Author: INQUIRER.net

HONG KONG, China – Asian markets mostly rose Monday as fresh hopes for a US interest rate cut provided some calm after last week’s rollercoaster ride fueled by worries of a tech bubble.

The scramble to snap up all things AI has helped propel equities skywards this year, pushing several companies to records — with chip titan Nvidia last month becoming the first to top $5 trillion.

READ: Philippine stocks: buy, sell or hold?

But investors have grown increasingly fearful that the vast sums pumped into the sector may have been overdone and could take some time to see profits realised, leading to warnings of a possible market correction.

That has been compounded in recent weeks by falling expectations the Federal Reserve will cut rates for a third successive time next month as stubbornly high inflation overshadows weakness in the labor market.

However, risk appetite was given a much-needed shot in the arm Friday when New York Fed boss John Williams said he still sees “room for a further adjustment” at the bank’s December 9-10 policy meeting.

The remarks saw the chances of a cut shoot up to about 70 percent, from 35 percent earlier.

Data points

Focus is now on the release this week of the producer price index, which will be one of the last major data points before officials gather, with other key reports postponed or missed because of the government shutdown.

“The reading carries heightened importance following the postponement of October’s personal consumption expenditures report, originally scheduled for 26 November, which removes a key datapoint from policymakers’ assessment framework,” wrote IG market analyst Fabien Yip.

“A substantially stronger-than-expected PPI outcome could reinforce concerns that inflationary pressures remain entrenched, potentially constraining the Fed’s capacity to reduce rates in December despite recent labour market softening.”

US futures

After Wall Street’s rally Friday capped a torrid week for markets, Asia mostly started on the front foot.

Hong Kong and Seoul jumped more than one percent, while Sydney, Singapore, Wellington and Taipei were also well up, though Shanghai and Manila retreated. US futures advanced.

Tokyo was closed for a holiday.

But while the mood is a little less fractious than last week, uncertainty continues to weigh on riskier assets, with bitcoin hovering around $87,000.

While that is up from its seven-month low of $80,553, it is still sharply down from its record $126,200 hit last month.

MANILA, Philippines – Seaoil Philippines announced a fresh round of fuel price adjustments set to take effect Tuesday, Nov. 25, reflecting another week of mixed movements in the global oil market.

READ: Mixed fuel price changes expected next week

In an advisory on Monday, the company said it would trim pump prices of gasoline by 20 centavos per liter, while diesel prices will climb by 60 centavos per liter. Kerosene, meanwhile, will see the steepest increase at P1.30 per liter.

The adjustments will take effect at 12:01 a.m. for stations implementing early price changes and 6 a.m. for the rest of Seaoil’s network.

Jetti petroleum president Leo Bellas earlier said gasoline prices were likely to soften amid slower regional demand and a notable buildup in US inventories, signaling weaker consumption in the world’s largest oil market.

He cited as key drivers of the upward pressure were reduced exports from Northeast Asian refiners facing maintenance and unplanned shutdowns, limited Chinese outflows and lingering disruptions in Russian supply.

After two decades, popular 90s actress Amanda Page recently recalled the most controversial moment in her career that prompted her unceremonious exit from show business.

In an Fast Talk interview with Boy Abunda, Page was asked what she thought was the most painful and most intense intrigue that she experienced in showbiz, and she said that it was when she was involved in a sex video scandal that made her quit in 2001 at the height of her popularity.

“Allegedly, I was in a sex video. I think that one was the most painful because I think because it almost as if like, schadenfreude (natutuwa sa kamalasan ng kapwa) people want to believe the worst about someone,” she said.

“And so, I felt like I wasn’t even given an opportunity really because it’s always like whatever’s negative out there is what people will always believe,” she added.

READ: Ellen Adarna has ‘more receipts’ vs Derek Ramsay, claims he ‘terrorized’ helpers

The former actress also admitted that even back then, she never saw herself staying long in the entertainment industry, despite how well her career was going in 2001.

