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More than 60,000 passengers have departed from ports nationwide as Filipinos travel for the observance of Undas 2026, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said.

Based on data posted on the PCG’s official Facebook page on Saturday, October 31, the agency recorded 60,411 outbound passengers and 54,291 inbound passengers across ports nationwide from noon to 6 p.m. on Saturday, October 31.

To ensure passenger safety and smooth port operations, the agency deployed 6,221 frontline personnel from its 17 districts.

Coast Guard personnel also inspected 540 vessels and 806 motorbancas as part of its preparations for the expected increase in passenger traffic during the holiday period.

The PCG placed all its districts, stations and substations on heightened alert from October 29 to November 3 to monitor port operations and assist travelers.

The agency said the measures aim to ensure safe and efficient travel as more passengers head to their provinces and other destinations for the observance of All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day.

We usually refer to digital transformation in terms of technology: faster internet, new apps and artificial intelligence. In the Philippines, which identifies digitalization as a driver of social and economic development, the important question is: do these technologies help instutions work better for the people?

While technology can strengthen institutions and systems, it can also magnify weaknesses. If an existing manual, slow, complex and confusing process is put online, it only gives you a slow, confusing process online. Therefore, real transformation changes how decisions are made, services are organized and delivered and is responsive to the needs of the people.

The design and adoption of digital tools are very much key milestones that strengthen institutional capabilities, but they are most effective if people trust its use. Therefore, the digital systems must themselves be trustworthy: inclusive, secure, accessible, and accountable. Poorly governed technologies can increase exclusion and just as easily as good systems can reduce it.

Therefore, consider connectivity. The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) and UNDP have worked together to bring free Wi-Fi to underserved communities. The Wi-Fi signal is just the start. What matters is the change enabled because of access to the signal. Students can join a class, health workers can access new information to improve quality of services, local governments can disseminate information that can save lives at a time of disaster and for Indigenous Peoples and geographically isolated communities it provides an opportunity for increased economic and social participation. .

Contributing to sustaining peace and development, in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), the Ministry of the Interior and Local Government (MILG-BARMM) and UNDP, are helping local governments, through the use digital tools to plan, deliver services and make decisions based on evidence.

Trust also continues to increase as people continue to see services being delivered, based on evidence, and in a needs responsive way. This requires institutions that continually learn and adapt. Monitoring, evaluation, and learning are therefore as important as investments made in physical infrastructure. Data and digital tools enable governments to identify what works, understand who is being left behind, and adjust policies and services accordingly. In the Philippines data is increasingly considered a development asset.

The country’s digital transformation journey highlights that it takes a collective effort. National government sets the vision and creates the enabling environment and invests resources, local governments deliver solutions for communities, civil society strengthens participation, universities provide evidence, the private sector brings innovation, and development partners help connect to resources, knowledge, and partners. Most importantly, communities help inform and confirm the solutions address the real needs.

As the Philippines advances toward a more inclusive, resilient, and digitally enabled future, success should not be measured by the number of new applications or processes digitized. A more compelling measurement would be whether students can access education regardless of they live, youth can access more job opportunities, whether communities are able to respond to disasters earlier and whether citizens can access public services with dignity and confidence.

Digital transformation is about trust. And trust remains the most important infrastructure any country can build.

Taipan Henry ‘Big Boy’ Sy Jr. hosted a rare impromptu Chinese lunch for senior business journalists at upscale China Blue restaurant in the family’s five-star Conrad Hotel Thursday. He seemed to convey two distinct messages:

One, he is fed up with the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP), the transmission monopoly, being made the punching bag whenever there is a power shortage in major areas or nationwide. Like in the Visayas where there is an electricity shortage despite the fact NGCP has surplus transmission capacity in the region. So the electricity shortages in the Visayas is inadequate power generating capacity, not a failure of NGCP transmission system.

Two, the current electricity shortage nationwide can be solved in two or three years with an aggressive rollout of solar power and other renewable energy sources. NGCP guarantees to buy the solar electricity, store it in its BESS (Battery Energy Storage System) for delivery to electricity users using NGCP’s transmission lines.

