Category: Business Mirror

ADVINTEL Inc. announced last Tuesday of having entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) aiming to expand access to formal financing for small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

The agreement, signed on August 6, ‘provides the foundation for launching ‘SME Trust,” read the company’s statement.

It explained that ‘SME Trust’ is a credit-profile registry that integrates digital identity verification, credit data systems, cybersecurity, and electronic KYC technologies into the DTI’s network of over 1,400 ‘Negosyo’ centers.

Trade Undersecretary Blesila A. Lantayona was quoted in the statement as saying ‘SME Trust’ is expected ‘to ensure that businesses in rural communities enjoy the same digital visibility as those in urban centers.’

FOURTEEN years after cityhood, the fast-growing City of Cabuyao is investing in people as much as infrastructure. Home to thousands of registered businesses and major industrial locators, Cabuyao faces the challenge of turning commercial activity into opportunities that reach its growing urban population.

For Mayor Dennis Felipe C. Hain, that means looking beyond the factories, roads and investments that have transformed Cabuyao’s landscape in recent years.

Cityhood must also be felt when a family seeks help during an emergency, when a student struggles to remain in school, or when a resident looks for work or tries to start a business.

‘Bagong Cabuyao is not merely a slogan,’ Hain said in a recent interview. ‘It is a commitment to every Cabuyeño family to provide faster, orderly and honest service.’

Cabuyao became a component city of Laguna on August 4, 2012, following the passage of Republic Act 10163 and the ratification of its cityhood. With 365,202 residents across 18 barangays, Cabuyao is now the country’s only component city whose population is classified as entirely urban. That distinction reflects both the scale of its transformation and the pressure it faces to expand public services alongside economic activity.

That urban growth has widened Cabuyao’s economic opportunities, but it has also increased demand for hospitals, classrooms, employment, and social services.

A city shaped by its people

As the city marks its 14th cityhood anniversary, the local government is using the celebration to highlight not only Cabuyao’s progress but also the participation of residents, businesses, and communities in its continuing development.

The anniversary activities included a taxpayers’ night, tournaments at the newly renovated badminton and pickleball courts, a bike fun ride, and a fun run that attracted around 4,000 participants.

A photography competition and exhibit, along with the HAIN sa Nayon Cooking Fest, also showcased local creativity and community talent.

Beyond the celebrations, Hain’s response to the demands of urban growth has been to combine direct public spending with partnerships involving private providers, national government agencies and educational institutions.

The approach starts with helping residents overcome immediate difficulties. It then seeks to give them the education, skills, and livelihood opportunities needed to participate in the city’s economy.

Bringing government closer

For Hain, the first test of public service comes when residents turn to government during an emergency.

A family seeking medical assistance may already be worried about a patient and the cost of treatment. Yet it may still have to secure certifications, identify the appropriate program, and approach several offices before receiving help. Other residents face similar difficulties when dealing with a death in the family, sudden unemployment or damage caused by natural calamities.

This was the problem Cabuyao sought to address through its HAIN Centers.

‘We brought the offices together in one place so people would no longer have to go back and forth,’ Hain said. ‘When they arrive, someone should immediately respond to their needs.’

The HAIN (Help and Assistance for Individuals in Need) Center, located near City Hall, serves as the broader one-stop shop. It facilitates medical certifications and referrals, as well as assistance for medicines, burial expenses, unemployment and calamity-related needs.

Instead of requiring residents to determine which office should handle their case, the center consolidates assistance and referrals in one location.

The HAIN Center inside Cabuyao City Hospital focuses on patients whose PhilHealth benefits and personal resources are insufficient to cover their medical expenses.

After evaluation and approval, the LGU may shoulder the remaining medical expenses of qualified patients.

Chief of Staff Richard C. Hain oversees the coordination and processing of requests coursed through the hospital-based center.

The help and health assistance centers respond to different circumstances, but both are part of the same HAIN assistance framework.

They were designed around the idea that residents should not have to understand the full government bureaucracy before they can receive help.

Protecting families through healthcare

Mayor Hain also views healthcare as part of the city’s economic development. An illness can keep a worker from earning, force a student to leave school and consume money intended for food, education, or a family business.

‘Health is wealth,’ he said. ‘Whether you are rich or poor, everything else loses its value if your health is not in order.’

Making financial assistance easier to obtain, however, addresses only one part of the problem. The treatment itself must also be available without exhausting either the patient’s finances or the LGU’s resources.

For Cabuyao City Hospital Chief Gregorio Fabros, this is where partnerships become important.

‘You are always limited by the budget. How can you provide the service if you do not have the money?’ Fabros said.

