Category: Business Mirror

NXLED tries to bounce back from its opening setback as it faces a Capital1 side missing its starting wingers when the Premier Volleyball League On Tour resumes Saturday at the Chavit Coliseum in Vigan City, Ilocos Sur.

With Bella Belen and newcomers Vanie Gandler and Erika Santos away on national team duty, the Solar Spikers will turn to rookie draft No. 2 overall pick Detdet Pepito, who is set to make her much-anticipated debut in the 4 p.m. showdown against the talent-laden Chameleons.

Despite the absence of key wing attackers, Capital1 remains formidable with a deep middle rotation anchored by Cherry Nunag, Ezra Madrigal, KC Galdones, Pauline Gaston and Pia Abbu.

Pepito, a decorated collegiate standout, is expected to provide an immediate boost while teaming up with Roma Mae Doromal and Rachel Jorvina to strengthen Nxled’s defensive rotation.

Capital1 will also showcase second-round pick Khy Cepada, who joins a wing corps led by Trisha Genesis, Ysa Jimenez, Leila Cruz, Sydney Niegos and France Ronquillo.

The Chameleons counter with a loaded lineup featuring former Cignal standout Jackie Acuña, MJ Phillips, Krich Macaslang, Aduke Ogunsanya and veteran Aby Maraño in the middle, while banking on the explosive wing combination of Brooke Van Sickle, Myla Pablo, Jonah Escamillan and Lyann De Guzman. Chiara Permentilla and EJ Laure.

Nxled also enters the match with greater urgency after absorbing a four-set defeat to Creamline in its opening assignment in Ilagan City last July 9.

The 6:30 p.m. match also promises plenty of intrigue as last year’s On Tour champion PLDT finally opens its campaign against Choco Mucho.

On paper, the High Speed Hitters appear deeper and more experienced, with Savi Davison, Kim Dy, Kath Arado and Majoy Baron, leading a roster further bolstered by draft pick No. 7 Fianne Ariola and free agency signing Joan Monares.

Choco Mucho, meanwhile, continues to cope with the absence of national team standouts Sisi Rondina, Eya Laure and Dawn Catindig, placing greater responsibility on No. 3 overall pick Tin Ubaldo, Isa Molde, Jewel Encarnacion, Kat Tolentino, Caitlin Viray and Dindin Manabat to keep the Flying Titans competitive.

The PVL On Tour Showdown heads to South Cotabato for the first time on August 1, with Nxled taking on Galeries Tower at 4 p.m. and Akari battlingChoco Mucho at 6:30 p.m. in Polomolok.

Rainy weather can make even the most beautiful scenes appear dull and muted, leaving photos that look different from what people see in person. To help users capture and transform those moments, the vivo X300 FE introduces AI Creation, an AI-powered imaging feature that enhances photos before and after they are taken.

Building on vivo’s imaging expertise, the vivo X300 FE combines ZEISS professional imaging with the new AI Creation algorithm, allowing users to reshape scenes and apply different visual styles with a single tap, without the need for third-party editing applications.

Watch the hands-on video below to see the vivo X300 FE’s AI Creation features in action: Captured in Bonifacio Global City (BGC), Metro Manila, the sample images demonstrate how overcast weather can affect the appearance of photos. Using AI Creation, the vivo X300 FE offers two ways to enhance images, either before pressing the shutter or after the photo has been captured.

Feature 1: Choose scenes before taking a photo

Users can open the Camera app in Landscape and Night mode and tap the AI icon to access AI Style Filters. Selecting Morning Glow, one of the filters, applies a warm lighting effect during capture, transforming a gloomy cityscape into a brighter scene with a single press of the shutter. Meanwhile, using AI Creation mode allows users to choose from multiple AI styles, including Underwater, Dream, and Glow, each displayed as a preview thumbnail for easy selection.

