Category: Business Mirror

LIV Golf, the Saudi-funded league known for its 54-hole events with shotgun starts, is expanding to 72 holes for the 2026 season and adding a few extra qualifying spots in a move that could boost its bid to be recognized by the Official World Golf Ranking.

The name of the league-the roman numeral for 54-was built around its faster pace over three rounds instead of the traditional four on most other circuits.

The shotgun start will remain for a league that is likely to see 57 players. LIV previously said it would take the leading two available players from the International Series ranking on the Asian Tour, and two players from the qualifying tournament in January.

Scott O’Neil, the LIV Golf CEO, did not mention the OWGR in the announcement Tuesday, saying only the move to 72 holes marks a ‘pivotal new chapter’ that strengthens the league and challenges the players.

‘The most successful leagues around the world.continue to innovate and evolve their product, and as an emerging league, we are no different,’ O’Neil said. ‘LIV Golf will always have an eye towards progress that acts in the best interest of LIV Golf and in the best interest of the sport.’

Bryson DeChambeau, the two-time US Open champion and one of the top figures in LIV Golf, got straight to the point on what the change to 72 holes will mean.

‘Everyone wants to see the best players in the world competing against each other, especially in the majors, and for the good of the game, we need a path forward,’ DeChambeau said in a statement released by LIV.

‘By moving to 72 holes, LIV Golf is taking a proactive step to align with the historic format recognized globally. This is a fantastic evolution of the LIV Golf product, showing how our League listens and adapts to create the best possible experience.’

LIV Golf Promotions is set for Jan. 8-11 at Black Diamond Ranch in Lecanto, Florida, a Tom Fazio design with a dramatic stretch of closing holes built around a quarry.

It will be the first qualifying event held in North America-the other two were in Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi-and the PGA Tour pushed back by saying there would be repercussions for any of its players who try to qualify.

The tour said any member from the PGA Tour or developmental tours who play in LIV Golf Promotions would not receive a release because of the media rights involved with a competing tour in North America. It did not say what the punishment would be, citing its longstanding policy of not disclosing disciplinary matters.

The tour also said anyone who is not a member, such as an amateur or someone whose status has not been determined on the PGA Tour Americas, would be banned from any PGA Tour competition for one year.

The Promotions event is January 8 to 11, which now is one week before the start of the PGA Tour season now that The Sentry has been canceled because of water issues at Kapalua in Hawaii.

It was not clear if LIV Golf was going to add a 14th team to its league. The team competition will be unchanged and all four rounds will count. It has not said how the team championship at the end of the season will be determined.

The OWGR rejected LIV’s request for world ranking points when it began, primarily concerned over the closed shop of the league-it had the same 54 players all year except for alternates replacing injured players-and the concerns that team competition could affect the integrity of the individual competition since it was based on the same scores.

The 54 holes also was a concern, though there are other tours that receive world ranking points for 54-hole competitions.

LIV Golf submitted a new application in June, before its decision to expand to 72 holes.

The OWGR is seen as critical because the four majors use the ranking to help determine the field. The US Open and British Open have created a separate qualifying category for LIV players, while the PGA Championship has leaned on its vague ‘special invitations’ to create an opportunity for LIV. The Masters, too, has said it could use its invitations at its discretion to get LIV players it feels is worthy of a spot.

The LIV events will be Thursday through Sunday, with the exception of events in Saudi Arabia that end on Saturday.

‘This is a win for the league, and the players,’ said Jon Rahm, who has won the individual title in each of his two years with LIV. ‘Moving to 72 holes is the logical next step that strengthens the competition, tests us more fully, and if the growing galleries from last season are any indication, delivers more of what the fans want.’

Dustin Johnson said a 72-hole event ‘just feels a little more like the big tournaments we’ve all grown up playing.’

LIV Golf begins its fifth season on February 4 to 7 in Saudi Arabia. Still be determined are players switching teams or trying to play their way onto the league that offers $20 million purses and no cuts.

