Category: Business Mirror

Landers Superstore, the country’s fastest-growing membership shopping destination, has officially partnered with the La Salle Green Hills Alumni Association (LSGHAA) to provide exclusive benefits to the LSGH community through a special membership promotion supported by Chinabank.

The partnership was formalized during a contract signing ceremony held at Landers Arcovia on June 10, 2026. The event was attended by officers and board members of LSGHAA, led by President Dr. Jose Luis Angel B. Orosa and Vice President for Internal Affairs Mr. Halmond Parker R. Ong, together with Mr. Kenneth Ocampo, Vice President for Marketing and Membership of Landers Superstore, Ms. Mona Batalla, Senior Membership Manager, and members of the Landers Marketing and Membership team.

Under this partnership, La Salle Green Hills alumni who present a valid LSGH Alumni Card at any Landers store and sign up for a Landers Executive Membership with a Landers Executive Visa Signature powered by Chinabank credit card application will receive their Executive Membership free of charge, courtesy of Chinabank. Approval of the Chinabank credit card is subject to the Bank’s credit evaluation and applicable terms and conditions. The initiative strengthens the collaboration among the three organizations while delivering meaningful benefits and greater value to the LSGH alumni community and their families.

Landers Executive Membership is the most rewarding membership tier, offering a 2% unlimited rebate on Landers purchases, free online delivery on orders with a minimum spend of P3,000, zero personal shopper fees, and other exclusive member-only privileges. The partnership reflects Landers Superstore’s continued commitment to fostering meaningful collaborations and creating more rewarding experiences through innovative membership programs.

With 16 stores and a growing community of more than 2 million members nationwide, Landers Superstore continues to elevate the membership shopping experience by delivering exceptional value through exclusive perks, world-class selections, and unique experiences that enable members to find what they value most.

Interested La Salle Green Hills alumni may present their valid LSGH Alumni Card and sign up for a Landers Executive Membership with a Landers Executive Visa Signature powered by Chinabank credit card application at any Landers store. This special offer is valid until August 31, 2026.

For inquiries or concerns regarding Chinabank credit card applications, clients may call Chinabank Customer Service Hotline at +632 888-55-888. Chinabank is regulated by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas.

ABS-CBN Corp. expects its current momentum to carry the company back to profitability, its top executive said, after slashing its debt by more than half, cutting overhead spending by 54 percent, and rebuilding revenues to their highest level since it lost its broadcast franchise in 2020.

‘We recognize that we are not yet where we need to be,’ ABS-CBN President and CEO Carlo Katigbak told shareholders at the company’s annual stockholders’ meeting on Wednesday. ‘We continue to believe with complete confidence that the momentum you are seeing will carry us through to profitability.’

The media conglomerate has brought down its outstanding debt to just under P8.5 billion from P20.5 billion in 2019, excluding Sky Cable Corp.-a 58-percent reduction achieved largely through asset sales, Katigbak said.

The company has also fundamentally restructured its cost base. General and administrative expenses and manpower costs, excluding Sky, fell to a combined P6.9 billion in 2025 from P15 billion in 2019, before the franchise loss.

Revenues excluding Sky reached P12.6 billion last year, the highest since the shutdown of its free-to-air operations. This compares with P9.3 billion in 2021, the first full year without a franchise, though still well below the P33.2 billion it generated in 2019.

Recurring net loss excluding Sky, before one-time gains and losses, narrowed to P2.5 billion in 2025 from P8.3 billion in 2020, with losses shrinking every year since.

‘This is a new ABS-CBN that we are building, faithful to our mission of public service, but adapting to a different time and circumstance,’ Katigbak said. ‘We no longer depend on owning platforms to reach audiences, instead building partnerships that would have once seemed impossible.’

Among these is the company’s collaboration with longtime rival GMA Network Inc. on ‘Pinoy Big Brother,’ as well as content deals with Amazon Prime, where its mini-series ‘The Silent Noise’ won Best Asian Content at the Global OTT Awards 2026, and Netflix, where ‘Sosyal Climbers’ topped the Philippine charts and cracked the platform’s global top 10 for non-English films.

The company’s P-pop group BINI has logged 2 billion streams and became the first all-Filipino group to perform at Coachella. The group was also tapped by Dreamworks Animation and Universal Pictures to perform the soundtrack for the film ‘Forgotten Island.’

