Category: Philippine Star

Five senior high school students drowned after they were swept away by the current in a river in Roseller T. Lim, Zamboanga Sibugay on Thursday.

The bodies of Kizzy Aganon, Myka Baynosa, Dave Cahilig, Jia Fernandez and Hannah Karanain were recovered at the downstream of the river located in Barangay New Antique.

The victims were students of the Surabay National High School.

Six of their classmates – Rodel Boguillon, Wendell Cabucos, Reymark Dacuba, James Empas, Jannisher Salipmuksin and Jonhry Talledo – were rescued by members of the Bureau of Fire Protection and the local police.

The students reportedly skipped classes and went to the river.

Authorities said rainwater from a nearby mountain cascaded toward the river and swept the students away.

Meanwhile, in Abra, a South Korean missionary and a Filipino pastor drowned in a river in Boliney on Thursday.

Zosimo Gaano reportedly tried to rescue Hye Sook Byeon, but they were both swept away by the current in the Ikmin River in Barangay Poblacion.

Byeon’s body was retrieved at past 2 p.m. in Sitio Paak, while Gaano was found four hours later in nearby Barangay Bantay in Sallapadan town.

The Philippine National Volleyball Federation (PNVF) apologized for the supposed lack of support raised by Alas Pilipinas men volleyball star Bryan Bagunas.

Bagunas, following Alas’ three-set defeat against South Korea on Sunday, revealed that the team has not received their allowances since July, which he said pushed some of his teammates to borrow money just so they could train.

‘Naitindihan ko naman kasi most of the players naman is student-athlete. So, yun. Talaga nagtulong-tulungan lang kami para makapag-ensayo kami yung kompleto,’ Bagunas said in an interview.

‘Siyempre, pati dito, naging allowance lang namin is from the PSC (Philippine Sports Commission). Other than that, wala na. As in, sarili-sarili na. Minsan, kami na yung gumagastos ng lunch namin, pagkain namin. Kasi hindi na kami maabot sa meal eh, kasi yung training namin is alanganin sa time ng meal time sa hotel,’ he added.

The volleyball star stressed that it is ‘saddening’ for them, especially since they represent the country in the Asiad.

In a statement also on Sunday, PNVF Executive Director Miguel Suarez apologized for the difficulties the national athletes are experiencing.

‘Our athletes have dedicated themselves to representing our country, and they deserve nothing less than the full support of the Federation,’ the statement read.

The PNVF bared that since President Frank Lao assumed leadership of the federation, he ‘inherited a federation burdened with substantial financial liabilities and outstanding obligations.’

‘While there have been reports of funding received by the PNVF from various sources, the current leadership is in the midst of a comprehensive inventory and accounting of its financial records, including reconciling funds previously received and determining their corresponding disbursements,’ the PNVF said.

‘We remain committed to establishing a clear and accurate picture of the Federation’s financial position and ensuring transparency and accountability in the management of its resources. However, we cannot allow the challenges of the past to prevent us from addressing the urgent needs of our athletes today.’

Lao then advanced funds to address the immediate concerns of the national teams, which included the allowances of the men’s national team, as well as the ticketing and visa requirements for the Asiad participation, according to the PNVF.

‘Furthermore, when the National Team requested an additional round-trip ticket for one of its members, the Federation accommodated the request. These are among the measures undertaken by the current leadership to address the immediate needs of our athletes while working toward more sustainable solutions,’ it said.

‘Nevertheless, we agree with Mr. Bagunas. These efforts are not enough. Under the leadership of President Frank Lao, PNVF is committed to rebuilding the Federation, strengthening its financial accountability, and establishing a system that provides our athletes with the support they rightfully deserve,’ it added.

‘We intend to learn from them, address the problems before us, and ensure that they do not continue to burden our athletes. We recognize that rebuilding trust requires more than words. It requires concrete action, accountability, and a genuine commitment to putting our athletes first.’

The federation said that the athletes ‘deserve better, Philippine volleyball deserves better. And we will work tirelessly to deliver better.’

The Philippines will return to action on Monday, facing off against China at the Park Arena Komaki in Japan.