The long weekend gave our kababayans a long respite from their monotonous routine in the city. The All Saints’ Day, or Undas, provided Filipinos precious time to visit the graves of their loved ones and meet close relatives in a reunion of sorts.

For those traveling to the provinces, the visit was memorable and worth the inconveniences they underwent during the trip. The holiday was all the break the Filipinos need from the hectic pace of urban living.

The traveling experience in last week’s long weekend, for sure, was not at all smooth sailing. One can imagine the queues and the rush to airports, seaports, bus terminals and expressways.

Commuters are used to and had expected the chaos at the embarkment stations. Authorities at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport had expected over 1.3 million passengers would pass through NAIA’s three terminals from October 27 to November 5, averaging about 135,000 to 140,000 passengers daily.

The Department of Transportation (DOTr) and other airport officials assured the public that they were ready to make travel safe, smooth and convenient for all passengers during last week’s weekend break. One official even vowed to deliver a world-class airport experience even during the busiest days of the year.

Making the traveling experience of Filipino commuters pleasant and efficient is a challenge, especially during Undas and other holidays, like the Lenten period and the Christmas season.

Our infrastructure lack in the transportation sector prevents us from delivering the comfort to Filipino commuters. Fortunately, the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has prioritized infrastructure through the government’s ‘Build Better More’ (BBM) program.

One key infrastructure project is the Bataan-Cavite Interlink Bridge (BCIB) that will provide a permanent road link between the provinces of Bataan and Cavite.

Spanning 32.15 kilometers across Manila Bay, the bridge will directly connect Barangay Alas-asin in Mariveles, Bataan to Barangay Timalan Concepcion in Naic, Cavite, reducing travel time from five hours to just 45 minutes.

The megastructure is expected to be completed by 2030 and hopes to redefine economic activity, regional mobility and the tourism potential in Bataan and across Central Luzon and Southern Tagalog.

I am optimistic that solutions to the traveling inconvenience of our commuters are forthcoming. The Metro Manila Subway Project (MMSP), North-South Commuter Railway System (NSCR), Edsa Busway modernization and MRT-7 are among these game changers that will improve the traveling experience of Filipinos.

These high-capacity infrastructure projects for the commuters will respond to the growing demand in the economy.

As I’ve written here in my previous columns, once the subway and Manila-Pampanga train system (NSCR) are completed, the four-hour commuting from Pampanga and Bulacan to Metro Manila and vice versa will be cut down to 30 minutes to one hour.

The MMSP, meanwhile, will provide relief to commuters by transporting them to their eventual embarkment point at much-reduced travel time. Set to become fully operational by the end of 2029, it spans 33 kilometers across eight local government units in Metro Manila, and will pass through three central business districts.

It is an expansive system that will be interconnected with LRT-1, MRT-3 and MRT-7 at the Common Station, LRT-2 at Anonas Station and a physical run through into the NSCR-EX at FTI and Bicutan Stations.

The P488.5-billion project is expected to serve around 370,000 passengers a day in its first year of full operations, with capacity to serve up to 1 million passengers a day in later years.

The NSCR project, on the other hand, aims to reduce travel time between Clark, Pampanga and Calamba, Laguna to just two hours and service over 800,000 passengers daily once operational.

A flagship project under the ‘Build Better More’ program, the NSCR is a mega railway network spanning 148 km., with 37 stations and 464 train cars and encompassing three segments-the PNR Clark Phase 1 (Tutuban-Malolos), PNR Clark Phase 2 (Malolos-Clark) and PNR Calamba (Solis-Calamba).

The mass transport project will run across 26 cities and municipalities in Central Luzon, the National Capital Region and Calabarzon. It is designed to serve over 800,000 passengers daily once it becomes fully operational.

These three major infrastructure projects will hopefully fix the woes of our commuters, especially during key holiday seasons. Families on provincial trips will have more quality time to spend after a shorter travel. They are world-class amenities that our commuters deserve.

The Department of Education (DepEd) will be needing nearly P14 million for the immediate minor repairs, and clean-up and clearing operations for 76 schools across six regions after sustaining structural damage due to typhoon Tino.

