Category: Business Mirror

At least one Filipino is among more than 600 tourists reported missing in Nepal after a devastating flash flood swept through Nepal’s Bhote Koshi and Trishuli Rivers on Wednesday morning.

The Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) said 644 travelers – including 127 Nepali nationals – remain unaccounted for as rescue operations continue in the districts of Rasuwa, Nuwakot, Dhading, and Gorkha.

The flood struck around 8:30 a.m. on Aug. 26, severely damaging riverside areas while leaving other regions unaffected.

Philippine non-resident Ambassador to Kathmandu Jose Ignacio confirmed receiving the same information from Nepali authorities. However, he could not yet provide additional details on the missing Filipino tourist.

The NTB’s missing persons list shows the largest numbers from India (178), Malaysia (51), Ukraine (53), the United States (65), and the United Kingdom (33). Tourists from more than 30 countries are included in the tally.

Authorities said the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, the Tourist Police, and local agencies based their list of missing tourists from trekking and travel companies.

‘The information is being verified and cross-checked in coordination with travel agencies, guides, local authorities and security agencies,’ the NTB said.

Emergency hotlines have been activated, with officials urging relatives and the public to remain calm and follow official instructions.

‘Tourist safety remains our first priority,’ the NTB said in its advisory, noting that search and rescue teams are working along the affected riverbanks.

n a statement, the Department of Foreign Affairs said the Philippine Embassy in New Delhi – which is mandated to represent the Philippines in Nepal – and the Honorary Consulate General of the Philippines in Kathmandu, Nepal, are actively monitoring the situation in parts of northern Nepal that had been hit by massive flash floods.

‘The Embassy and the Consulate General are coordinating with Nepali authorities to determine whether there are affected Philippine nationals and provide emergency rescue or assistance,’ it said.

Meanwhile, the Philippine Embassy in Beijing is also checking if there are Filipinos affected by the catastrophic flash flood from the Tibet border. Chinese officials announced Thursday at three people had been killed, 558 others were missing while 2 local villagers were rescued.

For inquiries related to the Nepal flash flood, the following are the contact details of the Embassy in New Delhi and Honorary Consulate in Kathmandu:

Livelihood activities in former major camps of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front will rev up anew as the Bangsamoro government announced it was stepping up efforts to expand opportunities.

The Bangsamoro government directed its Cooperatives and Social Enterprise Authority to capacitate the community associations and cooperatives in the 17 barangays lying within the six major military camps in central Mindanao.

The CSEA has signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the Bangsamoro Development Agency (BDA Inc.) and Community and Family Services International (CFSI) here on August 10 for the implementation of the second phase of the Bangsamoro Camps Transformation Project (BCTP/2).

Under the agreement, CSEA will provide capacity-building activities on cooperative governance, financial literacy and enterprise management and the BDA will contribute its expertise in community mobilization and grassroots participation.

The CFSI will provide technical and social development support for project implementation.

‘Through this partnership, we reaffirm our shared commitment to empowering communities, strengthening local ownership, creating sustainable livelihoods, and building a more peaceful, resilient, and inclusive Bangsamoro,’ the CSEA said.

CFSI Director for Mindanao Program Noraida Abdullah Karim said the partnership would help strengthen community cooperatives and enterprises in the project areas.

‘This agreement will empower community cooperatives and enterprises across 17 target barangays in six camp communities under the BCTP/2,’ Karim said.

The six major camps identified under the normalization track of the 2014 Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) are Camps Abubakar, Omar, Badre, Rajamuda, Bushra Somiorang, and Bilal.

These camps are communities where former combatants and their families live alongside other residents, and their transformation into peaceful, productive and resilient communities is a key component of the normalization process, the Bangsamoro Information Office said.

The transformation effort is intended to complement other components of the peace process, including the decommissioning of MILF combatants and weapons, by helping communities build sustainable sources of income and improve access to development opportunities, it added.

BDA Executive Director Rhadzni Taalim thanked the CSEA for supporting the project.

