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Carandang elected College Press Corps president

Justin Kenneth Carandang of GMA News Online was elected new president of the Collegiate Press Corps for the 2026-27 athletic season, which covers UAAP Season 89 and NCAA Season 102.

Carandang steps up as new head of the unified media organization after previously serving as its Vice President for Internal Affairs following elections held on Saturday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Joining Carandang in the new CPC leadership are Julio Gabriel Sampedro of UAAP Varsity Channel as VP for internal affairs, Luisa Morales of One Sports as VP for UAAP, Rom Anzures of ABS-CBN News as VP for NCAA and John Mark Garcia of SPIN.ph as secretary.

The new Board of Directors is composed of Theodore Jurado of People’s Journal, Ivan Suing of Daily Tribune, Abby Toralba of Malaya Business Insight, Niel Victor Masoy of The Manila Times and Ralph Villanueva of Philstar.com.

‘I would like to thank the Collegiate Press Corps for putting their trust in us. We will strive to become better storytellers as we put the journeys of our student-athletes into the spotlight,’ said the 33-year-old Carandang.

The UAAP and NCAA Press Corps were unified in 2022 to bring together members of traditional and digital media covering both leagues.

The organization has since expanded its programs and projects beyond game coverage, including its annual Awards Night recognizing standout collegiate athletes and coaches across basketball, volleyball and football.

Meanwhile, former CPC presidents Joey Villar of The Star, Norman Lee Benjamin Riego of SPIN.ph, Randolph Leongson and John Bryan Ulanday of The Star, as well as Camille Naredo of ABS-CBN News will serve as advisers to guide the new set of officers.

‘We would also like to thank those who came before us. We stand on the shoulders of the great leaders and members who helped shape the organization into what it is today,’ Carandang added.

Gilas women rout Hong Kong to book Asian Games quarterfinals berth

The Gilas women stamped their ticket to the quarterfinal round of the Asian Games women’s basketball division after blasting Hong Kong, 90-73, Sunday morning at the Aichi International Arena in Japan.

Gilas remained unscathed through two games after back-to-back huge wins. The squad first defeated Kazakhstan, 86-58, before the huge win over Hong Kong.

Stefanie Berberabe paced the Filipina dribblers with 21 points, five rebounds and two assists. Afril Bernardino added 17 markers, 11 boards and four dimes, while Jhaz Joson had 15 points.

The two teams were kept in a close game through the midway point of the third quarter, with a triple by Tsz Kwan Li making it a 59-57 lead by the Philippines.

But Gilas stepped on the gas and left Hong Kong on the rear-view mirror with a backbreaking 16-3 run capped by a deuce by Afril Bernardino to push the Philippines ahead, 76-60, with 7:37 remaining.

Li and Tong tried to rally Hong Kong back into the game, but Bernardino, Joson, Camille Malagar and Berberabe put the finishing touches in the dominant win.

Malagar tallied 14 points for the winning team, while Elizabeth Means chipped in 11.

Li carried the offense for Hong Kong with 30 points, five rebounds and three assists, while Tan Fung Ma had 15 markers.

The Philippines will take on Japan in their final Group B play on Tuesday. The home team is also holding a 1-0 record thus far, before facing Kazakhstan Sunday afternoon.

The People’s Republic: How they rule

The composition of each of the Regional and Central Legislatures was as follows:

NORTHERN REGION

House of Chiefs

(I) The Lieutenant-Governor, who was President of the House and had original and casting votes;

(2) 3 official members, appointed by the Lieutenant-Governor in his discretion;

(3) 15 First-Class Chiefs – who were members virtute officii;

(4) 37 Chiefs, other than First-Class Chiefs, selected by the Native Authorities; and

(5) An adviser on Moslem law.

House of Assembly

(I) The President, with original and casting votes, appointed by the Lieutenant-Governor, acting in his discretion, from outside the members of the House;

(2) 4 Official Members appointed by the Lieutenant-Governor, in his discretion;

(3) 90 elected members; and

(4) Not more than 10 special members, appointed by the Lieutenant-Governor to represent interests or communities which, in his opinion, were not otherwise adequately represented in the House.

WESTERN REGION

House of Chiefs

(1) The Lieutenant-Governor who was President with original and casting votes;

(2) 3 official members, appointed by the Lieutenant-Governor in his discretion;

(3) 7 Head Chiefs, who were members virtute officii; and

(4) 43 Chiefs other than Head Chiefs, elected by Native Authorities.

House of Assembly

(I) The President, with original and casting votes, and appointed in the same manner as his Northern counterpart;

(2) 4 official members, appointed by the Lieutenant-Governor, in his discretion;

(3) 80 elected members; and

(4) Not more than 3 special members appointed by the Lieutenant-Governor in the same manner and for the same purposes as in the North.

