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Undefeated Filipino Carl Jammes Martin stakes his 28-0 record against Mexican David Picasso in a World Boxing Council (WBC) Silver featherweight title fight on Saturday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

The 27-year-old Martin, who has 21 knockouts, faces a tough bout against the 26-year-old Picasso (33-1-1, 18 KOs) in the Mexico vs. The World card headlined by Canelo Alvarez and Christian Mbilli at Kingdom Arena.

‘I think this fight is going to be a difficult fight, but this is the kind of fight that Carl Martin is trained for, prepared for, and worked for in his entire life,’ MP Promotions president Sean Gibbons told the BusinessMirror on Friday.

Picasso’s lone defeat came against Japanese star Naoya Inoue, who won by unanimous decision in December last year. He bounced back with a second-round knockout of Colombian Maicol Rincon last August.

Martin welcomed the challenge despite the odds.

‘There is pressure but there is also an opportunity. This is what I have been waiting for. I have worked hard and waited a long time for this moment. I decided to take the fight regardless of the circumstances,’ Martin said.

vivo Philippines has opened pre-orders for the vivo V80 at physical stores nationwide, through the vivo e-store and via the vivo Store app, with prices starting at Php 42,999 and exclusive offers available until November 13, 2026.

Designed for a generation that enjoys capturing memorable moments, expressing personal style, and customizing their devices, the smartphone combines ZEISS co-engineered portrait cameras, a distinctive glass design, and personalized features powered by OriginOS 7.

The vivo V80 is available in two configurations: 8GB RAM with 128GB storage for Php 42,999 and 8GB RAM with 256GB storage for Php 47,999.

Customers who pre-order within the promotional period can enjoy the following perks:

Php 2,000 discount,

limited-edition vivo Buds Air3 worth Php 1,799,

Gold vivo membership privileges,

six months of broken-screen insurance and warranty, and

six months of 100GB Google One cloud storage for new users.

Meanwhile, here are the top three things you need to know about the vivo V80.

ZEISS portrait photography for every creative moment

Co-engineered with ZEISS, the vivo V80 features a 50-megapixel ZEISS Super Telephoto Camera and ZEISS 85mm and 100mm Center-Stage Portrait options, giving users versatile ways to frame their subjects and capture portraits with detail and depth. The different focal lengths also provide creative options for photographing people in lively environments while keeping the subject in focus.

The smartphone expands these creative possibilities with AI Creative Camera features, including studio-inspired lighting effects and Creative Sticker Collage, which lets users transform people, pets, and selected photos into movable stickers. CCD Flash Portrait adds a nostalgic, film-inspired aesthetic, giving users more ways to personalize their images and share their favorite moments.

A distinctive design inspired by the stars

The vivo V80 combines cold-carved glass, an aerospace-grade aluminum frame, and smoothly contoured edges for a refined appearance and comfortable grip.

Its Starwish Purple finish features Laser Holographic Lithography, creating a three-dimensional, galaxy-inspired effect that shifts with light. The result is a design that brings together craftsmanship and personal expression, allowing the device to complement different styles and everyday occasions.

Meanwhile, the vivo V80 is also available in Wander Green, featuring refined low-saturation tones that shift gracefully with light.

OriginOS 7 brings personality to everyday interactions

With OriginOS 7, the vivo V80 gives users more ways to make their smartphone experience their own through four customizable themes.

Wiggle features motion-responsive wallpapers, Pet Pals introduces interactive pet elements, Glint adds shimmering visual effects, and StickIt brings customizable stickers into different parts of the system. These features let users personalize their screens and everyday interactions to reflect their interests, moods, and individual styles.

‘Smartphones have become an important part of how people express themselves, preserve memories, and connect with others. With the vivo V80, we want to give users more opportunities to explore their creativity through ZEISS portrait photography, AI-powered features, and a personalized interface that reflects who they are,’ said Liu Lu, vivo Philippines Brand Marketing Director.

Flexible payment options

For customers who prefer installment payments, Home Credit offers the vivo V80 for as low as Php 85 per day over 18 months. Buyers can also receive an additional Php 500 discount voucher by using the code V80HC500.

Customers can pre-order the vivo V80 at vivo physical stores nationwide, through the vivo e-store, and via the vivo Store app until November 13, 2026.

With its ZEISS imaging capabilities, expressive design, and customizable interface, the vivo V80 brings together the tools to capture favorite moments, explore creative possibilities, and make every detail feel personal.

THE Philippine National Police (PNP) on Friday instructed all its units nationwide to set up assistance desks and to maximize their security presence in the cemeteries and memorial parks as Filipinos observed the upcoming All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day holidays, popularly known as ‘Undas’ in the country.

In a statement, PNP chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said all needs of people must be covered at the assistance desks in coordination with local government units and other stakeholders-from cases of missing children to medical assistance and other emergency situations.

