Author: user user

NU reigns supreme; UP wins by a hair

National University completed its dominant campaign in the University Athletic Association badminton competition, capturing its record-extending 10th men’s overall championship, while University of the Philippines prevailed in a tight women’s race to claim its 11th crown.

The Bulldogs finished with 25.875 points, capping their campaign with a near-sweep of the gold medals in the team event, a 1-2 finish in singles, and a silver-medal in doubles at Gameville Central Park in Mandaluyong City.

Clarence Villaflor sealed NU’s championship campaign with a 24-22, 21-12 victory over teammate and graduating captain Lanz Zafra in an all-Bulldogs men’s singles final. Villaflor was subsequently named Season MVP.

‘Winning the overall championship makes this even more special for us. Our victory in the team event really helped us a lot,’ Zafra said.

Zafra is graduating, while the rest of the squad will return next season.

‘I hope the legacy I’m leaving at NU gives the team momentum to keep winning championships. I’m confident they can do it again next year and continue to get better,’ he added.

Ateneo finished second overall with 20.7 points, highlighted by its first-ever men’s doubles championship. Last season’s MVP Lyrden Laborte and co-captain Robby Ramos defeated NU’s Ben Dictado and John Benedict Gam, 21-13, 21-15, to prevent a Bulldogs sweep.

UP completed the men’s podium with 17.25 points after finishing third in the team event. Shan Clar claimed bronze in singles, while Arjay Lazareto and Ryan Mendoza added another bronze in doubles.

In women’s play, UP secured its record 11th overall championship with 20.875 points, edging Ateneo (20.8) and NU (20.7) in a tightly contested race.

The Fighting Maroons clinched the title through the women’s doubles victory of graduating players Kimberly Lao and Susmita Ramos, who rallied past Adamson University’s Mary Untal and Jasmine Reformina, 19-21, 21-9, 21-17.

Ramos said the team regrouped after several setbacks during the tournament and remained focused on finishing the season strongly.

‘There were some upsets over the past few days, but we just had to reset and refocus on what else we could do. We gave it everything we had and stayed tough,’ said Ramos.

‘I’m just really happy because this is my last season. It makes it even more special that we didn’t just settle for bronze but managed to win the overall championship,’ she added.

Ateneo, despite winning the women’s team event, wound up second overall, just 0.075 points behind UP. The Blue Eagles collected two bronze medals in doubles through Daena Castro and Andrea Hernandez, and Angel Valle and Althea Hernandez.

NU finished third with 20.7 points, with captain and Season MVP Sab Amora providing a highlight in her final UAAP season. Amora completed an undefeated campaign, defeating UP’s Brys Fuggan, 21-14, 21-16, in the women’s singles final.

‘I can’t even explain how I feel right now. I’m overwhelmed. Even though we lost the team event and finished third overall, I’m still so happy that I was able to win this gold medal for NU,’ Amora said.

The graduating captain also shared her advice for her NU teammates, urging them to focus on their performance rather than feel pressured to win.

‘I don’t want to put too much pressure on them. The more I tell them that they need to win gold, the more they tend to overthink. I just tell them to do their best because that’s how they’ll put themselves in the best position to win,’ she said.

billboards do the job socmed

Meanwhile, men’s doubles quarterfinalist Jacinth Paul Ruedas was named Men’s Rookie of the Year, while Adamson’s Untal and Reformina shared the Women’s Rookie of the Year award.

Under the three-event format, the overall champions were determined by combining each team’s points from the team event and individual singles and doubles competitions. A maximum of two singles and two doubles results counted toward each school’s overall tally.

SND to biz groups: Tell China to stand by truth instead

SECRETARY of National Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. on Tuesday pushed back against calls from major business groups for Manila to tone down its public exchanges with Beijing over maritime disputes, insisting the government will not back down from telling the truth in the West Philippine Sea.

Teodoro urged commercial organizations to direct their appeals for restraint to China rather than asking the Philippine government to stay silent while defending its sovereign rights.

‘Who should they be telling that to? We are only standing by the truth and transparency,’ Teodoro said in a radio interview.

The defense chief called out the business sector’s selective silence, questioning why these organizations failed to voice similar concerns during previous controversies involving Chinese interests in the country-such as illegal Philippine offshore gaming operators (Pogos), the influx of substandard steel, and foreign-run scam hubs.

‘Why did we not hear these statements before when Pogos became widespread here, when substandard steel was brought into the country, and when scam hubs emerged?’ Teodoro asked, challenging the groups to clarify if their intent was to stop the nation from standing up for itself.

