Category: Philippine Star

In no uncertain terms, President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. (PBBM) strongly indicated he might call for special sessions of the 20th Congress. The Chief Executive expressed such strong possibility for a special session a few hours before both chambers of Congress adjourned sine die their first regular session last Wednesday (June 3).

As he indicated, PBBM is considering this option more deliberately in response to the latest turn of events at the Senate. The ‘new majority bloc’ led by Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano and presidential sister Imee Marcos unilaterally decided to stop attending sessions on its last three remaining days of sessions.

The no-show of his senator allies, Cayetano cited, was a ‘parliamentary tool’ they used to get back at their fellow senators, who made a dramatic walkout of the session hall last May 27.

‘Get back to work,’ PBBM told the senators, expressing his utter dismay at their legislative antics against each other.

He shared his sentiments on the Senate imbroglio after his meet-and-greet with Batang Maynila presidential scholars held that day at the Rizal Memorial Complex in Malate.

By a twist of fate, the Senate was able to officially adjourn sine die on that last day of session when Sen. Francis ‘Chiz’ Escudero from the majority bloc showed up and provided the needed quorum. Headed by Senate minority leader Vicente ‘Tito’ Sotto III, there are now 12 senators who elected Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian as Senate president pro tempore and concurrently ‘acting’ Senate chief.

On the other hand, the House of Representatives headed by Speaker Faustino ‘Bojie’ Dy III wound down their session and cleared all pending legislative measures, including the transmission to the Senate of the Articles of Impeachment against Vice President Sara Duterte. Dy officially took over as Speaker on Sept. 17 last year, succeeding Martin Romualdez following the alleged ‘ghost’ flood control projects scandal.

The House completed approval of more than half of the 52 priority bills in the common legislative agenda with the administration of PBBM. All these newly House-approved bills will clog up in the legislative mills at the Senate’s end. All other previously approved bills remain pending while the senators on opposite sides wrangle on who holds the real leadership – Gatchalian or Cayetano.

Per agreed joint congressional calendar, the Senate and the House will convene its second regular session on July 27 this year. And as it is traditionally observed, it will be a joint session of the Senate and the House to listen to the State of the Nation Address (SONA) of the President at the Batasan Pambansa in Quezon City.

At the height of the Senate impasse last week, PBBM finally broke his hands-off stance on the still raging senators’ row. While he initially distanced from the ‘alleged Senate attack’ claim of Cayetano on the May 13 gunfire exchange, PBBM called it ‘fake’ in his last public statement.

At this point, we can draw from the President’s sentiments which Senate side he officially recognizes.

As he enters the last three years of his term of office, PBBM naturally wishes he will have a lot of good news and accomplishments to report to the Filipino nation. Of particular interest to the public would be PBBM’s previous year’s SONA, when he vowed to send to jail all those involved in alleged ‘ghost’ flood control projects.

As of this writing, former senator Ramon Revilla and incumbent Senator Jinggoy Estrada are cellmates again on their respective new graft and plunder charges. The two bosom buddies are currently cooling their heels at the Quezon City Jail in Payatas, along with dismissed engineers of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH). Although among the co-accused in the flood control scam, erstwhile Marcos Cabinet, ex-DPWH secretary Manuel Bonoan has been allowed by the Sandiganbayan hospital detention due to his reported age-related ailments.

Amid the adverse impact on the Philippine economy of the continuing Middle East (ME) conflict, PBBM revealed the executive department may ask for ‘supplemental budget’ to the Congress-approved 2026 General Appropriations Act (GAA). The unforeseen ME conflict that erupted on Feb. 28 this year triggered unprecedented increases in domestic pump prices of gasoline and other refined oil products in reaction to the disruption in the global oil supply.

The budgetary resources of the Philippine government carried the load of spending for various ‘ayuda’ or cash subsidies and other financial assistance to the seriously affected sectors, from public transport utilities to other marginalized sectors of farmers and fisherfolk dependent on fuel-operated equipment. These were distributed through the Unified Package for Livelihoods, Industry, Food and Transport (UPLIFT) program that PBBM activated, with his key Cabinet members on top of it.

PBBM created UPLIFT on March 24 this year under Executive Order 110, which simultaneously declared a state of national energy emergency in response to global oil supply disruptions. As far as Malacañang is concerned, the strategies undertaken by the administration under the UPLIFT program has tempered a bit the country’s inflation rate in May.

As monitored by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), the country’s inflation slowed to 6.8 percent in May from 7.2 percent in April. The PSA explained the slower inflation rate was primarily driven by the deceleration in transport costs, food prices and housing-related expenses.

‘We had a meeting sa UPLIFT committee. And marami tayong kailangan pagawa sa mga batas. We were thinking baka magka-supplemental budget,’ the President pointed out.

