain waters in the uplands across Misamis Oriental to Lanao del Norte and cascaded downwards to the coastal communities. Almost 2,000 people died or remained missing to this day. “It was a scene that I prayed should never happen to North Cotabato,” Benito told BusinessMirror shortly before the center was opened for operation on October 8.
He was then in Iligan City for his masteral studies at the Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology. He said the collected data on flood modelling from that incident indicated the critical impact for the terrain. His further research found out that all areas in the Philippines were not entirely covered by the LiDAR, or Light Detection and Ranging, a high-resolution three-dimensional models of the Earth’s surface created by aircraft- or drone-mounted laser scanners. The laboratory THROUGH the years, Benito wanted a more detailed topography mapping of the town, and even the entire province, to pinpoint the disaster-prone areas and to help local government planners and policy-makers acquire the detailed terrain map. So far, the existing Google Earth map provide a detail of up to 20 meters resolution, and even the US Geological Survey has a bigger size of 30 meters, inadequate to zoom in to finer details of the terrain. The Philippines’ National Mapping and Resource Information Authority can provide a better resolution of 5 meters but it would cost P400 per square kilometer of area mapped to avail of it. The solution was to acquire the survey grade drone fitted for terrain mapping, which can produce a resolution as minute as 9.6 centimeters.
DR. Ruby Raterta of DOST PCIEERD (right) and DOST Soccsksargen Director Sammy Malawan (left) look at the equipment inside the University of Southern Mindanao laboratory, while Engr. Cristopher A. Benito (center, back), project leader of the USM Center for Flood/Landslide Preparedness and Mitigation, explains the capabilities of the laboratory to other guests. “With this high-resolution mapping, we will be confident with the result that it can aid in good disaster management of the province,” he said, The Department of Science and Technology’s Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development (DOST-PCIEERD) approved the proposal and granted it with P4.99 million seed fund. The laboratory immediately acquired the drone, a high-end desktop work station and storage server to fit
the rigorous requirement of high-resolution big data and backup batteries to sustain mapping operation. The laboratory showed its first mapping survey of the municipality of Midsayap in 3D model demonstrating the computer capability to enlarge, zoom in, rotate and flip the terrain map. Sammy P. Malawan, director of DOST Soccsksargen regional office, said the LiDAR mapping of the province, even the region, would be critical to the management and mitigation of
disasters and calamities periodically hitting the region. “Soccsksargen is home to 4.46 million people, 45 municipalities, four cities and 1,097 barangays. We are also a region where communities, agriculture, infrastructure and economic activities are exposed to flooding, landslides, earthquakes and other hazards,” he said. D r. R u b y R a t e r t a , c h i e f o f PCIEERD’s Human Resources and Institutional Development, said the USM center is the first DOST-supported and funded science laboratory in Mindanao that focused on disaster management, and the second in the country, after Masbate. She urged the center to come up with bigger budgeted research on managing disaster that could benefit the region. “You may also collaborate with the other laboratories, and maybe link up with foreign universities,” she added. The USM center is one of the 70 in the Philippines, and among the 15 in Mindanao that were established mainly in the universities. USM President Jonald L. Pimentel told the BusinessMirror that the center will further its research and scientific journey, with some of its researches already doing well in the commercialization phase. “Some of these are in the agriculture sector, where we are quite strong,” Pimentel said.
300 glaciers disappeared from the American West since the mid-20th century
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BATANGAS State University President Dr. Tirso A. Ronquillo (left), and Universiti Teknologi Malaysia Deputy Vice-Chancellor Prof. Ir. Ts. Dr. Zaini bin Ahmad (center) during a light moment at the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on October 12.
BatStateU, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia sign new pact on research, academic cooperation
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UILDING on years of collaboration in engineering education and institutional capacity-building, Batangas State University, The National Engineering University (BatStateU The NEU), and Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on October 12. The agreement was signed by BatStateU President Dr. Tirso A. Ronquillo, Asean Eng., and UTM Deputy Vice-Chancellor Prof. Ir. Ts. Dr. Zaini bin Ahmad. The new pact aims to expand cooperation on research and innovation projects, academic exchanges, capacity-building programs, and knowledge exchange activities. Witnessing the signing were BatStateU Vice President for Development and External Affairs Dr. Vaberlie P. MandaneGarcia; Center for Innovation in Engineering Education Director Prof. Divina Gracia D. Ronquillo; and UTM representatives Dr. Nurzal Effiyana binti Ghazali and Prof. Dr. Abdul Rashid bin Husain The MOU provides for joint research and innovation projects; postgraduate and research study programs; exchanges involving professors, researchers, students, and administrative staff; joint academic activities; exchange of scholarly resources; capacity-building programs; and joint training, consultancy, advisory, and knowledge exchange activities. The new agreement builds on concrete outcomes from the universities’ previous engagements. From December 2024 to September 2025, the NEED Program’s OBEE National Training Series reached 95 engineering higher education institutions and capacitated 206 engineering academic and quality assurance leaders across all 18 regions of the Philippines, in collaboration
with the Philippine Technological Council and UTM CEE. In his message of commitment, Ronquillo said, “The significance of today’s signing lies in the work our two universities have already undertaken together, and in what we now commit to pursue in the years ahead.” Ahmad, in turn, said the MOU opens opportunities for collaboration beyond the universities’ current initiatives, citing joint research, joint publication, and joint supervision among the areas that could benefit both institutions and the communities they serve. BatStateU and UTM’s earliest documented institutional engagement dates to 2017, when the two universities explored cooperation in disaster risk management, research, professional training, and academic exchange. The partnership continues through the ongoing OBEExCDIO National Train-theTrainers Workshop, where UTM CEE representatives Dr. Nurzal Effiyana binti Ghazali and Prof. Dr. Shahrin Mohammad serve as resource persons together with BatStateU CIEE facilitators. Beyond engineering education, their inter-institutional engagements have included student mobility and researchoriented academic activities. UTM served as an international co-host of the 7th International Research Conference on Innovations in Engineering, Science and Technology in October 2025. The agreement strengthens BatStateU’s internationalization initiatives by deepening its links with Asean academic networks and opening more avenues for cross-border research, academic mobility, and engineering education cooperation. It supports the university’s mandate to pursue international academic and scientific cooperation as the Philippines’ National Engineering University.
