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PAL on jet-buying spree, orders more A350-1000s

Flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) is placing aircraft orders one after the other, setting out to buy another nine of its flagship A350-1000 from aerospace giant Airbus.

PAL yesterday signed a memorandum of understanding with Airbus for the procurement of nine A350-1000s, with purchase rights for five more, in yet another boost to its long-range fleet.

The order was placed a day after PAL submitted its initial commitment to buy 15 Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner, with purchase rights also for five more, to expand its widebody fleet.

The new Airbus order will also double PAL’s A350-1000 fleet to 18 once completed. PAL signed an order for nine A350-1000s in 2023, and two have arrived since, with the other seven expected before 2028.

PAL deploys the A350-1000 to some of its longest destinations in North America such as New York and Toronto. It plans to do the same for the second batch of A350-1000s, which are set for delivery from 2034 to 2036.

PAL configures the A350-1000 in three classes: business class, premium economy and economy cabin, totaling 382 seats.

The layout includes 42 suites in business class with privacy doors and fully flat beds, 24 seats in a separate premium economy cabin, and 316 seats in economy class, and PAL equipped all of the cabins with in-flight entertainment and internet access.

The A350-1000 is considered as one of the most cost-efficient long-range aircraft at present, as it is able to fly up to 16,700 kilometers with 25 percent less fuel burn.

PAL Holdings Inc. president and chief operating officer Lucio Tan III said the airline takes pride in being the first Southeast Asian carrier with an A350-1000. He trusts the aircraft would define PAL’s competency for international flights.

‘As the first and currently the only airline in Southeast Asia to operate the A350-1000, PAL has experienced firsthand the aircraft’s exceptional range, fuel efficiency, reliability and its passenger comfort. It has expanded our reach across North America, while delivering the world-class travel experience our customers deserve,’ Tan said.

To ensure its A350-1000 longevity, PAL also signed a memorandum of understanding to buy 18 Trent XWB-97 engines from Rolls-Royce to power up the aircraft.

The airline owned by taipan Lucio Tan also struck a deal with Rolls-Royce for its TotalCare program that covers the health and maintenance of the fleet.

The brilliant Chel Diokno

Day 6 of the Impeachment Trial of Vice President Sara Duterte was memorable for two events. The first was that the impeachment court decided to subpoena the bank and income tax records of the Vice President after a long debate. The second was that during the trial, the nation has finally witnessed the brilliance and outstanding legal expertise of one of the members of the prosecution panel, Jose Manuel ‘Chel’ Icasiano Diokno.

During the debates, it was clear that Chel was actually tutoring the other members of the court on the legal intricacies that were being contested. At one point, during a debate between Chel and senator-judge Alan Cayetano, in spite of disagreements, the senator-judge openly acknowledged Chel’s brilliance.

However, the public has yet to know the full story of this brilliant lawyer who deserves to be in the Senate more than almost all of the senators serving there now.

Chel Diokno is one of the country’s most respected human rights lawyers, educator and public servants. He is known for his dedication to justice, constitutional law and free legal assistance. He has spent more than three decades defending human rights victims, marginalized communities and teaching future lawyers. He served as the founding dean of the De La Salle College of Law and was former chairman of the Free Legal Assistance Group or FLAG.

He is now an elected representative of the Akbayan Party-List in Congress. His father was Jose W. Diokno, one of the country’s most admired senators and widely regarded as the father of human rights in the Philippines. During the Marcos dictatorship, senator Jose Diokno was imprisoned without charges because of his opposition to martial law. After his release, he cofounded the Free Legal Assistance Group or FLAG, the country’s oldest and largest organization of human rights lawyers. Chel has continued this legacy by becoming FLAG’s chairman.

Chel is married and has six children, including famed filmmaker Pepe Diokno. He excelled academically from a young age. He completed his elementary and high school years at La Salle Greenhills, where he served as student council president. Many people are surprised when they find out that in his high school days, he was a member of the varsity basketball team. He also trained in aikido, eventually earning a black belt. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy from the University of the Philippines-Diliman. He then took up law at the Northern Illinois University in the US where he graduated magna cum laude with a juris doctor degree. He passed the Illinois board exam in 1987 and passed the Philippine Bar exam in 1988.

After becoming a lawyer, Chel Diokno dedicated his career to public interest law rather than corporate practice. He became known as a human rights lawyer, constitutional law expert and educator.

One of his most significant contributions to the field of law was becoming the founding dean of the De La Salle College of Law, where he emphasized ethics, public service and social justice in legal education. He also taught constitutional law and lectured extensively on human rights and legal ethics.

