Category: Business Mirror

THE Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) is optimistic that export earnings from coconut-based products in 2026 could surpass the record $3.57 billion last year despite the threats posed by El Niño on plantations.

PCA Head Executive Assistant Joseph Cezar Deligero said the agency is banking on a raft of government interventions to prevent a plunge in productivity, which could affect coconut shipments, the country’s top farm export.

This, after coconut productivity fell by around 20 percent in 2024 when the Philippines was hit by the dry spell.

‘We’re hoping that [productivity] won’t drop that much this year, given the activities in place based on our learnings from the previous El Niño in 2024,’ Deligero told reporters.

He noted that the PCA has ventured into solar drip irrigation programs while continuously working with both cooperatives and other government agencies for mitigation measures, among others.

‘We’re still positive that we’ll be able to surpass our 2025 export [earnings],’ Deligero said.

Meanwhile, he also allayed concerns on the impact of coconut scale insect (CSI) or cocolisap’s infestation on production, which tends to intensity during extreme heat.

‘With the threat of the super El Niño, we’re anticipating an increase in pest infestations. But our research centers and regional offices are preparing for this,’ he said, noting the agency’s integrated pest management nationwide.

‘We have agriculturists and researchers on the ground who’ve done assessments to check vulnerable areas in the country and provide additional strategies to mitigate pest infestations.’

Last year, the value of coconut-based exports jumped by over a third to $3.57 billion from $2.66 billion in 2024, based on data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), which was the all-time high since its time series started in 2006.

Shipments of coconut oil accounted for the bulk of revenues, as it surged by 29.4 percent to $2.87 billion, a new record-high from the $2.22 billion recorded in 2024.

The average price of coconut oil soared by 63.27 percent to $2,480 per metric ton (MT) in 2025 from $1,519 per MT a year ago, according to the World Bank.

Industry sources expect coconut output to rebound this year, owing to the recovery of trees and the absence of destructive typhoons in 2025.

The global fight against cancer is expected to become even more challenging, with the World Health Organization (WHO) projecting that cancer cases could nearly double by 2050 as populations grow older and exposure to preventable risk factors continues.

According to the WHO Global Status Report on Cancer 2026, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) projects a 66.7 percent increase in global cancer incidence by 2050. Every region is expected to experience a rise in cancer cases, with the steepest increases projected in Africa (125.2 percent) and the Eastern Mediterranean (109.8 percent).

Cancer remains the world’s second leading cause of death, accounting for an estimated 20.6 million new cases and nearly 10 million deaths each year, the report said.

The sharpest increases in cancer incidence are expected in low-income countries, where cases are projected to rise by 133.3 percent, followed by lower-middle-income countries at 86.5 percent.

Asia, meanwhile, continues to account for the largest share of global cancer cases, representing 53.1 percent of the total, largely because of its population size. In the Philippines, data from the Global Cancer Observatory recorded 149,852 new cancer cases and 86,338 cancer-related deaths in 2024.

Aging populations

The report attributed the growing cancer burden to ageing populations, modifiable risk factors, and infectious agents. Among the leading contributors worldwide are tobacco use, infections, alcohol consumption, and high body mass index.

WHO identified tobacco use as a major risk factor for multiple types of cancer. At the same time, it noted encouraging progress in tobacco control, with smoking prevalence among people aged 15 and older declining from 29.4 percent in 2005 to 19.5 percent in 2024.

The report also highlighted the increasing burden of cancer among younger adults, noting a significant rise in cancer incidence among people under the age of 50 between 1990 and 2019. It emphasized the need for stronger global leadership to improve cancer prevention, early detection, treatment, and long-term care.

To strengthen cancer control, WHO urged countries to establish comprehensive national cancer prevention and control plans supported by updated clinical guidelines.

The agency also identified sustainable financing, adequate numbers of trained healthcare professionals, and reliable access to essential medicines as critical priorities.

Beyond strengthening health systems, WHO emphasized the importance of adopting a people-centered approach to cancer care-one that prioritizes shared decision-making, community participation, and meaningful involvement of patients throughout the continuum of care.

