Category: Philippine Star

Ahead of its highly anticipated opening in late 2026, Mandarin Oriental, Makati took another significant step towards assembling its founding team, welcoming 384 hospitality professionals to its inaugural Career Fair held in Makati on July 24.

As Mandarin Oriental prepares for its return to the Philippine capital, the Career Fair represented an important milestone in building the team that will bring the brand’s legendary service to life. Throughout the day, candidates from across hotel disciplines participated in interviews and screening sessions with the leadership team. They were also introduced to the culture, values and service philosophy that will define the guest experience at Mandarin Oriental, Makati.

Since recruitment commenced in February, the hotel has attracted more than 18,000 applications from across the country, reflecting the strong interest surrounding Mandarin Oriental’s return to the Philippine capital. Following the inaugural Career Fair, recruitment continues across all departments as the hotel prepares to welcome its opening team in the months leading up to its opening.

‘The enthusiasm demonstrated throughout the Career Fair reflects the calibre of talent attracted by the hotel’s opening and the enduring appeal of the Mandarin Oriental brand. We are immensely excited to welcome guests to Mandarin Oriental, Makati, and to welcome the colleagues who will bring our legendary service to life. The Philippines is renowned for its genuine warmth and exceptional hospitality, qualities admired the world over. Filipino hospitality professionals possess an innate ability to care for others with sincerity and grace, making them a natural fit for Mandarin Oriental. As Masters of Craft, our colleagues are united by a passion for excellence and a dedication to continually refining their expertise. This philosophy lies at the heart of our culture, reflecting our commitment to nurturing talent, celebrating craftsmanship, and empowering every colleague to excel in their chosen profession,’ said Franck Droin, General Manager of Mandarin Oriental, Makati.

Building on the success of the inaugural event, Mandarin Oriental, Makati will host two additional Career Fairs in the coming months as it continues to recruit talent for its opening team.

Guided by Mandarin Oriental’s Masters of Craft philosophy, the hotel continues to seek individuals whose passion for excellence and dedication to service will shape a new chapter in Manila hospitality.

Up to 675 dengue cases have been reported in Basilan since January, according to the provincial health office.

Of the figure, 333 cases were reported in Isabela City, while the rest were in other parts of Basilan, provincial health officer Sharifa Ann Abbas-Alvarez said.

Local health officials said the number of cases is lower than the previous two years with 866 in 2025 and 768 in 2024.

Abbas said Lamitan City recorded 259 dengue infections, noting that cases in all 12 municipalities remain low.

Authorities urged residents to intensify preventive measures by eliminating stagnant water and other potential mosquito breeding sites, and to seek medical attention once they manifest symptoms of the disease.

A student reportedly abducted somewhere in this city and found dead in a shallow river in Barangay Matengen in nearby Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao del Norte, on Tuesday, August 11, had earlier complained about being frequently bullied by schoolmates whose identities he had reported to school officials and his relatives.

The 21-year-old Abubakar Lauban Hasim, a third-year business administration student at Cotabato State University, was first reported missing by friends and classmates in Cotabato City on Monday, August 10, and was subsequently found dead on Tuesday along a riverbank in Barangay Matengen, about 15 kilometers away.

Friends and classmates of Hasim told reporters that he was apprehensive about his safety after telling his friends, classmates and teachers about being bullied by unruly men, whose names he also revealed to them.

Police probers and barangay officials in Matengen said Hasim had two bullet wounds on his body.

They said they were certain that he was abducted and killed somewhere in Cotabato City and that his killers brought and dumped his body at a shallow spot in a river in Barangay Matengen.

Hasim was from a Moro family in Barangay Tukanalipao in Mamasapano town, Maguindanao del Sur.

Captain Steffie Salanguit, spokesperson for the Police Regional Office-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region, said investigators and intelligence operatives from different units of the Cotabato City Police Office and the Sultan Kudarat Municipal Police Station, along with local executives in the municipality, are cooperating to bring closure to the apparently premeditated murder of Hasim.

The Supreme Court has ruled that the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee cannot be compelled to release an unfinished draft of its partial report on alleged flood-control anomalies, saying preliminary committee documents are not yet part of the official Senate record.

The high court dismissed a petition for mandamus and certiorari seeking the full, unredacted draft of the report.

It said mandamus applies only when the law imposes a clear ministerial duty that leaves no room for discretion. No constitutional or statutory provision requires the Senate committee to disclose an unfinished draft.