His remarks came a day after a coalition of 22 prominent business, labor, agriculture, and educational organizations-including the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) and the Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry Inc.-issued a joint statement calling on the government to adopt measured diplomacy and tone down public rhetoric to prevent economic damage.

The business coalition warned that escalating tensions could undermine trade, foreign investment, infrastructure, energy, and the livelihoods of overseas Filipino workers in mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macao.

Rejecting the idea that economic fears should weaken national defense, Teodoro asserted that Manila’s policy of public transparency exposes Beijing’s unlawful actions within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ) under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos) and the landmark 2016 arbitral ruling.

Rather than bowing to economic pressure, Teodoro urged the business community to use the geopolitical tension as a catalyst to build domestic strength and reduce external reliance.

‘This should strengthen our supply chain resilience, diversify our supply chains, and strengthen our industries so they can serve as bridges to genuine prosperity for the country and capital formation, instead of merely producing consumer goods,’ Teodoro said, advocating for robust local manufacturing that supports micro, small, and medium enterprises.

Oyo APC guber candidate targets N10b youth fund in ‘My Pact’ manifesto, LG autonomy, targets top three state economy

Share

Sharafadeen Alli, the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in the 2027 election, has promised to grant local government autonomy from his first day in office, if elected.

He also promised to make Oyo State one of the top three state economies in Nigeria, commit N10 billion to fund youths and increase the state’s internally generated revenue to N150 billion without putting a burden on the people and businesses.

Alli made the promises while unveiling his manifesto christened ‘My Pact’ to Oyo State stakeholders on Tuesday.

Explaining details of the document to representatives of community development associations, professional bodies, artisans, traders, politicians, labour leaders and other stakeholders in Ibadan, the state capital, on Tuesday, Alli said his pact with the people of Oyo State was built on seven pillars under the acronym Oyo AHEAD. According to him, Oyo AHEAD is a pact for local government autonomy, advancement of infrastructure, health reform, education and employment, agriculture and export, digital economy and security – all aimed at transforming the state economy, delivering superior public service that ensures residents feel the impact of the government in every corner of the state.

His words: ‘Oyo State is the largest piece of land in southern Nigeria. We have 351 wards in 33 councils, and about eight million people.

A state like ours should be feeding the South West and selling to the world.

Last year, this State raised less than ?100 billion as IGR. Ogun, our neighbour, raised nearly three times that figure.

Nearly half of our people, about 3.8 million, live in poverty, by the measure of our own national statistics office.

Our people work hard every day. With the right support, they can do far better.

‘So here is where we are going. We will make Oyo one of the top three state economies in Nigeria. Our first target on the way is ?150 billion a year of our own revenue, and the market woman will pay no more than she pays today.

‘In every one of our 351 wards, there will be a clinic that works, a school that teaches, and a road that leads somewhere. The path there is simple. Power brings the factory.

The factory brings the job. The job brings money into the home and the market, and that revenue builds the school and the clinic.’

In infrastructure, Alli promised to complete ongoing road projects, construct farmland access roads that facilitate mobility of people and farm produce, with every new road carrying a 20-year warranty.

He promised to constitute the state electricity regulator to enable the state to generate electricity to power industrial and farm corridors. He said: ‘On power, we will fully constitute the state electricity regulator, generate power here in Oyo, and send dedicated supply to our industrial and farm corridors.

Faulty transformers will be audited and replaced every six months so that no street sits in darkness for a year.

‘Today, barely one person in 75 in this state drinks water from a public pipe. Nine in 10 of our families depend on boreholes, wells and sachet water. We will restore potable water in 100 communities and connect at least 100 rural communities to power for the first time.

We will increase the number of our buses and modernise the Pacesetter Transport Company to better serve the people of Oyo State.

‘A teacher, a nurse, a young couple starting out should be able to own a decent home in the state they serve. So, we will work with the Federal Government, and with investors from here at home and abroad to build good homes that working families can afford.

We will cut the time and the cost of getting building approvals, and we will grow our housing schemes for low- and middle-income earners so that every family in Oyo State has a safe place to call home.’

On health, the governorship hopeful promised to build a general hospital in each of the remaining six local governments in the state, and recruit more doctors and other health workers to redress the current situation where 10 hospitals have no single medical doctor. He added that the government will consistently fill vacancies for health workers as they open, including in primary health centres.

Alli also promised free health insurance for infants, pregnant women and adults of 70 years old and above, with the target of doubling the number of those enrolled on health insurance from the current figure of 271,000 to 500,000 in his first two years in office as governor.