EASTERN REGION

(1) The Lieutenant-Governor, who was President with original and casting votes;

(2) 5 official members, appointed by the Lieutenant-Governor, in his discretion;

(3) 80 elected members; and

(4) Not more than 3 special members, appointed by the Lieutenant-Governor in the same manner and for the same purposes as in the North.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

(I) The President, who was appointed by the Governor from outside the membership of the House. (At first it was the Governor himself who presided over the business of the House. But later, owing to criticisms from the floor of the House and by members of the public generally, he appointed Mr Fellowes, then Assistant Clerk of the House of Commons as President). The President had original and casting votes;

(2) 6 ex officio members comprising the Chief Secretary to the Government of Nigeria, the 3 Lieutenant-Governors, the Attorney-General, and the Financial Secretary to the Government of Nigeria;

(3) 68 members elected by the Joint Council of the Northern House of Chiefs and Northern House of Assembly, of whom 14 were Chiefs;

(4) 34 members elected by the Joint Council of the Western House of Chiefs and Western House of Assembly; of whom 3 were Chiefs;

(5) 34 members elected by the Eastern House of Assembly; and

(6) 6 special members, appointed by the Governor in his discretion, to represent interests and communities which, in his opinion, were not adequately represented in the House. In the event, those appointed were expatriates who represented banking, shipping, mining, industrial, and commercial interests.

As in the case of the House of Representatives, election of members to the Regional House of Assembly was indirect and was conducted in three pyramidal tiers. At the base of the pyramid, the taxpayers to whom suffrage was confined met in their different quarters or wards on an appointed day. There at the meeting, presided over by the traditional head of the quarter or ward, the candidate or candidates were nominated. If more than one candidate was nominated, the taxpayers, there and then, openly and without any secrecy, grouped themselves behind the candidate of their choice. The number of taxpayers standing behind each candidate was then determined, and the candidate with a majority of taxpayers was declared duly elected. During the count, any person who was unable to produce his current tax receipt was disqualified from voting at the election.

Any person elected at this meeting became a member of the Intermediate Electoral College which was constituted for a Local or District Council Area. Those elected at this College would become members of the Final Electoral College for the Division. It was from this last College that the candidates for every Division in the Regional House of Assembly were elected. In the case of the North, the Final College was at the Provincial level. Voting at the Intermediate and Final Colleges was by secret ballot.

The Executive Authority of a Region was vested in the Executive Council which comprised, in the case of:

THE NORTH

(I) The Lieutenant-Governor-President of the Council;

(2) 3 ex officio members, namely: the Civil Secretary, the Legal Secretary and the Financial Secretary;

(3) 2 other officials appointed by the Lieutenant-Governor in his discretion;

(4) 3 Regional Ministers elected by the House of Chiefs from among its members; and

(5) 6 Regional Ministers elected by the House of Assembly from among its members.

Tita Eggie, right before my eyes

I was visiting my father’s grave on his death anniversary at a cemetery for dead soldiers in this city last Sept. 13 when I learned that my old boss and mentor Eugenia Duran Apostol, founder of the Philippine Daily Inquirer (PDI), had died in the Philippines at age 100.

Suddenly, I realized it would now be hard for me to forget this motherly figure and icon of press freedom and democracy in my homeland now that she is gone, and as fate would have it-dying on this same date that my father passed this earthly life.

In fact, Tita Eggie-this familiar name of endearment reserved only for a privileged few of Filipino journalists of my generation who grew under her guidance and tutelage-actually became both father and mother to this reporter one historic night 36 years ago.

‘Life about to change’

I was into my third year as a reporter for PDI in 1990. The newsroom of the old Ermita building was abuzz with rumors that I was going to win an award for my reporting about the plight of the people of Samar whom I documented in a five-part investigative report that my editors then called ‘Samar: Island In Agony.’

Although of petite stature, Tita Eggie commanded attention whenever she strode into the newsroom every afternoon. The click-clacking of her heels was a signal that the boss was in the building. And suddenly there is a general contest for those present to look busy.

‘Wear a coat and tie. Bring your parents along. Your life is about to change,’ exclaimed Tita Eggie, then chair of the board of the newspaper she founded on Dec. 9, 1985.

But my father, my Tatay Ignas, was sick with colon cancer in my hometown of Palo, Leyte. And my mother, my Nanay Petra, was always by my father’s side, chief comforter of my father as he battled his affliction.

Tita Eggie was noncommittal when I asked her to represent my parents, who could not travel from the province to Manila to be with their son.

But she had something up her sleeve that week.

On the night of Oct. 3 that year, I became the first recipient of the Jaime V. Ongpin Awards for Investigative Journalism for my searing portrait of the life of the poor in Samar.

In the audience, I saw Tita Eggie, right before my eyes, clapping her hands, wildly cheering for me. I was overcome with emotion and I wept.

Political refugee

Four months later, Tita Eggie was touting my recent achievement in a talk for the Philippine Press Institute before a big crowd of media practitioners in Davao City on Feb. 10, 1991.

For days, I was walking on clouds.

