Category: Philippine Star

From 12, coach Tim Cone’s Gilas Pilipinas Men will now work with an expanded 16-man pool for next month’s FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers.

Quentin Millora-Brown has received his first call-up after his reclassification as a local player while Kai Sotto, though still recovering from ACL, has been reinserted into Gilas’ roster for the back-to-back opening window matches against Guam on Nov. 28 and Dec. 1.

Cone has also tapped naturalized player Ange Kouame and guard RJ Abarrientos to join QMB, Sotto and the core mainstays Justin Brownlee, Calvin Oftana, Chris Newsome, June Mar Fajardo, Scottie Thompson, Dwight Ramos, CJ Perez, Japeth Aguilar, Kevin Quiambao, Carl Tamayo, Jamie Malonzo and AJ Edu in the training crew.

‘Continuity is still the main priority of coach Tim Cone but we saw it fit to add a couple of pieces to the training pool,’ Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas president Al Panlilio said in a statement.

Kapamilya star Daniel Padilla attended the 2025 Seoul International Drama Awards to receive his Outstanding Asian Star award.

According to a report by ABS-CBN, Daniel walked on the red carpet in the KBS Hall in Seoul, South Korea wearing pinstripe suit by Ryan Viloria and Gekko Studios.

“Awkward, daming tao,” Daniel said. “Siyempre, yun naman ang pinunta natin dito. Okay naman!”

Daniel received the Outstanding Asian Star award with fellow recipients Film Mahawan from Thailand, Kentaro Sakaguchi from Japan, and Anna Jobling from Malaysia.

Also winning the award as determined by fan votes were Jisoo of Blackpink, fellow Korean star Kim Seon-ho, and Chinese actor Yu Bai.

In his acceptance speech, Daniel thanked his ABS-CBN executives, fans who voted him, and his “Incognito” team, even mentioning each of his co-stars.

“I’m truly honored to be here tonight to receive this award, thank you so much Seoul International Drama Awards for this recognition,” Daniel said in his speech. “I also want to thank my friends and my family for their endless support and unconditional love. Mama, I made it.”

“And to all the fans, thank you for your continuous support and unwavering love. You are the reason why I’m here. Thank you so much,” Daniel ended.

The biggest winner of this year’s Seoul International Drama Awards was Netflix hit “Adolescence” as it took home the Grand Prize, Best Director for Philip Barantini (jointly winning with Hirokazu Kore-eda for “Asura”), and Best Actor for Owen Cooper.

Apple TV+ also had a big night as “Severance” creator Ben Stiller won the Golden Bird Prize and writer Dan Erickson won Best Screenwriter, “Pachinko” won Best Miniseries, and “Disclaimer” star Cate Blanchett shared the Best Actress award with “Pachinko” star Kim Min-ha.

Netflix shows “The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call” and “When Life Gives You Tangerines” shared the Outstanding Korean Drama award as its stars Ju Ji-hoon and IU won the acting categories.

Completing the winner’s list were Korea’s “The Son” for Best TV Movie, Turkiye’s “The Good and The Bad” for Best Series, and Young Tak’s music in “For Eagle Brothers” for Outstanding Korean Drama Original Soundtrack.

The first-ever parliamentary election in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) has been rescheduled to March next year, according to the Commission on Elections.

The Comelec said the postponement was due to a ruling of the Supreme Court (SC) declaring laws pertinent to the redistricting of the BARMM as unconstitutional.

‘There will be a Bangsamoro parliamentary elections, the first in history, to be conducted on March 31,’ Comelec Chairman George Garcia announced at a press conference yesterday.

Meanwhile, Malacañang said it respects the SC ruling that voided the Bangsamoro Autonomy Act 77, which mandates the redistricting of the BARMM, and the BAA 58, which provided for the creation of parliamentary districts.

‘The Office of the President recognizes that this ruling is a pivotal step in ensuring that the first Bangsamoro parliamentary elections will be conducted on the firmest constitutional and legal foundations,’ Malacañang said in a statement released on Wednesday night.

The government vowed to support all constitutionally mandated institutions to ensure that the democratic aspirations of the Bangsamoro people are realized within the framework of the Constitution and the Bangsamoro Organic Law.

After declaring the BAA 77 and BAA 58 unconstitutional, the high tribunal ordered the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) to pass a new law distributing the parliamentary districts by Oct. 30, and the Comelec to conduct the BARMM elections not later than March next year.