Being a former Ilocos Norte congressman and later a senator, PBBM disclosed having sought out his former colleagues in Congress in trying to make sense on how to end this stalemate at the Senate.

‘All these events that we have been witnessing has thrown the Senate and its leadership…the whole Senate into disarray. It has discredited the leadership and it has stopped the essential business of legislation in government,’ the President bewailed.

Now we’re talking real politics and statesmanship at its finest hour. No more Mr. Nice Guy.

‘Get back to work,’ PBBM told the senators, expressing his utter dismay at their legislative antics against each other.

Phivolcs upgraded the powerful earthquake that struck off southern Mindanao on Monday morning, June 8, to magnitude 7.8, warning the public of aftershocks and a possible tsunami after the offshore tremor.

In a bulletin, the state seismology agency said the quake was recorded 7:37 a.m. at a depth of 33 kilometers and was located 32 kilometers south, 4 degrees west of Maasim, Sarangani.

The earlier bulletin placed the destructive quake at magnitude 7.0, with the epicenter off General Santos City.

Phivolcs said the ground shaking was felt in the following areas:

Intensity 7 (destructive) – General Santos City

Intensity 6 (very strong) – Palimbang and Sen. Ninoy Aquino in Sultan Kudarat.

Intensity 5 (strong) – Davao City; Kidapawan and Carmen in Cotabato; Bagumbayan, Kalamansig and President Quirino in Sultan Kudarat; and Sibuco and Siocon in Zamboanga del Norte.

Intensity 4 (moderately strong) – Mati City in Davao Oriental; Buug in Zamboanga Sibugay; and Caraga, Manay and Tarragona in Davao Oriental.

Weaker shaking was also reported in parts of Surigao del Norte, Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga del Sur, Leyte, Southern Leyte, Bukidnon, Misamis Oriental and Cagayan de Oro.

Instrumental intensities were recorded as high as Intensity 8 in Malapatan, Sarangani, while Intensity 7 was recorded in Koronadal City, South Cotabato and Santa Maria, Davao Occidental. Instrumental Intensity 6 was recorded in General Santos City and T’boli, South Cotabato.

The bloc led by acting Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian has yet to formally request President Marcos to call a special session to address legislative measures and military promotions delayed by the ongoing Senate leadership impasse.

Speaking to reporters last Saturday, Gatchalian explained that the newly installed 12-member majority is still finalizing the legislative and administrative agenda to be tackled during the planned special session.

He also dismissed speculations that a presidential call for a special session would serve as cue that the new majority has successfully recruited additional members to solidify his bloc’s leadership.

‘It’s difficult to answer. Now, what is important in a special session, typically it is being done when there is unfinished business,’ Gatchalian explained.

Despite the bitter standoff over the chamber’s leadership, Gatchalian expressed readiness to hold a face-to-face dialogue with Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano’s camp to break the legislative gridlock.

‘I know even Senator Alan wants what’s good for the country,’ he said.

When asked how the competing camps would realistically broker the meeting given that both sides have issued conditional invitations to each other, Gatchalian said they would leverage their long-standing personal relationship to arrange the talks privately.

Chiz denies Palace hand

Meanwhile, Sen. Francis Escudero yesterday denied allegations that Malacañang brokered his crossover to the newly installed Senate majority, maintaining that his move was an independent decision meant to end the chamber’s paralyzing deadlock.

‘None. For me, the Palace’s position does not have anything to do with my position as senator,’ Escudero said in his podcast.

He also denied that his choice was influenced by the charges he is currently facing, including one before the ombudsman over the flood control scam.

Escudero challenged the Cayetano bloc to elevate the leadership dispute to the judiciary.

Businesses spend months-even years-perfecting a product, investing in research and development, improving packaging and spending heavily on marketing just to secure a sale. But the moment a customer clicks ‘checkout,’ the experience is suddenly in someone else’s hands: the logistics partner. That’s often where customer experience is truly tested.

Whether it’s a delayed parcel, a damaged item, or a wrong order, customers rarely separate fulfillment issues from the brand experience-even when the product itself is excellent. To them, the failed delivery is the brand experience. And nowadays, speed matters just as much-faster fulfillment often means faster delivery to customers, shaping satisfaction, repeat purchases and brand trust.

This becomes even more critical during major sales events, when order volumes spike. At scale, growth is no longer just about generating demand. It’s about fulfilling every order accurately, completely and on time-often within the same day.

Fulfillment: The silent driver of business growth

Fulfillment is one of the most important-but often overlooked-parts of running a modern business. It covers everything that happens between ‘order confirmed’ and ‘package delivered’: monitoring inventory, locating items inside the warehouse, packing orders correctly, sorting parcels and moving them.