When the scandal broke out, Page was still doing a few shows, but had to leave when she was done with her showbiz commitments to return to the United States to cool her heels.

She had just recently returned to the Philippines for a brief stay, but she said that it was unlikely for her to return to showbiz.

“Feeling ko when I was in showbiz, that was never going to be my endgame. I always had a different endgame. The endgame was that I was not going to grow old in showbiz.”

At the same time, she expressed gratitude to three individuals whom she said played major roles in her showbiz career.

“First, obviously, Boss Vic (del Rosario) of Viva Films because he gave me my first break. Second, I would have to say Maribeth Bichara because she’s been my mentor for so long, and I got to do what I love because of her — and actually have fun doing it,” Page said.

Lastly, the late Action King Fernando Poe Jr., whom she was paired with in a film. “Third, I would have to say maybe Fernando Poe Jr.

“I think I really enjoyed the time I had working with him, and the break I got from… you know, just being able to work with him,” Amanda Page added.

Amanda appeared in the films Rizal in Dapitan, Ang Probinsyano, and Tatsulok. She also became a host on GMA’s former musical variety show SOP, and was part of Bubble Gang and T.G.I.S.. /edv

MANILA, Philippines — An International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) blue notice has been issued for former House of Representatives appropriations committee chairperson and resigned Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Elizaldy “Zaldy” Co, Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla announced on Monday.

“We believe he is traveling with another passport. We do not know if he is using another name, so we’re still verifying it,” Remulla said in a press conference in Camp Crame, Quezon City.

“The [International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol)] blue notice is out. Now that we have the arrest warrant, the red notice can be out and we will further determine where he actually is,” he added.

READ: Jonvic Remulla: Zaldy Co last seen in Japan ‘a few days ago’

An Interpol blue notice aims to “collect additional information about a person’s identity, location or activities in relation to a criminal investigation,” while an Interpol red notice aims to “seek the location and arrest of persons wanted for prosecution or to serve a sentence.”

Arrest warrants were issued for Co and 15 others by the anti-graft court Sandiganbayan for cases over a P289.5-million road dike project in Oriental Mindoro.

The 16 accused are accused of violations of Republic Act No. 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, as well as malversation of public funds through falsification of public documents.

The 15 others accused are Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Region 4B officials and executives of Sunwest Corporation, a construction firm linked to Co.

READ: 8 accused in Mindoro flood control case under custody

Earlier on Monday, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. announced that several of the accused were already in authorities’ custody.

Mugshots shared by the DILG at its press conference with the Philippine National Police, the Department of Justice, the National Bureau of Investigation and the DPWH showed that authorities caught eight suspects. /das

 

 

 

 

Miss Grand International 2025 Emma Tiglao was welcomed by a throng of supporters at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), a month after winning the golden crown at the global tilt. 

Tiglao, who made history as the first back-to-back titleholder after her predecessor CJ Opiaza, was greeted with a group of supporters giving small gifts and waves at Terminal 3 of NAIA on Sunday, November 23. She was joined by the pageant’s founder and president Nawat Itsaragrisil.

“Pilipinas, na-miss ko kayo,” she captioned her post while posting a clip of her arrival in the country.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Emma Mary Tiglao 🇵🇭 (@emmatiglao)

Meanwhile, Itsaragrisil also shared snippets of Tiglao’s return to the country, where he was seen greeting the beauty queen’s supporters with a big smile on his face.

“I am here with your victory queen @emmatiglao Philippines,” he wrote.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Nawat Itsaragrisil (@nawat.tv)

Tiglao and Itsaragrisil is also joined by Miss Grand International 2025 first runner-up Gotchabell Sarunrat Puagpipat, who arrived at a later flight, where she was welcomed by pageant fans as well.

“This is my first time in the Philippines. Thank you for welcoming me so warmly. I’m so happy that I can’t stop smiling. I love you,” she said.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Sarunrat Puagpipat (@gotchabell)

Puagpipat seems to be enjoying her time in the Philippines so far, as she shared a clip of herself trying balut with Tiglao in what appears to be a street market.

