Category: Business Mirror

THE Philippine Deposit Insurance Corp. (PDIC) announced it is set to offer for sale 68 properties in Luzon, including three commercial properties, through electronic public bidding, with bid submissions accepted from 9:00 am on September 16, 2026, until 1:00 p.m. on September 17, 2026, and the opening of bids set at 2:00 p.m. on the September 17, 2026.

According to PDIC, the three prime commercial assets are located in Malolos City, Bulacan; Calamba City, Laguna; and Alaminos City, Pangasinan. The property in Malolos City provides access to the city’s commercial and urban centers. On the other hand, the Calamba City property is located along Mayapa-Canlubang Road, a corridor connecting industrial areas such as the Silangan Industrial Park.

Finally, the property in Alaminos City, which is situated along Olongapo-Bugallon Road, provides access to the national highway and connectivity to business hubs in Pangasinan.

The e-bidding will also offer 65 other assets, comprising 34 properties classified as agricultural, 22 properties classified as residential, and 9 properties classified as mixed residential/agricultural. With lot areas ranging from 189 square meters to 3.9 hectares, these properties offer options for individual buyers, developers, agribusiness investors, and commercial enterprises alike. These properties are located in Albay, Aurora, Bataan, Batangas, Benguet, Bulacan, Ilocos Norte, Isabela, Laguna, La Union, Palawan, Pangasinan, Rizal, Tarlac, and Zambales.

Properties are sold on an as-is-where-is basis and as such, bidders are encouraged to perform comprehensive due diligence covering property condition, status, and ownership prior to submitting bids read the statement the PDIC issued last Friday.

vivo Philippines has launched vivo Community, its official online community platform where existing users, prospective buyers, and tech enthusiasts can access product information, join discussions, share photography content, and raise support concerns.

The platform is available through the Community tab in the vivo Store app or directly at bbs.vivo.com/ph, giving users a dedicated channel for information and assistance beyond vivo’s social media pages.

It brings together several sections covering different aspects of the vivo user experience. News and Events will carry product announcements, promotions, and event updates, while Tech and Specs will provide product deep-dives, comparisons, and feature explainers. Shot on vivo will feature user-generated content, photography challenges, and tips.

Users can also participate in discussions through Connect and Discuss, which includes discussion threads, polls, and QandA. Sports and Hoops will cover vivo’s basketball-related activities and sponsorships, while Contest will feature community giveaways and photography competitions.

A dedicated Support section will handle technical support, warranty-related questions, and service center inquiries, with the vivo After Sales Team overseeing these concerns. Other community discussions are open to user participation, with the vivo team responding where needed.

To mark the launch, new members can receive a free-shipping voucher with no minimum spend by signing up for vivo Community and commenting on the official launch community post. Ten lucky commenters will also have a chance to win an exclusive vivo tumbler with custom laser engraving.

To participate, users can sign up through the vivo Store app or at bbs.vivo.com/ph, then comment on the official community post. The free-shipping voucher will be automatically credited to eligible participants and can be viewed through their vivo e-store coupon list.

‘vivo Community gives our users a dedicated place to find useful information, ask questions and share their experiences with other vivo users,’ said vivo Philippines Brand Marketing Director Liu Lu. ‘We want it to be a practical resource that users can return to, whether they are learning about a new feature, looking for support, or simply interested in what other members are doing with their devices.’

The platform is designed primarily for existing vivo device owners across product lines, while also providing a resource for people researching vivo products and for technology and mobile photography enthusiasts.

A membership rewards system is also in development for vivo Community, with more details to be announced soon. Users are encouraged to stay tuned for upcoming community activities, rewards, and other member benefits.

THE Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has filed a motion for reconsideration seeking to lift the injunction that halted the P85 minimum wage increase in Metro Manila.

In its motion before Pasig Regional Trial Court Branch 152, DOLE asked the court to dismiss the case for lack of jurisdiction and failure to state a cause of action.

It also sought the denial of the petitioners’ application for a writ of preliminary injunction.

DOLE maintained that the petitioners bypassed the administrative remedies provided under the Labor Code before bringing the dispute to court.

Labor Secretary Francis N. Tolentino said the department is challenging the ruling on several grounds, including the court’s jurisdiction and its treatment of Articles 123 and 126.

‘We filed a motion for reconsideration to strongly challenge the decision of Branch 152,’ Tolentino said.

‘We are basically saying that the court has no jurisdiction, administrative remedies were not exhausted, Article 126 was disregarded, and compliance with Article 123 was not established,’ he added.

