Category: Business Mirror

The Philippines could trim its dairy imports as the country’s milk self-sufficiency ratio (SSR) is projected to rise to 3.3 percent this year, according to the National Dairy Authority (NDA).

NDA Administrator Marcus Antonius Andaya said the agency is banking on dairy herd expansions through its stock farms and feed centers to expand local milk output.

‘Our goal for this year is 3.3 percent (sufficiency), and we’re confident that we can hit that through the arrival of imported animals and our operational stock farms and feed centers,’ Andaya told reporters in a recent interview.

He said reaching the 3 percent milk SSR will be ‘good enough,’ since raising it to 1 percent ‘took 30 years in the making.’ The NDA is targeting to increase milk SSR to 5 percent by 2028.

‘If we get 3 percent in 2026, then 4 percent in 2027, then 4.5 percent by 2028, that’s not bad. We shoot for the moon, then still land among the stars (if we narrowly miss the goal).’

The projected rise in SSR, which determines the extent to which local production can meet its domestic requirement, also corresponds with the adjustment in NDA’s forecast for milk output this year.

For 2026, the agency is targeting another all-time-high milk output of 53 million liters, up from last year’s record of 43.3 million liters.

The outlook is partly anchored on the arrival of 1,600 heads of Holstein-Jersey cattle from Australia, which Andaya said, could arrive in October.

Of this, he said 800 heads were procured from its 2025 budget, while the remaining were purchased through this year’s funding. Meanwhile, Andaya said the dairy industry was not excluded from the rippling effects of the Middle East war, citing an increase in animal costs abroad.

He noted that each dairy now animal costs around P220,000, higher than the pre-crisis rate of P180,000.

Currently, the NDA chief said the agency is operating four stock farms in the country, which were established in General Tinio, Nueva Ecija; Ubay, Bohol; Prosperidad, Agusan del Sur; and Carmen, Cotabato. He added that another stock farm in Malaybalay, Bukidnon, is set to be completed and operational this year. Each 50-hectare farm with a capacity of 150 heads costs P50 million.

Andaya said the agency is seeking a budget of P1.5 billion for 2027 to build additional stock farms, three of which will be in Sorsogon, Baguio, and Negros.

The purpose of a stock farm is to breed, grow, and acclimate imported dairy animals before distributing them to Dairy Multiplier Farms (DMFs) and eventually to local farmers. Government data showed that the country’s milk production rose by 6.47 percent to 11.79 million liters in the first quarter of 2026 from 11.07 million liters recorded in the same period last year.

The Luzon Economic Corridor (LEC) is gaining traction, almost two years after I wrote about it in this paper.

The LEC has now drawn interest from Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, Italy, South Korea, Sweden and the United Kingdom, after being initially backed up by the United States and Japan.

The expanded partnership is an ominous sign that the big infrastructure initiative will be a big success and a major job creator in the regions it covers.

The LEC is an ambitious project that seeks to accelerate infrastructure and industrial development along a key corridor linking Subic Bay, Clark, Metro Manila and Batangas province.

It is the first Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment (PGI) corridor in the Indo-Pacific region that aims to boost economic growth, enhance supply chain resilience and create high-quality jobs.

I am personally bullish on this initiative because it will greatly boost connectivity from Subic Bay to Batangas through massive investments in rail, energy, digital systems and manufacturing.

Finance Secretary Frederick Go, who co-chairs the LEC Steering Committee, summed it up. The Philippines is building an infrastructure network that ‘will improve daily life for millions of Filipinos and create new opportunities for businesses, industries and communities.’

The participation of more countries in the initiative is a vote of confidence on the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The new partners have committed specific technical and financial resources to ensure the corridor’s success.

Australia, for one, is mobilizing investments through its Manila Deal Team, backed by a P1.9-billion partnership for inclusive growth. Denmark is aiming to create 10,000 jobs by revitalizing the Philippine shipbuilding industry and advancing green maritime innovation.

