Category: Philippine Star

An important trait for a point guard in basketball is to be able to read the game before it unfolds, as it happens, and what could possibly happen. He is the extension of the head coach, as such, he bears a lot of responsibility.

For Ateneo point guard Ian Espinosa, he’s learned to make reads on and off the court since he was playing for Ateneo de Iloilo back in grade school.

During one match in Iloilo with the Ateneo de Manila High School, then coach Ron Camara intimated to Espinosa’s coach about bringing him to the capital city.

‘I knew I wasn’t ready at that time,’ recalled Espinosa of that pitch to move in 2015.

The following season during the Jesuit Athletic Meet, his Iloilo squad once more played Ateneo de Manila. When Camara repeated his pitch, this time Ian moved.

‘The additional year in Iloilo, and since it was my goal to play for Ateneo de Manila,’ I was ready, he said.

The year he arrived was the last year the Blue Eaglets won a title. The next year, as the team lost a lot of players to the college ranks, the team had fewer weapons to complement Kai Sotto and Geo Chiu. They had Forthsky Padrigao and then Ian, who was learning the ropes.

In the middle of that season, Padrigao went down with an injury and Ian took over the starter’s position. Despite all the challenges, the team made it to the finals where they lost to National University.

The next year, there were even bigger challenges. The Blue Eagles lost their Twin Towers in Sotto and Chiu, but they saw the addition of Francis Lopez and Joshua Lazaro. Along with Padrigao, they battled the junior ranks’ best but fell short.

Espinosa surprised a lot of observers when Tab Baldwin called him up to the seniors squad. He was on the bench for that last banner season of 2022.

‘I’ve learned a lot just watching from the bench – such as how to lead your team, how players develop, and looking at what you can exploit on offense or defense,’ Espinosa observed.

‘I think one of the biggest things I have learned is to pivot because it has been a roller-coaster ride since high school. You have great teammates one moment, then next kulang kami. I am off the bench then starting. We lose teammates and there’s a period of adjustment. I played for Tab, and now am under Louie. Life is like that – constantly changing, and you have to adapt quickly or be left behind.’

And there’s Dipaculao.

‘One of the biggest lessons of Dipaculao is not to take anything for granted – life, teammates, friends, opportunities, everything. A near-death experience is something that perhaps I was too young to go through, but in honor of my fallen teammates – Divine Adili and Rene Baterbonia – you have to play through the pain and loss, and find that healing,’ said Ian.

The weeks, days, and months since Dipaculao may have somewhat dulled the pain, however as Ian says, ‘You never forget. It’s there every day.’

Through the tragedy, Espinosa is playing with that old fire, spunk, drive and confidence. Being one of the seniors on the current crop of Blue Eagles (Ian has one year left in his college sports eligibility), the little man is standing tall in leading the team on and off the court, working hard, and being scrappy.

‘We cannot make excuses about not having enough time to train or losing teammates,’ concluded Ian following the 101-74 win over UE on opening day. ‘All I know is that we are given an opportunity because we are here and some are not. We have to make the most of it.’

National U stakes its dynasty against 16 rivals in the biggest edition of the Shakeys’ Super League Unity Cup to date, starting on Sept. 25 at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum.

Six teams from the UAAP and all 10 squads from the NCAA will be out to play spoiler to the Lady Bulldogs’ record-extending five-peat bid as SSL enters its fifth season with bigger roster for each team, heftier prizes for the winners and more modern video challenge replay system.

The 17 squads are scattered to four groups with the top two teams after a single-round robin eliminations advancing to the next round. Standings will be carried over to the next round.

The Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA) have entered into a five-year agreement to improve the country’s agricultural data.

Under the framework, the agencies will utilize satellites and artificial intelligence to monitor crop conditions, map floods and droughts, assess irrigation resources, project yields and identify areas vulnerable to agricultural damage.

The two agencies will also exchange and validate maps and datasets on crop production, irrigation, droughts, floods and the impact of natural disasters.

Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said the partnership would allow the government to assess on the ground and satellite information.

‘The bigger payoff is turning data into decisions that can be made earlier and more precisely,’ he added.

This would allow the government to improve its response to farm damage, strengthen irrigation planning and protect food production from floods, droughts and other climate risks.