As chairman of FLAG, he expanded access to free legal services for poor and marganizalized Filipinos through initiatives such as the Free Legal Help Desk, wherein thousands of Filipinos have received legal advice at no cost.

He has been involved in several major legal cases and one of his best known legal victories involved the

MV Doña Paz tragedy, considered one of the world’s deadliest peace time maritime disasters. The ferry collided with an oil tanker in 1987, resulting in the death of more than 4,300 people. He represented many of the victims’ families in their fight for justice and compensation.

His legal work helped secure damages for surviving family members after years of litigation. He has also represented numerous victims of unlawful arrest, torture, enforced disappearances and other human rights violations. His work has contributed to strengthening legal protection for civil liberties and reinforcing the rule of law in the Philippines.

Chel Diokno also served as a private prosecutor during the impeachment trial of president Joseph Estrada and worked as legal counsel in investigations involving government accountability. He entered politics to advocate for legal reform, education, legal rights and anti-corruption measures. Although he was unsuccessful in his initial campaigns for the Senate, he remained active in public service. In 2022, he was elected as the representative of the AKBAYAN party-list in Congress.

In 2022, the De La Salle College of Law where he served as founding dean was renamed the Tañada-Diokno School of Law to honor two of La Salle’s prominent alumni, Lorenzo Tañada and Jose Diokno.

I cannot help but compare the brilliance and selfless demeanor of Chel Diokno with some of the senators who humiliate themselves every time they try to make a speech on the Senate floor. Whether as a lawyer, educator or public official, Chel Diokno will continue to advocate for human rights, accountability, rule of justice and equal access to justice for all Filipinos.

Cheaper electricity and system reliability key goals, Energy Minister says

The goal of providing cheaper electricity for consumers and ensuring the safe operation of the electricity system, as the foundations of the country’s green and competitive development, remains the common denominator of all efforts, Minister of Energy, Commerce and Industry, Michael Damianos noted on Thursday, adding that energy storage is a key pillar of the Government’s energy strategy.

In his address at the presentation of the Electricity Authority of Cyprus (EAC) 2025 annual achievements, held at the Authority’s headquarters in Nicosia, Damianos stated that “the EAC continues to be a strategic pillar of the state’s energy policy and a key partner in the transition towards a secure, competitive, and climate-neutral energy system.” He added that the EAC’s contribution is crucial both to achieving the country’s national energy objectives and to safeguarding energy security and the quality of services provided to citizens.

Referring to the challenges ahead, the Minister said these include upgrading the electricity grid and installing energy storage systems to increase the penetration of renewable energy and reduce renewable energy curtailments, implementing the EAC’s production development programme, with particular emphasis on upgrading the EAC power station at Dhekelia, expanding the Authority’s renewable energy portfolio, and ensuring the smooth operation of the competitive electricity market.

He noted that the EAC has embraced its modernization programme with commitment, saying that “we recognize and greatly appreciate this.” He added that upgrading and digitalizing the transmission and distribution networks, based on their ten-year development plans and supported by approximately pound 120 million in European funding, is helping to gradually remove the technical barriers to the further integration of distributed renewable energy generation while reducing the curtailment of green energy.

The Minister stated that by 2030, Cyprus will require at least 600 MW of energy storage capacity to reduce renewable energy curtailments to acceptable levels. He added that the Transmission System Operator is implementing a distributed energy storage system with a total capacity of 120 MW, which will operate with full transparency.

10 provinces under Typhoon Signal 1

AT least 10 provinces in Northern Luzon are under Signal 1 as Tropical Depression Kiyapo accelerates and continues to move while moving northwestward over the Philippine Sea east of Northern Luzon, the weather bureau reported.

In its 11 a.m. Tropical Cyclone Bulletin, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said Signal No. 1 has been hoisted over Batanes, Cagayan including Babuyan Islands, Isabela, Apayao, Abra, Kalinga, the eastern and central portions of Mountain Province (Paracelis, Natonin, Barlig, Sadanga, Bontoc, Besao, Sagada),the eastern and central portions of Ifugao (Mayoyao, Aguinaldo, Alfonso Lista, Banaue, Hingyon, Lagawe, Lamut), Ilocos Norte, the northern portion of Ilocos Sur (Cabugao, Sinait, San Juan, Magsingal, Santo Domingo, Bantay, San Ildefonso, San Vicente), the northern portion of Aurora (Dilasag, Casiguran), the northern portion of Quirino (Aglipay, Maddela, Cabarroguis, Saguday, Diffun) and the northernmost portion of Nueva Vizcaya (Bagabag, Diadi).

