Category: Business Mirror

Makati Medical Center (MakatiMed) celebrated the 30th anniversary of its Laser Center under the Department of Dermatology on September 30, 2025, with a meaningful program in collaboration with Breast Imaging Center and Department of Psychiatry at the 8F Tower 2 Auditorium.

With the theme ‘Courage,’ the event honored patients facing skin and breast cancer, as well as those navigating mental health challenges, while paying tribute to the compassion and dedication of the hospital’s doctors, nurses, and staff.

In his opening remarks, Interim Co-President and CEO and Medical Director Saturnino P. Javier, MD, commended the cooperation among the Dermatology, Radiology, and Psychiatry Departments, emphasizing, ‘Unity and collaboration are highlighted by the several departments, and that has always been the flagship of Makati Medical Center-we collaborate at every important activity.’

The program featured Ryan Raymond Y. Bautista, MD, Head of the MakatiMed Wellness Center, who shared an overview of its services; Donna Marie L. Sarrosa, MD, Chairperson of the Department of Dermatology, who traced the history of laser dermatology and introduced Dermagraphix, the country’s first advanced skin cancer detection technology; and Julie Anne Patricia M. Songco, MD, who underscored the role of dermoscopy in early detection through her lecture ‘Dermo-scope: Zeroing in on Early Skin Cancer.’ Socio-civic leader Elizabeth Eder Zobel de Ayala also shared her advocacy for cancer prevention, followed by a message from broadcast journalist Bernadette Sembrano who expressed her appreciation for the hospital for the warmth and excellence she experienced in her every visit. Maria Luz Espinosa, MD highlighted the importance of imaging in breast cancer detection and Genevere Serna-Santos, MD recounted the history of the Breast Imaging Center. In line with Mental Health Awareness Month, Joaquim Gerardo L. Jurilla, MD, a second-year resident, presented on MakatiMed’s holistic approach to care, underscoring that healing goes beyond the physical.

The celebration culminated with ‘An Evening with Music and Advocacy’, starting with a surprise dance number from the LeBran dancers, a group of doctors. The event also featured OPM band Ben and Ben, whose music inspired hope, connection, and comfort among attendees.

Through this event, MakatiMed reaffirmed its mission to provide compassionate, innovative, and holistic care, supporting every patient’s journey to healing and wellness.

Starting next year, overseas Filipino workers in Taiwan will benefit from the pending decision of Taiwan to raise the monthly minimum wage to NT$29,500 (P56,381.85), according to the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW).

It will be a 3.18 percent increase to the prevailing monthly minimum wage NT$28,590 (P54,642.61) in Taiwan. The Taiwanese government also raised the hourly rate from NT$190 (P363.14) to NT$196 (P374.60).

The higher rates, will take effect on 1 January 2025 once it is approved by the Executive Yuan-the highest administrative body in the self-governing island. It is the 10th successive year Taiwan implemented such an increase.

DMW Secretary Hans J. Cacdac welcomed said wage hikes in Taiwan, which he said will help thousands of OFWs cope with rising cost of living.

‘We are very grateful to the Taiwanese government and labor organizations for their efforts to implement this wage hike,’ he said in Filipino in a statement.

‘This news is a victory for all workers in Taiwan, especially for our OFWs,’ he added.

The DMW chief assured that they will ensure that OFWs will benefit from the said increase.

Based on the latest government data, of the 200,000 Filipinos in Taiwan, 170,000 are workers.

The Department of Public Works and Highways on Thursday said initial estimates indicate tht at least P2 billion worth of infrastructures were damagedby the 6.9 magnitude earthquake that struck Cebu province on Tuesday evening.

In a news conference, Public Works Secretary Vivencio Dizon said the figure could still go up as their teams continue to conduct more assessments.

Dizon said that the moment, the priorities are clearing the roads and providing access for the unhampered delivery of relief goods to the affected areas.

‘We were sent here by the President quickly to respond immediately to the needs of Bogo and the other affected localities,’ he added.

Dizon added that a team will be sent to assess the structural integrity of the Bogo City Provincial Hospital.

He said that the hospital incurred major damages in its operating room, emergency room, and the delivery room. With this, he instructed DPWH Cebu to direct all its resources to conduct repairs starting Thursday.

Tourism

TOURISM Secretary Christina Frasco reported that 80 tourism establishments incurred damage and 711 tourism workers were affected.

She asked the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to provide assistance for the displaced tourism workers.

DOT has also facilitated for the safe return of 14 local tourists who got stranded, and assisted one foreign tourist to stay in a safe place in Bogo City as the latter opted not to leave.

‘We want to assure the local governments that the national government is here to help out. Nakighiusa mi sa mga kaigsonan sa Sugbo niining nahitabo [We are in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in Cebu after what happened],’ Frasco assured.