ROM an airplane, most of the glaciers of the Rocky Mountain West look like small patches of white nestled into rugged landscape where the topography folds. The white is the snow cover, and lower down one can see the gray-blue bare ice. In the middle of the 20th century, over 1,450 glaciers could be found in the contiguous US. Together, they covered 217 square miles (562 square kilometers) in six western states. Today, a comprehensive review my colleagues and I just published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences shows their total area has shrunk by 35 percent and they are still shrinking—perhaps faster. A little more than 300 glaciers have disappeared, way more than I had anticipated. Those that survive reflect just how vulnerable mountain glaciers have become as global temperatures rise. Where glaciers once covered large expanses of the western mountains thousands of years ago, most of the remaining glaciers in the Rockies and Sierra Nevada are small and found in topographically protected places.
Where US glaciers are disappearing fastest
WHEN people think of glaciers, they often picture huge ice streams with icebergs calving off the front, like you’ll find in Alaska or Greenland. In the Lower 48 states, with the exception of a few large glaciers in Washington, they’re much smaller. We found that the average glacier area is about one-tenth of a square mile (about a quarter of a square kilometer) in size. The area of the largest glacier, found on Washington’s Mount Rainier, is about 4.3 square miles (11.24 square kilometers). I was surprised to find that glaciers in the Rocky Mountains—those in Colorado, Montana and Wyoming and in the Sierra Nevada of California—subsist because of their unique position on the landscape, which somewhat insulates them from the otherwise less-favorable regional climate. The surviving Rocky Mountain glaciers inhabit shaded niches less exposed to direct sunshine and gain
additional snow from avalanches. If these glaciers were exposed to more sun and less snow accumulation, they likely wouldn’t exit at all. We found the fastestthinning glaciers are in the BeartoothAbsaroka Mountains of the Rockies in southern Montana, which are losing about 1.5 feet (about half a meter) of ice thickness per year. It’s a different story in Washington, where the glaciers on Mount Rainier and Mount Baker are much larger, have cooler summers and get a lot more snowfall. Although they too are shrinking, they do so at a much slower rate, about half a foot of ice thickness per year. The glacier area on Mount Rainier alone is greater than the total sum in all the other states. In Washington, generally speaking, the higher you go, the less glacier loss you find. That makes sense; it’s cooler at higher elevations. But in the Rocky Mountain region there is no similar trend, suggesting the survivors are niche glaciers that depend on local topographic benefits.
What’s ahead
IN a study a few years ago, colleagues
and I modeled the glaciers on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula and found most would disappear by 2070 under current climate trends. That indicates that glaciers elsewhere are probably not far behind. The Olympics are vulnerable because they’re close to the Pacific Ocean at somewhat lower elevation. The other Washington glaciers, particularly on Mount Rainier and Mount Baker, will likely survive past 2100, but how much longer is an open question.
That raises a few concerns.
THE principal importance of the glaciers is to provide water to high alpine ecosystems. The glaciers partially melt in late summer, providing cool water for cold-adapted fish and other stream life. They provide a water supply that’s otherwise absent in the dry late summer, after the seasonal snow disappears, when the region doesn’t get a lot of rain. While the glaciers of the Rockies are primarily important for ecosystems at this point, those in Washington also contribute to hydropower production.
An important hazard is also associated with the glaciers on the steep-sided volcanoes of the Cascade Range, which stretches from California to Washington. The moraines formed by these glaciers are large, partly due to the highly erodible volcanic rock beneath the ice. Moving ice deposits eroded rocks, forming aprons at their lower ends. As the glaciers retreat, they leave the accumulated rocks behind as steep-sided moraines that are no longer buttressed by the ice. High water flows from rain or glacier melt can undercut the moraines, triggering landslides and creating debris flows that go rocketing down the mountains. This happened in 2006 on Mount Hood and Mount Rainier and closed a number of highways. We’ll see that happen more often as the glaciers retreat. The shrinking and eventual loss of all of these glaciers will affect ecosystems across the West, as well as waterways humans and wildlife rely on. Andrew Fountain, Portland State University/The Conversation (CC) via AP
ANDREWS GLACIER is an alpine glacier in a cirque below Otis Peak in Rocky Mountain National Park in the US state of Colorado. When images of the glacier taken in the early 1900s are compared with those of the early 2000s, the glacier is showing a negative glacier mass balance which indicates the glacier is retreating. This image of Andrews Glacier is viewed from the outlet of Andrews Tarn, on January 10, 2008. JMPENZONE/WIKIPEDIA
A6 Sunday, October 18, 2026
Faith
Sunday Editor: Lyn Resurreccion • www.businessmirror.com.ph
CBCP official: Religious freedom needs trust, not just laws
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ELIGIOUS freedom depends not only on legal protections but also on trust among people of different faiths, a Philippine Catholic Church official said after attending an international symposium in the United States. Msgr. Bernardo Pantin, Secretary General of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, said lasting religious freedom requires confronting prejudice, acknowledging historical wounds and protecting people of different beliefs. “Religious freedom becomes credible when we defend it for others as faithfully as we defend it for ourselves,” Pantin said in his talk at the 33rd Annual International Law and Religion Symposium, held from October 3 to 7 at Brigham Young University in Utah. Pantin said laws could protect religious practice and prohibit discrimination but could not build
trust among religious communities on their own. “Trust develops through repeated encounters, hospitality, shared service, dialogue, and friendship,” he said. The symposium, organized by the university’s International Center for Law and Religion Studies, drew 243 registered participants, including 99 invited delegates from 51 countries. Rel ig ious leaders, gover nment officials, legal ex perts, academics and human r ights advocates discussed how laws, i n st it ut ion s a nd com mu n it y relationships could safeguard
CBCP Secretary General Msgr. Bernardo Pantin (center) joins fellow panelists (from left) moderator Paul Kerry; Fr. Andreas Minic of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Thyateira and Great Britain; Paramatmananda Swami, representing the Hindu Dharma Acharya Sabha of India; and Punjab Minister for Minorities Affairs Sardar Ramesh Singh Arora during a panel discussion titled “Infrastructure of Interreligious Understanding and Respect for Human Dignity” at the 33rd Annual International Law and Religion Symposium in Utah on October 5. CBCP NEWS
freedom of religion or belief. Pantin cited a recent interreligious formation program in Egypt, where Filipino bishops and priests met Muslim scholars, religious leaders, government officials, Christian communities
and Filipino Muslim students. He said such encounters help people understand other religious traditions through the experiences of those who practice them. “When a person of another religion becomes a friend, it becomes
Questions swirl about pope’s future, what he knew when praying at Lourdes By Nicole Winfield The Associated Press
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ATICAN CITY—When Pope Leo XIV was elected after the pained finale of Pope Francis’ pontificate, there was hope that a younger, healthier pope would be able to guide the Catholic Church for quite some time before age and ailments slowed him. Leo’s lung cancer diagnosis announced Tuesday has thrown a question mark into that scenario and his pontificate. Already, Peru’s president is suggesting Leo’s upcoming Latin America trip may have to be changed. But the revelation has also raised questions about what Leo knew and when, given his poignant prayers in late September at a French Lourdes shrine where Catholics believe miraculous cures have occurred. Vatican watchers say the 71-yearold’s diagnosis could regardless have other unintended effects, not all of them negative. It could propel Leo to accelerate his own agenda, which to date has been slow and deliberate. It also could galvanize support for him, bolstering his efforts to unify the fractured Catholic Church. And most significant for his own ministry, the diagnosis has placed Leo squarely among the “fragile” and “vulnerable” who have emerged as a central focus of his pontificate. “There’s something really beautiful in that even the most powerful person in the church is broken,” said Natalia Imperatori-Lee, associate professor of theology at Fordham University. “He’s been so, so eloquent on how our fragility is also a source of our strength.” Leo’s doctors reported Thursday that the pope’s lung had recovered well from surgery to remove the lower right lobe. The Vatican reported he had resumed working from the hospital. “Overall, his postoperative recovery is proceeding as expected,” his doctors said.