“First time to eat ‘balut’ The first time to eat duck egg. I’m crying. I feel sorry for the little one,” she wrote in Thai. 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Sarunrat Puagpipat (@gotchabell)

Tiglao is set to greet her supporters in a grand homecoming celebration, with a parade to be held in Makati on Monday, November 24. The route will start at the Tower One & Exchange Plaza, and will traverse through Ayala Avenue, Paseo De Roxas, Makati Avenue, before ending at Ayala Triangle Gardens. 

Also gracing the homecoming parade in Makati is Miss Grand International 2024 CJ Opiaza.

Tiglao will also be returning to her hometown in Pampanga, where another homecoming parade will be held in her honor on Tuesday, November 25 at Puregold DAU in Mabalacat. /edv

The government has sought the help of the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) to track down two individuals accused of crimes related to the scam hub of a Philippine offshore gaming operator (Pogo) in Pampanga.

Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) spokesperson Winston Casio disclosed on Sunday that the government has requested a red notice from Interpol against former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque.

Meanwhile, Police Lt. Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr., acting chief of the Philippine National Police, said a red notice has already been issued against Cassandra “Cassie” Li Ong, who is charged with qualified trafficking in connection with the alleged scam hub operated by Lucky South 99 in Pampanga.

According to Interpol, a red notice is a “request to law enforcement worldwide to locate and provisionally arrest a person pending extradition, surrender, or similar legal action,…based on an arrest warrant or court order issued by the judicial authorities in the requesting country.”

‘Political persecution’

Roque also faces charges of qualified human trafficking in relation to the Pampanga scam hub.

He was accused of wrongdoing in his capacity as legal counsel for Whirlwind Corp., the same company that leased land to the illegal Pogo.

Since being charged, Roque has attempted to seek asylum from different countries on the grounds of “political persecution.” But the Department of Justice had earlier claimed that the Netherlands had denied his request.

In an interview with dzBB, Casio said, “The Philippine government has already submitted a request for a red notice, an international arrest warrant, for Mr. Roque.”

“It’s a bit difficult because he is projecting that he is allegedly a victim of political persecution,” Casio also pointed out.

Still at large

Nartatez meanwhile said the PNP is coordinating with foreign law enforcement agencies to track down Ong, alleged business partner of dismissed Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo.

Casio also confirmed a red notice has already been issued against Ong, who was last seen in Japan.

“If I’m not mistaken, her warrant has already been issued in France and our government has received it. Then it will be distributed so there will be a meeting to find Cassandra Li Ong with Ronelyn Baterna,” the PAOCC spokesperson said—referring to the corporate secretary of Lucky South 99 who claimed, during a congressional hearing, that she issued checks of as much as P500,000 to clients of the firm under Ong’s bank account.

Despite an active arrest warrant for qualified human trafficking, Ong had fled to Japan early this year after her release from detention, authorities said.

She was initially detained in the House of Representatives during the congressional probe on Pogos, but was released during the transition into the 20th Congress before a case was filed against her.

Not in contact with lawyers

During a Senate hearing where Ong was revealed to be at large, Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian expressed concern that the other accused may use the same “backdoor” that Guo had used earlier when she left the country.

Guo was arrested in Indonesia and returned to the Philippines in September last year. On Nov. 20 she and three others were convicted by the Pasig Regional Trial Court of qualified human trafficking, in connection with alleged criminal activities in another Pogo hub in Bamban.

Ong’s legal counsel said on Sunday they have not been in contact with her “for some time now.”

But lawyer Ferdinand Topacio said their engagement with Ong as her lawyers remains.

“While we have not been in communication with our client for some time now, we are bound by law and the tenets of the legal profession to continue extending to her the best legal services we can render under the circumstances,” Topacio said in a statement. —WITH A REPORT FROM ZACARIAN SARAO INQ

Interpol red notice out on Ong, also sought vs Roque

The government has sought the help of the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) to track down two individuals accused of crimes related to the scam hub of a Philippine offshore gaming operator (Pogo) in Pampanga.

Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) spokesperson Winston Casio disclosed on Sunday that the government has requested a red notice from Interpol against former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque.

Meanwhile, Police Lt. Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr., acting chief of the Philippine National Police, said a red notice has already been issued against Cassandra “Cassie” Li Ong, who is charged with qualified trafficking in connection with the alleged scam hub operated by Lucky South 99 in Pampanga.

According to Interpol, a red notice is a “request to law enforcement worldwide to locate and provisionally arrest a person pending extradition, surrender, or similar legal action,…based on an arrest warrant or court order issued by the judicial authorities in the requesting country.”

‘Political persecution’

Roque also faces charges of qualified human trafficking in relation to the Pampanga scam hub.

He was accused of wrongdoing in his capacity as legal counsel for Whirlwind Corp., the same company that leased land to the illegal Pogo.

Since being charged, Roque has attempted to seek asylum from different countries on the grounds of “political persecution.” But the Department of Justice had earlier claimed that the Netherlands had denied his request.

In an interview with dzBB, Casio said, “The Philippine government has already submitted a request for a red notice, an international arrest warrant, for Mr. Roque.”

“It’s a bit difficult because he is projecting that he is allegedly a victim of political persecution,” Casio also pointed out.

Still at large

Nartatez meanwhile said the PNP is coordinating with foreign law enforcement agencies to track down Ong, alleged business partner of dismissed Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo.

Casio also confirmed a red notice has already been issued against Ong, who was last seen in Japan.

“If I’m not mistaken, her warrant has already been issued in France and our government has received it. Then it will be distributed so there will be a meeting to find Cassandra Li Ong with Ronelyn Baterna,” the PAOCC spokesperson said—referring to the corporate secretary of Lucky South 99 who claimed, during a congressional hearing, that she issued checks of as much as P500,000 to clients of the firm under Ong’s bank account.

Despite an active arrest warrant for qualified human trafficking, Ong had fled to Japan early this year after her release from detention, authorities said.

She was initially detained in the House of Representatives during the congressional probe on Pogos, but was released during the transition into the 20th Congress before a case was filed against her.

Not in contact with lawyers

During a Senate hearing where Ong was revealed to be at large, Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian expressed concern that the other accused may use the same “backdoor” that Guo had used earlier when she left the country.

Guo was arrested in Indonesia and returned to the Philippines in September last year. On Nov. 20 she and three others were convicted by the Pasig Regional Trial Court of qualified human trafficking, in connection with alleged criminal activities in another Pogo hub in Bamban.

Ong’s legal counsel said on Sunday they have not been in contact with her “for some time now.”

But lawyer Ferdinand Topacio said their engagement with Ong as her lawyers remains.

“While we have not been in communication with our client for some time now, we are bound by law and the tenets of the legal profession to continue extending to her the best legal services we can render under the circumstances,” Topacio said in a statement. —WITH A REPORT FROM ZACARIAN SARAO INQ

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“Many life-saving drugs are no longer available,” said an Iranian pharmacist who wished to remain anonymous, adding that the country’s supply crisis has worsened dramatically in recent months.

Although the Iranian Food and Drug Administration produces more than 90% of the country’s medicines on its own, it faces raw materials shortages because of import bans. Iran has also been unable to purchase special medicines — like those required by cancer patients — since snapback sanctions were triggered in September.

At the time, Mohammad Jamalian, a member of the Iranian parliament’s health committee, told the Iranian news agency ILNA: “Many people stop treatment because they can’t afford it. That is a big problem. Because serious health complications loom without medication.”

READ: Sweeping UN sanctions return to hit Iran after nuclear talks fail

The activation of the so-called snapback mechanism and the resulting reimposition of all previous UN sanctions was a move brought by France, Germany and the UK — signatories to the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) or Iran nuclear deal — to put pressure on authoritarians in Tehran to change course on their nuclear program.

In practice, however, sanctions tend to hurt the general population rather than political elites.