Under Article 123, appeals involving regional wage orders are brought before the National Wages and Productivity Commission (NWPC).

Meanwhile, Article 126 prohibits courts, tribunals or other entities from issuing temporary restraining orders or injunctions against proceedings before the NWPC or regional wage boards.

At stake is Wage Order No. NCR-27, which would grant an additional P85 in daily pay to minimum wage earners in Metro Manila.

Around 1.1 million workers were expected to benefit from the increase, which was scheduled to take effect last month before its implementation was stopped by the court.

DOLE said the wage order went through the prescribed tripartite wage-setting process involving labor, employers and government.

Tolentino filed the motion on Monday together with Assistant Solicitor General Jane E. Yu and officials from DOLE and the NWPC.

Implementation of the P85 wage hike remains suspended while the court considers DOLE’s bid to overturn the injunction.

Shell Pilipinas Corp. (SPC) said it posted a net loss of P2.7 billion in the first half, a reversal of last year’s P970-million net income, due to inventory losses, compressed margins, and soft demand.

‘The first half tested the resilience of energy supply chains across the industry. Our priority was clear: keep fuel available, support our customers and trade partners, and help keep the Philippine economy moving,’ said Lorelie Quiambao Osial, president and CEO of Shell Pilipinas.

During the period, the oil firm generated P2.4 billion in free cash flow driven by strong liquidity and supply reliability despite significant market volatility.

‘By leveraging Shell’s global trading and supply network, local infrastructure, and strong customer relationships, we maintained reliable supply through one of the most volatile market environments in recent years.

While these conditions materially affected earnings, improving trends in May and June reinforce our confidence in the resilience of our business as we navigate a still-volatile environment,’ added Osial.

The oil firm said it faced ‘severe’ margin compression and a net loss due to the Middle East conflict-driven oil price volatility and a weak peso. Despite these, Shell Pilipinas said it maintained fuel availability by leveraging its integrated supply chain and active government coordination.

While high prices caused a 4 percent decline in mobility volumes, commercial fuels saw a 4-percent growth, while lubricants provided stable earnings.

‘As we move into the second half, our focus is to restore profitability, strengthen cash generation, and further improve Shell Pilipinas’ competitiveness. The actions we have taken position us to continue serving the country’s energy needs while creating long-term value for our shareholders,’ Osial added.

Last March, SPC said its net income soared by 69 percent year-on-year to P2.1 billion in 2025 due to higher sales. Its core earnings jumped 28 percent year-on-year to P3.3 billion.

The country’s second largest oil firm also ended 2025 with a free cash flow of P2.1 billion, reversing the P1.6-billion deficit it recorded in the previous year.

Income from operations also went up to P6.46 billion from P6 billion.

SPC’s fuels business delivered a 2-percent volume growth for the full year, supported by stronger contributions from B2B and commercial segments, a ‘healthier’ product mix, and ‘more efficient’ supply chain.

ONLY around 30 to 35 percent of priorities identified by Regional Development Councils (RDCs) are eventually reflected in the General Appropriations Act (GAA), according to the Department of Economy, Planning, and Development (DepDev).

Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan said the share remains low as the government seeks to better connect regional investment priorities with the national budget process.

‘Of the RDC priorities identified at the various regional levels, of those priorities, about 30 to 35 percent [are] reflected in the GAA… so it’s a bit low,’ Balisacan said on Monday.

He said raising the proportion to around 66 percent would already represent a ‘major improvement.’

The issue was raised during the Development Budget Coordination Committee (DBCC) briefing amid questions over how projects endorsed through the local and regional planning process are eventually selected for inclusion in the National Expenditure Program (NEP).

Budget Secretary Kim Robert C. de Leon said that under the proposed 2027 budget, expenditure ceilings are currently set only at the department or agency level.

This means agency central offices determine which projects are ultimately included in their proposals submitted to the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), even after projects have gone through the RDC process.

RDCs are tasked with reviewing and endorsing priority programs and projects in their respective regions.

De Leon said RDCs are required to accomplish Budget Form C to establish that proposals submitted for consideration have gone through regional vetting.

He acknowledged, however, that completing the requirement alone does not ensure that projects eventually included in the NEP are aligned with priorities identified at the regional level.

DBM and DepDev are now working to improve the linkage between investment programming and budget preparation, including by harmonizing their respective calendars and submission portals.

De Leon said one option under consideration is to issue agency budget ceilings earlier in the process.

If implemented, agency central offices could use the ceilings to provide RDCs with indicative amounts that may be allocated to each region before budget proposals are finalized.