The relatively young pope was chosen last year
LEO was 69 when he was elected in 2025, relatively young compared with
MEDICAL Director Andrea Cambieri (right) greets Pope Leo XIV as he arrives at the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic in Rome on October 13 where doctors were set to remove a nodule from his right lung. AP/GREGORIO BORGIA
his two immediate predecessors. Pope Francis was 76 when elected in 2013 and already had part of one lung removed as a young man. He battled respiratory and mobility problems throughout his pontificate and died in 2025 after a lengthy hospitalization for double pneumonia. Pope Benedict XVI was 78 when elected in 2005 and retired after eight years because he simply couldn’t go on anymore. Leo was elected in large part because he was seen as someone who would be around long enough to stabilize and unify the church after Francis’ turbulent pontificate, and get the Vatican’s finances, in particular, into order. He brought a youthful vigor to the papacy, bounding up the stairs of St. Peter’s Square and zipping off to the country each week to play tennis and swim. “It’s a big question mark on the investment that many people have made on this pontificate: an emotional investment, a political investment, even a financial investment,” said Massimo Faggioli, a theologian at Leo’s alma mater, Villanova University in Pennsylvania. He noted that Leo has emerged as a powerful counterweight to the Trump administration in preaching a message of peace as the US and Israel launched a war on Iran. He has
become a respected moral authority on the need for safeguards on artificial intelligence. And yet “even the pope gets the ‘emperor of maladies’—cancer,” he said. But assuming Leo recovers fully—and oncologists say his type of lung cancer has the best prognosis—he could emerge even stronger as a global figure. “The mystique of the survivor is very strong in our culture,” Faggioli said. The pope’s brother, Louis Prevost, who has had multiple myeloma, a blood cancer, since 2017, said that he expected his baby brother to pull through. He spoke to Leo on Monday and received messages from his secretary after the surgery saying he was OK. “We’re hoping for the best,” Prevost told Newsmax from Tampa, Florida, where he’s in a clinical trial for his cancer. “They caught it early enough, and he’ll be able to heal from the surgery and go on with his papal ministry.”
A recent visit to Lourdes now seen in a different light
AND even if the future is uncertain, Leo can draw from the recent past to help get through it. During his September 25-28 visit to France, Leo followed in the footsteps
of millions of pilgrims who flock to the shrine in Lourdes each year to drink its spring water and pray for miraculous cures for all that ails them. The Vatican hasn’t said when Leo learned that doctors suspected he had a cancerous nodule in his lung, saying only that the nodule was discovered during “routine” checks. There are strong suggestions that Leo knew something even before leaving for France and that he scheduled the surgery for Tuesday— typically his day off—“because he wanted to keep as much as possible the commitments he made,” said Giovanni Maria Vian, the former editor of the Vatican newspaper L’Osservatore Romano. All of which would make Leo’s visit to Lourdes all the more poignant. Leo arrived on the evening of September 26 and immediately went to the Grotto of the Apparitions where alleged visions of the Virgin Mary were reported more than a century ago. He performed the “three gestures” of the Lourdes pilgrim seeking a cure: He drank from its springs, lit a candle and touched the rock. The next day, he celebrated Mass before 150,000 people, many of them sick, and denounced laws allowing assisted dying. He plunged into a crowd of people in wheelchairs and allowed them to embrace him. After an exhausting day and seemingly struggling himself, Leo walked among the sick carrying a torch in an emotional torchlit procession, another key element of the Lourdes pilgrimage. Leo told reporters en route home that he witnessed “almost miracles” in Lourdes “walking with, accompanying so many people who are sick and suffering and seeing how the grace of God’s presence manifested in many different ways, touches people’s hearts, transforms their lives.” He didn’t include himself in their ranks. But he seems to have taken away the lesson of Lourdes. “Being in a place, especially like Lourdes where people are searching for something much deeper and understanding that their lives, even in the midst of sickness or disability or pain of different kinds — their life has meaning,” he said.
