Category: Philippine Star

Heart Evangelista brought a more unfiltered version of herself to the recently concluded New York Fashion Week (NYFW), where her street-style looks and candid social media posts drew attention alongside her appearances at major fashion shows.

The Filipina global style influencer attended NYFW Spring/Summer 2027, which kicked off on September 10 in New York City.

Known for her polished and carefully curated fashion content, Heart appeared more carefree this season as she shared candid moments from her trip, including a mirror bikini selfie that caught her followers by surprise.

She also shared a photo taken by her friends during the fashion week with the caption, ‘Tara. Wag kang maarte. Sama na.’

Her posts offered a glimpse of Heart enjoying the experience beyond the fashion shows and photo calls, as she mingled with friends and took in the various events across New York.

NYFW events were held in different locations across the city, including Manhattan venues such as The Plaza and Rainbow Room, Flushing Meadows Corona Park in Queens, and Storm King Art Center.

Heart was among the Filipinos who made their presence felt during the fashion week. Tennis star Alex Eala and Filipina model Kelsey Merritt were also in New York for the event.

Heart attended shows featuring several prominent designers, including Carolina Herrera, where she wore a classic dress.

‘Classic doesn’t mean boring,’ she said.

‘Being classic is being remembered. Being timeless is being yourself,’ she added.

She also attended the show of Cult Gaia, a contemporary luxury brand known for its sculptural designs and accessories.

Another highlight of her NYFW appearances was Prabal Gurung, the Nepalese-American designer based in New York City. Gurung founded the luxury fashion brand Simkhai, which was originally established in New York in 2010 and is now based in Los Angeles.

Heart was also present at Tory Burch’s Spring 2027 collection show, where she wore a long-sleeved, ankle-length maxi dress featuring abstract scenery, foliage and graphic elements.

Sharing her experience on social media, Heart wrote, ‘Beautiful, confident, and very much herself – a woman after my own heart.’

She also featured creations by British designer Christian Cowan, who is known for his bold and dramatic designs.

Heart’s NYFW itinerary included the work of Sandy Liang, whose designs are associated with the ‘downtown coquette’ aesthetic and often draw inspiration from nostalgic and feminine girlhood.

Her growing influence in fashion has also extended beyond styling and attending shows. Heart recently ventured further into jewelry design, with her pieces becoming statement accessories that have attracted attention from her followers.

NYFW was only one stop in Heart’s fashion calendar this year. Before heading to New York, she also attended Paris Fashion Week and Milan Fashion Week, where her looks generated attention on social media.

With her latest New York appearance, Heart once again showed that her fashion presence extends beyond the clothes she wears, as she continues to explore a more personal and spontaneous side of her style.

The Philippines’ fertility rate has fallen to 1.7 children per woman, sharpening concerns that a smaller future workforce will have to support a rapidly aging population.

The Commission on Population and Development (CPD) warned that persistently low fertility could eventually weaken the country’s base of workers, taxpayers and contributors to social protection systems, while increasing demand for healthcare and other services for older Filipinos.

The country’s total fertility rate, or the average number of children a woman would have over her lifetime based on current fertility patterns, dropped from 1.9 in 2022 to 1.7 in 2025, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority.

That is well below the replacement level of 2.1 children per woman.

Mylin Mirasol Quiray, information management and communications division chief of the CPD, said Thursday that the effects would become more consequential as today’s smaller cohorts eventually enter the labor force.

“Low fertility rate can be a hindrance to economic progress kasi mas magiging kaunti ‘yung ating mga tao na ipinapanganak na maaaring mag-earn ng money, mag-spend, mag-save,” Quiray said on “Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon” radio, citing the International Monetary Fund.

(A low fertility rate can be a hindrance to economic progress because fewer people will be born who can earn money, spend and save.)

She said the more immediate concern is the country’s future contributor base, as fewer births today eventually translate into fewer workers.

“‘Yung declining fertility maaaring ma-weaken ‘yung contributory base natin, which is fewer workers na puwedeng mapanganak,” she said, citing the Philippine Institute for Development Studies.