Feature 2: Reimagine photos after capture

For existing photos, users can open an image in the Gallery, tap AI Creation, and choose from multiple AI styles, including Travel, Landscape, Fantasy, Stage, and Cyberpunk. After tapping Generate, the vivo X300 FE recreates the image with a new visual style in just moments.

Slim design, powerful AI Creation

The vivo X300 FE is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 processor and features a ZEISS co-engineered camera system to deliver a smooth AI imaging experience. Measuring 7.99 mm thin and weighing 191 g, the smartphone combines advanced imaging capabilities with a lightweight design for users who want professional-quality photography in a compact device.

The vivo X300 FE is available in Mist Purple and Luxe Black for Php 54,999. It is available at vivo concept stores, vivo e-store, and official vivo stores on Shopee, Lazada, and TikTok Shop.

For more information, follow @vivo_philippines on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, and X, or visit the official vivo website.

AS impeachment proceedings and partisan feuds continue to capture national attention, Citi Philippines CEO Paul Favila has offered a sobering counter-narrative. The perpetual controversies surrounding the Vice President and the political machinations within the Senate, while headline-grabbing, pale in comparison to a more insidious challenge: the nation’s enduring dependence on fuel imports. Favila’s assessment reflects how international investors actually view the country. While domestic audiences obsess over the impeachment trial and the latest political maneuverings, global capital is looking at a different metric entirely-energy security, or rather, the lack thereof.

The observation cuts two ways. Philippine economic policy has long been a prisoner of political cycles-every new administration reshuffles infrastructure, incentives, and regulations to suit its agenda. But Favila’s April meetings in New York, held amid escalating Middle East tensions, revealed something telling: global investors have learned to look past political theater. What actually erodes their confidence is structural vulnerability.

Favila’s comparison to other Asian nations is particularly instructive. He notes that while political chaos exists everywhere-‘parliamentarians throwing chairs at each other’-these countries have managed to progress economically despite their governance theatrics. The Philippines, however, has allowed politics to ‘seep into’ economic decision-making in ways that create genuine vulnerability.

The country’s reliance on imported fuel affects everything from electricity prices to transportation costs to manufacturing competitiveness. When global energy markets convulse, the Philippine economy absorbs the shock immediately. Domestic firms face higher operating costs. Consumers see inflation in food and basic goods. The central bank faces impossible choices between controlling inflation and supporting growth.

What makes Favila’s critique sting is his assertion that ‘politics does not know how to run an economy.’ This is not a call for authoritarianism or technocratic rule; rather, it is an indictment of how our political culture has consistently prioritized short-term partisan gains over long-term economic resilience. Energy policy, in particular, has suffered from decades of political interference, regulatory uncertainty, and populist pricing mechanisms that have discouraged the very investments needed to reduce import dependence.

The message to policymakers should be clear: investors are willing to tolerate political noise, but they will not tolerate structural economic fragility. The impeachment trial may make for compelling television, but it is the nation’s fuel import bill that determines whether factories stay open, whether jobs are created, and whether the Philippines can finally achieve the sustained growth that has eluded it for generations.

The irony is that political stability and energy security are not mutually exclusive; they are mutually reinforcing. A nation that controls its energy destiny is a nation that can weather political transitions without economic trauma. Conversely, a nation that remains dependent on foreign fuel will find that every political crisis becomes an economic crisis, and every economic shock becomes political ammunition.

Favila’s warning should serve as a wake-up call. The Philippines can survive political drama-other nations have proven that. What it may not survive is another decade of energy dependence masquerading as economic policy.

The challenge, then, is to take politics out of the economy where it matters most: in the structural decisions that determine whether the country controls its own destiny or remains hostage to global energy markets. That is the battle worth fighting. Everything else is just noise.

Senator Mark A. Villar, Principal Author of the Anti-Financial Account Scamming Act (AFASA), welcomed the law’s latest gains, saying it is now producing concrete results in the country’s fight against online financial crimes.

