Category: Business Mirror

A Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Balik Scientist supported his host institution, the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila (PLM), to use biomimicry and bioinspired innovations to advance Philippine health, sustainability, and innovation.

Dr. Hernando S. Salapare III is a distinguished Filipino physicist and chemist, recognized for his contributions to plasma physics and chemistry, biomaterials, biointerfaces, and bioinspired materials.

He earned his BS Graduate Degree and MS in Physics from the University of the Philippines-Diliman, where he also earned his doctorate, with an exchange doctoral mobility program in Chemistry at the Côte d’Azur University in Nice, France.

Salapare provided technical expertise to PLM in sustainable biomaterials and bioinspired materials through collaborative research and development (RandD) on nanocellulose hydrogels, nitrogen-doped (N-doped) carbon sensors, and bioinspired food coatings, while establishing advanced research practices and quality assurance practices.

He was also instrumental in developing a grant proposal to establish a Bioinspiration Laboratory in PLM. Through this laboratory, Philippine local university can advance interdisciplinary research and innovation based on biomimetic and bioinspired approaches.

‘The engagement of Doctor Salapare expands the Philippines’ capacity to develop solutions that address pressing needs across health, environment, industry, and education,’ said Science Secretary Renato U. Solidum Jr.

‘As the global shift toward sustainable energy accelerates, we can leverage the expertise of our Balik Scientists to advance technologies in green buildings, transport, and healthcare-driving greater energy efficiency and fostering healthier, more sustainable communities,’ Solidum explained.

Among the ongoing RandD projects supported by Salapare, includes the ‘Bioinspired cellulose-alginate hydrogel from water hyacinth.’

The study is developing a bioinspired cellulose-based hydrogel from invasive water hyacinth, mimicking natural plant polymer networks and extracellular matrix environments to create a sustainable wound-healing biomaterial.

Another project is the ‘Ultrasound-assisted solvothermal synthesis of N-doped carbon dots derived from water hyacinth (Pontederia crassipes) for gas sensing.’

The study develops bioinspired nitrogen-doped carbon dots from invasive water hyacinth, mimicking natural carbon frameworks and biological electron-transfer mechanisms to create sustainable nanomaterial-based carbon monoxide sensors.

On food and nutrition RandD, DSalapare is also supporting the ‘Bioinspired sustainable pectin coatings from Philippine fruit peels for banana preservation.’

aThe study develops a bioinspired edible coating derived from plant cell wall pectin to mimic natural fruit protective barriers and delay the ripening of lakatan banana using sustainable local fruit peel sources.

Science Undersecretary for RandD Leah J. Buendia said: ‘With his interdisciplinary expertise in physics, materials science, and chemistry, Doctor Salapare bridges the gap between fundamental research and real-world applications, enabling institutions like PLM to harness his knowledge and drive meaningful, high-impact innovations.’

‘The contribution of our Balik Scientists go beyond research outputs-they strengthen institutions, mentor the next generation of innovators, and forge global linkages that boost national competitiveness,’ Buendia pointed out.

‘Doctor Salapare exemplifies the impact of this program not only through his significant contributions to plasma science, biomaterials, and bioinspired technologies but also through his strong commitment to mentorship, collaboration, and nation-building,’ said DOST-PCIEERD Deputy Executive Director Niñaliza H. Escorial.

‘As a Balik Scientist, his body of work clearly shows how science is guided by service and innovation; it can become a powerful driver of sustainable progress and a better future for generations of Filipinos,’

To date, the Balik Scientist Program has supported 709 Balik Scientists, with 956 engagements.

Some Catholic Church leaders and a group in the Philippines have contributed their voices in raising serious concerns regarding the proposed United States-led Pax Silica Project in the Philippines.

The country’s largest network of Catholic schools, the Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines (CEAP); Bishop Gerardo Alminaza, president of Caritas Philippines, the Church’s social action and advocacy arm in the country; and Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David have identified significant gaps about the planned huge project in the country.

Skepticism brought by lessons from past projects

CEAP urged government leaders to build trust through transparency, environmental responsibility and meaningful community participation.

It said public skepticism about the project reflects the lessons from past extractive industries that promised economic progress but often left communities with environmental damage, weak oversight and few lasting benefits.

‘These concerns should not be dismissed as opposition to development but recognized as important questions about intergenerational equity, environmental sustainability, and national economic strategy,’ CEAP said in a statement.

The educators said past extractive projects promise prosperity but leave behind environmental degradation, weak regulatory enforcement, limited community benefits and little local industrial development, making public skepticism ‘both understandable and legitimate.’

‘Opposes the hub in its present form’

Meanwhile, Caritas Philippines ‘opposes’ the proposed Pax Silica Industrial Hub in Capas, Tarlac, ‘in its present form,’ according to a statement from Bishop Alminaza, saying the large artificial intelligence (AI) and semiconductor hub is moving forward without answers on who will control it or who will pay for it.

