Category: Business Mirror

The year was 1882. Our national hero Jose Rizal landed in Naples, Italy. It was his first time in Europe. I could imagine the wide-eyed look on his face and the sense of wonder he might have felt upon setting foot on European soil. He didn’t stay long in Naples, but it left an impression on him; the hustle and bustle of local life and the scenic views of the coastal city.

We can’t all be national heroes (maybe just the main character of our own stories), but we can still visit Naples and maybe experience the same sense of wide-eyed wonder as Jose Rizal.

Lively (or Chaotic?) Naples

I left Naples’ train station with a sense of excitement and wonder knowing that I’ll be visiting a new city. I’ve heard from other travelers how chaotic or in other peoples’ words ‘lived in’ the city was. I saw clothes hanging from the balcony or windows of someone’s apartment. Some buildings looked old and worn out, not really out of place when around centuries old churches or structures. There was also random vandalism on walls (on a side note: I think whoever made those felt like some master painter from the age of enlightenment or the Renaissance period, I’m projecting of course).

I wandered along the narrow streets and weaved in and out of alleys. People on bicycles and scooters whizzed by from the front and back without caring for the pedestrians they might run into. I might add that Italians are a jolly bunch. Boisterous conversations often took place (I had no idea what they were talking about) and I would hear people shouting at each other from their windows (I wasn’t entirely sure if they were arguing or not).

I’m not a big football fan, but I would casually look at the box score if the World Cup was on. However, the ubiquitous prevalence of Diego Maradona on walls and souvenirs was a pleasant surprise (sidebar: I didn’t know who he was until I visited Naples). I later found out he became the unofficial patron saint of the city (I saw a mural of him dressed like a priest), after bringing the city multiple championships. They embraced his working-class background and considered him as one of their own.

I sat down and ate a Neapolitan pizza at a restaurant I stumbled upon. I’ve met a few travelers that said they saw themselves living in Metro Manila and others saying the exact opposite. I’ve felt the same contradictory feelings many times over. I thought about how similar Naples was to Metro Manila with its mix of noise and chaos. Maybe I’m just projecting something I’m familiar with to feel a semblance of home or maybe we’re carrying a bit of home wherever we go.

Feeling Royal in Caserta

I looked for a day trip that’s close to Naples and discovered that the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Royal Palace of Caserta was approximately just under an hour away. I find castles fascinating to be honest. Come to think of it, the extremely rich haven’t changed much, some still like flaunting their wealth.

Architect Luigi Vanvitelli planned the castle in the 18th century. He followed the vision of Charles of Bourbon who wanted to have a castle that rivaled those found in Madrid and Versailles. The walk up to the palace did remind me of the one I visited in Versailles in France. The grand staircase with its statues and details elicits a sense of awe from visitors (myself included). The staircase doesn’t just connect floors, it’s meant for a dramatic/theatrical ascent.

Since I like watching movies, I discovered a few fun facts about the palace. Some movies that used this complex as a filming location include Star Wars Episodes I and 2, Mission Impossible III, The Two Popes, and Conclave just to name a few.

With more than a thousand rooms and a massive floor area, it’s improbable to see everything in one day. Some of the highlights of a visit include the Throne Room, Palatine Chapel, Hall of Astrea, and Rooms of the Four Seasons. One of the reasons people visit is the huge garden and park that surround the palace complex. Visitors can simply wander around the property after exploring the palace. The curated palace contrasts Naples’ beautiful chaos.

Naples and Caserta are possible destinations you can add during your first (or second or third or so on and so forth) visit. The chaos of Naples adds to its charm while the Caserta Royal Palace provides a contrast and break from the frenzy of the city. It’s convenient to get to either place by train from Rome. I recommend booking train tickets in advance to not only save money but to also get the schedule you want.

THE Department of Budget and Management (DBM) is backing calls to open congressional bicameral budget deliberations to greater public scrutiny while seeking to further reduce unprogrammed appropriations below the level proposed for 2027.

At the Economic Journalists Association of the Philippines’ forum on Friday, Budget Secretary Kim Robert C. De Leon said the agency welcomes and supports efforts towards greater transparency in the bicameral process.

‘An open bicam would be consistent with the Department’s continuing push for a more transparent, accountable and participatory budget process,’ De Leon said.

Doing so would enable the public to better understand how decisions involving taxpayers’ money are made, he added. ‘When people can see how public funds are deliberated and allocated, we strengthen accountability and ultimately public trust,’ he said.