Initial data from DepEd Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Service (as November 5, 10.a.m.), showed that these 76 schools with damages are located in Region VIII, Region VII, Negros Island Region (NIR), Region IX, Region X, and Region VI.

DepEd said that P2.11 will be spent for clean-up and clearing operations while P11.6 million for the immediate minor repairs of the schools.

DepEd reported that 64 classrooms are totally damaged; 91 classrooms with suffered major damage; 237imor damaged classrooms.

Meanwhile, DepEd said that 20,681 schools have suspended face-to-face classes due to Tino in some regions in the Visayas and parts of Mindanao.

DepEd added that evacuees sought temporary shelter in 522 schools or a total of 2,507 classrooms in Region VII, NIR, Region VIII, CARAGA, Region VI, and MIMAROPA.

THE government should halt the approval of new mines amid environmental degradation and alleged human rights abuses resulting from nickel mining, according to an international climate organization.

This, after a report by Climate Rights International (CRI) showed that nickel mining heightened the vulnerability of residents and workers in the Caraga Region to the climate crisis.

CRI’s report titled ‘Broken Promises: Philippines Nickel Mining Threatens Rights and Increases Climate Vulnerability,’ also revealed that mining destroyed fishing and farming livelihoods, and caused severe environmental pollution that threatened drinking water and health.

As such, CRI researcher Krista Shennum urged the government to prevent and remedy environmental degradation and alleged human rights abuses resulting from nickel mining.

‘We’re also calling on the Filipino government to stop permitting new mines until the industry cleans up its act,’ Shennum told reporters at the press conference of the report’s official launch in Quezon City on Tuesday.

‘If the industry is not following laws, if it’s not fully enforcing and complying, then to add more mines is quite concerning,’ she added.

The country stands as the second-largest nickel producer following Indonesia and the world’s leading exporter of raw nickel ore, a mineral used in batteries for electric vehicles (EVs) and the stainless steel industry.

CRI noted that harms to local communities and the environment were being driven by the individual and cumulative activities of these nickel mining projects.

‘Many nickel mining companies in the Caraga Region have links to powerful actors in the Philippines, including active and former politicians, politically connected families, and wealthy businesspeople,’ the organization said.

With this, the CRI said nickel companies should take immediate action to address water and air pollution caused by their operations and ensure proper disposal of mine waste to minimize environmental pollution.

Meanwhile, the international organization said EVs and battery companies that source nickel from the Philippines should use their leverage to ensure that suppliers end and remedy rights abuses, clean up water and air pollution, and protect the rights of environmental and human rights defenders.

EV companies should also increase transparency by providing public information about all companies in their transition mineral supply chains, it added.

‘Electric vehicle and battery companies have unique leverage to demand that the mining industry cleans up its act. Their customers are environmentally conscious and will decide to buy from companies with the cleanest record,’ Shennum said.

‘If EV companies want to position themselves as global leaders in the fight against climate change, they must demand that mining companies in their supply chains respect the rights of communities and end environmentally destructive practices.’

The Philippines’ official Oscars entry for Best International Feature Film has just won the Golden Spike (Best Picture) at the 70th Valladolid International Film Festival (SEMINCI) in Spain – sharing the top honor with Kelly Reichardt’s ‘The Mastermind.’

The jury hailed ‘Magellan’ for its powerful reimagining of colonial history, stunning visuals, and bold storytelling that bridges the past and present. The Film Academy of the Philippines called it a proud victory for Filipino cinema, celebrating the vision of one of the country’s most acclaimed auteurs.

Premiering at Cannes 2025 before making its way through the international film festival circuit, ‘Magellan’ is distributed globally by Janus Films and continues to earn widespread acclaim for director Lav Diaz, whose unflinching cinema reclaims history from the lens of the colonized.

Starring Gael García Bernal as Ferdinand Magellan, Ronnie Lazaro as Rajah Humabon, and Amado Arjay Babon as Enrique of Malacca-whom Lav emphasizes as the first Malay to circumnavigate the globe-the film stands as a monumental achievement for Philippine cinema and Southeast Asian storytelling on the world stage.