He cited Cabuyao’s dialysis program, which operates through a public-private partnership.

According to Fabros, the private partner provides the service, while PhilHealth covers qualified treatments, laboratory procedures, and consumables.

The center has operated since 2021 and has 19 dialysis machines. It currently serves around 107 regular patients over three shifts. Those who medically require dialysis three times a week may receive covered sessions throughout the year.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, the facility also accepted infected dialysis patients from different parts of Calabarzon. The Department of Health later provided around P10 million in assistance after the center took on these cases.

With the existing schedule already full, Cabuyao is considering opening a second dialysis center.

The arrangement illustrates how the city tries to make its resources go further.

The LGU provides funding where necessary, but it also taps PhilHealth, private expertise and national government support instead of financing every part of a service on its own. Sustaining such arrangements requires both adequate resources and a continuing commitment from the city government.

Investing in people

While healthcare helps prevent illness from pushing a family further behind, education, in the mayor’s view, gives that family a way to move forward.

Through the Iskolar ng Bagong Cabuyao program, the city has expanded assistance to students from different circumstances.

The scholarship program was initially limited to academic achievers. Its eligibility criteria have since been expanded to include solo parents attending college, children of solo parents, students with disabilities, and children of persons with disabilities.

Scholarship support has also been extended to students who excel in sports, while the city plans to include young people with talent in music, arts, and other fields in the near future.

The wider coverage recognizes that students do not all begin from the same position. A solo parent may have to balance school with raising a child. A student with a disability may face additional healthcare, transportation and accessibility expenses.

‘Education is an investment that does not lose its value,’ Mayor Hain said. ‘The success of a place depends on proper education.’

Chief of Staff Hain also noted that a student’s future can be interrupted not by a lack of ability but by a family’s difficulty in paying for transportation, school supplies and other expenses.

‘A student should not be forced to give up his or her dreams simply because the family cannot afford tuition, transportation, school supplies or other expenses,’ he said.

Scholarships must therefore follow clear qualifications and proper evaluation. Academic performance matters, but financial need, perseverance, family circumstances and talent should also be considered.

‘Every student who finishes college has the chance to improve the life of an entire family,’ the Chief of Staff added.

The expanded scholarship program served an estimated 5,000 beneficiaries in 2025 and is targeting as many as 10,000 in 2026. Supporting more students has also required Cabuyao to expand the physical space available for learning.

At Pamantasan ng Cabuyao, the addition of Bagong Cabuyao Hall has expanded the facilities of the locally funded university. Mayor Hain said the number of students enrolled there has nearly doubled since he took office in 2022.

At Marinig National High School, meanwhile, a classroom shortage previously required students to report in two shifts. As part of the cityhood anniversary activities, Cabuyao opened a new building with 28 classrooms.

City officials said the additional space now allows students to attend under the same schedule. The local government is also studying the installation of solar panels to reduce the building’s recurring electricity costs.

Not every student, however, will follow a university path. Cabuyao also wants technical and vocational education and training (TVET) to remain accessible even though the city does not operate an institute of its own.

Rather than wait until it could build one, Mayor Hain said the city has partnered with more than 30 schools and training institutions in Laguna and Metro Manila.

Cabuyeño TVET scholars enroll in courses offered by these institutions, while the city provides transportation from Cabuyao to their training schools and back.

The partnerships allow students to use facilities and pursue programs that are not yet available locally. They also help Cabuyao align training with the skills required by industries operating in and around the city.

Where Cabuyao lacks the facility, it finds an institution that already has it. The city then tries to remove the next practical barrier by helping students reach the school.

Connecting talent with opportunity

Cabuyao’s economic agenda seeks to create an environment where businesses can invest, expand and generate employment. As of July 2026, the city had 5,664 registered businesses. It is also home to more than 30 companies within the Light Industry and Science Park, apart from other industrial locators operating across the city. For 2026, the city expects to generate P1.022 billion in locally sourced revenues.

Beyond attracting investments, the city aims to connect prepared workers with companies seeking employees while giving residents room to build businesses of their own. For qualified microenterprises, the city has waived the mayor’s permit fee. The measure is intended to encourage sari-sari stores, food sellers, online merchants, repair shops, and home-based entrepreneurs to formalize their operations.

A permit fee may be a minor expense for a large company. For a microentrepreneur, however, the same amount could already be used to purchase products, ingredients or tools.

‘Many of them lack access, information and the capacity to pay. This limits the opportunities available to them, and that is what we want to address,’ Mayor Hain said.

Chief of Staff Hain also stressed that waiving the permit fee does not relax the rules governing businesses.