France, for its part, is financing the construction of 100 bridges and boosting industrial capacity through a foreign direct investment project in the aeronautics sector.

Italy, meanwhile, is funding private sector investments in semiconductors, transport and manufacturing.

South Korea is providing a P1.5-billion grant for the National Cyber Security Center and supporting the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) modernization.

I was not expecting the early success of the LEC. But our foreign partners clearly saw the big potential of this infrastructure project.

Sweden is funding a P74-million feasibility study for the signaling systems of the Subic-Clark-Manila-Batangas freight railway.

Sweden Ambassador to the Philippines Anna Ferry saw the LEC as a great opportunity for her country to contribute to the Philippines’ development and competitiveness.

The UK, on the other hand, is deploying its Growth and Investment Partnerships (GIP+) toolkit, providing up to P411 billion in export finance for infrastructure and energy.

US Senior Advisor for Economic, Energy and Business Affairs Ambassador Heather Variava describes the expanded partnership and new commitments as a sustainable alternative to traditional infrastructure models in the region.

‘This initiative is creating real opportunities…while countering exploitative infrastructure practices with a better alternative,’ says Variava.

Japanese Ambassador to the Philippines Endo Kazuya is also bullish on the LEC. The LEC, in his own words, is expected to create thousands of high-quality jobs and strengthen regional supply chains, positioning the Philippines as a critical link in the Indo-Pacific’s economic architecture.

Digital connectivity and advanced manufacturing initiatives serve as the key aspects of the corridor. These projects will position the LEC as a strategic link in global technology supply chains and complement the Pax Silica initiative, to which the Philippines, Japan and the US are also signatories.

The Pax Silica initiative is a US-led coalition of 13-plus countries designed to secure AI, semiconductor and critical mineral supply chains. The economic bloc may have a geo-political undertone because it focuses on countering China’s tech-manufacturing dominance.

But economic alliances have their own merits and are productive. The LEC, as I wrote earlier, is about a new growth corridor, infrastructure, jobs, urban decongestion, economic inclusion, green energy and logistics.

Any initiative that creates jobs and reduces the poverty incidence in the Philippines is always welcome.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), through its National Capital Region (NCR) office, on Wednesday defended the cutting of century-old trees around Manila Zoo.

In its official statement, the DENR-NCR Office cited Presidential Decree No. 705, Presidential Decree No. 953, and other existing forestry and environmental regulations, which ‘allow the cutting or earthballing of trees when necessary for infrastructure projects, public works, and other development activities, provided that the required permits are secured and environmental safeguards are strictly observed.’

The cutting of the century-old trees earned criticism from netizens.

In its defense, the DENR-NCR said for every tree, thousands of trees will be planted in its place.

According to the DENR-NCR, the tree-cutting along the western portion of Quirino Avenue is for the construction of the Southern Access Link Expressway Project, which will connect the Skyway to Roxas Boulevard. The activity is covered by a duly issued permit (Permit No. 2026-02-24-TCEBP-1609) granted to the Southern Access Link Expressway Corporation.

To offset the trees that were cut, the project proponent is required to undertake large-scale replacement planting within the next planting season as a condition of the permit.

For this project, the permit requires that 50,700 replacement seedlings be planted within the City of Manila, in accordance with the Memorandum on Seedling Replacement Uniform Ratio; planting sites are to be identified in coordination with the local government to ensure local ecological benefit, the DENR-NCR said.

Moreover, the DENR-NCR said that ‘tree cutting’ is not automatically permitted. All applications undergo evaluation and are subject to compliance with environmental laws, technical assessment, coordination with concerned local government units, and the implementation of mitigation measures to address ecological impacts,’ it said.

BATANG San Miguel scored a 79-52 trashing of Batang Talk ‘N Text in the 10-Under division in the 2026 Batang Philippine Basketball Association on Tuesday at the Victoria Sports Complex in Quezon City.

