Category: Business Mirror

THE acceptance of the Ant Group’s global wallet gateway, Alipay+, has expanded to over 100 countries and regions giving users an edge when travelling.

In a statement, Alipay Connect Pte. Ltd. (DBA Alipay+) said that with the expansion of its network, it now connects 1.8 billion users and 40 international payment partners.

The Singapore-headquartered firm added that in the first half of 2025, over 6.5 million consumers made cross-border payments for the first time, bringing new opportunities to global merchants.

‘Alipay+ aims to support the travel ecosystem with AI-powered payments and digital services to enable online and offline merchants, tourism partners, and other fintechs to create customer-centric engagements for mobile-savvy consumers,’ Ant Group Co. Ltd. Senior Vice President Douglas Feagin was quoted in the statement as saying.

‘Through greater collaboration, we can create a new future of travel, one that enhances the experience for consumers, and promotes growth and connectivity,’ Feagin added.

Alipay+ now offers a built-in AI travel agent that integrates Trip.com, Agoda and Grab and called ‘Alipay+ Voyager.’ The platform also has ‘Alipay+ GenAI Cockpit,’ an AI-as-a-Service solution for digital wallets to build AI-native solutions. The company also offers an ‘Expanded Global Blue’ in-app tax refunds for more partners, creating ‘an end-to-end digital experience.’

According to the company, it is also deepening collaborations with national payment networks. Alipay+ transactions via national standardized QRs have almost doubled, the firm claims. ‘This is mainly due to the ease by which travellers can make payments at SMEs and merchants in smaller cities through Alipay+.’

‘Travel has a significant impact to local economies, and we believe that mobile wallets can be a catalyst for growth, connecting travellers and businesses in more ways than ever,’ Feagin said.

Alipay+ is a unified wallet gateway with cross-border payment and digitisation services that help connect global merchants to consumers.

Its operator claims that consumers enjoy ‘seamless payments’ in a broad choice of deals and the ‘convenience of digital services using their preferred payment app/e-wallet while travelling abroad.’

Many small and medium-sized businesses already use Alipay+ digital tools to enhance efficiency and achieve omni-channel growth, according to the company.

IN the wake of alleged abuse of Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) workers during and after the earthquake in Cebu, a senator who belongs to a family that rents out office space to BPOs pushed the passage of a bill that provides stronger protection for workers of those establishments.

Citing the experience of workers in certain BPO companies in Cebu, whose safety was reportedly disregarded by employers during and after the September 30 magnitude 6.9 earthquake, Sen. Camille Villar said the earthquake underscored the urgency of the measure, as she called out Cebu-based firms that forced employees back to work amid the recent disaster.

Cebu-based BPO workers assailed unsafe return-to-work policies, harassment, and threats of job loss for prioritizing their safety as they were forced to report back to work shortly after the killer quake.

‘No worker should ever have to choose between their safety and their job. The welfare of our BPO employees must always come first,’ Villar said, reiterating her call for swift passage of the measure.

Senate Bill 1401, or the ‘BPO Workers’ Welfare and Protection Act,’ seeks to institutionalize comprehensive safeguards for employees in the outsourcing sector. A key provision directs the Department of Labor and Employment (Dole) to establish and strictly enforce Occupational Health and Safety Standards (OHSS) for BPO work, aligned with International Labor Organization (ILO) recommendations. These standards must be reviewed annually and applied in all establishments, with compliance subject to regular inspections.

In the case of Cebu, the Dole had penalized one BPO company for breach of safety standards.

Villar said these events emphasize why her measure is crucial: ‘BPO workers are at the frontline of our global service industry. Protecting their welfare means protecting the dignity of Filipino labor and ensuring shared prosperity.’

The bill further requires each company to craft its own Workplace Occupational Health and Safety (WOHS) policy, consistent with national standards but adaptable to local conditions.

SB 1401 mandates employers to review these policies annually with input from a designated Workplace Occupational Health and Safety Officer (Wohso), Enforcement Officers, and other authorized representatives, ensuring that safeguards evolve with emerging risks and workplace realities.