Qualified microenterprises must still comply with health, sanitation, fire-safety, zoning and consumer-protection requirements. The city is reducing the financial burden of registration while retaining standards intended to protect the public.

‘In the long term, this measure can help small businesses grow, create jobs, and contribute more to the local economy. A small business today may become a larger employer and taxpayer in the future,’ he added.

Broadening participation in the local economy, however, is not limited to microenterprises. Cabuyao is also seeking to make its processes easier for larger companies that can bring capital and employment into the city.

Mayor Hain said the city wants to accelerate permit processing while ensuring that requirements remain transparent, predictable and consistently applied.

At the same time, Cabuyao is aligning its university and technical-vocational programs with the skills industries require.

The relationship works both ways. Companies need qualified workers to operate and expand, while residents need a clear path toward the jobs being created within their city.

Those who choose self-employment likewise need the skills and business environment that will allow a small enterprise to survive and eventually grow.

‘We need to match what our schools produce with the requirements of investors and industries so that our graduates have jobs waiting for them,’ Mayor Hain said.

New infrastructure is expected to deepen these connections. The Laguna Lakeshore Road Network includes connecting roads and interchanges in Cabuyao and is designed to improve mobility between Metro Manila and Laguna. Construction of the North-South Commuter Railway is also underway. Once operational, its southern section is expected to strengthen Cabuyao’s connectivity with Metro Manila and other parts of Laguna.

The city is also rehabilitating and widening local roads, opening access routes to ease congestion, and strengthening flood control, traffic management and waste management in preparation for further urban growth.

Taken together, these efforts seek to create a reinforcing cycle. New investments generate employment and expand the city’s resources. Education, training and public services equip residents to fill those jobs or establish businesses.

A healthier and better-trained population, in turn, strengthens Cabuyao’s ability to attract and retain investors.

The challenge for Cabuyao, as with other fast-growing Philippine cities, is to ensure that investments do not remain confined to business districts or economic reports. They must translate into jobs, incomes, and opportunities that reach households.

‘By 2031 or 2032, Cabuyao will look very different,’ Mayor Hain said. ‘That is what we are preparing for.’

New roads, railways and investments may change Cabuyao’s physical landscape. But the city’s success will ultimately be measured by whether those changes create better lives for the people who call it home. Fourteen years after cityhood, that is the promise behind Cabuyao’s ambition to become the place to be.

DREO, one of the fastest-growing home comfort and lifestyle appliance brands globally, officially launches in the Philippines through ACE Home Solutions Store, introducing a new generation of innovative cooling and air comfort solutions designed for today’s modern homes.

The launch event, held at ACE Home Solutions Store M Makati, features an intimate podcast-style conversation featuring Juancho Trivino with wife Joyce Pring and DREO executives to discuss how comfort, design, and smart technology are shaping contemporary Filipino lifestyles.

In partnership with OUR HOME, the event venue will be transformed into a welcoming living room environment showcasing how DREO products seamlessly integrate into modern homes while delivering superior performance and comfort.

Founded in the United States in 2021, DREO has rapidly grown into a global home comfort brand, shipping more than 20 million units worldwide, operating in over 23 global markets, and appearing in more than 26,000 retail locations globally.

DREO is particularly known for pioneering technologies such as HyperSilent, TurboPoly Air Circulation, TurboWind Airflow, and intelligent airflow solutions that deliver powerful performance while maintaining exceptional energy efficiency and low noise levels.

The Philippine launch highlights several of DREO’s most exciting home comfort categories, including air circulator fans, humidifiers, misting fans, and other smart home innovations that support healthier, more comfortable living environments.

To celebrate the launch, ACE Home Solutions Store had the ACE x DREO Selfie Challenge in-store promotional activity from August 8 to 10, giving shoppers a chance to win exclusive DREO products simply by taking a selfie at the display area and posting it on social media while tagging ACE Home Solutions Store.

With its combination of cutting-edge technology, thoughtful design, and accessible innovation, DREO aims to redefine everyday comfort and help Filipino consumers create homes that feel better, every day.

Visit ACE Hardware Philippines on Facebook, @acehardware_ph on Instagram and ACE Hardware PH on Youtube to watch the podcast episode.

Low-carb. Balanced fat, protein, and fiber. Calories permitted within reason. Eating-window limit. Supplementation recommended.

This Plantation Bay diet suggests very low net carbs for the first few days to jump-start weight loss, then transitions to Intermittent Fasting on an 18-6 basis, while still limiting daily carbs and being sensible about everything else.