(Declining fertility may weaken our contributory base, meaning fewer workers will be born.)

Philippines getting older

The shift is already visible in the country’s age structure.

The 2024 Census of Population found that Filipinos aged 65 and older numbered 7.4 million, or 6.6% of the household population, up from 5.4% in 2020.

The country’s median age also rose to 27.7 years in 2024 from 25.3 in 2020 and 24.3 in 2015, according to the PSA.

Meanwhile, Filipinos aged 60 and older reached 11.42 million, equivalent to 10.2% of the household population.

State-run research center PIDS has projected that people aged 65 and older could account for about 7.6% of the population by 2030, as the country moves further into an aging demographic structure.

Quiray said an older population would mean greater demand for public services.

“Kapag aging population na tayo, mas maraming pangangailangan ‘no, sa health services, social services,” she said.

(As our population ages, there will be greater demand for health services and social services.)

She said the government would need to invest earlier in health and human development so Filipinos can remain active and healthy as they age.

Recent PIDS research has warned that below-replacement fertility, combined with population aging and a potentially smaller labor force, could increase pressure on social security systems and government revenues over the longer term.

Demographic dividend still open

The demographic pressure is not immediate, however.

The Philippines still has a large working-age population. In 2024, about 74.95 million Filipinos, or 66.7% of the household population, were aged 15 to 64.

The overall dependency ratio improved to about 50 dependents for every 100 working-age Filipinos in 2024, from 57 in 2020.

Quiray said the current labor force remains large enough to support children and older dependents.

“Mas marami pa rin naman tayong workers dito sa ating population ngayon na puwedeng suportahan ‘yung mga bata at saka matatanda,” she said.

(We still have more workers in our population who can support children and older people.)

That gives the country time to prepare for the longer-term consequences of lower fertility.

PIDS likewise says the Philippines’ demographic dividend remains open, but argues that policy must increasingly shift from controlling population growth toward building human capital and preparing for population aging.

That includes investing more heavily in early childhood development, education, healthcare and family support while the country still has a relatively large share of working-age people.

Not simply about having more children

The decline in fertility also poses a more complicated policy challenge than simply encouraging Filipinos to have bigger families.

CPD said family planning policy should continue to allow people to decide whether, when and how many children they want, rather than seek a particular fertility target.

“Kailangan pa rin natin talaga na mag-family planning para ‘yung mga gustong manganak, kung kailan nila gustong manganak, ay mangyayari at kung hindi nila gustong magkaanak ay mangyayari pa rin para sa kanila,” Quiray said.

(We still need family planning so that those who want to have children can do so when they choose, while those who do not want children can also make that choice.)

Modern contraceptive use among Filipino women has continued to increase, according to Quiray, rising from 41.8% in 2022 to 44.5% in 2025. Use of traditional methods such as withdrawal and the calendar method fell from 16.5% to 14.1% over the same period.

PIDS has also found that falling fertility does not necessarily mean all Filipino couples want fewer children.

Poorer households continue to have more children than they intend in some cases, while wealthier couples may have fewer children than they want, pointing to different barriers including employment insecurity, housing, caregiving responsibilities and the cost of raising a family.

Admitting that hauling garbage to Aloguinsan is unsustainable and costly, the Cebu City government is negotiating with Toledo City for the use of its landfill after the latest bidding for a solid waste disposal facility failed for lack of bidders.

Kenneth Siasar, chief of staff of Mayor Nestor Archival, said talks are ongoing with Toledo City, whose landfill is designed to accommodate Cebu City’s daily 700 tons of waste.

‘Ang atong long-term ana is landfill, that’s why we are currently negotiating with Toledo City naa may landfill diha nila,’ Siasar said.

Siasar stressed that hauling garbage to Aloguinsan, about 60 kilometers from Cebu City, is unsustainable.

‘If we continue to transport our garbage to Aloguinsan, ma-depleted jud ang atong budget. Mokaon na’g billion in the next two years,’ said Siasar.

Siasar clarified that the city still has an existing contract with Pinoy Basurero for garbage disposal in Aloguinsan.

