Category: Business Mirror

Southstar Drug on Thursday said it is expanding the access of beneficiaries of the government’s medical assistance program to its selected branches in Quezon City where they can claim approved medicines without upfront payment.

Through the initiative, beneficiaries of Department of Social Welfare’s (DSWD) assistance to individuals in crisis situations program may present guarantee letters issued by the department at participating Southstar Drug stores and immediately receive covered medicines and healthcare products, with Southstar Drug coordinating directly with DSWD for reimbursement.

The drugstore brand of delisted firm Robinsons Retail Holdings Inc. (RRHI) said the arrangement gives beneficiaries more convenient and accessible pharmacy options within their communities.

The agreement was signed last October 20 at the Robinsons Retail head office in Quezon City.

‘I would like to thank Robina (Gokongwei-Pe, RRHI chairman) and of course the entire Robinsons Retail group for the partnership. Long time in the making but we’re finally here,’ DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian said.

Southstar Drug general manager Thaddeus Sanchez said the drugstore brand is honored to support DSWD’s medical assistance program through its network of pharmacies, reinforcing the drugstore chain’s commitment to helping improve access to essential healthcare services for Filipinos. ‘For beneficiaries, this means more places to use their approved assistance and get the medicines they need without having to raise the covered amount themselves.’ VG Cabiag

The partnership will initially cover five Southstar Drug branches in Quezon City, mostly in barangay Holy Spirit and in Commonwealth.

Beneficiaries or their authorized representatives may present their DSWD-issued guarantee letter, a valid prescription when applicable, and other required supporting documents at these branches. Southstar Drug will verify the documents before dispensing the approved items.

Coverage include eligible medicines, medical supplies, medical devices and medical equipment, subject to the approved assistance, applicable regulations and product availability. Applicable senior citizen and persons with disability discounts will be observed.

Beginning with these five branches, the partnership has the potential to bring DSWD-supported medicine access to more communities through Southstar Drug’s pharmacy network.

ALEGISLATOR has filed a bill seeking to require the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) to develop a dedicated benefit package for the screening, diagnosis and treatment of postpartum mental health conditions.

Under House Bill 8617, Parañaque Rep. Brian Yamsuan aims to address the mental health challenges women face after childbirth, which are often overlooked or dismissed as a normal part of motherhood.

Yamsuan said his proposed legislation under House Bill 8617 addresses the mental health struggles of women after pregnancy, which are often neglected or dismissed as a natural occurrence of childbirth.

‘Postpartum depression, anxiety or stress should not simply be ignored. This is a vulnerable stage in a mother’s life. It is essential that they are not left to face these challenges alone,’ Yamsuan said.

He noted that while PhilHealth offers benefit packages for general and specialized mental health services, it does not have a dedicated package specifically covering the screening and diagnosis of postpartum mental health conditions.

To address this gap, HB 8617 proposes PhilHealth coverage for routine screening, diagnosis and treatment of postpartum mental health disorders, including postpartum blues, depression and psychosis.

The measure also directs the Department of Health (DOH) and PhilHealth to conduct a nationwide information campaign to raise public awareness of postpartum mental health concerns and promote access to available government support services.

‘We recently marked National Mental Health Week, but we hardly heard anything about postpartum mental health, which also deserves attention,’ Yamsuan said.

He said the proposed information campaign would educate mothers on the importance of postpartum care and inform them where to seek assistance, including through the PhilHealth benefit package envisioned under the bill.

Yamsuan said fear of stigma, judgment and expectations that mothers should remain strong and resilient often discourages women from seeking help for postpartum depression, anxiety and stress.

A study cited in the proposal found that at least three in five pregnant or postpartum Filipino women experienced clinically significant depressive symptoms. The study also indicated that younger women and single mothers face a higher risk of postpartum depression.

Meanwhile, surveys conducted among mothers in several government hospitals in the Philippines found varying rates of postpartum depression, ranging from 14.5 percent to 22.61 percent and as high as 32.8 percent.

