Author: user user

Filipina actress Dolly de Leon is reportedly joining the cast of a biopic on Heidi Fleiss, popularly known as the “Hollywood Madam” who ran an upscale Los Angeles prostitution ring.

Fleiss began managing a prostitution ring in 1987 under the guidance of Elizabeth “Madam Alex” Adams, even accepting clients for a time until she started her own successful ring with prominent and wealthy customers.

She was arrested in June 1993 for several charges, including attempted pandering and was convicted. However, the ruling was overturned in 1996 though that same year, she was convicted of federal charges of tax evasion.

Last August, Emmy-nominated actress Aubrey Plaza was tapped to portray the madam in the biopic “The Heidi Fless Story” under the helm of “Chambers” series creator Leah Rachel in what will be her feature film directorial debut.

Rachel is also writing the script alongside Travis Jackson and actress-comedian Rachel Sennott, centering the story on Fleiss going around Los Angeles doing whatever it takes to get her case dropped before going to trial with the help of an aspiring young writer.

Entertainment outlet Deadline recently reported that singer-actress Alana Haim would play the said writer, and later that De Leon would portray the Philippine-born Madam Alex (who died in 1995 from open heart surgery complications).

Shooting will begin in Los Angeles early next year, Jessamine Burgum and Kara Durrett producing for Pinky Promise alongside Plaza for Evil Hag Productions.

Plaza broke out in the comedy show “Parks and Recreation” and movie “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World,” going on to star in “Legion,” “Emily the Criminal,” and “The White Lotus” where she was nominated for an Emmy.

Haim is a Grammy-nominated singer with sisters Danielle and Este for the band bearing their surname and has starred in the Paul Thomas Anderson movies “Licorice Pizza” and “One Battle After Another.”

De Leon received international acclaim for her scene-stealing role in 2022 Palme d’Or winner “Triangle of Sadness,” which led to her being the first Filipina actress nominated at the Golden Globes and BAFTAs.

Her last Hollywood project was the second season of “Nine Perfect Strangers” with Nicole Kidman and already has lined up the last two seasons of Netflix’s “Avatar: The Last Airbender” and “Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed” with Tatiana Maslany and Jake Johnson.

We often are recognized for being the Slow Food Manila community even if we do not have farmers in our midst, as we are all based in the metropolis. But it is actually in Manila where the rubber meets the road – where ingredients from far away are included in menus across restaurants in the cities of Taguig, Makati and Alabang, to name a few. This is the melting pot where degustations are offered by our new chefs who have since been foraging to find ingredients that are not only fun to use, but memorable for many consumers. Who will not remember kamias, santol and langka as part of our new menus? When other restaurants offer Maine lobster and another can of caviar, our new young chefs offer the most exotic fruits, ferment tomatillos and papaya and offer adlai and etag like it is pancetta or prosciutto of yesteryears.

Recently we had a lunch event at Grace Park where we tasted the flavors of Batanes, a province still mysterious to many as it is not so easy to get to – you need to go during the right season and hopefully not get stranded. And at the event, the diners experienced Batanes specialties like dibang and luñis, versions of daing and adobo, which is not only survival cuisine but are foods that represent the taste and culture of the island. Luñis is present because a pig can be slaughtered and its meat kept in its own oil for a year. That is for survival when the harsh weather hits the island and no one can catch animals or slaughter them.

That is the role of Manila’s Slow Food community – to preserve and educate about food culture as presented in Manila. And thanks to all these young restaurant owners, we now highlight local ingredients and it is now common practice to feature kamias juice and not just the usual calamansi or lemonade. This is why we will highlight restaurants and cafés in the National Capital region (NCR) with our partnership with Department of Tourism NCR by coming up with a list of establishments that feature Slow Food ideas – using heirloom ingredients, featuring recipes that use adlai, etag and other ingredients that otherwise you can only find if you flew to Batanes or visited some remote island for a specific fish like the flying fish or dibang.

When we go to Bacolod to celebrate at the Terra Madre Asia and Pacific on Nov. 19-23, we will feature these dishes in everyday activities of food sampling and story-telling at our stand. With no particular restaurant featured, we will bring chefs to interpret these Ark of Taste ingredients for everyone to try. Just like how we used to serve samples in Turin, Italy at the Terra Madre Salone del Gusto, we will feature everyday dishes that highlight ingredients that need to be preserved. By using these uncommon ingredients, consumers will be more aware that we need to eat them if farmers are to continue propagating them.

