Category: Business Mirror

A Grand Walkathon among grandparents will simultaneously be staged this Sunday in 20 Robinsons Malls, according to Jess Zulueta III, Head of Marketing at Robinsons Malls.

The walkathon will be staged in Robinsons Magnolia, Novaliches, Antipolo, Roxas, Tacloban, Iligan, Bacolod, General Santos, Butuan, Tuguegarao, Starmills, Gapan, Ilocos, Angeles, Galleria South, Las Piñas, Dasmariñas, General Trias, Jaro and Pavia.

Interested grandparents only need to present a single-receipt purchase from any participating store at select Robinsons Malls to join the walkathon.

China may fire flares at a Philippine aircraft, but it cannot use intimidation to decide where the Philippines may lawfully operate.

The firing of high-heat illumination flares toward a Philippine Coast Guard aircraft during a maritime domain awareness flight near Panganiban Reef, or Mischief Reef, was dangerous and reckless. It was another attempt to intimidate the Philippines and disrupt lawful maritime operations.

Goitia said the Philippine response should be clear:

‘A flare burns out in seconds. Our rights do not. The Philippines must continue its patrols. We cannot allow threats to decide where Filipinos can lawfully operate.’

For Filipino fishermen, the West Philippine Sea is not a distant geopolitical dispute. It is where they work and earn a living.

The Coast Guard personnel conducting these missions are doing their duty. They should not be driven away by intimidation.

‘We do not want war, but we will not be bullied into abandoning what is ours,’ Goitia said.

‘SPY SHIP’ MAPPING THE LUZON SEA FOR UNDERSEA WARFARE PREPARATION

The pressure is not limited to the skies.

On September 5, 2026, Chinese marine scientific research vessel Haiyang Dizhi 12 Hao was detected approximately 186.68 nautical miles west-northwest of Bolinao, Pangasinan, in the Luzon Sea. This was the first observed detection of the vessel in the vicinity waters of the Luzon Sea.

The vessel had previously been detected on August 27, approximately 60 nautical miles west by north of El Nido, Palawan, and about 21 nautical miles east by north of the Malampaya natural gas field.

Haiyang Dizhi 12 Hao is capable of extended offshore geological and geophysical survey operations, including the collection and analysis of seabed and subsurface geological data.

The vessel is assessed as a ‘spy ship’ mapping the Luzon Sea for undersea warfare preparation.

Its movements warrant close monitoring, particularly as it operates around waters of strategic importance to the Philippines.

The accompanying maps show its August 27 position near Malampaya, its September 5 position in the Luzon Sea, and the distance of its operations from Sanya, China.

The 2016 arbitral ruling found Mischief Reef to be a low-tide elevation incapable of appropriation and within the Philippines’ EEZ and continental shelf. It also found China’s construction activities there violated Philippine sovereign rights under UNCLOS.

China’s construction does not change that legal reality. Neither does intimidation.

The Philippines does not seek confrontation. But peace cannot mean retreat.

‘We will remain peaceful, but we will not be intimidated. Our sovereignty demands courage, not retreat.’

The flare will burn out. Philippine patrols will continue. The Philippines will stand its ground.

Dr. Jose Antonio Goitia, Juris Doctor, PhD, is Chairman Emeritus of Alyansa ng Bantay sa Kapayapaan at Demokrasya (ABKD), People’s Alliance for Democracy and Reforms (PADER), Liga Independencia Pilipinas (LIPI), and the Filipinos Do Not Yield Movement (FDNY). He holds advanced degrees, including an MNSA, MPA, and MBA, among others.

Senator Mark A. Villar called for urgent and comprehensive government action to address the rising number of suicide cases in the country, stressing the need to expand access to mental health professionals and services, strengthen prevention efforts, and provide adequate funding for mental healthcare.

In his privilege speech in observance of Suicide Prevention Month, Villar said mental health must be treated with the same urgency and dignity as physical health as more Filipinos, particularly young people, struggle with mental health concerns.