There is a remarkable amount packed into Tanghalang Pilipino’s ongoing production of “Sayaw ng mga Ilaw”: a child’s story of losing her father, a family’s experience of grief and a painful chapter of Philippine history that still stands, quite literally, in the city around us.

Adapted from Cheeno Marlo Sayuno’s award-winning children’s book, the production follows Laya, alternated by Wincess Jem Yana and Anika Co, who wants to learn Pandanggo from her sister Kala, played by Ynna Rafa. Their father, played by Noel Rayos, is a construction worker at the Manila Film Center. But one day, he does not come home.

Director Jonathan Tadioan, Juan Ekis and the creative team avoid turning the story into a straightforward history lesson. Instead, they build it through movement, music, dance and a child trying to understand why her father is gone.

A world built in motionWhat makes the staging work is how much of the storytelling happens through the performers themselves. Benches and wooden poles become the construction site, bodies become workers and crowds, while pieces of fabric become costumes or part of the setting. The performers constantly move through the space and change it as the story unfolds.

The production also makes good use of Tanghalang Ignacio Gimenez itself.

Instead of keeping the action on a central stage, it places the main playing area to one side and uses the spaces around it. Performers move beyond the main stage, making the whole theater feel like part of the story. At times, especially for those seated close to the main playing area, following the action means turning your head to catch what is happening elsewhere in the space, reinforcing the production’s approach to staging and asking the audience to look around and take in the world being built around them.

This is especially effective in the construction scenes, where stacks of benches and wooden poles create a sense of danger. The enormous Filipiniana skirt that spills across the floor adds another layer of tension, as performers have to move around and through it, with even the possibility of tripping becoming part of the precariousness of the space.

All of this also demands a lot from the ensemble, and the performers meet that demand with remarkable commitment.

There is a strong sense of togetherness in the way they move, sing and build the world around Laya. Yana and Co bring childhood curiosity and vulnerability to Laya, while Rafa gives Kala the warmth of an older sister who is also carrying her own grief. Rayos makes Laya’s father feel like more than a symbol of the tragedy, while Shiela Valderrama brings warmth to the mother and stands out with her neat vocals.

When dance carries the story

The music gives “Sayaw ng mga Ilaw” much of its warmth, allowing the tenderness of family life and childhood wonder to exist alongside the story’s grief.

At the center of it is “Pandanggo sa Ilaw,” which begins simply enough with Laya wanting to learn the dance from Kala. As her story unfolds, the dance takes on the weight of memory. The opening and closing Pandanggo sequences bookend that transformation, with the performers carrying lights through carefully choreographed movements that grow increasingly poignant as the meaning behind them becomes clearer.

The production also treats Filipino dance as a dramatic language. Bodies, gestures and formations convey relationships, tension and emotion, often without dialogue. Traditional movement is woven into the larger physical vocabulary of the production, giving the dance a role in telling the story rather than simply decorative.

Building history onstage

The production’s visual design is a masterclass in making every element of the stage carry meaning.

Designed by Marco Viaña, the enormous gray Filipiniana that dominates the stage is grand, almost like an editorial cartoon of the Marcos era brought to life. It immediately evokes the spectacle of the period’s ‘edifice complex,’ but its meaning keeps shifting as the story unfolds, gradually carrying the weight of the people whose labor and lives were buried beneath that grandeur.

The skirt spills across the floor, wraps around the playing space and rises overhead to become a screen for projected historical footages from Ferdinand Marcos Sr.’s regime. Flickering lights and garments suspended overhead, at times descending into the playing space, add to the sense of lives caught between presence and absence.

That is the power of Viaña’s design: nothing feels merely decorative. The Filipiniana can suggest celebration and national spectacle, but it can also become a monument, a screen and a reminder of what lies beneath the grandeur.

Today, the Manila Film Center may simply be another imposing building along Roxas Boulevard, but through Laya’s story and this remarkable visual world, we are reminded of the ambition that built it, the people who paid the price for it and the history that should not be forgotten.

Bringing history into the light

Perhaps what “Sayaw ng mga Ilaw” does most meaningfully is make history personal.