Star Cinema produced the three highest-grossing Filipino films of 2025, with a combined box office of P900 million, while the company’s YouTube channel has grown to over 55 million subscribers, the largest entertainment channel in Southeast Asia.

Katigbak said the company’s survival is a test of its public service mission.

‘It is a chance to decide whether ‘In the Service of the Filipino’ was just a compelling slogan that served us well in good times, or if it is the genuine reason for our existence, proven because we embraced it in impossible times.’

On a consolidated basis with Sky, ABS-CBN posted revenues of P15.8 billion in 2025, down 9 percent from P17.3 billion, as the cable TV and broadband segment continued to lose subscribers. Consolidated net loss narrowed 23 percent to P4.7 billion from P6.1 billion the prior year.

Health gets P1.06 trillion, which would push our health spending up to 3.19 percent of GDP from 2.68 percent this year. This means more money for hospitals, medicine and health services.

Infrastructure, under the government’s Build Better More Program, gets P1.467 trillion-or 4.4 percent of GDP and P178 billion more than this year-to build more roads, bridges, railways and water systems.

Based on DBM breakdown, education (DepEd) gets the largest share at P976 billion, or 13.55 percent of the total budget. Public works (DPWH) gets P644 billion for roads and bridges.

Health, specialty hospitals and PhilHealth combined get P353.8 billion. Local government and public safety (DILG) gets P332.5 billion. National defense gets P328.8 billion, including military modernization. And transportation (DOTr) gets P302.2 billion for railways and public transit.

The DBM says it expects Congress to scrutinize the budget carefully, and I agree that’s how it should be-every peso needs to go where it will actually help people.

On the ground, I’m encouraged that the DBM already started releasing funds for 2026 infrastructure projects to the DPWH toward the end of June. The DPWH began awarding contracts in June and July. Secretary Balisacan said he expects public construction spending to pick up in the third quarter and keep building momentum after that.

To hit the government’s full-year growth target of 3.5 to 4.5 percent, our economy should grow at least 4.4 percent in the second half of the year, based on DEPDEv’s calculations. Indeed, this will be tough, but the target is still within reach if we work together. Specifically, we should speed up high-priority infrastructure projects, with immediate economic impact.

Our growth engine needs a restart. Agriculture, manufacturing and exports are already pulling their weight. To keep the rest of the economy moving, we need to release the budget on time, get contractors moving and clear the way for economic activities and opportunities.

I think we have a real shot at hitting our second-half growth target. It requires higher investments from the government and the private sector and the cooperation of everyone.

WITH the Philippines strengthening its food safety system, Poland is training the spotlight on the European Union’s production standards in its poultry sector to expand bilateral trade.

The National Poultry Council-Chamber of Commerce (KRD-IG) organized a study mission to Poland for representatives of the Philippine food industry last June as part of the ‘European Poultry-From Our Farms to Your Tables’ campaign, co-funded by the EU.

This, after the Philippine government signed into law the Animal Industry Development and Competitiveness Act in 2025, which the KRD-IG said reflected the growing importance of food safety and supply chain transparency in international trade.

‘The Philippines is one of the most promising markets outside the EU for the Polish poultry industry,’ KRD-IG President Dariusz Goszczynski said.

‘We are pleased with the strong interest in the European production and food safety standards presented during the mission. We believe direct meetings with Philippine industry representatives will support further growth in trade,’ he added.

As such, the study mission to Poland focused on food safety, product traceability, and veterinary supervision in the European poultry sector.

The delegation learned about the European poultry production system and veterinary supervision rules at the Polish Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Experts also discussed risk-based controls, export certification, and systems designed to ensure traceability across the supply chain.

Furthermore, the study mission included production-site visits, which helped show how European quality and food safety standards work in practice.

Delegates also explored quality control and traceability systems and discussed opportunities to expand trade between the EU, including Poland, and the Philippines.

Meanwhile, Goszczynski said the group is working to scale down further the county-level regionalization scheme for bird flu to the municipal level to enable more efficient trade in poultry products.

‘We are also working to establish regionalization within the smallest possible area accepted by the Philippine authorities, which will be another important step towards expanding Polish poultry exports,’ Goszczynski said.

After receiving a system accreditation from the Department of Agriculture (DA) in 2023, Poland has also secured a regionalization agreement with the Philippines for poultry.

According to KRD-IG, the Philippines is becoming an ‘increasingly important market’ for the European poultry sector.