On education, Alli promised 30 pupils per class, recruit more teachers and build more school facilities, build skills centres in every zone and pass apprenticeship law. On economy, investments and job creation, he promised to build industrial parks, revive the Oluyole Free Trade Zone,

and set up a guarantee fund to allow small businesses to borrow, as well as establish the Oyo Youth Fund which will start with ?10 billion. A digital hub, he said, would be built in the five geopolitical zones of the state.

The governorship candidate promised to revive farm settlements, insure 10,000 farmers and set up a produce board to help farmers.

Oyo AHEAD also include a promise to rejig the state security architecture to ensure lives and property are safe, adding that civil servants will get their salaries and entitlements as and when due. They will also be empowered with work tools and get better work environments to stimulate improved productivity, he said.

Most ODA-funded PHL projects facing delay

ALTHOUGH the implementation of projects funded with official development assistance (ODA) improved slightly last year, the Department of Economy, Planning, and Development (DepDev) said majority of the country’s ongoing projects remained behind schedule.

In its 2025 ODA Portfolio Review, DepDev said 47 of the 68 ongoing ODA-assisted projects monitored during the year, or 69.12 percent, were delayed. These projects have a combined approved cost of P3.50 trillion.

Of these, 37 were already delayed in 2024, while eight slipped from on-schedule status. Two other delayed projects were newly added to the portfolio.

Meanwhile, only 21 projects, or 30.88 percent, were on schedule, up from 27.87 percent at end-2024.

‘Delayed implementation remained the prevailing status of the portfolio, indicating continuing constraints affecting project start-up, procurement, site readiness, and execution against approved timelines,’ DepDev said.

Infrastructure projects accounted for the bulk of delayed initiatives, according to the agency.

Of the 47 delayed projects, 17 were being implemented by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), while another 12 were under the Department of Transportation (DOTr).

Usual slew of problems

The concentration of delays in infrastructure projects, DepDev said, reflects the difficulties involved in implementing large, multiyear developments.

These include securing rights of way and site access, relocating utilities, completing procurement and design reviews, complying with safeguards requirements, and obtaining necessary approvals from development partners and oversight agencies.

Other agencies with delayed projects included the Department of Agriculture (DA), with four; the Department of Finance (DOF), with three; and the Department of Education (DepEd), with two.

The slowdown in ODA implementation was also reflected in lower loan disbursements, which declined by 11.7 percent to $6.19 billion in 2025 from $7.01 billion in the previous year.

The decline was largely driven by program loans, whose drawdowns fell by 20.59 percent to $3.74 billion from $4.71 billion in 2024, reflecting lower releases from policy-based and budget support operations.

Project loan disbursements, however, rose by 6.52 percent to $2.45 billion from $2.3 billion. DepDev said the release of project loans remained dependent on procurement progress, civil works implementation, delivery milestones, and compliance with loan withdrawal requirements.

Despite the increase in project loan disbursements, implementation delays remained substantial. The average delay among projects with available data narrowed to 30.91 months in 2025 from 38.84 months in 2024, while the median delay stood at 17.47 months.

DepDev attributed the lower average delay largely to ‘approved implementation period extensions, which realigned selected project timelines with current implementation conditions.’

Transport projects continued to post the longest delays, with DOTr projects averaging 51.50 months behind schedule.

Longest delay: Cebu bus project

The Cebu Bus Rapid Transit Project recorded the longest delay at 132.96 months, with physical accomplishment reaching only 11.43 percent as of end-2025.

Its implementation continued to be hampered by site acquisition and right-of-way issues, including a cease-and-desist order covering lots owned by the Cebu provincial government, as well as procurement delays involving the remaining civil works packages, the DepDev said.

billboards do the job socmed

DPWH projects followed with an average delay of 36.48 months. Among these, the Metro Manila Priority Bridges Seismic Improvement Project was delayed by 128.51 months, with physical accomplishment at just 4.62 percent.

The project continued to face right-of-way and resettlement issues, including pending relocation arrangements for informal settler families affected by the works.

Majority at risk

DepDev also flagged potential implementation problems in 44 of the 68 ODA projects approved by the Investment Coordination Committee (ICC) or the Economy and Development Council.

More than half of the projects, or 37, were classified under At-Risk Level II, or the Critical Stage, indicating that implementation concerns had persisted across reporting periods. These accounted for 54.41 percent of the portfolio.

