Category: Philippine Star

The water in Angat Dam remains at critical level despite incessant rains. Meanwhile, Bustos Dam about 50 kilometers away has been discharging water as rain keeps raising the water to spilling level.

While Bustos does not source its water entirely from Angat, instead collecting water from local tributaries and rainfall over its immediate area, the two reservoirs lie along the same Angat River in Bulacan.

Inevitably, people wonder why so much water is being wasted in Bustos while the water at the Angat reservoir has been below critical level for some time now.

Isn’t there water management technology that can retain the water in Bustos instead of having the excess spilled and wasted? The stored water can then augment the lack in Angat Dam, which supplies over 90 percent of Metro Manila’s water needs as well as irrigation water for farms in Bulacan and Pampanga apart from generating hydropower.

There are existing technologies for more efficient harvesting and storage of rainwater. Such technologies are important especially in a country with only two seasons: wet and dry.

During the wet season, torrential rainfall causes deadly floods and landslides. On the other hand, during the dry season, farms lie fallow from drought.

Mahar Lagmay, executive director of the Nationwide Operational Assessment of Hazards or Project NOAH, has pointed out that rainwater retention systems are needed even in Metro Manila for flood management.

Lagmay previously urged Metro Manila residents to catch rainfall and stormwater runoff in their homes and offices to ease the burden on overwhelmed street drains and help mitigate flooding. The harvested water can be used, he said, for gardening, cleaning driveways and similar purposes.

There are emerging technologies not only to harvest rainwater, but also to harness the kinetic power of rain droplets for renewable energy. One report described it as transforming rooftops and drainpipes into renewable power stations.

Japanese capital Tokyo is spared from floods through its massive discharge channel built 50 meters underground. The system catches and pumps away overflowing water during typhoons through a system of tunnels, huge silos and pillars, with a tank that can hold up to 670,000 tons of water.

Bulacan has been the center of investigations on large-scale corruption related to flood control. The billions lost to corruption in that province could have been used instead for modern water retention and management technology in the dams.

But the government can still make up for lost time and resources. Given the risks posed by extreme weather, the country has no choice but to invest in smart water management.

A heart of gold, a nerve of steel.

Banged-up and up against a fellow giant-slayer – Alex Eala dug deeper with a boost from an electric Filipino crowd and ended up in seventh heaven.

The 21-year-old Filipina notched her seventh straight win from her Washington, D.C. title run, hacking out another nail-biter, 6-3, 5-7, 6-4, over American Caty McNally to march into the Round of 16 of the WTA 1000 National Bank Open in Toronto.

Eala wasted a match point in a second-set meltdown after appearing bothered by a minor foot issue, but found enough in the tank to outlast McNally in two hours and 39 minutes at Sobeys Stadium.

She closed it out with a near love game on serve after McNally threatened to force a tiebreak, sealing one of the longest active win streaks on the WTA Tour.

More importantly, the result sets up a first-time meeting with World No. 14 and No. 12 seed Belinda Bencic of Switzerland for a spot in the quarterfinals on Monday. Bencic advanced with a grinder of her own, 6-7(5), 7-6(4), 6-4, over No. 110 Taylor Townsend of the US.

‘I think I survived,’ said Eala, visibly limping at times since the second set.

McNally, World No. 70, came in on a high after stunning Wimbledon champion and World No. 7 Linda Noskova of Czechia, and gave Eala all she could handle – save for costly errors on returns late in the decider.

‘I want to thank Caty for a great match and for being a great sport. It’s one of those matches that could have gone either way. It really came down to details and a little bit of luck,’ Eala said.

It is Eala’s third straight Round of 16 appearance after her Wimbledon run and D.C. title, and she needed every bit of resolve to get there – her seventh match in a week.

After a 6-1, 4-6, 6-2 win over No. 71 Alycia Parks, Eala looked sharp early against McNally, closing the first set with a 4-0 surge – including two breaks – after trailing 2-3.

Up 3-2 in the second, she called for a medical timeout after a slight tweak. Fatigue also looked to be a factor after playing doubles the previous day with American legend Venus Williams in a 6-4, 6-3 loss to Russia’s Liudmila Samsonova and Japan’s Miyu Kato.

