Category: Business Mirror

AGRICULTURE advocacy group Sinag on Tuesday reiterated that the influx of pork imports triggered the slump in liveweight hog prices.

Sinag Executive Director Jayson Cainglet made the statement after the Department of Agriculture (DA) claimed that fears of another African swine fever (ASF) outbreak ahead of the rainy season propelled piggeries to sell their hogs earlier than planned, pushing down farmgate prices.

The DA described this ‘fastbreak’ as the main reason behind the decline in farmgate prices rather than a surge in pork imports.

Citing Mindanao, the agency noted that hog prices also fell in the region despite little imported pork entering the region.

‘We reaffirm our position: the unprecedented level of pork imports over the past two years, under a reduced tariff regime, is the single biggest factor behind the steep drop in farmgate prices,’ Cainglet said.

‘Instead of blaming local hog raisers for a crisis that they did not cause, the government must confront the policies that have allowed cheap imported pork to flood the domestic market and put Filipino producers at a severe disadvantage,’ he added.

Industry data showed that the average liveweight price of hogs in Luzon stood at a low of P153.72 per kilo in August, while P131.66 per kilo in Visayas and Mindanao.

This was further lower than the P162.16 per kilo in July for Luzon and P131.98 per kilo for Visayas and Mindanao.

‘Our farmers are not the problem. They are bearing the cost of policies that have failed to protect and strengthen domestic food production and rural livelihoods,’ Cainglet said.

‘Local farmers deserve fair farmgate prices, meaningful support, and policies that protect their livelihoods and ensure the country’s food security.’

Figures from the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) indicated that pork imports reached 541,405 metric tons as of July, from last year’s 490,825 MT.

This year, BAI forecasts pork shipments to decline by around 50,000 MT from the 851,760 MT in 2025 owing to the increased local output and higher volume of imports last year by food processors.

THE government has earmarked P50 million to support the development of Bukidnon’s coffee industry, Executive Secretary Ralph Recto said on Tuesday.

In a statement, Recto said the funding will be released through the Local Government Support Fund (LGSF).

Recto made the statement following his recent discussions with local and indigenous coffee farmers in the province.

‘Agad na tumugon si Pangulong Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. sa pangangailangan ng ating [President Marcos immediately responded to the needs of our] coffee farmers. Ang bilin ng Pangulo ay suportahan natin sila mula punla hanggang merkado upang lumaki ang kanilang ani at kita [The President’s directive is for us to support them from seed to market so they can increase their harvest and income],’ Recto said.

The LGSF allocation will finance the purchase of specialty coffee seedlings, agricultural inputs such as parchment and chicken manure, and materials for establishing nurseries, including nets, plastic bags, hoses, and plastic drums, Recto said.

The assistance is part of the administration’s broader efforts to strengthen the domestic coffee industry, with P400.54 million also proposed to be allocated to the Department of Agriculture under the 2027 National Expenditure Program for coffee development.

‘President Marcos is building a stronger Philippine coffee industry from the ground up. By investing in seedlings, nurseries, farm inputs, and market access, we can reduce imports, raise farmers’ incomes, and make Philippine coffee more competitive abroad,’ Recto said.

During his September 4 visit to Bukidnon, Recto, together with Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri and local officials, met with coffee growers, including Indigenous farmers, at a municipal farm in barangay Salawagan in Quezon town.

He said the province has the potential to become a major coffee-producing area given its land, climate, and hardworking farmers.

‘Bukidnon has the land, climate, and hardworking farmers needed to become a major coffee-producing province. The government will help provide the investments and infrastructure necessary to turn that potential into better livelihoods and a globally competitive industry,’ he said.

Bukidnon aims to increase coffee production by 200 percent by planting 10,000 hectares of Arabica coffee and achieving an average yield of 1 kilogram of beans per tree per year.

The province also targets exporting high-quality specialty coffee within the next decade by improving farming practices, expanding market access, and developing a sustainable and reliable value chain from production to processing and manufacturing.