“A draft report is a preliminary document and only becomes part of the official Senate record once it is finalized, approved by the Committee, and submitted to the Senate plenary following the Senate’s internal rules,” the Supreme Court said in a statement Wednesday, August 12.

Right to information has limits

The high court also rejected the argument that withholding the draft violated the constitutional right to information.

It said the right is subject to recognized limitations, including the deliberative process privilege, which protects internal discussions and preliminary positions while officials are still making decisions.

“This privilege protects internal discussions while a decision is still being made, allowing officials to freely exchange views without the risk that preliminary or tentative positions will be mistaken for final decisions,” the court said.

The Supreme Court also cited the separation of powers, saying courts generally cannot interfere with legislative discretion and the Senate’s internal procedures as long as these remain within constitutional bounds.

The petition was filed by lawyers Eldrige Marvin Aceron, Sikini Labastilla and Purificacion Bartolome-Bernabe.

It followed the leak in February of a draft partial committee report that reportedly recommended criminal and administrative complaints, including plunder, against several senators and other public officials over alleged flood-control irregularities.

Contributed photo

MANILA, Philippines – Easily one of the fancied squads in the forthcoming UAAP men’s basketball tournament are the University of the Philippines’ Fighting Maroons.

Now, the Diliman-based team has added another piece to its offensive arsenal with the acquisition of point guard Ethan Kaw, who is expected to boost the team’s quickness.

Kaw spent his high school years donning blue jersey, acquiring vast experience while playing for Saint Jude Catholic School and later for the Ateneo Blue Eaglets.

In a change of heart, Kaw has chosen to wear Maroon colors in the UAAP cage wars that begin on September 12 at the Mall of Asia Arena.

His six-foot frame puts him in the guard or forward size range, which aligns well with his role as a versatile player in the team’s backcourt and wing positions.

Possessing some shooting touch, Kaw is also expected to provide the Fighting Maroons the needed orchestration and consistency, making UP one of the teams to beat in premier collegiate cage league.

For Kaw however, his mindset is simple. He told online media that he wanted to experience a new environment in college, something expects to achieve with the Fighting Maroons.

With a month and half away before the UAAP joust, Kaw said he is adapting well to the point guard position, adding that the transition is tougher than most expect it to be.

He claimed to have significantly improved playing in the position after several practice sessions with a new system under coach Goldwin Monteverde, honing his reaction time, ball-handling and passing.

Another group of workers has gone to the Supreme Court to challenge lower court orders blocking the new minimum wage in Metro Manila, arguing that the suspension is costing workers an estimated P66 million in wages each day.

KAMANGGAGAWA Party-list and eight labor groups filed a petition Wednesday, August 12, seeking to annul the status quo ante and temporary restraining orders issued by regional trial courts in Pasig and Navotas against the Metro Manila wage order.

The wage order grants an P85 increase in two tranches: P60 effective July 25 and another P25 on Jan. 20, 2027. The court orders have prevented the first tranche from taking effect, keeping the daily minimum wage at P695 instead of P755.

The petitioners said the delay affects around 1.1 million minimum-wage earners, equivalent to about P66 million in foregone wages each day.

“Courts can restore money later, but they cannot retroactively put dinner on yesterday’s table. Workers cannot tell hunger to wait while lawyers argue jurisdiction,” the petition read.

Courts’ jurisdiction questioned

The groups argued that Article 126 of the Labor Code bars courts from issuing injunctions or temporary restraining orders against proceedings before the National Wages and Productivity Commission and Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Boards.

They maintained that regional wage boards have primary jurisdiction over minimum wage setting.

The petitioners also accused Readycon Trading and Construction Corp., R-II Builders Inc. and the Alliance of Philippine Fishing Federations Inc. of bypassing the administrative appeal process under Article 123 of the Labor Code.

Instead of appealing to the NWPC, the companies filed petitions for declaratory relief before trial courts.

“The RTCs cannot and should not enjoin the implementation of social welfare legislations and quasi-legislative Wage Orders without causing irreparable injury to the working class,” the petition read.

The arguments remain subject to the Supreme Court’s review.

On Tuesday, August 11, Akbayan Party-list and other labor groups separately filed a letter-complaint with the Supreme Court’s Judicial Integrity Office seeking a review of the Pasig RTC’s actions in suspending the wage order.

