Category: Philippine Star

The number of Filipino couples engaging in family planning through the use of contraceptives is increasing, the Commission on Population and Development (CPD) said.

‘In 2022, there was a 41.8-percent increase and that in 2025, it went up to 44.5 percent. This means more Filipinos are practicing family planning,’ CPD Information and Communication Management Division chief Mylin Mirasol Quiray said at the Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon program yesterday.

She pointed out that though there are still users of the traditional withdrawal as well as calendar method, the number of those using contraceptives is going up.

‘The 2025 data showed the percentage of users of contraceptives are higher at 44.5 percent compared to those still into the traditional methods at 14.1 percent,’ said Quiray.

She stressed the importance of family planning so that choices are made available to the women and their families.

Quiray also said that in areas where access to education and awareness on family planning to most women are limited, they continuously work with concerned local government units.

‘We train LGUs to ensure there will be available services and information in their respective areas with regard to family planning,’ she said.

World Contraception Day, which is observed annually every Sept. 26, aims to bring awareness on the availability of contraceptive methods and encourage people to make informed decisions concerning their sexual and reproductive health.

Miguel Tabuena leaned on a fiery front-nine performance to deliver a second consecutive three-under 69, securing a weekend spot halfway through the Yeangder Tournament Players Championship (TPC) at the Linkou International Golf and Country Club in Chinese-Taipei on Friday.

Starting his second round on the back nine, Tabuena appeared in danger of missing the cut after fumbling with consecutive bogeys from No. 12 following a birdie on the 11th. However, the Filipino shotmaker found his groove after turning to the front nine, firing a 32 featuring a second straight eagle on the par-5 fourth hole alongside birdies on Nos. 1 and 7.

Despite the strong finish, Tabuena’s 138 aggregate leaves him tied for 27th place, eight strokes behind joint leaders Pavit Tangkamolprasert and Poom Saksansin of Thailand, who both posted 14-under-par 130s.

The Thai duo holds a narrow one-shot lead over compatriot Tawit Polthai (62) and Japan’s Kazuki Higa (66).

Justin Quiban also survived the cut right on the line after posting a 72 to match a 3-under 141 total, recovering from three bogeys with three birdies.

However, three other Filipinos failed to advance. Asian Games-bound Carl Corpus stumbled with a 74 for a 143 aggregate, matching the score of three-time Asian Tour winner Angelo Que. Que, coming off a victory at the ICTSI Summit Point Challenge, shot a second-round 72 to miss the cut by two strokes. Aidric Chan also exited after posting a 71 for a 144 total.

Que and Chan will now shift their focus to the ICTSI Negros Occidental Classic on the Philippine Golf Tour, which tees off Monday in Bacolod.

Meanwhile, Tabuena continues to fine-tune his game ahead of the upcoming Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.

Over in Hokkaido, Japan, fellow national team member Justin delos Santos also scraped into the weekend rounds of the ANA Open at Sapporo Golf Club. Delos Santos submitted rounds of 70 and 71 for a 141 total, trailing leader Kantaro Naito, who fired a blistering 63 to hold a four-stroke lead at 130.

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) will subpoena contractors and officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) in connection with questionable flood control projects in the district of Davao City Rep. Paolo Duterte.

NBI Director Melvin Matibag yesterday said the bureau obtained documents from the DPWH showing 47 of 100 flood control projects implemented in Duterte’s district have been flagged for further investigation.

These projects include those suspected to be ghost or not delivered as well as those that appeared to be substandard and located in similar areas, but have different titles and separate funding.

‘Out of the 47 flood control projects, about six are clearly questionable based on documents we have reviewed. We will be issuing subpoenas either tomorrow or Monday,’ Matibag told journalists.

The NBI said it has identified at least three construction firms linked to the projects and plans to summon company representatives as part of the investigation.

The bureau initially identified a P1.9-billion allocation for Duterte’s district, which was awarded to Genesis 88, whose owner is allegedly close to the lawmaker.

Matibag clarified that Duterte is not among those being summoned for now, saying the agency would first focus on the contractors, and DPWH officials and personnel linked to the projects.