One year after AFASA took effect, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) reported that the Philippine National Police (PNP) has already filed more than 500 cases against scammers, fraudsters, money mules, and individuals involved in financial account scams.

‘Bilang Principal Sponsor ng AFASA noong 19th Congress at Chairman ng Senate Committee on Banks, Financial Institutions and Currencies, ipinasa natin ang batas na ito upang tulungang mabawi ang perang na-scam sa mga biktima ng financial crimes.’ Said Villar.

‘Mahigit 500 kaso na ang naisampa laban sa mga scammer-patunay na may pangil na ang AFASA. Bilang Principal Author ng batas, ikinagagalak kong makita na mas mabilis nang nakakakilos ang ating mga law enforcement agencies upang habulin at papanagutin ang mga kriminal na nagnanakaw ng pinaghirapang pera ng ating mga kababayan,’ he added.

The senator said AFASA was crafted not only to strengthen the government’s campaign against online financial crimes but also to ensure that banks and financial institutions adopt stronger safeguards to protect their clients.

Under AFASA, banks and other BSP-supervised financial institutions were given until June 2026 to upgrade their systems and implement stronger fraud management measures, including advanced fraud detection and enhanced authentication for high-risk transactions. With the compliance period now over, financial institutions that fail to meet these security requirements may be held liable for unauthorized transactions resulting from their noncompliance and could be required to reimburse clients for losses arising from scam incidents that occur due to the banks lack of fraud management systems.

Senator Villar also emphasized that the AFASA law also gives victims faster remedies by allowing banks to immediately place temporary holds on suspicious transactions, preventing stolen funds from being withdrawn while investigations are ongoing.

‘Hindi lamang pagpaparusa sa mga scammer ang layunin ng AFASA. Mahalaga ring matulungan agad ang mga biktima. Kaya binibigyan ng batas ng mas mabilis na paraan upang maharang ang mga kahina-hinalang transaksyon at mapigilan ang tuluyang pagkawala ng kanilang pinaghirapang pera,’ Villar said.

The senator reaffirmed his commitment to ensuring the full implementation of AFASA to strengthen public confidence in the country’s digital financial system.

‘Habang patuloy na nagbabago ang teknolohiya, kailangan ding patuloy na umunlad ang ating mga batas. Bilang Principal Author ng AFASA, sisiguraduhin nating ganap itong maipatutupad laban sa mga online scammer at mapanatili ang tiwala ng publiko sa ating digital financial system, Asahan nyo rin po ang patuloy nating pagsusulong ng mga batas at reporma para sa mas ligtas na banking sector sa bansa’ Villar concluded.

Lately, the concept of Dunning-Kruger effect has been bandied around locally. The idea was to embellish their discourse to prove a point. David Dunning and Justin Kruger are two scientists from Cornell University, who in 1999 tested participants in the area of logic, grammar and humor! Back then, I wondered how the respondents fared in the test. Apparently, those who performed in the bottom quartile rated themselves above average.

The examiners attributed this tendency to ‘metacognition,’ a process that can be explained away as ‘thinking about your thinking,’ not exactly à simple act.

Do our senators think about their thinking? In the act, what do they achieve?

One of the most terrifying prospects is that if, for example, politicians were game enough to participate in the experiment, it is possible that they reach conclusions and errors but due to their incompetence, they may not realize it at all. It is as if you know but you do not know. It is a painful ending.

At the core of these difficulties is confidence. We put a lot of premium on it that we cannot lose face; we put on the mask of confidence at the expense of truth. There is also this common perception that our skills and talent in one domain or area can be transferred to another, as if genius is a moveable feast. Or that, our skills as a professor of philosophy can be moved into the area of post-modern literature. Imagine an individual like this. The Dunning-Kruger effect says this can bring about overconfidence. Depending on the system in which certain individuals operate, the end-product is arrogance.

There are studies indicating that, following Psychology Today, the Dunning-Kruger effect points to à compelling fact-overconfidence is strongest among the worst performers. The context for this is in the domain of chess.