harder to reduce that religion to a stereotype,” Pantin said. He urged religious communities to move beyond tolerance toward fraternity, recognizing people of different beliefs as fellow citizens and partners in promoting the
common good. Religious leaders have a particular responsibility to foster understanding, Pantin said, because their words and actions can either deepen fear or promote reconciliation. Building relationships before a crisis also helps communities counter misinformation, maintain communication and ease tensions when religious differences fuel conflict, he added. Pantin said the Catholic commitment to religious freedom must extend beyond protecting Catholic interests to defending the rights of Muslims, other Christians, members of other faiths and people without religious beliefs. The symposium reinforced his conviction that people can remain rooted in their faith while building relationships across religious differences. “I left with a deeper conviction that this work is a shared responsibility,” he said, adding that it begins with listening, protecting people with different beliefs and working together for the common good. CBCP News
My journey toward the truth: God’s food and Satan’s food (‘Matthew 24:45-47’)
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REVIOUSLY, we examined the biblical significance of the Tree of Life and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, as well as the true meaning of their respective fruits, through the Scriptures. If I previously had no interest in or knowledge of what the Tree of Life and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil represent, does that not imply that the revealed word had not yet been conveyed to me? If the word has not yet been revealed to me—leaving me ignorant of the true meaning of the parables found in the prophecies—would I not fail to understand and keep the Lord’s will when those prophecies are fulfilled? No matter how fervently one calls out “Lord, Lord” in church, those who do not know or act upon the Lord’s will become ignorant and wicked, ultimately failing to enter the Kingdom of Heaven ( Matthew 7:21 ). Therefore, given that we are living in the end times ( Daniel 12:9 )—a time when the once-sealed word is being revealed and conveyed to us ( Revelation 1:1-3; 5:3 )— we must recognize that while the revelation of Jesus Christ is a gift of God’s grace given freely, the path of hearing, believing, and keeping this word is a narrow one. If this is indeed the end time, how many true believers are there who receive the word of revelation, understand it, and keep it ( Luke 18:8 )? Will there be many who are saved during the final fulfillment of Revelation ( Luke 13:23-24 )? Shouldn’t our faith be based on the Word—thereby gaining God’s approval—rather than simply believing however we wish? To this end, our topic today is the distinction between God’s food and Satan’s food. Today’s passage ( Matthew 24:45-47 ) concerns the signs of the end times—specifically the Second Coming of Jesus. Amid the great earthquakes, famines, wars, and the deceptive activities of many false pastors that characterize this era (Matthew 24:3-7 ), the passage focuses on the faithful and wise servant who distributes food at the proper time to the servants of God’s household. Without understanding the revelation of Jesus Christ, one is liable to interpret prophecies either literally or according to one’s own arbitrary ideas. The great earthquakes and famines mentioned here do not refer merely to physical disasters; rather, they signify a spiritual famine—a state where, despite an abundance of words, there is no life-giving Word to consume (Amos 8:11). Similarly, the “war” mentioned is not merely a literal conflict but a fierce spiritual battle between God and Satan ( Ephesians 6:12-17 )—a conflict involving both spiritual and physical warfare between the servants of God’s household (belonging to the Master) and the servants of Satan’s household. Satan’s household has “Satan’s food,” which his servants share among themselves,
while God’s household (the true temple) has “God’s food,” which God’s servants share and consume together. Like the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, Satan’s food utilizes the Bible—which is good—but distorts it into a false truth by arbitrarily adding to or subtracting from it ( Proverbs 30:6; John 8:44; Revelation 22:18-19 ). God’s food refers to the revealed Word received from God and Jesus in heaven—the message testifying to the actual fulfillment of the Old and New Testaments. We call this “truth” and the “Gospel” (good news). God’s covenant (Old Testament) and Jesus’ covenant (New Testament) are bound to be fulfilled; thus, the covenant—or prophecy—is indeed good news. However, it is only when that prophecy is fulfilled that it becomes the complete Gospel, ready to be testified to and proclaimed. This true spiritual food from God can only be consumed at the appointed time—specifically, the “last days” when prophecies are fulfilled. When the Lord taught the disciples the Lord’s Prayer two thousand years ago, did the phrase “give us this day our daily bread” refer to physical food? Did Jesus, who said that praying for food and drink is like the prayers of the Gentiles, instruct us to ask for physical daily bread in the very prayer he taught? Here, “this day” refers to a specific time: the day when prophecy is fulfilled, testified to, and heard by you. It is a call for you, upon hearing My voice (revelation) in these days, not to harden your hearts but to listen. In other words, when the spiritual food appropriate for the time is provided, you are to listen with a good and noble heart, walk the narrow path (the path of faith—the path of fulfilling prophecy alongside Jesus) with perseverance, and ultimately bear the firstfruits ( Luke 8:15; Revelation 14:1-5 ). Without knowledge of the Scriptures or the Father’s will, one deceives oneself through arbitrar y interpretations— consuming the food of Satan, which is falsehood. Therefore, if today is the time of the end and the revelation of Jesus Christ is already being proclaimed ( Revelation 1:1-3; 10:8-11 ), what must I do? Should we simply go on living as people did in the days of Noah—eating, drinking, and marrying ( Matthew 24:37-39 )? Or should we instead look for the faithful and wise servant who gives the food at the proper time in the Lord’s house? In the next installment, I will share about that faithful and wise servant and the food he provides. Zion Christian Mission Center is the theology arm of Shincheonji Church of Jesus and it offers a full theology course for free. You can download the ZCMC SPS (Self-Paced Study) app on the Play Store or App Store and start your journey today.
Biodiversity Sunday BusinessMirror
Asean Champions of Biodiversity Media Category 2014
Sunday, October 18, 2026 A7
Editor: Lyn Resurreccion
Fast tech addiction worsens e-waste problem
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By Jonathan L. Mayuga
“The unregulated sector outcompetes formal recyclers, perpetuating unsafe practices and job insecurity,” EcoWaste said. Worse, women face disproportionate risks due to their economic vulnerability and physiological sensitivity to toxins.
LOBAL addiction to electrical and electronic products has become increasingly alarming because of the burgeoning electronic waste (e-waste) disposal problem. In Europe, a new study finds that almost 90 percent of consumers in 12 countries own at least one fast tech product, and 78 percent bought one in the past year. The study, commissioned by Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Forum and conducted by Bellegarde Scientific Consulting, a new fast tech consumer survey revealed that of 10,245 adults in 12 European countries, fast tech has become a routine consumer purchase, driven largely by low prices, convenience, and modest expectations of how long products need to last.
What is fast tech?
FAST tech refers to mass-produced, low-cost small electronic devices that are used briefly, and quickly discarded or forgotten, often ends up in trash or hoarded in drawers, instead of being recycled. Common examples are cheap charging cables and USB adapters, single-use vapes, battery-powered mini-fans and portable chargers, novelty or decorative items like LED string lights, light-up toilet seats, mini karaoke machines, and annually upgraded smartphones and tablets pushed by planned obsolescence. Fast tech products are also prevalent in the Philippines for their being budget-friendly, easily available in malls, convenience stores, sidewalks, or online markets, even young kids and teenagers can to buy them.