‘Our people deserve a healthcare system that treats mental health with the same urgency, respect, and dignity as physical health. The numbers are deeply concerning,’ Villar said.

Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority shows an alarming 3,379 deaths from intentional self-harm in 2024, up from 3,133 in 2023. From January to June 2025, the Philippine National Police also logged nearly 2,000 suicide cases.

In Metro Manila alone, the NCR Police Office recorded 111 cases from January to March 2026, compared with 33 during the same period last year-a 236-percent increase.

The Senator also raised concern over the severe shortage of mental health professionals. A 2026 analysis cited in his speech found only 409 accredited psychiatrists nationwide, 54.52 percent of whom are concentrated in Metro Manila. This translates to just 0.38 psychiatrists for every 100,000 Filipinos, far below the WHO-recommended minimum of 10 per 100,000 cited in the speech.

‘But Mr. President, how can we expect Filipinos to seek help when help itself remains difficult to access?’ Villar said.

Villar stressed that improving facilities and increasing the number of mental health professionals must be accompanied by efforts to break the stigma that continues to discourage Filipinos from speaking up and seeking help.

‘It is high time to stop romanticizing resilience when what our people need is support. Hindi kahinaan ang paghingi ng tulong. Hindi ito pag-iinarte. At lalong hindi ito dapat ikahiya,’ Villar said.

He also called on families, friends and communities to normalize conversations about mental health and provide a safe space for those experiencing difficulties.

‘Nawa’y i-encourage, i-normalize, at buksan natin ang usapin tungkol sa mental health sa ating mga kaibigan at mahal sa buhay. Tulungan nating wakasan ang stigma. Ugaliin nating kumustahin at pakinggan nang walang paghuhusga ang mga taong nakakaranas ng mental health struggles. Iparamdam natin sa kanila na hindi sila nag-iisa sa laban na ito,’ Villar said.

Villar emphasized that every case represents a life and a family, and that mental health services must be available regardless of a person’s location, age or status in life.

‘Self-harm and mental health-related deaths are not merely statistics. Behind every number is a person-a friend, a family member, a colleague, or a schoolmate. There are lives and stories behind every figure we present in this Chamber,’ Villar said.

‘Dapat nating mas pagtuunan ng pansin, palakasin, palawakin, at gawing mas accessible sa lahat ng ating kababayan dahil ang ganitong kondisyon ay walang pinipiling lugar, oras, edad, kasarian o katayuan sa buhay,’ he added.

As Congress deliberates on the proposed 2027 national budget, Villar called for sufficient funding for the comprehensive implementation of existing mental health laws and the improvement of the country’s mental healthcare system. ‘As we deliberate the 2027 National Budget, let us seriously consider the funding for comprehensive, integrated, and responsive implementation of our laws and the improvement of our mental healthcare,’ Villar said.

Villar likewise highlighted measures he filed in the previous and current Congress to strengthen prevention, early intervention and access to support. These include the Student Guidance Counseling Act, which was integrated into the Comprehensive School Safety Act; One Registered Nurse in Every Barangay; the Anti-Workplace Bullying Act; and one of his priority measures, the Youth Suicide Prevention Act, which seeks to institutionalize suicide intervention through life-planning education for the youth.

‘As we observe the Suicide Prevention Month, let us honor those we have lost not only with words, but with meaningful action. May their lives strengthen our resolve to act and to legislate with compassion, urgency, and purpose, in service of every Filipino,’ Villar said.

‘One life needlessly lost is already one too many. We must take our part in ensuring that no life would succumb to the pressures of mental health struggles,’ Villar concluded.

For those who need immediate mental health support, the National Center for Mental Health (NCMH) Crisis Hotline is available 24/7. Call 1553 (nationwide landline toll-free), 0917-899-8727, 0966-351-4518, or 0908-639-2

THE Philippine peso could test new lows in the near term if the dollar stays strong and oil prices remain elevated, according to analysts.

Experts said this after data from the Bankers Association of the Philippines (BAP) showed that the local currency fell to a fresh record low of P62.625 against the dollar on Tuesday.