Ivan Luke Hufano and Khalix Aiden Marohom tallied 26 and 20 points, respectively, to lead the way for the Batang Beermen and spoil the 37-point eruption of Lucas Gabriel Miciano for the Batang Tropang 5G.

SMB shoots for a finals berth in the three-team division when it takes on Batang Rain or Shine on Friday.

Simon Bailey Robles scored 11 points and Nathan Louie De Leon added eight for the Tropang 5G.

The Batang Beermen trailed 13-17 after the first quarter but turned things round with a 26-5 explosion in the second period to seize the lead for good.

In the 15U division, Adrian De Guzman, Mihangel Philrick Morre and Mark Vincent Patungan scored 15 points each as the Batang Meralco turned back Batang Pureblends, 71-63.

The Batang Bolts were behind at 17-24 after one quarter but dictated the tempo in the three quarters to take the win.

Batang Meralco tied early leader Batang Ginebra in the four-team 15-U division.

The Batang Gin Kings opened its campaign with a 72-68 win over the Batang Converge FiberXers last Saturday.

Aside from 10U and 15U, the Batang PBA is also staging 11U and 13U divisions this year, as well as 3×3 for eight-year-old kids and below in a bid to provide more platforms and exposure for young aspirants who could be the future of Philippine basketball.

BEYOND the inflation spikes and slowing growth triggered by the prolonged Middle East conflict lies a harsher economic reckoning: the Philippines’s long-fading ambition of becoming a high-income economy by 2040 may now be effectively out of reach.

This comes as Department of Economy, Planning, and Development (DepDev) Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan admitted earlier this week that the government is recalibrating the AmBisyon Natin 2040 roadmap, the country’s long-term development blueprint, after a series of shocks and disruptions derailed the original growth trajectory.

For analysts, the recalibration reflects how repeated economic shocks have steadily pushed the Philippines farther from its original 2040 timetable.

Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) economist Leonardo A. Lanzona explained that an honest assessment would show that the 2040 target is effectively gone, with even Balisacan acknowledging that achieving high-income status within the original timetable is ‘not feasible.’

Last year, the socioeconomic planning chief said economic growth of 6 percent or lower would not be enough to become a high income country in 15 years. (See: https://businessmirror.com.ph/2025/08/01/with-growth-of-6-or-less-phl-cant-meet-ambisyon-to-be-high-income-country-by-2040/).

‘The Iran shock and US tariff headwinds now layer fresh downside risk on top of the pandemic-era output gap that was never fully recovered. ‘Fallen behind’ understates it-the trajectory has been permanently reset,’ Lanzona told the BusinessMirror.

Foundation for Economic Freedom (FEF) President Calixto V. Chikiamco agreed, saying several ‘negative geopolitical and other external factors’ are now undermining the assumptions behind the plan.

Chikiamco said the prolonged oil crisis could continue weighing on the economy even if the Middle East conflict eases, while rapid advances in artificial intelligence also pose risks to several industries in the country, including its multi-billion business process outsourcing (BPO) industry.

‘The country is also vulnerable to climate change and a severe El Niño this year, together with high fertilizer prices, may cause significant damage to our agricultural sector,’ he also told the BusinessMirror. Under AmBisyon Natin 2040, the government aims to triple the country’s per capita income. This means having a per capita income of at least $11,000 through a sustained 6.5-percent annual gross domestic product (GDP) growth.

It also seeks to transform the Philippines into a predominantly middle-class society where poverty is eradicated and economic growth translates into a better quality of life for ordinary Filipinos.

Redefining middle classData from the 2016 AmBisyon Natin survey showed that nearly eight in 10 Filipinos (which translates to 79.2 percent) aspired for a ‘simple and comfortable life,’ while only a small fraction envisioned living like the rich.

For most Filipinos, this meant earning enough to meet daily needs, owning a medium-sized home and a vehicle, sending children to college, and being able to travel occasionally within the country.

