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United States President Donald Trump has nominated Lee Lipton as the new US ambassador to the Philippines.

Lipton’s nomination was sent to the US Senate for confirmation, the White House said yesterday.

‘Lee Lipton, of Florida, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of the Philippines,’ according to the announcement.

Lipton, the first non-career American diplomat to be appointed to Manila, is reportedly Trump’s golf buddy.

Once confirmed, Lipton will succeed Ambassador MaryKay Carlson, who began her term on July 22, 2022.

Lipton currently serves as Interim Permanent Representative to the US Mission to the Organization of American States (OAS).

According to his US Department of State profile, Lipton manages staff operations, financial resources and interagency coordination at the OAS to advance US foreign policy priorities in the western hemisphere.

In this role, Lipton supports US engagement on a range of regional challenges, including the deteriorating security situation in Haiti and efforts to counter malign influence – particularly from the Chinese Communist Party – within the Inter-American system.

Before joining the government, Lipton funded and led a successful apparel business in New York City.

He oversaw the design, manufacturing, marketing and distribution of licensed collections for globally recognized brands, such as Calvin Klein, St. John Knits and Guess.

After selling his company to a publicly traded firm, he transitioned into the hospitality industry, owning several oceanfront restaurants.

His landmark restaurants remain among the highest-volume establishments in Palm Beach County, Florida.

Lipton holds a bachelor’s degree from Bryant University.

He and his wife of 45 years have two sons.

First Balfour Inc., the Lopez Group’s construction and engineering arm, has adopted an AI-powered construction management system (CMS) that integrates into a single platform the planning, execution and monitoring of its projects for faster and more efficient management.

In acquiring the CMS software, First Balfour reached a new milestone by becoming the first construction company in the Philippines to harness the capabilities of Autodesk Construction Cloud (ACC) with AI-powered cost management and advanced analytics dashboards.

‘In the past, it took days or even weeks to gather project information. Now, with this platform, everyone can be online in just minutes,’ said Rey Villar, First Balfour managing director for construction operations. ‘The launch of the CMS stands as a testament to the company’s commitment to driving excellence, advancing innovation, and shaping the future of construction.’

First Balfour announced its adoption of the CMS on Sept. 16, 2025, following its agreement with CIM Technologies Inc. for First Balfour’s use of the ACC. CIM Technologies, a leading Philippine provider of design automation technology solutions, is authorized to offer the ACC.

Anthony Fernandez, First Balfour vice chairman and chief executive officer, explained that the launch of the CMS, along with First Balfour’s partnership with Autodesk and CIM Technologies, represents the company’s ‘first major step in adopting cutting-edge technologies designed to enhance project management and operational efficiency.’

Florence Bisera heads into the ICTSI Del Monte Championship unfolding Tuesday, October 14, brimming with confidence, riding a wave of momentum and a game trending steadily upward.

Fresh off a sensational back-to-back performance last month – a dramatic come-from-behind win in Negros Occidental followed by a breakthrough international triumph in Thailand – the rising Davaoeña star has emerged as one of the hottest names on the Ladies Philippine Golf Tour.

Yet, despite her recent surge, the reigning Match Play champion remains grounded, adopting a measured approach despite being the player to beat this week.

Her humility belies a lethal combination of form, confidence and competitive fire – one that has caught the attention of the entire field.

With a P1-million purse and another shot at glory at stake, Bisera steps into the Del Monte Golf Club in Bukidnon as a marked player, the centerpiece of a compact and determined field.

Bisera’s recent string of victories has not only elevated her status but also raised the stakes. Her dramatic finish in Negros Occidental showcased her ability to handle pressure, while her overseas win in Thailand proved she could rise to the occasion beyond home turf – a critical milestone for any player with aspirations for the global stage.

A win at Del Monte would solidify her standing as the new force in Philippine women’s golf and mark her third consecutive title, a feat that would underscore her readiness to dominate the tour.

But standing in her way is a loaded cast of elite challengers.

Chief among them is Daniella Uy, the reigning Del Monte champion and LPGA of Taiwan campaigner, who’s eager to bounce back after a lukewarm finish in Negros. A return to a familiar venue could be just what she needs to reignite her game and defend her crown.

