Category: Philippine Star

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Bus fares

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

P15 for the first five kilometers for ordinary buses

P18 for the first five kilometers for airconditioned buses

P2.49 for every succeeding kilometer for ordinary buses

P2.98 for every succeeding kilometer for airconditioned buses

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

For every succeeding kilometer, the rates will be:

P2.20 for ordinary buses

P2.45 for airconditioned buses

P2.60 for deluxe buses

P2.70 for super deluxe buses

P3.35 for luxury buses

Taxi, TNVS fares

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

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

For TNVS, the new base fares are:

P55 for hatchbacks

P65 for sedans

P75 for AUVs/SUVs

P165 for premium vehicles

The pick-up fare will be P15 per kilometer.

P2P, UV Express fares

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

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

For UV Express, the provisional increases are:

P2.60 per kilometer for traditional UV Express

P3 per kilometer for modern UV Express

For taxis, the provisional flag-down rates are:

P65 for regular taxis

P80 for Premium Silver Taxi Service

P95 for Premium Gold Taxi Service

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

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

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

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

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

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

But the numbers only partly tell the story.

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

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

He had every reason to feel the pressure.

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

That persistence is now paying off.

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

The grind finally produced the breakthrough he had been chasing.

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

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

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

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

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

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

He made the turn in 33 and seized solo control.

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

The duel was suddenly on.

But Ramos refused to give ground.

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

Host, meanwhile, would not go quietly.

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

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

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

The young Filipino did not panic.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

He will have little time to celebrate.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rehabilitation is required by Philippine law.

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

The National Citizens’ Movement for Free Elections (NAMFREL) said it is planning to file a petition for certiorari before the Supreme Court challenging the postponement of the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE).

In an interview with DZBB on Sunday, September 27, NAMFREL Secretary General Eric Alvia said that the law is unconstitutional, arguing that it directly infringes upon the public’s constitutional right to vote and choose their leaders.

‘Alam namin na yung batas na ‘to eh medyo unconstitutional,’ Alvia said.

(We know that this law is somewhat unconstitutional.)

‘itong halalan na ‘to ay pang siyam na beses na ‘to ah pinostpone simula nung 1994. Paulit-ulit na lang itong halalan na ‘to na ginagalaw at kinakait sa atin ‘no ‘yung karapatan natin na bumoto na siyang nakalagda sa ating konstitusyon,’ he added.

(This election has been postponed nine times now since 1994. Time and again, this election is being altered, depriving us of our right to vote as enshrined in our Constitution.)

Alvia cited the landmark June 2023 Supreme Court ruling in Macalintal vs. COMELEC, which explicitly states that the BSKE should not be easily moved unless there are compelling reasons, such as a public health pandemic or natural disasters.

‘Kung yung mga ganitong rason na binibigay nila na ‘makakatipid daw’ o kaya ‘dahil may election fatigue’ o kaya kailangan daw ‘patuparin yung mga proyekto na hindi pa tapos,’ hindi ito masyadong sapat na rason ayon sa Supreme Court,’ he said.

(If these reasons they are giving-such as ‘saving money,’ ‘election fatigue,’ or the need to ‘finish pending projects’-are all they have, these are not sufficient grounds according to the Supreme Court.)

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signed the most recent BSKE postponement law on Friday, September 25, moving the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections from November 2026 to Nov. 13, 2028.

It also extended the term of incumbent officials from four to five years.

The Commission on Elections immediately canceled all 2026 BSKE preparations, including the filing of certificates of candidacy that had been set for September 28.

Progressive and opposition lawmakers in the House of Representatives have expressed their vehement objection to President Marcos’ signing of a new law, postponing anew the scheduled Nov. 2 barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections (BSKE) this year.

‘It is not Filipinos who stand to benefit from this repeated railroading of BSKE postponement. Billions of pesos in government funds have been put to waste,’ House Senior Deputy Minority Leader Leila de Lima said.

‘We will once again deprive our people of their right to vote, and for those to be elected to be given their chance to serve the public. All of these rights that should have been respected, honored and have been sacrificed,’ De Lima added.

‘The BSKE postponement didn’t bear reforms, but only worsened systematic patronage,’ she said.

De Lima’s colleague in the minority bloc, Rep. Renee Louise Co of Kabataan party-list, condemned Marcos’ signing of Republic Act 12326 extending the term of Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan officials to five years.

‘The additional term of BSKE officials only means more time to stick to their posts. They just made it appear it was a term extension, but in reality BSKE postponement is what they really want,’ Co said.

‘Once again, a Marcos is stealing the election from the Filipino people and its youth. Once again, our democratic right to elect representatives at the most local level of government is being violated,’ she added.

Legal challenge

Rep. Joel Chua said he welcomes the delay and urged those against it to seek recourse through available legal remedies.

‘We welcome the decision of our President to postpone our barangay election,’ Chua, chairman of the House committee on good government and public accountability, said at a press briefing.

Chua said he understood that the cost of conducting another nationwide election was among the considerations behind the postponement.

For incumbent barangay officials, he said the extension means additional time to work for their constituents.

The new law supersedes an earlier measure that had moved the BSKE from December 2025 to November 2026 and set four-year terms for barangay and SK officials.

Election lawyer Romulo Macalintal said he is preparing to challenge the constitutionality of the law before the Supreme Court (SC), possibly tomorrow.

‘In my view, the Supreme Court would find grave abuse of discretion in the enactment of this law, given the extremely limited time we were afforded to question it. It feels as though we have been deprived of our right to file or question it because time has run out; it appears intentional – doing it at the very last minute precisely to ensure there is no time to question it before the Supreme Court,’ he said in an interview over dzBB on Friday.

Host Far Fastern U notched a maiden 93-70 win, spoiling Paulo Hubalde’s coaching debut for University of the East in the UAAP Season 89 men’s basketball yesterday at the MOA Arena.

Hubalde took over from resigned mentor Chris Gavina on game day but failed to stop the Red Warriors from going 0-3 and sliding to their 23rd straight loss since the second round of the 87th season in 2024.

FEU improved to 1-1 coming off its opening 56-53 defeat to Adamson, with Mo Konateh delivering a near double-double of 15 points and nine rebounds in just 19 minutes of play.

Kirby Mongcopa scattered 13 points, 13 rebounds, six assists and a steal with Jorick Bautista (13), reigning MVP Janrey Pasaol (12) and Jedric Daa (12) chipping in sold contributions.

Tope Lagat (20), Mo Tañedo (16) and Gene Carillo (13) led the way for the Red Warriors.

Meanwhile, Ateneo (2-1) got back in track with a gritty 73-68 victory over the Falcons (1-1) after a deflating 94-75 loss to University of the Philippines last week.

Jared Bahay tallied 18 points, six rebounds and five assists while Travis Roberts (14) and Ian Espinosa (10) also contributed for the Eagles.

‘Every team here is capable of beating the other team so we have to go to the game well-prepared, especially against Adamson, a well-coached team,’ said Alas, a Falcon during his collegiate stint in the early 1980s.