The survey also showed strong aspirations for mobility and convenience, with a majority preferring to own a vehicle rather than rely solely on public transportation. Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) Senior Research Fellow John Paolo R. Rivera said the country’s 2040 aspirations may need to evolve beyond the traditional notion of middle-class prosperity anchored mainly on income growth and consumer ownership.

‘Key question is not just whether households earn more but whether they can sustain a decent quality of life,’ Rivera told the BusinessMirror.

The United Nations (UN) defines quality of life as a broad and multidimensional concept that goes beyond income and employment, encompassing access to food, healthcare, housing, infrastructure, social protection, public safety, environmental security, and even human rights.

Rivera said a truly middle-class society should be defined not only by higher incomes, but by economic security, quality education, accessible healthcare, affordable housing, and protection from ‘shocks.’

‘The vision remains achievable if the country uses this recalibration as an opportunity to address long-standing structural constraints rather than simply adjust the timeline,’ he added.

Deeper reforms

Meanwhile, Chikiamco said the Philippines must first address weak agricultural productivity, warning that persistently high food prices could undermine efforts to industrialize by raising wages and production costs.

‘This means that the country should move away from small scale agriculture toward promoting agribusiness. It should promote farm consolidation and remove the land retention limits of 5 hectares under the agrarian reform law,’ he explained.

Under AmBisyon Natin 2040, the government identified eight priority sectors for investment, including housing and urban development, manufacturing, connectivity, education, tourism, agriculture, health and wellness, and financial services, as part of efforts to build competitive industries that can deliver affordable goods and services.

Rivera said the recalibrated roadmap should also prioritize human capital, food and energy security, digital and physical infrastructure, innovation, and institutional strengthening.

‘Sectors with strong productivity and employment potential such as advanced manufacturing, agribusiness, tourism, and modern services should be at the center,’ he also said.

Capabilities audit

For Lanzona, however, the traditional sector-listing approach is no longer enough because it identifies priority industries without determining the specific constraints preventing them from advancing.

He said this leads to broad and unfocused allocation of resources, where industries are included in development plans but do not necessarily receive the targeted support needed at their current stage of development.

Lanzona instead pushed for a ‘capabilities audit,’ or a more detailed assessment of where industries currently stand, what bottlenecks they face, and what specific interventions they need to move up the value chain.

‘Without knowing where each industry actually stands in its upgrading trajectory, the milestones one attaches to the vision are arbitrary and the political economy critique applies with full force, because undifferentiated or unclear sector support is far easier to capture by incumbent political interests than stage-specific capability targets,’ Lanzona added.

Latest World Bank data showed that the Philippines remains classified as a lower middle-income economy, with a gross national income (GNI) per capita of $4,470 in 2024-just $26 below the lower bound of the UMIC range, currently set at $4,496 to $13,935.

The bank revises its income classifications annually, with updated thresholds and country rankings typically released on July, based on the previous year’s GNI per capita data.

Emperador Inc. reported resilient financial performance in the first quarter of 2026, posting consolidated revenues of ?13.3 billion and net profit of ?1.9 billion, reflecting single-digit year-on-year growth despite persistent global economic and geopolitical headwinds.

Sales of brandy and whisky rose 6% compared to the same period last year, buoyed by sustained consumer demand, operational efficiencies, and steady contributions from both domestic and international operations. Net profit attributable to equity holders of the parent company grew 4.5% year-on-year, supported by higher sales, improved margins, and disciplined cost management.

The company said its Philippine brandy segment maintained stable growth, while international operations benefited from geographic diversification and expanding market presence. ‘Our first quarter performance demonstrates the resilience of our businesses and the strength of our diversified portfolio,’ Emperador President and CEO Glenn Manlapaz said, citing continued focus on execution, efficiency, and stakeholder value despite supply chain disruptions, fuel price volatility, and inflationary pressures.