Another seven projects, equivalent to 10.29 percent, were placed under At-Risk Level I, or the Early Warning Stage, indicating emerging problems that could still be addressed through early intervention.

Meanwhile, 14 projects, or 20.59 percent, were classified as For Attention, while 10 projects, or 14.71 percent, had not breached any risk category.

Most projects with comparable year-on-year assessments retained their previous risk classifications. Several remained under At-Risk Level II because of persistent issues involving physical progress, procurement, site readiness, financing, and project restructuring, DepDev said.

Lacson on dela Rosa: Due process means facing ICC

EXTENDING due process to fugitive Sen. Ronald dela Rosa does not mean granting him immunity or shielding him from the International Criminal Court (ICC)-it means ensuring he faces trial without sparking bloodshed.

That was the stern reminder issued on Tuesday by Sen. Panfilo Lacson as the high-stakes manhunt for the fugitive lawmaker takes an increasingly perilous turn, complete with a multi-million peso bounty and warnings of potential violence.

Lacson clarified his position regarding his fellow Philippine Military Academy (PMA) alumnus, stressing that basic human rights apply to everyone-even those facing international tribunal warrants. However, he rejected the notion that due process should allow Dela Rosa to permanently evade accountability.

‘To me, due process means allowing Senator dela Rosa to face trial before the ICC rather than risk violence and worse, tragedy,’ Lacson said on Tuesday.

The statement comes amid heightened tension following the government’s announcement of a P50-million bounty for information leading to dela Rosa’s arrest. The high price tag on the former top cop was accompanied by a grim warning from the Interior Secretary, who previously hinted that arresting the senator could turn into a high-risk operation resulting in multiple casualties.

Dela Rosa, who served under Lacson during their years in the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Task Force (Paoctf), has deep ties to law enforcement and security forces across the country.

Speculation over dela Rosa’s whereabouts reached a fever pitch following reports that armed groups in Mindanao might be harboring him. However, the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) issued a formal statement earlier Tuesday flatly denying allegations that it was coddling the fugitive senator.

Dela Rosa, a long-time loyalist of former President Rodrigo Duterte, possesses an extensive network of active and retired uniformed personnel as well as armed supporters in the southern Philippines.

The former police chief went into hiding late last year after learning that the ICC had issued a warrant for his arrest. The charges stem from his role as the chief architect and executor of the Duterte administration’s controversial ‘war on drugs’ from 2016 to 2018, during which thousands of operational killings were recorded.

Dela Rosa’s months in hiding were briefly interrupted by a dramatic, unexpected appearance at the Senate on May 11, where he cast his vote for Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano during the Senate presidency race.

His brief return to public life ended abruptly two days later on May 13, when a chaotic shooting incident erupted inside the Senate premises-prompting dela Rosa to slip away under the cover of confusion and vanish back into hiding.

As authorities intensify their efforts and the P50-million reward hangs in the air, Lacson urged all parties to prioritize a peaceful surrender over a bloody confrontation, maintaining that dela Rosa must ultimately answer the charges in The Hague.

EY Nigeria says audit committee summit to examine emerging reporting risks

EY Nigeria is set to convene Audit Committee and Board members, business leaders, regulators and other key stakeholders at its Audit Committee Transformation Summit, providing a strategic platform to examine emerging issues shaping corporate governance, financial reporting, risk management, regulatory compliance and organisational resilience.

This year’s summit, themed ‘Shaping High-Performing Audit Committees,’ which holds on Wednesday November 11 in Lagos comes at a time when businesses are navigating an increasingly complex operating and regulatory environment, creating greater expectations for effective oversight, transparency and accountability.

This year’s edition will explore the evolving responsibilities of Audit Committees and consider how they can strengthen their oversight role, respond effectively to emerging risks and regulatory developments, and reinforce stakeholder confidence.

Commenting on the objectives of the Summit, EY said: ‘This year’s Summit will provide an important platform for sharing practical insights and perspectives on emerging risks, regulatory developments and leading governance practices. It will deepen understanding of evolving corporate governance, financial reporting and regulatory issues, while promoting meaningful dialogue and knowledge sharing among Audit Committee members, business leaders, regulators and other stakeholders.

‘The Summit will also seek to strengthen collaboration across the governance ecosystem and reinforce the critical role of Audit Committees in promoting transparency, accountability and sustainable long-term value creation.’

The Summit is targeted at senior stakeholders with responsibility for governance, oversight, risk and financial stewardship, including Audit Committee Chairs and members; Board Chairs and Board members; Chief Financial Officers and Finance Directors; Chief Audit Executives and Internal Audit leaders; Chief Risk and Compliance Officers; senior executives and business leaders; regulators; and governance, risk, accounting and assurance professionals.