Philippine delegate Zoraida ‘Dang’ Bricca, a 5’10’ De La Salle University graduate with a Business degree, was crowned the champion, and first Filipino winner, in the recently concluded Mrs. Celebrity International pageant in Sentul, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

She was also proclaimed the Best Catwalk and Best Country/Cultural Power of the Year awards recipient. Like other pageants, candidates competed in several categories and challenges and the highest-scored on coronation night was declared the champion.

Dang’s court, all given the title of Mrs. Celebrity International, in descending order, were:

Nana Hoshino (Japan)

Olesya Shishkina (Russia)

Phuong Hue Xuan (Vietnam)

Lin Li Chi (Taiwan)

The said pageant, which started in 2023, is open to wives and transgender women of all shapes and sizes ranging from 20 to 45 years old and follows the mantra, ‘Zero hate, zero waste!’

Dang first represented the country in 2024 when she won the Queen of The Universe title in Cairo, Egypt.

‘I wanted to join the Supermodel search before but I was still underage. Then after graduation from college, I flew to the Middle East to work as a flight attendant for Saudia Airlines. Like after two months from graduation, I was already working. Thereafter, I got married so I thought my pageantry dreams were over.

‘But I learned through supportive friends that it’s never too late to pursue your dreams as long as you put your heart in it,’ shared the brand owner and designer of the House of Zora label during a homecoming presser at the Hot Off The Press dining salon in Quezon City.

Dang is also the chief executive officer of the Global Glam Fashion studio.

This week, Dang will commence her outreach program with the Cribs Foundation of Antipolo that will benefit abandoned, neglected, and surrendered infants and toddlers, as well as minor female survivors of sexual abuse seeking healing and recovery.

Next year, there will be a national competition where provincial delegates will compete for the chance to represent the country and vie for the international title in Thailand.

Sen. Raffy Tulfo thanked his colleagues yesterday after the Senate passed on third reading the Revised Philippine Coast Guard Law.

Sponsored and authored by Tulfo, Senate Bill 2116 clarifies the PCG’s structure and maritime safety mandates.

The law ensures that PCG personnel are not left behind, Tulfo said.

‘We’re making sure that their ranks, career structure, salaries and pay grades are fair and keep up with those of the Armed Forces and the Philippine National Police,’ Tulfo said.

Miss Philippines Earth 2025 Joy Barcoma is eager to improve her hosting skills after receiving praise over the weekend for emcee duties during the inaugural Reinas Filipinas Grand International competition.

Joy shared hosting duties with fellow pageant personality Sean Kyle Ortega as Palawan delegate Angelica Lopez bested 20 other aspirants to win the first-ever title.

Numerous individuals including fashion designer Michael Cinco lauded Joy and Sean’s hosting last August 7, comments that Joy took to heart.

The beauty queen spoke to members of the media, including Philstar.com, after she hosted the press conference for Netflix film “Ganito, Ganyan, Ganoon” in Newport World Resorts to further reflect on the praise she received.

Parañaque is facing a full-blown ‘garbage crisis,’ Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon said yesterday after seeing trash clogging the Redemptorist water channel in Baclaran.

Floods in surrounding communities are a tragic and frustrating consequence of improper waste disposal, Dizon stressed, saying he has never seen the region’s waterways in such a severe state.

‘This is truly a garbage crisis,’ Dizon said during yesterday’s inspection. ‘We need to deploy more equipment, including five floating backhoes paired with floating trash barges.’

In the adjacent city of Las Piñas, President Marcos renewed his call for proper waste disposal as he inspected flood control operations and visited evacuees.

‘You saw pictures showing the canal completely clogged with trash that didn’t even originate from Parañaque. It came from other areas,’ he said.

Marcos said the government will pursue a waste-to-energy program to address the country’s garbage problem while generating additional electricity.

Ongoing flood control efforts, including dredging, seem to be effective, but more work needs to be done, Marcos maintained.

‘We have only just resumed dredging operations after a 12-year moratorium. That meant 12 years without any dredging, causing our rivers and spillways becoming increasingly shallow,’ he noted.

Marcos ordered Dizon to revisit plans for the completion of the long-delayed Las Piñas spillway, which plays a crucial role in addressing Metro Manila flooding.

Following heavy rains caused by Tropical Depression Maymay and the southwest monsoon, the Philippine Red Cross is conducting rescue operations in flooded areas in Metro Manila.