Even just heirloom rice as a staple is something we need to put a spotlight on. With rice varieties being imported into the country every day, we need to know what real heirloom Ifugao rice tastes like. We may soon forget its taste if our memory is not fed with real taste profiles of a staple such as rice. And yes, rice has a distinct taste, and heirloom Ifugao rice has that profile.

We will also serve coffee from Benguet and Sulu, as these are Ark of Taste entries – so we can preserve old varieties of the beans in the midst of growing imports of coffee from Vietnam and Indonesia. What does Benguet Arabica taste like? What does Sulu Robusta taste like? So with local cafés offering these brews, we can bring back the taste profile to the consciousness of our consumers.

Ark of Taste is a catalog of all the ingredients we have listed (for me since 2012) under the Philippines which need promotion, consumption and appreciation. Here, listed in the Slow Food website, we remember to document fruits like kamias, duhat, mabolo and rice varieties like chong-ak, diket, grains like adlai and even salt like tibu-ok and tultul. If you remember an ingredient that is not yet there, go ahead and nominate it. That way it can get help from consumers and cooks to keep using the ingredient.

DOT-NCR will be one with us in promoting these dishes, ingredients and also suggest a list of establishments where tourists can partake of these recipes. We will have a list of cafés offering Ark of Taste coffee varieties as well as restaurants that use Ark of Taste ingredients – adlai and heirloom rice included.

Tourism has taken a richer direction of not just promoting local food but preserving these traditions as well. We in Slow Food are thankful that the Department of Tourism (DOT) is helping in preserving food cultures and helping us preserve these important ingredients. All systems go as DOT rounds up all its regional offices to highlight these food items available all year round. I know that this effort will go a long way in ensuring our food scene is not taken over by mass production of ingredients and the same taste profile because of commercial mixes. By highlighting local food, local ingredients and culinary procedures, DOT is helping in creating a national food palette that underpins Slow Food philosophy of good, clean and fair food. Who would have thought this germ of an idea we discovered 13 years ago will be a national drive to keep our Filipino flavor profiles?

We hope that you can visit Terra Madre Asia Pacific happening in Bacolod on Nov. 19-24 where you can taste not only the Philippines’ flavors but other countries’ pride and joy as well. Entrance to the stands is free. But all told, the DOT-NCR and Slow Food Manila will be there to welcome you and show you the way.

Slow Food Manila is there to help promote our Filipino food culture and preserve it through information dissemination and experience.

Recently, I was honored to deliver the Keynote Address for the 79th Foundation Anniversary of the Central Philippines State University (CPSU) in Kabankalan City, Negros Occidental. I also received the Mt. Ballo Legacy Award for my efforts in providing access to quality education for disadvantaged communities.

I accepted the invitation for two reasons: 1) CPSU’s unique and historic presence in the Visayas and 2) to narrate in my own words the miracle of CPSU that other SUCs can only dream of.

Many Filipinos are aware of the Central Luzon State University in Nueva Ecija. However, many are unaware that a similar top-notch agricultural university was supposed to be established in the Visayas during the American period.

While the CLSU developed into a well-funded, world-class university, the Central Philippines State University (CPSU) has been neglected by the national government.

The government allocated 4,653 hectares to CPSU for its teaching, research and extension activities. But 17,523 informal settlers occupy 93 percent of the property. Its national funding is less than P700 million in the proposed 2026 NEP.

The lack of government funding is ironic because CPSU is the only public university in the infamous CHICKS (Cauayan, Hinobaan, Ilog, Candoni, Kabankalan, Sipalay) area, which became a hotbed of insurgency in the Visayas region during the martial law period. It is where famine stalked families in the 1980s due to the collapse of world sugar prices, where Fr. Brian Gore administered to the downtrodden and where Bishop Antonio Fortich led the anti-Marcos movement.

It is now home to 15,865 students, with 82 percent coming from families of sugar workers. It is here where access to quality education must be guaranteed to make young Filipinos believe that there is a better future than what is being offered by the CPP-NPA-NDF.

Slowly, CPSU has risen like a phoenix.

There are three factors responsible for the miracle of CPSU: a strategic-minded president, a reform-minded Board of Regents and political leaders who support rather than interfere in university operations.

