Category: Business Mirror

MANY may think that great cocktails are defined by spectacle, like billowing smoke, elaborate garnishes or ingredients that sound almost impossible to pronounce.

For award-winning Italian mixologist Felice Capasso, however, the ultimate test is something far less dramatic. He expressed a belief that the real challenge begins when there is nowhere to hide.

The reigning 2025 Diageo World Class Global Bartender of the Year brought that philosophy to Manila during his first visit to the Philippines, headlining a one-night takeover at The Spirits Library in Poblacion before leading a masterclass with Filipino bartenders the following day.

Behind the bar, there were no flashy theatrics. Instead, guests were introduced to a menu built around balance, restraint and technique.

The menu

ONE of the night’s highlights was his signature Dry Martini. It is made with Tanqueray No. TEN, Cocchi Extra Dry and Castelvetrano olives. It was unapologetically spirit-forward, a drink that left nowhere to hide behind sweetness or heavy mixers.

Other cocktails showed different sides of his approach. A Strawberry cocktail paired The Singleton of Dufftown 12 Years with nutritional yeast and strawberry bitters, balancing fruit with whisky in a way that softened both without overpowering either.

The refreshing Cloudberry, made with Don Julio Blanco, contrasted sharply with another creation that surprised many guests-a savory cocktail incorporating mushroom notes, proving that drinks need not always lean sweet or citrus-forward to feel complete.

Even the familiar Negroni, crafted with Tanqueray No. TEN, Campari and Cocchi Storico Vermouth di Torino, demonstrated why classics remain timeless when executed with precision.

Yet the drinks were only part of the evening. Felice spent much of the takeover chatting with guests, cracking jokes across the bar and engaging customers between cocktails, creating an atmosphere that felt more conversational.

The beauty of less

ASKED during a media briefing to describe himself through a cocktail, Felice answered without hesitation, ‘A dry martini,’ and then he smiled, ‘You’re not going to ask me why?’

His explanation revealed more about his philosophy than about his personality. ‘A dry martini doesn’t lie,’ he said.

‘Some cocktails you can just fill with sugar, fruit and anise and people will love them. A dry martini only has two or three ingredients, so every ingredient needs to be of the highest quality.’

To explain further, Felice compared the drink to one of Italy’s simplest dishes: spaghetti aglio e olio. ‘It only has olive oil, garlic, chili and parsley,’ he said. ‘But it’s also one of the hardest dishes to make because there are so few ingredients. Everything has to be right.’

The same principle, he said, applies behind the bar. With fewer components, there is little room to compensate for mistakes. Every measurement, every temperature and every ingredient matters.

Even his answer to a lighter question, ‘What ingredient deserves more attention in cocktails?’ revealed the same curiosity. ‘Artichoke,’ he said, describing an Italian bar that distills the vegetable into carbonated soda for an Americano variation.

Learning never stops

HUMILITY has become one of Felice’s defining traits despite an accomplished career spanning multiple countries.

Originally from Naples, Italy, he began working in a neighborhood coffee bar before moving to London at 18, eventually building a career across England, Australia, Spain, the United Arab Emirates and Norway.

Along the way, he managed cocktail programs, became a global educator for international spirits brands, founded The Spirits Journal and Sesto Senso Academy, and was named Norway’s Industry Improver of the Year in 2023.

Two years later, he claimed one of bartending’s highest honors after winning the Diageo World Class Global Bartender of the Year 2025, emerging on top of thousands of competitors worldwide.

Yet even with those achievements, Felice appeared more interested in learning than projecting expertise.

His personal motto, which is ‘Learn. Improve. Inspire. Repeat,’ captures a mindset centered less on perfection than on constant growth.

It also explains why his first trip to the Philippines was not only about serving cocktails, but about exchanging ideas with local bartenders.

Felice may have arrived in Manila only a day before the event, but one thing immediately stood out. ‘The hospitality skills are amazing,’ he said. ‘So is the English.’

He also admitted he had not yet sampled enough local cocktails to comment on the country’s cocktail scene but said the warmth of Filipino bartenders left an immediate impression. ‘I love the sense of humor,’ he said. ‘I love to walk into a bar and laugh.’

It was perhaps a fitting takeaway from his first trip to Manila. Long after the cocktails are finished, it is often the people behind the bar, and not just what’s in the glass, that leave the strongest impression.

A new national study of more than 2,100 participants in the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA) across 20 Catholic dioceses in the United States points to a growing interest in the Catholic faith, particularly among young adults seeking truth, meaning and spiritual depth.

Published on June 18 by the Archdiocese of Chicago in collaboration with 19 other dioceses, the survey examined the experiences of 2,127 people who participated in OCIA between February and May 2026.

The dioceses involved reported record levels of participation in adult faith formation programs.

The study found that those entering the Church were motivated primarily by two broad factors: a personal search for goodness, truth, inner peace and purpose, and an attraction to the Catholic Church’s liturgy, teachings and 2,000-year tradition.