As cancer cases continue to rise worldwide, the report stressed that sustained investments in prevention, early diagnosis, and equitable access to quality care will be essential to reducing the disease’s growing global burden.

(This marks a significant departure from my usual column, which primarily addresses industry matters. I ask for my readers’ understanding and indulgence as I take this opportunity to honor my late beloved wife, Evelyn, on the occasion of her 80th birthday.)

July 22 dawns like any other day, but for me, it arrives heavy with a silence that no amount of time seems to soften. Today, Evelyn would have turned 80. I imagine her waking beside me, perhaps teasing me about the gray that has completely taken over what little hair I have left, or reminding me-gently but firmly-to take my medication. Instead, I wake to an emptiness that has become my unwelcome companion, a hollow space where she used to be.

Evelyn left us on April 10, 2025, just days before we would have celebrated 60 years of marriage. Six decades. A lifetime built choice by choice, prayer by prayer, sacrifice by sacrifice. I had planned something special for our Diamond Anniversary. I wanted to sing for her again, the way I did when we were young and I was still trying to win her heart from among her many admirers. She used to say she chose me because of my voice-that beautiful voice, she called it, though I always thought she was being generous. But Evelyn had a way of seeing beauty in things others overlooked, of finding potential in people who hadn’t discovered it in themselves yet.

I remember that car ride she wrote about on Facebook, when she persuaded me to sing in Ilocano, Bicol, Spanish, Tagalog, English- every language we knew between us. I pretended to be annoyed, told her she was fooling me, making me perform like some courtship days. But she saw through me, as she always did. ‘Matagal nang hindi ka kumanta,’ she said. You haven’t sung for a long time. I just want to hear you sing again. That was Evelyn-always wanting to reconnect us to the people we used to be, to the love that time and responsibility sometimes buried beneath the business of living.

And what a life we built. When I met her at the University of the East, I was the speaker of the student government parliament, and she was a parliamentarian. I thought myself quite important back then, full of political ambition and youthful certainty. But Evelyn had a different kind of strength-quiet, steady, immovable. She was the disciplinarian in our family, the one who could forgive but never forget, who insisted on respectful discussion even when emotions ran hot. She allowed debate, but never disrespect. That was her gift: she taught our children not just to succeed, but to be good.

Four children, nine grandchildren. I say those numbers with wonder even now, because I remember when they were just dreams we whispered about in our small apartment, and we were counting every peso when I was just starting my career. Fortunately, life became much better when I started working for Ambassador Eduardo Cojuangco Jr.

Evelyn’s ‘Ilocana’ thrift-her simple, careful way of living-made our dreams possible. She had that sharp eye for business, that instinct for when to hold and when to invest. She became a licensed realtor, an interior designer, the architect of not just our homes but our financial security. Everything she touched grew: our family, our properties, our peace of mind.

I made her a vow once, and I intend to keep it until I join her: everything she earned, everything she built, will not be wasted. It will grow, as she would have grown it. This is my promise to her memory, my way of speaking to her across the divide that separates us now.

Reading her Facebook post from February, just weeks before she left, I am struck by how completely she felt she had lived her dream. ‘Praise Him that God has been so good to me to be able to live my dream life,’ she wrote. Her dream was not extravagant-her husband in good community standing, children who became professionals, a home with a garden and fruit trees, trips and celebrations, a vacation house by the sea. Simple blessings, richly enjoyed. That was Evelyn: grateful, grounded, gloriously content with the life we built together.

She was proud of our children. How could she not be? Our eldest daughter Anna Maria is now administrator of a legal office in the US, writing pleadings for 28 lawyers. Our second son Jimmy, a captain and check pilot for EVA Air, who went to flying school as a PAL scholar and never stopped rising. Our third son Dante, a doctor of internal medicine in the US, healing others as his mother had always healed us with her care. And our youngest, Patricia Gail, the licensed interior designer who helped run the family business, who learned at her mother’s knee how to make spaces beautiful and lives orderly.