‘Every act we do for this project serving the people in the camps can be considered as part of our worship. We thank CSEA for their continuing support for the project,’ Taalim said.

The project will also provide opportunities for women, youth, Indigenous Peoples and farmers to participate in development activities, while supporting community resilience through climate adaptation and disaster risk reduction initiatives, Taalim said.

The activities are supported by the Bangsamoro Normalization Trust Fund (BNTF).

Scientists are rushing to understand the exact causes of the deadly flash flood that sent a wall of mud and water tearing through Himalayan river valleys on the China-Nepal border.

What’s clear so far is that a huge chunk of a glacier collapsed and that a 5.2 magnitude seismic event occurred at around 8:37 a.m. local time Wednesday, which in turn led to a catastrophic flow of debris downstream, the US Geological Survey said.

‘What we’ve certainly confirmed-there was a large ice avalanche, probably a mixture of ice and rock, which detached and then became fluid and then transformed into this devastating flood,’ said Simon Allen, a research associate at the University of Zurich who studies glacial hazards in the Himalayas.

The mountains have been shrouded in clouds, meaning the precise chain of events is likely to be more fully understood once satellites allow a clearer examination. Initially, a magnitude 4.4 earthquake had been reported, though a subsequent analysis of imagery and nearby seismic stations confirmed the incident was actually a glacial collapse and debris flow, the USGS said.

One avenue of investigation is whether a separate larger ice collapse occurred on an adjacent slope, triggering the smaller incident and prompting the flash flood.

Scientists at the Nepal-based International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development are working to confirm a preliminary assessment that a large volume of ice and rock debris entered the Lende Khola, a tributary of the Bhote Koshi River, causing an event that triggered an abrupt surge of water, sediment and boulders downstream. The same area was impacted last July by a major flood, according to the center.

‘It operated like an inland tsunami, traveling nearly 170 kilometers [106 miles],’ and impacting a major highway, said Ruth Gamble, director of La Trobe Asia and lead author of Rivers of the Asian Highlands: from Deep-Time to the Climate Crisis. ‘It is a popular route for international tourists travelling from Kathmandu to Lhasa.’

Researchers have long sounded alarm bells on the vulnerability of the so-called Third Pole to warming temperatures, and about the rising potential for disasters.

The high-altitude region, with a large population spanning parts of China, India, Nepal and several other countries across the Tibetan plateau, is warming at nearly double the global average pace. That’s leading to rapid glacial retreat, with ice masses in the area shrinking twice as fast since 2000 compared to the previous decades, according to a 2019 study.

Records in the region don’t extend back long enough to say with statistical certainty whether ice avalanches like the one that occurred Wednesday are becoming more frequent, though researchers say that’s the pattern they are observing.

Glacial lake outburst floods-when water bursts through the ice or rock holding it in place-‘are increasingly common in alpine regions globally as our climate changes,’ said Adrian McCallum, a discipline lead in engineering at the University of the Sunshine Coast.

As the Nepal disaster struck, many experts in the field were convening in Chengdu, China, for an annual summit to discuss how to mitigate these very risks.

‘When you put together all the physical understanding that the glaciers are retreating, permafrost is thawing, it certainly adds up,’ said the University of Zurich’s Allen. Experts are concluding ‘that we are seeing and we are expecting these events to become more frequent,’ he said.

Wednesday’s incident follows a pattern of similar events which have hit the Himalayan region in recent years, including a landslide that triggered a flood in Chamoli, India, in 2021, which left about 200 people dead or missing.

‘The increasing frequency of cryosphere hazards is now visible more than ever,’ said Mohd. Farooq Azam, a senior cryosphere specialist at the ICIMOD. ‘The pace is so fast that our ongoing efforts are not able to cope with this rapid change.’ Regional governments should ‘take some joint, consolidated steps to react to such cross-border hazards,’ he said.