‘It is being advanced without clear public answers on who will control it, where its enormous energy and water requirements will come from, how much public money and land will be committed, and which communities will bear its environmental and social costs?’ Alminaza said.

Questions based on popes’ encyclicals

Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David said in a Facebook post that for the Philippines the real question is whether Pax Silica ‘will help build Filipino scientific capability, technological innovation, and industrial resilience? Or will it primarily serve the strategic interests of others while Filipinos provide the land, natural resources, water, energy, tax incentives, and labor?’

These are legitimate questions, he explained, ‘not because we oppose foreign investment, but because genuine partnership should strengthen the nation that hosts it.’

The cardinal said ‘prudence requires transparency, technology transfer, meaningful participation of Filipino scientists and industries, responsible stewardship of the environment, and a clear commitment to moving our country up the value chain rather than remaining merely a source of raw materials and cheap labor.’

David quoted the popes’ encyclicals ‘to raise an even deeper question.’

He cited ‘Magnifica Humanitas’ (‘Magnificent Humanity’)-the first encyclical of Pope Leo XIV that is concerned with safeguarding the human person in the age of AI.

It reminds that what is important is not what AI can do, ‘but what kind of human beings we are becoming.’

‘Technology must remain the servant of humanity, never its master,’ he said

In ‘Fratelli Tutti’ (‘All Brothers’), Pope Francis’ encyclical, reminds that ‘humanity cannot build its future on the logic of competing national interests alone.’

‘The digital revolution must not become another arena where technological power is used for domination rather than cooperation,’ he said.

The cardinal said the Catholic Church, as a communion of local Churches that transcends national borders ‘remains one of the few truly global institutions capable of offering a moral vision that rises above geopolitical rivalries.’

‘She does not ask nations to abandon their legitimate interests, but to place them at the service of the common good of the entire human family.’

He pointed out that the ultimate question ‘is not simply whether Pax Silica will make economies stronger or [AI] more powerful.’

‘The real question is whether it will help build what Pope Leo calls a civilization of love rather than a culture of power-a future in which technological progress serves human dignity, social fraternity, care for our common home, and peace among nations.’

Calls for transparency, public participation

Like Bishop Alminaza, Cardinal David and other skeptics, the educators also called for stronger transparency, meaningful public participation, independent environmental monitoring, fair benefit-sharing, and ‘clear commitments to local processing and value-added industries’ before the project advances.

CEAP said countries get their greatest long-term benefits from strategic minerals when they invest beyond extraction in manufacturing, research, innovation, skilled workers and strong public institutions.

‘The long-term success of high-purity silica development depends less on the resource itself than on the strength of governance, regulatory institutions, environmental stewardship, and industrial policy,’ CEAP said.

‘A project that does not give people lasting benefit is not progress’

The hub is envisioned as a 1,620-hectare technology zone inside New Clark City, built under Pax Silica, a 23-member, US-led coalition formed in December to secure supply chains for semiconductors, AI and critical minerals.

Alminaza said the site is not empty land-it is home to Aeta Indigenous families, farmers and rural communities whose rights and livelihoods ‘must come before corporate and geopolitical interests.’

The project aims to position the Philippines as a supplier of high-purity silica, a critical mineral used in semiconductor wafers, fiber-optic cables, photovoltaic cells and other technologies supporting artificial intelligence, renewable energy and advanced manufacturing.

The government estimates project the venture could attract $40 billion to $70 billion in investments and create more than 130,000 high-quality jobs for engineers, scientists, technicians, researchers and other skilled workers.

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. touted the hub as a centerpiece of his economic agenda in his fifth State of the Nation Address on July 27, saying it would ‘create an eco-system that will have AI at its core’ and ‘bring quality jobs to our people, accelerate our industrial competitiveness, and revitalize our economy.’

It was described as an advanced manufacturing and logistics center within the Luzon Economic Corridor, positioning the Philippines in the global AI and technology value chain.

Alminaza said the project must not become a pretext for land conversion, displacement, destructive mining or the diversion of electricity and water away from public use.

The real question, he said, is not whether the Philippines should industrialize, but what kind of industrialization benefits Filipinos.

‘The Philippines cannot call it industrialization if we remain suppliers of raw materials, low-value components and cheap labor,’ Alminaza said.

Genuine development, he argued, should build Filipino ownership, technology and manufacturing capacity rather than extract resources for foreign-controlled supply chains.

Caritas said it supports industrial growth but it should respect human dignity, environmental integrity, national sovereignty and the participation of affected communities.

It said any project that takes from the land and its people without giving them lasting benefit ‘is not progress.’

LOS ANGELES-For a billionaire and a tech investor who also has one of the US’ best-known surnames, Josh Kushner has managed to stay off the front pages and out of the world’s broader discourse to a remarkable degree.

That’s all changed this summer, at least in the parts of the world with a passion for sports.

The 41-year-old Kushner and his partner, former Disney CEO Bob Iger, reached a stunning agreement this week to buy the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) Los Angeles Lakers from Mark Walter at a valuation of $12.5 billion-the highest ever for a team sports sale.