Scientific/Conceptual Foundations of Our Diet

Some establishments torture you with quack diets for a few days; you quickly lose a few pounds, then regain it almost immediately. In contrast, the Plantation Bay Keto But Not Kwite Diet incorporates the most recent scientific findings from both human clinical trials and observational studies.

This is not medical advice. For that, consult your doctor. But if you have a doctor who flatly objects to most of the elements of the diet without even letting you try it, you should consider finding another doctor, one who bases advice on constantly-evolving scientific knowledge, not on half-truths and outright falsehoods learned from a magazine or med rep 20 years ago.

If at any point you experience gastrointestinal discomfort or other negative reaction, discontinue immediately and go back to what you were eating before.

Our Diet combines moderate ketosis and moderate intermittent fasting to:

Reduce insulin resistance, which is widely implicated in many metabolic disorders.

Enhance gut health, a vital factor in general health and physical and mental well- being.

Promote autophagy, a beneficial process by which the body scavenges defective cells, potentially with longevity and disease-avoidance results.

Target visceral fat and reduce inflammation, both strongly associated with a wide range of diseases and physical disorders.

Help you feel and look better.

Unlike the usual Keto Diet, ours doesn’t encourage unlimited fat consumption, and unlike bare-bones Intermittent Fasting it doesn’t permit unlimited eating during the ‘eating-permitted window’. However, unlike Keto, Paleo, and Fad Diets, Plantation Bay’s diet permits considerable variety in food choices in moderate quantities, making it sustainable over extended periods without

requiring iron will-power.

Cut net carbs to less than 20 for entire day. Balanced dinner but O Net Carbs.

Days 1-3

Aim for minimal carb intake during these 3 days, less than 20 net carbs daily. Do not eat any rice, bread, fruit, fruit juice, sugar, flour product, or starchy plant (potatoes. Also avoid any fried food, pork, and beet. Relax – it’s just these 3 days

Begin the day by checking ketone breath. Check periodically throughout the day. Plantation Bay recommends the type of ketone breath meter with an mmol/L scale. O to 0.5 means no ketosis; 0.6 to 3.0 is a good level of dietary ketosis; above 3 0 is not recommended. Drink 250 ml of water upon waking and 250 ml more within the next 1-2 hours. Drink 2 liters of water daily (tea, coffee, and sugar-free soda all count toward the 2 liters, but sugar-free soda should not be a mainstay of your water intake. Make this a permanent habit in vour life.

Skip breakfast or eat ½ of a meal-replacement bar like Quest or One the ½ should not have more than 5-6 net carbs, the less the better), with plenty of water and brewed green tea or black coffee (not canned, only sweetener permitted is Allulose. Whether you have breaktast or not, take probiotics that include L. reuter and Akkermansia.

We urge you to learn to skip breaktast. Unless you are a manual laborer, you don t need it, and the longer you go without ingesting calories in the course of a day, the better your metabolism will work.

Since our bodies are evolved from long-ago hunter-gatherer ancestors who habitually went longish periods with no tood. NO SNACKING.

For lunch at 1-2 pm, have any lunch you like so long as it has less than 3-6 Net carbs for example, barbecued chicken plus Shirataki Alternate Rice with Bolognese sauce = 1-2 Net carbs.

At around 2 to 3 pm, consume 5 grams combination psyllium-inulin fiber from gummies, capsules, or powder mixed with any non-caloric drink. Be sure to drink with 300-500 ml water. Next day, check your bowel movements and adjust timing to coincide.

No snacking. In case of a cravina, drink a diet soda or eat candy with not more than 3 grams Net Carbs (1 Choc Zero Caramel OR 1 ChocoRite Peanut Butter Patty = 35 calories, 3 grams Net Carbs). While eating it, quickly go up and down 3 flights of stairs to burn those carbs and calories ASAP

Dinner at 5:30-7 pm; finish by 7. Aim for some fiber from natural sources (for example, avocado, almonds, pickled ginger). Limit meal to 5-6 grams Net Carbs. Optional: include 2 tablespoons Sesame Butter or Tahini to flavor either non-starchy vegetables, fish, or chicken. The sesame contains nutrients that encourage ketosis (you cannot substitute. It vou are in Plantation Bav, vou can have dessert. We have Dairy-Free. Allulose-Sweetened ice creams in several flavors, all with O Net Carbs.