Among the respondents, 28 percent said they had no prior religious affiliation before beginning their journey toward the Catholic faith, while others came from Protestant communities or were Catholics completing their sacramental initiation.

Desire to grow in virtue

Researchers noted that spiritual motivations ranked far above political or social considerations. Seventy-seven percent of participants cited a desire to grow in virtue, 76 percent sought a deeper understanding of truth, and 72 percent reported a search for greater inner peace.

The study also highlighted the growing role of digital evangelisation.

Many respondents credited online resources, such as prayer apps, podcasts, videos and social media content, for helping them explore Catholicism.

At the same time, participants identified several obstacles to entering the Church, especially among members of Generation Z.

Common concerns included feeling spiritually unprepared, uncertainty about acceptance within parish communities, and anxiety about participating in the liturgy.

The report concludes that dioceses and parishes should focus on personal accompaniment, clearer pathways for faith exploration, and continued formation after reception into the Church.

It also emphasises the importance of creating welcoming communities capable of accompanying those who are taking their first steps in faith.

According to the authors, the findings suggest that many people today are approaching the Catholic Church not primarily through family tradition or marriage, but through a personal search for meaning, truth and a deeper relationship with God.

A study in selected watersheds of Cebu reported the presence of diverse but threatened anurans (amphibian group of frogs and toads), further highlighting the need to conserve these ecologically important species and their critical habitat.

This was reported in a recently completed comprehensive study, ‘Diversity, Distribution, and Conservation Status of Anuran Species in Mananga and Kotkot Watersheds, Cebu, Philippines.’

The project was implemented by the Cebu Technological University and supported by the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST-PCAARRD).

About nine species of anurans were recorded in Mananga Watershed Forest Reserve in Talisay City, Minglanilla, while eight species were identified in Kotkot Watershed Forest Reserve in Liloan, Compostela.

Among the species is the near-threatened Philippine wart frog (Limnonectes visayanus Inger, 1954) that is found only in the remaining forests of the islands of Cebu, Negros, Masbate, Panay, and Siquijor.

Another species endemic to the Visayas and Cebu, the Leyte wart frog (Limnonectes leytensis Boettger, 1893), was recorded at the project sites.

Besides their limited distribution and threatened conservation status, the species, along with other anurans, face risks from human-caused disturbances-such as logging, excavation, coal mining, construction, improper waste disposal, agriculture, sand and gravel extraction, and in some areas, consumption for food.

In addition, the sites are reported to be threatened by invasive anuran species, including the South American cane toad (Rhinellamarina Linnaeus, 1758) and the Malaysian narrow mouth toad (Kaloula pulchra Gray, 1831). These species spread quickly and compete with native species for food and habitat.

To date, the project team has produced baseline distribution maps for monitoring studies and information, education, and communication campaign materials to raise awareness among the local community.

The team is in close coordination with local government units and other stakeholders to push for the conservation of the threatened species and their habitats by passing municipal ordinances.

Online information indicate that anurans are a diverse order of tailless amphibians encompassing over 7,700 species of frogs and toads, making up roughly 90 percent of all living amphibians.

They range from the tiny thumbnail-sized cricket frog to the massive American bullfrog and play vital roles as ecosystem indicators.

The Philippines boasts of a high rate of endemism among its anurans. Local ecosystems-such as the Mananga and Kotkot watersheds in Cebu or riverine areas in Mindanao-support diverse populations of both native and endemic frogs.

Because of their highly permeable skin, anurans are incredibly vulnerable to water pollution, habitat loss, and climate change, the online information claims.

The study report was discussed during a recent project terminal review by project leader was Dr. Archiebald B. Malaki with project staff Dr. Esperanza Del Fierro and Ms. Jemaima Casas.

The monitoring team from the Forestry and Environment Research Division of DOST-PCAARRD was headed by Director Dalisay E. Cabral, with Dr. Christine D. Santiago, SandT Program Manager for Biodiversity; and John Benrich M. Zuniga, FERD Program Monitoring and Evaluation section head.

THE Build Better More Program was envisioned as the Marcos administration’s answer to the country’s infrastructure deficit. But as the program enters its final stretch, the government is scaling back expectations-reflecting the persistent challenges that continue to hamper the delivery of major public works projects.

Data from the Department of Economy, Planning and Development (DepDev) showed that the government is now targeting the completion of 26 additional Infrastructure Flagship Projects (IFPs) worth P427.16 billion by June 2028, on top of the eight projects worth P82.24 billion completed during the first half of the administration.

The revised pipeline is down from an earlier projection of 52 IFPs that the agency said in September 2025 could be completed by the end of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s term.

For Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) economist Ser K. Peña-Reyes, the lower target reflects a more realistic assessment of the government’s capacity to deliver large-scale infrastructure projects.