Last year, the bicam sessions on the P6.793-trillion 2026 national budget were live-streamed for the first time to the public.

During the sessions, lawmakers from both the House of Representatives and the Senate reconciled differences between the House and Senate versions of the General Appropriations Bill.

This week, the DBM submitted separately to both legislative chambers the proposed P7.2-trillion 2027 National Expenditure Program (NEP).

Next year’s proposed national budget is 6 percent higher than this year’s allocation and is equivalent to 21.7 percent of the country’s gross domestic product.

Nueva Ecija Rep. Mikaela Suansing, House Committee on Appropriations chairman, said the budget process will be transparent as all hearings of the committee and the Budget Amendments Review Subcommittee will be live-streamed.

‘We recognize that the conduct of the Bicameral Conference Committee ultimately rests with Congress, and we fully respect its constitutional authority, rules and procedures,’ De Leon said.

But should Congress decide to open the bicameral proceedings, he said DBM would provide technical information, budget documents and clarifications to ensure that discussions are accurate and accessible to the public.

‘For us, greater transparency strengthens, not complicates, the budget process. We have nothing to gain from making the budget difficult to understand,’ De Leon said.

Budget watchdog Social Watch Philippines has said that the bicam has gained a reputation as a ‘third chamber’ where new budget items are inserted without prior deliberation, including the Ayuda sa Kapos ang Kita Program (Akap) allocations.

Bicam meetings have been notorious for new budget items being inserted without prior deliberation, as well as for inflating the contested unprogrammed appropriations.

De Leon said the DBM is open to further reducing unprogrammed appropriations, which amounts to P111.984 billion, or about 1.6 percent of next year’s proposed budget.

While there is no fixed floor for unprogrammed appropriations, De Leon said the government could bring the amount down further if it has enough fiscal space and if the project pipeline allows it.

‘The lower, the better,’ De Leon said, while stressing that the appropriate level would depend on the purpose and nature of the projects that need to be funded.

Unprogrammed appropriations are standby spending authorities approved by Congress that may only be used if specific legal conditions are met, such as the availability of additional revenues beyond projections or the realization of new loan proceeds. These funds are not automatically released and remain subject to strict rules and validation.

THE Philippines’s efforts to rein in its fiscal deficit are likely to plateau, as ‘ambitious’ revenue targets prove difficult to meet and mounting debt service costs eat up more government resources, according to BMI, a unit of Fitch Solutions.

BMI said in a report on Friday that it forecasts a ‘slow’ fiscal consolidation, with the budget deficit narrowing from 5.4 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2026 to 5.1 percent in 2027-still in line with the government’s target.

‘Risks are tilted towards a wider fiscal deficit,’ it said, noting that revenue targets may prove ‘difficult to achieve’ despite the new tax reforms lobbied by the government.

The Department of Finance has proposed a comprehensive tax reform package, dubbed the ‘Progress Bill,’ which seeks to raise the personal income tax-exempt threshold and remove the minimum corporate income tax on small businesses, while increasing the excise taxes on sin products to offset revenue losses. This is expected to generate a net revenue gain of P47.9 billion annually over 2027 to 2030.

However, the measure has not yet been incorporated into next year’s P4.851 trillion tax revenue target.

‘The government’s tax revenue target appears ambitious at first glance,’ BMI said. ‘While easing inflation and higher Metro Manila minimum wages-which will reportedly benefit over 1.1 million workers-should support consumption and VAT collections in 2027, we doubt that this alone will be sufficient to hit the target.’

Still, the revenue-to-GDP ratio is seen to ease modestly from 15.8 percent of GDP in 2026 to 15.7 percent in 2027-also in line with the government’s target.

At the same time, debt servicing, which is becoming more expensive, is expected to strain government finances further as higher interest rates and a weaker peso push up costs, BMI said.

‘The gradual pace of fiscal consolidation will likely sustain this trajectory, consuming more resources that could otherwise be directed towards more productive spending,’ it added.

Budget documents showed that next year’s proposed allocation for debt servicing increased by 16.8 percent to P1.143 trillion from P978.7 billion under the 2026 enacted budget. This is significantly higher than the 6-percent growth in the overall budget worth P7.2 trillion.

BMI projects total government expenditure to decline to 20.8 percent of GDP in 2027 from 21.3 percent in 2026.