Many growing businesses often start manually. Inventory may be tracked in spreadsheets, orders may be coordinated in chat groups and warehouse staff may rely on manual stock counts or handwritten packing lists.

While manageable at smaller volumes, these become difficult to sustain as orders increase. One inventory discrepancy can trigger a chain reaction that can multiply rapidly during peak periods: oversold products, delayed shipments, returns and customer complaints.

This is where tech-enabled fulfillment becomes critical. Instead of relying on disconnected tools and reactive problem-solving, technology synchronizes operations with real-time visibility, faster execution and tighter control.

Behind the Ninja Van fulfillment workflow

Solutions like Ninja Van Fulfillment help transform fulfillment from a manual operational burden into a streamlined, tech-powered growth engine anchored in operational excellence. With typically same-day fulfillment, businesses can improve speed and reliability while freeing up time and resources to focus on strengthening products, expanding SKUs, improving customer experience and scaling the business.

Here’s a look at how that engine runs:

The checkout confirmationUpon confirmation, the next challenge is locating the correct product quickly and accurately, especially in large warehouses handling thousands of SKUs.

While human teams still play a critical role in warehouse operations, systems help organize inventory locations and guide pickers directly to the correct shelves and bins, so they don’t have to rely on memory or search manually.

Orders are then individually picked and packed by warehouse personnel, with barcode scanning systems verifying that each item matches the customer order before dispatch. This adds a layer of quality control while maintaining operational speed.

The packing stageBefore parcels leave the warehouse, accuracy takes center stage through multiple checkpoints. It starts at the picking stage, where items are scanned upon selection to verify the correct SKU. From there, orders go through another critical checkpoint: packing.

Every station is supported by CCTV monitoring, creating a recorded reference for each order and providing added assurance when proof of proper packing is needed. Custom packing requirements can be accommodated, too, so brands can maintain specific handling or presentation standards. Finally, waybills are automatically generated and printed based on the designated logistics partner.

The routing and deliveryOnce sorted, parcels move toward final-mile delivery. What might seem like a simple parcel handoff actually involves multiple layers of coordination across hubs, transport routes and delivery teams. Strong upstream accuracy is needed as even minor oversight during this stage can lead to significant disruptions, such as parcels being routed to the wrong hub or lane.

At the final-mile stage, Ninja Van enables businesses to work with different third-party logistics (3PL) providers based on their operational needs, delivery priorities and customer expectations.

In the event of a return, Ninja Van also manages the reverse logistics process end-to-end-reintegrating products back into the system with minimal disruption.

Because fulfillment systems are deeply interconnected, operational errors rarely stay isolated-they compound. This is why a tech-powered system is critical, stopping minor discrepancies from turning into major business friction.

Business growth needs more than just more orders

Sustainable business growth depends not only on generating orders but also on consistently delivering a reliable customer experience. Because of this, fulfillment is no longer just a backend operational function. It has become a critical part of customer experience and business growth.

Fulfillment solutions like Ninja Van Fulfillment can improve visibility, operational predictability and execution accuracy, helping businesses reduce costly fulfillment errors so businesses can scale more confidently during periods of high demand.

Ultimately, in e-commerce, success isn’t only about selling more-it’s about delivering correctly, consistently and reliably every single time.

President Marcos yesterday vowed to enhance programs promoting the welfare of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) as the country celebrated the 31st Migrant Workers’ Day.

In a message during the OFW Global Summit in Quezon City, Marcos lauded migrant workers for being diligent, reliable, caring and resilient.

‘You can be sure of assistance when needed, adequate protection while you are in another country and clear opportunities when you return to the Philippines and start anew,’ Marcos said.

‘We will continue to strengthen the programs that truly respond to your needs,’ he added.

Migrant Workers Day is celebrated every June 7 to commemorate the enactment of the Migrant Workers Act of 1995.

About 2.19 million Filipinos are working abroad, according to government data.

There’s a pair of chess prodigies emerging from the North.

Five-year-old Jodiel Chloe Banawa and nine-year-old Empress Anika Caole blew away their respective classes to snare three gold medals each in the National Age Group Championships at the SMX Convention Center in Olongapo over the weekend.

An Alicia, Isabela native, Banawa dominated both rapid and blitz of the girls’ Under-8 section where she went perfect in five rounds on both events to add to her standard gold the day before.

Caole, also from Alicia, was as spectacular and raked in the standard, rapid and blitz mints of the girls’ U10 to join Banawa as the only triple-gold winners in the four-day event that served as a qualifying tournament for the ASEAN Age Group Championship in Singapore in August.

‘Proud of them both,’ said two girls’ coach International Master Joel Banawa.