It could also help track pests and diseases, assess soil conditions, monitor fisheries and identify productive fishing and aquaculture areas.

Tiu Laurel added that these technologies can also be used to map floodwaters, allowing the agencies to identify areas where excess water might be captured and stored for use during the dry season.

‘Some of the water we now see as a hazard could become an agricultural resource,’ he added.

PhilSA will supply satellite data and technical expertise, covering the acquisition, processing and analysis of earth observation data.

For its part, the DA will gather field information, validate satellite-based assessments and integrate remote sensing, geographic information systems and climate and hazard monitoring into its agricultural programs.

The DA added that field validators will be mobilized nationwide to conduct an on-the-ground validation of information, helping enhance the accuracy and reliability of satellite-based assessments.

Transmission upgrades alone will not end the recurring power shortages in the Visayas, as enough dependable generation capacity is also needed to keep up with rising electricity demand.

This was what the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) clarified amid claims that power woes in Cebu and across the Visayas stemmed from transmission constraints.

‘Transmission cannot create supply,’ NGCP spokesperson Cynthia Alabanza said, stressing that building more interconnection capacity will not, on its own, address the broader resource adequacy problem.

Cebu, in particular, is already facing substantial and growing electricity demand as industrial, commercial and residential developments continue to expand, Alabanza said.

‘That growth must be matched not only by nameplate generating capacity but by dependable capacity that is actually available when the system needs it, with sufficient redundancy to withstand scheduled maintenance, forced outages and fluctuations in variable renewable generation,’ she said.

The Visayas grid relies on power imports from Luzon and Mindanao, leaving the region vulnerable when either grid has limited electricity to export.

Since May, rotating brownouts have threatened the Visayas amid high electricity demand and the simultaneous shutdown of several large coal-fired power plants.

Most recently, the NGCP issued a red alert in the region from 5 to 6 p.m. yesterday, as nearly 800 megawatts of capacity were unavailable to the grid.

A yellow alert was also in effect from 4 to 5 p.m. and again from 6 to 8 p.m.

This brought the number of red alerts in the Visayas to 41 and yellow alerts to 105 since the start of the year, NGCP data showed.

Notably, the region has been under red alert every day this month except Sept. 6.

A yellow alert is hoisted when power reserves fall to low levels, while a red alert is declared when available electricity supply is no longer sufficient to meet demand.

For Alabanza, however, the persistent power crunch cannot be solved by simply addinzzg more power plants or building additional transmission lines.

‘Both may be necessary, but the question is what generation, where; what transmission, where; how much; and by when,’ she emphasized.

‘That requires common assumptions on demand growth, generation entry and retirement, dependable capacity, reserve requirements, geographic concentration of generation, inter-island power flows and the role that each interconnection is expected to play.’

The Visayas’ current power situation, Alabanza said, has highlighted a growing disconnect in the way power planning is carried out in the Philippines.

As such, the NGCP is calling for a whole-of-industry approach to energy planning, where generation, transmission and distribution are planned in tandem within the investment and regulatory framework set by the government.

‘Government policy must provide a sufficiently clear long-term direction so that these investments are not being made using conflicting assumptions,’ Alabanza said.

As the country’s sole transmission operator, the NGCP builds, operates and maintains the state-owned power grid. It is responsible for safely delivering electricity from power plants to distribution utilities.

For Team Philippines, the 20th Asian Games hasn’t been much fun. Not yet, anyway.

Gilas – dethroned in men’s basketball before the opening ceremony even happens. The men’s soccer team – welcomed back to the Asiad after a long absence with a thumping. Alas Pilipinas – battered in its volleyball opener.

The only win on the board so far? Gilas over Kazakhstan – one that won’t even matter in the end.

But there’s a glimmer, and it’s coming from the Filipinas.

In Monday’s opening salvo, the youth-laden Philippine women’s football team showed its character and big fight in saving a point against ball-dominant Uzbekistan.

Now the Filipinas need to bare their fangs more against Hong Kong – the lowest-ranked side in Group G – to crank up their drive for the quarterfinals in Gifu.

The Top 2 teams in Group G as well as the two best third-placers across the three groups will march into the KO stage and heading into Day 2 match, the Pinay booters share second with the Uzbeks at one point behind China (three points after its 4-0 opening shutout of HK).