#Magellan #LavDiaz #JanusFilms #FilipinoCinema #Oscars2026 #GoldenSpike #SEMINCI2025 #PhilippineCinema #GaelGarciaBernal #RonnieLazaro #AmadoArjayBabon #Cannes2025 #FilmAcademyOfThePhilippines #CinemaLaya #PinoyPride #IndependentFilm #GlobalCinema #ArtFilm #Philippines #EnriqueOfMalacca

PHILIPPINE business leaders reported that their companies lost P4 trillion in revenues due to fraud over the past year, according to a study by TransUnion.

The report noted that business leaders surveyed in Canada, Hong Kong, India, the Philippines, UK and US reported their companies lost on average 7.7 percent of revenue in the past year due to fraud, which is up from 6.5 percent in 2024.

This represents $534 billion of fraud losses among the 1,200 business leaders surveyed in 2025, TransUnion said.

Based on the study, the 200 Philippine business leaders surveyed said the ‘most prominent’ cause of fraud loss was scam/authorized fraud and first-party fraud, ‘reflecting a dual threat from deception and internal misrepresentation.’

Meanwhile, 56 percent of Philippine business leaders ranked identity verification as the ‘most effective technology’ for preventing fraud.

Hong Kong and India shared the same sentiment with 53 percent and 51 percent of the business leaders, respectively, saying so.

In particular, the study noted that device reputation and behavioral biometrics are ‘gaining traction,’ especially in Hong Kong (49 percent and 44 percent respectively) and the Philippines (48 percent and 41 percent, respectively).

Meanwhile, the Philippines showed stronger adoption of email reputation (44 percent), aligning with phishing being the most reported fraud scheme by Filipinos in TransUnion’s recent consumer survey.

The report also highlighted that consumer-reported fraud is highest in the Philippines but ‘widespread.’

In particular, nearly two-thirds or 65 percent of consumers reported being targeted-one of the highest globally.

Of these, 9 percent said they fell victim, in line with the global average.

‘Phishing led as the top fraud scheme. The high targeting rate underscores the need for consumer education, multi-factor authentication and real-time fraud detection tools,’ the TransUnion study noted.

Typhoon Tino caused massive flooding in some areas of the Visayas and Mindanao.

With this, the Department of Health (DOH) reminded that wading in floodwaters can pose health risk like contracting leptospirosis.

The DOH said that people may get leptospirosis due to floodwaters or handling soil/mud/dirt after a flood, with or without visible wounds, through exposed skin.

The DOH said that symptoms can take as long as one month to appear.

‘There are antibiotics available for prevention [i.e., prophylaxis], and this requires a prescription. Consult your nearest doctor or health center within 24 hours after wading through floodwaters or touching soil/mud/dirt after a flood,’ the DOH said.

Leptospirosis is a bacterial infection transmitted by many animals, such as rodents and other vermin. Waste products like urine and feces of an infected animal, especially rats, contaminate the soil, water, and vegetation.

Zoonotic disease

It is a zoonotic disease, affecting both animals and humans, caused by the leptospira bacterium found in contaminated water or soil.

Leptospira bacteria can enter the body through breaks in the skin, or through the eyes, nose and mouth. Infected animal urine like those from infected rats can mix with flood water, which then comes into contact with people wading through or playing in it.

Without treatment, leptospirosis in people can lead to kidney damage, meningitis (inflammation of the membrane around the brain and spinal cord), liver failure, trouble breathing, and even death.

Symptoms

Leptospirosis symptoms include fever, vomiting, nausea, muscle pain, and headache.

Some cases have distinct pain in the calf muscles, and reddish eyes. Severe cases may have jaundice (yellowish body discoloration), dark-colored urine, light-colored stool, low urine output, and severe headache. Many of these symptoms can be mistaken for other diseases; some people have no symptoms.

It generally takes two to 30 days to get sick after having contact with the bacteria that cause leptospirosis.