It’s been a wild two weeks for the 41-year-old Kushner, who followed up his failed attempt to purchase a stake in future World Cup profits in a much-criticized plan orchestrated by FIFA President Gianni Infantino by acquiring the glamorous Lakers in a shockingly swift deal.

Until this month, many people didn’t even know that Jared Kushner-President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and his longtime lieutenant in government-had a younger brother with a thriving business empire, a supermodel wife and a passion for basketball.

While Josh Kushner avoids the spotlight and rarely grants interviews, the success of his venture capital investment firm, Thrive Capital, has boosted him to mogul status in the past few years. Forbes estimates Kushner’s net worth at about $5 billion.

Kushner’s partner in this historical venture is no secret to anybody, at least in Los Angeles or the entertainment industry or the larger business world. The 75-year-old Iger ran The Walt Disney Co. for two stints over the past two decades, leading the Hollywood behemoth into the streaming age before he stepped away from the Mouse earlier this year.

Los Angeles is still reeling from the surprise of this deal: Just 10 months after Walter-the owner currently presiding over the renaissance of the back-to-back World Series champion Dodgers-formally took control of the Lakers, he essentially flipped them for a possible multibillion-dollar profit to two new owners with none of Walter’s sports ownership experience or credibility among Southern California fans.

So who are the two men suddenly in charge of LA’s 17-time NBA championship team?

Kushner, Iger reportedly introduced by their significant others

THE son of a real estate mogul, Josh Kushner founded Thrive Capital in 2009 and health insurance company Oscar Health in 2012. Thrive Capital grew with early investments in OpenAI and SpaceX, among other tech companies. He remains close with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.

Kushner and Bob Iger reportedly first met eight years ago after they were set up by Iger’s wife, Willow Bay, and Kushner’s then-girlfriend, Karlie Kloss, whom he has since married. What started as a friendly mentorship turned into a business relationship shortly before Iger left Disney for the first time.

Iger joined Thrive Capital in 2022 as a venture partner, with Iger connecting Kushner to the broader business world while Kushner educated Iger on the tech world. Iger left only months later to go back to Disney for another stint, but he stayed in close contact with Kushner, and they teamed up again this year.

The new owners pounced quickly upon hearing about possible sale

Iger confirmed to the California Post on Wednesday that he had teamed with Kushner on pursuing an NBA expansion team in Las Vegas, only to pivot dramatically last weekend when they learned Walter might be looking to sell the Lakers.

‘We immediately decided that given the value of the franchise and the iconic nature of the team, that we would be really smart to pursue it,’ Iger said. ‘The deal came together in three days. It’s that simple.’

Iger acknowledged that the deal was finalized so quickly that he and Kushner hadn’t had time to make any long-term plans for the Lakers.

New owners have basketball backgrounds, but not with Lakers

JOSH LUSHNER is new to the Lakers, but not to the NBA. He once owned a minority stake in the Memphis Grizzlies, but sold it to buy into the Miami Heat. He’ll have to sell that stake to complete his purchase of the Lakers. Kushner and Kloss also have been spotted frequently at Knicks games.

Bob Iger is a longtime basketball aficionado-NBA Commissioner Adam Silver reportedly introduced him to Bay, a former NBA journalist, 30 years ago-but his particular background makes his Lakers ownership a bit strange.

Iger grew up a Knicks fan, and after he moved to Los Angeles, he decided he couldn’t support the rival Lakers-so he became one of the Clippers’ most prominent fans, buying season tickets and forming a friendship with former point guard Chris Paul.

Kushner’s political beliefs differ from his brother and father

Thousands of Lakers fans in progressive Los Angeles reacted with a raised eyebrow when they learned the name of their team’s primary new owner Wednesday, but it’s not that simple.

Kushner’s surname is indeed among the most politically weighted in the world, but Josh Kushner and Karlie Kloss both have publicly said they don’t share the conservative beliefs currently espoused by his brother and their father, Charles Kushner.

Josh Kushner has repeatedly donated to progressive political candidates, and he once stated in an interview that ‘liberal values have guided my life.’ Kloss is an outspoken advocate for reproductive rights and other progressive causes.

Iger has described himself as a political independent with progressive personal views. He briefly served in a business advisory forum for Trump in 2017 before resigning over his beliefs in environmental conservation.

Bohol, one of the country’s a world-renowned tourist destination, may soon boost its tourist arrivals with the creation of a new web application.

The Philippine Council for Industry, Energy, and Emerging Technology Research and Development of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST-PCIEERD) and the Bohol Island State University (BISU)-Balilihan Campus launched a digital solution, the Laag Bohol Web-App: Enhancing Tour Guides and Tourists’ Experience, on July 23, in Tagbilaran City, Bohol.

The new tourism web-app, developed by researchers in BISU, brings tourists, tour guides, operators, transport providers, and tourism authorities into one smarter, more connected platform.

It aims to improve access to tourism services, strengthen professional tour guiding, gather visitor feedback, and support evidence-based tourism planning.