The DOT will also also send a team to conduct assess the damage to churches.

THE Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) has summoned Senator Mark Villar to ‘discuss and shed light’ in relation to its ongoing probe into the anomalous flood control and other infrastructure of the government.

The invitation, dated October 2 and signed by ICI Chair Andres Reyes, was sent to Villar’s office in the Senate.

Villar was asked to testify under oath about the planning, budgeting, supervisions and monitoring of flood control and other infrastructure projects undertaken during his tenure as Secretary of the Department of Public Works and Highways.

He served as DPWH chief under the administration of former President Duterte from 2016 to 2021.

The ICI has scheduled Villar’s appearance before the commission on October 7 at its headquarters inside the Department of Energy Compound, in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City.

The ICI issued the summon a day after Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said that the justice department will will be looking into the alleged ‘prohibited interest’ of the Villar family in the estimated P18.5 billion infrastructure projects in Las Piñas City.

Remulla said the investigation is necessary following a news report that a close relative of the Villars owns a construction firm that undertook several infrastructure projects, including flood-control projects, in the city.

Aside from Villar, Remulla said the agency will also investigate Senator Camille Villar, who also served as congresswoman of the lone district of Las Piñas in the 19th Congress and former businesswoman Cynthia VIllar, who served as a senator from 2013 to 2025 and congresswoman for the city’s lone district from 2001 to 2010.

At a press briefing yesterday, Remulla disclosed that the camp of Villars has sought a meeting with him but he has yet to respond to the request.

‘There was an effort to set a meeting. But, I have not given my response because I would rather it be done officially,’ he said.

THE Commission on Audit (COA) has filed four additional fraud audit reports before the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI), exposing cases of fully paid but non-existent or substandard flood control projects in Bulacan.

According to state auditors, the new filings involve projects in the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH)-Bulacan 1st District Engineering Office (DEO), ranging from P69 million to nearly P97 million.

The findings point to what the agency describes as another set of ‘ghost projects’ that were marked as completed and fully paid by the government.

COA flagged two projects awarded to SYMS Construction Trading: a P92.69-million flood control structure in Barangay San Roque, Baliuag, and another P92.71-million revetment project along Angat River in Barangay Taal, Pulilan.

Inspectors reported that the San Roque structure did not exist at the approved site, while an alternative location pointed out by DPWH officials contained a substandard facility that did not meet specifications.

For the Pulilan project, auditors found only an abandoned slope protection structure that predated the contract period.

Despite the irregularities and the absence of critical documents required under COA Circular No. 2009-001, the DPWH-Bulacan 1st DEO had fully paid SYMS Construction.

‘This is another ghost project,’ state auditors said.

Among those initially held ‘liable’ are District Engineer Henry C. Alcantara, Assistant District Engineer Brice Ericson D. Hernandez, Planning and Design Section Chief Ernesto Galang, Engineer John Michael E. Ramos, Project Engineer Lemuel Ephraim SD. Roque, Engineer Jolo Mari V. Tayao.

SYMS owner Sally Santos was also found to be liable.

Aside from SYMS, state auditors found a P69.48-million riverbank protection project awarded to Topnotch Catalyst Builders Inc. as anomalous.

The approved site in Plaridel showed no signs of a flood control structure, while the alternate site identified by DPWH contained an incomplete facility that fell short of approved standards.

‘Based on these findings, COA takes this to mean that the fully paid flood control project does not exist,’ the agency said.

Aside from Alcantara, Hernandez, and Galang, Construction Section Chief Jaypee D. Mendoza, Ramos, Engineer Irene DC. Otingco, Engineer Joshua Blitz S. Roxas, Engineer Bernardo Villafuerte, and Eumir S. Villanueva of Topnotch Catalyst Builders, Inc. as well as the company’s officers and members of the board, ‘were tagged as liable.’

The audit also covered a P96.5-million riverwall construction project in Barangay Pagala, Baliuag, contracted to Triple 8 Construction and Supply Inc. Similar to the other cases, the approved site showed no structure, while the alternate site presented a facility ‘drastically’ below plan specifications.

The project had nonetheless been fully paid, with COA citing the absence of supporting validation documents as another red flag.

Triple 8’s officers and members of the board, led by Wilfredo M. Natividad, along with Alcantara, Hernandez, Ramos, Galang, and Mendoza were found liable.

COA said individuals found liable may face graft and corruption charges under Republic Act 3019, malversation and falsification of documents under the Revised Penal Code, as well as violations of procurement laws and COA regulations.

‘The initial list of liable persons is not final and may expand as the audit progresses, or new information becomes available,’ the COA said.

To date, COA has filed a total of 17 Fraud Audit Reports: nine with the Office of the Ombudsman and eight with the ICI, including the four new cases.