‘From a governance perspective, the reduction highlights a recurring pattern in Philippine infrastructure programs: administrations often announce ambitious project pipelines, but actual delivery is constrained by bureaucratic processes, financing, procurement, and land acquisition issues,’ Peña-Reyes told the BusinessMirror.

He noted that similar adjustments were made under the Duterte administration’s Build, Build, Build program, suggesting that the revised target is not unusual for long-gestation infrastructure programs.

The economist’s assessment mirrors the challenges identified by government itself. According to DepDev Undersecretary Joseph J. Capuno, several longstanding implementation issues continue to weigh on the delivery of major infrastructure projects.

‘For ongoing projects, the usual concerns are right-of-way, procurement, permits, funding releases, utility relocation, and contractor performance,’ he told the BusinessMirror in an earlier interview.

Among the projects completed so far are the Panguil Bay Bridge; Central Luzon Link Expressway (CLLEX); Samar Pacific Coastal Road Project; Arterial Road Bypass Project Phase 3; Pasig-Marikina River Channel Improvement Project Phase 5; Integrated Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation Measures in Low-Lying Areas of Pampanga; Flood Risk Improvement and Management Project for Cagayan de Oro River; and Philippines Covid-19 Emergency Response Project.

DepDev data showed that transport and connectivity projects account for the largest share of IFPs targeted for completion by 2028, with 13 projects worth P188.65 billion in the pipeline. These include roads, bridges, ports and other transport facilities designed to improve the movement of goods and people.

Water resource projects comprise the second-largest segment, with five projects worth P58.58 billion focused on water supply, sanitation, flood control and irrigation. The agriculture sector accounts for three projects valued at P36.08 billion.

The remaining projects cover power and energy, health, tourism, housing and other infrastructure sectors valued at P143.85 billion.

The government’s infrastructure push is also unfolding amid efforts to restore public confidence in public works spending following last year’s controversy involving alleged irregularities in flood control projects.

The controversy coincided with one of the weakest years for project delivery under the Build Better More program. Despite Depev’s earlier projection that seven flagship projects would be completed in 2025, only one project reached completion during the year.

Former Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Dante B. Canlas said the controversy contributed to tighter budget conditions for infrastructure spending.

‘The tightening worsened with the profound slowing down of real [gross domestic product] growth, which has been accompanied by a decline in [government] revenues,’ he told the BusinessMirror.

Signs of the slowdown have also directly emerged in public construction activity. National accounts data showed public construction growth decelerated from 7.1 percent in the first quarter of 2025 to 0.9 percent in the second quarter, before contracting by 0.2 percent in the third quarter and 9.2 percent in the fourth quarter.

The sector remained in negative territory in the first quarter of 2026, posting a 4.5 percent contraction.

Peña-Reyes said the controversy is unlikely to derail the government’s flagship infrastructure agenda but may lead to tighter oversight and a more cautious approval process.

‘The key question is whether the government can demonstrate that lessons from the flood-control controversy are being addressed through stronger accountability and project monitoring,’ he added.

Added risks

Beyond domestic governance issues, Canlas said external risks could also influence the pace of infrastructure spending.

He noted that a sustained easing of tensions in the Middle East could support global economic recovery and help improve government revenues, giving the Philippines more fiscal space to pursue infrastructure projects.

However, he warned that renewed disruptions to oil and gas shipments through the Strait of Hormuz could prolong pressures on public spending and weigh on the government’s infrastructure program.

‘Failing this, the funk in infrastructure-[development] spending by the [Philippine government] will persist,’ he emphasized.

On June 17, the United States and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) extending their ceasefire and paving the way for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical maritime chokepoint that handles roughly a fifth of global oil shipments.

However, the agreement quickly came under strain after Iran accused the U.S. of violating its terms and announced on June 20 that it was again closing the strait.

The infrastructure testWith two years left in the Marcos administration, the focus is increasingly shifting from how many projects are in the pipeline to whether the government’s infrastructure push can deliver tangible economic gains despite domestic and global headwinds.

For Peña-Reyes, the success of Build Better More should not be measured solely by the number of projects completed before 2028.

‘Infrastructure programs succeed when they improve economic productivity and people’s daily lives,’ he said.

Beyond completion rates, he said the government’s infrastructure program should ultimately be assessed based on whether it reduces travel time and logistics costs, expands access to essential services, supports economic growth, promotes inclusion and poverty reduction, and strengthens the country’s resilience to future shocks.

As of the first quarter of 2026, the government’s infrastructure flagship pipeline consisted of 201 projects with a combined indicative cost of P10.28 trillion.

Of the total, 83 projects worth P4.57 trillion were under implementation as of end-March.

Another 28 projects valued at P1.23 trillion had secured approval and were preparing for execution, while three projects worth P47.28 billion were awaiting government approval.

The remaining 27 are still in the pre-project preparation stage, with a total value of P1.07 trillion.