We can simplify the Dunning-Kruger effect as a cognitive bias.

This bias says individuals with limited knowledge have the tendency to exaggerate their own know-how in an area. I particularly like the metaphor of Mount Stupid. Think of a real mountain. À peak. On the summit of that Mountain Stupid is overconfidence, which you arrived at after learning a small amount of knowledge about a topic. Because you have arrived at the peak, you develop this illusion that you have gained enough mastery about the subject matter. This is part of the confidence curve, which includes the Valley of Despair, in which, confidence about a knowledge sinks (knowledge about other politicians?). Then there is the third, the Slope of Enlightenment, where we expect our leaders to continue to study if only to match what they know.

There is a much-quoted line from David Dunning, which says: ‘Not knowing the scope of your own ignorance is part of the human condition. The problem with it is we see it in other people but we don’t see it in ourselves.’

The more I go deeper in these studies, the more I fear that we may be creating multiple echo chambers. I would like to bring down the topic to the level of local politics, where these concepts could matter. Will our local leaders care? May they discuss the implications of these tests and implications?

Given the antiseptic and non-judgmental nature of these tests, will they find humor in the social experiment? We can test Senator Aquino, for example, in tandem with Senator Gatchalian and let them see the humor in questions that aim to validate concepts of looking into the nature of their ‘thinking about their thinking.’ There will be no pressure to excel, but simply to rethink. It should be fun.

Two senators can face each other and measure their ‘confidence’ and ‘overconfidence.’ Who knows these concepts of overconfidence and confidence may not exist among our senators, afterall tests have crucial cultural component to it.

This will be our learning as members of the civil society and their lessons as our esteemed politicians.

Who remembers Caligula and his ‘foolish Roman Senator’?

Caligula was always portrayed as a stuttering, dumb emperor. But, seated or standing with his foolish Senator, Caligula was either a madman or the most enviable Satirist. His foolish Roman Senator, after all, was a horse, fitted with the most expensive jewels. His name was Incitatus. Caligula did not only want him elevated to the Senate; the emperor was on his way to making Incitatus into a Consul.

Historians remained conflicted as to whether all these grand and silly plans were realized. These could have been metaphors. Or hallucinations.

If there’s one conclusion that we, modern man and ancient thinkers, can agree upon is that the act of Emperor Caligula to make his horse Incitatus into a Senator is to mock the Senate and its lack of power and to show his contempt for the institution.

Do we have the chance to do this? Do we have Incitatus in our midst?

UNDEFEATED University of Santo Tomas (UST) and College of Saint Benilde (CSB) set up a championship clash after sweeping their respective rivals in the knockout semifinals of the Shakey’s Collegiate National Invitationals on Friday at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

The Golden Tigresses bagged their sixth straight win in as many games after a quick work of Letran, 25-10, 25-19, 25-12, for a breakthrough finals appearance, while the Lady Blazers crushed Australian guest team Southern Storm Melbourne, 25-19, 25-23, 25-11.

The winner-take-all championship is slated Sunday at the Playtime FilOil Arena in San Juan.

Camila Bartolome paced the Lady Blazers, who also beat the Australians in their elimination round meeting last Thursday in four sets, with 14 points on 12 kills, one ace and one kill block.

‘I think our composure led us to the victory…even though our coaches are mad at us, we still kept out poise,’ Bartolome said.

Fionna Inocentes finished with 11 points while Mhonniecka Soliven and Mary Grace Borromeo added eight and seven points each for CSB.

Team captain Regina Jurado smashed 11 of her 12 points on attacks and added three digs to lead the UST, which hammered the Lady Knights with 32 kills.

‘I don’t give in to the pressure of being the team captain,’ Jurado said. ‘I can play my game freely with the team.’

Marga Altea led UST’s block party as the Golden Tigresses scored 11 kill blocks to frustrate Letran.

Altea had four kill blocks to go with nine kills to finish with 13 points while Poyos scored 10 in the penultimate playdate of the tournament.