Garcia said the Comelec does not intend to appeal the SC decision and will comply with the order.

While the redistricting is left to the discretion of the BTA, Garcia said the poll body is ready to help and cooperate for the passage of a new law.

He said the Comelec has five months to prepare for the BARMM parliamentary election.

Garcia said the poll body is planning to hold the filing of certificates of candidacy in January and the ballot printing in February.

While waiting for the passage of a new law, Garcia said, the Comelec would take back all election materials including ballots that have already been deployed to the BARMM.

He said at least P1 billion including the P500 million for the printing of ballots had gone to waste due to the suspension of the Bangsamoro elections. ­

Isuzu Philippines Corp. (IPC) maintained its leadership in the truck segment, accounting for over 40 percent of the country’s total truck sales from January to August.

In a statement yesterday, IPC said it remained the overall truck market leader, holding 42.7 percent of the market in the eight-month period with 3,200 truck units sold. This marked a 10 percent increase from the 2,912 units sold in the same period last year.

Light-duty trucks emerged as the top-performing segment for IPC, with 1,934 units sold, representing 42.9 percent of the market during the period.

IPC attributed the performance in the light-duty truck segment to its Isuzu N-Series trucks, which are being used for logistics and distribution businesses nationwide.

The automotive firm also posted strong performance in the medium-duty truck segment with 998 units sold, capturing 43 percent of the market as of end-August. This marked a four percent increase in sales compared to the same period last year.

IPC said the Isuzu F-Series remains a top choice for businesses that require dependable medium-duty solutions for long-distance transport and industrial use.

Meanwhile, IPC sold 278 units and accounted for 40.3 percent of the heavy-duty truck segment.

The performance was supported by the Isuzu S and E series trucks, which are used for government infrastructure projects and large-scale logistics operations.

Through its aftersales support, IPC is helping clients maintain their vehicles, while minimizing operational costs and downtime.

‘We at Isuzu Philippines are honored by the support of Filipino businesses and individuals, which reflects the trust we’ve built through our dedication to delivering the best customer experience – from sales to aftersales. The growth for each segment, from light-duty, medium-duty to heavy-duty trucks, demonstrates our mission to provide reliable mobility solutions tailored to the diverse needs of our customers,’ IPC president Mikio Tsukui said.

Given the latest performance, IPC is confident that it would end the year on a strong note.

‘Our continued mission to offer product excellence and customer service is our key to retaining our leadership as the country’s most trusted truck brand,’ Tsukui said.

The local stock market advanced for the second straight session as investors continued to take advantage of affordable share prices following a recent seven-day slump.

The benchmark Philippine Stock Exchange index closed yesterday’s session at 6,039.76, higher by 0.23 percent or 13.73 points.

The broader All Shares index also improved by 0.13 percent or 4.67 points, finishing at 3,659.29.

Philstocks Financial research manager Japhet Tantiangco said the local market extended its gains as investors continued with their bargain hunting.

‘The positive cues from Wall Street driven by Fed rate cut hopes help in Thursday’s session,’ he said.

All sectors were in the green, except for property which declined by 1.2 percent.

Total value turnover thinned to P5.56 billion from the previous day’s P6.8 billion.

Foreigners were net sellers with net outflows at P762.05 million.

Market breadth was negative as decliners edged out advancers, 95 to 89, while 65 issues were unchanged.

ICTSI remained as the session’s most actively traded stock, ending flat at P486 percent, followed by BDO Unibank and Ayala Land which dropped by 0.22 percent and 1.64 percent, respectively, to P138 and P24.

Among index members, SM Investments recorded the highest jump with a 2.03-percent increase, while SM Prime lost the most, declining by 2.18 percent.

The knives are out and San Miguel Beer knows it can’t rest easy in its PBA Philippine Cup title def

‘Definitely, we’ll work hard to retain the championship but alam namin mahirap ngayon, marami nang teams na lumakas. Hopefully we can defend the crown,’ SMB team governor Robert Non said during the recent presscon for the 50th season.

He mentioned how TNT, runner-up in the Season 49 All-Filipino, has welcomed back its injured players who were missing in the previous tournament for another shot at the crown jewel.

Aside from the usual suspects, Non also noted the threat he expects from ‘darkhorse’ Converge, Rain or Shine and Magnolia, now under former Ginebra player LA Tenorio.