If Prime Waste Solutions re-enters the bidding for the Binaliw facility, the city plans to send garbage from nearby barangays to Binaliw while continuing to haul waste from other areas to Aloguinsan.

‘Katong mga neighboring barangays nga duol ra sa Binaliw, mao ni atong ipalabay ngadto. And the rest, we will continue throwing our garbage sa Aloguinsan,’ he said.

The city reopened bidding in September for a licensed solid waste disposal facility, with an approved budget of ?99.3 million, but no bidders participated.

This was the fourth failed bidding attempt after Prime Waste Solutions was disqualified in May for incomplete PhilGEPS registration.

Prime Waste has since skipped subsequent bidding rounds while awaiting the full rehabilitation of the Binaliw landfill.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has lifted its cease-and-desist order on Binaliw, but monitoring and compliance issues remain.

Cebu City’s original 2026 garbage budget was ?550 million, but expenses doubled after the Binaliw landfill collapse in January forced the city to haul its garbage to Aloguinsan.

The mayor requested an additional ?500 million, but the City Council approved only ?400 million under Supplemental Budget No. 1, which formed part of an ?800.54-million package.

Daily garbage hauling now costs between ?4.2 million and ?4.5 million, pushing annual expenses to ?1 billion or more.

Officials have warned that if Prime Waste does not participate in the bidding, the city may need another ?100 million to ?200 million supplemental budget to sustain garbage disposal operations through December.

After months of teasing, former love team partners Heart Evangelista and John Prats will reunite in a movie to be directed by the latter.

The news was confirmed by Heart’s agency Sparkle, which hosted a media conference at Cornerstone Studios, which will produce the project.

Sparkle announced that the movie will come out in February 2027, teasing the possibility of a Valentine’s week release or even a birthday release for Heart and John, who were both born on February 14, a year apart.

The two were a reel- and real-life couple during the early 2000s, starring in projects such as “My First Romance” and “Ang Tanging Ina.”

Heart has not appeared in a local movie since 2015’s “Felix Manalo,” though she had a supporting role in the American streaming film “The Wedding Hustler.”

John similarly has not appeared in a movie since “3pol Trobol: Huli Ka Balbon!” in 2019, focusing instead on work behind the camera and directing live productions.

The two have remained on good terms and even had lunch together last March. John appeared on Heart’s reality show “Heart World,” where he confirmed that Heart was his first girlfriend.

The two also appeared in the music video for TJ Monterde’s “Teka Lang,” which John directed.

Heart teased last month that she would be collaborating with John again, which has now been revealed to be the upcoming film.

Some of the best slices of pizza in the world can be found in the streets of Makati.

Rome-based global organization 50 Top Pizza released its annual rankings of the 100 best pizzerias in the world this week, with two Philippine restaurants making the cut.

At No. 31 is Crosta Pizzeria, located at Salcedo Village with a branch in San Juan, owned by entrepreneurs Ingga Cabangon Chua and Thomas Woudwyk, with 50 Top Pizza crediting Japanese-Filipino cook Yuichi Abellare Ito for an array of pizza offerings with a twist.

‘Not just one style of pizza, but multiple styles to choose from, depending on your taste and what you are in the mood for at the moment,’ 50 Top Pizza wrote in Italian.

The group recommends ‘seasonal specials’ including Salciccia Shrooms, The Queen (Margherita) and Morty and Ella 2.0.

Cabangon Chua said the recognition inspires them to push boundaries and continue innovating.

‘Our job is to show that what happened to us isn’t a fluke; it can be a blueprint for future restaurateurs who can hopefully keep setting the bar higher and higher,’ Cabangon Chua told The STAR.

Earning the 48th spot is a mano – with branches in Rockwell, Bonifacio Global City, Cubao and Shaw – a place for those who feel homesick for Italy, according to the group.

‘The premises are very well-kept and welcoming and feature many touches that recall Italy and its culture,’ 50 Top Pizza said of the brainchild of Amado Forés, the son of the late restaurateur Margarita Forés.

‘The pizza style is reminiscent of contemporary pizza, with a pronounced crust, but don’t worry because it is well-leavened, light and easily digestible.’