Resort to solar and other RE in tandem with BESS has become more urgent after the Iran War raised 62 percent the price of oil from $73 for Brent (to above $118 per barrel) and refined petroleum products and byproducts. The head of the International Energy Agency (IEA) has described the situation caused by the war as the ‘greatest global energy security challenge in history.’ Also, the coming El Niño drought could be severe, resulting in higher than usual demand for electricity.

Big Boy Sy is vice chair of NGCP and chair of NGCP parent company, Synergy Grid and Development Philippines, Inc.

Big Boy’s answer to electricity shortages and unreliable energy is what he calls Project Airbag, NGCP’s rapid BESS rollout, initially with 850 megawatts and reaching up to 10,000 megawatts in five years – additional power capacity that covers electricity shortages. BESS cost is high, up to P700 billion, quadrupling NGCP’s current capex per year of P25 billion.

This initiative to deploy battery energy storage systems that can provide fast-response storage and greater operating flexibility across the Philippine grid, says Big Boy in a briefing paper given to his luncheon guests. Here is the NGCP brief:

The project is intended to help address immediate system pressures, prepare the grid for tighter supply conditions associated with the 2027 El Niño and provide longer-term flexibility as the country’s generation mix continues to evolve.

The current supply problem in the Visayas is driven by tight supply conditions and simultaneous generator outages.

Battery storage can respond much faster than new generation can be built. It gives NGCP an additional transmission-side tool to support the system during short-duration shortages and disturbances by storing available electricity and releasing it when the system is under greater pressure.

Project Airbag is a practical intervention that NGCP can pursue within its own sphere while longer-term supply solutions are still being developed.

The battery rollout is not limited to the Visayas.

El Niño creates a foreseeable risk of reduced hydroelectric output, particularly in areas where generation depends heavily on rainfall and reservoir levels. The risk is national, which supports the deployment of storage in other parts of the grid as well.

Batteries can capture available electricity during periods of surplus, including daytime solar output, and release that stored energy during evening peaks, periods of reduced hydro output or other tight system conditions.

Early deployment is therefore intended as a proactive resilience measure rather than a reaction after supply conditions have already deteriorated.

Batteries do not create electricity and cannot substitute for adequate generation over prolonged periods. The underlying structural requirement remains sufficient dependable generation capacity.

New generation projects take significantly longer to develop, finance, approve, construct and commission. Airbag can provide a bridge during that development period by reducing immediate system vulnerability.

The proper framing is therefore short-term transmission relief supporting – not replacing – long-term generation investment.

The value of battery storage is not limited to the current Visayas situation or to one El Niño cycle.

The Philippine grid will continue to need greater flexibility as demand grows and the generation mix becomes more diverse and variable. Strategically located storage can provide fast-response support during disturbances, improve the use of existing transmission assets and strengthen overall grid resilience.

As more solar and other variable renewable generation enters the system, storage can also help shift available energy from periods of high production to periods of higher demand.

Properly regulated battery storage can therefore form part of the country’s long-term transmission infrastructure and flexibility toolkit.

The current supply challenge is acute and pervasive. Additional supply must therefore come from as many viable sources as possible, including those made possible by technological advances.

The objective is not to concentrate or monopolize participation in the energy sector, but to disperse the burden of addressing the country’s supply requirements by enabling more participants and more sources to contribute.

A more flexible transmission system can accommodate energy from a wider range of sources regardless of scale, location or configuration, including large-scale generation, embedded generation, distributed energy resources, net-metered facilities, rooftop solar and other emerging sources.

Households, businesses, distribution utilities, communities, agricultural users and other qualified participants can increasingly contribute to the country’s energy supply where technically and commercially feasible.

Project Airbag can help provide the storage and system flexibility needed to integrate these diverse and dispersed sources into the grid more effectively and reliably.

Over the longer term, enabling greater use of domestic and renewable energy resources can help reduce the country’s exposure to price-volatile imported fuels and strengthen national energy security.