‘Through the Laag Bohol web-app, tourism officials can use real-time data on visitor needs and experiences to improve services, make better decisions, and support sustainable growth,’ Science Secretary Renato U. Solidum Jr. said.

‘This is the kind of technology we want for Filipinos-innovation that solves real problems and creates opportunities for communities,’ Soilidum added.

The platform features Bohol tourism data management, data analytics, a centralized directory of verified tour guides and operators, online training modules for tour guides, direct access to tourism services, visitor feedback collection, and promotional content for Bohol destinations.

The features are expected to support easier access to verified tourism services, better-trained tour guides, smarter tourism planning, and a stronger image for Bohol as a smart destination.

The project amounting to P1 million is funded by the DOST-PCIEERD through its Regional Research Institution (RRI) Program, with a P150,000 counterpart from BISU.

The Department of Economy, Planning and Development’s (DepDev) reported that tourist arrivals in Bohol dropped by 59 percent to 170,016 from 417,142 in the previous year, with domestic arrivals falling by 73 percent and foreign arrivals declining by 40 percent.

Bohol, a Unesco Global Geopark, is one of the country’s major tourist destinations. It is known for its natural landscapes, cultural heritage, biodiversity, and community-based tourism.

‘Through our [RRI] Program, we support researchers in developing solutions that can create tangible benefits for communities and industries. What began as a research initiative at [BISU] has evolved into a digital platform with the potential to strengthen tourism services, support evidence-based decision-making, and contribute to the long-term competitiveness of the tourism sector,’ said Engr. Ninaliza H. Escorial, DOST-PCIEERD Deputy Executive Director and OIC.

SEOUL, South Korea-International human-rights and religious-freedom experts have raised concerns over the state of freedom of religion or belief, freedom of expression, due process, and the treatment of religious minorities in South Korea, calling for the equal protection of fundamental rights.

Human Rights Without Frontiers (HRWF), together with CAP Liberté de Conscience (CAP LC), which has accredited Economic and Social Council status at the United Nations, Forum for Religious Freedom Europe (Foref), Center for Studies on New Religions (Cesnur) and Bitter Winter, held a news conference at the Seoul Foreign Correspondents’ Club focused on freedom of religion or belief and freedom of expression in South Korea.

Among the issues discussed was the detention of 95-year-old Shincheonji Chairman Lee Man-hee, with experts raising questions about proportionality, humanitarian considerations and due process.

The organizations called on South Korean authorities to ensure that legal and administrative measures involving religious communities remain neutral, proportionate and consistent with international human-rights obligations.

The conference also addressed broader concerns, including the treatment of other religious leaders, conscientious objection, alleged hostility toward minority religious communities.

Concerns have persisted regarding Segero Church in Busan, which has reportedly continued to face harassment and official scrutiny even after Pastor Son Hyun-bo was released from detention.

Questions were raised about conscientious objection and public hostility toward a mosque project in Daegu, and religious accommodation in educational settings.

Over the past decades, HRWF has documented the imprisonment of hundreds of Jehovah’s Witnesses in South Korea as conscientious objectors. Although alternative civilian service was later introduced, critics maintain that it has been implemented in a punitive manner rather than as a genuine rights-respecting alternative.

HRWF Associate Director Hans Noot said the issues ‘lie at the heart of democratic society,’ stressing that fundamental rights must apply equally to all, regardless of religious affiliation.

Other experts, including Thierry Valle of CAP CL, Michael Langhans of Foref Germany, Márk Nemes of Cesnur and Massimo Introvigne of Cesnur and Bitter Winter, discussed the legal, humanitarian and social implications of these developments and their potential impact on freedom of religion or belief in South Korea.

Archbishop Ledesma stresses church-state separation

Archbishop Antonio J. Ledesma, Archbishop Emeritus of the Archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro, attended the press conference virtually.

In a recent interview on the issue, he reaffirmed the importance of the constitutional principle of separation of church and state as a safeguard for human dignity, freedom of conscience, and freedom of religion and belief.

‘The separation of church and state has been instrumental in safeguarding the dignity and freedom of conscience of everyone,’ Ledesma said.

He emphasized the importance of due process and the presumption of innocence, saying: ‘Everyone has to first be considered innocent until there is some evidence or proof given otherwise.’

Ledesma, who has worked with Chairman Lee Man-hee and Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light (HWPL) in promoting interfaith dialogue and peacebuilding in Mindanao, said he was ‘surprised and shocked’ upon learning of Lee’s detention.

The archbishop said HWPL’s work in Mindanao in promoting dialogue among religious leaders and respect for different religious beliefs help communities ‘live together’ despite their differences.

Ledesma extended his prayers and support to Lee, expressing hope that he would ‘weather this with courage and also with truthfulness’ as he continues working for peace and the cessation of armed conflict.

His message served as a reminder that safeguarding due process, religious freedom, and the constitutional principle of separation of church and state remains a continuing responsibility of democratic societies, including the Philippines.