The group’s top pick is Diavola, or spicy carnivore pizza, a mix of spicy salami, homemade sausage and spicy salami spread called ‘nduja.

The best pizza on the planet this year can be found in London, with Napoli on the Road claiming the top spot and displacing New York’s Una Pizza Napoletana to No. 2.

A maritime advocacy group has warned authorities of the increasing number of Chinese research vessels within Philippine waters, and called on the government not to ignore the development.

Alyansa ng Bantay sa Kapayapaan at Demokrasya (ABKD) said two Chinese military hydrographic survey vessels, identified as Hai Yang 23 Hao (Qian Xuesen 873) and Hai Yang 24 Hao (Deng Jiaxian 874), were detected on Sept. 11.

ABKD chairman Jose Antonio Goitia said the vessels are operated by the People’s Liberation Army and are capable of collecting detailed data on the depth, contours and condition of the seabed.

‘Seabed data can be used for scientific research, but it can also assist with naval navigation and submarine operations,’ said Goitia. ‘This becomes particularly sensitive when such data is collected near critical infrastructure such as undersea cables.’

Goitia said there is a need to determine the activities of these foreign military survey ships and the type of information they may be collecting, citing potential national security concern.

ABKD said Qian Xuesen 873 was located 1.15 nautical miles south of Galoc Island in Palawan, while Deng Jiaxian 874 was spotted 64.28 nautical miles west-northwest of Panatag Shoal.

‘For the Philippines, the issue is not only about who is sailing on the surface of the sea. It is also important to know who is gathering information about the seabed, natural resources, and critical infrastructure beneath it,’ Goitia said.

He added that 48 China Coast Guard and PLA vessels were monitored in four key areas of the West Philippine Sea from Sept. 8 to 14.

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) previously recorded another Chinese research ship operating within Panatag Shoal for 28 days in August.

Under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), consent from the coastal state should be secured for research activities within its exclusive economic zone.

The PCG noted that the marine scientific research was unauthorized, as confirmed by the Department of Foreign Affairs. It has since urged China to disclose the findings of the ships’ activities.

Gibo seeks collective action

Meanwhile, Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro Jr. yesterday called for collective action to safeguard the country’s maritime domain and advance the development of a blue economy.

Speaking at the Third Balangay Forum at Asia Pacific College (APC) in observance of the 2026 Maritime Archipelagic Nation Awareness Month (MANAMo) in Makati City, Teodoro stressed that national convergence and regional cooperation remain pivotal in such initiatives.

‘We have to use all the resources within that maritime domain in order to support our population on land, which admittedly is growing. Coupled with the fact that we have challenges of climate change, development, and food production. We have to rely increasingly in the maritime domain in order to augment our sustenance and probably even habitation,’ he said.

Teodoro also emphasized the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ critical role in defending the country’s maritime domain.

‘That is why we are developing the capacity of the armed forces to enforce, in coordination with our law enforcement agencies in a sustainable and logistically secure and sound manner, the laws of the Republic of the Philippines and the norms that we have agreed to in international treaties, particularly and principally the UN Charter,’ he said.

He underscored the relevance of defense initiatives and engagements with partner nations to enhance humanitarian activities, economic advancement, regional stability and maritime deterrence, and to uphold sovereign rights in accordance with rules-based international order.

‘We have to work with like-minded countries to open international routes, sea lanes of communication, that the world knows, because there are attempts to change the narrative. And a big example of changing the narrative is China’s nine-dash line,’ he explained.

‘We saw what happened in Mischief Reef, where they claimed – no less than their foreign minister – very theatrically claimed, that they will never militarize it, [that] it’s only for peaceful purposes. And now, you see a heavily militarized artificial island,’ he said.

Any proposed solid waste management policies, programs, projects and investments in Cebu will have to undergo technical evaluation by the Technical Working Group (TWG) created by the Cebu Provincial Solid Waste Management Board (CPSWMB).

The TWG was established through CPSWMB Resolution No. 2026-02, adopted on Aug. 19, 2026, to provide technical and advisory support to the board and its Executive Committee.