By the final Pandanggo, the dance Laya once wanted to learn has acquired an entirely different meaning: what began as a lesson from her sister became a way for Laya to hold on to the memories of loss.

“Pandanggo sa Ilaw” is traditionally associated with fishermen, with its lights serving as guides through the darkness. In “Sayaw ng mga Ilaw,” that image takes on a personal meaning as Laya finds her way through a loss she is still too young to understand, while the play brings attention back to the workers, families and lives forever changed by the Manila Film Center tragedy.

For a relatively short production, “Sayaw ng mga Ilaw” manages to hold so much: a family story, a history lesson, a celebration of Filipino movement and a meditation on grief and memory. More impressively, its music, dance, performances, lighting, projections, design and use of space never feel like separate pieces, but work seamlessly together to turn the entire theater into part of the story.

If anything, this production proves that a short material can still leave a long shadow. Through its many theatrical elements, it turns a painful history into an experience that is precise, imaginative and deeply human. And just like the lights that guide Laya through her grief, Sayaw ng mga Ilaw can guide a new generation toward the people and stories buried in our history, bringing them back into the light and ensuring that their memory never dims.

“Sayaw ng mga Ilaw” runs until October 11, 2026.

After decades of exploration, scientists have discovered a potential source of uranium in Camarines Norte, which may prove beneficial as the country explores transitioning to nuclear energy.

Researchers from the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (PNRI), the University of the Philippines and the Akita University in Japan found high concentrations of uranium at the Bessemer area located within the Larap-Paracale mining district in Jose Panganiban town.

Scientists have been exploring uranium in the district since the 1950s.

Uranium concentrate, known as ‘yellowcake,’ is an intermediate material used in the nuclear fuel cycle.

The study came amid the country’s target to increase by 1,200 megawatts its nuclear capacity in 2032 and 2,400 MW in 2035.

The PNRI clarified the discovery covers only the surface area, but may open the door for more studies to determine whether the uranium resource has ‘potential economic significance.’

‘Such work will include detailed geological, radiometric and geophysical surveys followed by systematic drilling and analysis of drill cores,’ the nuclear research agency said in a statement.

‘If drilling establishes a significant resource, more studies will still be conducted to assess mining and processing economics, environmental and radiological impacts, regulatory requirements and community considerations before any possible development,’ the PNRI said.

There is still a long way to go before the Bessemer area can enable the Philippines to produce nuclear fuel on its own, scientists said.

For the PNRI, the endeavor shows that Filipino scientists are rebuilding the capability to understand a domestic uranium occurrence.

Working his way back to form over the last two years, Zanieboy Gialon returns to the very venue where he last tasted victory, hoping to put everything together again when the ICTSI Iloilo Golf Challenge blasts off Tuesday, September 29, at the Iloilo Golf and Country Club.

Gialon ended a two-year title drought the last time the Philippine Golf Tour visited the country’s oldest golf course, then known as Santa Barbara, in 2024. He turned what was expected to be a tight, furious finish into a runaway six-shot victory over Angelo Que and Ira Alido.

Now, two years removed from that successful week in Iloilo, the 37-year-old Davao del Sur native finds himself in a familiar position: contending again, but still searching for that elusive next victory.

He has threatened in several tournaments during the current season, only to fall short when it mattered most. But his latest showing in last week’s ICTSI Negros Occidental Classic could provide the boost he needs heading back to a course where he has already proven he can win.

Gialon finished solo fourth at Marapara, staying in contention deep into the final round with a two-under 33 on the front nine. He, however, could not sustain the charge, settling for a closing 35 and a 68 to finish three shots behind champion Art Arbole.

The result nevertheless marked another encouraging performance for Gialon, who also posted a Top 5 finish at Caliraya Springs, the site of his 2022 triumph. His other results have been less consistent, including a missed cut at Lakewood, a tie for 15th at Pinewoods, a joint 15th at Pradera and a share of 24th at Summit Point.

But the Marapara performance could be particularly significant heading to Iloilo.

Like the Marapara layout, Iloilo is tight and tricky, with doglegs and hazards that demand patience and sound decision-making. Aggressive play can yield rewards, but misplaced attacks can prove costly on a course where trouble lurks around virtually every corner.