To support these goals, the provincial government plans to establish nurseries in its component local governments, including two facilities in barangay Kibenton in Impasugong and barangay Bangcud in Malaybalay City.

It will also assist farmer cooperatives and associations in establishing or upgrading nurseries in Talakag, Impasugong, Lantapan, Valencia City, and Pangantucan.

Recto said the national government would continue working with Bukidnon’s local governments to address infrastructure gaps, including the need for farm-to-market roads, to make it easier for farmers to bring their produce to commercial markets.

The Philippines is set to establish its first manufacturing facility for medium steel sections, which it sources from other countries, after the Board of Investments (BOI) approved a P19.82-billion SteelAsia project in Lemery, Batangas.

The 72-hectare facility of SteelAsia Lemery Works Inc. in Barangay Mataas na Bayan will have an annual capacity of 500,000 metric tons and is targeted to begin commercial operations in January 2027.

Once operational, the plant will produce H-beams, I-beams, C-channels, and equal and unequal angle sections used in buildings, bridges, power plants, industrial facilities and other infrastructure projects.

The project is the first High-Value Domestic Market Enterprise registered under the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises to Maximize Opportunities for Reinvigorating the Economy Act, or CREATE MORE, according to the BOI.

It was approved by the Fiscal Incentives Review Board (FIRB) under Tier II of the Strategic Investment Priority Plan, covering investments that address gaps in industrial value chains.

‘This is the kind of investment we want to encourage-one that helps us strengthen an industry that is critical to our infrastructure ambitions and long-term economic development,’ FIRB Chair and Finance Secretary Frederick D. Go said.

The facility is expected to directly employ 656 workers by its third year of operations and generate an estimated P107.4 billion in sales during its first five years.

Government estimates also project the project to contribute P45.58 billion in additional economic output, generate P23.63 billion in household income and support about 102,029 jobs across the economy.

SteelAsia Chairman and CEO Benjamin O. Yao said the section mill project would help address the country’s dependence on imported structural steel.

‘As we accept this incentive package, we look forward to serving the needs of the Philippine market, start enabling downstream SMEs, and start saving billions of dollars through import substitution, reducing our huge trade deficit,’ Yao said.

The facility will use electric arc furnace steelmaking technology incorporating CONSTEEL Evolution technology developed by Italy-based Tenova. SteelAsia said the plant will run on renewable electricity and use locally sourced recyclable steel scrap. It will also employ wastewater treatment systems designed to recycle water and prevent wastewater discharge.

BOI said that the project is aligned with the Philippine Iron and Steel Decarbonization Roadmap, which seeks to promote more resource-efficient and lower-carbon steel production.

LABOR groups want a bigger shift toward decent and secure jobs as the Department of Labor and Employment (Dole) moves to cut its 2027 funding for the Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged Workers (Tupad) program nearly in half.

Tupad funding is proposed at P11.03 billion next year, down P10.25 billion, or 48.16 percent, from the P21.28-billion allocation under the 2026 General Appropriations Act (GAA).

Labor groups Sentro and the Labor Education and Research Network (LEARN) said the reduction should come with a stronger focus on programs that provide workers with lasting employment.

‘Temporary measures cannot substitute for decent work,’ the groups said in a joint statement.

Tupad had served 1.48 million beneficiaries as of August 2026, and Dole is targeting 672,776 beneficiaries for the program in 2027.

The labor agency’s proposed budget for livelihood and emergency employment is also falling, from P27.91 billion in 2026 to P19.31 billion next year, a 30.8-percent reduction.

Dole said its 2027 priorities include transforming employment assistance into ‘sustainable employment, entrepreneurship, and livelihood opportunities through structured graduation pathway.’

Meanwhile, funding for the Government Internship Program (GIP) is set to jump 176.78 percent to P3.21 billion from P1.16 billion.