“The Technical Working Group shall serve as the technical and advisory arm of the CPSWMB,” reads a portion of the resolution.

The group is tasked with evaluating proposed ecological solid waste management initiatives before they are considered by the CPSWMB,ensuring that technical assessments and recommendations are available for the board’s consideration.

The resolution anchors the TWG’s work on Republic Act 9003, or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000, its implementing rules and regulations, and other applicable environmental laws.

It will provide expertise in technical, scientific, engineering, environmental, planning, legal, financial and administrative matters related to solid waste management.

However, the resolution clarified that the TWG will not exercise policy-making or executive authority. Its role is to provide ‘technical recommendations, analyses, studies, and advisory support’ to assist the CPSWMB and its Executive Committee in making informed decisions.

Among its duties is the preparation of technical studies, policy briefs, position papers, engineering assessments, feasibility studies and technical recommendations for the board.

The TWG will also assist in preparing, updating, implementing and monitoring the Provincial Ecological Solid Waste Management Plan.

It will review and evaluate the ecological solid waste management plans of local government units (LGUs) and provide technical recommendations to the CPSWMB and concerned LGUs.

The group will also conduct technical monitoring, compliance assessments, inspections and performance evaluations of ecological solid waste management programs implemented by component cities and municipalities.

“Conduct technical monitoring, compliance assessments, inspections, and performance evaluations of ecological solid waste management programs implemented by component cities and municipalities,” it reads.

It will consolidate and analyze technical data on waste generation, waste diversion, collection efficiency, recycling rates, Materials Recovery Facilities, composting facilities, sanitary landfill operations and other relevant indicators.

The TWG will also recommend appropriate technologies, systems and best practices for waste reduction, segregation, recycling, composting, collection, transfer, treatment and final disposal consistent with RA 9003.

The Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Officer (PENRO) will serve as chairperson, while the Provincial Planning and Development Office (PPDO) will serve as vice chairperson.

Members will come from various provincial government offices, including the Provincial Engineer’s Office (PEO), Provincial Health Office (PHO), Provincial Agriculture Office (PAO), Provincial General Services Office (PGSO), Provincial Budget Office (PBO), Provincial Legal Office (PLO), Provincial Information Office (PIO), Provincial Tourism Office (PTO) and Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO).

The TWG will also include representatives from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Environmental Management Bureau (DENR-EMB), Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), Department of Science and Technology (DOST), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), League of Municipalities of the Philippines-Cebu Chapter, an accredited environmental NGO, the recycling or waste management industry, and the academe.

The PENRO will serve as the TWG secretariat and handle its technical and administrative requirements, including records, meeting documents, action-item monitoring, technical reports and coordination among members and partner agencies.

There are five lawyers and a physician belonging to the United Bangsamoro Justice Party (UBJP) of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) who shall work together starting October 30 as elected members of the 80-seat Bangsamoro regional parliament.

The first-ever parliamentary elections in the now seven-year-old Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, covering five provinces and three cities, were administered just last Monday, September 14, by the Commission on Elections with the help of different units of the Armed Forces and the Philippine National Police.

The doctor of medicine Lampa Pandi, who had served as three-term mayor of Poona Bayabao town in Lanao del Sur, was elected representative of one of the nine parliamentary districts in their province.

‘The elections in my district were peaceful and orderly. Me and my supporters are grateful to poll officials, the teachers, the personnel of the police and military who cooperated in facilitating the electoral exercise in our district,’ Pandi told reporters on Friday, September 18.

Pandi also had a long stint as a senior official in the regional health department of the now-defunct Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, which was established in 1992 and, subsequently, replaced with a more politically and administratively empowered Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao in 2019.

The lawyers John Anthony Lim, who hails from Tawi-Tawi and has been an appointed member of the parliament since 2022, was elected as a nominee for the UBJP’s group representation in the parliament, along with Sheriff Abas, Sha Elijah Dumama-Alba and Raissa Jajurie.

The lawyers Dumama-Alba and Jajurie are also both appointed members of the interim parliament. Jajurie, as an appointed regional lawmaker, is overseeing the Ministry of Social Services and Development-BARMM in a concurrent capacity.