E-waste menace
E-WASTE, or waste of electrical and electronic equipment, is fast becoming a serious problem in the Philippines. According to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources’ Environmental Management Bureau (DENR-EMB), e-waste, is the fastest-growing waste stream in the world, and most end up in landfills, polluting the environment. Improper disposal of e-waste, according to the DENR, can release harmful substances that affect human health and ecosystems. The DENR-EMB said that only about 22 percent of the world’s ewaste is recycled using environmentally sound practices.
Circular economy
Emerging challenge
THERESA MUDITA S. LIM, executive director of the Environmental Studies Institute at Miriam College, underscored the need to reflect on the emerging challenge posed by e-waste. “As we celebrated International E-Waste Day [on October 14], it is important to reflect on an emerging environmental challenge that accompanies rapid technological advancement: the increasing volume of electronic waste and its implications not only for human health, but also for biodiversity and ecosystem integrity,” said Lim, a former DENR-Biodiversity Management Bureau director and Asean Centre for Biodiversity executive director. She said that e-waste contains hazardous substances, including heavy metals, such as lead, mercury, cadmium, and nickel, as well as brominated flame retardants and other persistent organic pollutants.
Ecological consequences
“WHEN electronic equipment is improperly discarded, dismantled, or processed through unsafe recycling practices, these contaminants can enter soil, sediments, waterways, and the atmosphere,” she explained. She added that the ecological consequences extend beyond localized contamination. “Toxic substances can be taken up by plants and aquatic organisms, accumulate in animal tissues, and, in the case of certain persistent pollutants, become increasingly concentrated along food chains,” Lim pointed out. “As in humans, wildlife exposure [to toxic substances] can cause oxidative stress, neurological impairment, reproductive dysfunction, and other adverse effects. These can lead to potential impacts on population viability and ecological interactions,” she added.
Environmental metal contamination
LIM said that of particular concern is the emerging scientific evidence linking environmental metal contamination with altered immune function and infectious disease
INFORMAL e-waste recyclers dismantle broken electrical appliances and electronic equipment for “valuable” parts at a corner junk shop in Quezon City. PHOTO FROM ECOWASTE COALITION
dynamics in wildlife. Researchers say that exposure to certain metals can disrupt immune responses and host–pathogen interactions, potentially increasing susceptibility to infections in some species. “These effects introduce another dimension to biodiversity conservation that recognizes the interdependence of environmental, animal, and human health,” she said. Ultimately, she said that effective e-waste management should not be measured simply by the volume of materials collected or recycled, but also by the success in preventing toxic contamination, reducing risks to biodiversity, and maintaining healthy, functioning ecosystems. “Addressing this challenge requires more than improved waste collection,” Lim pointed out. “It calls for stronger extended producer responsibility, environmentally sound recycling and material recovery, safer product design, longer product lifespans, and effective prevention and stronger monitoring of environmental contamination. As we continue to embrace technological innovation, we must also account for its ecological footprint throughout the product life cycle,” she added.
Health, environmental threat
THE improper handling of e-waste exposes millions to dangerous toxins, with children and expectant mothers at the highest risk,
a DENR-EMB information sheet posted on its website warned. Children living near e-waste recycling sites may be exposed to lead, mercury, and other toxic chemicals that could lead to reduced cognitive abilities, behavioral issues like AttentionDeficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, lung and respiratory problems, and increased risk of chronic diseases, such as cancer and heart disease. Globally, 62 million tons of ewaste were produced in 2022, is enough to fill 1.53 million trucks, each 25 meters long and able to carry 40,000 kilograms. The Philippines, with a population of 115 million, produced 537 million kilograms of e-waste annually, making it the third highest producer of e-waste in Southeast Asia, next to Indonesia and Thailand. The group Ecowaste Coalition, a nongovernment waste and pollution watchdog in the country, said the Philippines has no early record of e-waste generation. “Until now, the widely used estimate of e-waste is the 2024 report of Global E-Waste Monitor, stating that in 2022 the Philippines generated an estimated 537,000 tons of e-waste, which translates to 4.7 kg per capita,” the group told the BusinessMirror via email on October 14.
Fragmented e-waste recovery, weak regulatory systems
ACCORDING to Ecowaste, despite
the presence of over 5,750 registered industrial waste generators in the National Capital Region alone, domestic post-consumer collection and recovery systems remain highly fragmented. “As a result of this system gap, significant volumes of hazardous e-waste can enter informal recycling channels, where unsafe handling and processing practices may pose risks to human health and the environment, and increase occupational health hazards, while valuable materials that could be recovered and returned to productive use are lost,” the group said. According to Ecowaste, Philippine regulation provides limited details for circular electronics. Republic Act 6969 lacks provisions on electronic devices, while the Extended Producer Responsibility Act, or Republic Act 11898, only focuses on plastic packaging, not electronics. “Weak regulatory enforcement allows informal recyclers to avoid compliance costs, further distorting market dynamics,” the group pointed out. The informal sector dominates Information and Communications Technology repair and recycling, operating outside labor and environmental standards. Workers—many of whom are women—are exposed to hazardous substances, such as lead and burning fumes without protective equipment or insurance, the group lamented.
GIVEN the fast-changing technology and addiction to gadgets that drives e-waste production to increasingly alarming levels, the best way to address the problem is by simply managing waste, said environmentalist Gregg Yan, founder and executive director of Best Alternatives. “We can’t just stop producing laptops and smartphones for they have become necessities in the increasingly digital world we live in. Best Alternatives believes in a circular economy, so we should mine discarded e-waste for resources,” Yan said. He explained that “laptops and smartphones have gold, silver, copper, lithium, platinum, cobalt, and a treasure trove of other precious minerals in their guts.” “A basurero [garbage collector] once told me there’s treasure in trash. By mining and reusing ewaste, we can build tomorrow’s computers a nd sm a r t phones without digging new holes in the ground—saving what remains of our forests and rivers in the process,” he said.