Funding for the Dole Integrated Livelihood Program (DILP) will move lower by 17.18 percent to P2.23 billion from P2.69 billion.

Sentro and LEARN said Tupad should be reviewed and redesigned as ‘genuine public employment’ aligned with the government’s industrial and development policies.

They also called for stronger funding for labor inspection, labor standards enforcement, labor justice, collective bargaining and wage policies.

Dole is increasing funding for some of these areas, with the Labor Laws Compliance System (LLCS) allocation rising 6.58 percent to P876.84 million.

Promotion of rights at work and labor standards will get P53.03 million, up 3.64 percent, while the National Wages and Productivity Commission (NWPC) overall allocation rises 9.36 percent to P246.11 million.

However, the Wage Regulatory Program is facing an 11.64-percent cut to P58.12 million.

‘We need a proactive government, and a competent DOLE, whose objective is the creation of decent and secure employment, not temporary measures,’ Sentro and LEARN said in a joint statement.

Dole is seeking P20.95 billion under the 2027 National Expenditure Program (NEP), 30.11 percent below its P29.98-billion 2026 GAA allocation.

Across Dole and its attached agencies, the proposed budget totals P47.06 billion, 6.03 percent above the 2026 NEP but 23.08 percent below the 2026 GAA.

Leading mass housing developer 8990 has and always remained true to its core of being a socialized and economic housing developer.

After it transitioned to private ownership, 8990 Holdings president and CEO Anthony Vincent S. Sotto told the BusinessMirror in an email interview that the company is ‘committed more than ever’ to delivering houses through the 4PH program with the following new projects launched this year: Deca Homes Cabanatuan with 6,366 units, Urban Deca Homes Marilao Bulacan with 1,254 units, Deca Homes Granada, Bacolod City with 5,384 units, and in the Davao area at Deca Homes Mulig 2, Panabo and Tagum, with a combined inventory of 3,933.

‘We are going above and beyond our commitments to the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development Secretary Jose Ramon Aliling in 2025, where we committed over 9,000 units of 4PH housing over a span of 3 years,’ said Sotto.

Although the company is no longer subject to the same pressures and expectations from public-market investors, Sotto thinks there is more pressure in a sense that 8990 is committed to the Filipino people in this socialized segment to deliver not only houses but places where their lives and dreams are built. ‘Our customers are Filipinos who have devoted much of their savings or income in acquiring primarily to live in [as opposed to investing in]. The pressure to make them satisfied is definitely as high as when we were still a listed company. In that aspect not much has changed,’ he explained.

With the company no longer in a position to tap the public equity market in the same way as a listed company, Sotto said the company is well situated especially, so now that it is addressing a serious gap in housing in this underserved market. Sotto expressed bullishness in the affordable segment as it has proven resilient as evidenced during the pandemic, and more so now that the market has opened up to more and more socialized and economic housing projects. ‘Our strong partnership with PagIBIG Fund as well as our partner banks have allowed us the flexibility to easily adjust our cash flow allowing us to maintain our expansion in key provinces nationwide. The timeliness of the government’s pivot of expanding the 4PH program to horizontal housing and PagIBIG Fund’s role as the government’s financing arm in its 4PH program as main factors for us to easily transition from being a publicly listed company to delisting,’ Sotto explained.

8990 Holdings Inc. has already been delisted from the Philippine Stock Exchange, effective October 31, 2025. The delisting was the result of a voluntary tender offer designed to take the company private.

The more interesting story is what happens to 8990 as a private housing platform.

The transaction effectively removes the company from the pressures and constraints of being a publicly traded developer. As a private company, 8990 can potentially pursue a longer-term strategy involving:

larger-scale land acquisition and development;

restructuring or consolidating its housing businesses;

greater flexibility in capital allocation;

potentially taking on projects with longer investment horizons;

restructuring its portfolio without having to respond to short-term movements in the share price; and

allowing the controlling shareholders to exercise greater strategic control over the company’s future.