This could give regional councils a clearer idea of the amount available when identifying and prioritizing projects for inclusion in agency submissions.

The proposed changes are among the measures being considered for succeeding budget cycles as DepDev and DBM seek to increase the share of regional priorities reflected in the national budget.

ABS-CBN Corp. saw its net loss more than double in the first semester, as the absence of election-related advertising, weaker consumer sentiment, and a thinner slate of films and live events dragged down revenues.

The listed media conglomerate reported a consolidated net loss of P1.83 billion for the January-to-June period, wider than the P852-million loss it booked in the same period last year.

Consolidated revenues fell 17 percent to P6.88 billion, with the company attributing most of the drop to its cable TV and broadband businesses. Its core content production and distribution segment generated P5.76 billion in revenues, 9 percent lower year-on-year, as the comparable 2025 period benefited from political advertising tied to the midterm elections. The company said global developments this year have also weighed on consumer sentiment and the domestic economy.

Excluding political advertising and one-off items in both years, the segment’s recurring net loss narrowed by 1 percent, while recurring earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) rose 2 percent.

The first half of 2025 was likewise boosted by BINI’s sold-out concert at the Philippine Arena and the box-office performance of ‘My Love Will Make You Disappear,’ events that had no equivalent this year. ABS-CBN said the decline was partly offset by higher consumer sales and growth in international syndication and co-productions.

Consolidated operating expenses improved by 5 percent, or P482 million, to P8.46 billion.

The company expects revenues to recover in the second half.

Last week, ABS-CBN announced that it is raising P6 billion in new equity from members of the Lopez family and a private investment firm, fresh capital meant to shore up a balance sheet battered by six years of losses since the network went off free television.

Crème Investment Corp., Mantes Corp., and Presta Holdings Company Inc.-representing three branches of the Lopez family-committed to subscribe to a combined P2.2 billion worth of ABS-CBN shares using personal resources. IandC Holdings Corp., a 100-percent Philippine-owned private investment holding company, will take the largest tranche at P3.5 billion, while Lopez Inc. will subscribe to an additional P300 million.

Proceeds will strengthen the company’s balance sheet and fund its transformation into a content-led media and entertainment business. The investments are subject to definitive agreements and regulatory requirements.

The infusion is ABS-CBN’s biggest capital event since Congress rejected its franchise renewal in 2020.

Uniqlo’s in-store sustainability initiative Re.UNIQLO Studio introduced its newest embroidery collection, in collaboration with California-based Filipino artist and photographer Geloy Concepcion.

The collection, titled ‘Notes to Self,’ presents five empowering phrases, often left unsaid, stylized as handwritten notes by the artist himself. Each one serves as thoughtful invitations to daily mindfulness and self-expression, which can now be sown onto LifeWear pieces, including the 2026 Fall/Winter UNIQLO Jeans line-up, at RE.UNIQLO Studio until November 7.

Designs include ‘I hope you choose your own happiness,’ ‘I’ve got too much love for one life,’ ‘Learn to take up space and be louder,’ ‘Don’t let the hard days win,’ and ‘Dream a little more, my friend.’

Concepcion is known for capturing raw, human stories through intimate film photography. In 2019, he posted a simple question on his personal social media account, ‘What are the things you wanted to say but never did?’ Vulnerable confessions came in by the droves, kicking off his most acclaimed project that now extends to his partnership with UNIQLO.

The ‘Notes to Self’ collection is available at Re.UNIQLO Studio in several stores nationwide, namely, UNIQLO Manila Global Flagship Store, UNIQLO SM Mall of Asia, UNIQLO BGC High Street, UNIQLO Ayala Center Cebu and UNIQLO Davao Roadside Store.

WHEN a sports team (or in the case of the Ateneo Blue Eagles) goes through a team building ‘boot camp’ in preparation for a tournament or upcoming season, one of the primary objectives is for the players to bond and develop a form of understanding and chemistry.

The team building lasts several days with follow up sessions in the intervening weeks.

And a part of this is the toughening up process where a team goes through rigorous training and even cross training in other sports. I have shared a video of the Philippine Men’s National Football Team playing foot tennis while in preparation for the 2010 Suzuki Cup.

While there is no record of our current Filipina wunderkind Alex Eala doing cross training, tennis players usually engage in jump rope and cycling among others for high intensity interval conditioning (among others) to mirror the stop-start nature of the game.

When the Ateneo Blue Eagles went into the shallow waters on the beaches of Dipaculao, in the early afternoon of June 8, it was to train without putting stress on their joints. Water buoyancy supports body weight and prevents impact injuries. Water resistance helps build muscle strength as well.