When I decided to flee the Philippines in December that year to seek refuge in the United States because of threats to my life, Tita Eggie was one of few people who knew of my plan. (The late editor in chief Letty Jimenez Magsanoc was also privy to my plan to immigrate to the United States).

When her beloved Peping (her husband Jose, who died on Aug. 14, 2004) was recuperating from an ailment in a San Francisco hospital in January 1992, we would talk on the phone, and she would tease me and relay to me the suspicion of my colleagues in the Inquirer that I was faking persecution so that I could live in America forever.

But the American immigration officers believed otherwise and granted me and my family asylum on July 6, 2002.

A year before the United States gave me my status as a political refugee, Tita Eggie traveled to Washington to receive a lifetime achievement award given by the International Center for Journalists.

Photo with Bradlee

I could not contain my pride when I saw the black and white photograph of Tita Eggie with the legendary editor of the Washington Post, Ben Bradlee, on the front page of the Inquirer on Oct. 14, 2001.

America was a wounded nation that year, its people reeling in shock from the 9/11 tragedy. But the American press still found time to welcome and celebrate Tita Eggie as a ‘queenmaker’ for helping topple dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr. and installing Corazon Aquino as the new president, restoring democracy in the Philippines.

In his biography of Tita Eggie, the late National Artist Resil Mojares described her as an ‘unlikely crusader in dark times.’

And how a shining beacon she became for Filipinos and the world-in those dark times.

But the path she lit for me will forever burn bright in my heart.

NESG seeks more private investment in primary healthcare

The Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG) has called for the establishment of a national framework for public-private partnerships (PPPs) in primary healthcare to attract more private investment and improve access to quality healthcare services across the country.

The group also proposed the creation of a dedicated primary healthcare investment and risk-sharing facility to give investors clearer information about the risks involved in funding and operating healthcare facilities, particularly in underserved communities.

The proposals formed part of discussions at a pre-summit dialogue organised by the NESG, in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, ahead of the Nigerian Economic Summit.

The virtual meeting, held on Thursday, September 17, 2026, focused on ‘Powering PHC to UHC: Unlocking Private Sector Partnership’ and brought together government officials, healthcare providers, development partners and private-sector operators.

Chairman, House Committee on Health Care Services/Establishments, Dr Amos Mogaji, said uncertainty over revenue, fragmented regulation, lengthy government procedures and weaknesses in contracting and procurement were discouraging private investors from participating more actively in primary healthcare.

He said investors needed to know clearly what government and private operators were expected to do, the risks each party would carry and the results expected from their investments.

Mogaji called for a national framework that would set out the responsibilities of government and private-sector participants in PHC partnerships.

He also proposed an investment and risk-sharing facility that would provide greater certainty for investors and help reduce some of the risks associated with operating healthcare facilities in underserved areas.

According to him, stronger coordination between government agencies and private operators would also reduce unnecessary bureaucracy caused by multiple regulatory and reporting requirements.

The lawmaker said policy continuity was equally important, arguing that agreements and frameworks established to encourage private investment should continue even when administrations change.

The need for stronger private-sector involvement is significant because private operators already account for an estimated 60 to 70 per cent of healthcare service delivery in Nigeria.

Dr Sade Adebanjo, a member of the Steering Committee of the NESG Health Policy Commission, said the scale of private-sector participation meant that the country could not make significant progress towards Universal Health Coverage (UHC) without finding better ways to work with private healthcare providers.

She described primary healthcare as the foundation and first point of contact for most Nigerians seeking healthcare, but said inadequate financing, shortages of healthcare workers, poor infrastructure and weaknesses in service delivery continue to affect its ability to serve communities, especially those that are underserved.

Adebanjo said combining the resources and expertise of government and the private sector could help expand access to affordable and quality healthcare while making the PHC system stronger.

Dr Nkata Chuku, Deputy Director, Health Systems Strengthening and Primary Healthcare at the Gates Foundation, said government must take ownership of PPP projects from the beginning if such arrangements are to grow and remain sustainable.

He said government should be involved from the design stage and throughout implementation instead of waiting until private-sector models had already been developed and tested.

Chuku also said Nigeria needed clearer arrangements for paying healthcare providers. He explained that strategic purchasing systems could help protect poor and vulnerable Nigerians from excessive out-of-pocket spending while also giving private healthcare providers a reliable way to recover their investments.

He said viability-gap funding and other measures to reduce investment risks could make it easier for private companies to provide healthcare services in communities where commercial returns may initially be limited.

Rather than creating entirely new structures, Chuku called for better use of existing health financing arrangements, including the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) and state health insurance schemes.

He said improvements in provider accreditation, quality control, purchasing arrangements and payment systems could create more opportunities for private healthcare operators to work in underserved communities.

The issue of health insurance was also identified as central to the sustainability of private investment in primary healthcare.