Eala still broke to earn a match point at 5-4, but was blanked the rest of the set.

As she did against Parks, however, she was ice-cold in the clutch – racing to 3-1 in the third and holding firm after McNally closed to 4-5. The two were virtually even on serve and return, but Eala got the break she needed when McNally missed long on return in the ninth game.

For Eala, the crowd was the difference.

‘The motivation to come here and play another match becomes so much more emotional. Someone in the crowd said they wanted to be Filipino for tonight, so for the Filipino community to have that impact on other people is everything,’ she said.

One of the suspects in the murder of a businessman and his driver in Quezon City three months ago was arrested in Kapatagan, Lanao del Norte on Thursday, police reported yesterday.

The suspect, identified as Francis Penales, was collared in Barangay Poblacion at around 1:45 p.m.

Penales was among six people tagged in the killing of Ceferino Mariano and his driver, Norberto Orimaco, at the corner of Timog Avenue and EDSA in Barangay South Triangle on April 28.

Quezon City Police District chief Brig. Gen. Randy Glenn Silvio said the QCPD is coordinating with the Lanao del Norte police to ensure that the victims and their families will get justice.

Never underestimate the power of training.

At a dog training conference, a trainer boasts that he can train a dog to do anything. To illustrate this, he brings a German Shepherd onto the stage and claims he’s taught it Morse code.

Someone in the audience shouts, ‘Prove it!’

He gives the dog a nod, and it walks over to a table and, with its paw, taps out the following sequence.

The audience sits in stunned silence for a moment until someone asks, ‘Well, what did it say?’

‘Woof!’

It is that season again. All over the country, management teams are locking themselves in conference rooms, staring at whiteboards, and arguing over next year’s numbers. Strategic planning season has arrived. Targets are being set. Budgets are being built. And somewhere in that budget, almost predictably, a familiar line item gets the first stroke of the red pen: training and people development.

This year, the temptation is stronger than usual. The conflict in the Middle East has rattled markets, pushed up oil prices, and quietly made its way into the cost of almost everything we buy. The peso has felt it. Inflation has crept back. Finance officers are sharpening their pencils, and the instinct in every uncertain season is the same: trim whatever looks optional.

And training, on a spreadsheet, always looks optional.

Here is the problem. It isn’t.

Allow me to paint a simple picture. Imagine a long-distance runner who, worried about the cost of food, decides to stop eating a few weeks before the marathon. He will save money, yes. He will also collapse before the finish line.

Cutting your people’s development during a difficult year works the same way. You save a little now and pay for it painfully later, right when you need your organization to run its hardest.

We forget a basic truth about business. Equipment depreciates. Buildings depreciate. Machines lose value the moment you switch them on. People are the only asset on your books that can appreciate-but only if you keep investing in them.

Neglect them, and they depreciate faster than any machine because discouraged, unequipped, and uninspired people do not simply stand still. They quietly leave – or worse, they stay and stop caring.

Zig Ziglar said it best: ‘The only thing worse than training your people and losing them is not training them and keeping them.’

In a lean year, that line should be posted on every planning-room wall. A downturn does not ask less of your people. It asks more.

Fewer hands are expected to carry heavier loads. Margins are thinner, so every decision matters more. Customers are anxious, so service must be sharper. Morale is fragile, so leadership must be clearer and steadier.

This is precisely the season when your team’s skills, mindset, and motivation make the difference between an organization that merely survives and one that comes out of the storm stronger than it went in.

History keeps proving this. The companies that emerge from every recession as market leaders are rarely the ones that cut the deepest. They are the ones that remain disciplined about costs while continuing to sharpen their people as their competitors grow dull.

When the recovery comes – and it always comes – they were the ones ready to run.

So, as you sit in your planning sessions and build next year’s budget, may I offer a suggestion?

Do not treat the growth of your people as an expense to be minimized. Treat it as a multiplier to be protected.