The Tigresses uncorked a 9-2 blast to turn a slim 11-8 lead in the third set into a 20-10 advantage with Jurado scoring off a kill to give UST a 22-11 lead.

Leonilyn Padilla answered for Letran before the Tigresses scored the match’s closing three points capped by the Lady Knights’ last of 27 errors.

No Letran player reached double-figure scoring with main gunner Verenicce Colendra limited to only seven points.

Reeza Abayon added five for the Lady Knights, who will try to salvage a podium finish on Sunday erun Colleges swept Ho Chi Minh City Volleyball Club, 25-19, 25-17, 25-19, to finish fifth.

Jasmine Salvani led Enderun’s assault by pounding 10 kills and landing five aces in a 15-point outing while Althea Botor added 13 points on 13 spikes and two aces.

Fatima Medina scored eight for the Lady Titans, who punished Ho Chi Minh City’s spotty service reception with 10 aces.

Le Thi Diem Phuong was the lone Vietnamese in double figures with 16 points as Ho Chi Minh City dropped all of its six outings.

Lightning rallies are part of a longstanding tradition across the University of the Philippines (UP) System where graduating students and student leaders raise sectoral and national issues during commencement exercises.

They take the stage with unannounced or scheduled protests to spontaneously unfurl banners with inscriptions like ‘Serve the People’ while chanting ‘Iskolar ng Bayan, Ngayon ay Lumalaban,’ wear political messages on their traditional sablay, and deliver speeches on social justice, human rights, and other socio-economic issues.

This tradition aims to collectively raise issues that matter to them and amplify calls as they receive their diplomas-a reminder that the honor and excellence they carry beyond the university are inseparable from service to the people.

Following the declaration of Martial Law in 1972, student activists realized conventional, prolonged protests were easily crushed by the state. The ‘lightning rally’-swift, unexpected, and punchy demonstrations-was adopted as an effective tactic to evade arrests and capture public attention without giving authorities time to disperse them.

UP is known globally as a university system that fosters the ideals of academic excellence, freedom and human rights, nationalism and development, and progressive thinking, hence its campuses, are also famous for being centers of student activism and dissent.

The culture of activism in UP has largely been shaped by the student and people’s movements that challenged the prevailing social order and influenced historical events since UP’s establishment in 1908.

‘The struggle for freedom is the next best thing to actually being free,’ a popular line from the late UP student leader Lean Alejandro who became a key figure in the national anti-dictatorship movement.

Comments on social media videos of lighting rallies during the graduation ceremonies were peppered with familiar lines: ‘Corned beef,’ ‘NPA’ ‘Mamundok na kayo’ often accompanied by laugh reactions or graphic commentary.

The term ‘corned beef’ is used in social media to describe the bodies of suspected rebels killed in the armed encounters.

Two UP students (Alyssa Alano and Maureen Keil Santuyo) were among the 19 civilian casualties during the military operation in Barangay Salamanca, Toboso, Negros Occidental on April 19, 2026.

The term is a form of ‘dark slang’ that refers to the reddish, shredded, or mutilated appearance of severely damaged human remains, which some claim resembles canned corned beef.

Reducing a person to a ‘processed and disposable’ food item, ‘corned beef’ is often used by pro-military or anti-insurgency users on platforms to mock the fallen alleged rebels by stripping away their humanity.

It is not just a descriptor but a tool of psychological warfare used to dehumanize dissenters and desensitize the public by turning violent scenes into internet memes or jokes.

State-prepared scripts of vicious language are propagated, mostly by trolls, to drown out progressive voices and ensure that the public perceives activists as legitimate targets.

Dehumanizing words become normalized through a gradual process in which language that strips individuals or groups of their human qualities is repeated, accepted, and integrated into everyday discourse.

Activists are often framed as

threats to social order-‘trouble-makers,’ ‘anti-development,’ or ‘enemies of peace.’