Beyond workplace safety, the proposed measure also prohibits the imposition of excessive company bonds and fees on employees who leave before a set period, and explicitly protects them from discrimination based on ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, religion, disability, or any other status recognized under human rights standards.

LAST week, I shared my reflections in ‘Gratitude in Five Baskets’. As October unfolds, I find myself drawn into a new thread of gratitude-one focused on our everyday heroes as parents. Just this past month, we celebrated Teacher’s Day and Grandparents’ Day. For this column, let me begin this gratitude series by honoring a quiet but crucial group: pharmacists and health professionals who accompany us in our wellness journey.

From teachers and grandparents to health guides

WE teach our children gratitude, respect and care through celebrations like Teacher’s Day and Grandparents’ Day. In the same way, our pharmacists play a kind of silent mentorship-they advise, protect, and empower our family’s health with utmost simplicity and kindness.

The most fearful time for many of us was during Covid. Back then, my daughter Meagan and I spent a lot of time in Ormoc, Leyte, because she was training with the national fencing team in a bubble camp. I recall our multiple trips to Watsons at SM Ormoc, since it was walking distance to our favorite hotel, Pina Suites.

From choosing immunity boosters, to health equipment like thermometers, to Covid tests, I remember the pharmacists in that branch always greeted us with a smile and gave us practical and prompt recommendations. Being away from home for weeks at a time, it became a calming ritual for my 14-year-old Meagan as she explored skin products at Watsons every visit. She even made a jingle for Watson’s and kept singing it for a while. It goes, ‘What’s on your mind.Watsons,’ which she later pushed me to send to the Watsons Marketing group. They were so nice and gave her a surprise gift bag full of goodies for her effort.

Beyond medication: Prevention as parenting

AS I taught Meagan and Marcus since they were toddlers to wash their hands before and after meals, or later on when they started school to be mindful of their surroundings: that if many people are sick in their class, they should be pro-active and take their supplements with zinc or use their Betadine throat spray. I have always hoped they would carry those habits into adulthood. Those small acts were my way of parenting toward prevention. Watsons, through its parent company AS Watson, mirrors that same mission as they elevate pharmacists’ role to guide us in preventive care across life’s stages.

Just this year, Watsons Philippines entered key partnerships that will train their pharmacists in diabetes care (with Diabetes Philippines Inc.) and will offer free obesity screenings (with Novo Nordisk). These are tools for families to act earlier and ask smarter questions. When we bring our children or parents into a pharmacy, I realize that we can turn ordinary visits into conversations about wellness, not just quick purchases.

We often think of pharmacists as dispensers of pills. But many of them are our first point of contact for our whole family. For our young and silver generations in the house, we might ask for flu medicine for our child or have questions on prescriptions for our aged loved ones.

On September 25 was World Pharmacist Day. ‘On this meaningful day, we extend our deepest gratitude to over 3,000 pharmacists and nearly 10,000 health professionals at AS Watson across the globe. Their commitment goes far beyond in-store services-they also provide online consultations in most of our markets, ensuring customers receive trusted health advice anytime, anywhere. Their expertise is essential in helping our customers navigate their health journeys with confidence,’ said Peter Macnab, international commercial director of AS Watson.

In line with the global celebration of World Pharmacist’s Day, Watsons Philippines joins in the global initiative to empower its pharmacists with expanded health services, aiming to build a healthier future for Filipinos and the wider region.

Modeling help-seeking for our children

WE teach our children to ask questions in class. Let us also model humility by seeking help ourselves-whether from doctors, teachers, or pharmacists. In doing so, we show our children that health, like learning, is a shared journey. I want my children to remember not only how I cared for them, but also how I asked for support when I needed it.

As AS Watson notes, younger generations and the silver generation alike are gravitating toward proactive health. This shift encourages us parents to lean into prevention, not reaction. Every pharmacy trip becomes a lesson-supervise label reading, ask the pharmacist for precautions, and talk about the role of preventive care.

Starting a gratitude habit

FOR every parent reading this, I invite you that in your next drug store visit, stop and look the pharmacist in the eyes, and say, ‘Thank you.’ Tell your children what role that person plays in your health Because gratitude is more than an emotion-it is a practice of seeing, acknowledging, and inviting connection. Let us extend it to all who guide our families in health.