Economic services are proposed to receive the largest increase in the 2027 budget, while social services face a reduction. Defense spending growth is also set to moderate from the double-digit pace of the past three budgets.

‘Escalating tensions with Beijing in the South China Sea, especially with increasingly frequent and intense maritime incidents, strengthen the case for higher military outlays,’ BMI said. ‘Yet, defense spending growth is set to ease further in 2027, underscoring the difficult trade-offs imposed by limited fiscal room.’

‘Nothing wrong with having debts’

At a forum organized by the Economic Journalists Association of the Philippines on Friday, Budget Secretary Kim Robert C. De Leon said the government remains committed to gradually reducing the fiscal deficit.

‘Fiscal discipline does not mean refusing to spend, but knowing where to spend, why we are spending, and what the Filipino people should get in return,’ De Leon said.

Despite debt servicing accounting for 15.9 percent of next year’s total budget, De Leon said, ‘there is nothing inherently wrong with a country having debts.’

‘Until the government can generate sufficient resources to fund investments and close our country’s infrastructure and development gaps, we will need to borrow,’ he added.

The debt-to-GDP ratio rose to 66 percent in the second quarter, the highest since 2004. This comes after public debt reached P19.065 trillion, while GDP grew by 2.3 percent.

‘What matters is that money is used for the right purposes and the government can repay it without compromising other essential programs and services,’ De Leon said. ‘Government programs, activities, and projects are not mere expenses, but investments intended to achieve a minimum required economic return.’

NEARLY two weeks ahead of its fourth rate-setting meeting for the year, the central bank said it is still keeping an eye on an ‘unpredictable opponent’ as it is currently caught in the middle of a weaker-than-expected growth rate and a dubious disinflation path.

At the Economic Forum hosted by the Economic Journalists Association of the Philippines (EJAP) on Friday, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Eli M. Remolona Jr. did not divulge what the Monetary Board intends to do at its upcoming rate-setting meeting as it still looking at several data points, including the price of oil, and sentiments of businesses and consumers.

Asked which data points are still being scrutinized apart from the latest inflation and gross domestic product prints, Remolona told reporters: ‘A lot. Sentiments. [There are several] data points.’

But depending on how strong the price pressure seems to be, the BSP governor said the central bank is looking at expectations, at how the other items in the [consumer price index] CPI respond to the continuing global shocks, adding, ‘that will affect our policy strategy.’

In terms of inflation, Remolona said the central bank cannot do very much about inflation arising directly from global supply shocks.

‘What we can do is try to temper inflation that is found in the second-round goods,’ he said, adding that the second-round effects of supply shocks are ‘very close’ to what core inflation is.

However, with weaker-than-expected growth rate, Remolona dropped a hint that the BSP may become less aggressive in terms of raising the policy rate in order to tame inflation.

‘So with the growth numbers and with the inflation numbers, I think we need a more convincing downard trend for inflation before we can relax,’ the chief of the central bank said.

‘Of course the weaker growth that we’re seeing means we can be less aggressive in trying to tame inflation. But in the face of an unpredictable opponent, oil prices for example, we need to keep our eye on the ball,’ Remolona pointed out.

In his presentation during the forum, Remolona admitted that the central bank was ‘disappointed’ when the 2.3-percent growth print was reported.

‘We were told that GDP growth in the second quarter of 2026 was 2.3 percent. [It was quite low, quite] disappointing and somewhat surprising,’ added Remolona.

The BSP governor bared that the 2.3-percent growth outcome in the second quarter of 2026 was way below the central bank’s 3.2-percent estimate, which, as it is, is ‘still weak’ because the potential growth of the Philippine economy is at 5.5 to 5.8 percent.

‘That means weak growth remains a consideration. I think that’s all I can say. I can’t tell you what we will do,’ added Remolona.

In an earlier interview with reporters, the BSP governor answered in the affirmative when he was asked if the pressure on the central bank to raise the key interest rate was reduced following the 2.3-percent GDP data release.

The BSP has raised the key interest rate by a total of 50 basis points since the start of the conflict in the Middle East on February 28, delivering two separate quarter-point rate hikes at the Monetary Board’s rate-setting meetings held on April 23 and June 18.

These policy actions brought the Target Reverse Repurchase (RRP) rate to 4.75 percent.

At its June 18 meeting, the Monetary Board decided that monetary policy tightening was ‘warranted’ to keep inflation expectations anchored and mitigate the risk of second-round effects.