That should suit Gialon as he seeks to rekindle the form that carried him to his emphatic victory here two years ago.

He will need it, however, with a stellar cast of rivals bringing their own missions to the P2.5-million championship organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments Inc.

Que, the reigning Order of Merit champion, is chasing a third victory of the season as he seeks to strengthen his bid for back-to-back OOM crowns. The three-time Asian Tour winner has already ruled at Caliraya and Summit Point, although he settled for a joint 12th-place finish in Negros.

Que could point to fatigue after competing in Taiwan before returning to the Philippines, leaving him little time to practice and reacquaint himself with the Marapara layout. With a full week of rest and preparation, he looms as one of the players to watch from the opening tee shot.

Arbole, meanwhile, heads to Iloilo looking to build on the momentum of his breakthrough victory at Negros. After a 14-year wait for his first professional title, the veteran finally found the formula that had eluded him for much of his career.

Jhonnel Ababa also comes in with something to prove after fading late against Arbole in Negros and settling for third, extending his own title drought to two years.

Young and hungry Jeffren Lumbo, who finished second to Arbole, will likewise be chasing a follow-up to his breakthrough triumph at South Pacific last year, where he outdueled Russell Bautista in a dramatic five-hole playoff.

Also in the hunt are proven winners Clyde Mondilla, Tony Lascuña, Rupert Zaragosa, Guido van der Valk and Jaraula, while Bautista continues his pursuit of the elusive victory. (Pool story)

Last week saw another fatal drunk driving incident. A man was driving along Gen. Maxilom Avenue when he fell asleep at the wheel and struck a couple.

The woman was caught under the vehicle and run over; her American boyfriend was thrown some distance away.

The driver then woke up and drove to the Osmeña Rotunda where he was stopped by a barangay tanod who said he had hit someone. To his credit, he did go back to the scene of the accident to check what had happened, but the damage had been done as the woman was later declared dead.

A breathalyzer test showed that he was legally too drunk to be driving at the time.

This wasn’t the only drunk driving incident this month. Two weeks ago the father of a town mayor got into what seemed like a demolition derby after ramming several motorcycles and even a bakery trying to escape from barangay tanods along V. Rama Avenue.

Also two weeks ago, two drivers suspected of being drunk, decided to race in Banilad, Cebu City, and ended up killing a call center agent crossing the pedestrian lane at the time.

Last July, a drunk driver didn’t just counter-flow and plow through a traffic sign in Barangay Basak, Lapu-Lapu City, he hit one of the two children sitting on the sign. Fortunately, the boy survived.

But this wasn’t the case last February also in Barangay Banilad, Cebu City, when a drunk driver hit a car, then hit a young businessman walking nearby as he tried to flee the accident, before finally totaling his own car.

It would seem that drunk driving incidents, formerly a rarity in Cebu, are becoming more common.

Did something change to bring on this attitude in some of our drivers? Are they not taught during driving school that drinking and driving shouldn’t mix? Are smarter cars giving rise to dumber drivers? Or are there simply just more places to drink on the way home than there used to be?

More importantly, are drivers not deterred enough by the penalties of existing laws against drunk driving?

Until we definitively know why such cases are on the rise, we suspect they will keep happening.

Caesarian madness is the translation of the German word Cäsarenwahn. Wahn means insanity, chimera, hallucination, lunatic absurdity and frantic outburst. I think two contemporary tyrants are stricken with the disease: Putin and Trump. Both of them have started wars. Putin about 10 and Trump two. For what reasons do tyrants launch wars? For resource gains? Yes, Putin wants the fertile Ukrainian plains, their precious metal ores, industry complexes and ports. Trump wants the oil of Venezuela and Iran.

For security reasons: Putin makes his people believe the myth that the ‘West’ wants to invade Russia. On that pretense he launched a preemptive war. I try to uncover the real motives. Trump knows that Iran’s Mullah regime is subverting the Middle East, Israel in particular, but not the United States. In his campaign he had promised: America first and no new wars. However, he launched his army against a nation that is exactly on the other side of the globe. It is contradictory. There must be other motives.