Need for harmonizing laws
WITH poor solid waste management in the Philippines—as demonstrated by the perennial flooding woes and sea of waste that needs to be hauled from water bodies—e-waste management has become an extra challenge that needs to be addressed. According to EcoWaste, despite the large volume between 2020 and 2023, only 12,229 metric tons of hazardous electrical and electronic waste were processed through 118 treatment, storage, and disposal facilities. Of this, 11,555 tons were treated and disposed of, forming the ewaste management stream. However, EcoWaste said that the informal sector remains highly active. Citing a BAN Toxics report, in Quezon City alone, an estimated 30 percent of e-waste is recycled in junk shops. EcoWaste believes that accelerating the transition to a circular electronics economy will require harmonizing existing laws, aligning climate, health, and industrial policies, and equipping both consumers and producers with enforceable responsibilities, incentives, and tools for sustainability.
Toyota PHL donates ₧3M for tamaraw conservation in Mindoro
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ALINTAAN, Occidental Mindoro— Toyota Motor Philippines Corp. (TMP), through its social and humanitarian arm, Toyota Motor Philippines Foundation (TMP Foundation), donated P3 million to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources’ (DENR) Tamaraw Conservation Program (TCP) to support the continued conservation and protection of the critically endangered Tamaraw (Bubalus mindorensis) on Mindoro Island. The partnership was formalized through the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement between TMP Foundation, the DENR-TCP, and the Mindoro Biodiversity Conservation Foundation Inc. (MBCFI). It was held during the 2026 Tamaraw Fiesta in Calintaan, Occidental Mindoro, in celebration of the annual “Special Month for the Conservation and Protection of Tamaraw in Mindoro.”
The P3-million conservation fund will support key TCP initiatives, including habitat monitoring and scientific research, capacity-building programs for Barangay and Indigenous peoples volunteers, communication, education, and public awareness activities, and the enhancement of the Tamaraw Research and Conservation Center. Part of the donation will equip the facility with research and monitoring equipment to strengthen conservation efforts and support the long-term protection of the species. The donation builds on the partnership established through a Memorandum of Understanding signed by the DENR and TMP Foundation, coinciding with the launch of Next Generation Tamaraw in December 2024. Since then, TMP has supported the
NELSON MANGLO (center), Toyota Motor Philippines Corp. Foundation Operations Manager, turns over P3-million donation to the Tamaraw Conservation Program, through Executive Director Felix Mirasol Jr. (left) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources Mimaropa Regional Office, witnessed by Executive Director Kathy Lene Cielo of the Mindoro Biodiversity Conservation Foundation Inc., the designated fund manager. PHOTO FROM TOYOTA MOTOR PHILIPPINES CORP.
TCP through various initiatives aimed at strengthening conservation efforts. In 2025, TMP donated a Tamaraw utility vehicle to support TCP’s mobility requirements and field operations on Mindoro Island, along with P500,000 worth of “Bantay Tamaraw” kits to equip rangers in conducting patrol, monitoring, and protection activities in known tamaraw habitats. As the namesake of Toyota’s iconic utility vehicle, the tamaraw holds a special significance for the company. As TMP approaches its 3-millionth cumulative vehicle sales milestone, its continued support for tamaraw conservation reflects the company’s commitment to giving back to society and communities that have supported its growth over the past 38 years. Moreover, the partnership underscores Toyota’s broader commitment under the
Toyota Environmental Challenge 2050, particularly to the challenge of “Establishing a Society in Harmony with Nature” through biodiversity conservation and nature positive initiatives. The support comes as the TCP reports continued gains in population recovery. The 2026 Annual Tamaraw Population Count records 425 Tamaraws in Mounts Iglit-Baco Natural Park, up from 380 in 2025. The DENR attributes the increase to sustained conservation measures, including habitat protection, scientific monitoring, law enforcement, and community participation. As conservation efforts continue to deliver positive results, TMP and TMP Foundation remain committed to supporting initiatives that contribute to the protection of the tamaraw.
BusinessMirror
‘PAMBANSANG TAMBAYAN’ How National Book Store reimagines the bookstore experience
October 18, 2026
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BusinessMirror OCTOBER 18, 2026 | soundstrip.businessmirror@gmail.com
‘LEARN TO LOVE AGAIN’
YOUR MUSI
Gab Cabangon tackles burnout, rediscovery in new EP
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Story by Mary Jade Jadormio
earning to love again is not always about another person. Sometimes, it means finding your way back to something you once loved but have grown tired of pursuing. For Filipino singer-songwriter Gab Cabangon, that something is music. His debut five-track EP, Learn to Love Again, traces the difficult process of recovering from burnout, confronting frustrations and rediscovering the passion that first drew him to his craft. Released via Underdog Music on Oct. 14, the EP brings together five songs that explore different stages of emotional recovery, from expressing anger and allowing oneself to grieve to finding rest and embracing the possibility of beginning again. “I call it the five stages of recovering from burning out,” Cabangon told the BusinessMirror SoundStrip in an interview. The project was not initially conceived as a deliberate concept album. Instead, the singer-songwriter said, the
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recurring themes across the songs eventually pointed him toward a common narrative. “When I was actually thinking about the EP, my intention was not really deliberate,” he said. “[That] it all had to centralize the theme of Learn to Love Again. It was more because of the nature of the songs that I created and the recurring theme.” That theme eventually became a way for him to examine not only his experiences with love and disappointment but also his relationship with music.
Learning to pause
The EP's focus track, “Love Again,” captures the realization that stepping away from something does not necessarily mean giving it up. Cabangon wrote the song after taking a brief break from music during the pandemic. The pause gave him time to reassess his relationship with songwriting and performing, particularly as the demands of the industry began to weigh on him. Balancing gigs, working behind the scenes with other artists and pursuing his own releases had become part of his experience as a musician. The challenge was not simply finding opportunities to make music but maintaining the confidence and enthusiasm to keep doing so. For Cabangon, the EP's message is rooted in the realization that pursuing music does not mean having to work at it relentlessly. Taking time away can also be a way of rediscovering what drew him to it in the first place. “I think Love Again would be the one song that really encapsulates the overall theme of this entire EP,” Cabangon said. “Because in a sense, a lot of these songs were also about my relationship with music.” The song also challenges the idea that an artist must remain constantly productive to prove their commitment to their craft. “I think it taught me to rest and to pause,” the artist said. “That I didn’t have to be impatient and do music nonstop. It didn’t make me less of an artist.” For the artist, learning when to stop is part of learning how to continue. Taking time to recharge can help prevent frustration from overshadowing the reasons a person
Gab Cabangon pursued a particular passion in the first place. That perspective also shapes how he approaches the idea of recovery. Rather than treating a pause as lost time, he sees it as an opportunity to reassess what he wants from music and how he can continue making it without losing the enthusiasm that brought him to it.