‘The measured monetary policy action will also complement fiscal measures in supporting steady consumption and strengthening business sentiment,’ the central bank also said in a statement on June 18.

AMID slower second quarter growth and still elevated inflation, the country’s economic managers remain confident that the Philippines has yet to enter a period of stagflation.

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) said there is no single definition of stagflation, but it is generally understood as a combination of slow or zero economic growth and high inflation. The condition is also commonly associated with rising or high unemployment.

For Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan, calling the slowdown in economic growth over the last three quarters as ‘stagflation’ would be ‘stretching it too far.’

The economy ended 2025 with weaker-than-expected growth of 3 percent in the fourth quarter. Growth then slowed further to 2.8 percent in the first quarter of 2026 and 2.3 percent in the second quarter.

Inflation, meanwhile, eased for the third straight month to 6.2 percent in July from 6.4 percent in June, extending its decline from a 7.2 percent peak in April.

Balisacan stressed that the economy is still posting ‘quite a good growth’ despite the Middle East conflict, while longer-term labor market trends continue to show declining unemployment and underemployment.

He noted that the economy generated around 4 million new jobs between the first half of 2021 and the first half of 2026, despite losing about 166,000 jobs between the first half of 2025 and the same period this year.

‘In the second half of the year, the economy is likely to be better,’ Balisacan said during the Economic Journalists’ Association of the Philippines (Ejap) economic forum on Friday.

Balisacan said the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has already released funds that could help spur government spending in the second half and, in turn, support faster economic growth.

He noted that weak public spending had weighed on economic growth, with government spending contracting by nearly 30 percent for two consecutive quarters.

He said this weakness is unlikely to persist in the next two quarters.

Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Eli M. Remolona Jr. echoed Balisacan’s view, saying stagflation is ‘not a useful term’ for policymakers at the moment.

‘We don’t even think, are we in a stagflation or not? We don’t really care,’ Remolona said.

However, the BSP chief acknowledged that the economy is currently growing below its estimated potential of around 5.5 percent to 5.8 percent, resulting in what the central bank calls an output gap.

An output gap measures the difference between the economy’s actual output and its potential output. A negative gap means the economy is operating below potential, while a positive gap can signal stronger demand and greater inflationary pressure.

‘I think the output gap means we’ve become less aggressive in terms of raising the policy rate in order to tame inflation,’ Remolona said. ‘So we take account of both the weakness of our growth as well as our expectations of inflation.’

For 2026, the Development Budget Coordination Committee (DBCC) targets full-year economic growth of 3.5 percent to 4.5 percent, lower than its previous target of 4 percent to 5 percent.

The economy grew by an average of 2.6 percent in the first half of the year.

The Department of Economy, Planning, and Development (DEPDev) earlier said the economy would need to grow by an average of at least 4.4 percent in the second half to reach the lower end of the government’s revised growth target.

THE countdown is on for ‘Walk Into the Future: Digital Walker’s 20th Anniversary,’ happening from August 20 to 23, 2026, at the Glorietta Palm Drive Activity Center.

The public is invited to join the anniversary celebration, which officially opens at 6 pm on August 20, and experience Digital Walker’s exciting new era through interactive activities, exclusive anniversary offers, games, giveaways, and raffle prizes worth up to P70,000.

As Digital Walker celebrates 20 years of bringing innovative technology and lifestyle products closer to Filipinos, the event also introduces the brand’s refreshed look, updated visuals, and enhanced customer experience. Guests will be among the first to experience this new chapter while exploring what the future of technology, entertainment, wellness, and everyday living has to offer.

Customers can make the most of the celebration through Digital Walker’s special 20th anniversary promotions:

P20 Add-On: Purchase any participating products and get selected cables or cases for only P20.

20% + 20% UnionBank-Exclusive Offer: Enjoy 20-percent off, plus an additional 20-percent off on the second participating item, for qualified UnionBank transactions.

P2,000 Off: Save P2,000 on selected bundles and future technology products from participating brands, including Marshall, Momax, Acefast, Shokz, and Ultrahuman.

Prices Ending in 20: Discover discounted products at special anniversary prices ending in 20, starting at P120, with selected items priced at P120, P220, P320, P920, P2,020, and more.