Communities have been evacuated ahead of the collapse of other glaciers, including the major slide that buried the Swiss village of Blatten, in recent years.

‘The Himalayan Region has had a history of deadly flash floods. The event appears to have occurred without warning, catching those downstream unaware,’ said Andrew Gissing, chief executive officer of Natural Hazards Research Australia. ‘Early warning saves lives, and there are efforts globally to improve early warning systems.’

Such evacuations could have spared lives Wednesday had the right equipment and communications been in place, according to Allen.

‘This is looking like it will be the biggest Himalayan disaster that we’ve seen. So I really hope this will be a turning point-that there will be more focus, more emphasis now on reducing the risks for these communities,’ Allen said

WARNING that imported foreign waste worsens local flooding and places an additional burden on the country’s sanitation system, a deputy majority leader has filed legislation seeking a total ban on waste imports, with stiff penalties and mandatory arrests for violators.

Quezon City Rep. Patrick Michael Vargas filed House Bill 6267, or the proposed Total Ban on the Importation of Wastes Act. Under the bill, the entry of all foreign waste, processed waste, and waste by-products into Philippine territory would be declared illegal.

‘We have seen in recent weeks during the Habagat how garbage has overflowed into our rivers and waterways. It will be even more difficult to address our waste management problems if we continue allowing the Philippines to become a dumping ground for other countries’ waste,’ Vargas said.

The bill cites a United Nations Environment Programe report identifying Asia as a major dumping ground for illegally traded waste. It also details previous high-profile incidents in which tons of toxic, household, and electronic waste from Canada, South Korea, Japan, and Hong Kong, entered Philippine ports.

Vargas emphasized that preventing foreign waste from entering the country is critical to urban flood control and long-term environmental sustainability.

‘Improper waste disposal further worsens flooding and disasters whenever there are typhoons and monsoon rains. We must first put our own waste management system in order. Let us close our doors to foreign waste,’ Vargas said.

To ensure strict compliance at the country’s borders, HB 6267 mandates the establishment of 24/7 Environmental Protection Desks at all national ports of entry. Misdeclared cargo or shipments containing waste would be prohibited from being unloaded and would be ordered to return immediately to their port of origin at the shipper’s expense.

The measure would penalize violators through the seizure of vessels and permanent shipping bans on offending foreign exporters. It would also require the immediate arrest of officers, crew members, and consignees who refuse to comply with orders to leave Philippine ports.

Violators would also face prosecution under existing environmental and customs laws, including Republic Act No. 9003 and the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act.

‘By establishing a total ban, we send a clear message to the international community that the Philippines is not a dumping ground. We must prioritize and address the cleanliness and safety of the Philippines first,’ Vargas said.

THE Philippine National Oil Company-Exploration Corp. (PNOC) is scouting for a suitable location for the Department of Energy’s (DOE) planned coal-blending facility-a first in the country aimed at maximizing the utilization of local coal to feed the power-hungry nation.

‘We are also pursuing a coal terminal in the Philippines. We lack a blending facility here, meaning we can only use one type of coal: Indonesian coal. In fact, we import 95 percent of our coal from Indonesia,’ said Energy Secretary Sharon Garin during the 15th Energy Smart Forum organized by the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (ECCP) held in Makati City.

The importation of Indonesian coal is mostly influenced by the quality of the coal, citing how this perfectly fits the turbines of coal power producers. Garin said if the Philippines puts up a coal blending facility then it will no longer be restricted to Indonesian coal. ‘For example, we get from local and it’s not good enough then we can mix it with something else.

There are some who get it from Australia. Before, we used to get from Russia also. Other than that, there are not many providers, so our options are limited.

We don’t have energy security as far as coal is concerned. Because 95 percent of our coal is imported from Indonesia. Anything can happen, so what we need is to have a diversification of our risk. We need to source it from different countries, if there’s an option, or the best option is to source it in-country. Most of our coal, they say, is not good enough for our coal power plants, but there is a way to fix that. We can mix our coal with something that can make it useful for our coal power plants,’ said Garin.