This is particularly relevant because 8990’s business is capital-intensive and highly dependent on land, financing, housing demand, interest rates and government housing programs.

According to an online report, 8990 HDC is continuing to invest in operational expansion and infrastructure. In April/May 2026, for example, 8990 HDC strengthened its partnership with VITRO, the PLDT Group’s data-center arm, expanding its business-continuity and disaster-recovery infrastructure. The company said its systems support sales offices nationwide and are intended to support its continued expansion.

THE Social Housing Finance Corp. (SHFC) announced recently it is implementing another round of moratorium on monthly amortization payments. Effective until September 28, the moratorium will provide temporary financial relief to affected families as they recover from the impact of the severe weather, read a statement the state-run firm issued last week. It is expected to benefit more than 54,000 member-beneficiaries from over 400 community associations in the National Capital Region (NCR), Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Bataan, and Tarlac. The measure is equivalent to more than P23.4 million in housing assistance, read the statement.

Pagcor’s role highlighted at confab

AN official of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) underscored the role of the regulator in supporting the country’s tourism, healthcare and wellness sectors during the ‘Health and Wellness Conference and Expo 2026’ on September 4, a Pagcor statement read. Speaking on behalf of Chairman and CEO Alejandro H. Tengco, Pagcor Health Services and Wellness Department Officer-in-Charge Dr. Janice A. Saraza said the ‘industry that we regulate is part of a much larger entertainment and tourism ecosystem.’ ‘Our licensed integrated resorts, for one, attract visitors, create employment, support businesses and generate significant economic activity,’ Saraza added. She said revenues generated by Pagcor help fund government programs and projects in key sectors.

LandBank cites employee volunteerism

EMPLOYEES of the Land Bank of the Philippines (Landbank) conducted simultaneous tree-planting activities in Laguna, Cagayan, and Zamboanga del Sur on August 15, under the bank’s volunteering program, read the statement the lender issued nearly a month later. In celebration of its 63rd anniversary, Landbank mobilized employees nationwide for a series of corporate social responsibility activities throughout August, the statement read. According to the Landbank, around 4,000 of its employees contributed their time, skills, and resources in different activities. Employees also raised P1.32 million in voluntary cash donations for selected communities and beneficiaries, the lender said.

Chinabank Savings, Globe Telecom unit ink deal

GLOBE Telecom Inc. announced last week it provided 215 Samsung tablets to field officers of China Bank Savings Inc. (CBS) after the thrift banking arm of China Banking Corp. paid for the ‘GPlan Biz’ product of the Ayala-led telecommunications company (telco). The mobile setup allows CBS field officers process non-collateral loans under the Department of Education’s (DepEd) automatic payroll deduction system, manage portfolios, and resolve customer queries in real time directly from school sites, read the statement issued by Globe Telecom. ‘Our field officers are an important link between Chinabank Savings and the education community,’ CBS President James Christian T. Dee was quoted in the statement as saying.

SARAH ABABA emerged from a day of shifting fortunes and swirling winds to seize a two-stroke lead with a gutsy 71 at the start of the ICTSI Summit Point Championship in Lipa City on Tuesday.

The reigning Ladies Philippine Golf Tour (LPGT) Order of Merit champion overcame an unsettled start with two quick birdies, then held her nerve through a demanding stretch of rain-softened fairways and gusty conditions, stringing together a series of brave pars to finish as the unlikely leader at Summit Point Golf and Country Club.

‘In these conditions, you need to hit the fairway-especially since preferred lies are in effect-so you can attack the green and set up a good putt,’ said Ababa, who lost in a sudden-death playoff at Lakewood, placed fourth at Caliraya Springs and finished fifth at Pinewoods.

‘My driving has been extremely steady and my putting is solid,’ added the veteran shotmaker from Davao, who skipped the fourth leg at Pradera Verde and returned to the Tour with renewed hunger following the long break.