Citing DG AGRI’s European Commission data, the group said Philippine imports of poultry meat from the EU reached 67,296 metric tons (MT) in 2025, compared with 3,486 MT two years earlier.

Poland is the third-largest supplier of chicken meat, particularly mechanically deboned meat (MDM) shipments, to the Philippines.

The National Electrification Administration (NEA) has recognized the Zamboanga City Electric Cooperative (ZAMCELCO) for reducing system losses from over 20 percent to roughly 13 percent between January to July this year.

According to NEA Administrator Antonio Mariano Almeda, ZAMCELCO implemented measures to reduce or eliminate non-technical system losses.

‘I am glad to restate that the measures taken show great promise,’ Almeda said. ‘Our experience in ZAMCELCO and other ECs [electric cooperatives] now serves as the foundation for developing an institutionalized program to support and implement the envisioned system loss law, should this mandate the prohibition of system loss from pilferages to be passed on to the consumers,’ he added.

Through a P400-million investment from Crown Investment Holdings Inc. (CIHI) targeting infrastructure upgrades and anti-pilferage measures, ZAMCELCO serves as a model for impending regulations on passing system losses to consumers.

‘ZAMCELCO was hopeless before; its system loss was at 20 percent to 23 percent,’ Almeda said. ‘All we did was look for those who didn’t have meters. I told the investment manager to infuse capital, jack up their collection and reduce system loss.’

ZAMCELCO holds a 25-year investment contract awarded in 2018 to CIHI. Beginning November of 2025, the investment managers spent close to P400 million to reduce system loss, purchasing 45,000 meters and building anti-pilferage structures such as elevated meter clusters.

ZAMCELCO also actively pursued criminal convictions, coordinating with law enforcement agencies like the National Bureau of Investigation in Zamboanga City to prosecute power thieves.

To sustain such developments, Almeda encouraged ECs to utilize the reinvestment fund for sustainable capital expenditures to finance debt service tied to expanding and upgrading power systems under Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC)-approved capital expenditure plans.

Meanwhile, Almeda said electric cooperatives are considering a phased approach with state support to address technical system loss tied to rural electrification.

‘There is a direct correlation between line extensions and implementing sitio electrification,’ Almeda said. ‘The longer the line you extend, the bigger the technical system loss incurred.’

The World Health Organization (WHO) is building on its 2023 Global research agenda on health, migration and displacement by identifying key research priorities on the intersection of climate change, migration and health.

The latest report, titled ‘Global research prioritization and action plan on health, migration and displacement in the context of climate change,’ was launched during a global virtual webinar on July 22, 2026. It represents the first thematic deep dive under the WHO’s Global research agenda on health, migration and displacement.

The 2023 agenda was developed to address gaps in comprehensive, high-quality and policy-relevant research on the health of migrants, refugees and other displaced populations. It was based on consultations with more than 180 stakeholders across different regions and established global research priorities for the field.

The latest research prioritization exercise recognizes climate change as an increasingly important driver of migration and displacement, particularly among populations already in vulnerable situations and with limited adaptive capacity. Climate change can also affect their health and access to health services throughout the migration and displacement journey.

The report identifies priority research areas across three core themes-social determinants of health, universal health coverage and emergencies-and two cross-cutting themes focused on data, policy and interventions, and health outcomes.

Research gaps

Among the identified research gaps are the effects of social and structural determinants on health, barriers to health-care access, the inclusion of migrants and displaced populations in health systems and emergency responses, the long-term health impacts of displacement, and the need for improved data and intersectional analyses.

The exercise also calls for research into climate change and its relationship with health, migration and displacement, including early warning signs of climate-related health risks and approaches to strengthening preparedness and response.

‘Closing research gaps is a matter of equity. To achieve universal health coverage, strengthen climate resilience and advance health equity, migrant and displaced populations must not be an afterthought, they must be part of the solution from the beginning,’ said Dr. Santino Severoni, Head of WHO Health and Migration.

The Global Research Prioritization Exercise emphasized that research must be interdisciplinary, cross-sectoral and context-sensitive. It also called for a paradigm shift toward inclusive, equity-driven research that recognizes the diversity of migrant experiences and climate impacts.

‘Climate change is already affecting the health and mobility of populations around the world. Strengthening the evidence base is essential to inform effective policies and ensure that those most affected are protected through climate-resilient and equitable health systems,’ said Dr. Diarmid Campbell-Lendrum, Head of WHO Climate Change, Energy and Air Quality.