Before bed, eat a very small snack such as: one teaspoon of peanut butter; one tablespoon of pumpkin seeds, or about 5-10 macadamias, pistachios, or almonds. Optional: another 3 grams of fiber supplements; if you take the mier. be sure to drink 250ml of water too

Days 4-14

Check ketone breath, drink water, etc., as before. Skip breakfast, okay? You can have green tea any time, or coffee two hours after waking

Limit Daily Total Net Carbs to about 60 grams, and calories to not more than 1600 to 2200 depending on your size and activity level. These limits will allow you to enjoy some pastas, fresh fruits, or normally-sweetened desserts. If you do choose to eat rice, limit it to one cup, and that is almost your Net Carb quota for the day. If you choose to eat bread and potatoes, 2 slices of bread and about 20 french fries would constitute your limit, but then you won’t be able to have fruit. Choose your carbs mindfully. Keep up the sesame butter.

No snacking. Keep up the inulin and psyllium fiber.

Lunch (1-2 pm) and Dinner (finish by 7 pm).

Days 15-30

Check ketone breath, drink water, etc., as before. Skip breakfast. You can have green tea any time, or coffee two

hours after waking. No snacking. Keep up the inulin and psyllium fiber.

Lunch (1-2 pm) and Dinner (6-7 pm). Limit Daily Net Carbs to about 100 grams, and not more than 1600 to 2200 calories depending on your size and activity level.

Your lunch + dinner on Day 30 should be limited to total 10 grams Net Carbs, and be sure to finish dinner by 7 pm.

Before bed, eat a very small snack such as: one teaspoon of peanut butter one tablespoon of pumpkin seeds, or about 5-10 macadamias, pistachios, or almonds. Optional: another 3 grams of fiber supplements; if you take the Tiber, be sure to drink 250 ml ot water too. This is a good habit whether you are on the diet or not; it may inhibit your livers tendency to release glycogen as glucose in the middle of the night, which also raises cortisol adversely affecting your sleep).

On any day between the Ilth and 15th, and another day between the 20th and 25th, maintain the two-meal schedule but you can consume a

‘Normal’ 200-300 grams of carbs, and perhaps a few more calories than usual. Have protein and fats before gorging on carbs, and still try to avoid eating a large amourt of high glycemie food. These are not ‘cheat’ days because they are actually helpful in maintaining your path to metabolie improvement, similar to rest days between heavy exercise.

Day 31 (=Day 0 of next cycle)

Check ketone breath, drink water, etc., as before. Skip breakfast. You can have green tea any time, or coffee two hours after waking. No snacking. Keep up the inulin and psyllium fiber. Drink water.

Skip lunch. Drink non-caloric liquids.

Start dinner at 6 pm. Limit 10 grams Net Carbs. Finish by 7 pm. This would constitute a 23-hour fast, enough for some autophagy and help with insulin resistance.

OR, skip dinner too, in order to prolong autophagy, a beneficial process by which your body looks for and dismantles defective cells.

Light autophagy begins about 16 hours after your last calorie intake longer if you of carbs, kicks in strongly after 24 hours, is generallv considered beneficial to about 48 hours after last caloric intake.

With your Physician’s consent, it you have a genetic disposition to cancer or other degenerative disease, once or twice a month, consIder doing a 40-47 hour water-only fast: low carb dinner followed by complete fast next day, then first caloric intake at lunch or dinner the day after. There is some tentative evidence that fasting and Ketosis inhibit the growth and spread of cancer cells. For more on Ketosis and its potential benefits, look for Plantation Bay’s Nutrition and metabolism articles.

Days 1-31 Of Next Cycle:

Repeat the previous Days 1-3, 4-14, 15-30, 31. Etc.

Tip: It will be easier to remember to follow this diet if you start Day 0 as the last day of the previous calendar month, and subtract a rew 100-Net-card days as needed to make the last day of the calendal month the Day 31 (=Day 0 of next cycle).

Another Tip: Do one cycle to trim a few kilos. Do several cycles in a row to lose more kilos.

Yet Another Tip: To focus on trimming waistline, endure a few days with no fried food, no pork or beef, and ?? sugar.

Foods to Permanently Avoid or at least Severely Limit FOREVER:

Seed oils (canola, sunflower, corn, etc.)

Anything that has modified corn starch or Maltodextrin among its ingredients, and be wary ot sneaky synonyms; see other Plantation Bay articles for more details. This includes most baked goods, pizzas, and

many ice creams. and mostrninas marked Low fat

Anything deep-fried in a fast-food outlet, or in fact in most restaurants unless you verify they use coconut oil like Plantation Bay.

Instant Noodles, any brand.

Beer, or limit to half a can daily, due to high carb content and disproportionate tendency to be stored as fat on your stomach.