The conference participants signed a letter calling on the government of South Korea to immediately release Chairman Lee from custody.

Emperor Meiji first visited the site that would become one of Japan’s most controversial shrines in 1874. He vowed that the names of those who died for their country would live there forever.

More than 2.4 million people are now honored at Yasukuni, a memorial and Shinto shrine in central Tokyo. Among them are 14 war criminals who are also commemorated each Aug. 15, when Japan’s surrender ended World War II.

The shrine provides spiritual comfort for some who mourn relatives and others who visit to express gratitude. Yet for Asian countries that endured Japanese imperial rule and expansion, Yasukuni remains a symbol of Japan’s militarism.

Visits by Japanese leaders frequently draw criticism from China and South Korea, which see them as a sign of insufficient remorse for Japan’s wartime aggression.

Here’s a look at the history and religious background of a shrine that is both a sacred place of remembrance and a source of controversy.

Yasukuni’s foundation followed a historic transformation

Imperial rule was restored in Japan in the 19th century after the fall of a military government that ruled for more than 250 years. A year into the new imperial era, in 1869, Emperor Meiji ordered the construction of the shrine that would later be renamed Yasukuni.

The name derives from two Japanese characters that can be translated as ‘peaceful country,’ and its purpose was to honor those who fell defending the imperial cause.

‘Yasukuni Shrine was initially conceived as a way to send a message to the Japanese people,’ said Akiko Takenaka, a professor of history at the University of Kentucky. ‘The message was about the emperor; the message was about a new Japan.’

In that Japan, Takenaka added, Meiji became the one who could bestow the highest honor on those who died fighting for the empire and men were expected to consider it an honor to sacrifice their lives for him.

Religion and government became intertwined

Japan’s emperors have long been regarded as descendants of the sun goddess Amaterasu under Shinto beliefs. However, the notion of the emperor’s divine origins strengthened during the Meiji era, when the concept of State Shinto arose.

On one hand, that meant the government exercised control over the shrine’s practices and finances. Beyond that, the line between patriotism and religion blurred.

‘The Meiji reformers believed that they were establishing an ideal nation in which the people and the sacred emperor maintained a spiritual union,’ wrote Susumu Shimazono, a scholar specializing in religion and modern Japan, in the Japanese Journal of Religious Studies.

The separation of religion and state came after Japan’s surrender in WWII.

In December 1945, U.S. Gen. Douglas MacArthur issued an order that abolished State Shinto. The measure effectively cut off government funding for shrines and removed Shinto practices and teachings from public institutions.

Yasukuni subsequently became a private religious corporation. Official visits have raised questions about the constitutional separation of religion and government.

Enshrinement at Yasukuni has long stirred controversy

Yasukuni is not a cemetery. Rather than bodies or graves, those remembered there are enshrined as ‘kami’-divinities or sacred spirits in the Shinto tradition.

They include soldiers, women who provided battlefield relief, students mobilized to support wartime production, and foreign nationals who died while serving Japan.

Yasukuni’s most controversial kami are 14 Class-A war criminals, a designation applied to Japanese leaders accused of ‘crimes against peace’ by planning and waging the war. Among them is wartime Prime Minister Hideki Tojo, one of the masterminds behind the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Their enshrinement was carried out in secret by Yasukuni’s head priest in 1978, three years after Hirohito last prayed at the shrine.

‘Emperor Hirohito did not go again after he found out,’ said Mark R. Mullins, professor of Japanese and religious studies at the University of Auckland. ‘He didn’t want to get caught up in criticism surrounding that.’

Hirohito’s successors have sent emissaries to Yasukuni for its key annual rites, but neither has visited the shrine in person as emperor.

Other controversial enshrinements include Buddhists, Christians, Koreans and Taiwanese whose families say they were included without their consent, Mullins said.

Some have taken legal action, but Japanese courts have rejected efforts to have relatives removed from the shrine.

Yasukuni means different things to different people

‘For some of those in the bereaved families’ association, the focus may be on the personal grief,’ Mullins said. ‘But for those who are keen to restore what they feel was lost by the loss of the war and the foreign occupation, it means something more.’

Adjacent to the shrine is the Yushukan Museum, which displays wartime artifacts. Scholars have underscored how its account of Japan’s military history leaves out the experiences of China and Korea under Japanese imperialism.

‘By eliminating the enemy, the Yushukan remembers a war that was only ever glorious,’ wrote John Breen, a professor at the International Research Center for Japanese Studies, in a paper called ‘Yasukuni Shrine: Ritual and Memory.’

Some visitors say paying respects at Yasukuni carries a spiritual meaning that should not be equated with endorsing war.

Kana Shindo, a member of Tokyo’s Minato City Assembly, said she regards the shrine as a place where she purifies her mind, gives thanks to the kami and reflects on herself.

‘I have absolutely no intention of glorifying war,’ said Shindo, who added that politicians also have freedom of religion and conscience. ‘I visit because I believe that the peaceful Japan in which we live today exists upon the lives and accumulated history of the people who lived before us.’