EXACTLY one month before the opening ceremony of the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games and Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) president Abraham ‘Bambol’ Tolentino made a bold prediction of how many gold medals Filipino athletes could win in the games’ 20th edition.

‘More than four,’ said Tolentino on Wednesday at the Century Park Hotel during the press briefing for the games that open on September 29 at the 27,000 seat Paloma Mizuho Stadium.

The Philippines won four golds in Hangzhou 2022 (2023) courtesy of pole vaulter EJ Obiena, jiu-jitsu athletes Meggie Ochoa and Annie Ramirez and the highlight men’s 5×5 basketball team that regained the title last won in 1962 in Jakarta.

‘I have high hopes we’ll have a bountiful harvest in Nagoya and Aichi,’ he added.

The Philippines is fielding more than 450 athletes in 38 of the 43 sports in the Asian Games program and the usual suspects are expected to produce gold medals.

They are Obiena, who raised Tolentino’s level of confidence after he cleared 5.91 meters in Poland the other day, and double Olympic gold medalist Carlos Yulo, who, the POC president added, will have younger brother Karl Eldrew as another gold potential.

‘And don’t forget Alex Eala,’ said Tolentino, citing the recent success of the tennis sensation on the Women’s Tennis Association Tour and at Wimbledon.

‘Add the boxers and our jiu-jitsu athletes,’ he said.

Tokyo Olympics silver medalists Carlo Paalam and Nesthy Petecio are in the roster, along with Aira Villegas, who, like Petecio was a bronze medalist in Paris 2024.

Eumir Felix Marcial will vie in his eighth professional fight in the US right on opening day of the Asian Games-Tolentino said he’s as confident as the Tokyo 2020 bronze medalist to prevail and immediately fly to Nagoya.

‘Eumir’s in the lineup and the arrangement is for him to make sure he wins in the US,’ Tolentino said. ‘He’s committed to fight in the US to keep his international title, but he’ll have adequate time to recover because boxing in Nagoya starts on September 24.’

Ochoa has since retired but remained on the national jiu-jitsu coaching staff, leaving Ramirez to defend his title in the games that end on October 4.

Tolentino said he’s confident Olympic prospect Chino Sy Tancontial could win a judo gold medal, in as much the same way as Gilas Pilipinas of coach Tim Cone.

As president of PhilCycling, Tolentino also has high hopes in BMX racing where Daniel Caluag-the country’s lone gold medal winner in Incheon 2014-returns to backstop Patrick Coo, bronze medalist in Hangzhou.

‘But don’t forget Kyla Sanchez,’ Tolentino stressed.

A former Olympian for Canada, Sanchez was the best Asian finisher at fifth place in the women’s 50m freestyle and 100m freestyle at the recent Pan Pacific Swimming Championships in Irvine, California.

MARKING the end of his diplomatic tenure, Norway’s former ambassador to the Philippines Christian Halaas Lyster released an affectionate farewell statement underscoring the deep ties forged during his term.

Lyster described his tour of duty in the country as ‘the highlight of my career so far.’ He also expressed profound gratitude for the warmth and hospitality shown to him, his wife, and his daughter by the Filipinos.

The diplomat emphasized the robust maritime partnership of the seafaring nations. He reiterated Norway’s commitment to supporting local maritime workers.

Beyond the maritime domain, the ambassador pointed to growing economic ties bolstered by the European Free Trade Association’s Free Trade Agreement. He noted an increasing interest from Norwegian firms in key local sectors, including renewable energy, seafood, and agriculture, alongside active development cooperation in climate resilience, ocean management, and the circular economy.

Lyster also underscored Norway’s vital role as a third-party facilitator in the Philippine peace process. He pointed to the historic 2023 Oslo agreement signed between the Philippine government and the National Democratic Front, as well as Norway’s ongoing peace-consolidation efforts in the Bangsamoro region, including decommissioning and community resilience programs.

He said Norway and the Philippines found common ground between the two cultures, drawing parallels between the Filipino spirit of bayanihan and the Norwegian concept of dugnad-both centered around collective, communal work. He credited this shared ethos and the Nordic diplomatic approach of trust, dialogue, and inclusivity for strengthening bonds across government, business, civil society, and local communities.