If Asian. rice. Shift to Shirataki Alternate Rice, which has only 20 calories per cup and 0 net carbs. Shirataki is made from a pulpy plant and is formed into rice-like grains. It’s not very good as simple steamed rice, but if you mix it with sauce from a stew (e.g. Kare-Kare) or any kind of pasta sauce (best is Bolognese), you won’t know the difference.

Foods You Don’t Think Will Break Your Fast, But Will

One potato chip, a bite of cracker or cookie, or halt of one trench try.

Any quantity of any fruit or worse, fruit juice or Coke.

One swallow of Milk, whether regular 3.5% or low-fat, whether real milk or milk substitute.

More than 5 peanuts or similar quantity of other nuts. seeds.

One bite of meat, seafood, rice, bread, legumes, any kind of vegetable except green leaves.

Foods that Probably Won’t Break Your Fast

Unsweetened tea, coffee, diet carbonated drinks (not ideal, but tolerable).

MC (Medium-Chain Triglycerides) oil as sottgels or liquid.

Fiber supplements if unsweetened

Most other supplements, if in total they amount to less than 10 calories. If more, try immediately burning off the calories with stair-climbing, rebounding, or farmer’s carrying (Google will tell you about how many calories you burn based on your exact inputs of weight, etc.)

For most people, ONE drink of alcohol, provided it has no carbs, so that excludes beer, wine, and most cocktails like Mai Tais, Margaritas, Mojitos, Negronis, etc.. This leaves straight brandy, whiskey, Vodka, or Gin.

Alcohol is not a carbohydrate and will not trigger insulin release in most people except those with a Pavlovian-type response to alcohol intake. It will suspend your fast, but won’t totally derail it.

SEN. Mark A. Villar is pushing for the removal of the 12-percent Value-Added Tax (VAT) imposed on system loss charges in electricity bills, saying consumers should not be taxed for electricity they did not actually consume.

Villar filed Senate Bill 2392, which seeks to exempt the system loss component charged by distribution utilities and electric cooperatives from VAT by amending Section 109 of the National Internal Revenue Code. The measure covers recoverable technical and non-technical system losses allowed by the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) under the Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001.

‘Simple lang ang prinsipyo natin: kung hindi naman nakonsumo ng consumer ang kuryente, hindi siya dapat singilin ng buwis para rito. Mataas na nga ang binabayaran ng ating mga kababayan sa kuryente, may systems loss pa na hindi naman nila kasalanan. Kaya dapat nating alisin agad ang mga dagdag na singil na maaari namang bawasan,’ Villar, whose family used to run a power distribution utility company, said.

System loss refers to electricity that is lost before reaching consumers. This includes technical losses that naturally occur as power travels through the distribution system, as well as non-technical losses caused by factors such as electricity pilferage, inaccurate metering, unmetered consumption, and human error. Allowable system losses may currently be passed on to consumers and typically account for around five to six percent of an electricity bill, according to the explanatory note of Villar’s bill.

The proposal comes amid renewed efforts to bring down electricity costs in the country. The ERC has similarly recommended removing VAT on system loss charges, arguing that the tax should apply to electricity actually consumed by customers rather than power lost within the distribution system.

Villar added that the proposal is particularly timely as Filipino households continue to contend with high electricity costs. He also cites alarming data that the Philippines is among the highest electricity rates in Southeast Asia as of June 2026 and as well as among the highest in Asia.

‘Hindi makatarungan na ang consumer na nga ang sumasagot sa system loss, papatawan pa ito ng VAT. We have to make electricity charges fairer and ensure that every peso paid by Filipino families corresponds as much as possible to the electricity and services they actually receive,’ Villar stressed.

The senator added that even modest reductions in monthly electricity bills can provide meaningful relief when accumulated across millions of households, particularly for low- and middle-income families whose budgets are already stretched by everyday expenses.

‘Sa bawat bawas sa singil sa kuryente, may dagdag na puwedeng ilaan ang pamilya para sa pagkain, pamasahe, gamot, at edukasyon. This is a practical reform that can translate directly into savings for our consumers,’ Villar said.

The latest data on agricultural trade deficit from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) provided a glimpse of what the country is capable of in terms of its export performance. PSA data showed that the farm trade gap in May shrank 6.4 percent to $988.65 million, from last year’s $1.06 billion. (See, ‘Farm trade deficit narrows to $988.65M in May-PSA,’ in the BusinessMirror July 11, 2026). While payments for imported food continued to account for the lion’s share of agricultural trade during the period, the 12.8-percent increase in exports allowed the Philippines to narrow the deficit.