Putin and Trump both have the desire to extend their nations’ borders. Putin wants to restitute the defunct Soviet Union and Trump wants to incorporate Greenland and Canada. Both want to leave a lasting legacy and be mentioned in history books as glorious heroes venerated by their peoples in all future. They are looking for military glory to legitimize their rule. Another aspect of Caesarian madness is personality cult. The zenith of it is reached when the afflicted person believes to stand in a special relation to the deity or even considers himself to be God. That applies to Trump who has erected a golden statue of himself and a triumph arc. His name is on his Trump Towers and was on the Kennedy Center. He posted Artificial Intelligence images of himself as Jesus and the Pope. Putin in contrary has avoided erecting any monument in his honor, but his personality cult is visible in the mass media, political rallies and world-wide propaganda.

Hormones have a profound influence on the psychological and physical mechanisms that drive aggressive, dominant and risk-taking behaviors, which are characteristic of warmongers. A heightened testosterone level amplifies aggressive impulses and reduces empathy. Hormones do not just cause behavior, behaviors also shape hormone levels.

Studies show that individuals who win a competition or conflict experience a rise in testosterone, reinforcing their dominance and the will to knock out anyone weaker than them. Some scientists hold that baseline tendencies are inborn and develop at some point in childhood or puberty. Putin has eliminated his political rivals through forced exile, imprisonment and suspicious deaths. His successes in enriching himself as deputy mayor of St. Petersburg have whetted his ambition for more power. He became president. Trump’s election successes went to his head. He believes in having a mandate to destroy all obstacles hindering his vision of America as the ‘hottest’ and mightiest country.

Both ‘alpha’ males are ruining their respective country. And both of them do not see the chaos they are causing. They live in a fake information bubble. Putin listens to people who are afraid to tell him the truth. Trump trusts his MAGA sycophants. And when the truth comes out irrefutably they ignore it. They decide to construct a ‘parallel world’ where they can live their illusions. They declare victory although there is only defeat. They indulge in chimeras because admitting defeat is unbearable. They suffer not from the weight of their guilt but from the vague dawning that their enemy is stronger. So they lie to themselves until they believe their own lies. That’s madness.

Commuters will pay higher fares for public utility jeepneys starting Monday, September 28, with fare increases also taking effect for buses, airport taxis, transport network vehicle services and point-to-point buses.

For traditional jeepneys, the fare for the first four kilometers will increase from P13 to P14, with an additional P2 for every succeeding kilometer.

For modern jeepneys, the fare for the first four kilometers will rise from P15 to P17, with an additional P2.40 for every succeeding kilometer.

The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) announced the new rates in an advisory posted Saturday after the Department of Transportation (DOTr) approved the LTFRB’s recommendation to implement the fare increases.

Bus fares

For Metro Manila and city buses, the new fares are:

P15 for the first five kilometers for ordinary buses

P18 for the first five kilometers for airconditioned buses

P2.49 for every succeeding kilometer for ordinary buses

P2.98 for every succeeding kilometer for airconditioned buses

For provincial buses, the fare for the first five kilometers of ordinary buses will be P12.

For every succeeding kilometer, the rates will be:

P2.20 for ordinary buses

P2.45 for airconditioned buses

P2.60 for deluxe buses

P2.70 for super deluxe buses

P3.35 for luxury buses

Taxi, TNVS fares

Airport taxi fares will also increase to P115 for the first 500 meters.

There will be no change in the charge for every succeeding 300 meters and every two minutes.

For TNVS, the new base fares are:

P55 for hatchbacks

P65 for sedans

P75 for AUVs/SUVs

P165 for premium vehicles

The pick-up fare will be P15 per kilometer.

P2P, UV Express fares

Point-to-point buses will implement a 15% increase based on the existing fare for each route.

The LTFRB also announced provisional fare increases for UV Express vehicles and taxis.

For UV Express, the provisional increases are:

P2.60 per kilometer for traditional UV Express

P3 per kilometer for modern UV Express

For taxis, the provisional flag-down rates are:

P65 for regular taxis

P80 for Premium Silver Taxi Service

P95 for Premium Gold Taxi Service

Public transport operators are required to display the updated fare matrix inside their vehicles before collecting the new fares.