It started with the appointment of Dr. Aladino ‘Nonoy’ Moraca as CPSU president.

Dr. Nonoy Moraca was an outsider. He was not a vice president or campus administrator who usually vies for the presidency. He was a junior faculty member with the rank of instructor. The Search Committee rejected his application for president because of his lack of ‘administrative experience.’ The Board of Regents had to intervene to include him in the search process.

But his ‘lack of administrative experience’ became his strongest asset. His experience working with local communities and marginalized families became his guiding light in rethinking and repositioning CPSU. He was not shackled by the academic chains that often imprison university officials and limit their ability to govern. He could experiment and try new things that his predecessors refused to initiate.

He talked about extension projects during board meetings. He proposed funding for the development of engineering equipment for communities and the sugar industry. He sat down with the informal settlers on the campuses to look for win-win solutions rather than expelling families from the land.

The biggest challenge he faced upon assuming the presidency was the quality of education in the university.

All degree programs lacked a Certificate of Program Compliance (COPC), a document that confirms minimum compliance with quality assurance requirements on faculty credentials, equipment, facilities and updated curriculum. The CPSU Board of Regents instructed Moraca to ensure that the university guarantees quality education to its students by achieving 100 percent COPC.

The reason was simple: the Free Higher Education law made public higher education free so more students could finish their studies. But access without quality is pointless.

And this is where CPSU gained fame in the history of Philippine higher education. The Board of Regents, after numerous and contentious meetings, shut down 65 academic degree programs to reach this historic milestone.

You could imagine the number of mayors and congressmen who were up in arms due to the complaints of their constituents that their children could not enroll in the degree program of their choice.

But the president and the Board held fast. The politicians did not interfere. CPSU achieved what no public university has ever done in history. From zero COPC, CPSU achieved 100 percent COPC in two years.

In 2022, the university started benchmarking itself against other universities worldwide. It joined the Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings, the World University Rankings for Innovation (WURI), the UI Green Metric for sustainable campus practices and received a QS 3-star recognition.

Partnerships with prestigious international institutions for research collaborations and instruction in agriculture and technology innovation, including exchange programs, are now in place.

What was most notable during my last visit was witnessing the prudent use of internally generated funds (from income-generating projects and graduate school tuition) to build classrooms, laboratories and facilities that create better spaces for learning, research and innovation.

Imagine building a student center for P10 million, a weaving center for P300,000, renovating the university canteen for P2.8 million and an International House that can accommodate 30 individuals for P10 million.

If President Bongbong Marcos is serious about curbing corruption and putting money where it really matters, he should give the money to CPSU.

Then we can all join the famous crooner Frank Sinatra in singing, ‘The best is yet to come, and won’t that be fine.’

Some passengers at the Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange are still bringing prohibited items in their travel, with PITX personnel seizing butane canisters, bolos and knives, cutters, matches and insecticides yesterday.

In a report, the PITX said it had confiscated 120 prohibited items, mostly pointed objects like knives and scissors, since Monday.

It reminded the public that under Memorandum Circular 2022-005 of the Office for Transportation Security, all explosives, incendiary devices and firearms are prohibited in buses, bus terminals and bus maintenance facilities.

The PITX said gases, flammable liquids, oxidizers, organic peroxides, corrosive/radioactive materials and toxic/infectious substances as well as bladed weapons or tools are prohibited.

Kolyn Calbasa, PITX senior corporate affairs officer, said the terminal expects over 2.1 million passengers until Nov. 5.

‘The figures are much higher last year due to the longer holiday, but the average foot traffic this year is higher, as we are now averaging 160,000 daily,’ Calbasa told The STAR in a message.

Meanwhile, the National Capital Region Police Office does not see the need to deploy marshals in buses as people start traveling to provinces for Undas, NCRPO director Maj. Gen. Anthony Aberin said yesterday.

‘We are limited to inspections and police presence. If someone sees suspicious acts, our police officers can quickly reach the area,’ Aberin said during the inspection of bus terminals in Cubao, Quezon City yesterday.

‘For now, there is no reason to deploy bus marshals. You can just imagine, with the total number of buses, we will run out of personnel,’ he added.

Aberin said that on the eve of All Saints’ Day, the situation across bus terminals and cemeteries in Metro Manila remained ‘generally peaceful,’ with police to be on full alert until Nov. 3.