THERE are a lot of talented actors in the entertainment business, but it takes more than talent to become a truly effective actor-passion is essential. It enables an actor to become truly connected with the roles he takes on and commits to, and this often results in an unforgettable performance that never fails to leave an impression on the audience.

Mon Confiado’s passion as an actor is truly unparalleled. He goes through great lengths just to become his character right after he commits to a project. Many of those who know Confiado, and those who have worked with him attest that he has the uncanny ability to transport himself to another world by becoming the character he portrays.

It took many years for Confiado to become that actor that he is-well-loved, highly-esteemed, even secretly envied. After four decades, he remains grateful for the many opportunities to work with production companies, actors, filmmakers and directors.

One big realization for Confiado through his evolution as an actor is that he can transform into an actor with a purpose: ‘Many actors I’ve worked with, especially the younger ones, set out to become professional actors with a common goal: get paid to act. Many newbies feel that acting can be a very lucrative career, and glamor and privileges come with it. That’s not entirely wrong. But many forget that acting involves hard work, dedication and commitment.

‘As I continue to mature in this business, I realized that being an actor can be a force for the greater good. The public is not aware that most actors are plagued with insecurities. And for good reason-we have little to no control over the practices and traditions of the larger system we are part of, our schedules, and sometimes even when we will be fully paid for our hard work. But we can be powerful when we learn to connect our work with a personal vision. Because we can shape and reshape mindsets. In a way, I believe that involvement in the arts can be a subversive way to effect social change and awareness.’

Confiado is also very aware of the power of real emotions in his chosen craft: ‘It may look easy for some but acting is more than just delivering your lines and hitting your marks. I always tell the younger generation of actors that it is a difficult art form that requires the ability to tap into one’s emotions and connect these with the character on a deeper level. You should always strive for authenticity, because it is what your audience most deeply and accurately resonates with. Whatever emotions your character is expected to show, it’s the depth and sincerity in these emotions that will ultimately translate to the audience.’ Research is also key in Confiado’s characterization process. He said, ‘You can’t act out something you do not know or understand. Whatever the character I’m playing has been through or is going through, it’s my job to get into his experiences as closely as I can.’

For his titular role in Paul Soriano’s The Fisher, which is currently on a nationwide theatrical release after it premiered at the Tokyo International Film Festival, Confiado spent a significant amount of time in a fishing village before the actual shoot. He lived with the fishermen, he talked to them, shared meals with them, asked questions and experienced living their lives on a daily basis. He went out to the sea to catch fish with them. ‘I always tell myself that I am portraying reality in every role I accept, and while that exists in the safe structure of make believe, it can be very real from the perspective of your audience,’ he shared.

Blessings continue to pour in for Confiado, who has never been busier. He is included in two entries for the Metro Manila Film Festival by year’s end: GMA Pictures’ Amir and Viva Entertainment’s 2nd Miracle in Cell #7. He was just declared national winner in the best supporting actor category at the Asian Academy Creative Awards for his wonderful performance in Lino Cayetano’s Salvageland. He continues to get acting nods for his role as Emilio Aguinaldo in Jerrold Tarrog’s Quezon. He is scheduled to shoot a film for a Japanese production next month. He is studying an offer for a new TV series while preparing for another dream role intended for an international streaming platform before the end of the year.

Mon Confiado is used to living in two realities-that of himself and those of his characters. He has mastered the art of temporarily letting go of his own personality, thoughts and emotional patterns to adopt those of the characters that he gives life to onscreen. Yet, as powerful as his many transformations can be, Confiado knows the importance of staying rooted in who he is. And that’s what makes him a truly great actor.

Indeed, the strongest performances come from those who understand that acting is not about escaping reality-it is about enlightening it. And the inimitable Mon Confiado certainly illuminates every performance he delivers, unfailingly and consistently.