The fare increases were previously approved but their implementation had been suspended. The DOTr subsequently approved the LTFRB’s recommendation to lift the suspension.

The new approved fares for jeepneys, buses, airport taxis, TNVS and point-to-point buses will take effect on September 28.

Given his chance to shine, Sean Ramos did not blink.

The 22-year-old Filipino rising star embraced the pressure, produced an eagle-fueled closing 65, and held off a furious charge from Denmark’s August Thor Host to capture the Egypt Golf Series 13 crown by one at the Madinaty Golf Club on Saturday – his first Asian Development Tour title and second professional victory.

Ramos closed with an 18-under 262, posting rounds of 67, 64, 66 and 65 in a week that tested both his game and his nerve. He finished with two eagles and 19 birdies against just five bogeys on the par-70, Robert Trent Jones-designed layout.

But the numbers only partly tell the story.

What stood out was the way Ramos responded when the moment demanded it most.

‘I’m still shaking, actually. I can’t really feel anything right now,’ said Ramos after the victory. ‘I’ve been shaking since the last five holes, I think. But yeah, obviously very happy and thankful that I was able to get my first win internationally.’

He had every reason to feel the pressure.

Ramos had already endured the disappointment of narrowly missing out on retaining his Asian Tour card at the end of the 2025 season, losing it by only a few points. Instead of allowing the setback to derail him, he went back to work, shuttling between Asian Tour and ADT events to sharpen his game and raise his level against stronger international competition.

That persistence is now paying off.

His breakthrough professional victory came at home at Lakewood in 2024, where he outlasted Reymon Jaraula by two strokes. He subsequently contended in other Philippine Golf Tour events, but his schedule increasingly took him overseas as he pursued a return to the region’s premier circuit.

The grind finally produced the breakthrough he had been chasing.

Before his victory in Egypt, Ramos had already posted runner-up finishes at the Ever Glory ADT Open in Taiwan and the ADT Players Championship presented by The RandA in Malaysia. The Egypt triumph, meanwhile, has all but secured his return to the Asian Tour.

More importantly, it has put him in position to contend for the ADT Order of Merit title.

Ramos vaulted to No. 2 in the standings with $52,861 in earnings, including the $21,875 (P1.4 million) winner’s prize he collected this week. Malaysia’s Khavish Varadan remains on top with $64,883, but Ramos has a clear opportunity to overtake him in the next leg.

With Varadan skipping the penultimate ADT event, a victory or runner-up finish in this week’s Egypt Golf Series 14 – again at Madinaty – would move Ramos to the top of the standings.

For now, though, the title was won the hard way.

Tied with Sam Rook after the middle rounds, Ramos stumbled early in the final round with a bogey on No. 2. But rather than let the mistake linger, he immediately answered with back-to-back birdies on Nos. 3 and 4 before producing the shot that changed the complexion of the tournament – a clutch eagle on the par-5 ninth.

He made the turn in 33 and seized solo control.

Host, three strokes behind in joint fifth at the start of the day, was mounting a serious challenge of his own. The Dane also bogeyed No. 2 but responded spectacularly, stringing together birdies and an eagle on No. 5 to make the turn in a blistering 30 and pull level with Ramos at 16-under.

The duel was suddenly on.

But Ramos refused to give ground.

He came roaring out of the back nine, birdieing three of his first four holes and creating enough breathing room to withstand Host’s late charge. Even when Ramos dropped a shot at the last, his earlier work had given him the cushion he needed.

Host, meanwhile, would not go quietly.

He birdied the final two holes to finish with a 63, gaining three strokes over the closing stretch. But it was not enough. His 263 left him one behind Ramos and one short of forcing a playoff.

The decisive moment came on the demanding par-4 18th.

Knowing he had a two-shot lead, Ramos chose to lay up. His 50-degree wedge, however, came out poorly, pulling nearly 20 yards left of the green. Suddenly, the margin for error had disappeared.

The young Filipino did not panic.