Meanwhile, all aspects of the Sy businesses are doing well, Big Boy told me. SM’s current inventory of condo units will be sold out within three years, he says.

In the meantime, the SM group is going on a land buying spree and reclamation in preparation for an economic boom expected after two years.

The Philippine National Police (PNP) is deploying 16,823 police officers and force multipliers to secure world leaders and delegates to the 49th Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit and Related ASEAN Summits in November.

Brig. Gen. Christopher Abrahano, National Capital Region Police Office director, said part of the contingent are 13,868 police personnel who are deployed for route, billet and venue security as well as 40 NCRPO officers with medical background to respond to emergencies.

Abrahano said 2,955 personnel from the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority as well as the local governments of Pasay, Parañaque, Makati, Taguig and Manila would augment the police force.

He said the NCRPO is maximizing security preparations in compliance with the directive of PNP chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr.

With United States President Donald Trump attending the summit from Nov. 16 to 18, Abrahano said the PNP is regularly coordinating with the Presidential Security Command and other government agencies to keep not only the US leader, but also leaders of ASEAN member countries safe.

‘We wouldn’t want to put the country in a bad light,’ Abrahano said in a news briefing at Camp Crame, as he assured the public that the 25,000-strong NCRPO has sufficient personnel for anti-criminality operations to keep Metro Manila safe even if the PNP is busy with the summit.

Meanwhile, Commission on Higher Education Chairperson Shirley Agrupis acknowledged yesterday the concerns raised by a supplier, amid a viral post over the alleged failure of CHED to pay for ASEAN souvenir items.

Agrupis was reacting to the social media post of Amianan PH criticizing CHED and the Department of Energy for the delay in the payment for the souvenir items.

‘CHED appreciates these concerns being brought to its attention and recognizes the importance of ensuring that suppliers and service providers are treated fairly and that obligations to them are properly fulfilled,’ Agrupis said.

She said that the small-value procurement was undertaken at the regional level and does not ordinarily pass through the Office of the Chairperson.

Meanwhile, the Philippine Army is sending its best shooters to the 34th ASEAN Armies Rifle Meet in Malaysia from Nov. 8 to 13.

As defending champions, Army vice commander Maj. Gen. Efren Morados reminded troops to keep their composure amid rising pressures from the competition.

Simply electric.

Following his visit to the Philippines, basketball content creator Matt Kiatipis reveled on the environment the country showcased during his stay here.

Kiatipis, also known as MK, had several one-on-one games with local players in the country.

‘Every place is electric is nowadays, but I was very surprised by Asia. We have been to Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, and now the Philippines, all of them. Asia is just so passionate about basketball. They love it,’ said Kiatipis, who has more than 9 million followers on social media.

‘I was not expecting this many people to show up, this many people to be excited, this culture to be so deep; it is an amazing surprise. So much passion and so much skill,’ he continued.

Hundreds of people watched MK’s matches, which showcased the content creator’s brash on-court personality and aggressive style.

‘The Philippines, they love basketball, and I love basketball, but I got to love it as much as them.’

Joe Gomez de Liaño, who faced MK, said that such initiatives ‘offer an opportunity to bring basketball enthusiasts together and build stronger connections within the local basketball community.’

‘It was very nice putting the community together; it is good for the crowd they loved watching it. SportsPlus, keep continuing to grow and have more events. You guys are doing well, and for MK, keep up your vlogging. It is a hit everywhere in the world,’ said Gomez de Liaño.

DoubleDragon Corp., the listed property business of Edgar ‘Injap’ Sia II and Tony Tan Caktiong, has nearly quadrupled its profit, fueled by strong overseas projects that generate dollar revenues.

In a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange, DoubleDragon Corp. reported yesterday that its core net income surged to P3.91 billion from January to September compared with P1.1 billion in the same period last year.

Consolidated revenue doubled to P20.78 billion.

DoubleDragon said overseas operations generated the majority of revenue at 59 percent, driven by growing demand for global projects.