GEN. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr., National Police (PNP) chief, on Thursday said that the service will recalibrate its intelligence and surveillance strategies to detect and dismantle smaller scam operations.

Nartatez ordered this shift in strategy following reports that illegal Philippines offshore gaming operators (Pogo) were shifting to rented houses in Metro Manila to evade authorities.

‘We are recalibrating our police strategy from broad-scale raids to surgical, intelligence-driven operations utilizing cyber-surveillance, high-bandwidth usage tracking, and community-level monitoring,’ Nartatez said in a statement.

The PNP chief said this is in-line with President Marcos Jr.’s orders to enforce the total ban on offshore gaming operations and prevent their resurgence under new disguises.

Earlier reports said law enforcement authorities are now tracking three active micro-scam hubs in Metro Manila.

These operations reportedly use small rented houses accommodating 10 to 20 people, a departure from the large compounds previously used to house thousands of workers.

Nartatez said the PNP was taking the evolving threat seriously and would work closely with other law enforcement agencies to prevent illegal operators from reestablishing their activities despite the nationwide ban on Pogos.

‘We take this evolving threat with absolute seriousness, and the PNP is working hand-in-hand with our law enforcement partners to dismantle these clandestine operations,’ he added.

‘While the total ban on Pogos neutralized massive compounds, these micro hubs represent desperate attempts to evade detection-attempts that our intelligence networks will aggressively hunt down and neutralize,’ the PNP chief said.

The reported emergence of smaller operations came after the October 2 raid on a suspected scam hub in Zamboanga Sibugay, which resulted in the arrest and rescue of 244 foreigners, mostly Chinese.

Nartatez also stressed that the PNP would pursue accountability for any personnel found to be involved in or providing protection to illegal scam operations after reports surfaced that dismissed police officers and military personnel were being used as henchmen in the operation of micro-scam hubs.

For decades, the national budget has been the country’s most efficient instrument of legalized plunder. This week, the Supreme Court finally said it out loud. (Read the BusinessMirror story: SC tags ’24, ’25 budgets as unconstitutional, October 20, 2026).

In a sweeping decision penned by Associate Justice Marvic Leonen, the SC struck down the 2024 and 2025 General Appropriations Acts as unconstitutional and gutted key provisions of the 2026 GAA. The reasoning is as simple as it is damning: Congress has been padding the President’s budget, and the padding has a price-P449.5 billion in 2024 alone, plus P17.99 billion more for the DPWH’s Special Road Fund in 2025.

The Court’s core holding is clean. Article VI, Section 25(1) forbids Congress from increasing the total appropriations the President recommends in the Budget of Expenditures and Sources of Financing. That ceiling covers programmed and unprogrammed appropriations combined. Congress blew straight through it.

But the ruling’s real contribution is not arithmetic. It is diagnosis.

Unprogrammed appropriations were meant to be a modest contingency- six to 12 purposes between 1989 and 2018. By 2024, the Bicameral Conference Committee had stuffed them with 43 new programs and projects worth P303.11 billion, ballooning UAs from P282 billion in the President’s proposal to P732 billion. That is not budgeting. That is a slush fund in legal costume. The Court’s phrase-that Congress ‘severely distorted the budget’ to create ‘artificial fiscal space’-belongs in every future hearing.

Worse, the Court found that ‘Strengthening Assistance for Government Infrastructure and Social Programs’ (SAGIP) was a prohibited lump-sum appropriation, a ‘covert repository’ for DPWH flood control projects, because it handed the Executive post-enactment power to decide where money goes-a power the Constitution vests in Congress.

This is a familiar disease. Each time one pork barrel falls, another rises wearing a new acronym. The Priority Development Assistance Fund was struck down. The Disbursement Acceleration Program was struck down. Now SAGIP. The mechanism mutates; the appetite never does.