He calmly scrambled his way out of trouble, getting up and down for the bogey he needed to secure the championship.

‘Thankfully, a bogey was all I needed, and I was able to do that,’ said Ramos. ‘The winning putt felt so good. It still doesn’t feel real. I’m just letting it sink in.’

That final-hole sequence perhaps summed up Ramos’ week: aggressive when he needed to be, disciplined when the situation called for it, and composed enough to finish the job when the pressure was at its highest.

It was also a glimpse of what the Filipino game may have in store.

At 22, Ramos is still early in his professional journey, but he is beginning to show the resilience, shot-making and competitive temperament needed to make an impact beyond Philippine golf. His path back to the Asian Tour has not been straightforward, but every setback has seemingly added another layer to his game.

Losing his card by a few points could have been a bitter ending to 2025. Instead, Ramos has turned it into fuel.

‘I am very happy because I had lost my Asian Tour card last year by a hair,’ he said. ‘So yeah, just thankful to be able to compete out there again and show some good golf out there as well.’

He will have little time to celebrate.

The Egypt Golf Series 14 begins Monday at the same Madinaty layout, giving Ramos barely two days to reset and chase another title.

The challenge now is different: not proving that he belongs, but showing that he can do it again.

‘Hopefully, I just play the golf course the same way I did this week, and hopefully, that would be enough again next week,’ said Ramos, who trains under respected swing coach Bong Lopez.

For a player who has already learned how quickly a career can turn on a handful of points, Ramos is discovering something equally important: when the opportunity comes again, he is ready to seize it.

I visited a nickel mining site for the first time, upon the invite of Berong Nickel Corp. (BNC), a subsidiary of DMCI Mining Corp.

The mining site in Quezon, Palawan, is about two hours from Puerto Princesa with winding roads and some unpaved sections.

I knew it was not going to be a walk in the park but I was curious to see an actual mining site that is undergoing rehabilitation.

Berong Mine, which covers a 288-hectare Mineral Production Sharing Agreement area, is one such mine already undergoing rehabilitation.

Of the 288 hectares, BNC reported that 137 hectares were previously utilized for mining operations. The remaining 151 hectares were left undisturbed.

To date, 100 hectares have already been rehabilitated, with restoration work continuing across the remaining disturbed areas.

I was not expecting to see a paradise of greenery. Not at all. In fact, I expected to see depleted, all-brown barren patches of earth amid lush green forests.

Upon reaching the site, I saw reddish-brown slopes dotted with rows of young trees and covered in sections with erosion-control mats.

There were rows and rows of seedlings of different tree varieties in different stages of growth, waiting to reach their full potential.

There was a portion with fully grown trees. One would definitely need patience to see the trees grow to their full height.

But mine rehabilitation, I learned as I chatted with DMCI Mining vice-president for operations Ramon Briones during the site visit, is more than planting trees.

He said it is a combination of topsoil replacement, slope stabilization, erosion control, among others; it’s all about engineering and ecological restoration.

The goal is to restore the land to a safe, stable and productive condition. All this alongside indigenous tree planting and biodiversity monitoring.

Since mining activities at the Berong Mine in Quezon, Palawan concluded in 2021, BNC has shifted its focus from mineral production to implementing a six-year Final Mine Rehabilitation and Decommissioning Plan – the first approved FMRDP for a nickel mine in the Philippines.

During a briefing for journalists at the BNC office, officials said BNC has invested approximately P160 million in rehabilitation activities, planted nearly 352,000 seedlings, with a 97 percent survival rate and produced more than 497,000 seedlings in its nurseries, exceeding its year four targets under the six-year rehabilitation program.

‘The program remains on track for completion in 2027, after which the rehabilitated area will be formally turned over to the government.

‘Beyond the mine site, BNC also implements mangrove reforestation, sea turtle conservation and coral gardening programs in close coordination with the DENR, regulators and host communities,’ BNC said in a separate statement.

Rehabilitation is required by Philippine law.

‘Mining companies are responsible for mine rehabilitation throughout the entire mining life cycle, be it improving soil quality, planting native species or maintaining the restored site,’ according to Eco-Business.com.