The rate is 3.9 centavos weaker than its P62.58 finish against the greenback on Monday.

For the month of September alone, this is the fourth time the peso hit a fresh all-time low.

Ruben Carlo Asuncion, chief economist at Union Bank of the Philippines (UBP), said the peso’s depreciation reflects a combination of external factors, including ‘elevated oil prices, persistent inflation concerns, and higher US Treasury yields, which have supported demand for the US dollar.’

Asuncion said the peso may remain under pressure in the near term as markets continue to assess developments in oil prices, global inflation and monetary policy expectations.

‘While further weakness cannot be ruled out, the pace and extent of any depreciation will depend largely on evolving external conditions and shifts in global risk sentiment,’ the chief economist of Union Bank of the Philippines explained further.

Looking ahead, Jonathan L. Ravelas, senior adviser at Reyes Tacandong and Co., said: ‘The peso may remain under pressure and could test new lows in the near term if the dollar stays strong and energy prices remain elevated.’

The foreign exchange analyst said the peso’s direction will depend more on global developments than domestic factors.

‘Once we see the US dollar lose momentum, oil prices stabilize, or global risk sentiment improve, the peso should find support and gradually recover,’ added Ravelas.

Ravelas said, however, he does not expect a ‘disorderly depreciation’ because the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) has ‘adequate policy tools and reserves to manage excessive volatility.’

He expects the peso to stay within the 62.60-62.90 level in the near-term.

Impact on households, businesses, markets

Miguel Chanco, Chief Emerging Asia Economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics, explained to the BusinessMirror via e-mail that the weakness of the local currency will ‘certainly be a burden from an economic activity standpoint’ and affect consumers and businesses buying imported goods.

However, he said there are bigger headwinds in play for both-such as falling confidence, weak household balance sheets, and below-average capacity utilization.

‘That will matter more than the pinch of a weaker peso. At most, the falling PHP is merely adding insult to already bad injuries,’ Chanco explained further to this newspaper.

Chanco said it’s ‘quite clear’ that the Philippine peso has underperformed ‘massively’ against its peers in the region, at least over the past month or so, with most other currencies up against the US dollar, due in part to the dollar’s ‘downward retracement.’

Within the trading session on Tuesday, the peso hit an intraday low of 62.675 against the greenback while its strongest point was seen at 62.48 per dollar.

The incessant rains that we are experiencing are prompting our government executives to look for innovative ways to control flooding, especially in Metro Manila.

Floods disrupt economic activities. Our workers have to labor through submerged roads and highways before reaching their workplace. They do so at the risk of endangering their health. They also lose quality time to be with their family because of the long hours it take to go home.

Climate change and extreme weather are now the new normal and unless we take steps to mitigate flooding, our workers, students and the rest of the population will be at the mercy of nature.

But I remain optimistic that we can find solutions to the perennial problem. I just read in the papers and learned from broadcast media that the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) is doing its best to mitigate floods.

The agency is prioritizing five sites for a new flood-mitigation program that will temporarily capture and store rainwater as Metro Manila shifts toward ‘sponge city’ and nature-based solutions.

The MMDA selected the sites from an initial 107 locations following nearly three years of feasibility studies and consultations with local governments, experts and landowners.

The feasibility study, conducted by Haskoning of the The Netherlands, with funding from the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, has been completed, with MMDA Chairman Don Artes describing the identified projects as ‘execution-ready.’

Haskoning, formerly known as Royal Haskoning DHV, is an international engineering consultancy firm with over 140 years of global engineering experience and a team that understands every stage of flood and coastal management.

For such projects, the MMDA identified Camp Aguinaldo, Miriam College, Remedios Circle, Rajah Sulayman and the UP Sunken Garden as priority sites.

Artes is confident that the MMDA can finish the priority sites by June 2027. The five projects are part of a broader program covering 39 sites across Metro Manila. They were selected from an initial 107 locations following nearly three years of feasibility studies and consultations with local governments, experts and landowners.