Dr Ifunanya Ilodibe, Chief Executive Officer of EHA Clinics, said healthcare providers, including those operating for social impact, needed predictable and sustainable financing to continue serving communities.

She said low insurance coverage, dependence on patients paying directly for healthcare and delays in reimbursement were making it difficult for providers to maintain services in underserved areas.

Ilodibe called for wider health insurance coverage, particularly among Nigerians working in the informal sector, saying a larger pool of insured patients would give healthcare providers more predictable patient numbers and revenue.

She said timely payments through the NHIA and state health insurance schemes would also give private operators greater confidence to invest in primary healthcare facilities.

The EHA Clinics chief executive also called for greater accountability between government and private-sector partners under PPP agreements.

She described the existing situation as ‘regulatory asymmetry’, noting that private healthcare providers were subject to strict accreditation, regulatory and auditing requirements while government obligations under some PPP agreements might not be enforced with the same level of rigour.

She called for contracts to clearly state government responsibilities, including facility improvements, patient enrolment, capitation guarantees and payment schedules. The contracts, she said, should also contain penalties where either party fails to meet its obligations.

Dr Ben Nkechika, Managing Director of Almond Healthcare Services Limited, said the private sector’s role in primary healthcare should go beyond simply being engaged as contractors.

He said private companies could contribute to health education, community mobilisation, advocacy, financing, technology and service delivery.

Nkechika said private-sector interventions should be designed around the actual needs of primary healthcare centres rather than being introduced as isolated projects that do not address the main problems facing the facilities.

He also called for stronger involvement of local governments and communities, saying their participation would be important for ensuring that PHC projects are accepted locally and remain sustainable.

Nkechika cited a programme in Delta State involving the concession of 15 primary healthcare facilities to private operators as an example of what structured partnerships could achieve.

He said the programme combined private-sector incentives, technology and expertise with the involvement of local governments and communities.

According to him, the participating facilities recorded no maternal deaths over a five-year period and also recorded improvements in infant health outcomes.

The discussions also identified the absence of integrated systems linking public and private primary healthcare providers as another challenge that needs to be addressed.

Mogaji said clearer responsibilities and better coordination between the two sectors would make it easier to deliver services and monitor results.

The NESG and its partners said the broader objective of the dialogue was to identify practical ways of improving PHC financing, infrastructure, service delivery, quality and access as Nigeria works towards Universal Health Coverage.

The discussions suggest that unlocking private investment in primary healthcare will require more than simply asking private companies to provide services. It will also require clear government commitments, predictable financing, wider health insurance coverage, effective regulation, risk-sharing arrangements and policies that remain stable over time.

The brain does not suddenly become important when we turn 70: Why early diagnosis matters

WHAT if knowing earlier could change what you do next? This is the question I want us to consider as we join the rest of the world tomorrow, September 21, to mark World Alzheimer’s Day. This year’s global campaign carries a particularly important message: ‘The Earlier You Know, The More You Can Do: A Dementia Diagnosis Matters.’ It is a message that deserves our attention because when it comes to memory problems, many families tend to wait. We notice that Mummy has started repeating herself, Daddy seems to be forgetting recent conversations, or a once independent relative is beginning to struggle with familiar activities, yet we often explain it away by saying, ‘It is just old age,’ ‘She is getting older,’ or ‘He has too much on his mind.’

Sometimes, these explanations may be correct. Stress, poor sleep, depression, anxiety, certain medications and some medical conditions can affect memory and concentration. But sometimes, there may be something more serious happening, and the only way to know is to have the person properly assessed. This is why awareness matters. We should neither panic over every memory lapse nor dismiss persistent changes simply because someone is getting older.

Last week, we talked about the difference between ordinary forgetfulness and memory changes that may need attention. Today, I want us to take that conversation further by understanding what dementia actually means and, more importantly, why finding out what is happening early can make such a difference.

Dementia is not one particular disease. It is a general term used to describe problems with memory, thinking, reasoning, communication and other cognitive abilities that become serious enough to interfere with a person’s everyday life and independence. There are different types of dementia, including vascular dementia, dementia with Lewy bodies and frontotemporal dementia. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia, but dementia itself is not synonymous with Alzheimer’s.

So, what happens in Alzheimer’s disease? In simple terms, think of the brain as an enormous communication network. Billions of brain cells, called neurons, constantly communicate with one another, allowing us to remember people and places, find our way around, understand conversations, make decisions and perform the countless activities that make up everyday life. In Alzheimer’s disease, abnormal proteins, particularly amyloid and tau, become involved in a process that disrupts the normal functioning and connections of these brain cells. Over time, the cells become damaged and die, and areas involved in memory and other thinking abilities can gradually be affected. This is why Alzheimer’s is much more than simply forgetting where you kept your keys.