20 Drops: Catch selected products offered at special anniversary prices during the celebration.

Spin for 20: Exclusive to the Digital Walker Glorietta store starting August 15. Spend a minimum of P2,000 and earn one spin for a chance to win a special prize, including Digital Walker giveaways worth more than P1,000.

With interactive games, technology showcases, anniversary deals, freebies, and major raffle prizes, Walk Into the Future is the perfect destination for families and groups of friends looking for an exciting activity in Glorietta.

IF there’s one word foldable smartphones have never quite managed to escape-besides ‘expensive’-it’s ‘fragile.’

And it’s an understandable perception. Take a regular smartphone, split its body in half, add a mechanical hinge and replace its rigid internal screen with one flexible enough to survive hundreds of thousands of folds. Then, with every new generation, make the entire thing thinner and lighter.

None of that sounds like something you’d deliberately subject to unnecessary punishment.

Tech brand Honor, however, has developed something of a habit of doing exactly that.

Last year, at the launch the Honor Magic V5, we watched the company put its foldable through an unusual strength demonstration involving a sofa and additional weights.

It was Honor’s very visual way of drawing attention to the phone’s Super Steel Hinge, which the company said had a tensile strength of 2,300 megapascals. Globally, Honor had also demonstrated the Honor Magic V5 lifting as much as 104kg in mid-air.

For most smartphone companies, hanging furniture from a foldable would probably have been enough to make the point.

But as expected, Honor saw it as something to beat the following year.

A VERY EXPENSIVE TUG OF WAR

FOR the Honor Magic V6 preview, Honor brought us to the Angeles City Flying Club in Pampanga, where a classic Toyota Land Cruiser was waiting on one end of a towing setup.

On the other was a Piper Arrow aircraft weighing a ton.

And somewhere between these two machines was Honor’s newest foldable.

The setup looked like an absurdly mismatched tug of war: the Land Cruiser providing the pulling force, the aircraft at the opposite end and a remarkably thin smartphone secured within the hardware connecting them.

Watching the rig being assembled up close was important because photographs of the stunt don’t immediately explain how it worked. Heavy steel cables, shackles and specially fabricated metal hardware were used to secure the Honor Magic V6 within the towing assembly. The phone wasn’t simply dangling from a cable, nor had someone tied a rope around its hinge and hoped for the best.

At first glance, you could understandably assume that the steel structure surrounding the Honor Magic V6 was there simply to protect it from the pull. What we were shown, however, was a fixture designed to hold the phone securely and incorporate it into the towing assembly.

And before anyone dusts off their college physics textbook, no, this doesn’t mean the Honor Magic V6 was supporting the entire one-ton weight of the aircraft. The Piper Arrow was rolling on its wheels, not hanging from the phone, so its full weight was never being suspended by the Honor Magic V6.

The point of the demonstration was whether the phone could withstand the tension placed on it while incorporated into the towing setup without suffering structural failure. There is an important difference-and I’m sure even those TikTok physics teachers would insist that we make it.

With everything secured, the Land Cruiser began moving.

The cables tightened and, for a brief moment, everyone watched the rig to see what would happen.

Then the aircraft started rolling.

It is one thing to see durability figures flashed across a presentation. It is quite another to stand beside a runway and watch an aircraft start moving while a foldable smartphone sits within the towing assembly connecting it to the vehicle doing the pulling.

And it wasn’t a one-off.

Honor repeated the demonstration four times, with the Honor Magic V6 surviving unscathed and fully operational.

SO HOW TOUGH IS THE HONOR MAGIC V6 SUPPOSED TO BE?

THE stunt becomes more interesting once you look at the engineering Honor has put inside the phone.

If last year’s Honor Magic V5 used a Super Steel Hinge rated at 2,300 MPa tensile strength, Honor says the Honor Magic V6 raises that figure to 2,800 MPa.

In simpler terms, tensile strength measures how much pulling stress a material can withstand before it fails. Honor says the Super Steel Hinge has also been tested through 500,000 folding cycles.

What makes those figures particularly interesting is that Honor isn’t achieving them by turning the Honor Magic V6 into some bulky rugged phone.

Quite the opposite.

According to Honor’s global specifications, the white version of the Honor Magic V6 weighs approximately 219 grams and measures just 4.0mm when unfolded and 8.75mm when folded, excluding specified protective films and the raised camera section under Honor’s measurement conditions.