The investigation is being handled by the NBI Task Force ‘Flood Control,’ which was created to look into anomalous government projects.

Alternergy Holdings Corp. is making its debut in the local debt market with the planned issuance of P2 billion worth of fixed-rate notes to expand its renewable energy portfolio.

The company’s board of directors has approved the capital-raising activity, with the notes to be offered to qualified institutional buyers.

The notes, which have a tenor of 1.5 years, will carry an annual interest rate of 7.75 percent, with interest payments to be made quarterly. The principal will be repaid in full upon maturity.

Proceeds from the offering will primarily bankroll the pre-development of Alternergy’s projects awarded under the government’s fourth green energy auction, as well as other projects in its development pipeline.

The funding may also be used for general corporate purposes, including the full repayment of existing loans.

‘This maiden issuance in the Philippine debt capital markets marks an important milestone for Alternergy as we position the company for its next phase of growth,’ Alternergy president Gerry Magbanua said.

Local debt watcher Philippine Ratings Services Corp. has assigned the issuance an investment-grade credit rating of PRS Aa- with a stable outlook.

The rating indicates that the debt issue is of high quality and subject to low credit risk, while a stable outlook suggests that the rating is likely to be maintained or remain unchanged over the next 12 months.

Alternergy has tapped BDO Capital and Investment Corp. as the sole issue manager and arranger for the transaction, with the notes to be listed on the Philippine Dealing and Exchange Corp.

To date, the company boasts an operating portfolio of 119 megawatts across the Philippines and Palau. By the end of this year, its operating capacity is expected to increase to 311 MW.

The local stock market regained its winning form yesterday after dropping two straight sessions, with investors capitalizing on lower valuations.

The benchmark Philippine Stock Exchange index advanced by 0.70 percent, or 41.70 points, to settle at 5,958.64.

The broader All Shares index also improved by 0.54 percent, or 17.85 points, to close at 3,318.11.

‘The local market bounced back as investors hunted for bargains following two straight days of decline,’ Philstocks Financial said.

However, Philstocks Financial said the market still couldn’t get back above the 6,000 level despite its positive performance.

Luis Limlingan of Regina Capital said sentiment remained measured amid ongoing market uncertainties paired with the US Fed rate hike, which limited the market rebound.

Sectors were mixed, with those in the green having a slight advantage. Holding firms posted the largest gain at 1.45 percent, while financials posted the largest drop at 0.82 percent.

Decliners edged out advancers, 97 to 93, while 66 issues were unchanged.

Trading was strong, with total turnover value reaching P25.5 billion.

SM Investments emerged as the most actively traded stock, climbing by 2.20 percent to P535 per share, followed by Ayala Corp. and ICTSI, which jumped by 5.05 percent and 1.41 percent, respectively, to P508 and P935.

Semirara Mining and Power Corp., meanwhile, saw its share price surge by 20.06 percent to P20.05 after the Department of Energy announced the termination of the 2026 coal bid round, which includes the country’s largest coal mine on Semirara Island in Antique.

The world is changing, and behind it are the greats that keep creating.

These words echo louder than ever, in an industry that is moving faster than ever.

This 2026, the 4As Philippines celebrates the evolving forces of excellence at the coming 4As AOY Awards. Leading the revolution is AOY Chairman Portia Catuira, chief operating officer at TBWASantiago Mangada Puno, and Vice-Chair and Panel Head for Research and Independent Agency of the Year Russ Molina, founding partner and chief digital officer, Seven A.D.