Joining the fray are other proven winners: Chanelle Avaricio, Mafy Singson, Sarah Ababa, Chihiro Ikeda and Harmie Constantino – each one capable of delivering a title-worthy performance.

Marvi Monsalve, making her LPGT comeback, is another name to watch, along with young gun Tiffany Lee, looking to recapture her form from a brilliant pro debut at Splendido Taal.

Local knowledge could also come into play, with Bukidnon natives Martina Miñoza, Velinda Castil, Pamela Mariano, and amateur Zero Plete expected to leverage their familiarity with the demanding mountain-top course.

Also seeking their moment in the spotlight in the 54-hole tournament organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc. are Kayla Nocum, Angela Mangana, Leslie Icoy, Rev Alcantara, Gretchen Villacencio, Apple Fudolin, Kristine Fleetwood, Korean Eunhua Nam and Eva Miñoza.

Still, focus will be on Bisera, whose poise and grit have begun to set her apart. With each round, she continues to mature not just as a competitor, but as a potential face of LPGT. If she keeps her current trajectory, the spotlight won’t just be local – it could very well extend to the regional and international stage.

For now, though, all eyes are on Del Monte – and whether Bisera can complete her hat trick.

A new trade may be coming for Barangay Ginebra.

This after Mav Ahanmisi admitted that he requested to be traded from the Gin Kings.

In a vlog posted on his YouTube account Tuesday, the nine-year PBA veteran said he requested a trade ‘for the first time’ during the offseason.

‘It was kind of stressful for me because I took a pretty big step last night and I did actually request for a trade for the first time,’ the 34-year-old guard said.

‘I don’t know how people are going to take it, man,’ he said. But to be honest, I like my teammates. I’m cool with everybody on that team. I appreciate the fans. I even appreciate the [expletive] that don’t [expletive]with me. That’s just the honest truth,’ he added.

‘But as a player, you want the opportunity to play and showcase your talent.’

In 65 games last season, Ahanmisi averaged 7.5 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game while shooting a career-high 44.2% from the field.

Ginebra’s backcourt is crowded with reigning Rookie of the Year RJ Abarrientos, former Most Valuable Player Scottie Thompson and do-it-all guard Stephen Holt.

‘So it’s kind of a fine line between like being patient and waiting your turn. But I just turned 34 last month. I am now on, like, the back half of my career. There’s not much time to waste for me,’ Ahanmisi said in the vlog.

‘So these are the times as a pro that you have to make decisions that are going to benefit you because at the end of the day, this is a business. You have to think about yourself. As selfish as it sounds, you’re going to have to do those things for you and your family.

‘And a lot of people are not going to like that decision most of the time. But if it benefits you and your family and you do it in a respectful and proper way, nobody can really knock you for that.’

Later in the vlog, the one-time PBA champion received a call from his agent, who brought the news that he was ‘cleared to get traded.’

‘I didn’t ever want to like leave Ginebra, but like I said, it’s something that I have to do for myself as well as my family. But I’m excited for this new journey. Glad I could bring you guys along.’

Ahanmisi did not play in Ginebra’s opening-day loss to the Magnolia Hotshots.

Call it a Van Sickle show.

Brooke the player, dad Gary as coach and mom Lisa as the assistant coach played their roles marking the Petro Gazz Angels’ emphatic 25-21, 25-19, 25-14 victory over Galeries Tower to start their campaign in the Premier Volleyball League Reinforced Conference at the City of Dasmariñas Arena in Cavite yesterday.

‘You’re the man of the hour,’ Brooke, who fired a match-high 14 points, told his father after the win.

‘It was a full circle moment and I’m going to try to enjoy every game, every point with them again and be coached by my parents again,’ she added.

‘We came out a little slow but overall, it was a team effort,’ said Gary, who took over from interim mentor Brian Esquivel.

Lindsey Vander Weide unloaded 13 hits on her return to the same franchise she led to the title of this same conference three years ago.

And she liked what she saw from their team.