Therefore, people must consult doctors immediately after being exposed to, wading or playing in, flood waters as there is a preventive antibiotic prescription, the DOH said.

Areas struck by the red-striped soft-scale insects (RSSI) expanded to over 7,400 hectares as of October 24, according to the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA).

Based on the latest SRA data, 7,449 hectares have been infested with RSSI, from the initial 87 hectares recorded on May 22, when it was declared an infestation.

Of which, 7,386 hectares were standing canes, while 62 hectares were harvested canes, where production data would be recorded.

It has also affected 4,106 farmers since its detection in Negros, which makes up over 60 percent of the country’s sugar output.

Broken down, Visayas posted the largest infestation, with 5,826 hectares affected by the plant disease. This was followed by Luzon with 1,539 hectares and Mindanao with 83 hectares.

SRA Administrator Pablo Luis Azcona told the BusinessMirror that RSSI could slash the sugar content of infected canes in Negros by as much as 50 percent, citing the agency’s findings.

He said this could temper the agency’s outlook for raw sugar production in crop year 2025-2026, which started on October 1. The impact, however, may be minimal.

‘Those sugarcanes whose infestation was not that severe, the minimum drop in yield was 20 percent,’ Azcona said. ‘But those with severe infestation in the north of Negros, specifically in the Silay area, the drop in yield reached 50 percent.’

While the impact of RSSI on sugar content was the easiest to monitor, Azcona warned that the insect could potentially affect the growth if canes.

‘In the North, they said canes that were infected at their early stage didn’t seem to grow. So, maybe there’s also an effect on tonnage.’

The SRA said raw sugar output in the current crop year could fall by nearly 8 percent to 1.92 million metric tons (MMT) from the previous crop year’s 2.085 MMT.

However, the agency noted that the initial forecast may be adjusted downward owing to the potential impact of RSSI infestation on yield.

‘It’s an estimate based on the heavy rainfall experienced in the north of Negros, and [there] might be a small drop considering the presence of RSSI,’ Azcona said.

Under Sugar Order 1, the raw sugar allocation for the new crop year would be classified as ‘B,’ which means all sugar produced until September 30 next year will be sold for domestic consumption.

Figures from the SRA showed that the country’s raw sugar output settled at 2.085 MMT in crop year 2024-2025.

The Department of Agriculture (DA) noted that since 2022, the sugar industry has seen a steady expansion in planted areas-from 380,000 hectares to 409,000 hectares this year.

Last month, the DA said the government would not allow sugar imports until the second quarter of 2026 due to concerns over the decline in the farmgate prices of the sweetener.

A MORE gradual and flexible tariff adjustment on rice shall be adopted starting January 1, 2026 depending on the change in international prices, according to the Economy and Development (ED) Council chaired by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., the Department of Economy, Planning, and Development (DEPDev) announced Tuesday night.

This, the Council said, after it approved the recommendation of the Tariff and Related Matters Committee (TRMC) to maintain the tariff rate on rice imports at 15 percent until December 31,2025, for both in-quota and out-quota imports.

‘Starting January 1,2026, a more gradual and flexible tariff adjustment shall be adopted, with adjustments by 5 percentage points per 5 percent change in international prices, subject to a minimum rate of 15 percent and a maximum rate of 35 percent,’ the DEPDev statement read.

The socioeconomic planning body said the TRMC’s recommendation is part of a ‘broader’ government strategy to ensure ‘stable’ rice prices and protect both farmers and consumers, while safeguarding macroeconomic stability.

For his part, DEPDev Arsenio M. Balisacan underscored that the recent decision made by the President-upon the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) recommendation-to extend the rice import ban until the end of December ‘renders the rice tariffs redundant,’ adding, ‘they no longer affect local market prices.’

In an interview with reporters on Monday, Balisacan said DA’s assessment is that there is ‘good enough supply’ for the rest of the year.

‘Our data also shows that there is good enough supply to prevent increases in retail prices,’ the DEPDev secretary also noted.

He pointed out that the overall goal is to protect farm gate prices from further falling.