She plans to pitch the proposed terminal to power industry stakeholders since this will be a private-sector led investment in which government will only have a minimal stake.

‘I hope to sell the idea to our stakeholders. I hope that our gencos [generation companies], or even our coal mining firms or traders, will start thinking about it and maybe they can form an organization that could embark on that.

It’s not a complicated project, it just requires a terminal, along with the necessary machines and equipment to do that, but it might take time. There is one location we are looking at in Mindanao, and because we don’t know yet if it’s feasible, so we’re conducting a feasibility study,’ Garin said.

The PNOC will take the lead, and it has started studying, scoping areas in Mindanao and the rest of the country. Garin said the government might participate through a minimum shareholding just maintain an overview or supervision. ‘Other than that, I would not put government as an operator,’ she added.

She noted that electricity prices are likely not be affected by the capital intensive project that will be financed by the private sector. ‘That’s part of our feasibility study-ensuring its commercially viable and won’t increase the price of power.

‘Offhand, I don’t think it will, because we’ll use local materials and probably mix them with some imports. I think local coal should be cheaper.’

Garin, as Energy secretary, acts as the ex-officio chairperson of the PNOC-EC.

THE National Police (PNP) will deploy 5,000 personnel as authorities intensify efforts to ensure the peaceful and orderly conduct of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) Parliamentary Elections on September 14.

Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla said preparations are 98 percent complete, confident that the efforts to ensure a peaceful election will prevail.

‘Just a very little bit more, it’s just fine-tuning now. We’ll make sure that nothing happens again, but [we are] 98 percent [ready]. All the polling precincts are there, all the contingencies are there,’ Remulla said following a command conference at the Police Regional Office-BARMM.

Remulla went to Camp Brig. Gen. Salipada K. Pendatun in Parang, Maguindanao del Norte, to assess preparations for the coming elections. He was joined by the National Police chief, Gen. Jose Melencio C. Nartatez Jr. and other key officials.

The DILG chief also called on the Bangsamoro electorate to carefully choose the leaders who will help shape the future of the region.

‘Choose your leader wisely; your future depends on them.’

Remulla said all hands are on deck to ensure that the Bangsamoro electorate can exercise their right to vote in a peaceful and orderly environment. He added that 5,000 police officers and additional personnel will be deployed in the region for the elections.

‘The peace and order situation [is vigilantly attended to]… 5,000 policemen, and additional personnel will be sent here, so we are confident in what will happen here,’ he said.

The BARMM Parliamentary Elections were initially scheduled earlier this year but were postponed due to the lack of time for preparations, as announced by the Commission on Elections in January 2026.

Remulla said the historic elections are also an opportunity to demonstrate to the international community that ‘a Muslim nation can exist in a Christian republic.’

Addressing police officers who will be deployed for the BARMM Parliamentary Elections, Remulla issued a stern reminder that they will be held accountable for maintaining peace and order throughout the electoral exercise.

‘I will hold every police officer here accountable; that if any violence happens in this coming elections, you will be accountable to me and to the Chief PNP. Peace must prevail.’

THE Philippines and Singapore are looking to strengthen labor cooperation on artificial intelligence (AI), care work and social protection as emerging technologies and cross-border employment reshape the region’s workforce.

Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Secretary Francis N. Tolentino and Singapore Acting Minister for Manpower Jasmin Lau discussed possible areas of cooperation during a bilateral meeting in Bangkok on Wednesday.

AI emerged as a key area of discussion, with both countries focusing on how technological advances can support more productive, inclusive and future-ready workplaces.

Manila and Singapore also discussed the portability of social protection benefits for migrant workers, an issue that has gained importance as workers move across Asean.

Care work was another focus of the meeting as both countries considered its growing importance amid changing labor and demographic conditions in the region.

The countries highlighted the need for policies that promote decent work, skills development and adequate protection for workers in the care economy.