‘I don’t really expect to lead. I just want to enjoy my game, especially since I missed the Pradera Verde leg,’ said Ababa, who hopes to sustain the same steady form over the next two days and make a run at the championship of the P1-million event.

Harmie Constantino, runaway winner at Caliraya Springs, carded a 73 to share second after mixing two birdies with three bogeys-she had a chance to move into solo second but gave back a stroke with a bogey on the difficult finishing hole.

Tiffany Lee, a former winner at Splendido Taal, also ended with a 73 after an eventful round as she birdied her first two holes to take control but was quickly dragged back by a double bogey on the par-5 fifth and a bogey on the next.

Lee regained her composure with a string of pars and birdied No. 15 to return to even par, only to bogey the challenging 18th and slip into a share of second.

Gretchen Villacencio also finished at 73 after recovering from a rough start-she bogeyed her first two holes but battled back with birdies on Nos. 5 and 7 before dropping another stroke on No. 15, turning in a 36-37 card.

Constantino, Lee and Villacencio played together in the first round.

Amateur Matet Salivio flashed her potential despite a three-bogey start through 12 holes as she rallied with a birdie-bogey-birdie finish from No. 15 to salvage a 74 and tie Apple Fudolin, who shot a 36-38, for fifth.

Chanelle Avaricio rebounded from a disastrous front-nine 40 with a birdie on No. 16 to save a 75 and stay within striking distance. She shared the spot with Yvon Bisera, Seoyun Kim and Monical Mandario.

Bisera birdied No. 2 but fell back with a bogey-bogey-double bogey slide from No. 5 and dropped another stroke on No. 10 before birdieing No. 17.

Mandario, meanwhile, managed just one birdie against four bogeys for a 37-38.

Kim, still seeking her breakthrough on the LPGT after a couple of runner-up finishes, made an early charge with two birdies against one bogey in her first six holes from the back nine. But the Korean could not sustain the momentum, dropping shots on Nos. 16 and 18 before producing the shot of her round on No. 5, where she made an eagle-3 to briefly join the lead at one-under.

Her charge unraveled on the closing stretch, however, as she double bogeyed the sixth and bogeyed the next two holes to finish with a 38-37.

Multi-titled Princess Superal also moved into early contention with a birdie on No. 15 after starting on No. 10. But she struggled to maintain her momentum, making three bogeys and a double bogey over her final 11 holes to slip to solo 11th with a 76.

With rain leaving the course wet and the wind repeatedly changing direction, however, Ababa’s two-shot cushion offers little comfort. Summit Point’s exposed layout continued to punish even the best-laid plans, making club selection, ball position and patience every bit as important as shotmaking.

Filipino dance crews pose with Sen. Bam Aquino and fellow senators after receiving copies of Senate Resolution No. 591, sponsored by Aquino, congratulating them for their medal-winning performances at the 2026 World Hip Hop Dance Championship in Phoenix, Arizona.

Femme MNL won the Megacrew title, HQ topped the Adult division, The Crew took silver in Megacrew, while Folk Jumpers and Sayawatha Jr. won bronze in the Adult and Junior divisions, respectively.

‘What matters most is how we respond to what we experience in life.’-Stephen R. Covey

IF one would sift through all the news and highlights of posts on social media, the following may end up to be the most written about or talked about issues on an international level:

Nepal flash floods

US-Iran maritime tensions

Russia-Ukraine war

Middle East violence

Rising global food prices

The energy shock and currency plunge

China, North Korea and Russia

Global bond market stress

Geo-economic fragmentation

On the domestic level, the counterpart list may include the following:

Hollywood Walk of Fame star for Lea Salonga

phenomenal rise and rise of Alex Eala

impeachment trial

flood control scandal

impact of the typhoons and habagat

‘devaluing peso’ vs the US dollar

‘legal issues’ of Vice President Sara Duterte

dangers confronting overseas Filipin workers in the Middle East

Barmm elections

The list may be longer depending on one’s take on developments. It seems like it is, indeed, a very chaotic world with uncertainties.