‘We have a lot of depth, anybody can step in and make a difference so that makes me really comfortable with them,’ said the 2022 Reinforced Conference Best Foreign Player.

There is hope that Vander Weide, along with the Van Sickles, could help the squad reclaim the championship it last won three years before.

And this win was a good first step towards that goal.

‘It’s going to be tough but we’ll see,’ said Vander Weide.

MJ Phillips, back after her Alas Pilipinas stint, likewise delivered, chipping in 12 hits.

The result spoiled the debut of Galeries Tower bench tactician Godfrey Okumu, who succeeded Lerma Giron.

This is the ideal condition for us to be in as we go about our temporal affairs, especially in business and politics, and in the more complicated and challenging sector of the new technologies. We should be as technically competent as possible in these areas, but what is even more important than that is for us to be spiritually healthy.

Otherwise, there is no way but for us to be misusing and abusing the elements involved in these temporal affairs. And as a consequence, it would just be a matter of time before some disaster, especially in the moral and spiritual aspects, would befall us.

We should see to it that all our temporal affairs, especially those that have very significant impact on the lives of many people, should be guided by the laws God has given to all the things of our life, foremost of which is for us to do all for the glory of God. (Deo omnes gloria!)

Let us always remember that we are notorious for simply following our own ideas, our own estimation of what is right and wrong according to some worldly standards that in the end would just lead us to self-indulgence, and thus goes against the common good and our innate duty of love toward God.

We need to do things always with God and for God, since Christ said it very clearly: ‘He who is not with me, is against me; and he who gathers not with me, scatters.’ (Lk 11,23) To do things with God and for God is not an optional thing. It is a necessity for us, considering who we really are. Of course, to do things with God and for God should be done freely, and not forcibly.

To be technically competent means having the skills, knowledge, and abilities needed to perform tasks or work in a specific field or area effectively. An example would be a software engineer needed to be proficient in coding languages, a mechanic who knows how to do engine repair.

Those in business, for example, should be knowledgeable about data analysis and tech literacy, financial management, strategic planning, communication and leadership tools, etc. While those in politics should be conversant in policy analysis and development, public communication and media literacy, data-informed decision making, legislative and regulatory knowledge, etc.

Spiritual health is a matter of knowing how to discern the abiding promptings of the Holy Spirit. In this regard, we cannot overemphasize the need to make use of certain helpful acts of piety, like regular mental prayer, presence of God all throughout the day, continuing study and formation regarding our spiritual life.

We need to be more wary of our duty to take care of our spiritual powers. Our spiritual powers are mainly our intelligence and will, our thinking, judging, reasoning, and loving. These need to be managed and supervised well, seeing to it that they are rooted properly and are oriented toward their proper objects and not simply allowed to drift and flow wherever they are blown by our bodily and worldly conditionings.

St. Paul talks about the distinction between the carnal man and the spiritual man, and we should make the right choice and develop it to its maturity. St. Augustine warns us not to allow our soul, our spiritual powers, to become carnal by consenting to the affections of the flesh.

Caring for our spiritual powers means exerting realistic effort to always find reasons, motivations, and ways to relate all our thinking and loving to God and all souls.

Top Line and TOP [link] said its board of directors approved on Oct. 8, 2025 the reclassification of 800 million unissued common shares with a par value of P0.10 each into preferred shares, as the company gears up for capital-raising activities amid plans to expand its fuel importation and distribution operations. In a series of disclosures, TOP said the move-still subject to regulatory and stockholders’ approval-will give the company ‘flexibility in the issuance of shares’ as it explores funding options such as private placements, follow-on offerings, and/or debt issuances. As part of its broader expansion drive, the board also approved new equity investments in two subsidiaries: P185.6 million for Topline Logistics, which recently secured registration from the Bureau of Customs, a key requirement for import operations, and P199.5 million for Light Fuels Corp., which operates the company’s retail station network.