While Uzbekistan faces the mighty Chinese in today’s curtain-raiser at the Gifu Nagaragawa Stadium, the Filipinas get the relatively lighter task of aiming for maximum points and goals versus Hong Kong in the 6 p.m. (Manila time) main tussle.

But despite their 42-place disparity in the FIFA world rankings and the psychological edge of a 1-0 victory the last time they dueled at the AFC Women’s Asian Cup Qualifiers in 2025, Mark Torcaso’s 39th-ranked charges aren’t taking HK lightly.

‘Hong Kong is a tough team,’ Torcaso said of their No. 81 opponent. ‘We need to be ready.’

Four days before, his crew survived rough sailing against the Uzbeks, who dominated possession at 64 percent, had 12 more shots and won five more corners with Mehribon Egamberdieva netting first blood at the 81st minute.

But sub Nat Collins, 19, saved the Filipinas from disaster with her equalizer off a defensive lapse a minute before the final whistle.

‘We showed passion, character and fight till the end. That’s all we asked the players – fight right to the end. A draw is okay, still,’ said Torcaso.

‘I believe that we just fight so hard for each other and we’re so proud to represent the crest and our Filipino culture in every and all moments that we have on the field,’ said Collins after her breakout senior debut.

China too much for Alas

Over at the Okazaki Chuo Sogo Park Gymnasium yesterday, the Alas belles found China’s Great Wall hard to scale, absorbing a 25-18, 25-22, 25-8 beating.

Despite the straight-set defeat, Alas Japanese coach, Taka Minowa, was satisfied with team’s performance, saying: ‘I’m happy.’

‘Good warm-up for us,’ added Minowa, husband of former UAAP star Jaja Santiago.

The Alas belles showed some fight in the first two sets but got buried by the Chinese attacking avalanche that sent China on top of Pool B and close to claiming one of the two quarterfinal spots.

The Nationals have not given up hope of crashing the quarters.

That will be possible if they can pull the rug from under the taller, bigger Kazakhs in their face-off at 12 noon today.

China was a team on a mission after being denied by Thailand another Asian Championship gold and outright qualification to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

The Chinese vented their ire on the Filipinas, who entered as complete underdogs, hoping and praying for a miracle. It wasn’t answered.

The Department of Finance (DOF) is pushing to raise taxes on sugary drinks to at least three times their current rate to discourage consumption.

The finance department said Thursday, September 17, that its goal in imposing higher taxes on sweetened drinks is not only to generate revenue, but also to address and curb lifestyle diseases like diabetes, obesity and kidney issues among Filipinos.

‘Gusto natin bawasan o i-discourage ang pagkonsumo ng mga sweetened beverages kasi nakita natin, at sabi din ng mga eksperto din sa health sector, na talagang nagdudulot ito ng mga sakit,’ DOF Assistance Secretary for Revenue Operations Group Euvimil Nina Asuncion told dzMM in an interview.

(We want to reduce or discourage the consumption of sweetened beverages because we saw, and even the experts in the health sector said, that this causes diseases.)

Based on the Philippine Statistics Authority’s (PSA) report released June 30, diabetes ranked fifth among the leading causes of death in the Philippines in 2026, with 2,795 recorded deaths as of February.

Meanwhile, the National Nutrition Council said on September 10 that 43% of Filipino adults are obese.

The government currently imposes a P6 to P12 per liter excise tax on pre-packed sweetened drinks under Republic Act No. 10963, or the Philippine TRAIN Law.

The DOF, however, proposed to raise these taxes from P6 to P20 per liter for non-caloric and caloric beverages, and from P12 to P40 for drinks using fructose corn syrup.

Should the finance department’s proposal be approved, retail prices of carbonated soft drinks, pre-packed teas and other ready-to-drink juices that are widely available in the market could also increase.

But, unlike previous measures, the DOF is also currently proposing that these excise taxes on sugary drinks be adjusted by around 5% every year.

‘Gusto talaga natin na imbes na magkonsumo sila ng softdrinks…iinom sila ng healthier na alternative,’ Asuncion said.

(We want them to consume healthier alternatives instead of consuming softdrinks.)