The Honor Magic V6 has a 7.95-inch inner foldable display paired with a 6.52-inch outer display. Both use LTPO panels with adaptive refresh rates from 1Hz to 120Hz, while Honor rates peak brightness at 5,000 nits for the inner screen and 6,000 nits for the outer display.

Honor uses reinforced ultra-thin glass for the folding screen, while the external display gets the company’s Anti-Scratch NanoCrystal Shield. The company also claims improvements in drop, scratch and wear resistance under its own laboratory testing.

The Honor Magic V6 carries IP68 and IP69 ratings for dust and water resistance under specified laboratory conditions. And apparently, airfield physics wasn’t enough for one afternoon. Honor also took the Honor Magic V6 to the nearby swimming pool, where the phones were used and submerged to demonstrate the water-resistance side of its durability story.

FROM STUNTS TO SPECS

Durability may have provided the spectacle, but underneath all that steel hardware is still a flagship foldable.

The Honor Magic V6 runs Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 Mobile Platform, manufactured on a 3nm process and built around a third-generation, eight-core CPU that can reach speeds of up to 4.6GHz.

Honor pairs the chipset with LPDDR5X memory and UFS 4.1 storage, while its global launch material also highlights a full-stack Vulkan graphics engine designed to handle demanding multitasking and high frame-rate gaming on that large inner screen.

For its battery, the Honor Magic V6 packs a 6,660mAh silicon-carbon battery despite its relatively slim dimensions. Charging tops out at 80W wired Honor SuperCharge and 66W wireless Honor SuperCharge with compatible Honor chargers, while wireless reverse charging is also supported.

Then there are the cameras, which deserve more attention than a single throwaway line.

The Honor Magic V6 uses what the company calls its AI Falcon Camera System, led by a 50MP Ultra Light Sensitive Main Camera. It is joined by a 50MP ultra-wide camera and a 64MP periscope telephoto camera equipped with a 1/2-inch sensor and CIPA 6.5 image stabilization.

That telephoto camera is arguably the most interesting part of the setup, particularly for a foldable where manufacturers are constantly fighting for internal space. Honor is also layering its AI imaging features on top of the hardware, including its AI Color Engine, Magic Color 2.0, Magic Video Color and AI Image to Video 2.0.

Then there is AI across the rest of the phone.

The Honor Magic V6 runs MagicOS 10 and brings Honor’s expanding collection of AI agents and productivity features to the foldable form factor. These include the AI Settings Agent, AI Photos Agent, AI Suggestion and AI Screen Suggestions.

Honor is also continuing its push toward cross-platform compatibility. The Honor Magic V6 can work with devices across Apple’s ecosystem, including iPhones, iPads, AirPods, Apple Watches and Macs, with features such as notification sharing and Mac Screen Extension.

One feature I’m particularly curious to spend more time with is Honor Fast-flex, which uses the folding motion itself to trigger split-screen multitasking, AI tools or a customized app.

And that brings us to the one specification Honor Philippines hasn’t revealed yet.

HOW MUCH?

HONOR has yet to announce the official Philippine price of the Honor Magic V6, so any number at this point would be speculation.

Last year the Honor Magic V5 launched locally at ?89,999. But given the rising prices, it would be reasonable to expect the Honor Magic V6 to arrive at a perhaps slightly higher price tag-unless Honor has another surprise waiting for us.

We’ll find out when Honor officially launches the Honor Magic V6 in the Philippines on August 18.

Until then, there is something wonderfully excessive about the way the company has chosen to introduce it.

Last year, Honor hung a sofa from its foldable.

This year, it brought an airplane.

I’m almost afraid to ask what they’re planning for the Honor Magic V7.

THE Department of Education (DepEd) has rolled out the ARAL TutorKo to bolster the Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning (ARAL) program’s learning recovery efforts.

The web-based tutoring management platform, developed in partnership with Thames International Inc. and LearnTalk Limited, seeks to make tutor application, onboarding, deployment, attendance monitoring, and session tracking more efficient.

In a statement, Education Secretary Juan Edgardo ‘Sonny’ Angara said the platform will help streamline support to ARAL program beneficiaries.

Angara expressed in Filipino that many are willing to help Filipino children, but the department also needs a process that is easy, clear, and appropriate for tutors and schools. The platform, he said, will also advance targeted learning interventions among those needing support in foundational literacy and numeracy.

The secretary said that through the ‘TutorKo,’ DepEd is strengthening the system behind tutoring: from application up to deployment and monitoring, so that more learners will receive proper support at the right time.