Applying pressure on the civilian population is integral to the concept of sanctions, as Jerg Gutmann, a professor of behavioral law and economics at Germany’s University of Hamburg, told DW. “That pressure is supposed to force decision-makers to change policy. The impoverishment of the general population is seen as an acceptable side effect.”

READ: Iran condemns ‘illegal and unjustified’ US sanctions on oil industry

Still, Gutmann added, the aim of sanctions is never to keep people from getting life-saving medicine.

‘Sanctions are not smart’

“There is often talk of ‘smart’ sanctions,” said Reza Majdzadeh, a professor of health and social care at the University of Essex in the UK.

“From a health perspective, this argument doesn’t hold. Sanctions, even if targeted, have ripple effects that reach far beyond their intended scope,” he told DW.

Majdzadeh has spent years researching the impact of sanctions on the health care systems of countries like Afghanistan and Iran. “When it comes to data, we face major limitations — especially in countries like Afghanistan, where reliable health data are sparse due to weak research infrastructure. Still, the trend is clear: poverty increases and healthcare systems collapse.”

Majdzadeh and Gutmann are co-authors of a study — published in the medical journal The Lancet in early November — on how reimposed UN sanctions are affecting health care in Iran.

The study shows that sanctions imposed to enforce international obligations have countless unintended consequences for public health in targeted countries — especially due to very limited access to important drugs and medical equipment. Previous experience shows that prices for important medication can rise by 300% in such situations.

Smugglers, drug gangs profiting

In Iran, it’s the poorest who are being hit hardest, with the situation made all the worse by chronic mismanagement and high inflation. Those with means lean on friends and relatives abroad for help, but poorer families are forced to look for medication on the black market.

Organized smuggling rings and drug gangs are among the biggest profiteers, selling uninspected and at times expired pharmaceuticals to those in desperate need.

“There are lots of Telegram channels, each with thousands of members, where medicine is being sold,” the Iranian pharmacist explained. “Many of those pharmaceuticals are expired.”

Experts like Majdzadeh are calling for binding international rules that not only include humanitarian exemptions, but also effectively implement them — creating transparent and independent oversight mechanisms to identify supply gaps in sanctions situations early on, for instance by working more closely with international organizations like the World Health Organization.

Sill, Gutmann said Iran has no short-term path past the current difficulties it faces as financial sanctions freeze it out of international markets. And, he added, sanctions will likely remain an instrument with which nations seek to enforce international law and assert their interests.

“Objectively, it is just as questionable to fundamentally dismiss sanctions as it is to blindly trust in their use like politicians do. It’s about informing the public on the benefits and risks so that political decisions can be made responsibly,” he said. /dl

Samantha Bernardo and her non-showbiz husband Scott Moore are about to become a family of three, as the beauty queen announced that they are expecting their first child.

Bernardo made the announcement on her Instagram page on Saturday, November 22, while sharing photos of herself and Moore holding an ultrasound photo and baby boots in a shoot at the Galata Tower in Istanbul, Turkiye.

“Our little miracle is on the way. Thank you, Papa God, for the gift of life… Gender reveal coming soon… what’s your guess?” she captioned her post.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Samantha Bernardo | Host, Speaker & Podcaster (@samanthabernardo__)

The beauty queen then thanked her followers for sending her and Moore some love after their announcement.

“Thank you so much for all the warm greetings. We feel so loved. Cheers to new beginnings and the start of something new,” she wrote.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Samantha Bernardo | Host, Speaker & Podcaster (@samanthabernardo__)

The couple received congratulatory messages from Pauline Amelinckx, CJ Opiaza, KaladKaren, Katrina Dimaranan, Anji Salvacion, MJ Lastimosa, Patch Magtanong, Emmanuelle Vera, Megan Young, Maureen Montagne, and Samantha Panlilio, as seen in the comments of Bernardo’s post.

Bernardo, who bagged the first runner-up spot at the Miss Grand International 2020 pageant, tied the knot with Moore in April 2024. /edv