The projects seek to temporarily retain rainwater at or near areas where it naturally accumulates, preventing drainage systems, rivers and esteros from being overwhelmed during heavy rainfall.

The system combines conventional flood-control infrastructure, such as pumping stations, with nature-based measures including underground cisterns, permeable pathways, sunken gardens, lagoons and other open spaces designed to absorb or temporarily retain rainwater.

I agree with our authorities. With climate change, extreme weather conditions and heavy downpours, we can no longer control or fight water. We can manage or redirect its flow, however, to protect the population and properties.

I believe the catchment projects will complement the rehabilitation of pumping stations and construction of new ones to significantly improve conditions in flood-prone areas. They will significantly reduce localized flooding and improve the capacity of existing drainage and flood-control systems.

‘Under existing facilities, such as football fields and open fields, areas can be excavated even if buildings are present,’ says President Marcos.

The proposed underground water-retention facilities are no different from water-impounding dams that the countryside needs to sustain agricultural farming. The Philippines faces heavy rains after the dry season. Unfortunately, we cannot store the excess water to help in farm irrigation due to the lack of impounding dams. The water merely flows into rivers and the open sea, depriving our farmers of the resource they need during the dry season.

As I’ve said in this column before, the lack of discipline is contributing to the flooding in the metropolis. Trash and garbage are clogging our waterways, eventually resulting in the flooding. We could probably solve half of the flooding problem if we have the discipline to dispose our trash properly.

In addition, we need a whole-of-nation approach to beat the problem, instead of relying solely on the government. We are all stakeholders capable of providing solutions and protecting our environment as a whole.

IN the coming weeks, Congress will again perform one of its most consequential constitutional responsibilities: scrutinizing the national budget. The Development Budget Coordination Committee (DBCC) has set the proposed 2027 national budget at P7.2 trillion, equivalent to 21.7 percent of gross domestic product. The House of Representatives will deliberate on the National Expenditure Program and examine the government’s spending priorities.

For accountants, this should be more than just an ordinary event to read about quotidianly. It should raise an important question about the profession’s public interest objectives. Should the accountancy profession be an active participant in providing and examining financial and technical inputs in the national budget?

The practice in India is an interesting model worth studying and considering. The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI), a statutory professional body established under India’s ‘Chartered Accountants Act of 1949,’ regularly participates in the country’s fiscal policy process through technical submissions to the government. Before the union budget, the ICAI solicits recommendations from its members and stakeholders and consolidates them into formal pre-budget proposals.

For India’s 2026 -2027 union budget, the ICAI sought proposals involving the reduction of litigation, greater tax certainty, lower compliance burdens, widening the tax base, improving tax revenues, preventing tax avoidance and rationalizing direct tax laws. These were not simply general observations.

Contributors were asked to identify specific provisions, issues, recommended changes and the rationale behind them. The ICAI subsequently presented its pre-budget recommendations to the government, covering measures affecting taxation, business reorganization, compliance, investment and revenue collection. More significantly, the ICAI reported that more than a hundred of its earlier recommendations concerning the comprehensive review of India’s income tax law were considered in the ‘Income-tax Act, 2025.’

Professional participation does not end when India’s budget is presented. After the 2026-2027 budget was introduced in Parliament, ICAI committees again invited members to examine the finance bill and submit proposals for a post-budget memorandum to India’s Ministry of Finance.

This is an important lesson here for the Philippine Institute of Certified Public Accountants (Picpa). The Picpa represents a multi-faceted pool of expertise in accounting, auditing, taxation, financial management, internal controls and governance. These are the disciplines that are crucial when the government decides how trillions of pesos are raised, borrowed, allocated and ultimately spent.

The potential participation of CPAs would be advisory and technical in nature and would not interfere with the authorities and prerogatives of the Executive, the DBCC, the DBM and Congress in fiscal and budgetary allocations to the various departments of government. In principle, this would be consistent with the government’s existing policy of encouraging participation by civil society organizations and other stakeholders in the budget process. The DBM already provides avenues for stakeholder engagement during budget preparation, while Congress has likewise opened mechanisms for civil society participation in budget deliberations.