SIMPLE LIFE

BEFORE he married the celebrity, the politician lived a relatively simple life, considering his status. He and his family lived in a modest but comfortable home. But marriage to the celebrity changed that. The politician is by no means innocent in all this because he gave his wife all that money of his own free will but it’s obvious that he would not be living this life if he had not married her. Because of the recent uproar against those in government who live luxuriously in these difficult times, the husband told his wife to keep a low profile and not flaunt whatever it is she keeps flaunting.

BIRDS OF THE SAME FEATHER

PEOPLE are comparing a young and pretty starlet to a star who is no longer active in show business, this for a lot of reasons. One is that they became popular not because they are talented but because of luck. The more important reason, they say, is that they’re both allegedly uncouth and rude. The young and pretty starlet is very popular but many claim to have had rude encounters with her. The more senior star has had many horror stories told about her behavior too. One of these stories is that she insists on sleeping while having her makeup done, making things difficult for her glam team.

FAT SHAMED

THE starlet must have had a difficult time growing up as a chubby girl because her father is known for being fatphobic. Those who are close to the starlet have, in fact, heard her father castigating her for being overweight. According to these sources, he even goes as far as comparing her to thinner girls, saying ‘no one will say you’re beautiful because you’re fat.’ The starlet eventually gave in to this pressure and is now as thin as her father wants her to be. She is a lovely and nice girl at any weight.

ON THE ROCKS

IT seems that the marriage of this beautiful couple is on the rocks but both parties are working hard to save it. It reportedly got to the point where the wife left the marital home but came back after a while. There are no cheating rumors on both sides so everyone is curious as to what happened. The wife has not posted anything about her husband on social media in a while and this has added to everyone’s curiosity about what is happening.

Vientiane, Laos – Hinatuan Mining Corporation – Taganaan (HMC), a subsidiary of Nickel Asia Corporation (NAC), has won the Best Practices in Distribution award at the 4th ASEAN Mineral Awards (AMA), held recently in Vientiane, Laos.

The AMA is a biennial event that recognizes excellence in mineral development across ASEAN, with a focus on sustainable practices, technological innovation, and responsible industry leadership.

This is the second recognition for HMC at the AMA. In 2023, the company was named 2nd runner-up in the same category during the ceremony in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

‘HMC’s continuous pursuit of excellence in distribution practices has solidified its position as a leader in the mining industry, further enhancing its reputation for corporate responsibility, efficiency, and sustainability,’ said NAC Senior Vice President and HMC Resident Mine Manager Francisco Aranes Jr.

HMC’s victory is the fourth AMA award earned by the NAC Group since the program’s launch in 2017. That year, Rio Tuba Nickel Mining Corporation (RTN), another NAC subsidiary, won the top prize in the Best Practices in Minerals Mining category, and later secured runner-up honors at the 2nd AMA in Bangkok under the Metallic Mining category.

HMC – Taganaan is one of six mining subsidiaries of the NAC Group. It is situated on the Hinatuan Island in Barangay Talavera within the municipality of Taganaan, Surigao del Norte. It operates within the Surigal Mineral Reservation, focusing on the export of saprolite and limonite ore.

THE country’s fish unloading volume rose by over 9 percent in August, the Philippine Fisheries Development Authority (PFDA) reported.

In its latest briefer, the PFDA said the fish unloading volume in the reference month grew by 9.7 percent to 46,458.20 metric tons (MT) from the 42,354.45 MT posted in the same period last year.

The General Santos Fish Port Complex held the lion’s share of the total unloading record delivered to consumers in August at 23,716.08 MT. This was higher than the 19,718.79 MT recorded in the previous year.

PFDA noted that the Navotas Fish Port Complex, the largest RFP in the country, trailed behind as it unloaded 16,211.08 MT of fish, higher than the 15,809.70 MT of fish products delivered to consumers in the same period last year.

For its Luzon ports, the agency said the Lucena Fish Port Complex unloaded 1,752.3 MT of fish products in August, up from the previous year’s 1,669.05 MT.

The Bulan Fish Port Complex in Sorsogon delivered 860.9 MT of fish in the reference month, according to the agency. It was lower than the 1,328.10 MT last year.

The PFDA said the sole port in the Visayas-Iloilo Fish Port Complex-managed to supply 2,843.4 MT of fish to consumers in August, from 2,724.86 MT.

Meanwhile, the country’s Mindanao ports-Zamboanga Fish Port Complex and Davao Fish Port Complex-supplied 704.55 MT and 360.57 MT of fish, respectively.

The agency also said the Sual Fish Port delivered 9.31 MT of fish products in the reference month.

The Department of Agriculture (DA) earlier issued memorandum orders that allowed the Philippines to import fish and aquatic products.