The changes can begin gradually, which is one reason they are sometimes overlooked. A person may start forgetting recent conversations, asking the same question repeatedly, struggling to find familiar words, having difficulty managing money or medications, becoming confused about familiar places or finding previously routine tasks increasingly difficult. The important question is not simply, ‘Did you forget something?’ because all of us forget things. The more useful question is, ‘Is this a noticeable change from the person’s usual way of functioning, and is it beginning to affect everyday life?’

This is where early diagnosis becomes so important. A diagnosis does not necessarily mean that someone has Alzheimer’s disease. It can help healthcare professionals determine what may actually be causing the changes. Sometimes, there may be another medical or psychological condition contributing to the problem, and some causes of cognitive impairment can be treated. Without an assessment, families may spend months or even years guessing, worrying or simply attributing everything to ageing.

Knowing earlier can also provide access to appropriate treatment, care and support. Some treatments for Alzheimer’s are most useful in the earlier stages of the disease, while other interventions can help with symptoms, daily functioning and quality of life. Just as importantly, an early diagnosis gives families something that becomes increasingly difficult to find as a condition progresses: time. Time to understand what is happening, time to discuss wishes and preferences, time to make important financial and care decisions, and time for the person living with dementia to participate in those decisions while they are still able to do so.

This is particularly important in our families because we often become caregivers almost by default. One person may suddenly find themselves responsible for an ageing parent, managing medications, accompanying them to appointments, handling finances and making decisions that the parent previously made independently. When there has been no proper assessment, the family may interpret the person’s behaviour as stubbornness, laziness or simply ‘being difficult’. Understanding that there may be a change occurring in the brain can completely change how the family responds.

Imagine an older woman who keeps asking the same question. Instead of becoming frustrated and saying, ‘Mummy, I have told you this five times today,’ understanding the possibility of a memory problem may help the family respond with greater patience. Instead of asking, ‘Why can’t Daddy remember this anymore?’ we can begin to ask, ‘What is happening, and what support does he need?’ Sometimes, awareness does not change the condition itself, but it changes the way we care for the person experiencing it.

And this is why the brain does not suddenly become important when we turn 70. We spend years thinking about our heart, our blood pressure, our kidneys, our blood sugar and our general health. We go for checkups when something does not feel right and take treatment when necessary. Yet, we sometimes treat changes in memory and thinking as something we should simply tolerate because ageing is involved. Our brains deserve attention too, and brain health should be a lifelong conversation.

At the same time, we must not allow conversations about Alzheimer’s to create unnecessary fear. Forgetting someone’s name occasionally does not mean you have Alzheimer’s. Walking into a room and forgetting why you went there does not automatically mean dementia. A busy mind, tiredness, stress and many other everyday experiences can affect our ability to remember and concentrate. What should get our attention is a persistent or worsening change, especially when it begins interfering with a person’s ability to manage the activities they normally handle.

So, if you notice significant changes in memory, thinking, behaviour or everyday functioning in yourself or someone you love, do not panic, but do not simply dismiss them either. Talk to a qualified healthcare professional and have the changes assessed. You may discover that it is not dementia at all. You may discover another condition that needs attention. And if it is dementia, knowing earlier gives you and your family an opportunity to understand what is happening, seek appropriate care and support, make informed decisions and prepare for what lies ahead.

This World Alzheimer’s Day, perhaps we need to change the way we think about diagnosis. A diagnosis can certainly be frightening, but not knowing can leave a person and their family in a much more difficult position. Sometimes, knowing is not the end of hope. Sometimes, knowing is the beginning of knowing what to do.

The message of this year’s campaign is therefore one we should all take seriously: the earlier you know, the more you can do. And perhaps that is one of the greatest gifts we can give ourselves and the people we love, the courage to pay attention when something changes, the wisdom to seek help and the compassion to remember that behind every diagnosis is a person who still deserves to be seen, heard, respected and loved.

’Insurance penetration in Nigeria below 1% of GDP’

Insurance penetration in Nigeria remains below one per cent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), despite the nation’s population of more than 220 million.

The Chief Executive Officer of AXA Mansard Insurance, Kunle Ahmed, disclosed this at the launch of the company’s ‘Culture of Care’ campaign, saying the challenge confronting the industry went beyond lack of awareness.

Ahmed said there was a need to change how Nigerians perceive insurance and make them understand it as more than an expense.

He said Nigerians should see insurance as a practical expression of care for families, businesses and communities.

‘Protection does not begin with an insurance policy. Protection begins with people,’ he said.

According to him, parents who purchase health insurance for their children, businesses that protect their employees and families that prepare against uncertainty are all demonstrating care.

Ahmed said the insurance industry was entering an important phase following the passage of the Nigerian Insurance Industry Reform Act (NIRRA) 2025, the recapitalisation of insurance companies and other reforms in the sector.

He said the recapitalisation exercise should go beyond increasing the capital base of insurance companies to building stronger institutions capable of underwriting larger risks, settling claims faster, investing in innovation and supporting economic activities.

Ahmed said a stronger insurance sector could help de-risk activities in agriculture, manufacturing, infrastructure and digital services, while supporting investment and long-term savings.