Consider the multiple factors involved in a P7.2-trillion budget: revenue projections; expenditure programs; deficits targets; financing requirements; debt service; agency absorptive capacity; procurement; contingent liabilities; subsidies; and, performance indicators. Behind every appropriation are numbers that eventually become actual collections, borrowings and disbursements.

The DBCC first establishes the macroeconomic assumptions, fiscal targets, revenue projections, expenditure levels and financing requirements that provide the framework for the national budget. On the other hand, the Picpa and the professionals can provide valuable independent perspectives regarding these assumptions involving revenue projections, sustainability of deficit financing, implications for national debt, effectiveness of internal controls, duplication of programs, measurable outcomes of appropriations and safeguards against waste.

In executing this proposal, Picpa could begin developing a structured ‘Pre-Budget Memorandum,’ patterned where appropriate after India’s experience tempered by differing situations of political, economic, and social conditions. Its committees and chapters could solicit recommendations from CPAs in public practice, commerce and industry, government and education. These could then be evaluated and consolidated into technically supported recommendations for consideration by the DBCC, the DBM and Congress.

This participation would also strengthen public understanding of the budget. Budget debates often become hot contests over which agency received more or less money. Yet the size of an appropriation alone tells the tax-paying public little about whether they are receiving value for their money.

The Commission on Audit performs the indispensable constitutional responsibility of examining how public funds have been used. But there is equally great value in applying professional financial expertise before billions are appropriated and spent.

With the proposed 2027 national budget, greater professional participation should be welcomed.

After all, CPAs should not merely help answer the question, ‘Where did the money go?’ More crucially, they should help the public get answers to the gut question, ‘Do the numbers make sense, and do the Filipino people receive value for their money?’

Ray G. Talimio Jr., CPA, is a National Officer of the Philippine Institute of Certified Public Accountants (Picpa) and a member of the Association of Certified Public Accountants in Public Practice (ACPAPP). The views he expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the official positions of the BusinessMirror, the Picpa, the Acpapp or the organizations with which Mr. Talimio is affiliated.

Younger people are now entering the list of stroke victims, dispelling the belief that the affliction only hits older people, the Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC) has warned.

‘There are a lot of misconceptions about stroke, one of which is that stroke afflicts only old people,’ said SPMC Medical Officer Dr. Rafael Nicolas C. Banga, who elaborated on the subject during his guesting on the city government-owned Davao City Disaster Radio health program.

Banga said they have treated stroke patients who are 23 and 27 years old. When they checked these young stroke patients, they found that they had high cholesterol levels, smoked, and used prohibited drugs.

Consultations

SPMC attended to 2,000 stroke patients in 2025, among them patients in their 20s. Its Neurology Department also received 2,000 stroke-related consultations.

‘Another misconception is that when symptoms disappear, it would already be all right,’ Banga said. He warned, however, that temporary symptoms ‘are warning signs of an impending full-blown stroke.’

‘Patients must go to the hospital, undergo a medical checkup, and take medications when prescribed,’ he said.

Banga said patients should take stroke symptoms seriously. ‘If patients are experiencing symptoms, they must go directly to the hospital rather than just rest and wait for the symptoms to fade.’

‘The longer we wait, the bigger the damage will be,’ Banga said.

Two types of strokes

Dr. Meldy Anuta, a specialist in internal medicine and neurology, said stroke has two main types: ischemic and hemorrhagic.

‘We have ischemic stroke and hemorrhagic stroke. When an ischemic stroke occurs, there is a blockage in the blood vessels. Blood could not flow to the vital organs. Another type of stroke, although it is a minority, is hemorrhagic stroke. Our veins burst and when they do, the blood scatters throughout the surrounding areas of our brain,’ Anuta said.

Warning signs for both types of stroke include facial weakness or numbness, arm and leg weakness or numbness, and speech abnormalities. These symptoms commonly manifest quickly. Other symptoms that victims may experience include balance abnormalities or loss of balance, dizziness, and eye abnormalities or blurred vision.