MB bottom-line: Love this move in theory. As I mentioned to TOP’s CEO Erik Lim back in September when I interviewed him as part of my Inside the Boardroom series, I thought the incredible runup in TOP’s price presented the company with a great opportunity to monetize that demand with some kind of follow-on offering. While this isn’t the common share follow-on that I was thinking of, it’s still something that will give TOP a wider array of funding options to finance its expansion. The thing that I like overall is the idea that expansion is a given. Perfect score if that expansion could get funded through equity, but a prefs sale works too.

A former chairman and former treasurer of a barangay in Manila were sentenced to up to 10 years in prison for graft for allegedly demanding advance ‘commission’ from a supplier in exchange for a contract to supply various materials.

In a 48-page decision promulgated on Sept. 30, the Sandiganbayan Sixth Division upheld the ruling of the Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 39 finding Ephraim Maniquis and Regielyn Lauriaga, former chairman and treasurer, respectively, of Barangay 52, Zone 4 in Manila guilty of violating Section 3(b) of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.

‘The evidence established beyond reasonable doubt all the elements of violation of Section 3(b) of Republic Act 3019, as amended. Hence, conviction of accused-appellants is proper,’ the Sixth Division’s decision read, referring to the provision that ‘prohibits a public official from soliciting and accepting gifts, favor or percentage in connection with any government transaction in which the public official has the capacity to intervene.’

Maniquis and Lauriaga were sentenced to six years and one month to 10 years in prison and perpetually disqualified from holding public office.

The P73,320 they received from the private complainant was ordered ‘confiscated and forfeited in favor of the government.’

According to the case filed by the Office of the Ombudsman in 2015, Maniquis and Lauriaga demanded P73,320 from complainant Franco Espiritu, owner of FRCGE Trading, as their ‘advance share’ or commission in exchange for awarding to Espiritu’s firm a contract to provide the barangay various supplies and materials.

‘The Court finds the private complainant’s testimony clear and consistent, that he yielded to the amount requested by the accused-appellants despite the absence of details regarding the project and bidding because he relied on their assurance that he would emerge as the winning bidder in a transaction where both accused-appellants had the duty to intervene under the law,’ the Sixth Division ruling read in part.

Besides, the anti-graft court added, ‘the mere act of requesting, demanding or receiving a gift, share, present, percentage or benefit in connection with a contract or transaction that the public officer has to intervene is already punishable under law, regardless of whether or not the contract or transaction is perfected or consummated.’

It has been awhile since I’ve been invited to a tech launch, so I was very excited to attend the event of Huawei Philippines last week.

That night, they proudly introduced their latest lineup of innovative wearables, led by the highly anticipated Huawei Watch GT 6 Series. This new series combines cutting-edge technology, an industry-leading 21-day battery life, and advanced health and sports tracking features, all designed to empower Filipinos to train smarter, live healthier, and elevate their personal style.

They brought the Watch GT 6 Series to life through immersive experience zones that highlighted key scenarios like trail running, in-depth cycling performance metrics, and comprehensive health and fitness monitoring. Attendees explored how the devices seamlessly support active lifestyles through hands-on demonstrations.

A highlight of the launch was the feature of professional cyclist Mervin Corpuz, the celebrated MPTC Tour of Luzon Sprint King. Through a showcase of his training journey, the event demonstrated how the Watch GT 6 Series enhances his performance on the road, providing precise cycling metrics, reliable tracking, and advanced tools that support his demanding regimen.

Adding to the excitement, Huawei also showcased the Watch Ultimate 2 and the Watch D2, the latter set to receive new features such as Timed Blood Pressure Measurement through an upcoming OTA update, which will start on October 15, further expanding its versatile wearable ecosystem designed to complement diverse lifestyles.

The Watch GT 6 Series uses TruSense System 2.0 for more accurate tracking of sleep, heart rate, blood oxygen, stress, and emotions. The GT 6 Pro adds a special heart health app that alerts you to irregular heartbeats and gives detailed ECG information.

For athletes and outdoor lovers, the Watch GT 6 Pro features a highly accurate positioning system, perfect for trail running, cycling, and hiking. Cyclists can also use new features that measure power and performance without extra devices.

Safety is improved with Fall Detection and altitude sickness alerts, helping keep users safe during activities. The watch also includes a smart coach to guide training and recovery.