The waters were calm (and that can be checked on tide-forecast.com) that afternoon, but sadly, two rogue waves swept the team and took the lives of Divine Adili and Rene Baterbonia.

The team was briefed on the rip currents and how to combat it. But was it adequate? And sadly, safety devices for the activity were woefully inadequate.

In the wake of the tragedy, many non-sports fans wondered why train in the water? Hindi naman Navy Seals training ang pinasok nila kung hindi basketball. So, what does running in the water have to do with basketball especially in an area such as Dipaculao? Why not train in the pool where it is safer?

They were in Dipaculao not just to train in the water, but there were other activities.

Furthermore, Ateneo isn’t the only school-based team that trains in the shallow water of beaches. You might be surprised which teams do or have done that.

Let me go back to that inane ‘Navy Seals’ remark.

While in preparation for the 1999 Brunei Southeast Asian Games and the qualification for the 2000 Sydney Summer Olympics, our national taekwondo team did exactly something that approximates Navy or even Marine training.

A few of the members of the national team were from the Navy and Marine branches and they were tasked in preparing a training program that approximated their training-and get this-for eight days.

Yes, every single member of that team including the coaches participated.

They were dumped some distance from the shore and had to swim back to the beach. Not everyone knew how to swim so there were trained servicemen to assist them in case of trouble.

They even had to rappel down a wall lizard-style meaning headfirst with a rifle on their backs!

Now what does that have to do with taekwondo?

It was meant to toughen the team up as well as bond through adversity and hardship.

The result?

Taekwondo had the biggest haul for any Philippine team to the 1999 SEA Games with four gold, four silver and six bronze medals. As for Sydney, four of our taekwondo practitioners qualified.

Training camp in Dipaculao for the Ateneo Blue Eagles ended immediately after two teammates drowned. They were not able to achieve most of the training objectives for obvious reasons.

But one crucial aspect was achieved albeit in a most unexpected and painful way-the team bonded in a shared tragic experience for everyone. They lost no one to defections. In fact, they are often together on and off the court. They feel more at ease with each other because no one outside the team remotely knows what that tragedy felt like.

Now, their physical training has begun.

As for those who claim that they should not be playing because of the ongoing process, well, the sitting Vice President has a number of stacked legal cases against her. And there is an impeachment hearing going on. Does her office stop what it is doing?

Encouraging customers to mend worn clothes instead of buying new ones might seem like a self-defeating sales strategy.

But in-store repairs and sewing workshops are becoming essential retail services for clothing brands as they try to appeal to young consumers who want to save money and the planet.

While luxury fashion houses and select specialty retailers like Patagonia have offered product repairs for decades, the concept has caught on. Jeans giant Levi Strauss and Co., casual wear chain Uniqlo and budget retailer Primark are some of the apparel companies hoping to win over Generation Z shoppers with a needle and thread.

Levi’s created a hand-stitching course for high school students after determining that many Gen Zers lacked the sewing skills to match their interest in thrift store shopping and sustainability. Employees spend 90 minutes instructing teenagers on four tasks: sewing on a button, hemming, patching a hole and fixing a tear.

The Wear Longer program, which the San Francisco-based company is expanding across the U.S., builds on the repair and customization services Levi’s offers at hundreds of stores worldwide.

‘We think it’s important to empower the people who buy our clothes with the skill sets to maintain them, to get them to that second life,’ Paul Dillinger, Levi’s head of global design innovation, said.

Detroit resident Chloe Halprin, 25, is the kind of consumer retailers hope to attract with a ‘fix it, don’t ditch it’ message.

In high school, Halprin shopped at inexpensive, trendy stores. Fixing a big rip felt beyond her limited sewing ability. If she damaged a top or skirt from Forever 21, ‘I might just throw it away.’

These days, Halprin buys most of her clothes secondhand. She recently learned to hem with a sewing machine and hopes to tackle projects like turning a skirt into a shirt. ‘I try to be conscientious of my carbon footprint,’ Halprin, a nonprofit grant writer, said. ‘I really don’t like waste. I’m trying to save money as well.’

A tiny part of cutting the world’s mountains of textile waste

The evolution of mending from an economic necessity and traditional craft to a method for cultivating customers didn’t happen overnight. The fashion industry as a whole has come under intensifying pressure to reduce its contributions to environmental pollution and climate change.