Low unemployment has remained one of the government’s strongest labor market indicators, but a key government target suggests the bigger challenge is no longer creating jobs-it is creating more formal ones.

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has repeatedly vowed to deliver ‘more and better jobs’ by attracting investments, expanding economic opportunities and strengthening worker protection as part of his administration’s broader development agenda.

Four years into his term, however, one of the government’s own measures of job quality is moving farther from its target.

The Philippine Development Plan (PDP) aims to increase the share of wage and salaried workers in private establishments to between 53 percent and 55 percent by 2028.

Workers in this category generally enjoy more stable incomes, stronger labor protections and better access to social security benefits than those in informal employment.

Recent Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) data showed the share slipped to 50 percent in 2025 from 50.1 percent a year earlier.

The decline came despite relatively favorable headline employment figures, suggesting that much of the labor market’s expansion has yet to translate into more formal private-sector jobs.

Sentro ng mga Nagkakaisa at Progresibong Manggagawa Secretary General Josua Mata said the figures point to a deeper structural problem.

‘This is a clear indication that the economy is failing to generate enough stable, formal and decent jobs,’ Mata told the BusinessMirror.

He said employment should not be measured solely by the number of people working, but also by whether those jobs provide security, adequate income and labor rights.

Mata added that the country has continued to rely on a low-wage development model instead of building industries capable of creating quality employment on a larger scale.

Why formal jobs matter

Labor economist Rene E. Ofreneo said the latest figures reflect the continuing ‘informalization’ of the Philippine economy.

He said the formal sector is gradually being hollowed out as fewer registered medium and large enterprises expand regular employment.

Instead, many employers have become increasingly dependent on outsourced and contractual workers.

Ofreneo said the trend also reflects the absence of a coherent industrial policy despite many countries adopting more active strategies to strengthen domestic industries.

The shift has become more visible as more Filipinos enter self-employment, platform work and other non-standard work arrangements.

Trade Union Congress of the Philippines spokesperson Carlos Oñate said many of these workers continue to receive lower incomes and weaker social protection than regular employees.

‘Economic growth has not translated into quality jobs and better incomes for ordinary workers,’ Oñate told the BusinessMirror.

He said many Filipinos continue to end up in self-employment, unpaid family work and other informal occupations because the economy is not generating enough regular private-sector jobs.

Oñate added that stronger investment reforms, lower power costs and a clearer industrialization strategy are needed to attract industries capable of producing permanent and productive employment.

Meanwhile, University of the Philippines School of Labor and Industrial Relations Assistant Professor Benjamin Velasco said the administration’s employment strategy has largely followed the same private sector-led approach adopted by previous governments.

‘There is nothing innovative about the employment program of the Marcos Jr. administration as it relies on the private sector to take the lead in generating jobs,’ Velasco told the BusinessMirror.

He said employers naturally gravitate toward more flexible labor arrangements unless government policies actively encourage regular employment.

Velasco said a stronger public employment program and a strategic industrial policy could help revive domestic manufacturing and agriculture while expanding formal jobs.

Government response

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), however, said the figures reflect structural changes in the labor market rather than weak job creation.

‘The Department of Labor and Employment attributes the projected shortfall in private wage and salaried employment to complex structural shifts rather than a lack of overall job generation,’ Labor Undersecretary Carmelita Ilustre-Torres told this newspaper.

She said recent employment growth has been concentrated in project-based and seasonal industries, including construction, administrative services, and accommodation and food activities.

At the same time, wholesale and retail trade and agriculture have posted year-on-year declines in employment.

Ilustre-Torres also pointed to the rapid expansion of the gig economy.

‘DOLE views the rapid expansion of informal, contractual, and gig work as both a vital economic lifeline and a significant structural challenge to achieving its formal wage-employment targets,’ she said.

She said many platform workers fall outside traditional employer-employee arrangements and often lack mandatory social protection and stable career pathways.

The department said it is addressing these gaps through the Philippine Labor and Employment Plan, the Trabaho Para sa Bayan Plan, expanded reskilling programs, improved job matching through Public Employment Service Offices and the eTrabaho platform, and ongoing efforts to strengthen protections for platform workers.

The next two years

The differing assessments underscore the challenge confronting the Marcos administration as it enters the final two years of its term.

Government officials point to sustained employment gains, while labor groups argue that those gains will remain incomplete if more Filipinos continue to rely on informal and insecure work.

The debate ultimately goes beyond unemployment.

It centers on whether economic growth is producing the kind of jobs that provide stability, higher incomes and meaningful social protection.

For labor groups, reversing the decline in formal employment will require more than stronger labor market programs.

It will also depend on whether the government can expand domestic industries capable of creating regular and productive work.

With less than two years left before President Marcos steps down, the success of his employment agenda may ultimately be measured not by how many Filipinos have jobs, but by how many have jobs secure enough to build a better future.