Five songs, one journey
Each track explores a different part of the recovery process, allowing the EP to move through difficult emotions without suggesting that healing happens in a straight line. “Ikot Ulit” gives voice to the anger that can follow disappointment, including frustration over false promises and the obstacles that get in the way. “Pieces,” which Cabangon previously released as his debut solo single in September 2025, explores vulnerability and the importance of allowing others to help when things become overwhelming. The song was originally written during the pandemic as an anniversary gift for his then-girlfriend, now wife. Although it first introduced Cabangon as a solo recording artist, its place in the EP gives it a broader role in the narrative—accepting that it is okay not to be okay and recognizing that recovery does not have to happen alone. “Kama” shifts the focus to rest, while “ngayon at kailanman” closes the EP with a more hopeful outlook on love. Together, the songs reflect how Cabangon came to recognize a common thread in material that was not originally written around a single, predetermined concept. The five songs do not present recovery as a series of problems that can be resolved one after another. Instead, they reflect the different emotions a person may encounter while trying to regain a sense of direction. Asked what he hopes listeners take away from the EP, Cabangon emphasized the importance of patience. “That it's non-linear. That it's a process,” he said. “Don't give up on hoping. That's what I want to say. And that it's okay to find your rest to take your time as well.” The message is particularly relevant to people who feel pressured to recover quickly from disappointment or keep pace with others, even when they need time to figure things out. For the singer-songwriter, moving forward does not require pretending that the difficult parts never happened. It requires acknowledging them while remaining open to what comes next.
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The process of making Learn to Love Again also led Cabangon to rediscover his enjoyment of creating music and expand his understanding of himself as an artist. “I think I discovered how much I enjoy the creative process of bringing music to life. Or rather rediscovered that one,” he said. He also realized that he did not have to remain confined to a particular musical style to preserve his identity as a singer-songwriter. “I also realized that I have the ability to be versatile as an artist,” Cabangon said. “I didn't need to be stuck to
a specific style.” That discovery allowed him to reconsider the limits he might have placed on his own sound. Rather than committing himself to a single style, he said he could explore different approaches while retaining the singer-songwriter sensibility he wants his music to have. The EP brings together collaborators who helped translate his songwriting into its final musical form. Cabangon worked with David Lina on arrangement and production, developing the tracks from acoustic demos through collaborative studio sessions. Meanwhile, Shadiel Chan and Jan Fuertez handled mixing and mastering, while Cha Martinez contributed lead guitars to “Love Again.” For “Kama,” Cabangon collaborated with Gab Lazaro of Project Yass, vydd, Kyla Miel and his wife, Geli, exploring different instrumental and vocal textures. According to Cabangon, the experience reinforced that his musical identity need not depend on sticking to a particular formula. The songs could take different directions without losing the personal quality he wanted to preserve. His earlier single, “Pieces,” offered listeners an introduction to that approach. With Learn to Love Again, he places the song within a wider body of work that reflects his experiences with disappointment, emotional exhaustion and the effort to recover his passion.
Still a work in progress
Learning to love again is not a lesson that ends with the completion of an EP. Asked what he wished he had understood about love when he was younger, he described it as something that requires continued effort. “It's a constant work in progress,” he said, adding that the idea is reflected in how the five songs are structured. The same applies to his development as a musician and as a person. While the EP marks a significant step in his recording career, Cabangon said he remains in the process of figuring things out. “I'm still navigating through life as we all are,” he said. Artistically, he hopes to continue making music that feels genuine and reflects his experiences. Beyond his career, he wants his work to make a positive impact on society and on the relationships he maintains with the people around him. For now, Cabangon is less concerned with having everything figured out than with continuing to grow and create music that remains true to himself. With this EP, he turns his experiences into a collection that acknowledges the difficulty of starting over without losing sight of possibility. As his reflection, learning to love again is not about returning to an earlier version of himself, but about understanding what he needs to keep going, both as a musician and as a person. Sometimes, finding your way back begins with allowing yourself to stop. And sometimes, learning to love again means discovering that what you needed was not to give up, but to give yourself time to begin again.
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soundstrip.businessmirror@gmail.com | OCTOBER 18, 2026
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BUSINESS
NATURAL PROGRESSION
At 13, singer-actress Rylie Pennington is making steady growth as an artist
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previously played in a band that toured the East Coast, and the two now share the sometimesfamiliar experience of disagreeing over how a song should sound. Mostly, though, Rylie said they have fun making music together.