Emperador noted that the global operating environment remained challenging due to geopolitical conflicts, elevated energy prices, and uncertainties in trade and consumer markets. Nevertheless, its balanced business structure and prudent strategies enabled sustained momentum and profitability.

Looking ahead, the company expressed cautious optimism for the remainder of 2026, citing strong fundamentals, strategic investments, and ongoing efforts to enhance operational resilience.

Emperador Inc. manufactures in the Philippines, UK, Spain, and Mexico, with distribution across 100 countries. Its portfolio includes Emperador Brandy, Fundador Brandy, and single malt whiskies such as The Dalmore, Fettercairn, Jura, and Tamnavulin. The company is listed on both the Philippine Stock Exchange and the Singapore Exchange.

THE DEPARTMENT of Transportation (DOTr) said on Wednesday it has expanded active transport infrastructure in Angeles City, Pampanga, constructing 11.1 kilometers of cycleways along two major thoroughfares to serve cyclists, pedestrians, and other vulnerable road users in the area.

The new bike lanes run along McArthur Highway, from San Jacinto Rotunda to J. Valdez Street, and along FilAm Friendship Highway, from Ponsettia Avenue to Don Juico Avenue.

The facilities are classified as Class 2 cycleways, delineated by pavement markings and protected by flexible bollards and rubber delineators.

Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez said active transport offers a practical mobility option as oil prices remain elevated.

He noted that the DOTr would coordinate with the City Government of Angeles for the deployment of traffic enforcers and the implementation of speed limits along bike lane corridors to improve cyclist safety.

‘We have to coordinate with LTO na talagang may traffic enforcers. Makikipag coordinate kami sa lokal na pamahalaan, sa DPWH if we can impose like a maximum limit sa mga ganitong may bike lane. ‘Yan makakatulong to make our cyclists feel more safe. Talagang habang nagbibisekleta sila hindi nila tinitingnan yung likod nila,’ Lopez said.

The Angeles City expansion is part of a broader national push by the DOTr to build out cycling infrastructure.

As of the first quarter of 2026, the department has completed a total of 1,100 kilometers of bike lanes across the country. It is targeting 2,400 kilometers of bike lane networks nationwide by 2028.

The project was undertaken in partnership with the local government unit of Angeles City.

NEARLY 42,000 residents in three provinces would benefit from healthcare and livelihood projects funded under the Government of India’s Quick Impact Project (QIP) initiative, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) said.

In a statement, the DILG said the Indian Grant Assistance (IGA) Program would boost the health and economic well-being of thousands of residents from the provinces of Northern Samar, Lanao del Norte, and Ilocos Sur.

The projects include the construction of a Livelihood Training Center in Bobon, Northern Samar, the upgrading of a Primary Care Facility in Bacolod, Lanao del Norte, and a Barangay Health Station in Cervantes, Ilocos Sur.

Established through a 2023 agreement between the DILG and the Embassy of India in Manila, the IGA Program supports small-scale, high-impact infrastructure projects in health, education, sanitation, and community development. Local government units may receive up to US$50,000 or around P2.8 million per project, with only six proposals approved nationwide during the program’s first cycle.

In Bobon, Northern Samar, around 15,000 residents are expected to benefit from the new Livelihood Training Center, which will host skills training and livelihood programs to improve employability and income opportunities.

Local Government Assistant Secretary Frank Cruz said the QIP is not merely a facility for skills development, but a space for building resilience and expanding opportunities for the community.

Meanwhile, nearly 25,000 residents in Bacolod, Lanao del Norte, will benefit from the upgraded Primary Care Facility, now equipped with diagnostic tools including an X-ray machine, helping reduce long-distance travel for medical services.

Local Government Assistant Secretary Lilian de Leon also said that for the people of Bacolod, Lanao del Norte, the Project is life-saving and life-sustaining.

Indian Ambassador to the Philippines Shri Harsh Kumar Jain said the initiative reflects the deepening partnership between the two countries.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the leading cause of death in the Philippines, driven largely by atherosclerosis and delayed treatment. Health experts are now urging earlier and more aggressive intervention to prevent thousands of avoidable heart attacks and strokes.