But Evelyn’s greatest achievement wasn’t in the professional credentials or the properties accumulated. It was in the grandchildren-six girls, three boys-raised with the same values, the same faith, the same love that she poured into everything she touched. They are religious, as she hoped they would be. They know right from wrong, as she taught them. Her efforts paid handsome dividends, as the saying goes, though I know she never saw her love as an investment expecting return. She gave because giving was her nature.

I am learning, slowly and painfully, to live alone. It is harder than I imagined, and I imagined it would be very hard indeed. There is no one now to persuade me to sing, no one to design our home with ‘complete beauty and symmetry,’ no one to remind me of the promises we made when Governor Juvenal Guerrero and Emilio Tañedo stood as witnesses to our union. The trials and challenges we weathered together now seem like precious memories, even the difficult ones, because they were ours.

But I find consolation where she would want me to find it-in faith, in family, in the certainty that love does not end with death. I believe she is in heaven. I believe, with the same certainty that I believe in our marriage ‘made in heaven,’ that we will continue together in the afterlife. This is not wishful thinking; it is the logical conclusion of a love that lasted nearly 60 years, that produced four successful children and nine faithful grandchildren, that turned a young parliamentarian and a student government speaker into partners for eternity.

So on this day that would have marked eight decades of her extraordinary life, I honor Evelyn Dacanay Dumaguin Arranza-the woman who selected me from among her suitors, who built our dreams with her thrift and wisdom, who never stopped wanting to hear me sing. I am forever grateful for your unwavering love and dedication, my dear. Your steadfast trust and tireless care for our family has been, and remains, a true blessing.

Thank you for sharing this remarkable journey of loving togetherness with me. I continue it now alone, but not lonely-carrying you in every memory, every promise kept, every song I will sing again when we are reunited.

Happy birthday, Evelyn. I’ll never stop loving you. My love for you outlasts eternity itself.

Here are the special birthday wishes each of our children has for Evelyn:

Happy birthday in heaven, Mama. I miss you every day. I love that when you visit me in my dreams, you are always happy and smiling. I cherish everything you taught me and keep your memory alive every day. I hope you know how much you meant to me and how proud I am that you are my mom.-Ana (married to

Robert Ocampo)

Happy Birthday in Heaven, Mama.

Surely you are in a place of eternal bliss, and happiness.

I miss the fun days when we traveled as a family, the delicious meals that you prepared at home, and the memories of you bringing me along as a child wherever you had a construction project you needed to attend to. Now that I am older, I truly appreciate the important lessons in life that you always shared with us…and I will be forever grateful.

With lots of love and prayers for you, Happy Birthday!-Jim (married to Marie Cañete)

As I think about Mama on her birthday, so many memories come flooding back. As I go through life, many of her words still echo in my heart. Her presence is still felt-a comforting reminder that she is always connected with us, no matter what.

What stands out most is how deeply she believed in me. She always told me I was smart and thoughtful, and those simple words gave me a lifelong confidence. She made me feel loved and encouraged me to become the best version of myself.

Today, I strive to give that same gift to my own children. I want them to know that I love them unconditionally, that I believe in them, and that they are capable of achieving anything they set their hearts and minds to. That is one of the greatest gifts Mama gave me, and it is the legacy I hope to pass on.

Mama knew how much we loved her, and we will always be grateful for her unwavering faith, encouragement, and love. We miss her every day, but her voice, her wisdom, and her example continue to guide us.

Happy Birthday, Mama. Your love lives on in all of us, and your legacy continues to the next generation. -Dante (married to Dr. Liezl Almanzor)

My mother was a true matriarch. While she possessed endless wisdom and a progressive mindset, her core values were beautifully traditional-the perfect combination.

Mama, life feels quieter without you, yet your memory continues to guide our family, especially your apos. You are my greatest teacher, my strongest supporter, and my best friend.

I love you and I miss you always.

Happy Birthday.-With all my love, Dimples (married to Dr. Ronald Samonte, a surgeon).