Of the products shipped out by the country, edible fruit and nuts, and peels of citrus fruit or melons were the top farm export in May, earning $299.68 million or 35.7 percent of total farm export revenues. This was followed by animal, vegetable, or microbial fats and oils and their cleavage products; preparations of vegetables, fruit, nuts, or other parts of plants; and tobacco and manufactured tobacco substitutes. Malaysia, according to the PSA, was the top buyer of Philippine food exports during the period.

The government is building on the recent gains in farm exports through its latest initiative-origin-based branding, which has the potential to prop up the value of agri-fishery exports. The Department of Agriculture (DA) has tapped the assistance of the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) for geographical indications or GI. (See, ‘Origin-based branding seen hiking farm export receipts,’ in the BusinessMirror, July 29, 2026). According to IPOPHL, a geographical indication is any indication that identifies a good as originating in a territory, region or locality, where a given quality, reputation or other characteristic of the good is essentially attributable to its geographical origin or human factors.

The Philippines’s aspiration is to have something like Champagne (France), Scotch whisky (Scotland), Parmigiano Reggiano (Italy), or Kobe beef (Japan). The DA said these products carry a bigger price tag because consumers associate them with a specific place, heritage and quality. These products, however, did not earn their reputation overnight; they were a result of years of innovation, attention to detail and the quest of producers to continually improve their offering.

The IPOPHL website indicated that three local products are already in its GI register-Guimaras mangoes, Aklan pina and Albuquerque Asin Tibuok. While mangoes are considered a major farm export of the Philippines, the two other GI products have yet to make significant inroads into foreign markets and earn a status that will enable them to shore up the country’s export receipts. Although mangoes are popular worldwide, exporters continue to face hurdles related to sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) standards and other non-tariff measures.

The government intends to expand its GI list with the potential inclusion of Cordillera Heirloom Rice, Davao Pomelo, Zambales Mangoes, Davao Cacao, Davao Durian, Bonuan Bangus, Quezon Lambanog, Camarines Norte Queen Pineapple, Oriental Mindoro Calamansi, and Bohol’s Ubi Kinampay. These products, however, must be acceptable to foreign markets and must meet stringent international standards. Sans the necessary support that will allow local producers to hurdle nontariff measures, these products will surely struggle to reach foreign shores.

THE Philippines won the women’s foil and men’s saber team gold medals and bagged two silver and four bronze medals in the Southeast Asian Fencing Federation (SEAFF) Cadet and Junior championship on Tuesday at the Arena TSH OCM in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Victoria Ebdane, Willa Galvez and Jodie Tan beat Vietnam, 44-37, in the women’s team foil gold medal play, while Khiane Felipe, Vito Coching, Drake Chung and Matthew General defeated Thailand, 45-40, in the men’s team saber final.

Oscar del Castillo clinched silver medal in men’s individual epee and bronze medal with Joaquin De Silos, Jacob Mayo and Boo Geronimo in men’s team epee.

Estelliah Gilliana, Hailey Sophia Peters, Arianna Tiu and Nadelle Turiano also gave Team Philippines a silver medal in women’s saber team event.

Bagging bronze medals were Team B of Canlas, Del Castillo and Malvar got bronze in women’s foil; Rhiana Cruz, Eleina Junia, Faith Olemos and Papina Torre in women’s epee; and Inigo Divinagracia, Lucas Palafox, Jethro Chan and Elijah Timbol in men’s foil.

Galvez-backed by Nickel Asia Corp., NLEX Corp., Rain or Shine, MVP Sports Foundation, Strong Group Athletics, Pocari Sweat and Icons Sports Management Services-also earned a bronze medal in women’s individual foil at the expense Singapore’s Sita Naidu Maaravis, 15-14, in the quarterfinals but lost to eventual gold medalist and Malaysia national team member Suraya Rizzal, 15-8.

After dispatching Philippines Team B of Yuna Canlas, Hagia del Castillo and Victoria Malvar in a nail-biting 29-28 triumph in the semifinals, Philippines Team A was in full control all throughout the finals match.

Protecting a slim 9-6 lead, the 15-year-old Galvez – a member of the multi-titled fencing team University of the East – outscored 10-1 her opponent Nguyen Thi Anh Thu on the fourth of nine bouts that gave the Philippines a comfortable 19-7 advantage.

Galvezaccounted for 21 of the team’s total touch points, Ebdane added 13 points while Tan had 10 points.

PRESIDENT Marcos on Tuesday said the government will push ahead with its waste-to-energy program as part of efforts to address garbage buildup in waterways and help mitigate flooding.

Marcos raised the issue after inspecting a high-vacuum self-priming drainage trailer pump in Barangay Zapote, Las Piñas City, amid heavy rains brought by two back-to-back tropical cyclones and the enhanced southwest monsoon or habagat in parts of Luzon.