The platform is expected to support real-time tracking of tutoring sessions, while improving coordination across schools, divisions, regions, and the central office. It also boosts data-driven decision-making through its dashboards and monitoring tools.

For the DepEd chief, each tutoring session is an opportunity for a child to catch up, understand the lessons more, and gain confidence to continue.

By the end of School Year 2025-2026, 4.5 million out of the 6.7 million struggling learners from the start of the period have raised their reading proficiency. This was made possible with the efforts of 442,906 ARAL tutors nationwide.

The Education chief cited the importance of the department’s support not only for the learners, but also for the tutors who are offering time, endurance, and care for them.

Other streamlined features include an easier process in tutor recruitment, screening, onboarding, lesson management, learner grouping, scheduling, attendance tracking, Daily Time Record submission, and report generation.

Administrators, coordinators, school heads, tutors, learners, and education officials will also enjoy role-based access in the platform.

FILIPINO workers are emerging as some of the world’s most advanced users of artificial intelligence (AI), but its rapid adoption is raising a more important question for educators and employers: What should people learn when AI can already do much of the work?

The 2026 Microsoft Work Trend Index Annual Report found that 25 percent of Filipino workers qualify as ‘Frontier Professionals:’ the most advanced category of AI users, compared with a global average of 16 percent. These workers use AI agents for multi-step workflows, rethink processes, and help establish quality standards for AI-assisted work.

The findings point to a shift in the skills that matter in an AI-enabled workplace. Among Filipino AI users, 77 percent said they are producing work they could not have produced a year ago, compared with 58 percent globally. Among Frontier Professionals, the figure rises to 86 percent.

But greater reliance on AI does not necessarily mean less need for human expertise. In fact, the report found that 65 percent of Filipino AI users consider critical thinking the most important human skill as AI takes on more work-the highest proportion among the markets surveyed and well above the 46-percent global average. The challenge for education, training and workplaces, therefore, is increasingly about teaching people how to assess, question and improve what AI produces.

Critical thinking in focus

THE emphasis on human judgment is also reflected in how Filipinos use AI. Sixty-five percent of Filipino AI users identified critical thinking as the most important human skill as AI takes on more work-the highest proportion among the markets surveyed and well above the 46-percent global average. Another 59 percent identified quality control of AI output as a top priority.

That caution is evident in how Filipino workers approach AI-generated content. Ninety-three percent said they treat AI output as a starting point rather than a final answer and ‘stay responsible for the thinking,’ compared with 86 percent globally. Among the country’s Frontier Professionals, 53 percent intentionally complete some work without AI to keep their skills sharp, while 61 percent deliberately pause before beginning a task to determine what should be handled by AI and what should remain human-led.

For schools, universities and training firms, the findings point to a broader definition of AI literacy. Knowing how to operate an AI tool is only part of the equation; learners also need to develop the ability to question outputs, verify information and make sound judgments about AI usage.

That principle extends into continuing education and the workplace. During his executive studies, PLDT and Smart First Vice President and Head of Information Technology and the Transformation Office Gilbert Gaw shared that he used AI to help narrow down research and references, but still had to do the actual work himself. The experience shows a key lesson of AI-assisted learning: The technology can accelerate the process, but it does not remove the need for human thinking.

Training must follow the work

THE report found that Filipino workers are ready to adapt, but organizational support has not fully kept pace. Only 35 percent said their leadership is clearly and consistently aligned on AI, while 25 percent said they are rewarded for reinventing how they work with the technology.

The experience of PLDT and Smart illustrates workplace learning helping close that gap. After initially deploying 200 Microsoft 365 Copilot licenses, the conglomerate required users to demonstrate concrete use cases and results before expanding access. Training was also designed with employees’ roles in mind, with programs developed for groups such as managers, project managers, finance, legal, and marketing.

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PLDT and Smart first vice president and head of information technology and Transformation Office Gilbert Gaw said: ‘AI training has to be relevant to the work employees actually perform.’

The company’s approach also reflects a broader principle in the report: Organizational factors-including culture, manager support and talent practices-account for more than twice the impact of individual mindset and behavior on AI adoption.

Building a learning system

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MICROSOFT’S report describes the next stage of organizational transformation as becoming a ‘Learning System’-an organization capable of capturing, sharing and scaling what its people learn from working with AI. The number of AI agents has increased 15-fold year over year across the Microsoft 365 ecosystem and 18 times in large enterprises.