Kiyapo is expected to bring rainfall and may trigger flashfloods and landslides in areas that are prone to such geological hazards, the weather bureau warned.

In the weather advisory it issued at 11 a.m. on Thursday, Pagasa said Cagayan, Apayao, Abra, Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur are forecast to receive between 100 and 200 mm of rain from tomorrow afternoon until Saturday noon.

Meanwhile, Batanes, Isabela, Kalinga, Benguet and La Union are expected to receive between 50 and 100 mm of rain.

Under these conditions, numerous flooding and localized flooding are possible mainly in areas that are urbanized, low-lying, or near rivers.

Pagasa also released a heavy rainfall outlook due to the southwest monsoon, 50 to 100 mm rain is expected in Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental, Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga Sibugay, Lanao del Norte, Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao del Norte, Sultan Kudarat and Sarangani today until tomorrow, while Palawan, Antique Iloilo, Guimaras, Occidental Mindoro and Negros Occidental will experience the same intense rainfall by Friday to Saturday noon.

Pagasa said Kiyapo will continue moving west-northwestward until Saturday towards the Luzon Strait before turning northwestward.

The center of Kiyapo may pass very close to the northeastern portion of mainland Cagayan between tomorrow morning and afternoon, then pass very close or make landfall in the vicinity of Babuyan Islands between tomorrow afternoon and evening.

It is forecast to exit the Philippine Area of Responsibility by Saturday morning or noon.

According to weather forecasters, it will gradually intensify while moving over the Philippine Sea and may reach tropical storm category tomorrow. It will continue to strengthen while traversing Extreme Northern Luzon and may intensify into a severe tropical storm after passing the Babuyan Islands.

A weakening trend is expected once Kiyapo makes landfall in the vicinity of southern mainland China and moves further inland.

As of 11 a.m. Kiyapo was spotted 830 km East of Northern Luzon, packing maximum sustained winds of 45 kilometers per hour near the center and gustiness of up to 55 kph. It is moving at a speed of 25 kph northwestward.

Government to decide on major projects to be included in new MFF, President says

The government will soon be called upon to make decisions on the major projects that will be included in the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), President of the Republic Nikos Christodoulides said on Thursday evening.

Speaking to journalists upon his arrival at the inauguration ceremony for the revamped Omodos Square and part of its Traditional Core, a traditional village in Limassol district, President Christodoulides said that “our government will soon have to decide on major projects to be implemented across Cyprus under the next Multiannual Financial Framework, with a total value exceeding pound 1 billion.”

He said that his intention is for the government to discuss the matter in cooperation with local authorities, community leaders, municipalities, and district administrations, “so that we can make full use of all available European resources to achieve the revitalisation of our rural areas, where you can experience the true spirit of Cypriot hospitality.”

Referring to the event, he spoke of “a landmark day,” noting that the Cabinet was present because “we genuinely believe and are investing in the future of mountainous Cyprus and our rural communities.” He added that Omodos is a classic example of the successful development and utilisation of Cyprus’s semi-mountainous regions.

China’s durian imports from Thailand and Malaysia soar as glut pressures growers

China’s durian imports rose 47%, year on year, in the first half of 2026, with Thailand and Malaysia posting particularly strong gains, according to customs data, as Southeast Asian exporters offloaded a glut of the fruit that had sparked a price drop.

Thailand exported nearly US$3.79 billion worth of the pungent spiky fruit shipped to China in the first half of 2026, the Chinese customs data showed, taking an 81% share of the market. Thai shipments reached $2.56 billion in the first half of 2025, also nearly 81% of the total.

Vietnam came in second place over the first six months of 2026 with $846 million, or 18%, of the total inbound shipments.

Thai durians maintain an edge in preference for Chinese consumers, with a mature logistics and quality-control infrastructure that has given the fruit a sterling reputation. Vietnam, which received approval to ship fresh durians to China in 2022, ramped up exports last year but has been stung by occasional quality-control issues.

Malaysia, a relative newcomer in the Chinese fresh durian market, shipped $30.26 million worth of the fruit to China in the first six months of this year, up 342% compared with the same period in 2025, the data showed.

The import volume in the first half of 2026, from all countries, was 1.07 million tonnes, up from 708,000 in the first six months of last year.

Expansion of China-Laos Railway services and Chinese e-commerce have elevated Southeast Asia’s durian exports to China – the world’s biggest market with 90% of all durians consumed.

Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam are “experiencing an oversupply” during the main durian harvest season – in progress now – as orchards reach full production and grow faster than demand, said Lim Chin Khee, an adviser to the Durian Academy, a Malaysian institution that trains growers.