In terms of design, the Watch GT 6 Series blends elegance with exceptional durability, built with aerospace-grade titanium alloy, sapphire glass, and a nanocrystal ceramic back. Its ultra-bright 1.47-inch AMOLED display with slimmer bezels delivers an immersive experience for both workouts and daily wear.

Users can easily switch straps for different looks and personalize their watch with animated stickers, pet dials, and five-second video watch faces.

The lighter, more compact Watch GT 6 features an ergonomic fluoroelastomer strap, while the Watch GT 6 Pro has an added 40m freediving-grade water resistance, making it perfect for everything from intense workouts to swimming and even formal occasions.

With its high-silicon stacked battery architecture, the Watch GT 6 Series lasts up to 21 days between charges, supporting the demanding lifestyles of athletes, explorers, and busy professionals.

Both the Watch GT 6 and Watch GT 6 Pro deliver smart connectivity designed for life on the go, supporting offline maps, music playback, Bluetooth calling, and smart notifications. With GCash Watch Pay now compatible with iOS as well as Android and HUAWEI devices, users can enjoy secure, effortless cashless transactions straight from their wrist, no matter which smartphone they use.

Empowering users to stay healthy, fit, and connected, the Watch GT 6 Series combines style, durability and smart features for today’s active lifestyles. It transitions seamlessly from workouts to everyday wear, reflecting Huawei’s commitment to innovation that enhances real life.

Aligned with Huawei’s global message, ‘Now Is Yours’, the series inspires everyone to take charge, express themselves, and live actively with technology that’s powerful, inclusive and inspiring.

Amber Kinetics, a leading designer of long-duration flywheel energy storage systems (FESS), marked a milestone in renewable energy deployment with the signing of a formal agreement with Indian Energy (IE), a 100% Native American-owned and operated microgrid developer. The agreement covers the purchase of containerized flywheel systems, as well as an exclusive Strategic Development Agreement granting Indian Energy the rights to market Amber Kinetics’ technology across all Native American reservations in the US.

This announcement follows the successful testing, installation and commissioning of Amber Kinetics’ containerized flywheel systems at the historic Miramar site (former Top Gun base) in San Diego last June. The additional order, destined for installation with the Viejas Band of Kumeyaay Indians in Alpine, California, further strengthens Indian Energy’s role in advancing large-scale energy resiliency solutions for tribal and defense communities.

The partnership positions Amber Kinetics to address a market potential of up to 18,000 flywheel units across Native American reservations, representing nearly $1 billion in opportunities-excluding additional prospects in Canada and Mexico. Amber Kinetics manages a facility in Batangas for the manufacturing, assembling and testing of flywheels. It also set up a demonstration site at De La Salle University in Sta. Rosa, Laguna, the world’s first flywheel innovation hub.

Allen Cadreau, founder and CEO of Indian Energy, added: ‘Energy security is at the heart of sovereignty. By joining forces with Amber Kinetics, Indian Energy is proud to bring a technology that is safe, durable and purpose-built for the needs of our people. This partnership enables tribes across the country to take control of their energy future with systems that protect our lands, our economies and our ways of life. What we are signing today is more than a business agreement-it is a commitment to clean energy independence for Native Nations.’

Luis Juan Virata, chairman of Amber Kinetics, said: ‘This agreement with Indian Energy represents a defining moment for Amber Kinetics and for the future of resilient, sustainable power in North America. By pairing our proven flywheel technology with Indian Energy’s deep expertise and trusted relationships across tribal communities, we are creating a pathway for true energy sovereignty. Together, we will demonstrate that long-duration, safe and unlimited cycling storage is not only viable, but essential to powering communities for generations to come.’

The two parties developed their agreement with the assistance of Innova Capital Partners, a global private investment firm focused on disruptive innovators. Innova develops unique opportunities across sectors where its investment expertise and operational capabilities create value. The October 1 signing is not only a business milestone but also a bold step toward clean energy sovereignty-ensuring Native American tribes have access to reliable, safe, and sustainable energy solutions that secure their communities for generations to come.