He said the industry needed to connect insurance with values that Nigerians already understood and practised in their daily lives.

‘The challenge is therefore not simply awareness. The challenge is helping Nigerians see insurance not as an expense, but as a practical expression of care,’ he said.

The Chief Marketing Officer of AXA Mansard, Adebola Surakat, said the ‘Culture of Care’ campaign was built around the question: ‘Who takes care of the caregiver?’

Surakat said care had traditionally been central to Nigerian society, with families, neighbours and communities supporting one another during difficult periods.

She identified parents, teachers, neighbours, friends and other caregivers as people whose daily sacrifices help sustain families and communities.

She said the campaign sought to move beyond the conventional understanding of insurance by presenting protection in a more human form and encouraging Nigerians to value and protect those who care for others.

The Chief Executive Officer of AXA Mansard Health, Tope Adeniyi, said healthcare was central to the culture of care, noting that illness could expose families to significant financial pressure when they lacked adequate protection.

Adeniyi said the company was promoting preventive and curative healthcare while also seeking to ensure that caregivers received support.

He said AXA Mansard’s healthcare initiatives, including AXA One Health, were part of efforts to provide end-to-end care and make healthcare more accessible.

According to him, a healthy population was essential to building productive communities and a prosperous economy.

Adeniyi said healthcare should be regarded not only as a social good but also as an economic imperative because poor access to healthcare could leave families financially vulnerable and reduce productivity.

Also speaking, the Chief Executive Officer of AXA Mansard Investments, Tunde-Anjo, said financial security was an important component of protection.

He said saving and investing for the future should be seen as an act of care, particularly for Nigerians who make financial sacrifices to provide education, healthcare, shelter and other necessities for their families.

Tunde-Anjo said financial planning could help families build resilience against unexpected challenges and create opportunities for future generations.

He said AXA Mansard Investments would continue to promote savings, investment, financial education and digital access to financial services as part of efforts to improve financial wellbeing.

Which way for Balimwezo after City Square proposal?

Before he won the Kampala City Lord Mayorship, Ronald Nsubuga Balimwezo, who belongs to leading Opposition party, the National Unity Platform (NUP), said, however inconvenient it was, the time was ripe for Opposition leaders in the capital to face reality and work with the executive structure put in place by the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM).

During the campaigns, Balimwezo ridiculed the incumbent Erias Lukwago for being a crybaby who offers no solutions to the issues affecting Kampala residents.

‘I’m an engineer, and I offer solutions. I don’t cry when I’m faced with issues. We must come up with ideas on how to make Kampala better,’ Balimwezo, the former Nakawa East legislator, said during the campaign.

For the 11 years Lukwago served as the capital’s Lord Mayor, he always framed himself as the shield, or, in Luganda, engabo, of Kampala against the abuses of the ruling NRM and its agents. Lukwago’s intimate relationship with the people of Kampala started in 2006 when he was voted as Kampala Central legislator. To reach there, he ousted NRM’s Edward Francis Babu.

Kampala’s shield

It was during this period that Lukwago faced off with what he termed NRM agents who were seizing public property. This included Kisekka Market, Nakasero Market, and Owino Market, as well as public schools such as Bat Valley Primary School and Buganda Road Primary School. It was during this time that the Kisekka Market became a site of confrontations between the police and the traders. The violence became common after vendors came to know that the government, Kampala City Council (KCC), under the leadership of Nasser Ntege Sebaggala, had handed over the market to Rhino Investments, owned by Kampala businessman Col John Mugyenyi.

Lukwago became the flagbearer of the interests of the common man in the capital as he sought to ensure that vendors own the markets.

‘In this city, everyone grabs and also grabs something for my people, the vendors. They must own the markets,’ Lukwago said.

Indeed, in 2008, Lukwago leaked what he said was a parliamentary report to Nakasero market vendors. The report indicated that legislators sitting on the Local Government Committee of Parliament had handed over Nakasero Market to Sheils Investments, owned by NRM cadre Hassan Basajjabalaba.

Lukwago’s move, which was ridiculed by legislators as populist, was enough to spark off riots among the traders in Nakasero. As a result of the chaos, vendors often beseeched Lukwago to stand for the mayoral position instead of defending his Kampala Central MP slot. He complied with what the voters wanted and stood as an independent, having allied with Opposition doyen Kizza Besigye. Summarily, Lukwago beat off a challenge from NRM’s Peter Sematimba by taking 64.4 percent of the vote.

A different path

If Lukwago entered City Hall on the premise of asserting the interests of the common man, Balimwezo said the only way to solve these issues is by working with the regime.

‘If delivering services for the people of Kampala means talking to President Museveni, then I will,’ Balimwezo said. ‘We need leaders that will engage and work with [the] government, not political pride and selfishness.’

On assuming office, Balimwezo engaged with Attorney General Sam Mayanja, and it’s said they discussed what they termed as investment opportunities for sustainable urban development and infrastructure modernisation in Kampala.