Bereaved families maintain ties to Yasukuni

Before leaving for war, Japanese soldiers were told that if they died, they would be enshrined at Yasukuni.

‘They told their families: ‘I want you to come see me at Yasukuni Shrine,” said Toshiei Mizuochi, president of the Japan War-Bereaved Families Association.

His father, who served in the Japanese navy, was killed in a bombing six days before the end of the war, on Aug. 9, 1945.

More than 2.4 million Japanese soldiers died overseas during WWII. The remains of approximately 1 million have yet to be recovered.

‘For that reason, the vast majority of bereaved families who received neither remains nor personal belongings believe that the spirits of the war dead are at Yasukuni Shrine,’ Mizuochi said.

Relatives like him visit Yasukuni beyond Aug. 15. They attend major ceremonies, commemorate death anniversaries and report family milestones-entering school, starting a job, getting married or having a child.

‘I visit Yasukuni Shrine more times than I can count in a year,’ Mizuochi said. ‘Every time I put my hands together in prayer, the face of my father in his portrait naturally comes to mind.’

White sugar futures in London rose for a third straight week, slightly outpacing raw sugar and keeping refining margins near their highest levels in two years.

A blistering rally, mirroring other crop markets at risk from El Niño, has both raw and white sugar up more than 10 percent so far this month. But prices for the processed sweetener rose more this week as raw supplies remain abundant in top producer and exporter Brazil, prolonging a trend this year of a widening premium for refined sugar over raw.

The most-active white sugar contract fell on Friday but still gained more than 1 percent this week.

The spread is a key gauge of refining profitability, with levels above $100 a ton typically providing a strong incentive to keep processing. White sugar’s premium settled near $150 a ton early last month before falling, but has started to rise again in recent trading sessions.

Both raw and white sugar markets have surged this month as potentially the strongest El Niño in decades threatens top producers. Supporting interest in refined sugar, the outlook is particularly stark in Europe-where multiple heat waves have parched crops, including the continent’s sugar beets that are processed directly into white sugar. Europe’s sugar output may fall to the lowest in more than a decade as a result.

‘There had been hope that perhaps the EU might see some relief before they begin harvesting beets, but instead, they get yet another heat wave,’ said Mike McDougall, an analyst at McDougall Global View.

Analysts are increasingly expecting tighter supplies in the 2026-27 season that starts in October. And the global shortfall may widen further in the 2027-28 season on lower cane and beet plantings, according to Czarnikow analyst Gerard Horner.

Open interest has also risen alongside prices, suggesting the moves aren’t driven solely by speculators covering bearish bets, but also by new buying, according to Paris-based brokerage Deepcore.

Hedge funds were more bullish on white sugar than any other period on record over the week ending August 11, according to data released after market close. The shift was driven in large part by speculators opening new long positions rather than closing existing shorts.

Still, challenges remain for the market, especially for raw sugar. Brazilian raw sugar remains plentiful, and subdued import demand has left supplies available in the near term. The recent price gains also mean that sugar commands a sizable premium over ethanol, which may incentivize mills to produce more of the sweetener.

In other softs, arabica futures fluctuated on Friday. A deadly earthquake this week in Colombia, the world’s second largest producer of the premium bean, has upended trading logistics at a time when stockpiles are already low. But the country has since partly resumed coffee exports through the Buenaventura port.

SANTIAGO, Chile-On patches of grass beneath the trees, using bamboo poles and strands of steel wire, dreams took shape.

For Jello Andrea Mauricio and Taj Arkhea Teves, the volleyball journey began on courts far removed from the bright lights and regulation floors of the international stage. Frances Dianne Ramos had a somewhat better start, getting to play on concrete, but her path was no less difficult.

Now those dreams have carried them thousands of miles from Manila to the edge of the world, onto the bright lights of Parque Estadio National, competing against the best from across the globe in the FIVB Volleyball Girls U17 World championship.

And they have made history.

The Alas Pilipinas Girls are guaranteed a place in the top 16, securing the best finish by any Philippine volleyball team in any world meet.

From the municipality of Aurora in the province of Isabela, Mauricio has risen from makeshift courts to one of the biggest stages of youth volleyball.

One of the youngest in the national team at 14, Mauricio has provided a spark off the bench, bringing energy and keeping the right side as another scoring threat.

Her eyes welled as she recalled her tough beginnings, from her early days at Aurora Central School to her rise at San Felipe Neri Catholic School and now the world meet.

‘I’m really proud because I used to be just a girl from the province who dreamt of playing in the leagues I only watched on TV and social media. From provincial meets to the Palarong Pambansa, I have been so blessed po to meet people who supported me and helped improve my game. I got to bring my game to Manila and now I’m here in the world championship,’ Mauricio said.

At 13, Teves is the youngest of the 14-player Alas Pilipinas U17.

Initially a libero for this squad, Teves moved to the wing after just one match as coaches adjusted to the competition and converted outside hitter Nadeth Herbon into a floor defender.