Dr. Jesus Lim Arranza is the Chairman Emeritus of the Federation of Philippine Industries and concurrent Chairman of the Anti-Smuggling and Anti-Illicit Trade Committee.

House Speaker Faustino G. Dy III on Wednesday underscored the need to protect key agricultural provinces, such as Isabela, saying these ‘food baskets’ are critical to ensuring the country’s long-term food security amid the looming effects of El Niño.

Speaking during a briefing of the House Committee on Agriculture and Food, Dy said major food-producing areas play a vital role not only in sustaining local economies but also in maintaining a stable national food supply. He cited Isabela, one of the country’s top rice producers, which supplies about 45 percent of the rice requirements of the National Capital Region.

He said safeguarding these provinces requires more than short-term emergency interventions, calling instead for sustained investments in irrigation, water management, and climate-resilient farming systems to help communities withstand increasingly frequent climate disruptions.

‘Another important point is that we need to address the needs of food basket areas such as Isabela. This is not only vital to their local economies but also essential to safeguarding the nation’s food security.’

Isabela, one of the country’s top rice-producing provinces, supplies around 45 percent of the National Capital Region’s rice requirements.

The Speaker said protecting food-producing provinces requires more than emergency assistance, stressing the need for long-term investments that will enable farmers and irrigation systems to withstand increasingly frequent climate-related disruptions.

Drawing from Isabela’s experience, Dy said national and local agencies have strengthened coordination, closely monitored water levels at the Magat Dam, and planned water releases in anticipation of prolonged dry conditions. Assistance has also been extended to farmers and fishers, alongside efforts to pursue long-term water infrastructure projects.

He highlighted the importance of investing in durable irrigation systems, water-efficient technologies, community-based water management, and climate-resilient agriculture, noting that these measures are crucial to ensuring the resilience of food-producing regions and the stability of the country’s food supply.

Dy, a former governor of Isabela, said the province’s efforts demonstrate that preparation is most effective when national agencies, local governments, irrigation managers, and farmers work together.

He added that protecting farmers and fishers ultimately means protecting Filipino families, stressing that every gain in safeguarding agricultural livelihoods directly contributes to food security, economic stability, and the future of the nation.

Meanwhile, Dy also pushed for the establishment of a unified national preparedness framework to strengthen the country’s response to El Niño, urging government agencies to shift from reactive disaster response to proactive planning before drought conditions worsen.

He noted that the country has already experienced the severe impact of El Niño on agriculture and the economy, citing a 12 to 15 percent drop in palay production from 2023 to 2024, which contributed to rising rice prices and affected millions of Filipinos.

Recalling Isabela’s experience during prolonged dry spells, Dy said early coordination among agencies-including the Department of Agriculture, local governments, irrigation authorities, and agricultural officers-proved crucial in mitigating the effects of drought.

The province intensified monitoring of water levels at Magat Dam, coordinated water distribution plans, and ensured the timely delivery of assistance such as fuel subsidies to affected farmers and fisherfolk, while advancing long-term projects including irrigation upgrades, water-harvesting systems, and multipurpose dams.

Dy said these measures demonstrate how early preparation and coordination can significantly reduce the impact of drought on communities and the nation’s food supply.

He added that the goal of the congressional briefing is to develop a national preparedness framework that is practical, implementable, and capable of protecting communities before crisis escalates, emphasizing the need for the government to act early rather than wait for the full impact of El Niño to be felt.

As President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. delivers this year’s State of the Nation Address (SONA) and four years after naming climate action as a priority of his administration, the Philippines is in its worst state since the days of the Covid-19 pandemic, environmental group Aksyon Klima Pilipinas said.

The group criticized the Marcos administration’s failure to live up to his promises as reflected in the government’s actions-or lack of outcomes-in the past 12 months, the group said.

‘After pledging in last year’s SONA for a swift and decisive execution of justice against everyone involved in the massive corruption in mismanaged flood control projects, his initiative has very little to show for it-billions of taxpayers’ money unrecovered and suspected individuals still on the run. Meanwhile, millions of Filipinos remain susceptible to extreme flooding,’ the group said.