Cebu City is exploring the revival of its sister city agreement with Kortrijk, Belgium, as Mayor Nestor Archival met with Belgian officials to discuss sustainability, innovation, and good governance.

The proposal was raised during a courtesy visit earlier this week by Belgian Ambassador to the Philippines Vladislava Iordanova, Consul Enrison T. Benedicto, and Trade and Investment Counselor Mia Santamaria-Abela at City Hall. Councilor Jose Abellanosa was also present.

‘We explored the idea of revisiting our sister city partnership with Kortjink, Belgium, aron mas mapalawom pa ang atong panaghiusa in sustainability, innovation, and good governance,’ Archival said in a social media post.

The sister city agreement between Cebu City and Kortrijk was first signed in 2005 and renewed in 2015 for another two years. The partnership was originally established to foster cooperation in urban development, cultural exchange, and environmental management but has been dormant for several years.

The renewed proposal is seen as a timely opportunity to align Cebu City’s climate resilience goals with Belgium’s expertise in sustainable infrastructure.

During the meeting, both parties discussed pressing urban challenges-traffic congestion, flooding, waste disposal, and water management-with a focus on sustainable water solutions as a potential area for collaboration.

‘We discussed some of Cebu City’s key priorities – traffic, flooding, waste, and water management – ug nalipay ko nga adunay posibilidad nga makig-collaborate sa Belgium, especially in sustainable and responsible water management. Their ongoing initiatives in Cebu give us valuable insights on how we can improve our own systems and strengthen our city’s environmental resilience,’ Archival said.

The mayor also highlighted his administration’s environmental programs, including the construction of eco-houses, the planting of 256,000 trees within three years, the gradual shift to electric vehicles, and the solarization of all government-owned buildings.

‘Ako usab gipanghambog ang pipila sa atong environmental advocacies sama sa eco-houses, tree planting program, gradual shift to e-vehicles, ug pag-solarize sa tanang government-owned buildings,’ he added.

Lopez-led First Gen Corp. is powering deeper into Indonesia’s geothermal market after sealing its joint venture with Jakarta-based PT Dian Swastatika Sentosa (DSSA).

This comes after PT FirstGen Geothermal Indonesia, a company under First Gen subsidiary Energy Development Corp. (EDC), signed a shareholders’ agreement with DSSA unit PT DSSR Daya Mas Sakti.

The deal outlines the terms of the partnership agreement signed in August for the planned development and management of geothermal resources with a total potential capacity of 440 megawatts (MW).

This covers six strategic geothermal fields across West Java, Flores, Jambi, West Sumatra and Central Sulawesi.

EDC president and COO Jerome Cainglet said exploration drilling at several sites is expected to begin next year.

‘The Philippines and Indonesia are the key markets that we are focused on at the moment. We are bringing close to 50 years of geothermal experience and expertise to Indonesia,’ Cainglet said.

Indonesia is the world’s second-largest geothermal producer, holding around 40 percent of global geothermal reserves.

The Southeast Asian country has an estimated geothermal potential of about 24 gigawatts, with only around 10 percent of this having been developed so far.

‘We know that there is also a lot that we can learn there, which we may use in the Philippines as we continue to expand our geothermal base in the country in full support of the Department of Energy’s call for more geothermal development here,’ Cainglet said.

In the Philippines, EDC is the leading geothermal player, operating at least 13 facilities with a combined capacity of about 1,200 MW. This represents around 56 percent of the country’s total installed output.

First Gen president and COO Francis Giles Puno earlier said an initial capital of up to $80 million would be used for the group’s expansion in Indonesia.

Puno was also expecting the joint venture with DSSA to be ‘formidable’ in developing geothermal resources.

DSSA is part of the Sinar Mas Group, one of Indonesia’s largest and most diversified conglomerates.

A total of 108 restaurants and eateries in the Philippines, which serve a wide range of society from the rich to the masses, were given various levels of honors by the prestigious travelogue Michelin Guide.

During the launch of the Michelin Guide Manila and Environs | Cebu 2026 edition on Oct. 30, Makati-based, reservation-only restaurant Helm by Josh Boutwood received the highest recognition with two Michelin Stars.