Joining them is a heavy-hitting roster of leaders from the industry as panel heads are:

Management of Business – Tats Cruz (chief creative agencies officer)

Creative – Chino Jayme (executive creative director, Ogilvy Manila)

Market Performance – Edg Samson (chief client officer, Jayme Headquarters)

Industry Leadership and Community Service – Ronald Barreiro (CEO of the Creative Service Line, Dentsu Philippines)

Media Agency of the Year – Pat Dizon-Sotto (co-founder and managing partner, Huddle Room)

Digital Agency of the Year – Peach Natividad (chief strategy officer, BBDO Guerrero)

Brand Experience – Henson Wongaiham (co-founder and managing partner, AdHoc Marketing)

Production Excellence – Earl Guico (president and managing partner, Elesi Studios)

Public Relations – Norman Agatep (chairman and CEO, Grupo Agatep)

The NextGen Award – Joy Garcia (chief operating officer, Octopus and Whale)

This year’s theme is the “Creative Revolution.” Inspired by the phenakistoscope, the very first form of animation, which has endured through time. In similar fashion, the creative industry carefully navigates through an ever-changing world, where shake-ups can now at any moment.

“Creativity is a continuous process of moving ideas forward. We don’t wait for perfect ideas, we keep pushing until they work,’ Catuira says about this year’s theme.

This year’s AOY reflects that same mindset. We are on track in terms of timing, and the panel brings together seasoned leaders and new voices. It is about keeping standards high while moving the industry forward.

This year’s awards night will feature several new plates:

PR Agency of the Year – Best in PR Creativity and Effectiveness

PR Agency of the Year – Best in Industry Leadership and Corporate Social Responsibility

The NextGen Award – Director

Molina adds, ‘With everything happening in the world right now, we need to come together as a community and as an industry to celebrate not only the power of creativity in bringing change, but our collective power as well: Our relentless ability to move forward, to keep pushing the work, to keep showing up, and to keep creating even in moments of chaos and uncertainty.

“Because progress doesn’t happen by standing still. It happens through bold ideas, shared ambition, and the belief that what we make together can impact the world. This is what the AOY is all about.’

With a bulk of Filipinos lacking elite height to make it to the league, former NBA player Rodney Stuckey stressed that height is not always might.

Stuckey, a former Detroit Piston and Indiana Pacer, cited the case of 5-foot-9 Nate Robinson as one of the undersized basketball players that made it to the NBA.

‘I know a lot of people probably know who Nate Robinson is. He was kind of a smaller guard to us as well. He had that heart,’ Stuckey told reporters Thursday.

‘He’s always been saying, heart over height. I’m a big believer in that. If you’ve got heart, if you’re a scrappy player, you’re going to be fine,’ he added.

For now, no homegrown Filipino is in the NBA.

However, there are a number of NBA players with Filipino descent, such as NBA champion Jordan Clarkson, No. 2 overall pick Dylan Harper, Jared McCain and Jalen Green.

Stuckey is in the Philippines as an ambassador of Shoot 360, a technology-powered basketball training facility that opened at Robinson’s Galleria in Ortigas.

Here, hoopers could work on their skills and in real-time, through the use of technology, could fix what is wrong with their jumpers.

And with the basketball-crazy nation of the Philippines, Stuckey said it is going to be ‘awesome.’

‘Absolutely, it’s super big. This is like a fundamental basketball so if you want to work on your fundamental skills, this is the perfect gym for you. From ball handling to shooting, it starts from the beginning all the way to the end,’ he said.

‘So I think the gym has its capabilities of helping each and every athlete out there, from starters to the most advanced kids. So super excited for the people in the Philippines to get the experience of Shoot 360, it’s going to be a lot of fun.’

The National Grid Corp. of the Philippines is targeting completion of six power transmission projects totaling P23.5 billion this year, NGCP spokesperson Cynthia Alabanza said.

While the projects are expected to bolster the reliability of the transmission network, Alabanza clarified that these alone would not resolve the persistent power supply constraints.

‘The transmission system is only able to deliver power that exists and has been generated. So it will help as long as we have enough supply,’ Alabanza told a media briefing yesterday.

In Luzon, she said the grid operator is gearing up to activate the P4.5-billion North Luzon substation upgrading project 1 and the P3.5-billion Tuguegarao-Lal-lo (Magapit) 230-kilovolt (kV) transmission line.

The P7.4-billion Nabas-Caticlan-Boracay transmission line and the P3.6-billion Panay-Guimaras 138-kV interconnection project are the remaining Visayas projects slated for completion this year.

As for Mindanao, the P3.7-billion Mindanao substation expansion 4 project and the P872.5-million Nasipit substation bus-in project are underway.