The collected taxes from these products are intended to support Universal Health Care, which enrolls all Filipinos into the country’s national health insurance, according to Asuncion.

Standing by his statement that fugitive Harry Roque’s application for asylum in Europe had been denied, Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla has challenged the former presidential spokesman to present evidence to show otherwise.

Remulla said the allowed period of six months for Roque’s application has lapsed.

‘I’m maintaining my statement that he has to prove that it hasn’t been denied. Timeline is six months; he’s way past that,’ Remulla said.

On Tuesday, he said the government only needs a red notice from the International Criminal Police Organization to arrest Roque.

Roque branded Remulla’s claims as fake news.

‘The burden of proof is with him,’ Remulla said.

Roque should face the charges and present proof that would clear his name, according to Palace press officer Claire Castro.

Castro said influence, connections and the people should not be used to evade criminal charges.

Roque is facing an arrest warrant for qualified human trafficking linked to Philippine offshore gaming operations.

Sasha, a young Ukrainian boy, was only 11 years old when the Russians attacked.

He and his mother sought refuge in a basement in their town of Mariupol, in southeastern Ukraine.

Russian soldiers stormed the city and took Sasha away from his mother. He was told he would have a Russian mother, a Russian passport and a Russian name. They sent him to occupied Donetsk. But Sasha didn’t give up, according to an article on the European Commission website titled ‘Bringing Ukrainian children back home.’

On a stop on the way, so goes the story, Sasha asked to borrow a stranger’s phone. He called his grandmother, Liudmyla, who was living in free Ukraine.

Liudmyla moved mountains to get to him. With the help of the Ukrainian government, she traveled to Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Russia and finally into occupied Ukraine. She got Sasha back, according to the article.

Sasha is just one of tens of thousands of Ukrainian children caught in Russia’s war against the Eastern European country.

There are many more Ukrainian children who remain under Russian control and Ukraine, the EU and the international community are working together to bring them home.

No less than the European Commission has reported that since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, more than 20,500 Ukrainian children have been unlawfully deported and forcibly transferred to Russia and the temporarily occupied territories.

‘Many have been forced to change their identity, placed for adoption and given the aggressor’s citizenship,’ it said.

We have been watching from faraway, here in our corner of the world, and it seems that there’s still no end in sight in this senseless and ugly war.

I sat down last week with Ukraine Ambassador Yuliia Fediv and we talked about a wide array of issues from war to trade.

One pressing issue she put the spotlight on is the importance of bringing Ukraine’s children home.

‘We do not want to end up under Russian occupation because we have 20 percent of our territory already occupied by Russia. And we have tons of evidence about the erasure of Ukrainian culture, the creation of concentration camps and re-education camps for our children. Many of our children are abducted and adopted by Russians and re-educated,’ she said.

As such, she said the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children was created.

Officially launched in Kiev in 2024, the coalition coordinates ‘joint efforts and cooperation between Ukraine and partner states to address the issue of the unlawful deportation and forced transfer of Ukrainian children by the Russian Federation,’ according to an article on the coalition posted on Global Affairs Canada.

The government of Canada co-chairs the coalition alongside the government of Ukraine.

Reunification of families

In all, the coalition aims to bring Ukrainian children home to their families and communities.

This will be done in compliance with international law, by keeping the best interests of the child at the core of the coalition’s actions.

In support of these efforts, Canada and Ukraine are working together to address challenges related to the unlawful deportation and forced transfer of children.

Initiatives include:

Information sharing. This aims to ensure timely, accurate and ethical sharing of information, supporting the creation of robust statistics and coordinating the ethical sharing of relevant case details between Ukrainian authorities and partners, and to response mechanisms supporting the unlawful deportation and forced transfer of Ukrainian children.

Capacities alignment: This is to synchronize the diverse capacities, expertise and financial resources of Ukraine and partners to support the coalition’s work.

Advocacy and communication: This is meant to advance efforts to secure the release of children through awareness raising meetings and in international forums via high-level diplomatic engagements.

These efforts will continue until all the children are brought home, says Ambassador Fediv.

‘Now more than 51 countries have joined this coalition. The main aim is to return the children which were abducted by Russia back to Ukraine,’ she said.