THE House Budget Amendments Review Subcommittee (BARC) has proposed amendments to the 2026 General Appropriations Bill that would allocate P272.3 billion in additional funding for three key sectors: education, health, and agriculture.

The revisions were presented by Committee Chairperson Rep. Mikaela Suansing during a meeting on Wednesday.

Under the proposed amendments, the education sector, which includes the Department of Education (DepEd), Commission on Higher Education (CHED), Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), State Universities and Colleges (SUCs), and the Philippine Science High School System (PSHS), will see a total increase of P56.64 billion.

This is an additional P18 billion on top of the previous P38-billion increment, bringing the sector’s 2026 budget to P1.36 trillion, or 4.36 percent of GDP-the first time it exceeds the 4-percent milestone.

The health sector, covering the Department of Health (DOH) and PhilHealth, will receive an increase of P92.57 billion, up from an earlier P89 billion. The additional P3.2 billion is attributed to the Health Facilities Enhancement Program (HFEP).

Meanwhile, the agriculture sector, which encompasses the Department of Agriculture (DA), National Irrigation Administration (NIA), and Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR), will get an additional P8.7 billion, bringing the total increase to P53.75 billion.

These increases were made possible by reallocating P255 billion previously set for flood control projects under the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), with P202.96 billion redirected to education and agriculture, while the remainder supports other agencies.

Suansing emphasized the collaborative effort behind the amendments, expressing gratitude to the BARC members for their ‘wisdom and hard work’ across multiple days of deliberations.

‘The results of our first BARC session were unprecedented, and with these refinements, we have further strengthened the allocations for our key sectors,’ she said.

Senior Vice Chairperson Rep. Albert Garcia moved for the substitution of the entire House Bill No. 4058, including all approved special provisions, for plenary consideration on Friday during the period of amendments.

The House of Representatives is ‘on track’ for the expected approval of House Bill 4058, or the proposed P6.793-trillion General Appropriations Bill (GAB) for fiscal year 2026, Speaker Faustino ‘Bojie’ Dy III announced on Tuesday.

The GAB will enter the period of amendments and second reading on October 10 and is targeted for final approval on third reading by October 13.

A NEW Filipino-developed electric passenger ferry (e-ferry) was launched early this week to serve commuters through inland waterways such as the Pasig River in Metro Manila.

M/B Dalaray, the country’s first ferry running on electric battery, was designed and made in the Philippines. It is capable of carrying up to 40 passengers and three crew members for up to three hours.

It will begin operations along the Pasig River, traversing the cities of Pasig, Makati, Mandaluyong, Taguig and Manila, in November.

The launching was led by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), the Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development, University of the Philippines-Diliman, and the Maritime Industry Authority (Marina).

Science Secretary Renato Solidum Jr. said M/B Dalaray is meant to showcase government initiative on lessening reliance on fossil fuels and reducing carbon emissions.

‘Ito ay produkto ng pambihirang galing, sipag at pagkakaisa ng mga Pilipino [This is the product of the greatness, industriousness and unity of Filipinos],’ Solidum said.

The project advocates for a clean, modern and future-ready system of transportation in the Philippines, contributing to the economy through the use of rivers and improving tourism in the Philippines.

‘Malaki ang matutulong nito upang mabawasan ang problema sa trapiko at magbigay ng mas komportableng biyahe para sa mga pasahero [This would greatly ease vehicular congestion and would provide a comfortable journey for passengers],’ Marina Administrator Sonia Malaluan said. PNA

ACTING Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez ordered the lifetime revocation of the license of the driver of a sport utility vehicle (SUV) who deliberately rammed a student on a motorcycle in Teresa, Rizal which went viral on social media.

In a statement on Wednesday, Lopez said he ordered the Land Transportation Office (LTO) to locate the driver in line with President Marcos’s directive to ensure accountability of drivers who endanger the lives of all road users.

‘Ang driver na iyan ay walang karapatan magmaneho sa kalsada. Sabihin na nating totoo mang nasagi ang kanyang sasakyan. Tama bang habulin at bundulin mo iyong bata? [That driver has no place on the country’s roads. Let’s say the student did hit their vehicle. Is it right for him to chase and ram the kid?]’ he said.