Alabanza said that NGCP’s grid investments are ongoing, with new projects entering the development pipeline to further improve the transmission network.

‘Every year, there are new projects that we begin. There are projects in the pre-construction stage, and there are projects under construction,’ she added.

So far this year, the NGCP has completed five transmission projects valued at roughly P7.2 billion.

The NGCP holds a 25-year concession agreement and a 50-year franchise to operate, manage and maintain the country’s state-owned power grid.

The company recovers its investments in the grid through transmission charges collected from consumers every month.

For September, consumers can expect lower transmission rates due to a decline in ancillary service charges, which cover the cost of power reserves procured by the NGCP to support grid reliability.

NGCP revenue management head Julius Ryan Datingaling reported yesterday that the overall rate fell by 13.3 percent to P1.52 per kilowatt-hour in August from the previous month’s P1.76 per kWh. This resulted from a 22.4-percent drop in ancillary service charges to P0.81 per kWh from P1.04 per kWh on a monthly basis.

The brewing feud between the Miss Universe Organization (MUO) and one of its executives Nawat Itsaragrisil sparked a new chapter, potentially affecting the eligibility of six contestants to the upcoming 75th Miss Universe pageant.

MUO and Nawat have been sparring in a war of words regarding statements by the latter in public supposedly undermining the organization’s directive on what can be announced publicly.

The organization resorted to issuing a statement clarifying the position and authoritative powers of Nawat, who last month was appointed chief executive officer of Miss Universe Eastern (MU East) following his tenure as vice president of Miss Universe Asiana.

It was announced then that Nawat would “lead the MU East team, represent 95 countries, and guide the organization’s continued growth, regional development and international collaboration.”

However, it later affirmed that the Thai businessman “holds no employment, corporate, executive, operational, or legal position” within MUO and does not have the “mandate or authority” for representation.

MUO also clarified that MU East has “no recognized legal, contractual, or commercial relationship” that gives it or any executive within it any authority over MUO, nor does it “recognize any position he may claim by virtue of any appointment, resolution, mandate, or authoritization.”

Escalation

The organization issued a new statement on its social media accounts reiterating that MU East has no license to “grant or confer operational rights over the MU brand in any country,” as that power only belongs to the current owners JKN Universe LLC.

It went as far as to say that any agreements MU East may have executed will be considered void ab initio or from the very start.

MUO slammed Nawat for disclosing publicly internal financial information that is unverified, unsubstantiated, and presented under demonstrably false pretenses, flagging such data as unauthentic.

The organization reiterated the limitations of Nawat’s tasks as it doesn’t include access to MUO’s legitimate directives or officers.

“The selective and misleading circulation of such purported information – designed to generate confusion and reputational harm – constitutes a direct material interfence with MUO’s operations, franchise network, sponsors, and global community,” it continued.

JKN Universe LLC denounced statements made by Nawat regarding the company’s financial affairs and floated the possibility of civil or criminal remedies against persons who willingly or unknowingly defame MUO and affiliated parties.

The owners also labelled any franchise and license agreements executed by Nawat as “fundamentally illegitimate contractual agreement” as they were not done with the overarching legal holders.

As such it will not recognize any national franchise agreement done without a legal licensing framework, for they are unauthorized and void.

The nations affected by this are the franchises in Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Laos, Malaysia, and Singapore. Candidates representing these countries will not be deemed eligible for the diamond edition of Miss Universe taking place in Puerto Rico this November.

So far of the six only Thailand has selected a delegate in pageant veteran Tharina Botes; Malaysia and Vietnam were due to select their delegates next month.

MUO ended its statement reiterating its owners solely carries intellectual property rights and will pursue legal remedies if necessary.

Response

MU East also released a statement, posted on the Miss Universe website, acknowledging what was said by MUO and clarified never claiming ownership of the Miss Universe brand.

It pointed out that JKN Universe LLC owns Miss Universe through an “equal 50:50 structure between MU East and MU West through JKN Legacy Inc” and does not approve of MUO’s statement.