“Demand from China remains strong in the long term, but it has not expanded at the same pace as production, resulting in downward pressure on prices during the peak season,” Lim said. Southeast Asian media outlets estimated price drops in China of 14 to 20% year-to-date.

“Wholesale prices in China have softened due to increased supply from multiple origins, higher inventories and more cautious consumer spending.”

Agricultural officials in Malaysia, where Lim said that a maturation of durian trees planted six to 10 years ago was exacerbating the glut, have asked China’s General Administration of Customs (GAC) to open a land-based shipping route, the Southeast Asian country’s state news agency Bernama reported on July 2.

The land route would shorten delivery times.

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has separately promised durian growers in the southern state of Johor that he would discuss falling durian prices with Chinese Premier Li Qiang during a visit to Beijing in August.

The Vietnamese government is also still working with China to boost durian exports by improving quality, said Nguyen Thanh Trung, a political scientist at Fulbright University in Vietnam.

At a press briefing on Wednesday, GAC deputy director Wang Jun pointed to durians as an example of how expanding import channels had boosted consumer choices.

“Sources of imported durians have continued to expand,” Wang said. “The fruit is now widely available at neighbourhood fruit shops, offering consumers more choices at more affordable prices.”

Padilla to prosecutors: Your job is not to win, but to pursue the truth

After telling the prosecutors in the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte not to be one-sided, Sen. Robin Padilla now reminded them of their duty to ferret out the truth, and not to win their case.

Padilla specifically addressed lead prosecutor Batangas 2nd District Rep. Gerville Luistro in a Facebook post early Thursday morning.

‘Dear Ms. Luistro, Justice is impartial!’ the senator started.

‘The role of the prosecution is not to win, but to pursue the truth and protect the innocent. The role of the defense, on the other hand, is to safeguard human rights and ensure a balance of power,’ he further said.

Padilla reminded both the prosecution and defense teams that they have one goal, and that is to serve justice, which is ‘completely neutral, blind to political alliances and deaf to the whispers of power.’

‘Because he moment it takes sides, it ceases to be justice and becomes nothing more than an instrument of oppression,’ he said.

His statement was an apparent response to Luistro’s remark that it would be surprising if the prosecution would be neutral, ‘and even more confusing if we defend the respondent.’

At a press briefing on Wednesday, Luistro explained the role of the prosecution team following Padilla’s statement during the trial that he hopes they would not be one-sided.

‘Well, with all due respect to Senator-judge Robin Padilla, apparently this impeachment trial is adversarial – it is clearly why there is a prosecution; it is (for us) to establish the case. That’s why there is a defense panel, to defend the innocence of the respondent. So it is very much anticipated that the prosecution is biased towards presenting the case, presenting the evidence,’ she said

MLB: Red Sox’s record-equaling streak halted at 15 wins

The Boston Red Sox tied their 80-year-old franchise record with a 15th straight Major League Baseball win on Wednesday, but couldn’t go one better as they fell in the second game of a double-header.

Boston topped the Baltimore Orioles 6-3 at Fenway Park to notch their 15th straight Major League Baseball win.

That tied the club record set in 1946 by a team led by Hall of Famer Ted Williams.

The streak then ended with a 5-1 loss to the Orioles in the nightcap.

‘I think everybody knew it was going to end at some point,’ Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy said. ‘Now we’ve got to refocus.’

The Red Sox got to work quickly in the opening game, postponed from Tuesday by rain.

They took a 4-0 lead in the first inning on a two-run single by Caleb Durbin and a two-run triple by Jarren Duran.

Duran delivered a sacrifice fly for a run in the third and Ceddanne Rafaela belted his ninth home run of the season in the fourth.

Tracy said his players had ‘accomplished something great’ in matching the 1946 team and achieving the longest MLB winning streak since the St. Louis Cardinals won 17 straight in 2021.

Baltimore jumped on Red Sox starting pitcher Eduardo Rivera early in the second game, taking a 4-0 lead in the first inning and rolling home.

It was the Red Sox’s first defeat since a 10-2 home loss to Washington on July 1.

The streak marked a stunning turnaround for Boston, who were floundering at 32-46 on June 24 but are now approaching the trade deadline with a playoff berth in their sights.

‘Not only did we have a run of 15 wins, we found out who we are – and we’re a good baseball team,’ Tracy said.

Titan ultra ends dry spell

This game presented hungry Titan Ultra with an opening to finally end its misery.

The Giant Risers took on TNT at a time when the defending PBA Governors’ Cup champion was dealing with injuries to five key players and still struggling to find its groove with import Darius Days.

And they were quick to jump at this golden opportunity.