The Court also indicted the process itself. The Bicameral Conference Committee kept no records, explained no increases or decreases, and submitted no supporting documents-in violation of its own rules. A body that rewrites a multi-trillion-peso law behind closed doors, then explains nothing, is not legislating. It is dividing the spoils.

So what now? The Court applied the doctrine of operative fact to the 2024 and 2025 budgets, meaning money already spent stays spent. Convenient for the spenders. P449.5 billion flowed through channels now declared unconstitutional, and beneficiaries keep their windfall if they acted in good faith. That is the ruling’s soft spot-and its largest one.

But here is the opening. The doctrine, the SC stressed, ‘does not shield authors, proponents, or implementors from criminal, civil, or administrative liability.’ Read carefully, that is an invitation. The justices have handed the Ombudsman and the Commission on Audit a map. The question is whether they will follow it, or whether the political departments will do what they always do-shrug, rename the fund, and move on.

The permanent injunction against the 2026 GAA’s Special Provisions 1(a) and (b) is a start. But injunctions fade from public memory long before the next election. The petitioners-the late Edcel Lagman, Koko Pimentel, Edgar Erice, Leila de Lima-spent years being dismissed as noisy. They were right.

The Court’s closing words deserve to be carved above every budget deliberation: the GAA ‘has never been a catalogue of licenses to abuse or to steal.’ For too long, it has been exactly that. The justices have now drawn a line. The rest of us-voters, auditors, prosecutors-must hold it, or watch Congress redraw it with a new acronym.

FLAGGING the risks in the 360-hectare ‘Smart City’ development project by SM Prime Holdings Inc. in Pasay City, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) is proposing a $500-million loan to the listed firm’s subsidiary.

The proposed corporate loan will be extended to SM Smart City Infrastructure and Development Corp. to support the development of roads, bridges, water and power infrastructure, wastewater facilities and stormwater, and flood management systems.

The financing will also cover coastal protection structures, including revetments and wave walls, as well as public open spaces, landscaping, smart city provisions, nature-based solutions, and working capital.

The infrastructure will be built on reclaimed land along Manila Bay, which the ADB noted is an ‘environmentally-sensitive coastal area where reclamation activities are subject to heightened regulatory scrutiny and stakeholder attention.’

The lender classified the project as having ‘substantial’ environmental and social risks, citing potential impacts involving labor and working conditions, pollution prevention, community health and safety, biodiversity, climate change, and stakeholder engagement.

While the project has secured environmental approvals under Philippine requirements, the ADB said the existing environmental assessments do not fully address all requirements of its Environmental and Social Framework.

To address these gaps, the ADB said the borrower agreed to strengthen its environmental and social management system, prepare supplementary environmental and social impact assessments and management plans, update existing plans covering remaining reclamation and coastal protection works, and develop a land acquisition plan.

It also committed to enhancing the firm’s ‘Stakeholder Engagement Plan.’

The project is expected to generate employment during land development, as well as improve access to urban infrastructure and essential services for future workers, residents, entrepreneurs, and the general public.

The ADB has set November 25, 2026, as the target approval date for the proposed financing.

THE Department of Budget and Management (DBM) confirmed Thursday that zero funds have been released under the 2026 budget provisions recently struck down by the Supreme Court.

Budget Secretary Kim Robert de Leon assured lawmakers during Senate Finance subcommittee hearings on DBM’s proposed P3.1-billion budget for 2027 that no disbursements were charged against Special Provisions 1(a) and 1(b) of the 2026 General Appropriations Act (GAA).

‘So far, we haven’t charged anything against 1(a) and 1(b) for 2026,’ de Leon said, adding that only foreign-assisted projects under unprogrammed funds have seen releases.

The Supreme Court recently invalidated key portions of the 2024 and 2025 national budgets after Congress added funds beyond the President’s recommended National Expenditure Program-including a P449.5-billion hike in 2024 unprogrammed funds and P17.99 billion for DPWH’s Special Road Fund in 2025.