MU East claimed that under a Hemisphere Agreement “neither side may issue a global public statement or use the MUP letterhead to present a one-sided view as the official position of the organization without the prior written consent of both sides.”

Though reiterating JKN Universe LLC’s ownership, MU East pointed again to the Hemisphere Agreement which gives it ” the exclusive right to operate, promote and develop the brand within 95 Eastern Territories” as well as “the right to appoint and manage franchise partners within those territories.”

It backed the contractual right to send the “duly selected and eligible delegates” of Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Laos, Malaysia, and Singapore to the main Miss Universe pageant and “participation should nto be blocked, delayed, or affected” by disagreements between parties.

“MU East does not accept that valid agreements made under its territorial rights can be cancelled through a one-sided public statement,” it continued. “Any disagreement must be handled through the proper contractual and legal processes.”

MU East closed its statement vowing not to respond with personal attacks, to protect the rights of National Directors, delegates, and partners through proper legal forms, and to ensure Miss Unverse 2026 is successful.

Amid all this, Bea Millan-Windorski will represent the Philippines at the November competition as she vies to suceed Mexico’s Fatima Bosch and bring home the country’s fifth Miss Universe title.

Documentary and testimonial evidence against impeached Vice President Sara Duterte are enough to convict her regardless of whether the conviction threshold is maintained or not, according to the prosecution team of the House of Representatives.

‘As far as we are concerned, we stick to the principle that we will sink or swim with the evidence that we will be presenting before the Senate impeachment court,’ Rep. Jonathan Keith Flores (Bukidnon) – a member of the 11-member prosecution team – declared.

‘Whether it’s 16, 14, or 13, we’re really just focused on presenting the evidence,’ Flores said.

Akbayan Rep. Chel Diokno has repeatedly stressed that the prosecution’s focus is on the presentation of evidence and not on the voting threshold.

Flores said prosecutors have not yet finalized their collective position on the threshold issue tackled by a group of retired Supreme Court justice tapped as amici curiae or friends of the court.

‘If there’s one thing that we don’t disagree on, it’s that the threshold is still two-thirds,’ Flores said.

Rep. Joel Chua (Manila third district) also said they hope to secure a conviction for Duterte based on the strength of evidence.

‘Whether it is 16, 15 or 14, we are preparing to show the extent of evidence that may hopefully convince the senator-judges that we have an overwhelming evidence that would warrant the conviction of the respondent,’ he told reporters.

‘At the end of the day, the audience here is not just limited to senator-judges, but to the entire Filipino population as well,’ Chua, chairman of the House committee on good government and public accountability, emphasized.

The Constitution requires the concurrence of two-thirds of all Senate members for conviction.

With a 24-member Senate, presiding officer Sen. Francis Escudero initially set the threshold at 16 votes, a decision that has sparked controversy because of non-participation of several senator-judges in trial proceedings – for various reasons.

The prosecution and defense are scheduled to argue their respective positions on the threshold on Sept. 23.

Sen. Rodante Marcoleta, currently detained for plunder, said he does not intend to seek furlough just so he could vote on the proposed change in 16-vote threshold.

‘I will not move for a furlough just to vote for a threshold. I don’t think the threshold is a subject of a vote. It’s already in the Constitution. Nobody has a right to change the Constitution,’ he said after the bail hearing on his plunder case. Also in detention for plunder is Sen. Jinggoy Estrada.

Two other senators, Loren Legarda and Ronald dela Rosa, are absent from the proceedings. Dela Rosa has been in hiding since May following the issuance of an arrest warrant against him by the International Criminal Court. Meanwhile, Legarda has been on an extended medical leave.

‘Indelible mark’

Reflecting on the appearance of former Supreme Court chief justices before the impeachment court last Wednesday, Sen. Panfilo Lacson said their expert testimonies have left an ‘indelible mark’ on him and would guide him in the vote to resolve the conviction threshold.

Senate President Pro Tempore Vicente Sotto III told reporters that senators would first hold a caucus before putting the threshold matter to a vote.

Malacañang, meanwhile, said it is keeping its hands off the issue.