Aksyon Klima said the government still subscribes to an unhealthy diet of traditional gray infrastructure projects, favoring corporate interests over the well-being of communities. What makes this worse is that many of these road and bridge projects are incorrectly tagged as climate solutions, as they have little to no contribution to reducing emissions or adapting to climate impacts, and would actually end up harming ecosystems and communities.

‘We also criticize his administration’s refusal to fully commit to transitioning away from fossil fuels-from the climate negotiations to the domestic level. Despite the first six months of 2026 reminding us of the impacts of continued dependence on dirty energy on our economy and society, the course of action has been performative at best-bold statements and legislative inquiries that went nowhere,’ the group said.

Despite these warning signs and precautionary tales, the administration refuses to learn lessons of the recent past and keeps implementing technocratic, bureaucratic, and elitist practices that are blind to realities on the ground, the group said. ‘We also demand that this Presidency reflect, in both words and actions, the need for protection and conservation of our ecosystems and natural resources, prioritizing the economic and social well-being of communities over private and political interests, and to protect the rights of its people against all threats-natural or anthropogenic, foreign or domestic.’

Agriculture graduates equipped with the knowledge, skills and opportunities are badly needed to address pressing food security challenges, and this can only happen if national government and local agencies work together, the chairman of the Senate agriculture committee said Wednesday.

Senator Francis Pangilinan said the Department of Agriculture (DA), the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), and local government units (LGUs) must work together to ensure that there are enough agriculture graduates equipped with vital skills needed to restart the ailing farm sector.

He lamented the aging population of farmers in the country and stressed the need for key government agencies and local governments to bridge the gap between academic training and the realities of the agricultural sector.

‘The problem now is that many of our farmers are aging and there are few people in the communities who wish to go into farming, an 8 to 5 job,’ he said in an interview, speaking in Filipino.

‘So, here you have students who need to graduate but before they graduate, they need to do OJT. At this point the CHED, the DA, the LGU, the Bureau of Extension Services and Bureau of Cooperatives should already be on board so that agriculture can be given the right attention right from the start,’ he added. ‘And in that way, the next generation of young farmers will be motivated to go into farming because their career path is clear.’

Pangilinan, who chairs the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Food, and Agrarian Reform, shared that each year, about 26,000 agriculture students are required to complete 240 to 360 hours of on-the-job training to graduate.

The DA extension services, whose renationalization he has been pushing for through Senate Bill No. 1991, should be supervising agriculture students, he pointed out.

Earlier, Pangilinan noted that many agriculture graduates either pursue careers outside the sector, find employment abroad, or remain underemployed because of the disconnect between academic preparation, available jobs, and the actual needs of farming communities.

He said stronger coordination among government agencies, academic institutions, and LGUs would help create clearer career pathways for graduates while ensuring that the country’s investment in agricultural education translates into better support for farmers and fisherfolk.

recognizing that young graduates would like to pursue more stable income-generating careers than work in the farms, the senator said this is the aim of his 2019 Sagip Saka Act, which establishes the Farmers and Fisherfolk Enterprise Development Program to transition farmers and fishers from subsistence farming to farm enterprise, management, and development.

‘By aligning education, workforce development, and local agricultural needs, we strengthen not only our agricultural sector but also our country’s ability to provide affordable, sufficient, and nutritious food for every Filipino.’

ON July 12, 2026, Vietnam and the Philippines celebrated the 50th anniversary of their diplomatic relations.

It was more than a commemorative milestone. It was an opportunity to reflect on how the two neighbors, connected by geography and history, have built a relationship grounded in trust, mutual respect and shared aspirations, and to look ahead with confidence to the next 50 years.

Half a century ago, our two countries established diplomatic relations at a time when the region was still healing from conflicts and searching for a path toward peace and development. Few could have imagined how profoundly our region would be transformed.

Today, Southeast Asia has become one of the world’s most dynamic regions, and Vietnam and the Philippines have emerged as important contributors to its peace, stability and prosperity.