‘Dapat eh magising na sa katotohanan team namin, hindi pwedeng tutulog-tulog na ngayon, ang daming magagaling na,’ he said.

For Meralco, there’s an added motivation to wrest the crown back and get even with the very team that spoiled its title-repeat campaign last season.

‘Sila Robert (San Miguel) ang defending champion (now), kami yung dinethrone nila last season so we hope we can return the favor this year,’ said Bolts governor Atty. William Pamintuan, referring to the squad’s 97-108 loss to twice-to-beat SMB in the quarterfinals of the previous Philippine Cup that ended their reign.

Like Non, Pamintuan sees a tough road to Philippine Cup glory.

‘I think for 50th season, we’ll have a more competitive league, lahat ng teams dito lalaban talaga,’ he said.

‘If you follow the (pre-season) tuneup games, maraming surprises na pinakita si Blackwater and Terrafirma…Its’ going to be a very exciting season for PBA. Lalaban lahat ng teams, hindi lang Meralco.’

ROS, for its part, is fueled by the intense desire to break the ‘semifinal curse’ in the golden season.

‘After four successive semifinal appearances, including three last season, we’re more determined to play hard so that we may be able to play in the finals, maybe swertehin at mag-champion kami, iyun ang pangarap namin,’said Elasto Painters’ governor Atty. Mert Mondragon, whose team signed up free agent veteran Stanley Pringle and reactivated Beau Belga, now fully recovered from vertigo, for this campaign.

Typhoon Paolo made landfall in Dinapigue, Isabela on Friday, October 3, placing several areas in northern Luzon under Signal No. 4.

After crossing through northern Luzon, Paolo is set to emerge over the West Philippine Sea by afternoon or evening, according to PAGASA.

As it passes through land, it may weaken, but the state weather bureau said it may re-intensify once the cyclone reaches water again.

Paolo is packing maximum sustained winds of 130 kilometers per hour, with gustiness of up to 215 kph.

State meteorologists have warned affected areas of heavy rainfall, severe winds and storm surges.

Wind signals

Signal No. 4 (Wind speeds up to 184 kph)

Extreme northern portion of Aurora (Dilasag, Casiguran)

Southern portion of Isabela (Dinapigue, San Mariano, Palanan, Roxas, Burgos, Gamu, Naguilian, Benito Soliven, San Manuel, Cabatuan, Aurora, Luna, Reina Mercedes, City of Cauayan, San Mateo, Alicia, Ramon, City of Santiago, Cordon, San Isidro, Echague, Angadanan, San Guillermo, Jones, San Agustin)

Northern portion of Quirino (Diffun, Aglipay, Saguday, Cabarroguis, Maddela)

Northern portion of Nueva Vizcaya (Solano, Villaverde, Bagabag, Diadi, Quezon, Ambaguio, Bayombong)

Mountain Province

Ifugao

Southern portion of Abra (Tubo)

Northern portion of Benguet (Bakun, Mankayan, Buguias, Kibungan, Kapangan, Atok, Kabayan)

Southern portion of Ilocos Sur (Cervantes, Quirino, Gregorio del Pilar, Sigay, San Emilio, Salcedo, Burgos, Lidlidda, Banayoyo, San Esteban, Santiago, Galimuyod, City of Candon, Santa Lucia, Santa Cruz, Suyo, Alilem, Tagudin, Sugpon)

Northern portion of La Union (Luna, Bangar, Balaoan, Sudipen, Santol, San Gabriel, Bacnotan, San Juan)

Signal No. 3 (Wind speeds up to 117 kph)

Northern portion of Aurora (Dinalungan, Dipaculao)

Rest of Isabela

Rest of Quirino

Central portion of Nueva Vizcaya (Kasibu, Bambang, Kayapa, Aritao, Dupax del Norte, Dupax del Sur, Santa Fe)

Kalinga

Central portion of Abra (Boliney, Daguioman, Sallapadan, Bucloc, Licuan-Baay, Malibcong, Lacub, La Paz, San Juan, Lagangilang, Danglas, Lagayan, Tayum, Bangued, Langiden, Pidigan, San Quintin, Pilar, Luba, Manabo, Villaviciosa, San Isidro, Peñarrubia, Bucay, Dolores)

Rest of Benguet

Rest of Ilocos Sur

Rest of La Union

Signal No. 2 (Wind speeds up to 88 kph)