Atherosclerosis is the buildup of plaque, composed of cholesterol, fat, and cellular waste, inside artery walls due to high levels of LDL (bad) cholesterol. This common condition narrows the arteries and restricts blood flow, often remaining asymptomatic until it triggers a life-threatening complication. Complications arising from plaque buildup, including heart attacks and strokes, remain the leading cause of death worldwide.

The current challenge, experts say, is not the lack of medicine but delays in treatment. Many patients receive aggressive intervention only after a cardiovascular event has already occurred. Specialists argue that a more proactive and patient-centered approach, focused on early risk detection and sustained prevention, is essential to slowing disease progression.

‘In the Philippine setting, ischemic heart disease, which includes heart attacks, remains the leading cause of mortality. One of the major risk factors contributing to heart attacks is poor control of cholesterol levels, particularly LDL or bad cholesterol,’ said Dr. Lourdes Ella Gonzales-Santos, President of the Asian-Pacific Society of Atherosclerosis and Vascular Diseases (APSAVD).

Dr. Santos noted that Filipinos’ fondness for meat products increases the risk of elevated LDL cholesterol. She added that lifestyle changes following the pandemic-including more sedentary lifestyles, smoking, alcohol intake, stress, and poor sleep-all contribute to cholesterol buildup in the arteries.

‘Unless we identify all of these risk factors together and address them, ischemic heart disease will continue to be the leading cause of mortality in the Philippines,’ she said.

Early intervention in dyslipidemia

A primary strategy highlighted by experts is the early use of combination therapy involving statins and ezetimibe.

To reduce the burden of CVD in the Philippines, clinical practice must move beyond standard monotherapy and embrace early combination treatment with statins and ezetimibe to save lives and prevent thousands of avoidable cardiac events. ‘When we look at data in the Philippines, we are not doing such a great job getting patients to the LDL targets we want. Whether it’s physicians not prescribing aggressively enough or patients not complying with their medications, there is clearly a treatment gap. We have the tools, but they are not being fully utilized,’ said Dr. Santos.

Globally, growing attention toward dyslipidemia-elevated total or LDL cholesterol levels, or low HDL cholesterol-is driving record rates of diagnosis. However, experts stressed that diagnosis alone is not enough. Clinical evidence shows that reducing heart attacks and strokes depends on prompt and intensive treatment.

‘Clinical trial evidence shows that when you treat dyslipidemia early and sustain low LDL levels over time, it translates into a reduction in heart attacks and strokes. The longer you keep patients on therapy and maintain low LDL cholesterol, the greater the cumulative benefit,’ Dr. Santos explained.

Dr. Brian Tomlinson, a globally recognized expert in lipid management and Professor at the Faculty of Medicine at Macau University of Science and Technology, said treatment traditionally followed a stepwise approach.

Under the older model, doctors would first recommend dietary changes and wait six months to assess progress before prescribing a statin. Another six months would then pass before adjusting the dosage if needed.

‘But now we realize that this delay is dangerous. Especially for patients who have already had a cardiovascular event, we need to reduce cholesterol as quickly as possible. Guidelines now recommend starting combination therapy straight away. No more waiting six months because in that time, a patient could already have another event,’ said Dr. Tomlinson. ‘Real-world registries like SwedeHeart show that patients who receive treatment earlier have better outcomes compared to those who receive delayed or no treatment. That lag in treatment translates into more events,’ added Dr. Santos.

The power of combination therapy

Dr. Santos explained that ezetimibe is a cholesterol absorption inhibitor that works in the small intestine to block cholesterol absorption, reducing LDL cholesterol by around 18 to 20 percent.

‘If you double the dose of a statin, you only get about six percent additional reduction. So adding ezetimibe is like tripling the effect of the statin without increasing the dose,’ she said.