‘This is the first time in history that the Lord Mayor of Kampala is coming to interact with the government. As our President [Museveni] said, there was the campaign period, which has ended. Now it’s time to work,’ Mayanja said.

On his part, Balimwezo spoke about the investors he had taken to the Attorney General, saying: ‘They don’t need any land, yet they offer a solution to eradicate traffic jams in Kampala’.

The new Kampala Lord Mayor said: ‘As a leader, shouldn’t I come and sell this idea? The money is available, and we need support from [the] government and support from everybody so that we can have a vibrant and smart city.’

Unlike Lukwago, who had an adversarial relationship with various KCCA executive directors that Museveni appointed during his tenure, Balimwezo has also created an understanding with the current boss at City Hall, Sharifah Buzeki. The two have inspected roads across the city together, with Balimwezo not criticising the executive wing of City Hall. Balimwezo, in a City Hall meeting, stunned the 18-strong NUP councillors’ caucus at KCCA when he beseeched it to avoid making ‘reckless and unresearched criticisms’ targeting Buzeki or any member of the technical wing.

Balimwezo claimed that NUP takes discipline seriously and that he wants to chart a different path from that of Lukwago. The new Kampala Lord Mayor proceeded to accuse his predecessor of using the rule of law as a pretext to attack the technical wing and other Museveni appointees in Kampala. Balimwezo claimed that there is a need for NUP to show that it is different and not full of hooligans, as its detractors claim.

Bulwadda proposal

Yet Balimwezo’s approach of engaging the NRM has come under question following President Museveni’s order that the Ministry for Kampala and KCCA scrutinise a proposal by businessman Hassan Bulwadda. The proposal is aimed at redeveloping two acres of City Square into a modern, solar-powered commercial complex. Bulwadda’s proposal aims at transforming part of the prominent public space in the heart of Kampala into an eco-friendly real estate development featuring a hotel, shopping mall and other commercial facilities.

In a one-page letter directed to Minsa Kabanda, the Kampala minister, Museveni instructed her to study the proposal, consult KCCA and report back to him.

‘I have received a letter from Hajj Hassan Bulwadda dated August 18, 2026, proposing to develop the two acres at City Square in Kampala into a modern, eco-friendly real-estate complex, with a hotel, shopping mall, etc., using solar power, etc,’ Museveni wrote in the letter.

The President directed Kabanda to study the proposal, discuss it with KCCA and report back. Bulwadda’s August 18 proposal envisions a commercial complex powered largely by renewable energy, with solar power expected to meet its energy needs. If approved, the project would significantly alter the character and use of City Square, one of Kampala’s most recognisable public spaces.

Though Balimwezo claimed that he is willing to work with Museveni to propel what he termed development, he was quick to reject that idea of putting malls in City Square.

‘The President’s proposal to develop City Square is contrary to the 2007 Protective Order. We condemn this in the strongest terms! City Square is the only green open space left in the CBD [central business district]. Our only emergency assembly point during fire outbreaks,’ Balimwezo said this week, adding, ‘We have witnessed fatal fires in Kikuubo, Park Yard and City Arcades. Without open spaces like City Square as a safe haven for evacuation, counting of survivors, and emergency medical response, those incidents will lead to mass casualties from stampede and entrapment.’

Not different after all?

Observers say if Balimwezo concretises his rejection of the development of the City Square, then he would have aligned with Lukwago, who rejected the move by Museveni to allow Hamis Kiggundu to build a mall on the Nakivubo drainage channel. In July 2025, Kiggundu proposed to clean, strengthen and cover sections of the channel at his own cost, with commercial structures to be built above it to enable him to recover his investment. Lukwago rejected the move, saying that it will lead to both an environmental disaster and also flaunting of procurement rules.

‘For anyone to take possession of public property, there are procurement laws that must be followed. To carry out any development on public land, whether to obtain a leasehold or license, there must be a legal instrument to that effect,’ Lukwago remarked.

Despite Lukwago’s protests, Museveni went ahead to endorse Ham’s proposal, describing it as not only ‘imaginative and simple’ but also ‘godly.’

Kiggundu’s project has since generated controversy, with questions raised by city authorities, environmentalists and traders over planning and environmental approvals, the use of public infrastructure and the potential impact on drainage and public access.

Mao lashes out after bid for Speaker splits Acholi

The Justice and Constitutional minister has said his failed bid to become Speaker of the 12th Parliament underlines deep divisions that pose an existential threat to northern Uganda. Mr Norbert Mao, who is also the president general of Uganda’s oldest extant party, the Democratic Party (DP), says he was dismayed by how his own kinsmen disowned him once he declared his candidacy.

‘How we messed it up, we shall discuss it in confidence as elders, but I want only to caution that we as Acholi need not read/speak from different pages; if that happens, things get messed up,’ Mr Mao told Mega FM, a local radio station in Acholi Sub-region.