Her role changed, but Teves’s easy smile remained.

Teves, from Barangay Pinayagan Sur in Tubigon, Bohol, has been tapped by the University of Santo Tomas and now provides stability on the back row for Alas Pilipinas.

‘I’m just proud to be here,’ the Region VII star said.

Ramos, also a Palarong Pambansa product, is now with the National University program, but stressed that she remains proud to carry the name of St. Michael College of Caraga wherever she goes.

‘We’re proud to have this opportunity and proud contribute whatever we can to the team, however small,’ the 15-year-old Ramos said.

‘I’m proud to represent the country, and being able to continue my journey as a national team player from the Asian U16 [in Amman, Jordan],’ she added.

Alas Pilipinas U17 assistant coach Wynne Bernardo under scored the need for stronger grassroots support.

‘There’s so much talent out there, where courts are just makeshift and ther’es very little support. When they organize games, their coaches practically beg for support because there’s no budget,’ Bernardo said.

‘So is we can increase support for grassroots volleyball, we can assemble stronger teams in the future. Look how far these kids have gone. With hard work, it’s possible. That’s why I’m so proud of this team.’

The Alas Pilipinas Girls also boast Sharina Lleses of King’s Montessori School, National University’s Xyz Ellen Rayco, Irish Mahinay, Jhaynna Love Bulandres and Princess Khaira Manzano, Ateneo’s Resty Olaguir and Jhenica Sadia, Megan Yesha Hernandez of UST, Nadeth Herbon of Leyte National High School, Christina Madela Gale of Bacolod Tay Tung and Caera Celis of St. John’s Institute in Bacolod.

THE Philippines’s joining the club of upper middle income countries is spurring not just a push to reassess the yardsticks it uses for determining poverty and quality of life. It has triggered a desperate push to expand sources of economic growth in a country that prides itself in its demographic advantage and highly exportable labor force, but is stuck in the early phases of industrialization.

Can the country ever truly seize the initiative? It has no choice, the chief economist said before the weekend

There’s no question that the Philippines needs to diversify its sources of growth as it seeks to accelerate its climb toward high-income status, according to Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan.

‘We need to diversify the sources of our growth to include, on the demand side, more investment and exports, and on the supply side, industry and agriculture,’ Balisacan said during the Economic Journalists’ Association of the Philippines (Ejap) economic forum on Friday.

He noted that Philippine growth over the past 15 years has been largely supported by household consumption, fueled in part by remittances and the information technology-business process management (IT-BPM) sector.

This contrasts with neighboring economies that have drawn growth from a broader mix of consumption, investment, and exports, Balisacan said.

‘We have been very successful in the first one, consumption, but quite comparatively poor in relation to the investment and exports,’ he said.

The weakness in investment has become more evident in recent quarters.

Gross capital formation, the investment component of the economy, contracted by 9.2 percent in the first quarter of 2026, reversing the 0.91-percent growth recorded a year earlier.

The Department of Economy, Planning, and Development (DEPDev) earlier said investment remained under pressure in the second quarter as delays in public infrastructure spending continued to weigh on economic activity (See: https://businessmirror.com.ph/2026/08/13/public-infra-could-have-yielded-5-growth-in-q2/).

The economy grew by only 2.3 percent in the second quarter, slower than the 2.8-percent expansion in the first quarter and bringing first-half growth to an average of 2.6 percent.

Balisacan also pointed to the economy’s increasingly services-heavy structure, with industry playing a smaller role in growth.

He said the Philippine economy is ‘behaving like a rich country,’ where services account for an increasingly large share of economic activity even though the country still has room to industrialize.

This was evident in the second quarter, when services contributed 2.8 percentage points to the country’s 2.3-percent GDP growth. Agriculture contributed another 0.2 percentage point, while industry dragged overall growth by 0.7 percentage point.

Balisacan, however, emphasized that the Philippines has not exhausted industrialization as a source of growth and could still strengthen industry while revitalizing agriculture to broaden the economy’s productive base.

The government’s push to broaden these growth engines comes as the Philippines moves from upper-middle-income status toward its longer-term ambition of becoming a high-income economy.

Balisacan said a faster growth pace would help shorten that transition.

The country’s chief economist compared the country’s trajectory with Malaysia, which is already nearing the high-income threshold after growing by around 4.6 percent annually, and Chile, which grew by around 8 percent and took 19 years to move above the high-income threshold.

He said that if the Philippines sustains its 5.1-percent average growth over the past 15 years, it could reach the threshold faster than Malaysia did.

‘If we sustain that, we’ll be able to cross that threshold at a faster time than Malaysia. But we need to grow much faster to become as close as Chile,’ he said.

Beyond expanding investment, exports, and industry, Balisacan said raising productivity would be crucial to sustaining faster growth over the longer term.

While the Philippines has accumulated more capital over the years, he said capital deepening remains ‘shallow,’ meaning the stock of productive capital has not increased sufficiently relative to the labor force.

As a result, labor productivity has not risen as quickly as in neighboring economies such as Vietnam.