Such a move is aimed at ensuring a stable supply amid successive typhoons and the upcoming closed fishing season.

Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. signed MO 47, which stipulated the guidelines on the implementation of the certificate of necessity to import (CNI) 55,000 MT of frozen fish for wet markets covering the period of October to December.

Only registered importers under Fisheries Administrative Order 259 can participate in the importation program under CNI 55,000 MT.

In a separate document, Laurel also issued MO 46, authorizing the importation of 22,000 MT of various frozen seafood. The CNI covers the period September to December.

Such an import order followed the National Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Management Council (NFARMC) recommendation to ‘provide a wider range of choices of affordable fish’ and ‘cater to the market demand.’

THE Premier Volleyball League (PVL) Reinforced Conference is set for a high-intensity, action-packed run crammed into just eight weeks to accommodate Alas Pilipinas’s participation in the Southeast Asian Games in Thailand this December.

The import-laden tournament kicks off on Tuesday with the league using its streamlined Reinforced Conference format-the 12 teams are divided into two pools and will play a single round-robin within their groups and the top three teams from each pool will advance to the second round and face off only against the bottom three squads from the opposite group.

Rankings will follow the FIVB classification system based on total wins, match points, set ratio and point ratio.

At the end of the second round, all 12 teams will be re-ranked from 1 to 12 and the bottom four will be eliminated, and the top eight will advance to the quarterfinals, which will follow a 1 vs 8, 2 vs 7, 3 vs 6, and 4 vs 5 knockout format.

The semifinals, championship and bronze medal matches will also be one-game encounters.

Fresh off a dominant preseason, PLDT is aiming to complete a rare triple crown after sweeping both the PVL on Tour and the Invitational Conference.

Led by Russian ace Anastasiia Bavykina, the High Speed Hitters boast a stacked roster and are gunning to finish the year with a perfect record.

PVL president Ricky Palou expressed optimism for another unforgettable conference during Thursday’s press conference of the import-laced conference-backed by Milcu, Fabriano Appliances, Mikasa and International Container Terminal Services Inc.-at the Discovery Suites in Ortigas.

‘We’re looking forward to a very exciting conference,’ Palou said. ‘It’s going to be more competitive than usual because it’s Reinforced-we still have to see the caliber and skills of the imports. Whoever wins the championship, it’s anybody’s game.’

Creamline will look to bounce back with American spiker Courtney Schwan, seeking to defend its title, while Petro Gazz returns with a proven weapon in Lindsey Vander Weide, a key figure in their 2022 championship run.

Galeries Tower has signed former Chery Tiggo import Jelena Cvijovic of Montenegro, Nxled will lean on Spanish standout Paola Martinez Vela, Akari welcomes American Annie Mitchem, while Capital1 brings in Ukrainian Oleksandra Bytsenko.

Chery Tiggo tapped Cuban veteran Yunieska Robles Batista, Choco Mucho will be reinforced by American Anyse Smith, Cignal will rely on Greek hitter Eva Chantava, Farm Fresh looks to make waves with Belgian Helene Rousseaux, and ZUS Coffee is banking on American spiker Anna DeBeer.

THE Department of Finance (DOF) announced last Thursday of having maintained its International Organization for Standardization (ISO) certification for its compliance with global standards.

A statement issued by the DOF read that the department sustained its ISO 9001:2015 certification for eight years, following a third surveillance audit conducted in September 2025.

By securing an ISO certification, an organization’s management system, process, service, or documentation procedure has met all the global requirements for standardization and quality assurance set by the International Organization for Standardization.

According to the non-governmental body, ISO 9001 is a standard ‘that sets out the requirements for a quality management system. It helps businesses and organizations to be more efficient and improve customer satisfaction.’

‘This stamp of approval from the ISO is evidence of the kind of public service that we at the DOF are committed to delivering. At the DOF, there is no room for ‘just good enough.’ Everything must be aligned with global standards,’ Finance Secretary Ralph G. Recto was quoted as saying in the statement.

The ISO 9001:2015 Certification for its Quality Management System is the most widely recognized quality management standard in the world.

An external team regularly conducts surveillance audits to verify continuous adherence to ISO standards. The third Surveillance Audit on the DOF was carried out on September 17 and 18, 2025.

The audit covered the DOF’s core processes, such as the granting of tax exemptions on importations by the Revenue Office (RO), the support services provided by the Policy Development and Management Services Group, and the functions of the Legal Affairs Office.

The DOF received a feedback score of 99.55 percent in the service quality dimension during the second quarter of 2025.

In 2017, the DOF secured its first ISO 9001 certification (2008 version), covering the core processes of the RO and the Municipal Development Fund Office, and the updated 2015 version later that same year.

Since then, the DOF has maintained its certification through successful recertification audits conducted in 2021 and 2024, alongside annual surveillance audits.