Lau also recognized the contribution of Filipino workers in Singapore, particularly those engaged in health and allied services.

Meanwhile, Tolentino also thanked Singapore for supporting Philippine-led labor initiatives during the country’s Asean Chairship.

The meeting was held alongside the 29th Asean Labour Ministers’ Meeting and Related Meetings, where labor officials from the region are advancing the Asean Labour Ministers’ Work Programme 2026-2030.

Both leaders affirmed their commitment to expand Philippines-Singapore labor cooperation in AI, care work and social protection.

The two countries said cooperation in these areas should ensure that technological and economic development translates into inclusive opportunities and stronger protection for workers.

TWO wonderful, original Filipino theatrical productions will be re-staged on the first weekend of September outside Metro Manila.

The first is Ibarra…Ngayon, which had a limited performance last June at the GSIS Theater. Directed by Frannie Zamora, the historical musical is based on the character created by Philippine National Hero Jose Rizal in his 1887 novel Noli Me Tangere. Joed Balsamo composed the music from the libretto of Jomar Fleras.

Ibarra…Ngayon will have four performances on September 4, 5 and 6 at the Ilocandia Cultural Center in Batac City with basically the same cast that performed in Manila.

Ilocos Norte governor Cecilia Araneta-Marcos is elated that the province’s cultural center is emerging as a very visible hub for the province’s many programs for the arts, culture and tourism.

‘This confirms that the Ilocandia Cultural Center is becoming exactly what we have envisioned it to be-an active space for culture and artistic excellence where every Ilocano can watch shows and witness performances without ever having to leave the province,’ the governor said, adding, ‘We welcome the production and artistic teams of the historical musical Ibarra…Ngayon to Ilocos, and I’m very positive that this is just the beginning of many original Filipino theatrical and dramatic productions that will be made readily available for the student population and Ilocanos of all ages to enjoy, be entertained, and learn from.’

Sparkle artist Derrick Monasterio will lead the cast as Crisostomo Ibarra and he told us that he is bursting with excitement.

‘Being part of a touring musical theater production is something that I haven’t experienced and this opportunity to perform in Ilocos Norte and to share this musical with our Ilokano kababayans is very special. I was told that the audience will be mostly students and I am thankful for this chance to perform for them. This project is certainly a gift that keeps on giving.’

‘ATANG’ IN BULACAN

AS the historic province of Bulacan winds up its celebration of the Singkaban Festival, with festivities to commemorate the province’s 448th founding anniversary, there is a special place reserved for outstanding theatrical productions that were successfully staged in the past.

Bulacan governor Daniel Fernando is more than glad to support arts, culture and traditions, and he shared that the province’s premier theater group Dulaang Filipino Sining Bulakenyo will be mounting Floy Quintos’s Atang at the Hiyas ng Bulacan Cultural Center during the first two weekends of September.

‘We have a very rich history that we need to appreciate and cherish, and amazing traditions that we need to nurture and pass on. We also have extraordinary talents in Bulacan that we continue to discover and rediscover, that is why we make sure to provide them with platforms and venues to showcase their God-given gifts and talents,’ Fernando said.

Shamaine Centenera-Buencamino, a multiawarded actress for theater, television and film, will give life to the renowned zarzuela queen Atang de la Rama, a very colorful artist filled with truth, talent and tenacity, and one whose brand of art continues to shape and stir the minds and hearts of people up to this day.

‘Every chance to perform a character written by the great Floy Quintos is a big honor for me, especially now that he is no longer with us. I am more than fortunate to have had several collaborations with a genius like Floy during his very colorful lifetime. He gave actors like me not just complex, rich and interesting characters, but the projects he entrusted to me certainly touched my core as a Filipino, especially when he used our history as the source for his materials as a playwright and director. Floy is a league all his own, a visionary, and this chance to give life anew to the character of Atang and share it with a new generation of audience in Bulacan is truly invaluable,’ shared Shamaine.