As a mother, I cannot imagine the horror of this, but I also know this is even more traumatizing for the children – their childhood is stolen and a cycle of conflict could be passed on from one generation to another.

Against this backdrop, Ambassador Fediv said Ukrainians strive to go on with life despite the war.

The people move in between the sirens, she said. The children need to go to school so the Ukrainians try to adapt.

‘Yeah, we adapt, we build shelters in schools, in the universities, in the offices,’ said Ambassador Fediv.

Sitting across her during our interview, I found myself sometimes at a loss for words as I ponder on how difficult it must be to be a citizen of a country that is fighting an invasion.

Yet, she keeps her hopes alive for peace.

Ambassador Fediv, I learned, grew up in a family of doctors and, for a time, thought she would follow the same path. But in eighth grade, she was introduced to another profession: diplomacy, and this became her own way of serving her country.

Today, she sees her role not only as representing Ukraine but also working for peace.

‘Diplomacy is also about making friends and making peace,’ she said. ‘That’s why, as a diplomat, I want to do everything possible to bring peace to my country and also to build the broader networks and to find friends around the world.’

The Department of Education (DepEd) has tapped the assistance of more than 170 leaders across government, industry and strategic economic sectors in implementing the work immersion program under the Strengthened Senior High School (SHS) curriculum to improve the employability of graduates.

Education Secretary Sonny Angara said closing the gap between schools and industry requires urgent, ground-level execution.

The DepEd is streamlining the senior high school framework from four tracks to two: Academic and Technical-Professional (TechPro), giving learners greater subject flexibility while embedding intensive, industry-guided work immersion options.

For TechPro learners, the enhanced work immersion program will feature structured joint training plans, hands-on mentoring and industry assessments tied directly to national skills certifications.

Industry leaders underscored the need to embed strict workplace safety standards, essential soft skills and ethical values into early career training to help learners succeed in high-demand environments.

Partner associations expressed strong support for structured immersion models, with initial industry commitments already pledging around 31,000 work immersion slots.

This represents more than 60 percent of DepEd’s 50,000-slot target across over 1,100 distinct job roles.

‘We are refining our curriculum and expanding our Enhanced Work Immersion Program because our learners deserve real pathways to quality jobs, entrepreneurship and higher learning. We cannot build a future-ready economy with yesterday’s skills framework,’ Angara said.

The Department of Agriculture (DA) is studying a proposal to set a P210 per kilo floor price for live hogs to help raisers cope with falling farmgate prices.

Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. told The STAR the agency would ask industry buyers to adopt the floor price, stressing the DA lacks the legal authority to enforce such a policy.

‘We don’t have the legal basis to implement this, but we will request maybe retailers,’ he said.

During the National Swine Summit last week, hog industry stakeholders flagged the decline in farmgate prices of live hogs to between P120 and P150 per kilo, well below the typical breakeven threshold for hog raisers.

Hog raisers also called on the government to regulate buying prices, proposing a P210 per kilo floor price and stricter monitoring of imported pork entering the country.

Earlier, the DA said the decline in farmgate prices was driven by the industry’s rush to sell off their livestock amid fears of an African swine fever (ASF) outbreak.

‘Rather than risk getting hit by ASF, or having an outbreak occur next door, they want to sell everything before they are affected,’ Tiu Laurel said.

The statement also dismissed industry claims, stating that the decline in farmgate prices was caused by surging imports.

Pork meat imports totaled 541,405 metric tons in seven months a 10-percent increase from 490,825 same period in 2025, according to data from the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI).

Tiu Laurel added that retail prices for pork should remain the same, if the buying price for live hogs is regulated.

According to the DA’s price monitoring, a kilo of local pork belly or liempo has a prevailing price of P380 as of Sept. 15.

Meanwhile, during the same swine industry meeting, stakeholders sought updates on the rollout of the ASF vaccine, raised concerns about biosecurity risks near breeder sows and called for state-subsidized access for low-income raisers.

The DA, through the BAI, announced earlier the commercial approval of the ASF AVAC live vaccines. The agency will also support backyard growers through government-led vaccination drives.

Producers also urged regulators to simplify inter-provincial shipping clearances, fast-track LGU zoning upgrades and invest in local cold chain and meat cutting facilities to reduce reliance on commercial importers.