In the same decision, the High Court declared Special Provisions 1(a) and (b) of the 2026 GAA unconstitutional, while setting clearer ground rules for future compliance.

THE total monetary value of the Philippines’s commercially recoverable energy reserves rose by 3.2 percent last year, data released by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) on Thursday showed.

Based on the PSA’s Energy Asset Accounts, the combined value of the country’s Class A coal, oil, natural gas and condensate reserves reached P295.04 billion in 2025, up from P285.80 billion in 2024.

The PSA defines Class A reserves as ‘commercially recoverable energy resources confirmed to be economically viable under a defined development project or operation.’

Despite the increase in their total value, the four non-renewable energy resources accounted for a smaller share of gross domestic product (GDP), at 0.15 percent or P42.92 billion in 2025, down from 0.16 percent a year earlier.

Coal accounted for the largest share of the total monetary value of energy reserves, with Class A coal reserves valued at P253.31 billion in 2025, up by 2.3 percent from P246.79 billion in 2024.

The value of Class A natural gas reserves rose by 38.5 percent to P27.04 billion in 2025 from P19.53 billion a year earlier. Class A oil reserves also increased by 38.5 percent to P1.80 billion from P1.30 billion.

In contrast, the value of Class A condensate reserves fell by 25.4 percent to P12.89 billion in 2025 from P17.29 billion in 2024.

In terms of physical stock, Class A coal reserves increased by 15.1 percent to 445.73 million metric tons (MT) in 2025 from 387.17 million MT a year earlier.

Coal extraction, however, also increased, rising by 22.8 percent to 21.68 million MT in 2025 from 17.66 million MT in 2024.

Meanwhile, Class A natural gas reserves declined by 15.9 percent to 195 billion standard cubic feet (scf) in 2025 from 232 billion scf in 2024. Natural gas extraction also fell by 9.6 percent to 63.56 billion scf from 70.34 billion scf.

Class A condensate reserves dropped by 16.7 percent to 5 million barrels in 2025 from 6 million barrels a year earlier. Its extraction likewise declined by 8.4 percent to 1.59 million barrels from 1.73 million barrels.

In contrast, Class A oil reserves increased by 4.6 percent to 434,000 barrels in 2025 from 415,000 barrels in 2024, which the PSA attributed to upward reappraisals. Oil extraction, however, decreased by 10.9 percent to 399,010 barrels from 447,860 barrels.

THE Monetary Board decided to raise the key interest rate for the fourth time in a row this year-opting, however, for a larger-than-usual increment this time as it saw the urgency to contain recent ‘unforeseen’ developments on prices, with El Niño’s peak still to come.

At its monetary policy meeting on Thursday, the Monetary Board, the highest policy-making body of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) decided to raise the central bank’s Target Reverse Repurchase (RRP) Rate by 50 basis points to 5.50 percent.

The interest rates on the overnight deposit and lending facilities were adjusted to 5 percent and 6 percent, respectively.

‘Sense of urgency’

BSP Governor and MB Chairman Eli M. Remolona, Jr. explained that worse-than-expected numbers prompted the MB to raise the key interest rate by 50 basis points at its October 22 rate-setting meeting-an increment that is larger than the quarter-point hike per meeting delivered by the MB in its first three scheduled meetings for the year.

‘There was…because the numbers we were looking at, the forecasts, were worse than we thought. So there were surprising developments on prices. So there was a bit of a sense of urgency to try to dampen these inflationary pressures,’ Remolona said.

Explaining these ‘surprising developments’ further, Zeno Ronald R. Abenoja, the central bank’s Deputy Governor of the Monetary and Economics Sector, revealed: ‘We have observed some unforeseen events that occurred in the third quarter of this year.’

These events, he emphasized, ‘could be a manifestation of the beginning of the El Niño event.’ Abenoja added: ‘And the peak is still to come.’

‘So to some extent we have considered those,’ the BSP deputy governor said.