A few days after the US and Israel launched a war on Iran, Reza Kiamarzi decided to trek into the mountains outside his home city of Isfahan in southern Iran. A veterinarian and researcher on birds of prey, his mission was to find nests of endangered falcons high up in the cliffs.

The bombardment during the war on Iran earlier this year coincided with the breeding season for Iran’s cherished Saker and red-naped Shaheen falcons, some of the fastest flying birds in the world.

Kiamarzi knew of two nests near military bases that had been struck, and he wanted to know if the explosions, vibrations and noise affected birds laying eggs or raising chicks.

‘It’s a long climb to the foot of the cliffs. And then we have to rock climb to reach the nests,’ Kiamarzi said.

War and a deepening economic crisis are adding further challenges for conservationists trying to preserve Iran’s rich but endangered wildlife.

For years, they have struggled with climate crises that threaten the country’s fragile biodiversity, as well as economic pressures from decades of international sanctions.

Around two and a half times the size of Texas, Iran boasts of an astounding diversity of life in its wide range of climates.

Northern areas along the Caspian Sea are heavily forested and wet, while the Persian Gulf coast is dry and hot. In between, the country straddles two large mountain ranges: the Zagros and Alborz.

Iran lies in a critical corridor and stopover for migratory birds between Eurasia and Africa, lending conservation efforts international importance.

At least 86 animal species in the country are at risk of extinction, including the Asiatic cheetah, Persian fallow deer, brown bear, leopard, black bear, Persian onager, the great bustard and various birds of prey, according to a 2024 report by Iran’s Environment Department.

‘It’s a big question how much longer we and other conservation NGOs [nongovernment organization] can keep working. We’re waiting every moment to see what happens,’ said Iman Ebrahimi, founder of AvayeBoom, a conservation group based in Isfahan whose name is Persian for ‘The Earth’s Cry.’

The war gave a shock to Iran’s animal life

Kiamarzi said he succeeded in finding the falcon’s nests, and the birds were still present. But he is still assessing his findings to determine the impact of the bombing on the falcons.

Smugglers have been the chief cause of declining falcon populations in Iran.

Before the war, Iran’s crashing currency-which has lost over half its value in the past year-spurred an illicit trade in these prized hunting birds, which are sold to Arab Gulf clients paying in valuable foreign currency, he said.

Ironically, in peacetime, military zones have been one of the few areas where falcons can breed safely.

‘It’s a secure area no one dares get close to, not poachers and smugglers,’ he said.

US-based Iranian wildlife expert Jamshid Parchizadeh says he fears US and Israeli airstrikes targeting military facilities in desert and mountain sites have harmed habitats critical to endangered cheetahs and other predators.

‘These strikes in far-flung places are causing habitat degradation. Definitely this causes water and land pollution, soil contamination, destruction of land cover,’ he said.

Parchizadeh, an expert on Iran’s large carnivores, studied the habitats and causes behind declining populations of Asiatic cheetahs, Persian leopards and the brown bear before leaving Iran in 2022. He now works at Michigan’s Department of Fisheries and Wildlife.

‘Bombing causes wildlife disturbance for the bears, the leopards who live in the mountains-and that animal forever leaves that area from fear,’ he said.

Even before the war, habitats were threatened

Iran’s water-scarce climate is highly fragile, Parchizadeh said. In the past 20 years, Iran’s population has grown from roughly 73 million to over 93 million people, piling further pressure on scant water sources afflicted by decades of mismanagement and yearslong drought.

With the war, access to key wildlife sites on islands in the Persian Gulf has become all but impossible.

Despite a preliminary deal to end the war, the US and Iran have continued to trade fire around the strategic area, which hosts Iran’s critical oil and energy industries.

‘Unfortunately, two of the most important islands of the Persian Gulf for biodiversity are small islands along Iran’s key oil islands,’ said AvayeBoom’s Ebrahimi.

He pointed out there were reports an oil slick reached at least one site on the tiny uninhabited island of Shidvar, a critical breeding site for turtles and tens of thousands of birds.

Iran has an active conservation movement

Historically, Iran’s culture had a deep connection with its wildlife. Carpet-weaving and traditional arts often featured animal motifs like the Persian lion, which has not been seen in the country in over 70 years.

Iran was one of the first countries in the world to form an environmental protection agency and established its Environment Department a year after the US opened its own agency in 1970.

But restrictions on development in protected areas-which are typically in poorer, rural areas-have often spurred tensions with locals.

The Arjan protected area, a vast territory encompassing important wetlands in the southern province of Fars, was set aside in the 1970s for a project to reintroduce the Persian lion into the wild.

But authorities abandoned the project after the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Residents of the village of Dasht-e Arjan complained that protection status was hampering the local economy, Ebrahimi said.

They are trying to rebuild the public’s links to wildlife

Four years ago, AvayeBoom began a campaign to raise wildlife awareness among residents around Arjan, holding workshops and other activities with the community.