Through the Summit, EY seeks to facilitate constructive engagement among key players within the corporate governance ecosystem, enabling participants to exchange perspectives on the issues reshaping the Audit Committee agenda and consider practical approaches to strengthening governance and oversight.

EY is a global leader in assurance, tax, strategy and transactions, and consulting services. Through its multidisciplinary teams and global capabilities, EY is committed to building a better working world by helping to create long-term value for clients, people and society, and build trust in the capital markets.

House bill boosts creative sector

THE booming creative sector-which employed a staggering 8.71 million Filipinos and generated P2.12 trillion, or 7.8 percent of the country’s gross domestic product last year-is poised to become an even stronger engine of national economic growth through a major overhaul of arts education in secondary schools, a lawmaker declared on Tuesday.

Parañaque Rep. Brian Yamsuan highlighted that the country’s creative industries hold immense potential for global expansion. Digital platforms, in particular, allow local creative businesses to tap into international markets with minimal overhead costs while generating vital employment and export revenues for the nation.

To unlock this potential, Yamsuan filed House Bill 7864, a measure designed to strengthen and modernize the Department of Education’s (DepEd) Special Program for the Creative Arts (SPCA). The bill introduces an expanded curriculum covering architecture and allied arts, cinema, design, digital fabrication, and new media. These cutting-edge disciplines will complement existing core subjects in creative writing, visual arts, media arts, music, dance, and theater arts.

‘We have many highly skilled animators, designers, filmmakers, musicians, and others in the creative industries. Certainly, there are also many talented young Filipinos who are aspiring to be part of our creative sector,’ Yamsuan noted.

‘Strengthening arts education in our secondary schools will harness their potential and help us build a sustainable pipeline of skilled and industry-ready creatives who can compete globally while telling distinctly Filipino stories,’ he added.

Yamsuan emphasized that cultivating world-class Filipino artists and creative workers is central to supporting the country’s ambitious goal of becoming Asia’s premier creative hub by 2030. Highlighting the sector’s current economic footprint, he noted that creative industries employed 8.71 million Filipinos last year, generated P2.12 trillion (7.8 percent of GDP at constant prices), and drove exports of creative goods and services to P747 billion in 2025.

‘We can turn this sunrise industry into a major economic growth driver. But we must start by developing our future creative workers into a workforce that can stand shoulder to shoulder with the best in the world,’ Yamsuan stressed.

Beyond updating classroom subjects, HB 7864 embeds practical business tools directly into the SPCA curriculum by integrating financial literacy, entrepreneurship, and basic intellectual property rights education.

To ensure the educational program stays ahead of rapidly changing industry trends, the bill establishes a dedicated SPCA Council under DepEd’s administrative supervision. The proposed seven-member council will be chaired by the Education Secretary and feature key representatives from the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, the Department of Trade and Industry, the Cultural Center of the Philippines, the Commission on Higher Education, the Philippine Creative Industries Development Council, and the Creative Economy Council of the Philippines.

This council will bridge the gap between academia and commerce by connecting schools directly with industry players through mentorships, work immersions, scholarships, and employment pathways.

In addition, HB 7864 authorizes the hiring of special instructors and industry experts, encourages active private-sector training partnerships, and provides crucial financial incentives-including tax exemptions for donations and grants given to the program, as well as tax breaks on imported creative-industry equipment and materials that are unavailable from local manufacturers.

Italpinas Development Corporation and SunShare partner to drive renewable energy and lower power costs in sustainable housing

Italpinas Development Corporation (IDC) officially signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with SunShare Philippines Inc. (SunShare), a licensed, digital-first retail electricity supplier, at the IDC Makati headquarters. The partnership establishes a collaborative framework designed to significantly reduce electricity costs across IDC’s real estate developments while accelerating the adoption of clean energy.

Under the terms of the MoU, SunShare will work alongside Italpinas to identify, evaluate, and deploy energy-sourcing strategies that maximize clean energy use and minimize power supply expenses. Underpinning this is SunShare’s platform, whose dashboard turns the electricity bill into clear, actionable intelligence. The partnership directly benefits end-users, property buyers, investors, and the environment.

As part of the joint initiative, SunShare and Italpinas will design custom rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) systems to optimize energy generation potential, passing direct electrical savings on to residents, unit owners and home owners association.