Led by Tirrell Brown’s 29-point, 10-rebound, five-assist performance, the Giant Risers secured a 103-87 reversal over the Tropang 5G last night at Ynares Center-Antipolo.

This served as a big confidence booster as Titan stopped not only a 0-3 start marred by back-to-back losing margins of 31 and 35 points in the season-ending conference but also a longer 10-game skid dating back to the previous Commissioner’s Cup.

‘Nagpapasalamat ako kay Lord God na binigyan kami ng panalo today especially against TNT,’ said coach Rensy Bajar, in the pressroom for the winning teams for the first time since Titan’s 102-98 win over Blackwater last April 8 in the mid-season meet.

‘I give credit to all my players, especially Tirrell, they want to win talaga. And I’m happy ‘yung game plan namin, especially on defense, nasunod,’ he added.

As sweetener, the 16-point shocker over TNT marked a new high for Titan’s young franchise in terms of winning margin.

Bajar hopes to build momentum from this upset over TNT (1-1), which lost coach Chot Reyes to ejection early in the third for incurring his second technical foul of the game.

‘Napakahirap nung three straight losses to motivate the players,’ admitted Bajar.

‘But I told them just to enjoy the game. Don’t think about winning right away, treat this game quarter by quarter, minute by minute, possession by possession at baka sakali dun nagkaroon kami ng pag-asa.’

Banking on their defense, the Giant Risers outplayed the Tropang 5G in the middle quarters, 53-33, to seize control.

‘We limited TNT to 48 points in the first half and we played good defense. Then na-duplicate namin ‘yun nung second half with the leadership of our import,’ said Bajar.

Later, San Miguel Beer roared to 3-0 with a 128-122 victory over Converge.

George King banged in 41-11 as CJ Perez rifled in 31 as the Beermen stretched their unbeaten start while dropping the FiberXers to 3-1.

No fireworks as Cayetano, Matibag face off

There were no fireworks during the confrontation yesterday between Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano and National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Director Melvin Matibag despite their word war over alleged anomalies in the 2019 Southeast Asian Games.

As the Senate impeachment court was tackling the grave threat allegation against Vice President Sara Duterte, Cayetano asked Matibag why the NBI was ‘expanding’ its ‘jurisdiction’ after the latter said the bureau can investigate any crime motu proprio.

Cayetano said Matibag’s remark ran counter to the law that modernized the bureau – or Republic Act 10867 – which listed the crimes that it can investigate.

The cases that the NBI can investigate, according to the law, are ‘human trafficking cases in all airports, extrajudicial, extralegal killings committed by state security forces against media practitioners activities, killings of justices and judges, violation of the Cybercrime Prevention Act, cases from the Inter-Agency Anti-Graft Coordinating Council and violations of the Anti-Dummy Law,’ Cayetano said.

Based on the law, the NBI is also mandated to investigate threats and assaults on the President, Vice President, Senate President, Speaker and Chief Justice. It is the President who can direct the NBI to investigate any crime ‘when public interest so requires,’ Cayetano said.

‘Why do they have to say any crime if you can do it… if you can investigate any crime after all? It seems that you’re expanding your jurisdiction by yourself,’ Cayetano said.

Matibag said the scope of the bureau cannot be limited, it being the country’s ‘primary investigating body.’

‘The list, yes it’s there. But it doesn’t limit our investigation,’ he said. ‘We also have our primary role to make sure that law and order is being promoted through the NBI din po.’

Cayetano took issue with Matibag’s announcement that they are also investigating allegations that Cayetano’s bailiwick Taguig has ghost flood control projects.

Matibag was reprimanded on Tuesday by the court for his statements about Cayetano regarding the NBI probe on the SEA Games.

Ping tags 2 ghost projects in Taguig

Sen. Panfilo Lacson yesterday said he has information regarding two ghost projects in Taguig, part of Cayetano’s alleged P6.79-billion budget insertion in the 2025 national budget, of which P2.085 billion was allotted for slope protection and drainage projects.

Lacson accused Cayetano of having 25 percent kickbacks from these projects collected by an identified ‘bagman.’

‘TAGUIG GHOST INFRA PROJECTS UPDATE: We have documented at least 2 case studies so far. Too many P100M slope protection and drainage projects totaling P2.085B out of the P6.79B insertions under the 2025 GAA,’ Lacson wrote on X. ‘There is no turning back!’

Lacson said some of the projects by Cayetano when he was House speaker were linked to detained contractors Curlee and Sarah Discaya, but implemented by another contractor under a five percent royalty scheme.

Other projects were implemented by Topnotch Catalyst Builders, which is among the top 15 flood control project contractors announced by President Marcos last year.