He added that security measures should also be in place for small quarrels that may turn violent in the cemeteries.

Nartatez also stressed the need for strict screening at the entry points and regular patrols inside to check violations of regulations like drinking sessions and use of karaoke.

‘We will ensure that our personnel remain visible, approachable, and ready to respond to every request for assistance, especially from children, senior citizens, and other vulnerable individuals. Our presence must provide genuine reassurance to the public, and every police officer must serve with professionalism, compassion, and a strong sense of responsibility,’ he added.

Likewise, Nartatez tasked police commanders to focus on homes that may be left unattended during the holiday break and areas where thieves could take advantage of crowds.

‘Before leaving home, make sure all doors and windows are secured, electrical appliances are safely switched off, and valuables are kept out of sight. I have directed our police units to intensify neighborhood patrols and coordinate with barangay officials to deter burglars and protect homes left unattended during Undas,’ he added.

The PNP has mobilized more than 141,000 personnel and force multipliers nationwide for security, traffic management, and public assistance operations. The deployment covers 73,034 PNP personnel, 16,560 personnel from other government units, and 51,578 force multipliers.

Police operations will cover 5,311 cemeteries and columbaria as, well, as major thoroughfares, transportation hubs, places of worship, tourist destinations, and other strategic areas nationwide.

With crowds expected to swell ahead of All Saints’ Day on Nov. 1 and All Souls’ Day on Nov. 2, Nartatez reminded cemetery-goers to guard their belongings and remain alert in crowded areas where thieves may exploit distractions.

‘Stay vigilant, keep your valuables secure, avoid displaying large amounts of cash or expensive jewelry, and never leave your belongings unattended. Criminals take advantage of distraction and crowded places, so remain alert, look after your loved ones, and immediately report suspicious activities to the nearest police personnel,’ he said.

All PNP offices and units will be under full alert status from 12:01 a.m. on Oct. 30 until 12:01 a.m. on Nov. 3.

IT is taught in any basic macroeconomics course that monetary policy is not the best tool for a supply-side problem because it is a demand-side tool that influences spending, borrowing costs, and aggregate demand rather than the actual capacity or physical production of goods and services. To put it more sharply, lower interest rates do not directly create physical commodities like oil or rice.

Although it is true that monetary policy cannot fix supply-side issues directly, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) has tightened due to severe risks that have cascaded beyond the initial supply shocks-Middle East tensions driving up global oil prices and El Niño hitting agriculture. Its surprise 50-basis-point rate hike, which came amid accelerating inflation, a weak peso, elevated global energy prices, and the risk of weather-related food shortages, is justified primarily as an attempt to prevent an inflation shock from becoming entrenched, rather than as a way to bring inflation down immediately. The key question is not simply whether inflation is high. It is whether the expected cost of allowing inflation to spread will outweigh the damage that tighter monetary policy could inflict on a weakening economy. Three critical reasons are worth considering.

One, the BSP is deeply concerned about second-round effects-when high costs mutate into broader, demand-driven inflation. Higher food and fuel prices could lead to demands for higher wages and increased transport fares. Once businesses raise prices generally to cover these wages and transport costs, inflation becomes structural and persistent. The BSP hikes rates to cool down aggregate demand so that it becomes harder for businesses to pass on costs to consumers.

Two, the Philippine peso has faced severe downward pressure. It has recently plummeted to record lows. Because the Philippines imports vital commodities like crude oil and rice, a weak currency makes those items significantly more expensive in local terms. Thus, higher Philippine interest rates may support the peso by improving the relative attractiveness of peso-denominated assets, although exchange rates also depend on global risk appetite,

capital flows, and expectations. The BSP, therefore, has a legitimate reason to consider currency depreciation in its inflation outlook.

Three, when headline inflation jumps sharply, the public begins to expect high inflation as the new permanent normal. September headline inflation rose to 7.2 percent, from 6.1 percent in August, while core inflation climbed to 4.7 percent. The increase in core inflation matters because it suggests that price pressures may be spreading beyond volatile food and energy prices. If consumers expect things to cost 7 percent more next year, they demand higher pay and buy goods immediately. Again, this creates a self-fulfilling inflationary spiral.

Indeed, monetary policy is a game of brutal trade-offs. True to its mandate of maintaining price stability, the BSP has made the right structural decision to fight inflation, but it comes with severe economic consequences. For households, higher borrowing costs on loans and mortgages, alongside already elevated food and transport expenses, could squeeze disposable income. For businesses, more expensive credit discourages investment, expansion, and hiring, especially among smaller firms. For broader economic growth, weaker consumption and investment could deepen the slowdown and reduce employment opportunities. For government finances, higher interest rates can increase the cost of new borrowing and refinancing, depending on debt maturity and market conditions. For inflation itself, monetary tightening works with a lag. It will not immediately reverse higher oil prices or repair weather-damaged food supplies.