Pushing the Boundaries of Green Development

Italpinas Development Corporation is widely recognized as a pioneer in sustainable real estate development in the Philippines. Known for its multi-awarded, design-driven properties, IDC’s entire portfolio is certified under EDGE (Excellence in Design for Greater Efficiencies), the globally recognized green building rating standard developed by the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group.

As an EDGE Champion, Italpinas has consistently integrated passive and active green design and eco-friendly infrastructure into its mid developments across emerging Philippine cities.

Extending Sustainability to Economic Housing

Building on its core mission, Italpinas is scaling its green architecture model into the affordable housing sector through its wholly owned subsidiary, IDC Homes.

Through IDC Homes, Italpinas aims to address the growing market demand for economic housing without compromising design, quality or sustainability. The collaboration with Sun Share plays a pivotal role in this vision: by combining ITALPINAS eco-friendly architectural design with SunShare’s renewable energy and electricity optimization frameworks and digital platform, will deliver:

Lower Monthly Living Costs: Direct energy savings achieved through rooftop solar power generation and SunShare’s group-buying aggregation strategies, made visible on a simple digital dashboard.

Healthier Living Environments: Thoughtfully planned communities that prioritize natural light, natural indoor ventilation, reduced sun direct irradiation and large use of biophilia strategies to optimize users well being for all markets.

Reduced Carbon Footprints: A lower environmental impact achieved by relying less on fossil-fuel power grids.

Long-Term Value for Buyers: Affordable homes that remain cost-effective in terms of maintenance and increase in value over time.

By partnering with SunShare, Italpinas proves that sustainable, green living is not a luxury reserved for high-end markets, but a viable, eco-friendly standard accessible to every Filipino family. For Sunshare, whose promise is ‘Energy for everyone,’ the partnership puts that into practice.

The dynamic between the two partners is a future-fluent engagement of two current issues: a shortage of affordable housing and the need for cleaner power. As the market for affordable housing remains consistent, this combination of skills and expertise between IDC and SunShare can ensure that demand can be met on one hand, without compromising the environment on the other.

Larnaca and Manama sign twinning agreement to boost tourism and investment cooperation

Larnaca and Manama signed a twinning agreement on Tuesday during a visit to Bahrain by a delegation from Larnaca Municipality.

Larnaca Municipality said in a press release that ‘the twinning agreement creates a framework for developing meaningful cooperation in tourism, trade, investment, entrepreneurship, education, research and innovation, with the aim of establishing lasting ties between the two cities and their business, academic and research communities.’

The municipality noted that the twinning agreement between Larnaca and Manama was signed in the capital of the Kingdom of Bahrain, marking the beginning of a new chapter of cooperation between the two cities.

Larnaca Mayor, Andreas Vyras, said that ‘today’s signing marks the beginning of meaningful cooperation between Larnaca and Manama. Our aim is for the twinning agreement not to remain a symbolic act, but to become a practical tool for development, outreach and the creation of new opportunities.’

Vyras noted that ‘cooperation in tourism, trade and investment could open up new opportunities for Larnaca and its business community, while significant prospects are also emerging in the fields of education, research, shipping and innovation.’

He added that ‘we want the relationship between Larnaca and Manama to have real substance and to build lasting bridges between businesses, universities, research institutions and, above all, the people of the two cities.’

‘The twinning agreement with Manama is part of Larnaca Municipality’s broader strategy to strengthen the city’s international presence and outward-looking approach, attract new partnerships and create development opportunities for the benefit of Larnaca and its residents,’ the Municipality concluded in its press release.

Globe Residence to host exclusive event on European residency opportunities in Manila

Globe Residence will host exclusive private events and appointments from 2nd November 2026 onwards, inviting guests to explore European residency and investment opportunities in Greece, Portugal and Italy.

Under the theme ‘The World Is Global. Should Your Residency Be? the event will highlight how European residency pathways can offer greater global mobility, investment diversification and flexibility for individuals and families planning their future. Participants will gain insights into available residency options, how Schengen access can assist both business and personal considerations by establishing a European connection.

‘Global mobility is about having options and making informed decisions for the future. We aim to help individuals and families understand the opportunities available and identify pathways that align with their personal and investment goals. Our advisers personally hold the residencies they recommend, offering first-hand experience and practical insight. We guide you through a journey we have taken ourselves,’ Jaime Gooi, Director of Globe Residence Phils. Inc.

There will be a private event for our selected readers (seats are by rsvp only to +639989953457 or email to info@globe-residence.com ) to discover European residency opportunities and engage with the Globe Residence team.