Our bilateral relationship has evolved in tandem. A defining milestone came in 2015, when our former president Truong Tan Sang and then-Philippine president Benigno Aquino III announced the establishment of the ‘Vietnam-Philippines Strategic Partnership’ on the margins of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Leaders’ Meeting.

Vietnam became the Philippines’ first-and to this day-only Strategic Partner within Asean, reflecting the high level of confidence and mutual trust between our two countries. That decision opened a new chapter of cooperation, expanding collaboration from political dialogue into trade, investment, defense, maritime affairs, education, culture and people-to-people exchanges.

Stronger, sustainable

TODAY, our relationship is stronger than ever.

The recent state visit by General Secretary and President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam To Lam marked another historic milestone as our leaders agreed to elevate bilateral relations to an Enhanced Strategic Partnership.

Coming as we celebrate 50 years of friendship, this decision is not simply symbolic. It reflects the breadth and maturity of our cooperation and our shared determination to build an even more ambitious partnership for the decades ahead.

Economic cooperation has become one of the brightest pillars of our relationship. Bilateral trade has nearly tripled over the past decade, reaching almost $8 billion in 2025, making the Philippines one of Vietnam’s largest trading partners in the region. Yet, this figure represents only a fraction of our potential.

As both economies continue to grow rapidly, new opportunities are emerging in manufacturing, renewable energy, digital technology, logistics, infrastructure and high-value agriculture.

Investment is also gathering remarkable momentum. Vietnamese companies invested nearly $100 million in the Philippines in 2025 alone, with even stronger growth expected this year.

I was particularly encouraged to witness the signing of a partnership between VinEnergo of Viet Nam and SunAsia Energy of the Philippines, under which more than $400 million will be invested in renewable energy projects in Pampanga and Negros Occidental.

Such projects demonstrate how our businesses are becoming partners in building a greener and more sustainable future.

Flourishing exchanges

PEOPLE-TO-PEOPLE connections are flourishing as well. Nearly half a million Filipino visitors traveled to Vietnam in 2025, making the Philippines one of our fastest-growing tourism markets.

More direct flights, expanding educational exchanges and closer business networks are bringing our peoples closer together. These personal connections create the strongest foundation for lasting friendship between our nations.

Perhaps nowhere is our partnership more visible than in food security. Vietnam has long been a reliable supplier of rice to the Philippines, accounting for around 80 to 85 percent of Philippine rice imports in recent years.

During periods of global uncertainty, including the Covid-19 pandemic, Vietnam consistently honored its commitments and worked closely with the Philippine government to help ensure stable rice supplies for Filipino consumers. This cooperation is more than commercial-it reflects mutual trust and our shared commitment to regional food resilience.

Our cooperation is also strong in defense, maritime security and law enforcement. As two maritime nations located at the heart of Southeast Asia, we share a strong interest in maintaining peace, stability, freedom of navigation and adherence to international law.

Through regular defense exchanges, coast guard cooperation and mechanisms such as the Joint Permanent Working Group on Maritime and Ocean Concerns, we continue to strengthen practical cooperation while contributing to regional peace and confidence-building.

Looking ahead

AS we look ahead, our Enhanced Strategic Partnership provides an excellent roadmap for even deeper cooperation.

First, we should accelerate trade and investment by facilitating market access, improving connectivity and encouraging greater participation of businesses from both countries.

Reaching $10 billion in bilateral trade should be regarded not as the destination, but as the next milestone.

Second, we should make digital transformation and the green economy new engines of growth. The recently signed memorandum of understanding on science, technology and digital transformation offers a timely framework for cooperation in artificial intelligence, digital governance, smart cities, cybersecurity, renewable energy and innovation-areas that will define our future competitiveness.

Third, our successful cooperation in food security should evolve into broader collaboration on sustainable agriculture, climate-resilient farming, aquaculture, agricultural technology and food innovation.

Together, we can help strengthen regional food security while improving the livelihoods of our farmers and fishing communities.