For the face of the campaign, it chose the ruddy shelduck, a water fowl with vivid orange plumage that’s well known among residents. A mural of the bird was painted in the street of a main town.

After the ceasefire in April, members of AvayeBoom returned to the village. They concluded that the campaign, including workshops and a street mural of the shelduck, had greatly increased recognition of the distinct bird and improved general environmental awareness.

‘Despite the war, the majority of people considered the environment, the nearby wetlands they have and the wildlife there very important to them,’ said Fateme Kazemi, the CEO of AvayeBoom.

But security and the economy are weighing on them

Waves of anti-government protests in recent years and now the war have also led to tighter security restrictions. A wildlife photographer who studies birdlife on the Persian Gulf coast said she had stopped photographing out of security concerns in recent months.

‘One of the real dangers for protecting the environment is people losing their connection with nature,’ she said, speaking on the condition of anonymity out of security fears. She said she plans to return to photographing soon, if the US and Iran don’t return to all-out war.

AvayeBoom, founded more than a decade ago in Isfahan, has carried out projects ranging across Iran’s mountains, forests, deserts and vast wetlands.

But it relies on local funders who are being squeezed by Iran’s currency crisis. Sanctions effectively bar Iranian NGOs from taking funding from international donors, Ebrahimi said.

‘The first thing we are worried about is that the economic situation will make protecting the environment not a priority,’ he said.

But despite sanctions, security restrictions and war, he said, ‘our doors haven’t closed and we’ve continued with our work.’

IT was supposed to be the best World Cup ever. Well, maybe it still is. One thing is for sure-the 2026 FIFA World Cup will go down as also one of the most controversial.

I have not seen a pair of countries quickly become the villains of the tournament.

Yes, there were questionable and controversial calls already, but the moment Donald Trump interfered and called up FIFA President Gianni Infantino to look into reversing the red card assessed to US star Faloran Balogun that cleared the way to his taking part of the US-Belgium knockout match, the event became one bloody mess.

The rest of the world sided with Belgium and if Trump had not already made the US a pariah of sorts, this interference in the World Cup certainly did.

And as much as I wanted the US to advance, it was just right that Belgium ousted them convincingly, 4-1.

That is where it got more interesting as calls for Argentina and England turned the tide for those two squads. However, none more so than Argentina who I deemed to be lucky in the group stages.

Let me clarify that. They were good but not sharp. Luckily for the Albiceleste, they faced competition that they should beat even with their eyes closed.

The knockout stages saw Argentina kick up its level of play especially in the final 10 minutes of the match. But the calls went their way against Algeria, Egypt and Spain. It was deemed that FIFA was favoring Argentina to give Lionel Messi a proper send off as the sport’s Greatest of All Time and because the ratings and ticket sales were tops when they took to the pitch.

However, Spain, like Belgium before them, saw the world rooting for them while jeering Argentina (and FIFA). And the way La Furia Roja won and dispatched Argentina with surgical precision, the latter were served a stinging lesson playing football the right way, with no help from FIFA or the game officials, and teamwork.

Incredibly, Argentina’s shocking heel turn did not end there. There was a fight post-match and during the trophy ceremony, they turned their back to the victorious Spanish side. That was the first time we have seen that in a match of this gigantic proportions and really tarnished Argentina’s image.

Man, all the more they were castigated and pilloried on television, online, social media and traditional media as a disgrace to the sport and their country.

Talk about a fall from grace! Not only did Argentina lose in its title defense, but its reputation is shot. And you have to go all the way back to Diego Maradona’s ‘Hand of God’ to know they have benefitted from egregious calls.

Argentina isn’t alone here. FIFA should be basking in the success of the World Cup, but it has done nothing to overhaul the perceived corruption at the top.

Norway filed a complaint to FIFA’s Ethics Committee about Trump’s interference. The meeting will be held on August 6. There are the matters of the supposedly biased calls and even Argentina flashing political statements post-semifinals match against England. How devastating were Egypt’s accusations that the match was rigged for Messi and company to win it all.

I saw this comment online post-finals: ‘No World Cup. No Malvinas. No class.’

Ouch.

Messi might be retiring from international football, but the rest of his teammates will still be there. It will be up to them to find their redemption on and off the pitch.

And that brings me to the song ‘Don’t Cry for Me Argentina’ that was written by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice for the 1976 musical ‘Evita’ that is about the former Argentine First Lady Eva ‘Evita’ Peron.

The song was supposedly crafted in a way that had a double meaning-it was a confession about Evita’s rapid rise to power from humble beginnings that is ‘disguised as a triumph.’

Except this time, maybe they should really cry because a distasteful, painful and embarrassing defeat was snatched from the jaws of victory.

NLEX was playing like a well-oiled engine machine for the fourth straight time with guards Robert Bolick, Schonny Winston, and import DeQuan Jones outperforming their San Miguel Beer counterpart the rest of the way.