‘Corned beef’ is also linked with long-running state counterinsurgency disinformation narratives of red-tagging UP as a breeding ground for communists, downplaying UP’s role as a stronghold of academic freedom and independence.

Red-tagging, also known as red-baiting, is a pernicious practice as part of the government’s counterinsurgency efforts that targets individuals or organizations critical or not fully supportive of the actions of a sitting administration by publicly accusing them as either communists or terrorists or both, regardless of their actual political beliefs or affiliations.

The Supreme Court stated in Deduro v. Maj. Gen. Vinoya (G.R. No. 254753, July 4, 2023) that ‘red-tagging is a threat to people’s life, liberty, and security.’

‘Red tagging is used by the military and paramilitary units to silence or cause untold human rights abuses on vocal dissenters,’ said my UP Law professor and SC Senior Associate Justice Marvic Leonen.

No UP student is limited to lessons learned within the classroom.

UP said in a statement that the institution ‘stand by the right of all students to lawfully and peacefully exercise their constitutionally protected freedoms, especially in furtherance of raising their social consciousness. The University shall remain a beacon of critical thinking, conscience, and courage.’

Lightning rallies remind graduating students of their transition from students to professionals to still be committed to serving the people.

Every graduating class faces a different political, economic, and social landscape.

As long as these issues persist, the students will continue using commencement ceremonies to express solidarity with different sectors.

Peyups is the moniker of the University of the Philippines. Atty. Dennis R. Gorecho heads the Seafarers’ Division of the Sapalo Velez Bundang Bulilan Law Offices. For comments, e-mail info@sapalovelez.com, or call 0908-8665786.

There was a stretch Sunday morning when New York Nitro looked like a team about to lose its own party. By late afternoon, they’d turned it into the best weekend they’ve had all season.

Palm Beach Passion left Central Park unbeaten, 4-0, the only team to sweep the stop. Austin Aces got one win. San Diego Smash got none. But Nitro’s 3-1 finish, on their own sand, made the day feel like it belonged to somebody.

Saturday didn’t happen. Thunderstorms rolled through, then wind, then flood warnings, and AVP scrapped the entire day and jammed both sessions into Sunday. So instead of a two-day rollout, everybody showed up to a compressed, eight-match sprint that started at 8 a.m. and didn’t let up until late afternoon. For the home team, that reset turned out to matter more than anyone expected.

Nitro’s women were up first, and for one set, it looked like a statement was coming. Toni Rodriguez and Molly Shaw took the opener 15-13 and had the crowd believing. Then Taryn Brasher and Kristen Nuss did what good teams do: they adjusted. A different serve, a tighter block, and suddenly New York couldn’t buy a point. Austin took the next two sets, 15-8 and 15-12, and Nuss – who’s made a career out of reading hitters and keeping her touches clean since her LSU days – closed it out without much drama. It was the only match Austin would win all day, but it landed right on New York’s home floor. (Troi Santos)

An hour later, it was the men’s turn to answer for the morning. Chaim Schalk and James Shaw dropped the first set 10-15 to Austin’s Troy Field and Ryan Wilcox, and for a few minutes it looked like a repeat performance was brewing. It wasn’t. Schalk – a Rio Olympian for Canada – and Shaw started serving into different zones, tightened up at the net, and simply talked more between points. Small stuff. It worked. They won the next two sets 15-11, 15-11, and the whole sequence had the feel of two guys diagnosing a problem mid-match and fixing it before it cost them.

Nobody had a rougher day than San Diego. Melissa Humana-Paredes and Brandie Wilkerson opened against Megan Rice and Geena Urango and never let them breathe, closing it out 15-4, 15-12. Trevor Crabb and Phil Dalhausser did the same to Chase Budinger and Miles Evans, 15-11, 15-12, with Dalhausser’s block forcing San Diego into lanes they couldn’t hit.