Anuta pointed to high blood pressure as the biggest risk factor, saying that ‘lowering your blood pressure reduces your chance of having a stroke.’

Other high-risk factors include diabetes mellitus, heart conditions such as irregular heartbeats, obesity, a sedentary lifestyle, lack of sleep, high cholesterol levels, and stress. Family history, such as having parents or grandparents who suffered a stroke, also increases one’s chances.

The medical professionals advised the public to adopt a healthier lifestyle, check and control their risk factors, have regular checkups, and act immediately when initial symptoms manifest.

Southeast Asia’s content commerce market is expanding rapidly, but brands may have to resist the temptation of simply copying more mature models, according to Singapore-based research firm Momentum Works.

In its September report, Live Commerce in Southeast Asia 2026, Momentum Works said content commerce gross merchandise value (GMV) in the region is on track to reach $77.9 billion in 2026 as livestreaming, short videos and content-driven affiliate sales become a larger part of ecommerce.

Combined content commerce GMV across Shopee, TikTok Shop and Lazada reached $49.7 billion in 2025, up 98 percent year-on-year. Momentum Works estimated that $33.8 billion was transacted in the first half of 2026, putting the market on track for 57-percent growth for the full year.

Content commerce accounted for 37 percent of Southeast Asia’s platform ecommerce GMV in the first half, up from 20 percent in 2024.

The Philippines is among the region’s major ecommerce markets tracked by Momentum Works, alongside Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam and Singapore.

China remains the region’s most developed live-commerce ecosystem and offers lessons in automation, artificial intelligence and data-driven operations, the firm said. However, Momentum Works warned that China’s model cannot simply be transplanted across Southeast Asia.

‘China is a map, not a blueprint for Southeast Asia,’ the report said. ‘Local creator dynamics, consumer behavior and channel economics still require brands to adapt the model market by market.’

‘Brandformance’

Live commerce has moved from an experimental channel to a regular part of ecommerce for many brands and sellers.

The firm, however, expects the unusually attractive returns available today to become harder to sustain as more brands, sellers and creators develop similar capabilities.

‘Live is the easiest format to commit to,’ the report said, because its output is visible and conversion can be tracked immediately.

That convenience, however, can encourage brands to overinvest in livestreaming while underfunding short-video, affiliate and review content that often creates demand before a purchase.

‘A single purchase rarely runs through a single channel,’ Momentum Works said, adding that winning in content commerce requires working across different formats ‘as a portfolio rather than in isolation.’

As competition intensifies and one-off conversions become more expensive, ‘running live well is no longer enough to stay ahead,’ the firm said.

Momentum Works expects current returns to normalize as more brands enter the channel. The longer-term challenge, it said, is combining brand building with conversion, often described as ‘brandformance.’

Artificial intelligence is also changing the economics of livestreaming. In selected cases, AI live operations cost around 20 to 25 percent of a comparable human operation while achieving about 80 percent of human livestream GMV per hour on average, according to the report.

THE Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) is investigating the shipowners and licensed manning agencies (LMAs) of five vessels attacked in the Northern Black Sea and the Strait of Hormuz last week for possible violations of rules intended to protect Filipino seafarers in high-risk and war-like areas.

The agency is also considering barring vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz from employing Filipino seafarers amid escalating tensions between the United States and Iran in the strategic waterway.

At a press conference on Tuesday, Migrant Workers Secretary Hans J. Cacdac said the DMW would look into whether the shipowners and LMAs complied with protocols governing the deployment and transit of Filipino seafarers in areas classified as high-risk or under war-like conditions.

These include requirements to ensure the safe transit of Filipino seafarers and avoid high-risk and war-like areas. If sailing through such areas cannot be avoided, Filipino crew members must be allowed to exercise their right to refuse sailing.

Shipowners and manning agencies are also required to submit risk assessments before their vessels depart and ensure appropriate security measures, including military support and armed guards when required.