The President said garbage had accumulated in waterways in nearby Parañaque City after floodwaters opened drainage channels, with high tide causing the waste to be trapped.

‘Nakita ninyo ang mga picture, punong-puno ng basura iyong mga kanal na hindi naman galing sa Parañaque, galing sa ibang lugar iyon (You saw the pictures – the canals were full of garbage that did not come from Parañaque. It came from other places],’ Marcos said.

He urged local governments (LGU) and the public to dispose of waste properly, warning that garbage dumped indiscriminately could worsen flooding and cause significant damage.

Marcos said the government will continue its waste-to-energy program, which involves processing garbage to generate electricity.

‘Kami naman sa pamahalaan, itutuloy na namin ang waste-to-energy program. Iyon iyong kinukuha basura at ito ay pino-process at ginagawang kuryente [For the government’s part, we will continue with the waste-to-energy program. It takes garbage, processes it, and turns it into electricity],’ he said.

‘Napakalaking bagay niyan kapag nagawa natin [That would be a very significant thing once we accomplish it].’

Marcos said waste-to-energy technology is already established, indicating that the government sees the program as a viable long-term measure for addressing the country’s waste problem.

The initiative is being pursued alongside flood-control measures under the administration’s Oplan Kontra Baha, including dredging waterways and completing flood-control infrastructure.

Marcos was accompanied by Public Works Secretary Vivencio Dizon and Metropolitan Manila Development Authority General Manager Nicolas Torre III, as well as local officials, during the Las Piñas inspection. PNA

Social housing is a basic need, not a political commodity. For low-income families still waiting for decent shelter, every new home built by the government means a step toward safer and more stable communities.

In the upland district of Calinan, rows of mid-rise buildings are changing the face of socialized housing in Davao City.

People’s Ville drew public attention after conflicting claims that the project should be credited to former President Rodrigo Duterte and her daughter Sara’s ‘accomplishment’ as city mayor prior to her being elected vice president, after a visit to the site in barangay Riverside on July 28 by President Marcos, and noted the pace of construction, with 26 buildings already completed and four more nearing completion within three years.

In Davao, long considered the Dutertes’ political stronghold, People’s Ville is emerging as one of the country’s largest modern social housing townships under the Marcos administration. It is also being seen as a possible model for affordable mass housing in fast-growing urban centers.

The Social Housing Finance Corporation (SHFC), a key shelter agency under the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development, started construction in 2023. The work began a year after Marcos declared the Pambansang Pabahay Para sa Pilipino Program, or 4PH, a priority in the national shelter agenda.

After Marcos took office, SHFC President and Chief Executive Officer Federico Laxa reviewed the agency’s assets and saw the potential of its property in Calinan District. SHFC later proposed the site for one of its 4PH vertical housing townships, along with projects in San Fernando, Pampanga; Tagoloan, Misamis Oriental; Tondo, Manila; and Puerto Princesa City, Palawan.

On September 13, 2022, the Sangguniang Panlungsod approved the development permit for People’s Ville. A month later, the groundbreaking ceremony was held for Phases 1 to 3. The City Planning and Development Office then issued on July 26,2023 a certification, confirming that the project site was within a residential zone.

For Margo Babao, manager of SHFC’s 4PH projects in Davao City, People’s Ville marks a shift in public housing. He said the project is not only about putting roofs over families’ heads, but also about building a community where residents have safety, access and hope.

THE Senate has approved on final reading the proposed Revised Philippine Coast Guard law to strengthen the agency’s capabilities and organizational structure amid escalating challenges in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).

Sen. Raffy Tulfo, sponsor of Senate Bill 2116, seeks to repeal Republic Act 9993 or the Philippine Coast Guard Law of 2009 to address critical organizational gaps and allow the PCG to effectively respond to modern maritime threats and changing geopolitical demands.

Tulfo, chairperson of the Committee on Public Services, highlighted the frontline sacrifices of Coast Guard personnel who face harassment and water cannon incidents while asserting the country’s territorial integrity.

‘The Philippine Coast Guard continues to defend our sovereignty, assert our rights, and protect our territorial waters while it exercises strategic restraint to protect lives, uphold international law, and strengthen the country’s moral and legal position,’ he said.

Under the measure, a stronger organizational structure will be institutionalized through three core functional commands: maritime safety services, marine environmental protection, and maritime security law enforcement. It also mandates a sufficient minimum manpower requirement to effectively safeguard the country’s vast 36,000 kilometer coastline.