In addition, Lopez will speak to the family of the victim and will provide the services of a lawyer to file a case against the driver.

‘No amount of explanation can justify his actions. Mas may edad siya, dapat alam niya kung ano ang tama [He is older, he should know what’s right],’ he said.

The DOTr is coordinating with the National Police (PNP) to investigate the said incident.

The LTO will also issue a show-cause order against the driver and owner of the vehicle involved in the incident.

In a video sent to the DOTr, a dark-colored SUV was caught on CCTV cameras deliberately ramming a student on a motorcycle in two separate incidents.

The student managed to remain on his motorcycle and drove away after being rammed by the SUV in the first video, but fell off the motorcycle during the second ramming, with the SUV dragging the motorcycle several feet before stopping.

World, the biometric identity verification network co-founded by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, is pushing back against a cease-and-desist order issued by the Philippines’s National Privacy Commission (NPC), calling the decision a ‘setback for responsible digital innovation and a surprising reversal’ after completing regulatory compliance procedures.

The NPC issued the order against Tools for Humanity (TFH), the company behind World, following what the firm describes as a ‘year-long compliance process’ that included participation in government sandbox programs and consultations with privacy experts.

World claimed that the decision could prevent millions of Filipinos from accessing technology designed to combat scams, identity theft, and AI-driven fraud-concerns that have intensified as AI becomes more sophisticated.

‘This sudden change in interpretation undermines the certainty that legitimate investors rely on when working with Philippine regulators. All these steps were done transparently and in accordance with the Data Privacy Act of 2012,’ said Ryuji Wolf, a local operator representing World in the Philippines.

The company pointed to what it called a ‘sudden shift’ in the NPC’s position following a supposed change in the commission’s leadership. It described the move as ‘alarming’ given World’s ongoing collaboration with agencies including DICT and the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) on AI-related security issues.

At the center of the dispute is World’s biometric verification system, which the company says verifies users are human without collecting personally identifiable information such as names, addresses, birth dates, or phone numbers.

‘Our system does not identify individuals. It simply verifies that they are unique humans, not bots or AI accounts,’ Wolf said. ‘We don’t store, sell, or purchase biometric data.’

The system has attracted ‘millions’ of Filipino users since launching in February, according to the company, which also employs more than a thousand Filipinos across operations, technology, and community outreach roles.

World said it will file a motion for reconsideration with the NPC and pursue all available legal remedies to challenge the order.

‘World remains committed to working transparently with regulators to clarify the system’s design and demonstrate its full adherence to Philippine law,’ Wolf said.

THE Air Force (PAF) and the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) formally opened Doshin-Bayanihan 5-25 at the Benito N. Ebuen Air Base in Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu on Wednesday.

The exercise is the first for the PAF and JASDF since the Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA) between the two countries entered into force on September 11.

The term ‘Doshin’ translates to ‘same mind’ in Japanese while ‘Bayanihan’ means ‘mutual support’ in Filipino.

The exercise, scheduled to take place from October 7-11 aims to enhance interoperability and deepen cooperation between the two air forces, particularly in the areas of humanitarian assistance and disaster response (HADR).

About 143 PAF personnel and 30 JASDF members are taking part in the training activities which aims to enhance airlift, mobility, and medical operations.

Aside from these, night vision goggle flights for PAF observation, will also be conducted for the first time in this year’s Doshin-Bayanihan.

Both air forces are deploying C-130 aircraft, with operations designed to simulate real-world HADR scenarios.

Actual disaster relief operations will be applied to aid Cebu residents in light of the recent earthquake that struck the province.

‘ Doshin-Bayanihan stands as a testament to the deepening defense partnership between the Philippines and Japan. Beyond strengthening military capabilities, it highlights the shared commitment of both nations to regional cooperation, disaster response, and the promotion of peace, security, and humanitarian assistance across the Asia-Pacific Region,’ the PAF said in a statement.

In a statement on Thursday, the Japanese Embassy in Manila announced that the RAA had been applied to the bilateral HADR exercise Doshin-Bayanihan between the Japan Air Self-Defense Force and the Air Force (PAF) conducted in the Philippines starting October 7.