While a ‘confluence of factors’ were incorporated in the MB’s latest policy action, Remolona emphasized that ‘the biggest risk at the moment is El Niño.’

Abenoja explained that there are several dimensions where El Niño can impact domestic inflation.

‘The loss in…or weaker domestic production of palay, for example, or higher international prices or extreme weather events that affect production. Although there will be dry conditions, it’s possible that there could be stronger typhoons that could affect food prices,’ added the central bank deputy governor.

Elevated inflation in 2027

The central bank updated its inflation forecasts based on the actual developments in the market and in the economy, as well as new information that became available.

For 2026, the forecast is still 6.1 percent average inflation. For 2027, however, the forecast had been revised upwards to 6 percent, from the 5.4-percent inflation forecast pegged during the August 27 rate-setting meeting.

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By 2028, the central bank sees inflation returning to its target, as it expects inflation to settle at 3.3 percent.

Inflation could rise further in Q4

With the average inflation forecast for 2026 at 6.1 percent and the actual numbers for the first nine months of the year at about 5.4 percent, Abenoja said this means the inflation rate ‘could continue to increase in the last quarter of 2026.’

The central bank said inflation is seen to accelerate further in the coming months.

‘Average headline inflation is expected to remain high in 2027 and approach our 3.0-percent target in 2028. Core inflation is likewise projected to continue to rise, indicating underlying price pressures,’ the BSP said.

‘Renewed tensions in the Middle East have driven global oil prices higher. Upside risks to inflation have materialized with the recent increase in transportation fares. El Niño conditions also continue to pose a risk to agricultural production and prices,’ the central bank also noted in its statement.

The Monetary Board recognized the need for a ‘strong’ monetary policy response to broadening price pressures and further upside risks to inflation.

Such a ‘decisive response,’ it added, will make monetary policy ‘appropriately restrictive.’

‘This will contain second-round effects and firmly anchor inflation expectations,’ added the BSP.

The BSP said it stands ready to take further monetary policy action as necessary to ‘ensure the timely return of inflation to the target, in keeping with our price stability mandate.’

The MB has raised the key interest rate by a total of 125 basis points since the start of the conflict in the Middle East on February 28, delivering three separate quarter-point rate hikes at the Monetary Board’s rate-setting meetings held on April 23, June 18, and August 27; and a separate half-point rate hike on October 22.

Acolor-shifting crest, a Hedwig-inspired camera deco, and a few surprises still under wraps.

Filipino Potterheads, check your windowsills. The realme 16 Pro 5G Harry Potter Edition is headed to the Philippines, and it takes the theming well past a wallpaper pack and a themed case.

That becomes clear the moment you turn the phone over. The Hogwarts Four-House Crest sits on a 3D diamond-pattern leather finish inspired by the wizard chessboard. Under UV light, all four house colors appear at once, a world-first effect realme calls Quadra Light-Sensing Color-changing Tech. A Hedwig-inspired camera deco in aluminum alloy frames the lenses, and ‘Welcome to Hogwarts’ is laser-engraved on the mid-frame, all within an 8.47mm body.

The magic doesn’t stop at the hardware. Switch the phone on and it carries through the software, with a Hogwarts Castle wallpaper, a Harry Potter-inspired boot animation, a fingerprint animation that sends acceptance letters flying, and more than 30 redesigned app icons.

Under the spellwork, the phone is a capable one. It features the industry’s first TÜV-certified 200MP LumaColor Camera, a 7000mAh Titan Battery with 80W fast charging, and a 144Hz FHD+ AMOLED display, plus an IP69 Pro Dust and Water Resistance for the less magical moments.

Then there’s the packaging. The limited edition gift box is styled as a Hogwarts acceptance kit, and there’s a hidden surprise tucked inside that we’re not spoiling yet.

The owl is already in flight. Stay tuned for the full reveal, including pricing and availability.