By the afternoon, Palm Beach was just running the table. Humana-Paredes and Wilkerson beat Brasher and Nuss again, 15-13, 15-11. Crabb and Dalhausser beat Field and Wilcox, 15-9, 15-12. Four matches, four wins, with little drama in any of them.

New York finished the way you hope a home date finishes. Rodriguez and Shaw beat Rice and Urango 15-10, 15-8 in the afternoon, clean and unhurried. Schalk and Shaw followed with a tighter match against Budinger and Evans – 15-13 in the first, then 15-9 once their serve and block started stacking points. By the end, Nitro looked like a team that had settled into the day rather than survived it, closing out Central Park 3-1, second only to Palm Beach’s perfect run.

Austin’s win over the Nitro women is worth remembering – it’s proof that group can play at a high level when their first touch is on. The question now is whether they can maintain that level for four matches instead of three. San Diego, for their part, never found anything that changed the shape of their day.

Underneath all of it is a league still figuring out what it wants to be. AVP’s tour goes back to the early 1980s – open draws, long beach weekends, a handful of American names who carried the sport through several Olympic cycles. The League format is the new layer: city teams, men’s and women’s pairs sharing a banner, a schedule that bounces between real beaches and pop-up builds like the one dropped into a former ice rink in the middle of Manhattan.

That’s what Central Park is – sand where skaters usually are, bleachers packed with people who came specifically for this and people who wandered over from the park and stayed. Saturday got washed out and Sunday turned into a marathon. Somehow, that only made New York Nitro’s day feel bigger: an early loss, a same-day answer, and a 3-1 finish in front of the only crowd on the schedule that was theirs.

Palm Beach Passion def. San Diego Smash – 15-4, 15-12

Austin Aces def. New York Nitro – 15-13, 8-15, 12-15 (Austin won 2-1)

Palm Beach Passion def. Austin Aces – 15-13, 15-11

New York Nitro def. San Diego Smash – 15-10, 15-8

Men

Austin Aces vs. New York Nitro – 15-10, 11-15, 11-15 (New York won 2-1)

Palm Beach Passion def. San Diego Smash – 15-11, 15-12

Palm Beach Passion def. Austin Aces – 15-9, 15-12

New York Nitro def. San Diego Smash – 15-13, 15-9

Team Records (Central Park Stop)

Palm Beach Passion: 4-0

New York Nitro: 3-1

Austin Aces: 1-3

San Diego Smash: 0-4

Palm Beach left Central Park as the only untouchable team, with Humana-Paredes, Wilkerson, Crabb, and Dalhausser making it look almost routine. New York Nitro had the messier, more interesting day – an early loss followed by three straight wins built on Shaw’s blocking, Schalk’s in-match adjustments, and Rodriguez refusing to let balls hit the sand. Austin got their one win where it counted least for anyone but them, and San Diego is still chasing its first win at this stop. Squeezing two days into one, plus adding a home crowd that showed up anyway, resulted in one of the stranger, more satisfying weekends on the 2026 AVP League calendar.

To give greater visibility to the quality products and services that are proudly made in the Philippines and sold in different parts of the world, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) brings together more than 200 exporters and export-ready enterprises at the ‘DTI Bagong Pilipinas National Exporters’ Fair 2026.’

The fair is ongoing until July 26, 2026, at Megatrade Halls 1 to 3, SM Megamall, Mandaluyong City. Spearheaded by DTI Secretary Cristina A. Roque, the five-day fair serves as a platform to connect Filipino enterprises with the partners that exporters need to grow.

The fair, anchored on the theme, ‘Navigating Uncertainties and Seizing Opportunities,’ enjoys the support of the Philippine Exporters Confederation Inc., the DTI Halal Industry Development Program, and the Coconut Farmers and Industry Development Plan.