Fourth, we should invest even more in our greatest asset: our people. Implementing the ‘2026-2029 Tourism Cooperation Program’ and the ‘2024-2029 Cultural Cooperation Program,’ opening additional direct air links, expanding student exchanges, strengthening university partnerships and promoting cultural and healthcare cooperation will enable more Vietnamese and Filipinos to understand, appreciate and learn from one another.

Last, but not least, we should continue deepening cooperation in defense, maritime affairs, disaster risk reduction, marine environmental protection and the fight against transnational crime. Equally important is our close coordination within Asean. A strong bilateral relationship contributes to a stronger region-one that remains united, resilient, people-centered and capable of addressing the challenges of an increasingly complex world.

Asean future

ULTIMATELY, the story of Vietnam-Philippines relations is not merely one of diplomacy or official agreements. It is the story of farmers helping feed millions of families, entrepreneurs creating jobs and opportunities, students discovering new horizons, tourists exploring each other’s beautiful countries, and young people imagining a common Asean future.

The decision to elevate our relationship to an Enhanced Strategic Partnership is therefore not the culmination of our journey. It is the beginning of an even more ambitious one.

As ambassador of Vietnam to the Philippines, I have had the privilege of witnessing the warmth, openness and goodwill that Filipinos consistently extend to the Vietnamese people. I am confident that, with our shared values, complementary strengths and common vision for a peaceful and prosperous region, the next 50 years of our partnership will be even more remarkable than the first.

The best chapter of Vietnam-Philippines relations has yet to be written, and we will write it together. PNA

The Philippines will allow the entry of 250,000 metric tons (MT) fish imports during the closed fishing season in the fourth quarter as domestic supply and retail prices remain steady, according to the Department of Agriculture (DA).

Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said the DA will start issuing import clearances covering 250,000 MT of fish shipments around October, deviating from the initial August 1 timeline.

‘The imports will only be triggered, when necessary,’ he told reporters on Wednesday, adding that prices of fish products remained stable.

Last March, the DA authorized the importation of 250,000 MT of fish to ensure a steady supply of affordable fish and other marine products this year.

The volume was recommended by the National Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Management Council’s (NFARMC) last February.

Under a previous DA circular, the issuance of sanitary and phytosanitary import clearances (SPSICs) was scheduled to begin on August 1, covering over 50 species.

‘The fishing season has been extended due to El Niño and there’s currently ample supply of milkfish and tilapia, so the imports will likely be triggered during the closed fishing season sometime in October or November,’ the DA chief said.

The government imposes a three-month closed fishing season in waters northeast of Palawan starting November 1 and in the Visayan Seas and Zamboanga Peninsula beginning November 15. All three areas are spawning grounds for small pelagic fishes like sardines and mackerel.

The DA chief said that the agency is looking at additional areas where closed fishing seasons could be implemented, such as in Northwest Mindanao.

He added that the implementation could begin in 2027, pending scientific basis for such an issuance.

The DA said recently that it earmarked P600 million for the construction of the country’s first mega hatcheries which will help the Philippines reduce its reliance on imported fry.

The DA chief had confirmed to the BusinessMirror that his agency is allotting P200 million each for three mega hatcheries under the National Expenditure Program (NEP) 2027.

Once built, he said the mega hatcheries could produce a billion fry (young fish) of milkfish and other aquaculture and mariculture species.

The DA will construct one mega hatchery in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, each spanning 40 hectares, which will be completed by the end of 2027.

SOME 16 million residents of former conflict-affected barangays are now benefiting from critical infrastructure and basic social services through the Local Government Support Fund-Support to Barangay Development Program (LGSF-SBDP), the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) said.

In a statement, the DILG said the LGSF-SBDP continues to address long-standing development gaps by supporting critical local infrastructure projects that promote lasting peace and inclusive development.

From 2021 to 2025, the program funded 7,922 projects worth P36.82 billion.

These include 3,882 farm-to-market roads, 696 school buildings, 1,403 water supply and sanitation systems, 626 health stations, and 949 rural electrification projects, bringing essential government services closer to communities that need them most.