A well-designed seminar, a leadership program that develops your managers, a keynote that inspires a weary team – these are not luxuries you enjoy when times are good. They are investments that pay the highest returns precisely when times are hard because they make the same team produce more with the same budget you already have.

I have spent the better part of my life in front of business audiences, and I have witnessed what happens in a room when tired people are prompted about their ‘why,’ when leaders are given practical tools instead of vague pep talks, and when an organization decides that its people are worth developing even in a difficult year.

Something moves. Energy returns. Clarity returns. And that renewed team walks back into the marketplace ready to compete.

If your plan for next year is to win, it must include the people who will actually do the winning. Put a line in that budget for their growth and then, unlike everyone else, refuse to cross it out.

The season is uncertain, the pencils are sharp, and the pressure to cut is real. But the organizations that will own the recovery are the ones deciding, right now in their planning rooms, to keep growing the very thing that grows them.

Choose to be one of them.

Around P900,000 was spent by the Municipality of Consolacion to provide reusable tumblers to nearly 3,000 Grade 6 pupils, teachers and advisers in the town’s 20 public elementary schools in a bid to reduce single-use plastic waste.

The tumblers were distributed throughout July under the municipality’s Tumbler Ordinance, which promotes the use of reusable containers and seeks to lessen plastic waste in schools and communities.

The project was funded through the Local Government Unit’s Community Assistance Fund (CAF) allocated to Environment Committee Chairman Councilor Fred Herrera.

Herrera said the program was intended to turn the municipality’s environmental policies into an everyday practice, particularly among young learners who regularly use disposable plastic bottles and containers.

‘Dili enough nga maghimo lang ta og ordinance. We have to translate the ordinance into action,’ Herrera said.

He said the reusable tumblers are meant not only to provide students with containers for drinking water but also to encourage them to develop habits that can help reduce plastic waste.

Grade 6 pupils were selected as the initial beneficiaries as they are considered ‘mature enough’ to understand environmental responsibility and are preparing to transition to junior high school.

The initiative also supports lessons on waste management under the Department of Education curriculum, including the ‘5Rs’ – reduce, reuse, recycle, recover and repair.

Vice Mayor Joannes ‘Joyjoy’ Alegado, who joined the school-to-school distribution, said encouraging environmental responsibility among young people requires sustained effort and investment.

‘The reusable benefit of a tumbler is essential in curtailing the volume of single-use plastics that are indiscriminately thrown away,’ Alegado said.

He said the municipality wants students to take an active role in efforts to protect the environment, particularly by reducing their dependence on disposable plastic products.

Additionally, Herrera said he plans to seek a higher CAF allocation during the upcoming budget hearings to expand the program to other grade levels and sectors.

The local council is also pursuing broader environmental measures. Herrera recently sponsored an ordinance that went through its first reading promoting a ‘Bring Your Own’ (BYO) practice in government offices, schools and business establishments in Consolacion.

For Fuse Financing president and CEO Tony Isidro, the journey into formal credit began at home. When he was 10, Isidro helped tend his grandmother’s sari-sari store in Marikina, where he witnessed – and came to know by heart – a familiar scene: his grandmother’s loyal customers, or suki, as they’re known in Filipino, would stop by, pick out what they needed and ask to have their purchases ‘palista,’ or recorded on credit, Isidro recalls.

Looking back, Isidro says those childhood experiences taught him one of his earliest lessons in financial literacy: borrowing is fundamentally built on trust.

‘Borrowing money is deeply personal because it usually comes at a time when people need support the most,’ Isidro tells The STAR.

Isidro brought that lesson with him when he joined Fuse Financing, the lending arm of e-wallet giant GCash, five years ago. Since then, he has led the company in pursuing its vision of providing fair, accessible digital loans that help create a better everyday life for Filipinos.

‘Borrowing with dignity’

Palista is just one of the many ways Filipinos turn to credit when cash is tight, particularly when formal borrowing is not within easy reach.

Another widely used form of informal lending is the so-called ‘5-6’ loan. The term 5-6 has long been associated with informal moneylenders who typically charge a 20-percent interest rate – borrow P5 and repay P6, hence the name. Others, simply turn to relatives or friends when they need quick cash to make ends meet.