One can argue that it is easier to recover lost growth momentum. In other words, a stalled economy can be stimulated back to growth relatively quickly with standard monetary tools. However, once inflation expectations run wild, it will be an agonizing multi-year process to tame them.

A high-inflation environment will not be conducive to growth for several reasons. One, when prices fluctuate wildly, businesses cannot forecast costs, calculate margins, or safely plan long-term capital investments. They pull back and go into survival mode. Two, high inflation acts as a hidden tax on savings. Domestic and foreign investors pull their money out of the financial system and move it to stable foreign currencies. This would starve the domestic economy of investment capital. Three, instead of investing in productive, growth-inducing enterprises, capital flees into speculative hedges, such as gold, real estate, or foreign cash, just to survive.

So, the BSP has drawn a line in the sand. It signals to the entire economy that it will stand as the anchor of stability, even if it means a temporary contraction. The goal is to protect the structural foundations of the economy so that when growth does recover, it will be built on solid bedrock, not shifting sand.

Dr. Ser Percival K. Peña-Reyes teaches economics at the Ateneo de Manila University. He is also a Senior Research Fellow at the Ateneo Center for Economic Research and Development.

THE Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) has earmarked P30 million for cloud seeding operations in the Visayas to mitigate the impact of El Niño on sugarcane plantations.

Manuel Lamata, President of the United Sugar Producers Federation (Unifed), confirmed this after receiving a letter from SRA Administrator Pablo Luis Azcona dated October 26.

The letter stipulated that SRA has already allocated the budget for cloud seeding operations particularly in Negros Island and Panay, which accounts for the majority of the country’s raw sugar output.

‘We are thankful to Administrator Azcona for proactively addressing our concerns and we are hoping that the budget is more than enough to get us through the super El Niño,’ Lamata said.

The cloud seeding operations will start in November.

Lamata also thanked Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. for funding cloud seeding operations last month and pronouncements that the DA will also allocate additional budget for cloud seeding by next year.

‘These actions from Azcona and Laurel, especially during these dire times when we are faced with drought, pest infestation, rising cost of fuel and farm inputs, show their concern for the sugar industry and we are very grateful that we have proactive leaders like them’ he added.

Earlier, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said it is seeking more than P270 million to ramp up its cloud seeding operations to enhance rainfall and minimize the impact of El Niño on crop production.

Agriculture Undersecretary Roger Navarro said the agency has also requested the Department of National Defense (DND) to restore its clouding seeding team.

He said the DA has started cloud seeding operations through the P44 million earmarked under the Bureau of Soils and Water Management (BSWM), but the implementation ‘is taking a long time, because we don’t have the technical people.’

Should the agency receive the additional funding, Navarro said this would augment its coffers to continue the cloud seeding operations until next year.

While the operations would span across regions with high production areas, he said these would not be targeted over specific crops.

State weather bureau Pagasa described cloud seeding as putting particles like salt into the cloud, so that the vapor will condense into water droplets.

THE country posted a $5.15-billion trade deficit in September, the widest since July, as imports continued to grow faster than exports despite record-high sales in both directions, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) on Friday.

The PSA’s International Merchandise Trade Statistics (IMTS) showed the deficit-representing the difference between the value of goods exported and imported-increased by 10.3 percent from the same month last year.

Total imports reached $15.03 billion, up 25.7 percent from $11.95 billion in September 2025. Exports, meanwhile, grew by 35.6 percent to $9.87 billion from $7.28 billion a year earlier.

Despite the faster annual growth in exports, the value of imported goods remained substantially higher.

Both export and import values reached their highest levels since the PSA began its series in 1991.

The increase in exports was led by electronic products, which posted the largest annual gain among commodity groups at $2.89 billion. Electronic equipment and parts followed with an increase of $64.41 million, while gold rose by $59.52 million.

On the import side, electronic products likewise recorded the largest annual increase, rising by $2.7 billion. Mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials followed with a $687.02-million increase, while imports of cereals and cereal preparations grew by $98.36 million.

The combined value of the country’s exports and imports reached $24.9 billion in September, 29.5 percent higher than the $19.24 billion recorded a year earlier. This was also the highest total external trade value in the PSA’s series.

The United States remained the Philippines’s largest export market, accounting for $2.63 billion, or 26.6 percent of total export sales.

Hong Kong was the second-largest destination with $1.55 billion, followed by China with $1.12 billion, Vietnam with $785.15 million and Japan with $619.17 million.

South Korea, meanwhile, was the country’s biggest source of imports, supplying $3.92 billion worth of goods, equivalent to 26.1 percent of total imports.

China ranked second with $3.36 billion, followed by Indonesia with $994.43 million, Japan with $952.13 million and the United States with $744.66 million.

The IMTS serves as a key input in compiling the country’s balance of payments, formulating economic policies, and supporting research and investment analysis, according to the statistics agency.