‘Furthermore, taking advantage of this bilateral exercise opportunity, Japan Air Self-Defense Force will provide support to transport relief supplies within the Philippines, in response to the request from the Philippines, for the relief operations responding to the earthquake in Cebu that occurred late on September 30,’ it said.

‘The Japan-Philippines RAA will also be applied to this transport of relief supplies.’

On Sept. 30, Tokyo and Manila convened the Joint Committee meeting on RAA, where arrangements to implement the deal were discussed among officials of the Japan Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Defense for Japan, and the Department of National Defense and other relevant Philippine agencies.

The arrangements will pave the way for the smooth conduct of cooperative activities such as joint exercises and disaster relief operations by both countries while enhancing interoperability between their respective forces.

‘Amid an increasingly challenging regional security environment, security and defense cooperation with the Philippines -a strategic partner sharing fundamental values and principles with Japan, which is located at a point of strategic importance on sea lanes- will be further promoted,’ it said.

‘This will provide robust support for peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.’

The RAA was ratified by President Marcos and was concurred in by the Senate on December 16, 2024.

It entered into force on Sept. 11, 2025.

A MORE thorough budget review in the Senate has yielded some interesting results: the two regions that received the biggest chunk of funding for questionable farm-to-market roads (FMRs) are Bicol region and Leyte-Samar, while two others deemed rice granaries, Region 2 and Mindanao, are ranked ‘very low’ in FMR allocations.

Another discovery by the Senate Finance Committee overseeing budget deliberations for 2026: three of the Top 10 FMR contractors nationwide belong to the Top 15 contractors flagged by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. last July 25 in the raging controversy over subpar and ghost flood-control projects (FCP).

These revelations were shared by the Finance committee chairman, Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian, at Thursday’s Kapihan sa Senado, and he said he would recommend to the Blue Ribbon committee and the ICI to go beyond flood-control projects and probe these as well. This, even as he assured the public the budget review is looking carefully as well into other multibillion-peso projects for other agencies besides the Department of Agriculture, but which are implemented by the scandal-ridden Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

Among others, he said, budget probers in the Senate and even the House of Representatives have focused as well on infrastructure projects done by DPWH for the Department of National Defense (under TIKAS, structures for security personnel), Department of Health (public hospitals), Department of Education (school buildings). The respective agency heads are revisiting these projects and some have flagged unfinished projects despite the billions lodged with DPWH.

‘Given what happened in flood control, I am not surprised that the biggest farm-to-market allocation went to Bicol,’ Gatchalian told reporters. He said that among the biggest contractors for Bicol-area FMRs were Hi-Tone Construction of Christopher Co, relative of Bicol Rep. Zaldy Co, the former House Appropriations panel chairman who flew abroad for ‘medical treatment’ at the height of the flood-control funds scandal that has ensnared both the Executive and Congress, and spurred the creation of the ICI. The other area with the biggest FMR allocations is Leyte, the home province of former Speaker Martin G. Romualdez, who was also summoned by the ICI.

Gatchalian’s Finance panel was drawn to the FMRs as possible source of anomalies after Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said the DA did not concur in many FMR projects being done by the DPWH.

‘Based on the information I got from my undersecretaries earlier, it seems the projects didn’t go through us,’ Laurel told reporters on the sidelines of an earlier Senate hearing.

Despite this, the DA chief said the agency would investigate the ‘overpriced’ projects.

‘I’m asking for a copy then we will do our internal investigation [.] we will also be coordinating with the [Department of Public Works and Highways] DPWH on this,’ Laurel said.

Earlier, Laurel ordered the audit of every FMR project since 2021 amid the ongoing clamor on controversial flood control works.

The DA explained that even though FMR schemes are identified and validated by the agency, these road projects are commissioned, bid out, and constructed by the DPWH.

FMR mess to Blue Ribbon, ICI

Meanwhile, Gatchalian said on Thursday he will recommend the inclusion of the FMR investigation to the Senate Blue Ribbon committee and the ICI, which was originally created for the flood-control scandal.

Gatchalian noted that many flood-control contractors were also involved in FMRs, some road projects, and-another possible source of anomalies-irrigation projects.