Isidro says such practices persist partly because traditional financial institutions have often left Filipinos feeling ‘excluded and overwhelmed’ by the requirements of borrowing through formal channels.

‘The challenge we face at Fuse is: how do you replicate that intimate, neighborhood-level trust at scale?’ he says.

Fuse aims to bridge that gap by making formal credit more accessible while giving borrowers an experience rooted in dignity and respect.

‘Borrowing with dignity means ensuring that every touchpoint across the customer’s entire journey – from the moment they secure their loan to the way they repay – is respectful, fair and empowering,’ Isidro says.

‘True financial inclusion is not just about giving people access to credit – it’s about treating them with respect every step of the way,’ he adds.

Measuring, building trust

At Fuse, dignity starts with a score.

The firm developed its technology-driven trust score called GScore, which measures a customer’s credit score based on their footprint within the GCash ecosystem. Through such a mechanism, Isidro points out, they can ‘extend fair, respectful and accessible’ credit to Filipinos.

The GScore helps unbanked Filipinos build a digital financial identity since some of the persisting challenges they face are the absence of formal financial records, collateral or traditional credit histories.

Fuse also extends dignity in how it handles collections. Isidro emphasizes that the firm has a zero tolerance policy on abusive collections and harassment.

The firm has begun using artificial intelligence to monitor call interactions between its agents and customers to ensure that every conversation remains ‘respectful, fair and strictly within regulatory guidelines.’

Isidro explains that technology provides Fuse with the necessary speed and scale to attract and serve its clientele, which has been growing consistently in recent years.

‘The biggest lesson I’ve learned in the past five years is that financial inclusion isn’t just about technology – it’s fundamentally about trust,’ Isidro, a management engineering graduate, says.

‘True, long-term success comes from understanding our customers deeply and building products that responsibly solve their daily pain points,’ he adds.

At present, Fuse’s products involve GCredit, a flexible credit line for users; GGives, an option to turn purchases into installment terms and GLoan for instant cash needs.

For the first quarter, Fuse has lent some P406 billion to 11.1 million unique users, 85 percent of whom are first-time users of formal credit.

The milestone, Isidro points out, highlights the sheer volume of Filipinos they have helped to steer away from informal, predatory ‘5-6’ lenders and onboard into the formal credit ecosystem.

‘While we’ve made meaningful progress, we admittedly still have a long way to go in closing the country’s credit and financial inclusion gap,’ Isidro says.

‘However, we remain optimistic that through our responsible credit solutions, we can bring more Filipinos into a safer, fully regulated formal credit ecosystem,’ he adds.

Stories that move

What keeps Isidro going are the stories behind every loan approved – the ordinary Filipinos whose lives have been changed by access to formal credit.

Among them is Sheila Gomez, a lawyer from Iloilo, who said GLoan became a reliable source of financial support while she was in law school.

Another is Juvy Camante, a 55-year-old sari-sari store owner from Pateros, who relied on GLoan to keep her business afloat and support its daily operations.

And that mindset of prioritizing customers is something that has been cultivated into Isidro’s leadership values when he was still in the consumer goods industry, which he says is ‘extremely relevant’ in the financial technology space.

‘That deep understanding of mass-market consumers is what allows us to create financial tools that are intuitive, accessible and meaningful, even for first-time borrowers,’ Isidro says.

Nothing reflects Fuse’s customer-first approach better than the launch of GLoan Sakto in 2024, a nano-loan product that Isidro calls his favorite. Designed for borrowers with small, immediate financing needs, it lets users borrow as little as P100 with no paperwork, zero interest, a minimal processing fee and a 14-day repayment term.

Isidro aptly describes it as ‘sachet loans,’ reflecting the sachet culture of Filipinos or buying things in small portions.

The product, Isidro says, has worked and has become a pantawid, or bridge, for Filipinos to meet their daily needs between paydays. These customers, he adds, have usually been tagged as ‘high risk’ by traditional lenders, excluding them from the formal system and forcing them to rely on predatory loan sharks.