Abas, who is from a big Moro clan in Maguindanao del Norte province, was a former chairman of the Commission on Elections.

The UBJP has won 15 seats for its bloc nominees for the 80-seat parliament, among them the chairman of the MILF’s central committee, Ahod Ebrahim, who was BARMM’s appointed chief minister from 2019 to March 2025.

The fifth lawyer from the UBJP, Arnado, was elected on September 14 as representative to the parliament of the settler communities, or non-indigenous groups, in all of the autonomous region’s five provinces, Maguindanao del Norte, Maguindanao del Sur, Lanao del Sur, Basilan and Tawi-Tawi and three cities, Lamitan, Marawi and Cotabato, where the BARMM capitol is located.

The Tausug Lim, also spokesperson of the parliament for more than a year now, and Pandi, who is of Maranao descent, separately told reporters on Friday they want parliament members belonging to the UBJP, the Bangsamoro Federalist Party and all other blocs to unite and together work in furthering peace and sustainable development in BARMM.

‘We can boost the spread of peace and development to all provinces and cities in the Bangsamoro region if we are united despite our different political identities,’ Pandi said.

Lim said the duly elected members of the BARMM parliament ought to protect, as lawmakers, the dividends of the Mindanao peace process, the most tangible of which is the creation of BARMM, whose setup was together designed by Moro and government peace brokers.

Lim said officials of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, a group of more than 50 Muslim states, including petroleum-exporting countries in the Middle East and North Africa, will surely feel good seeing all sectors in the autonomous region together in sustaining self-governance in the autonomous region via the BARMM regional government.

Member-states of the OIC helped broker Malacañang’s separate peace compacts with the MILF and the Moro National Liberation Front that both fought for self-governance by the southern Moro communities in the context of Philippine sovereignty.

The Senate impeachment court has ordered Bicol Saro party-list Rep. Terry Ridon and private prosecutor Benjamin Tolosa Jr. to explain their perceived violations of the court’s sub judice rule.

With the receipt of the show-cause order, the House of Representatives’ prosecution team urged the impeachment court to also call out Vice President Sara Duterte.

Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong, one of the designated spokespersons in the impeachment trial, pointed out to journalists covering the proceedings that if presiding officer Sen. Francis Escudero found some prosecutors to have committed such, then so has the Vice President.

‘I think it should be applied universally. If we are really to set the standard for all parties involved in this impeachment trial to observe with due diligence, avoiding violating the sub judice rule, it would also be applied to the respondent herself,’ he said, referring to Duterte.

Adiong noted that Duterte had openly declared her distrust of the court and even insinuated a presidential influence over it.

He described the remarks as attacks on the court itself.

Escudero issued the show-cause orders on Sept. 16.

The demand came after two prosecutors received orders to explain public statements that allegedly violated the court’s restrictions on discussing the pending case.

Ridon confirmed he was one of the two prosecutors issued the show-cause order.

A viral video supposedly showing former President Rodrigo Duterte thanking his supporters after personally appearing before the International Criminal Court (ICC) is AI-generated.

A TikTok user shared the video on Wednesday, September 16, showing Duterte allegedly thanking his supporters and asking them to include his daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte, in their prayers.

“Isama ninyo sa inyong mga panalangin ang aking anak na si Inday. Ipagdasal ninyo sana na bigyan siya ng Diyos ng lakas, tapang, at karunungan upang malampasan niya ang lahat ng pagsubok na kanyang kinakaharap ngayon,” the AI-generated video of Duterte said.

(Include my daughter Inday in your prayers. Please pray that God gives her the strength, courage and wisdom to overcome all the challenges she is facing.)

The same video was posted earlier by Facebook page Edd AI at around 7:18 p.m., more than two hours before it was shared by the TikTok user at around 9:29 p.m.

The Facebook page also included a disclaimer saying its content was AI-generated, along with the hashtags #aigenerated and #satire.

Duterte appeared in person before the ICC for the first time on September 16 for the third status conference in his case.

He previously appeared before the court via videolink during his initial appearance in March 2025.