Among the communities benefiting from the program is barangay Nato in Gubat, Sorsogon, where residents now enjoy a more reliable and sustainable water supply following the rehabilitation and improvement of their water system funded under the 2023 LGSF-SBDP. The upgraded facility has eased years of difficulty in accessing clean water, supporting household needs, sanitation, and livelihood activities that depend on a stable water source.

Residents of barangay Cogon in Bulusan, Sorsogon, on the other hand, are now served by a newly completed two-storey health station funded through the 2024 LGSF-SBDP. Replacing an aging health center damaged by successive typhoons, the new facility is better equipped to provide basic healthcare services to more than 480 beneficiaries.

For 2026, the LGSF-SBDP is set to expand its reach, with 1,297 additional projects already moving through the pre-procurement and procurement stages.

Through sustained monitoring and evaluation, the DILG continues to ensure that LGSF-SBDP projects implemented by local government units in insurgency-cleared barangays are completed effectively and translated into meaningful development outcomes for communities.

This is not clickbait. I mean it.

Most ‘medical findings’ these days flow from clinical studies whose outcomes are expressed in numbers, probabilities, and statistical analysis. I am not a doctor, but I understand numbers. Numbers ‘talk’ to me. The story that I hear from a recent ‘medical finding’ published by the American Heart Association is: You (reader) are too dumb to understand that we’re lying.

Prof. Ancel Keys was the original source of the worldwide belief that ‘Saturated fat in any amount is bad for your health’. In 1957, Keys published what he called The Seven Countries Study. It was nothing of the kind, and should really have been called the ‘Scattered Villages in Remote Areas and Selected US Railroad Workers Study’. He claimed that this Study proved that saturated fats caused heart disease. For some reason, most of the Medical Establishment and most governments on earth just believed him, despite the many holes in the Study. The Medical Establishment willfully or negligently deceived much of humanity for the past 70 years by endorsing Keys’s astonishingly bad science.

To prove his anti-saturated-fat beliefs, Keys conducted a much more rigorous study a few years later: the 1968-1973 Minnesota Coronary Experiment (MCE).

Unfortunately for Keys, the MCE soundly disproved his anti-saturated-fat thesis. There was NO difference in mortality between the saturated-fat and ‘healthy-fat’ groups; worse, those with the lowest cholesterol had higher mortality. So Keys did what you or I or any person of negotiable integrity would do: he took his name off the study and got his collaborator to bury it. It remained buried for 40 years. In the meantime, no one in the Medical Establishment asked, ‘by the way, Ancel, where are the results of your MCE that was supposed to confirm that saturated fat is bad?’

Today, members of the Medical Establishment not only stoutly refuse to admit their 70 years of bad advice regarding saturated fat, but they also release MORE bad advice. The general idea seems to be to discredit modern scientific findings that could make us healthier, so that we keep buying unnecessary drugs.

GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Tirzepatide stand to make hundreds of billions for drug companies. Any lifestyle practice or diet that would help you lose weight without drugs would reduce those billions, wouldn’t it?

One such diet is the Keto Diet, a term we’ll use as shorthand for the group of diets whose practical result is to reduce carbohydrate intake and induce ketosis drastically, the conversion of body fat into ketones.

Ketones are a better body and brain fuel than glucose from carbohydrates. (See my previous articles on Metabolism.) The Keto Diet works and is well-supported by scientific studies and clinical trials.

That’s a lot of drugs, and hundreds of billions, if not trillions, of dollars currently made by Big Pharma, that broader public information on keto diets would endanger.

There is an ongoing campaign to misinform the public about the keto diet. Whoever is behind the campaign, one of their leading acolytes is the American Heart Association, which also insists we need 250 grams (1000 calories) of carbohydrate daily, thereby helping sell lots of diabetes, blood pressure, Parkinson’s, bipolar, and weight-loss drugs.

Do you sniff a Secret Conspiracy here? I’m not going to spell out my Conspiracy Theory for you, but you can figure it out for yourself. This is a continuing series on Basic Nutrition and Metabolism.

Next week: Don’t Trust the American Heart Association (Part 2)