‘Especially during challenging economic conditions, many users appreciate having access to small-ticket loans that help them address immediate needs while also helping them build their credit profile over time,’ he says.

The road ahead

Isidro shares that Filipinos’ understanding of digital credit products continues to improve, describing it as ‘an ongoing journey.’ That is why, he adds, continuous education remains crucial.

‘People need clear guidance on how to use credit to build financial health rather than falling into debt traps or turning to unregulated, predatory lenders out of desperation,’ he says, noting that they recently partnered with the Securities and Exchange Commission on a nationwide financial literacy campaign.

Some of the areas where Fuse sees massive opportunities in the next few years include refining its GScore technology, partnering with mission-aligned organizations like the Asian Development Bank, expanding ecosystem and merchant partnerships, and doubling down on consumer education, Isidro says.

‘We need to continually refine our technology and data models so we can offer tailored, industry-specific financing that is fair, transparent and built to help businesses and everyday Filipinos grow and seize opportunities truly,’ he explains.

Isidro is optimistic that Fuse, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, will continue to expand significantly and not just reach individual clients but also micro, small and medium enterprises that serve as the backbone of the economy.

‘Leadership is about creating a clear vision and empowering the team to move as one toward it. At Fuse, that unity of purpose keeps us relentlessly focused on the customer,’ Isidro says.

‘It means balancing innovation with responsibility-we aren’t just building lending products; we’re building trust and helping Filipinos borrow with dignity,’ he adds.

The Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) expects the full development of the Pax Silica artificial intelligence (AI) hub in New Clark City in 30 years starting 2028.

In a press briefing, BCDA president and CEO Joshua Bingcang said the development is expected to start in 2028 and involve three phases.

Led by the United States, the Pax Silica initiative aims to promote a secure and resilient supply chain for AI and semiconductors. The Philippines became part of the initiative in April.

The first phase, which will cover around 500 hectares, is expected to accommodate around 10 to 20 firms.

‘We see that in three to five years,’ Bingcang said.

Prior to the development, the BCDA is looking to sign the framework for the use of the AI hub with the US partner this year.

The framework will define industries that will locate in the AI hub. A commercial deal is separately being negotiated for the lease in the AI hub.

Bingcang said that an initial $10 billion will be invested by foreign locators for infrastructure such as roads, water and energy to support their requirements in the AI hub.

Amid concerns being raised about the project, he said that no hyperscalers will be built in the AI hub.

He said that an American firm earlier explored the possibility of putting up a hyperscaler facility within New Clark City, but outside of the Pax Silica hub.

The firm did not push through because of its huge power requirements.

Bingcang said that the AI hub will host the manufacture of chips used in cellphones, laptops and servers.

Trade Undersecretary Ceferino Rodolfo said in the same event that no farmers and indigenous people communities would be displaced because of the AI hub.

‘New Clark City is a master planned development…There is an ECC (environmental compliance certificate) for the whole masterplan of New Clark City and it’s a titled public land for industrial use,’ he said.

Earlier, Bingcang dismissed reports about BCDA offering to buy farmers’ land in the area for P30 per square meter or P300,000 per hectare by saying those belong to the government.

‘How are we going to buy when it’s our land? In the first place, that’s government land,’ he said.

‘If there’s a disturbance, we’ll provide financial assistance. Everybody wins,’ he said.

At full development, the BCDA expects potential investments in the Pax Silica AI hub to reach between $40 billion and $70 billion.

The BCDA also expects P60 billion in lease income over 25 years and P68 billion to P75 billion worth of annual tax potential.

It also estimates $200 billion worth of exports at full buildout from the Pax Silica hub.

In terms of employment, the BCDA expects the AI hub to create 130,000 to 190,000 direct jobs and 500,000 to 800,000 indirect jobs.

Did you know that Melanie Marquez once overpriced her talent fee three times for a showdown with another supermodel, Anna Bayle, in a fashion show?

She actually told Ana the reason why she refused the offer because she didn’t want to steal the thunder from beneath the latter’s feet, as she knew that Anna, like her, worked so hard to achieve her mark in Europe.