‘In the longer term, it is really productivity growth, fueled by innovation that drives GDP growth,’ Balisacan said.

He also pointed to the need to upskill workers as emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, reshape industries and the labor market.

Meanwhile, even as it has just attained UMIC status, the country still must reckon with the unrealistic parameters of its poverty-determining system, according to a former national statistician. The Philippines’s entry into the UMIC bracket should prompt a reassessment of whether the country’s poverty standard still reflects the living conditions expected of a more affluent economy, according to former National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB) Secretary General Jose Ramon G. Albert.

This comes as the initial monthly poverty threshold for a family of five rose to P14,600 in 2025, an increase that Albert said appears to largely reflect higher prices rather than a higher standard of basic needs.

‘Official statistics may currently be understating both the number of poor Filipinos and the vulnerability of those just above the threshold,’ Albert earlier told the BusinessMirror.

Earlier this week, National Statistician Claire Dennis S. Mapa confirmed during a House committee hearing that the initial estimate of the poverty threshold, or the minimum income needed to meet basic food and non-food requirements, had risen to P14,600 for a family of five in 2025.

KORONADAL CITY, South Cotabato-Health research in the Philippines should move away from one-size-fits-all solutions and account for the distinct cultural, geographic and socioeconomic realities of communities, particularly those in rural and geographically isolated areas, according to a regional science director.

Regional Director Engr. Sammy P. Malawan, of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) XII and chairman of the Health Research and Development Consortium XII (HRDC-12), said research should generate evidence that explains why health problems persist, why access to care remains unequal, and which interventions work best for specific communities.

‘Sometimes, we already know the problem, but we do not yet have enough evidence for the best solution. Sometimes, there is technology, but it has not reached the people who need it. And sometimes, there is already a solution but it is not sensitive to the culture, economic status, location or community affordability,’ Malawan said partly in Filipino during the opening of the 19th Philippine National Health Research System (PNHRS) Week in this city on August 11.

Hosted by HRDC XII from August 11 to 13, the 19th PNHRS Week carried the theme ‘HealthConverge: Transforming Health Research, Connecting Cultures.’

He pointed to the country’s 2024 mortality figures to illustrate the scale of the health burden.

Ischemic heart disease remained the leading cause of death, claiming 134,078 lives, or 19.1 percent of all recorded deaths. Neoplasms, or cancer, accounted for 77,433 deaths, while cerebrovascular diseases caused another 68,736.

Malawan said these figures should also be viewed through the realities faced by communities, including families dealing with lost income, patients struggling with medical expenses and residents in remote areas who travel long distances to access specialized care.

‘The health challenges of South Cotabato may not look exactly the same as those in Metro Manila. The needs of an indigenous community may differ from those of an urban population,’ he emphasized.

This, he said, highlights the need for researchers to consider local conditions, Indigenous knowledge and the experiences of health workers and other stakeholders when identifying problems and developing interventions.

‘National system becomes meaningful only when it listens to what is happening on the ground,’ Malawan said, adding that research should begin by asking communities what they actually need.

Science, technology and innovation, he added, can help translate these needs and research findings into interventions that are practical and accessible.

‘Science helps us understand. Technology gives us the tools. Innovation brings solutions closer to the people,’ he said.

Malawan urged researchers to ‘pursue research that is bold enough to ask difficult questions, humble enough to listen, rigorous enough to produce credible evidence, and practical enough to create change.’

Meanwhile, Science Secretary Renato U. Solidum Jr. said the region’s vibrant cultural heritage highlights the importance of health research that reflects the lived realities and needs of local communities.

‘Our diversity is not divisive. It is one of our greatest strengths in advanced science and technology. It is through these convergences that we transform diversity into discovery and ideas into breakthroughs,’ Solidum said in a recorded keynote message.

‘Meaningful innovations thrive when diverse minds work toward a shared purpose,’ he added.

Solidum also emphasized the role of the National Unified Health Research Agenda in guiding health research and development priorities based on the country’s health needs.

He said the Philippine Health Research Ethics Board helps uphold ethical standards in research involving human participants, while the Regional Health Research and Development Consortia strengthen research capacity at the regional and institutional levels.

He said the PNHRS implementing agencies, through their respective mandates and expertise, work together to align research priorities, build institutional capacity and ensure that scientific evidence is translated into policies and programs.

The DOST, through the Philippine Council for Health Research and Development, works with the Department of Health, Commission on Higher Education and the University of the Philippines Manila-National Institutes of Health in advancing a more coordinated and responsive health research system.

‘Let us make HealthConverge more than just a theme. Let it guide the way we work across disciplines, sectors, and cultures. Let us remain committed to advancing a health research system that is inclusive, collaborative, and responsive to the needs of the Filipino people,’ Solidum said.

The event brought together researchers, health professionals, policymakers and other stakeholders through discussions, partnership-building activities and research competitions, with a focus on strengthening collaboration and promoting locally responsive health research.

The next PNHRS Week will be held in Calabarzon.