‘Marking a historic moment for the Philippines’ first-ever Michelin Guide, Helm achieves the distinction of being awarded two Michelin Stars upon its debut, an honor reserved for restaurants offering excellent cooking that is worth a detour,’ the guide said in a statement.

‘Helm presents a deeply personal expression of (Boutwood’s) half-British, half-Filipino heritage, infused with Spanish influences,’ it added.

Eight other restaurants – Asador Alfonso, Celera, Gallery by Chele, Hapag, Inatô, Kasa Palma, Linamnam and Toyo Eatery – each received one Michelin Star.

Located in Makati, Taguig, Parañaque and Cavite, these establishments were recognized ‘for their high-quality cooking,’ representing ‘a diverse range of influences, from modern Filipino expressions to global fusion.’

Among them, Gallery by Chele also earned the Michelin Green Star for its strong farm-to-table ethos and commitment to biodiversity, waste reduction and community sourcing.

Bib Gourmand

The guide also introduced the Bib Gourmand, a distinction recognizing establishments offering exceptional food at moderate prices. Twenty-five restaurants made the list.

Nineteen are in Metro Manila: Bolero, Brick Corner, Cabel, COCHI, Em Hà N?i, Hálong, Kumba, La Pita, Lampara, Los Tacos, Manam at the Triangle, Morning Sun Eatery, Palm Grill (Diliman), Pilya’s Kitchen, Sarsa, SOME THAI, Taquería Franco, The Underbelly and Your Local.

In Cebu, the Bib Gourmand was awarded to Abaseria Deli and Cafe, CUR8, Esmen, Lasa, Pares Batchoy Food House and The Pig and Palm.

Celebrity chef and actor Marvin Agustin, owner of Cochi, and Mindanaoan chef Miggy Cabel Moreno of Palm Grill (Diliman) and Cabel, personally received their distinctions.

The guide also unveiled 74 Michelin-selected restaurants – 62 in Metro Manila and nearby areas and 12 in Cebu – all ‘recognized for the quality of their cuisine, the distinct character of their dining experience and their consistent commitment to excellence.’

Among the Michelin-selected eateries in Manila and neighboring cities are 12/10, Aida’s Chicken, Antonio’s, Aurora, Automat, Ayà, Benjarong, Blackbird, BUTCHER BOY, Cantabria by Chele Gonzalez, Canton Road, Carmelo’s Steakhouse, Chie Chie’s Pancit Batil Patung, China Blue, Cirkulo, Cru Steakhouse, Deo Gracias, El Poco Cantina (Malate), Ember, Esmeraldo Kitchen, Fong Wei Wu, Fresca Trattoria, Ginza Nagaoka, Gordon Ramsay Bar and Grill and Goxo.

Also included in the list are Iai, Juniper, Kei, Kodawari (Salcedo), Locavore (Taguig), Lola Helen, Lore, Lusso (Legazpi), Mamacita, Man Ho, Metiz, Mirèio, M?DAN, Now Now, Oak and Smoke, Offbeat, Old Manila, Origine, Osteria Antica, Pablo, Papillon, People’s Palace, Ramen Ron, Sala, Seva, Spices, Steaks and Frice, Summer Palace, Super Uncle Claypot, Tandem, Taupe, Terraza Martinez, The Test Kitchen, Txanton, Uma Nota and Umu.

In Cebu, the honored establishments include Abli, ATO-AH, COCO, DIP, Enye by Chele Gonzalez, House of Lechon, Kamakura, Lantaw (Compostela), Maya, Pares Pares (N. Escario Street), Sialo and Socarrat.

Special awards, meanwhile, were given to Don Patrick Baldosano of Linamnam (Young Chef Award), Erin Recto of Hapag (Service Award) and Benjamin Leal of Uma Nota (Exceptional Cocktails Award).

To boost coordination in fighting crimes that transcend international borders, the Philippine National Police launched a Chinese help desk in Binondo, Manila on Tuesday, the PNP reported yesterday.

Acting PNP chief Lt. Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez said the Chinese help desk is a vital mechanism to strengthen the campaign against transnational crimes, such as kidnapping, scamming and other illegal activities linked to organized international crime groups.

‘Through this desk, we can respond swiftly and effectively to incidents involving Chinese nationals while maintaining full respect for our laws and due process,’ Nartatez said in a statement.