For local educators and employers, this points to a larger shift in the meaning of skills development. The objective is no longer simply to prepare people to use today’s technology, but to help them remain capable of learning as tech changes.

The report’s central question may therefore apply as much to classrooms and training institutions as it does to companies: ‘The real question isn’t whether people have the right skills-it’s whether the organization is built to unlock them.’

MICRO-CREDENTIALS are rapidly reshaping the way Filipino employers hire, evaluate, and reward graduate talent.

Coursera’s Micro-Credentials Impact Report 2026 found that 96 percent of Filipino employers hired at least three candidates with micro-credentials in the past year, signaling a decisive shift toward skills-first hiring.

For employers, micro-credentials are becoming a trusted signal that candidates can create immediate positive impact. In fact, 77 percent of Filipino employers say candidates with micro-credentials move faster through hiring pipelines-4 percentage points above the global average, reinforcing their value as a marker of job readiness.

A Google report estimates that AI could unlock approximately $50.7 billion in productivity and cost benefits for the Philippines by 2030-an opportunity that hinges on a workforce equipped with the right skills.

The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) has responded through its Memorandum Order (CMO) No. 1, Series of 2025, which creates a national framework for industry-aligned, stackable micro-credentials, making higher education the focus of the skills transformation.

Based on insights from more than 3,500 employers, learners, and higher education leaders in seven countries that include the Philippines, the 2026 report revealed that 89 percent of Filipino employers are willing to offer higher starting salaries to graduates with micro-credentials, with 36 percent willing to offer a raise of more than 15 percent for GenAI micro-credentials. Eighty-five percent of Filipino graduates who earned micro-credentials secured a role aligned to their field within 12 months.

‘As AI reshapes the workplace, employers are placing a premium on candidates who can prove they have practical, job-ready skills,’ said Managing Director for Coursera Asia Pacific Ashutosh Gupta. ‘In the Philippines, micro-credentials are no longer just a differentiator: they are becoming an essential signal of employability.’

‘The data shows strong alignment between employers, students, and higher

education leaders: learners want credentials that count toward degrees, employers are willing to pay more for them, and universities see them as critical to staying relevant,’ Gupta noted. ‘CHED’s CMO is a pivotal step, giving universities the policy foundation to embed micro-credentials at scale. Those that move fast will define the next generation of Filipino talent.’

Key findings

EMPLOYERS are embracing micro-credentials as proof of job readiness:

96 percent of Filipino employers hired at least three candidates with micro-credentials in the last year;

89 percent are willing to offer higher starting salaries to graduates with micro-credentials;

90 percent said entry-level hires with micro-credentials perform better in their first year; and

77 percent said credentialed candidates move faster through hiring pipelines.

Students are choosing institutions that offer credit-integrated credentials:

4.6 times as many Filipino students are likely to pursue micro-credentials with formal credit recognition (79 percent) than without it (17 percent).

62 percent said the strongest signal of rigor is an industry-created micro-credential that counts toward a degree; and

85 percent of Filipino graduates secured a role aligned to their field within 12 months.

Higher education leaders see embedded micro-credentials as a competitive advantage:

86 percent agreed that embedding micro-credentials links academic learning with workforce relevance;

63 percent said institutions without embedded micro-credentials face moderate or significant strategic risk;

75 percent said programs with embedded micro-credentials experience higher student retention; and

75 percent agreed that embedding micro-credentials leads to a faster curriculum refresh rate.

Proof of skill: key

AMONG the institutions already leading the charge is iPeople Inc., which has embedded more than 50 professional certificates across six schools. These include all the Mapua schools in Manila, Laguna, and Mindanao; National Teachers College; University of Nueva Caceres; as well as the modern Mapua Malayan Digital College.

‘The Philippines is at an inflection point. Our graduates are talented, but talent alone doesn’t win in a global job market. Proof of skills does,’ pointed out Mapua Education Group president and CEO Dr. Dodjie Maestrecampo. ‘Micro-credentials embedded into a degree give Filipino students exactly that: industry-recognized and globally credible evidence of what they can deliver from Day 1. What gives me real confidence is that CHED is now establishing policy frameworks around this.’

Through their partnership with Coursera, Dr. Maestrecampo said: ‘We [can] bring these credentials into our programs at scale, combining global content with local academic rigor.’