‘Two hardworking and great Acholi women (MPs) were proposed to contest for the deputy speakership among themselves; unfortunately, some of the people who were consulted, they bad-mouthed these two women terribly, our very own Acholi,’ Mr Mao added, referring to Omoro District Woman Representative (DWR) Catherine Lamwaka and Kitgum DWR Lillian Aber.

Mr Mao said the ‘slander and witch-hunt’ did not start this year. He pointed out that, a few years ago, when East African Legislative Assembly (Eala) Speaker Dan Kidega’s name was proposed to lead the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (Igad) headquartered in Djibouti, intrigue took centre stage. This was after ‘senior Acholi leaders in government badmouthed Kidega’.

Reacting to incidents when several lawmakers openly recorded themselves on social media disowning his candidacy, Mr Mao said he has always built a virtue to forgive and work with others. ‘I never ascribe to malice what can be explained by stupidity; we must desist from the politics of ‘all men are equal’; it is outdated today. I listen to and work together with every leader and even opponents and reconcile with them.’

Moment of introspection

Among the fights being catalysed by the Acholi leaders in Mr Mao’s assessment is one to oust the sitting Paramount Chief.

The Justice and Constitutional Affairs minister says he has also seen a memo from a group of leaders addressed to Gen Salim Saleh, the Operation Wealth Creation (OWC) national coordinator, that is ‘against me’.

He added: ‘[…] but all of you know that I am the vice chairperson of Gen Salim Saleh Foundation for Humanity. I am also vice chairperson of Gen Saleh at Uganda Development Forum. He (Saleh) told me about those documents and served me a copy, for which the authors know I have been served a copy by Gen Saleh, which contained so many bad things about me, including so much slanderous and malicious stuff.’

Minister Mao, whose parliamentary win of Laroo-Pece Division is no longer facing a court petition after Tony Kitara opted out of the legal proceedings on Thursday, says Acholi leaders should have a moment of introspection. ‘I think we, the Acholi, should have our bedroom where we can settle our grievances, private matters and secrets. I know people want to be elected MPs, councillors, etc, and others were promised ministerial posts, etc, but if we are to take Acholi forward, let’s have a bedroom where we can talk our private things.’

The DP leader attributes President Museveni’s strong performance in the Acholi Sub-region during the 2026 presidential poll to a cooperation agreement his party entered into with the ruling NRM.

‘That success was greatly due to my sweat and the few we fought with. Ever since, Museveni has never scored averagely 50 percent in Acholi […] we convinced the population to vote Museveni since he still owes us the cattle we lost during the past insurgencies in the region, among others,’ Mr Mao said.

Casting lots with Museveni

In December 2025, Mr Mao, a three-time presidential candidate on the DP ticket, disclosed that he would for the first time vote for Museveni. The DP president general said this was to grant Uganda’s octogenarian leader one more chance to fulfil all the political pledges he made in the Acholi Sub-region.

Mr Mao believed that by voting for NRM, the Acholi people would be guaranteed their livestock compensation and other war reparation packages with Museveni in office. While on the campaign trail, as he looked to get back into Parliament, Mr Mao always hinted that he wanted both the NRM and DP parties to elect the best. His open support and mobilisation of the Acholi to vote for President Museveni did yield dividends.

In the 2021 election, President Museveni secured 23,683 (47 percent) of the votes in Gulu District against Mao’s 11,223 (22.3 percent). The National Unity Platform’s Robert Kyagulanyi polled third with 9,764 (19.41 percent) of the 54,088 voters who cast their ballot out of the 141,423 registered voters in the district.

Back in 2021, Museveni also won northern Uganda with 1,219,352 votes, translating into 68.26 percent, while Kyagulanyi (NUP) came second with 389,584 votes (21.81 percent). Patrick Amuriat Oboi of the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) polled 47,912, with Norbert Mao (DP) managing 40,688.

The Electoral Commission is yet to officially release presidential results from the 2026 poll, but there are indications that President Museveni performed better in Gulu and northern Uganda vis-a-vis 2021.

In 2021, Mr Mao and his DP signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the ruling NRM. The pact resulted in Mr Mao’s appointment as the Justice and Constitutional Affairs minister.

The agreement seeks to establish a government of national unity as a base for a peaceful transition to minimise a recurrence of the violence that has previously dogged the country. Mr Mao reasoned that the move was not only to avoid fragmenting the Opposition vote but also to promote peaceful and credible elections.

Weather Temperature for Cyprus

Department of Meteorology

Today’s weather and temperatures for Cyprus according to the Department of Meteorology

Date 19/09/2026

Station

TEMPERATURE (C) (FROM 20:00 PC of the previous one until the time of the show)

Highest

Lowest

Humidity at

1200 UTC

Nicosia (Athalassa)

Larnaka Airport

Limassol

Pafos Airport

Frenaros

Prodromos

Polis Pafos