The Road Warriors, riding on Robert Bolick’s near triple-double performance, blasted the Beermen, 110-96, on Sunday to stay unbeaten after four games under rookie coach Jimmy Alapag in Season 50 Philippine Basketball Association Governors’ Cup at the Araneta Coliseum.

Bolick scattered 14 points, dished out 12 assists, and grabbed nine rebounds for the Road Warriors, who closed out halftime with a comfortable 64-46 lead to control the game even from the start up to the entire second half.

Jones delivered 27 points and collected 10 rebounds plus two blocks, while Schonny Winston delivered 24 points, four rebounds, four assists, and three steals, and Anthony Semerad posted 15 points – all from the three-point zone.

‘Our coach really wanted to emphasize to have more energy, and that is our goal today and we did it impressively in the first quarter bringing energy,’ Winston said.

Rob Herndon contributed 13 points also for NLEX.

San Miguel Beer was in striking distance, 92-84, with 7:31 left in the last period, but NLEX responded with a 7-0 run highlighted by Bolick’s four-point shot and Herndon’s trey that gave them a 99-84 advantage down to the last 6:23.

NLEX turned invincible from thereon.

‘Anytime you play San Miguel Beer with their championship experience, it is always a great test for a young team but I though we were very resilient in the second half, and we were able to get stops through our young guys and score when we needed to,’ NLEX coach Jimmy Alapag said.

‘Schonny and Robert’s aggressiveness set the tone early for the team,’ he added.

Import George King Jr. had 31 points and eight rebounds but tallied nine of SMB’s 18 turnovers while Don Trollano and nine-time Most Valuable Player June Mar Fajardo made 16 points and 15 points, respectively, for the Beermen who dropped to 3-1 win-loss card.

NLEX, which only had 13 turnovers, shot 13 triples against six of SMB

If a transgender man and transgender woman marry in church, wearing the attire of their original gender, but are to live together as ‘man and wife’ in reversed roles, isn’t that something that could breach Canon Law, or could set a precedent’?

That question arises in light of the recent wedding of a transgender man and a transgender woman in Dapitan City, officiated by a Catholic priest, who reportedly agreed to wed them if they dress up in their original biological gender, i.e., the trans man (originally female) wears the wedding gown, and vice versa.

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines’ (CBCP) Episcopal Commission on Canon Law said the reported church wedding of a transgender man and a transgender woman in Dapitan City does not set a precedent, stressing that only a proper canonical process can determine whether a marriage is valid.

The CBCP Commission clarified that it has neither conducted nor been asked to conduct a canonical investigation into the wedding at Saint James the Greater Parish in Dapitan City.

Executive Secretary Rev. Msgr. Raul T. Go, on behalf of Commission Chairman Bishop Nolly C. Buco, said their response was limited to explaining the applicable principles of the Code of Canon Law, the primary legal code of the Catholic Church, rather than judging the validity of the marriage.

‘Such a determination belongs to the competent ecclesiastical authority after a careful examination of the relevant facts and circumstances,’ the Commission told the BusinessMirror.

Tisha Marie Amal, who publicly identifies as a transgender man, and Ronnie Enderez, who publicly identifies as a transgender woman, were married at the parish in what church officials described as the first such wedding in its history.

The Canon Law defines marriage as a covenant between a man and a woman, and requires both parties to possess the canonical capacity to marry and freely exchange valid matrimonial consent.

The Catholic Church does not allow same-sex marriage.

Still, the Commission said publicly identifying as transgender does not, by itself, create a canonical impediment to marriage.

‘The Code of Canon Law does not establish a specific impediment merely because a person publicly identifies as transgender,’ it said.

‘If, in fact, the parties are a biological man and a biological woman, the requirement that marriage be between a man and a woman is, at least, prima facie satisfied,’ it said.

Rather than focusing on a person’s public self-identification, the Commission said the Catholic Church’s law examines whether either party has the legal capacity to contract marriage and assume its essential obligations.

It said questions involving a person’s capacity cannot be settled through media reports alone but requires evidence and, when appropriate, the assistance of qualified psychological or psychiatric experts.

The Commission also rejected the view that the Dapitan City wedding could serve as a precedent for similar marriages.

‘Unlike some civil legal systems, the Canon Law does not treat the celebration of one marriage as creating a binding precedent for future cases,’ the Commission said.

Instead, each proposed marriage is evaluated individually under the universal law of the Church and according to the circumstances of the parties involved.

While the Canon Law already provides the Church’s legal framework on marriage, the Commission said any future pastoral guidance would only help pastors apply existing norms consistently and ‘would not alter the Church’s doctrine on marriage.’

The Marcos administration has expanded housing production and financing since taking office, but economists said the government will need to significantly accelerate housing delivery over the next two years if it hopes to make a meaningful dent in the country’s housing shortage.