DoubleDragon subsidiary Hotel101 Global Holdings Corp. demonstrated its value proposition when its 680-room Madrid hotel sold out on opening day. The company earns twice from its projects: first, from unit sales and second, from hotel operations.

Given this, DoubleDragon expects to sustain its growth story. The company aims to become a major dollar earner for the Philippine economy.

DoubleDragon said it has no ongoing condominium projects, making it least exposed to the glut of unsold units, particularly in Metro Manila.

Colliers Philippines said unsold condo units in Metro Manila hit 80,000 as of September, 44 percent of which are priced for lower-middle-income buyers at P3.6 million to P6.99 million.

DoubleDragon also said it has no exposure to large business process outsourcing locators, some of which are expected to reduce office space as they automate voice transactions.

DoubleDragon booked P1.13 billion in profit in the third quarter, which is six times larger than a year ago’s P183.67 million. This aligns with DoubleDragon’s expectations of faster growth in the second half.

DoubleDragon is opening new malls and warehouses nationwide. It also expects new sales from Hotel101 projects here and abroad.

‘DoubleDragon has generated a significant increase in its core revenues and income, and it expects an even higher jump in core revenues by the second half of this year,’ the developer said.

The second season of reality competition show “Last One Laughing (LOL) Philippines” features yet another diverse cast of contestants that carry their own brands of comedy.

For host Vice Ganda, that is strong representation of what the Philippine comedy scene has to offer.

Chad Kinis won the inaugural series – beating out veterans like Rufa Mae Quinto, Tuesday Vargas and Jayson Gainza – back in 2024 and the show’s popularity scored it a rare second season renewal.

This season is being contested by Ethel Booba, Pooh, Candy Pangilinan, Chariz Solomon, Epy Quizon, James Caraan, Long Mejia, Donna Cariaga, Esnyr and Charuth.

During the media conference for the show on October 27 in Makati, Vice broke down each contestant’s experiences or approach to comedy.

“Iba’t ibang platforms at audiences ang cina-cater naming lahat, at iba’t ibang sensitivities kasi sa [difference] ng generations,” the host pointed out.

Charuth and Donna, for example, are members of Pencilbox Comedy who perform skits that are viewed online, so reception to jokes isn’t instant but rather through comments on a given video.

Esnyr, the youngest contestant this season, performs scripted skits which take numerous edits and rehearsals before going on camera – allowing more time to think if a joke will land.

Pooh and Ethel, on the other hand, are live performers where editing isn’t an option onstage or as Vice puts it, “Kung ano nasabi mo, ‘yun na, kailangan mo magawan ng paraan ang joke na ‘yun kung paano mapapatawa audience mo.”

For other veterans like Long, Candy and Epy, Vice said – as also part of this comedy generation – there are things today that may be considered politically incorrect but they could have gotten away with and were allowed to joke about before.

“‘Yung kasanayan na ilang beses mo nang ginagawa tapos biglang pak, hindi na siya puwede, ang hirap i-unlearn ‘yun,” Vice admitted, adding it allowed them and peers to be more conscious of how much people will react to a given punchline.

“Mahirap talaga siya but despite the hardships and challenges, we all just needed to show up and go on with our craft,” the host ended.

Season 2 of “Last One Laughing (LOL) Philippines” premieres on Prime Video this October 30.

The opening of a Super Health Center in Barangay Tibungco marked a milestone in bringing accessible healthcare closer to residents of Davao City, according to Sen. Bong Go.

On Tuesday, Go joined local officials, health workers and residents for the turnover of the facility. He underscored the importance of strengthening primary healthcare services at the grassroots level.

Located in Bunawan district, the village of Tibungco is a busy community where residents face challenges in accessing hospital services due to distance and traffic.

Go said he had been pushing for the realization of the project since 2023.

‘This is a project of the Department of Health (DOH). It will be turned over to the local government unit (LGU), which will manage and provide facilities and manpower including personnel and doctors,’ Go said.

He emphasized the importance of cooperation between the DOH and the LGU in ensuring the full operation of the health facility.