Among the vessels under investigation is the Saudi-owned crude oil tanker Sidr, which was attacked while transiting the Strait of Hormuz on Aug. 31.

Two Filipino seafarers were killed in the attack.

The surviving Filipino crew members were repatriated on Tuesday, while the remains of the two fatalities are still being processed for repatriation.

‘I am leaving for Dubai tomorrow evening, and my purpose here is to visit the shipowner’s office [of Sidr] directly. This is part of our investigation into whether the shipowner and the licensed manning agency here in Manila complied with DMW rules and regulations,’ Cacdac said in Filipino.

Also covered by the investigation are four vessels attacked while transiting the Northern Black Sea: Siren, Gingo, Nostos and Chara.

Siren was attacked on Sept. 3, while Gingo, Nostos and Chara were attacked last Friday.

The DMW said all 82 Filipino seafarers aboard the four vessels are safe and will be repatriated.

For the four vessels attacked in the Northern Black Sea, Cacdac said investigators would determine whether their shipowners violated a DMW directive issued last month prohibiting vessels carrying Filipino seafarers from proceeding to the area because of the continuing armed conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

‘The security assessment by both our DFA [Department of Foreign Affairs] and DND [Department of National Defense], so far as the Black Sea is concerned, is that there is a full-scale international armed conflict in that area. So therefore our Filipino seafarers should be outside of that area-out of harm’s way. That is our directive [to them],’ Cacdac said.

The DMW is targeting to complete its investigation into the five vessels within two weeks.

Cacdac said LMAs found to have violated DMW regulations could face suspension of their licenses and fines depending on the gravity of the violations.

Hormuz restriction eyed

The DMW has asked the DND and DFA to conduct a security assessment of the Strait of Hormuz to determine whether restrictions similar to those imposed on the Northern Black Sea should also be implemented in the waterway.

‘Upon receipt of those security assessments, we will decide accordingly as to what our next steps to take with regards to our Filipino seafarers,’ Cacdac said.

The Bangsamoro government spent almost P90 million to improve transport services and connectivity at the Jolo Port and Jolo Airport and turned them over to their respective management offices on September 3.

The Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) turned over several newly completed infrastructure projects.

The MOTC’s Bangsamoro Ports Management Authority (BPMA) turned over a two-storey passenger terminal building with a seating capacity of 250 passengers at the Jolo Port. It costs P63-million. The BPMA also handed to the management office an P18-million operational area perimeter fence with gates, and P3.96 million worth of solar streetlights.

The perimeter fence features eight gates, a cashier booth, and a parking area for motorcycles, while the solar streetlight system has 70 posts-23 with double lights and 47 with single lights.

The Bangsamoro Airport Authority (BAA), on the other hand, turned over a P3-million water facility with a capacity of 13,000 liters and a P0.99-million security fence measuring 300 meters in length at the Jolo Airport.

All the completed additional facilities were Funded under the Bangsamoro government’s Special Development Fund (SDF) 2023 and General Appropriations Act for the Bangsamoro (GAAB) 2023 and 2024. These were part of efforts to upgrade the province’s key maritime and aviation facilities and strengthen the movement of passengers and goods.

MOTC Minister Termizie G. Masahud and Jolo Mayor Edsir Q. Tan witnessed the turnover ceremony.

‘These improvements are part of BPMA’s continuing efforts to upgrade port facilities and provide better, safer, and more efficient services to the people of Sulu,’ the BPMA shared.

‘With these improvements, Jolo Port continues to strengthen its role as an important gateway for passengers, goods, and communities in the area,’ the agency added.

The Jolo local government welcomed the developments and emphasized its support for initiatives aimed at improving connectivity and public services.

‘The municipal government of Jolo remains committed to supporting initiatives that strengthen connectivity, enhance public service delivery, and contribute to the continued progress and development of Jolo and the Province of Sulu,’ the municipality’s public information office stated.

The newly operational facilities are expected to benefit passengers, port and airport personnel, transport operators, traders, and communities by improving safety, security, accessibility in the province, it said.