Though it organized amid disruptions in global trade, which has significantly affected the movement and the cost of many Philippine exports, the fair still attracted more than 200 exhibitors, categorized into export sectors such as Philippine Flavors: Food and Beverage Exports; Philippine Threads: Fashion and Textile Exports; Philippine Living: Home and Lifestyle Exports; Philippine Creativity and Innovation: Technology, Creative, and Emerging Industries Exports; Philippine Wellness: Beauty, Personal Care, and Health Exports; and Philippine Export-Ready Companies.

‘Exports matter because behind every single item shipped overseas is a hardworking Filipino worker, a family, a factory, and a community that we actually help level up. Every shipment that leaves our ports brings vital revenue back to our country and fuels job creation, strengthens our domestic industry, and builds a truly resilient economy,’ Secretary Roque explained in her speech.

‘I would like to report that in 2025, we hit an all-time high for exports, meaning the highest since the beginning of time. This is under the Marcos administration, a 15.4% increase. For January this year, we hit again a high of 8.7%. February, up again by 8.9%. March, and up again of 20.8%. April, up again 7.2%. May, up again 7.6%. What does this mean? Our products are accepted globally,’ Secretary Roque said.

The fair also offers a series of Usapang Exports sessions, consultations, networking activities, and product showcases for exporters and other stakeholders. It has special sections dedicated to Halal products, coconut products, and rising Philippine export stars such as ube, pili, and calamansi.

The DTI vows to keep opening doors, bridging industries to global networks, and backing the exporters’ growth beyond our borders.

‘Together, let us push more Philippine products onto the world stage, and bring the prosperous returns of global trade home to every Filipino family. Let us build stronger industries and genuinely competitive Bagong Pilipina,’ Secretary Roque concluded. ‘As the saying goes, ‘the future belongs to those who prepare for it today.’ Let us prepare today, build for tomorrow, and proudly claim the Philippines’ rightful place of excellence on the world stage.’

For many fur-parents, leaving their furry companions behind is no longer an option when planning a getaway. As more travelers seek destinations where every member of the family is welcome, Eastwood Richmonde Hotel continues to strengthen its commitment to pet-friendly hospitality through a new partnership with Barkhaus, Eastwood City’s premier one-stop pet care destination.

Located just a short walk from the hotel on the fourth floor of Eastwood City Mall, Barkhaus complements Eastwood Richmonde Hotel’s Furtastic Pet-cation Package by offering guests exclusive privileges designed to make every stay more rewarding. While guests relax and unwind, their four-legged companions can also enjoy exclusive perks, activities, and wellness services designed especially for them.

Set within Eastwood City, one of Metro Manila’s pioneering pet-friendly townships, Eastwood Richmonde Hotel offers more than just accommodations. Guests and their pets can explore open-air walkways, dine at pet-friendly establishments, shop for pet essentials, and enjoy quality bonding moments without leaving the community. The hotel’s pet-friendly suites and dedicated al fresco dining area at Eastwood Café+Bar further create an environment where pets are genuinely welcomed, not simply accommodated.

Guests who book the Furtastic Pet-cation Package will receive exclusive Barkhaus vouchers with special discounts on grooming services, daycare, playpark access, BarkStudio self-shoot sessions, Barkday celebration packages, and Barkhaus hotel bookings when reserved for the same dates as their stay. These exclusive privileges allow furry guests to enjoy a vacation of their own, giving pet parents the opportunity to create a more complete getaway where every member of the family gets to share in the experience.

‘At Eastwood Richmonde Hotel, we understand that pets are family. Our goal has always been to create a welcoming environment where both our guests and their beloved companions can enjoy a comfortable and memorable stay. Through our partnership with Barkhaus, we are able to provide pet parents with meaningful experiences that make traveling with pets easier and more enjoyable,’ shares Cluster General Manager Mario Justo Jr.

As pet-friendly travel continues to grow, Eastwood Richmonde Hotel remains committed to creating experiences that go beyond simply welcoming pets. Through collaborations like Barkhaus, the hotel continues to find new ways to make every pet-cation more rewarding, convenient, and enjoyable for both pets and their owners.