“Para lang ipag-sabong kaming dalawa sa rampa,” Melanie told Philstar.com during a recent photoshoot in the country.

The former beauty queen-host has been based in the United States and just flew in for the photoshoot of Boyet Fajardo’s latest holiday collection.

Melanie recalled that Anna told her she never thought Melanie had that in her.

After Melanie was crowned the youngest Miss International winner in 1979, she went on to win the Glamorous Woman of Italy title and Face of the ’80s in New York, which led to her stint in the Supermodel of the World where she was hailed as the model with the most beautiful hair by Clairol.

‘i think my X-factor comes from professionalism, coupled with my dedication and genuine character. Anything fake will eventually manifest itself. Just be yourself,’ Melanie said.

Aside from her persona in front of the camera, Melanie’s resume behind the camera include that of being a filmmaker and celebrity mom to Miss Universe Philippines 2023 Michelle Dee.

She once dabbled as co-host in a TV show with the late entertainment stalwart Ricky Lo.

During the photoshoot, Melanie showed poses that give testament to her years in front of the camera by reflecting the vision of the designer.

‘God will give you that brilliance, then your personality and good heart will glow. People around you think you don’t seem to age. And you are not bothered by material things. Just live within your means. You’ll find peace and contentment,’ Melanie shared this nugget of wisdom.

Fajardo launched his limited-edition holiday collection to mark his 48 years in the fashion industry.

The collection is mostly in black and white with a few splashes of vibrant color.

‘I feel excited about this collection. I was never excited about my photo shoots before, but now I am! This collection highlights my 48 years in the fashion industry, through all the struggles, as my journey speaks volumes of my acumen throughout all the generations I’ve served – from the baby boomers to the millennials, and now the younger crowd,” Fajardo said.

Philippine state-run firms failing to deliver value and are draining state resources should be shut down, with their functions absorbed by other agencies to free up fiscal space for more relevant programs and services, the Department of Finance said.

The DOF explained that the move to abolish non-performing government-owned and -controlled corporations (GOCCs) can provide resources for other endeavors.

‘We have over 100 GOCCs. I would say about 10 percent of them should be closed. But there are government procedures to follow so it’s a little slow,’ Finance Secretary Frederick Go told radio dzRH.

Go said reviewing GOCCs that may face closure is a ‘cyclical process.’

The move comes as budgetary support given to state-run firms reached P98 billion in the first five months of 2026.

However, the Marcos administration has collected P501 billion in dividends from GOCCs in four years, which is 31 percent higher than the P382 billion collected in former president Rodrigo Duterte’s full term.

It also surpassed the numbers from the Gloria Arroyo and Noynoy Aquino administrations with P84 billion and P165 billion, respectively.

Last month, the government recognized 50 GOCCs for their record dividend remittance of P147.15 billion, led by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) and the Land Bank of the Philippines.

Under Republic Act 7656, or the Dividend Law, GOCCs are required to declare and remit at least 50 percent of their net earnings during the preceding year as dividends to the national government.

The DOF has urged firms to raise their dividend remittance rate to 75 percent to maximize non-tax revenues and strengthen the government’s fiscal position.

Power restoration efforts by the Benguet Electric Cooperative (BENECO) continued across Baguio City and Benguet on Sunday, August 9, despite heavy rains and strong winds battering the area.

As of noon, BENECO said 28.96% of its consumers in Baguio City had been restored with electricity, with power available in 44 of the 129 barangays.

Across BENECO’s entire area of responsibility, 37.32% of consumers currently have electricity as crews work to repair damaged power facilities. Out of total 269 barangays in Baguio and Benguet, only 95 barangays have been re-energized.

Initial assessment placed the cost of damage at more than P1.5 million, although BENECO said the figure remains provisional and is expected to rise as additional damage reports come in.

The cooperative reported damage to at least seven transformers and 22 electric posts amid the continuing inclement weather.

BENECO teams remain deployed in various areas to restore power as quickly and safely as possible, but operations continue to be challenged by persistent rain, strong winds and potentially hazardous conditions.