‘Because in the past almost a year now, farm gate prices have dropped by more than 30 percent. It is quite sharp. I’ve seen that kind of decline in recent years, many years. So it’s a concern that our poorest of the poor which is in the rural communities are hitting such a .’ Balisacan noted.

He emphasized the importance of using a ‘combination of tools to achieve both the farm problem and the consumer problem’ to make food prices affordable to consumers while at the same time preventing any upward pressure on inflation and hurting the economy in the longer term.

‘So those things will require different tools and the import ban is very temporary,’ the DEPDev chief said, adding, ‘We are setting in place a more permanent ecosystem for the rice sector and the food sector in general.’

Apart from the rice tariff, the ED Council approved other key programs on Education, Water Access, and Social Protection.

Among the approved measures is the Program for Learning Upgrading and School Development (PLUS-D) of the Department of Education (DepEd), with a total cost of P38.27 billion.

Proposed for official development assistance (ODA) loan financing from the World Bank, PLUS-D seeks to enhance learning outcomes and strengthen education management and delivery systems nationwide, DEPDev said.

The agency said PLUS-D, which is scheduled for implementation from 2026 to 2032, will introduce ‘system-level’ interventions, provide targeted support to schools, and establish monitoring and evaluation mechanisms.

The program aims to improve literacy and numeracy among Kindergarten to Grade 6 learners, and boost reading and math proficiency for students in Grades 7 to 10.

Balisacan said this project ensures that education reforms reach every Filipino learner, especially those in disadvantaged areas.

‘By strengthening schools and supporting teachers, we hope to create better learning environments that enable every child to achieve their full potential,’ Balisacan noted.

The Council likewise approved the Accelerating Water Supply and Sanitation for the Poor and Lagging Areas (AWSPSA) project, with a total cost of P14.98 billion.

Also proposed for ODA loan financing from the World Bank, AWSPSA aims to improve access to safe water supply and sanitation services in underserved communities, addressing public health and local development challenges, DEPDev noted.

The country’s agricultural imports continued to outpace exports in September but the trade gap was narrower, based on data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

PSA figures showed the country’s agricultural trade deficit shrank by 15.7 percent to $932.15 million in September, from $1.11 billion a year ago.

While agri goods purchased abroad continued to outstrip shipments of farm products in the reference month, PSA data indicated that exports grew by 19.1 percent to $794.46 million from last year’s $667.05 million.

Imports continued to dominate the country’s farm trade, despite slipping by 2.6 percent to $1.73 billion in September from $1.77 billion in the previous year.

Overall, the country’s total agricultural trade inched up by 3.3 percent to $2.52 billion, a slowdown from the 5-percent increase recorded in August and the 26.1-percent surge posted in September 2024.

Animal, vegetable, or microbial fats and oils were the country’s top agricultural export, earning $297.51 million or 37.4 percent of total farm export receipts.

This was followed by edible fruit and nuts; preparations of vegetables, fruit, nuts, or other parts of plants; and preparations of meat, of fish, of crustaceans, molluscs, or other aquatic invertebrates or of insects.

The top 10 export groups altogether contributed 97.8 percent of total farm export earnings, collectively growing by 20 percent.

Within the Asean region, Malaysia emerged as the Philippines’ leading buyer of farm goods, purchasing $26.34 million worth of exports, or more than a third of total agricultural shipments to Southeast Asian neighbors.

Meanwhile, the Netherlands remained the country’s biggest agricultural trading partner in the European Union (EU), accounting for $142.82 million or 61.1 percent of exports to the bloc.

Cereals led the country’s farm imports in September with a value of $361.26 million, representing 20.9 percent of total agricultural imports. The top 10 import groups reached a combined $1.46 billion, down 1.9 percent from the same month of last year.

Among its Asean partners, Indonesia was the country’s leading source of agricultural imports, supplying $190.86 million worth of goods or 28.3 percent of the Philippines’ total agricultural imports from the region.

Spain was the Philippines’s main supplier of agricultural goods in the EU, accounting for $44.51 million or 28.1 percent of total imports from EU member states.