Story by Bless Aubrey Ogerio
OVING to a new place can mean leaving behind familiar people, routines and the life you have known. And for 13-year-old Rylie Pennington, that change became something creative. Three months ago, Rylie moved with her family from Connecticut to Arizona. She missed the friends and relatives she left behind, but as the move drew closer, her sadness gave way to excitement about starting over. The young actress turned those feelings into “Halfway Gone, Halfway Brave,” a song about leaving one chapter behind and finding the courage to begin another. “I realized that this is something that’s going to change my life forever,” Rylie said in an exclusive interview with BusinessMirror. “Whether or not I think it’s going to be good now, it will end up turning good in the outcome for me.” That instinct to turn personal experiences into stories runs through much of what Rylie does. She acts, sings, plays guitar and writes plays and songs. This year, she also made her feature-film debut that is currently making waves across socials. First film? Lead role RYLIE stars as Bridget in Not My Dog, an 81-minute family film about a 12-year-old girl and a stray black German Shepherd who follows her through a small Connecticut town. Written and directed by Danny LeGare, the film follows Bridget as her unexpected friendship with the dog leads her through a story about loyalty, courage and companionship. It also features Eric Roberts, Dan Lauria, Marika Dominczyk, Jeremy London, Robert Ri’chard and Sal Rendino. “I’d always wanted to do some sort of filming,” she said. “But being the main character
in the first ever filming that I’ve done was just such an amazing feeling.” The preparation lasted longer than simply learning lines. She spent about a month on acting training and another month getting acquainted with the German Shepherd who plays Nudge (Inkosi in real life), Bridget’s canine companion. Rylie first had to get him comfortable around her. Once they had established that familiarity, she began working with him on commands and scenes. “I love the dog so much,” she said. The film also allowed her to bring another part of herself into the project. “Unlikely Friends,” its theme song, was written by Annalise Scarpacci, who plays Jessie in the film. Rylie said the song resonated with her because of its message and because it allowed her to incorporate her love of singing into the movie. Before the cameras, she was Matilda FILM may be new territory, but performing is not. At 10, Rylie played the title character in Matilda, a role she had dreamed of playing since she was younger. And it remains one of the performances she remembers most clearly. “Matilda was my dream role,” she said. “Being able to put that on stage was such a dream come true. I loved every second of it.” The role also taught her how much preparation happens before an audience sees the finished performance. She underwent acting and vocal training, along with dance rehearsals and the regular work of learning a production. She was nervous at first, particularly because
it was her first show with that theater company. The cast and crew, however, quickly made her feel at home. “They made me just feel so welcome and they also helped me in my training to be able to put on this character,” she said. That experience left her with lasting friendships among the cast and crew, as well as a clearer sense of how much she enjoyed building a character from the page and bringing it to life. Writing as another way to speak HER interest in creating stories eventually moved beyond performing someone else’s. Rylie has written a two-act play called Finding Your Voice and continues to take playwriting classes. Those impulses, she explained, came partly from having difficulty expressing herself when she was younger. “I used to have a really hard time in school and I had a really hard time standing up for myself,” she said. “I love being able to write plays, I get to put the things that I experience into somebody else.” On the other hand, while she has started recording her songs, Rylie also hopes of eventually releasing an album. She is not sure yet when that will happen, she said, but for now, she is enjoying the process of learning how to turn an idea into a finished song. A familiar face in the family tree THERE is also a Filipino thread in Rylie’s story. Her maternal grandmother is Filipino and from Manila, giving the teenager a connection to a culture she shares with one of her biggest artistic inspirations: Lea Salonga. “I really look up to her, not only because of her performance, but also because we share a culture together,” she said. At home, music is also a family affair. She performs and records with her father’s band, Daddy Long Legs. Her father
Still figuring out what comes next AT 13, there is plenty of time for Rylie to decide which part of the creative world she wants to pursue most—or whether she wants to choose just one. For now, perhaps the clearest picture of where Rylie is as an artist is this: still young, still experimenting, and increasingly interested in turning whatever happens next into something she can tell.
Rylie Pennington
‘PAMBANSANG TAMBAYAN’ How National Book Store reimagines the bookstore experience
“IT’S really meant to be less transactional and more experiential, so that people will really want to experience those moments inside our store,” said Adrian Ramos, CEO and founder of National Book Store. COVER AND INSIDE PHOTOS BY JOHN EIRON R. FRANCISCO By John Eiron R. Francisco
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s consumer habits evolve, even legacy businesses find ways to stay relevant. National Book Store (NBS), for one, a fixture in Filipino shopping culture for generations, is rethinking what a “bookstore” means.
The company hopes to revive its role as a “pambansang tambayan” (the nation’s favorite hangout). Through redesigned branches that bring together reading, creativity, learning, and leisure, NBS hopes to offer spaces where Filipinos can gather, explore their interests, and spend time beyond shopping. “The pandemic was very difficult and painful for us,” Adrian Ramos, CEO and founder of NBS, told Y2Z during the recent media-exclusive day at the company’s “Superbranch” in Filinvest, Alabang. “Coming out of [those challenging times], it sort of took us a little bit of time to get our bearings and what to do next.” Ramos said the new retail concept of NBS was the culmination of years of hard work, from studying other markets, conducting tons of research, to mounting pilot projects.
“I think we knew that it was important to innovate and modernize as quickly as possible,” he added.
and more experiential, so that people will really want to experience those moments inside our store,” he added.
A space to get lost in
Following the foot traffic
THE Alabang branch is the first NBS store to adopt a zoning concept that gives each section a distinct identity based on customers’ interests and needs. The idea, according to Ramos, is to give people room to “lose yourself in the space” and discover what interests them. For instance, entire families can bond together at the “Learn and Play” section, while the “Create” area caters to creative spirits, from writers to artists. There’s also the “Organization” section, featuring a wide selection of products perfect for those with Type-A personalities. Meanwhile, a flexible marketplace area allows the retailer to feature products based on seasonal trends, while keeping everyday essentials available. The store also houses the newly opened Toby’s Estate coffee shop. “We have to remember that at least our mission is to help people live balanced lives,” Ramos said. W hile digital technology has become an essential part of everyday life, NBS still sees room for physical spaces that encourage people to learn and create through hands-on activities. These experiences, Ramos said, can help create lasting memories while giving customers more reasons to visit the stores. “It’s really meant to be less transactional
THE Alabang Superbranch is the second of its kind, following the opening of NBS Mall of Asia in 2024. The retailer is also preparing to convert its Cubao store into
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experimenting with bringing the book buying experience into an unexpected format: a vending machine. Located at NBS Park in Mandaluyong City, the 24/7 book vending machine offers a cashless, self-service way to purchase books. The company describes it as a first of its kind in the country. The machine carries a curated selec-
‘We knew it was important to innovate and modernize.’ –Adrian Ramos, National Book Store CEO and Founder a Superbranch at Gateway 2 and renovate its SM Cebu store, with both projects targeted for completion before Christmas. NBS is also evaluating other locations for future Superbranches, although not every area can support a branch of that size, Ramos said, as foot traffic remains a key consideration. “ There are also other opportunities that we’re evaluating for other f lagship locations, but there are only a certain number of areas that can support that size,” he NBS CEO and founder said. “[That said], even the normal National Bookstore experience is being renovated and upgraded also to evoke the same feelings and evoke the same brand.”
Book vending machines BEYOND its redesigned stores, NBS is also
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tion of titles, initially focused on cozy fiction. It also comes with an open-shelf library that lets visitors browse titles before deciding to buy. The selection may change every month or two, depending on the themes NBS chooses and the feedback it receives from customers. For now, the machine is part of the wider NBS Park concept, with the company still assessing the practicalities of expanding the format. “Right now, it was really built to be part of NBS Park,” Ramos said. “We’ll see whether it’s not that easy to do vending machines, because you have to constantly replenish and things like that.” For now, he said the focus remains on reworking the NBS store network to keep pace with changing customer needs and prepare for the future.