While statins reduce cholesterol production, they do not remove cholesterol from the body. Adding ezetimibe to statin therapy safely mimics the effect of tripling the statin dose. Meta-analyses have shown that this combination achieves greater LDL reduction with lower rates of liver and muscle enzyme elevation, new-onset diabetes, and treatment discontinuation compared to high-dose statin monotherapy.

‘Statins reduce cholesterol production, but they don’t remove cholesterol from the body. Ezetimibe helps eliminate cholesterol by blocking reabsorption in the intestine. That’s why the combination is so effective,’ said Dr. Tomlinson.

Due to increased cholesterol absorption and lower excretion at the intestinal level, individuals with diabetes are biologically more responsive to ezetimibe. Multiple studies, including IMPROVE-IT and MRS ROSE, confirm that ezetimibe reduces cardiovascular events more significantly in diabetic patients than in non-diabetic patients.

Benefits for high-risk patients

The statin-ezetimibe combination offers distinct clinical advantages for high-risk populations. Patients with diabetes, obesity, or insulin resistance often have higher levels of harmful fats in the blood that accelerate plaque buildup in the arteries. While statins target cholesterol production, ezetimibe helps address these dangerous particles, creating a complementary effect that stabilizes the patient’s metabolic profile.

Experts also emphasized the urgency of aggressive lipid management following a heart attack or acute coronary syndrome. In the critical days and weeks after an event, the heart remains highly vulnerable to arrhythmias or recurrent attacks. Early intensive combination therapy can help stabilize the cardiovascular system and prevent further damage.

‘The chance of dying or having another heart attack is highest within the first 30 days. That’s why this period is a critical opportunity for intervention,’ said Dr. Tomlinson.

18th APSAVD Congress

Dr. Santos and Dr. Tomlinson were among the speakers during the 18th Asian-Pacific Society of Atherosclerosis and Vascular Diseases (APSAVD) Congress held recently in Manila. The symposium gathered experts to discuss evolving strategies in cardiovascular prevention and management.

Discussions underscored a shared concern: while effective treatments are widely available, they are often not applied early enough, aggressively enough, or consistently enough to prevent disease progression and complications. Across sessions, experts called for a more proactive, patient-centered, and evidence-based approach that emphasizes early risk recognition, tailored therapies, and sustained prevention.

‘The key takeaway from the symposium is aggressive, early, intensive, and sustained lowering of LDL cholesterol,’ said Dr. Santos. ‘We need stronger awareness campaigns, better implementation of local guidelines, and more proactive community interventions-such as promoting physical activity, reducing sugar intake, and discouraging smoking. It’s not just about the healthcare system-it’s about both physicians and patients working together.’

Over 800 private schools nationwide have applied for Tuition and Other School Fees (TOSF) increase for School Year (SY) 2026-2027, the Department of Education (DepEd) said.

Data obtained by the BusinessMirror gathered by the DepEd from the regional offices (collected by the Private Education Office) as of May 19, showed that a total of 842 schools have applied for increases in their TOSF.

The DepEd has yet to approve these applications as they are still evaluating the requests.

Out of 17 regions, 14 have signified their interest to implement TOSF increase.

The most number of applications came from Region III with 249 schools, followed by Region IV-A (243), National Capital Region (108), Region VI (61), Negros Island Region (50), Region VII (41), Region IV-B (25), Region I (17), Region XIII (16), nine schools from Regions II and XII, Region XI (8), Region IX (6).

Meanwhile, Regions V, VIII, X, and Cordillera Administrative Region have not requested for TOSF hike for this SY.

DepEd noted that private schools are allowed to increase tuition, provided they strictly comply with DepEd guidelines. These regulations ensure that all hikes are justified, transparent, and fair to parents.

Likewise, the DepEd said that revenue from the fee increase, the school must allocate: 70 percent strictly for the salaries, wages, allowances, and other benefits of faculty and staff; 30 percent maximum for institutional development, student assistance, and return of investment.