Southern portion of Cagayan (Peñablanca, Tuguegarao City, Solana, Iguig, Tuao, Piat, Rizal, Santo Niño, Alcala, Amulung, Enrile, Baggao)

Rest of Nueva Vizcaya

Southern portion of Apayao (Conner, Kabugao)

Rest of Abra

Southern portion of Ilocos Norte (Nueva Era, Badoc, Pinili, City of Batac, Paoay, Currimao, Banna, Laoag City, San Nicolas, Sarrat, Dingras, Solsona, Marcos, Bacarra, Piddig)

Northern portion of Pangasinan ( San Fabian, Sison, Pozorrubio, Umingan, San Jacinto, Laoac, Binalonan, San Nicolas, Natividad, Tayug, San Manuel, Asingan, Santa Maria, San Quintin, Dagupan City, Mangaldan, Manaoag, Bolinao, Anda, Bani, City of Alaminos, Sual, Labrador, Lingayen, Binmaley, Calasiao, Mapandan, Santa Barbara, City of Urdaneta)

Central portion of Aurora (Baler, Maria Aurora, San Luis)

Northern portion of Nueva Ecija (Carranglan, Bongabon, San Jose City, Pantabangan, Rizal, Lupao)

Signal No. 1 (Wind speeds up to 61 kph)

Rest of mainland Cagayan including Babuyan Islands

Rest of Aurora

Northern portion of Quezon (General Nakar, Infanta) including Polillo Islands

Camarines Norte,

Rest of Apayao

Rest of Ilocos Norte

Rest of Pangasinan

Rest of Nueva Ecija

Northern portion of Bulacan (Doña Remedios Trinidad, San Miguel, San Ildefonso, Norzagaray, San Rafael, Angat)

Tarlac, the northeastern portion of Pampanga (Magalang, Arayat, Candaba, Mabalacat City)

Northern portion of Zambales (Palauig, Masinloc, Candelaria, Santa Cruz)

Sea conditions

PAGASA has also raised a gale warning over several areas, warning sea travelers of strong waves caused by the typhoon.

Up to 7.0 meters: The seaboard of Isabela.

Up to 6.0 meters: The eastern seaboard of mainland Cagayan

Up to 5.5 meters: The seaboards of northern Aurora and Ilocos Norte

Up to 5.0 meters: The seaboard of Ilocos Sur; the remaining seaboard of Cagayan including Babuyan Islands

Up to 4.5 meters: The seaboard of La Union.

Up to 4.0 meters: The seaboard of Batanes; the western seaboard of Pangasinan.

Up to 3.5 meters: The seaboard of mainland northern Quezon; the northern and eastern seaboard of Polillo Islands

Up to 3.0 meters: The seaboard of Zambales and Camarines Norte; the remaining seaboard of Pangasinan

Up to 2.5 meters: The eastern seaboard of the rest of Quezon; the northern seaboard of Camarines Sur; the northern and eastern seaboard of Catanduanes.

Up to 2.0 meters: The seaboard of Lubang Islands; the western seaboard of Bataan

The ‘flood-control issues’ are just the tip of an iceberg!

Sustainable Development and Inclusive Growth must be on the agenda of Government by effectively addressing the three main pillars: economic, environmental, and social. These three pillars are informally referred to as people, planet, and profits.

It is essential to understand that the implementation of sustainable development is not limited to government. Inclusive growth must be a joint commitment of business, civil society, international and local donor organizations, and of course the national and local governments. It must be free from corruption!

But let’s go one step further: the successful implementation of the three pillars – people, planet, profits – also hinges on communities or societies that want to pursue sustainability.

The following six principles of sustainability can help a community ensure that its social, economic, and environmental systems are well integrated and will endure:

1. Maintain and, if possible, enhance, its resident’s quality of life – Quality of life or livability differs from community to community. It has many components: income, education, health care, housing, employment, legal rights on the one hand; exposure to crime, pollution, disease, disaster, and other risks on the other. Each locality must define and plan for the quality of life it wants and believes it can achieve, for now and for future generations. And this applies to rural and urban communities. In addition to reducing poverty, it is also important to amplify the resilience of Filipinos. Bringing poor people just above the poverty line may not be enough if they can easily be pushed back below it if another crisis hits.