Data obtained by the BusinessMirror from the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) showed the government had produced or financed 575,693 housing units from July 2022 to June 2026.

The figure represents almost 51 percent of the administration’s recalibrated target of 1.13 million housing units by the end of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s term.

Of the total, 81,295 units were delivered through direct housing provision, 368,731 were assisted through government financing programs, while 125,667 units were produced under the Expanded Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino (4PH) Program.

While the government’s accomplishments point to measurable progress in expanding housing supply and financing, Ateneo de Manila University economist Ser K. Peña-Reyes said the pace remains insufficient to substantially reduce the country’s housing shortage.

‘The housing gap remains very large, and significantly higher annual production, together with faster project completion and stronger private-sector participation, will be needed if the government hopes to substantially reduce the backlog within the next several years,’ Peña-Reyes told this newspaper.

Earlier this year, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) revised the country’s estimated housing need for 2023 to 2028 to 3.7 million housing units, down from the previous estimate of 6.5 million, following the adoption of a new methodology.

Unlike the earlier estimate, the revised methodology distinguishes the country’s housing backlog from its broader housing need. Aside from the existing shortage of homes, the estimate also accounts for projected household formation, housing damaged by disasters, and homes requiring repairs.

Peña-Reyes said the revised estimate should not be interpreted as evidence that the country’s housing problem has dramatically improved.

‘The housing backlog of 3.7 million units through 2028 is an estimate of unmet housing need after accounting for new household formation and other demographic factors, making it a moving target rather than a fixed stock,’ he said.

Based on the government’s reported accomplishments, Peña-Reyes estimated that housing production and financing have averaged roughly 140,000 to 145,000 units annually since July 2022.

While this represents steady progress, he said substantially higher annual output would be needed if the administration hopes to significantly narrow the country’s housing shortage before the end of its term.

Beyond building homes

Even as the government continues to increase housing supply, newly appointed Congress liaison and economist Jose Ma. Clemente ‘Joey’ Salceda said the next phase of the administration’s housing agenda should focus on making homeownership more attainable for Filipino families.

In an online commentary, Salceda said the government has already laid much of the groundwork through the expanded 4PH Program, which now covers not only vertical housing projects but also horizontal developments, lot-only projects, community mortgage arrangements, and rental housing.

‘The first phase of the housing agenda was about producing houses. The next phase should be about producing homebuyers,’ he said.

Salceda said expanding homeownership would allow more Filipino families to build assets and strengthen their long-term financial security.

Salceda proposed simplifying access to housing finance through a unified application system that will cover Pag-IBIG Fund, the Social Security System (SSS), the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS), government financial institutions, and accredited private lenders.

He also proposed allowing lenders to consider broader sources of household income, including earnings from spouses, overseas workers, small businesses, and digital work when evaluating borrowers’ repayment capacity.

Other recommendations include allowing qualified first-time homebuyers to temporarily use their Personal Equity and Retirement Account (PERA) savings for down payments, strengthening the secondary mortgage market, expanding financing for pre-owned homes and housing repairs, and providing targeted support to borrowers who can afford monthly amortizations but lack sufficient funds for a down payment.

‘Projects should be measured not only by the number of units completed, but also by occupancy, repayment, travel time, access to services, and the growth of household assets,’ Salceda also said.

Rising risks

However, sustaining or accelerating housing production and financing may become more difficult as developers and the government contend with rising construction costs and global uncertainties.

DHSUD had earlier acknowledged that higher labor costs and geopolitical developments could eventually affect housing prices, although the agency said it is maintaining its housing targets.

Labor accounts for about 30 percent of total housing development costs, meaning wage increases could eventually push up housing prices.

Yap also said tensions in the Middle East could increase transportation and logistics costs, although the extent of the impact would depend on how developers respond to the situation.

Peña-Reyes said the risks extend beyond labor costs. He said higher prices of cement, steel and other construction materials, coupled with rising wages, could increase housing production costs and delay project implementation.

A prolonged conflict in the Middle East could also push global oil prices higher, increasing transportation, logistics and financing costs across the housing sector.

‘The greatest threat to the government’s housing targets is probably not a lack of demand but the interaction of rising costs and implementation bottlenecks,’ Peña-Reyes said.

To help cushion the impact of higher costs on homebuyers, DHSUD said the Pag-IBIG Fund continues to offer subsidized interest rates of 3 percent for socialized housing loans and 4.5 percent for low-cost and economic housing loans.

The state-run fund has also increased the maximum housing loan amount to P10 million.

The agency added that Filipinos affected by the Middle East crisis may also avail themselves of housing loan moratoriums and calamity loan assistance.

Despite these measures, Peña-Reyes said the outlook remains highly dependent on global developments.

‘If another major oil price shock or prolonged geopolitical disruption occurs, the government will likely have to either allocate more resources to housing or accept that fewer units can be delivered within the same budget,’ Peña-Reyes said.