‘This is not aimed to protect just one group of people, but to provide security to everyone, be they Filipinos or foreigners, against criminality,’ Nartatez said in Filipino.

According to the Chinese embassy, 27 of their nationals are listed as missing in the country.

Law enforcement agencies are cross-matching the list with their own intelligence databases to determine the status and possible location of the missing Chinese.

The launch of the help desk was attended by Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission executive director Benjamin Acorda Jr. as well as by PNP and Chinese embassy officials.

Filipinos always look forward to the start of November. It is the time of the year when, apart from Christmas and New Year, they can meet and be with their families for yet another happy reunion.

This is the time of the year, too, that there are more living than the dead in cemeteries throughout the country. The living gather where their dearly departed are, they reminisce and remember the happy and sad moments together.

Whether the dearly beloved are buried near or far away from the homes of the living members of the families, expect the long queue at terminals of those eager to be home with their dead and their liing families, relatives on these first two days of November!

Some may have gone earlier or some may also have decided to visit their dead after November 1 and 2 to avoid the traffic, the throng, and travel hassle.

Most, however, already consider these inconveniences as normal and part of the November commemoration for the dead.

While All Souls’ Day is officially celebrated on November 2, most Filipinos start celebrating their departed a day or days earlier often forgetting or not giving the same attention to the saints of the Church whose celebration and commemoration fall on November 1.

Students look forward to at least two days of no classes, workers paid for these days even if they do not report to work are content, vendors and businesses thrive where there are huge crowds.

Flowers and candles will be sold out, like most food items and drinks within and outside cemeteries.

Traffic enforcers, peace and order teams will be kept very busy from day to night. Those pretending to be priests who sell their blessings for a fee are sure to be among those in cemeteries especially on November 1.

Prior public announcements have been repeatedly issued reminding the crowds to properly manage their waste and not dirty or leave the cemeteries as instant, mini-dumpsites.

Requests to tone down boisterous activities like playing loud music and karaoke inside cemeteries have also been made.

Will the public listen to these or like previous Undas, will waste and noise pollution once again break and disturb the silence of the dead in their abode? Will there be better crowd management during these two days inside and outside cemeteries and memorial parks and gardens?

Elsewhere in malls and certain private villages, there will be those celebrating Halloween.

While Halloween derives from All Hallows’ Eve, meaning the evening before All Hallows’ (All Saints’) Day, (hallow meaning holy), Halloween has since evolved, away from a religious to a more secular meaning and practice of wearing costumes and masks of scary characters or superheroes and more, with children playing ‘trick or treat’ in several parts of the world.

The Church has been advising believers to celebrate saints and angels rather than depict forces of darkness, rather than wear masks and costumes of ‘horrors, of horrifying images!’

It is interesting to observe how various societies and cultures show their respect for their departed loved ones.

Filipinos mix local with foreign, religious with secular influences while remembering their departed loved ones.

When the crowds are gone, the cemeteries restored to the dead, silence back after the boisterous revelry and celebration, then reality steps in.

Hopefully, the cemeteries will not be one dirty, wide receptacle of the waste and garbage left by the living. Hopefully, peace and order reigned throughout the abode of the dead, no one hurt or harmed, no property vandalized or disrespected.

Sadly, certain cemeteries have become the homes of a number of marginalized and poor. When the Undas visitors will have left, these poor will reclaim their ‘higaang marmol –their marbled beds and homes’ until next year’s November 1 and 2.

The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) has directed its Regional Offices (ROs) to provide assistance in their areas of jurisdiction for Undas 2025.

In a Memorandum dated 21 October 2025, the NTC called on all ROs to coordinate and extend assistance to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), Civic Action Groups, and Amateur Radio Groups that will render public assistance operations within their respective areas of jurisdiction.

This includes the issuance of temporary permits and licenses to ensure the safety and convenience of our kababayans traveling to various parts of the country.

Furthermore, regional directors were tasked to proactively enlist the assistance of all radio, television, and cable TV stations/operators to facilitate the proper and timely dissemination of public information related to the Undas 2025 operations.

The NTC said it reaffirms its commitment to the public and communication readiness in support of the government’s collective efforts to maintain safety, order, and efficient nationwide coordination in the observance of Undas 2025.

This NTC nationwide communications and emergency assistance program is an annual tradition commitment undertaken by all NTC ROs to assist motorists and commuters across the country during the undas.