‘Personally, I will recommend to the Blue Ribbon and to ICI to investigate as well the FMRs,’ said the senator.

As a result of the overprice of FMRs that has alarmed Secretary Laurel, many of the farm-to-market roads have ended up below the originally intended specifications: a 10-kilometer FMR, for instance, would be built only as a 2-km road to fit the budget while allowing for the overprice and kickbacks.

Gatchalian said both House and Senate budget probers were inclined to transfer the funds for projects that DPWH is doing, to the agencies that require the infrastructure. The DND, he said, has ‘no problem’ handling their infrastructure needs as they have engineering brigades, but the DA is still assessing its capacity to supervise the construction of FMRs by private bidders.

Still, he explained, the option of leaving the FMR funds with DPWH is risky, fearing that ‘the same thing will happen.’

During a Senate hearing on the proposed 2026 DA budget on Wednesday, Gatchalian noted the top 10 ‘extremely overpriced’ FMRs last year, with a project worth P348,432 per meter leading the list.

This figure was 96 percent higher than the P15,000 per meter benchmark by the DA. The agency said 1 kilometer of FMR costs P15 million.

The DA is asking for P16 billion for FMRs for 2026. ‘But if we cannot ensure proper use, the 16 billion might be wasted,’ he said in Filipino, by way of justifying removal of the outlay from DPWH’s budget.

He said that while he admired how DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon is cleaning up the agency, ‘In my view, Sec. Vince cannot clean up DPWH in 3-4 months-so if the same DPWH people will be working on the FMRs, the 2026 outlay will be lost again to corruption.’

He added, ‘It hinges on whether Sec. Vince can assure people that come 2026, they can fix things.’

MICRO-sized, small-scale and medium-sized enterprises are expected to gain wider access to credit after the Land Bank of the Philippines (LandBank) launched a new lending program.

According to the state-run lender, the program called ‘Lifting MSMEs Lending,’ offers loan packages that can be used for working capital, expansion, equipment upgrades, renovations, digitalization, franchising, export and trade finance, and green or sustainable projects.

The loan program (‘LandBank’s Innovative Financing Thrust Towards Inclusive National Growth thru Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises’) is structured around three financing tiers to support enterprises at every stage, the lender explained in a statement.

Under the start-up loan, start-ups and microenterprises with less than one year of operation may borrow from P100,000 to P500,000, with free financial literacy training and minimal collateral requirements.

For micro-sized and small-scale firms with at least one year of operations, the Step-Up Loan offers financing from P500,000 up to P5 million, alongside training support, provision of point-of-sale (POS) terminals and eligibility for higher loan brackets.

Small-scale and medium-sized businesses with over three years in operation may tap the ‘level-up loan,’ which extends up to P50 million in funding, coupled with access to the LandBank corporate credit card.

Beyond direct lending, LandBank will also extend rediscounting lines to credit cooperatives, rural banks and microfinance institutions that serve MSMEs, covering as much as 85 percent of outstanding receivables to strengthen their lending capacity.

LandBank President and CEO Lynette V. Ortiz has recognized MSMEs as the ‘backbone of the Philippine economy,’ comprising 99.6 percent of total business establishments and employing 65 percent of the workforce.

‘Every loan extended to an MSME creates a ripple effect-sustaining jobs, uplifting families, and strengthening communities. Through the Lifting MSMEs Lending Program, LandBank is fueling this multiplier effect to accelerate inclusive and sustainable growth across the nation,’ Ortiz was quoted in the statement as saying.

Applications may be filed through the LandBank Business Loan Application Portal, a digital platform that allows borrowers to directly submit forms, upload documents and monitor application status.

LandBank booked a net income of P13.29 billion in the first quarter of this year, up by 11 percent year-on-year from P11.98 billion.

LandBank’s total assets increased by 5 percent to P3.426 trillion in the first quarter from P3.268 trillion in the same period last year, on the back of expansions in loan and investment portfolios.

The bank’s gross loan portfolio rose by 8 percent to P1.58 trillion, while its investments jumped by 14 percent to P1.50 trillion in the first quarter, driven by growth in both trading and non-trading portfolios.