Textile waste-which includes manufacturing remnants, unwanted clothes and linens, and unsold products-is one of the industry’s most pressing challenges. Each year, the world generates fabric waste at a rate equivalent to a garbage truck’s worth getting dumped or incinerated every second, the United Nations Environment Program estimates. Researchers broadly agree that repairing and reselling clothes can reduce a garment’s environmental impact, especially if it delays or replaces a new purchase. But many caution the practices remain too limited to offset continued growth in clothing production and consumption.

Clothing production roughly doubled between 2000 and 2015, while the average number of wearings per garment declined by about 36 percent, according to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. The sustainability nonprofit estimated that less than 1 percent of discarded clothing material got recycled into new apparel.

Enter Generation Z, born between 1997 and 2012. It’s the generation that grew up with fast fashion and e-commerce, then had school years and young adulthoods shaped by the coronavirus pandemic and post-pandemic inflation.

IF not for an online jab by Converge’s Juan Gomez de Liaño about this player who’s embraced the monicker ‘Mr. Never Heard,’ Raymond Aguilar won’t be enjoying a popularity that his team, Barangay Ginebra San Miguel, is legendary known for.

Aguilar who? He’s the other Aguilar on head coach Tim Cone’s bench, the other being the more popular and many-time national team player Japeth.

Speaking of the Ginebra bench, Aguilar’s warmed his spot at the farthest end, waiting for that call from Cone to do what he does best-defend and hustle the opponent.

So who’s Aguilar and why is he in an Ginebra uniform?

Aguilar is now 39 years old and is the only remaining player besides San Miguel Beer’s Chris Ross-who’s shown signs he’s headed for an assistant coach’s job-from the 2009 Rookie Draft who’s actively plying his trade in the 50-year-old league.

Interestingly, he wasn’t drafted in that batch that included Ross, then No. 2 overall pick Rico Maierhofer who’s now a vlogger, Jervy Cruz and Ronnie Matias and it took five years for the collegiate journeyman from San Sebastian and National University to finally get to play in the Philippine Basketball Association.

TNT Tropang 5G signed him up in 2014-2015-primarily because of his relentless energy and not exactly what he contributes in terms of scoring-and then found himself at Kia (now Terrafirma) and Blackwater.

Amazingly, he was traded to Ginebra in 2017 from the Bossing in a deal that involved Art de la Cruz for Chris Ellis and Dave Marcelo.

He wore the Gin Kings colors alright, but most of the time, he’s assigned to bang it up with the top players in practice and was called to duty on rare occasions by Cone.

‘I never asked anybody why? I just love my role, and I embrace whatever they told me to do,’ said Aguilar, a true blue Marikeño who now resides in Antipolo City. ‘I really love what I do and am so satisfied with what the management is giving me. You must not lose your confidence.’

Despite his limited minutes, Aguilar, an Information Technology graduate of NU, is a family man off the court to wife Princess, a Tourism graduate at Lyceum University of the Philippines, and kids Raymond John Jr. (11), Rayver (10), Raynicia Juliana (6), Rayyan Jrew (3) and Raybron (2).

While not in practice or in a game, Aguilar always puts to heart his love of the game.

‘I coach kids in a youth league, including my sons,’ said Aguilar, who’s into construction and buy-and-sell of cars.

Just how long Aguilar’s been in the Philippine basketball scene is validated by the fact that he’s a veteran of the then semi-pro league, Philippine Basketball League, that folded way back in 2011-he played for Pharex, Pacific Pipes and Cebuana Lhuillier.

The 6-foot-5 Aguilar has so much gratitude for Cone, Ginebra governor Alfrancis Chua and San Miguel Corp. boss Ramon S. Ang for recognizing his worth as a player.

‘So thankful to coach Alfrancis, who is my mentor, for helping me through the years, and to Sir RSA (Ramon S. Ang), and coach Tim Cone,’ he said. ‘My commitment is to be in the best of shape every single day and never miss practice.’

‘Basketball is really my passion and I challenge my sons to excel. I have nothing to go but where basketball brings me,’ he said. ‘But after basketball, I aim to prosper in business, I’m hands on all the time … and we never know how long we’ll be playing the sport we love.’

So Mr. Never Heard, really?

Here’s a few facts-he scored a career-high 16 points in Ginebra’s 100-96 win over San Miguel Beer on January 28, 2018, in the Philippine Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, the same points he made-but having gone 4 of 6 from beyond the arc-with Blackwater on January 20, 2017, in a 90-99 Philippine Cup loss to Ginebra.

This guy may have warmth the bench long enough but envy this-he’s an eight-time PBA champion (six consecutive years from 2016 to 2022 and the latest, this season’s Commissioner’s Cup).