THE Kampihan ng Maralita at Manggagawa (Kamanggagawa) party-list group and several other labor groups have asked the Supreme Court to immediately act on their petitions seeking to set aside the orders issued by a local court that stopped the implementation of the P85 minimum wage increase in Metro Manila.

The groups filed a manifestation before the SC seeking its urgent action on their petition citing the issuance of a writ of preliminary injunction last August 13 by the Regional Trial Court in Pasig City, which indefinitely extended the temporary restraining order (TRO) it issued on July 30, pending determination of the merits of the petition for declaratory relief filed by Readycon Trading and Construction Corporation and R-II Builders, Inc.

‘More significantly, the preliminary injunction transformed what had initially been a temporary twenty-day restraint into a judicial restraint capable of continuing throughout the pendency of the principal action,’ the petitioners said.

‘The August 13 order therefore does not diminish the urgency of the present petition. It confirms it,’ they added.

The petitioners maintained that the trial court has no jurisdiction and legal authority to enjoin the wage hike approved by the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board in Metro Manila in two tranches.

The first amounting to P60 took effect on July 25 and the remaining P25 will take effect on January 20, 2027.

It may be recalled a status quo ante order (SQAO) was initially issued by the Pasig RTC Executive Judge dated July 23, 2026 which was followed by a TRO issued by Pasig RTC Branch 152 which halted the wage hike.

They stressted that the trial court’s action is prohibited under Article 123 of the Labor Code which mandates that any party aggrieved by the wage order by the regional board may file an appeal before the commission within 10 days which will be decided within 60 days.

Furthermore, the petitioners said the trial courts are prohibited from issuing TROs or any injunctive relief against wage order under Article 126 of the Labor Code which states: ‘No preliminary or permanent injunction or temporary restraining order may be issued by any court, tribunal or other entity against any proceedings before the Commission or the Regional Boards.’

The manifestation also noted that the preliminary injunction was issued by the lower court despite the pendency of the motion for leave filed by labor organizations seeking to intervene in the case before the Pasig RTC.

‘The August 13 order acknowledged the burden upon millions of minimum-wage workers, yet the workers’ representatives had not first been admitted to present evidence concerning the injunction’s actual effect upon their livelihood,’ the manifestation read.

‘Due process required that workers be heard on what it means not to receive it,’ it added.

In their main petition filed before the SC, the labor groups also questioned the order issued by the RTC in Navotas on August 3, setting APFF’s application for SQAO for clarificatory hearing.

They asked the Court to prohibit the two trial courts from continuing to exercise jurisdiction over the applications for injunctive relief against the wage hike.

The labor groups also asked the SC to issue guidance for courts, workers, employers and wage boards on the proper forum and scope of judicial review of wage orders.

AMBASSADOR Marc Innes-Brown recently visited Cagayan de Oro City and Misamis Oriental as part of Australia’s ongoing efforts to pursue trade and investment opportunities across the Philippines.

Innes-Brown delivered a keynote speech at the Cagayan de Oro Investment Forum and Mayor’s Night, then attended the 35th Mindanao Business Conference at the Limketkai commercial complex.

In his remarks, the ambassador highlighted Australia’s commitment to increasing trade and investments with the Philippines, including Mindanao, as he said that ‘more than 240 Australian [firms now operate in the Philippines, employing over 68,000 people. They are investing for the long term because they believe in this country’s future.’

‘Under ‘Invested: Australia’s Southeast Asia Economic Strategy to 2040,’ we see enormous opportunities in clean energy, critical minerals, agriculture, digital technologies, infrastructure, education and advanced manufacturing,’ he noted. ‘We see these opportunities not only in Metro Manila, but right here in Mindanao where our partnership is already delivering tangible results.

Innes-Brown stated that ‘Australian investment supported the development of the Tantangan Solar Power Plant in South Cotabato-one of Mindanao’s most significant renewable energy projects, which will deliver clean energy to over 82,000 households.’

He also paid a courtesy call to Governor Juliette Uy of Misamis Oriental. Both discussed the bilateral ties and Australia’s longstanding support for Mindanao.

‘As we celebrate 80 years of Australia-Philippines diplomatic relations, our partnership has never been stronger. For more than three decades, we have worked alongside governments, communities and the private sector to support peace, stability and development, including through the peace process that [has] led to the establishment of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao,’ the ambassador said in his remarks. ‘These partnerships reflect Australia’s commitment to a Mindanao that is peaceful, prosperous, resilient and inclusive.’