Interestingly, this production that will surely charm the Bulakeños is directed by Nonie Buencamino, himself a highly-touted thespian, with musical arrangement by Nonie’s older brother Nonong Buencamino and choreography by Delphine Buencamino-Abesamis, the eldest daughter of the Buencamino couple. Sharing stellar billing is promising actress Jeanna Maurice Lapada.

A PAUSE FOR HEALTH. Local transport partners trading the driver’s seat for a well-deserved wellness check during the SM Foundation Health and Wellness Caravan at SM North EDSA last July. The initiative provided free medical check-ups and essential medicines to transport partners who help keep communities moving. In July 2026 alone, SM Foundation’s nationwide medical missions reached more than 11,500 beneficiaries, continuing its commitment to bring quality healthcare closer to communities across the country.

THE Supreme Court (SC) has affirmed with finality its 2025 decision which abandoned the ‘second placer rule’ that previously allowed the candidate who received the second highest number of votes to assume office if the winning candidate is later found disqualified or ineligible.

The Court made the decision during its regular en banc session on Wednesday where it acted on the motion for reconsideration filed by Datu Pax Ali S. Mangudadatu which sought the reversal of the 2025 ruling that also upheld the cancellation of his certificate of candidacy for governor of Sultan Kudarat.

However, the Court clarified that its ruling is limited to local elective positions covered by the Local Government Code.

‘The case did not address the application or non-application of the second placer rule or succession rules for national elective positions, as these issues were not raised before the Court,’ the SC said.

On the other hand, the Court noted that succession for national elective positions such as President and Vice President is governed exclusively by Article VII , Section 7 and 8 of the Constitution.

Section 7 provides that in case of death, permanent disability, removal from office, or resignation of the President, the Vice-President shall become the President to serve the unexpired term.

Section 8, on the other hand, states that ‘in case of death, permanent disability, removal from office, or resignation of both the President and Vice-President, the President of the Senate or, in case of his inability, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, shall then act as President until the President or Vice-President shall have been elected and qualified’

Likewise, the SC clarified that its ruling applies to other similar pending cases, stressing that second placers ‘have no inherent right or entitlement to be declared the winner.’

In its 2025 ruling, the SC stressed that there is no legal basis for proclaiming the second placer in elections since there is no law authorizing the proclamation of the second placer.

The rule on succession under Sections 44 (Permanent Vacancies in the Offices of the Governor, Vice-Governor, Mayor, and Vice-Mayor) and 45 (Permanent Vacancies in the Sanggunian) of the Republic Act 7160 or the Local Government Code (LGC) should apply instead.

‘The second placer rule undermines the people’s choice in every election and is repugnant to the people’s constitutional right to suffrage. The Court cannot impose upon the electorate to accept as their representative the candidate whom they did not choose in the elections,’ the ruling stated.

The case stemmed from the petition for certiorari filed by Datu Pax before the SC against the Commission on Elections and Sharifa Akeel Mangudadatu, his opponent in the 2022 gubernatorial elections in Sultan Kudarat.

Pax Ali won the 2022 gubernatorial race with a total of 301,404 votes, over Sharifa Akeel, who received 47,348 votes.

Prior to the election, Sharifa Akel filed a petition to deny or cancel the certificate of candidacy of Pax Ali for not meeting the residency requirement.

The Comelec ruled in favor of Sharifa Akeel and canceled Datu Pax Ali’s certificate of candidacy.

This prompted Pax Ali to elevate the case before the Supreme Court, which ruled in favor of the Comelec and declared that the vice governor of Sultan Kudarat should assume the position of governor for the remainder of the term.

The second placer rule was established in the 2012 Jalosjos Jr. v Comelec ruling of the SC.

It refers to the practice of declaring the candidate who received the second highest number of votes as the winner after the winning candidate is disqualified.

But, the SC said this doctrine has no legal basis.

‘No law authorizes the proclamation of the second placer in the elections in case the candidate who received the most votes is disqualified or turned out to be ineligible,’ it declared.