2. Enhance local economic vitality – A viable local economy is essential to sustainability. This includes job opportunities, the provision of infrastructure and services, and a suitable business climate. A sustainable economy is also diversified, so that it is not easily disrupted by internal or external events or disasters. Especially in the rural environment, the introduction of agricultural supply chains is essential, a clear area where big business can help develop sustainable agriculture by taking the middleman out.

3. Promote social and intergenerational equity – A sustainable community’s resources and opportunities are available to everyone, regardless of ethnicity, age, gender, cultural background, religion, or other characteristics. Further, a sustainable community does not deplete its resources, destroy natural systems, or pass along unnecessary hazards to its great-great-grandchildren.

4. Maintain and, if possible, enhance, the quality of the environment – A sustainable community sees itself as existing within a physical environment and natural ecosystem and tries to find ways to co-exist with that environment. It does its part by avoiding unnecessary degradation of the air, oceans, fresh water, and other natural systems. It tries to replace detrimental practices with those that allow ecosystems to continuously renew themselves. In some cases, this means simply protecting what is already there by finding ways to redirect human activities and development into less sensitive areas. But a community may need to take action to reclaim, restore, or rehabilitate an already-damaged ecosystem.

5. Incorporate disaster resilience and mitigation into its decisions and actions – After the recent flooding in many parts of the country and the obvious lack of flooding prevention although funds were made available, we must understand that a community is resilient in the face of inevitable natural disasters like typhoons, earthquakes, floods, and drought if it takes steps to ensure that such events cause as little damage as possible, that productivity is only minimally interrupted, and that quality of life remains at (or quickly returns to) high levels. A disaster-resilient community further takes responsibility for the risks it faces and, to the extent possible, is self-reliant.

6. Use a consensus-building, participatory process when making decisions – Participatory processes are vital to community sustainability. Such a process engages all the people who have a stake in the outcome of the decision being contemplated. It encourages the identification of concerns and issues, promotes the wide generation of ideas for dealing with those concerns, and helps those involved find a way to reach agreement about solutions. It results in the production and dissemination of important, relevant information, fosters a sense of community, produces ideas that may not have been considered otherwise, and engenders a sense of ownership on the part of the community for the final decision.

As mentioned above, there is the need of government (national and local) to work closely with business, civil society, and communities in achieving the changes needed to create sustainable development and inclusive growth. And the time to do this is NOW!

Caritas Philippines – the humanitarian, development and advocacy arm of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines – yesterday appealed for donations for victims of Severe Tropical Storm Opong in Masbate and Romblon.

Caritas said that residents of Masbate and Romblon are in need of food packs and non-food items such as essential household items, sanitation kits, potable water with jerry cans, solar lamp with power chargers, generator sets and medicine, especially for treatment of wounds.

Aside from these items, people are requesting for construction materials for rebuilding houses and churches as well as interim livelihood for affected families.

As of Sept. 28, the dioceses of Masbate and Romblon remained without power and have been relying on generator sets.

No formal evacuation centers are available in the provinces, Caritas said.

It said that telecom service is down except for Smart, although the signal is weak, and the supply of medicine is running low.

The source of water in Masbate sustained damage from Opong

The world-class field assembled for International Series Philippines presented by BingoPlus has been further strengthened with the addition of two-time Major champion and former World No.1, Dustin Johnson.

Johnson will join fellow Major winners Bubba Watson, Patrick Reed, Charl Schwartzel, and Louis Oosthuizen for the eagerly awaited tournament which takes place at Sta. Elena Golf Club from Oct. 23-26.

The American, known for an unbeaten Ryder Cup record in five appearances and a spectacular 5-0 at Whistling Straits in 2021, last appeared on The International Series at the 2024 PIF Saudi International powered by SoftBank Investment Advisers, and his comeback is set to electrify the fairways in the Philippines.

With an illustrious career to his name, Johnson’s achievements include winning the 2016 US Open at Oakmont Country Club with a four-under-par 276, and a sensational victory at the 2020 Masters Tournament, where he set a tournament record of 20-under-par. He first rose to World No. 1 in February 2017, holding the position for 64 consecutive weeks – the fifth-longest reign in history. He later reclaimed the top spot in 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021, spending more than 130 weeks in total as the world’s best golfer.

International Series Philippines presented by BingoPlus is the sixth of the nine elevated events on this season’s Asian Tour schedule, offering players from around the globe a direct pathway into LIV Golf through the season-long Rankings race.