On the international concerns, Juan dela Cruz may just try to understand things but cannot do anything. He may not even mind the issues.

On the other domestic issues, if one would spare time to read the opinion columns, watch the talk shows, and the different posts on a number of electronic sites, nothing is wanting on analyses and offered solutions including expected end games on the issues. At times, it could be a pointing of fingers play. The stories may go on and on with many comments/critiques given.

There are, however, a couple of unusual good developments: the first is Alex Eala! She is now seeded at age 21; a first and the pride of the Filipino people.

And the second, Lea Salonga! Last September 4, Lea became the first Filipina honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame: a tremendous tribute to the immense talent of Filipino artists in theater and film.

Still, we hope more good news will come! Aren’t we entitled to a better world to lift our spirits up?

Conchita L. Manabat is an incorporator and president of the Development Center for Finance, an incorporator and Trustee of San Carlos School of Cebu. Inc. and Trustee at the Coalition of Services for the Elderly. She is also an incorporator of and Lifetime Fellow at the Institute of Corporate Directors, a member of the Stakeholder Advisory Council of the International Federation for Ethics and Audit and chairperson of the Advisory Council of the International Association of Financial Executives Institutes. The views and opinions she expressed herein do not necessarily represent the BusinessMirror’s.

Education Secretary Juan Edgardo ‘Sonny’ Angara on Tuesday announced that the Philippines’ performance in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2025 showed significant gains across all three areas: reading, mathematics and science.

The Philippines recorded a mean score of 373 in science, 371 in mathematics and 367 in reading-up by 17 points, 16 points and 20 points, respectively, from the country’s 2022 results.

Angara, who presented the results during the national results launch at Caloocan City Science High School, said that this achievement mark a notable step forward in the administration of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s efforts to improve learning outcomes.

More Filipino learners also reached Level 2 or higher, the baseline proficiency level measured by PISA.

The proportion increased from 23 percent to 32 percent in science, from 16 percent to 21 percent in mathematics, and from 24 percent to 31 percent in reading.

From its mean score, the Philippines outranked 14 participating countries in science, 16 countries in mathematics, and 18 countries in reading.

‘This is a significant achievement for our learners and for the entire Philippine education system …But more than the numbers, we are seeing evidence that our learners are capable of making real and meaningful progress,’ Angara said.

Angara said the results should encourage the country to build on the gains while keeping its focus on learners who continue to struggle.

‘We should be proud of how far our learners and teachers have come, but we should be even more determined about how much farther we can go,’ Angara said.

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) 10-year trend analysis also shows that the Philippines is the fastest improving country in terms of reading performance.

The OECD, likewise, identified the Philippines among countries with notable improvement in mathematics. In science, the Philippines recorded a positive long-term trend despite an overall decline in science performance globally.

‘My warmest congratulations to the teachers and school leaders of the Philippines because what you have achieved in this latest round of OECD’s PISA assessment is not just good news for the Philippines, it’s a story that deserves to be noticed far beyond your borders,’ OECD Director for Education and Skills Andreas Schleicher said.

Angara said the gains from the PISA results reflect the collective work being done across the education system-from teachers and school leaders to parents, local governments and other partners.

The PISA presentation also highlighted the role of school readiness, parents, local government units and private sector partners in the country’s performance, underscoring that improving education is a shared responsibility.

OECD Policy Analyst Rodrigo Castañeda Valle also provided perspectives on the Philippine results and global education trends. Despite the encouraging results, DepEd said the latest PISA performance also highlights the work that remains.

The Department’s next priorities include addressing equity, while sustaining reforms aimed at improving learning outcomes and supporting teachers and schools. DepEd will also continue working with education partners to promote the responsible use of digital technology and address challenges such as cyberbullying and its effects on learning.

Angara said the country’s improved PISA performance should be seen as a starting point for an even more ambitious push to improve learning for every Filipino child.