Banawa was also amazed by Jodiel, his five-year-old daughter who took up the sport only last year after gravitating to the royal out of curiosity.

‘I have no idea how she (Jodiel) thinks, but it’s different. Competing against players two to three years older and with an undeveloped brain who can calculate more than five mores is beyond me,’ he said.

Keith Adrian Ilar also topped the rapid event for combined boys’ U18 and U20 after reigning in the standard U16 boys the day before.

Other winners in rapid were Sumer Oncita (U12 and U14 boys), Woman FIDE Master April Joy Claros (U18 and U20 girls) while Vince Duane Pascual (U18 and U20 boys), Richard Alarma (U14 and U16 boys), Franchesca Largo (U18 and U20 girls) and Cyeine Borce (U14 and U16 girls) were blitz winners.

Bianca Pagdanganan’s bid for a breakout finish at the US Women’s Open suffered a big blow as she limped with a four-over 75 Saturday in Pacific Palisades, California.

Entering the weekend play on a positive note after a 70-74 start for joint 37th, Pagdanganan faltered on her moving-day effort at the tough Riviera Country Club and failed to make a single birdie.

The power-hitting Pinay ace had bogeys on Nos. 5 and 18 and a double-bogey on the par-4 ninth en route to the 37-38 card that raised her aggregate to six-over 219.

Pagdanganan slipped 16 spots to 53rd, needing a strong closeout to gain a respectable final standing in the $12-million major championship.

Anti-narcotics operatives arrested two drug suspects who yielded about P68 million worth of methamphetamine hydrochloride or shabu in Pasay City over the weekend.

The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA)-National Capital Region, in coordination with the Philippine National Police Drug Enforcement Group and the city police, conducted the operation along Diosdado Macapagal Boulevard in Barangay 76.

The suspects were identified only as Ron, 41, of Dipolog City, and Bai, 32, of Zamboanga City.

Authorities recovered from the suspects around 10 kilos of shabu stashed in 10 foil packs.

Also confiscated were three identification cards, two mobile phones, marked money and a vehicle.

The suspects will face charges of violating Republic Act 9165, the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, for the sale and possession of the contraband.

The illegal drugs were turned over to the PDEA Laboratory Service.

No rest for the weary champion.

With only a day of breather, newly crowned Birmingham queen Alex Eala plunges back to action in the HSBC Championships at the Queen’s Club in London as part of her long build-up for Wimbledon from June 29 to July 12.

And Eala will be in for a baptism of fire after her promotion to the main draw, crossing paths with two-time doubles Grand Slam champion Shuai Zhang of China.

Eala, on the heels of her second pro title conquest at the WTA125 Lexus Birmingham Open on Sunday night, will look for a grand follow-up in the 500-level tour tentatively set at 5 p.m. Tuesday (Manila time).

The HSBC Championships, one of the oldest grass tournaments in the world founded in 1889, is also known as the Queen’s Club Championships, where Eala advanced into the main draw as a late replacement.

From a qualifier, the 21-year-old Filipina got the nod in lieu of Jessica Pegula and Hailey Baptiste of the United States, who withdrew due to injuries. The other replacement is Karolina Pliskova of Czechia.

Eala will march onto another grass queendom with an all-time high momentum and morale after winning her first grass title in the nearby Birmingham via 5-7, 6-3, 7-5 squeaker against Czechia’s Nikola Bartunkova.

It’s Eala’s first win against any Czech player in her blooming career, going winless in her first 13 attempts.

The top-seed Pinay nearly fell short from solving that Czech puzzle by wasting a 5-4 lead in the first set and squandering two championship points to escape with the win in two hours and 37 minutes for her second title that should serve handy in her bid at the bigger and tougher Queens Club field.

Eala’s first diadem was in the WTA125 Guadalajara Open in Mexico.

“It’s one of those days where a little bit of luck and intention was what got me through. I’m motivated to keep working,’ said Eala, who celebrated her feat with a late-dinner sandwich at her hotel before a quick windup to London.

At the Queen’s Club, Eala faces a stacked field led by world No. 2 Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan, No. 5 Amanda Anisimova of the United States, No. 9 Victoria Mboko of Canada, No. 11 Belinda Bencic of Switzerland and her good friend Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine, who reached the semifinals of the just-concluded French Open to climb to No. 12.

Eala improved to No. 33 from No. 37 as per the WTA rankings update Monday after the French Open and the Birmingham Open, coupled by a $33,650 (more than P2 million) grand prize.

And just like in Birmingham, Eala is counting on the strength of the Filipino crowd once more in London.

‘I like to say home is a people, not a place,’ beamed Eala, who also looks forward to teaming up with former World No. 1 and seven-time Grand Slam champion champion Venus Williams in the WTA500 Bad Homburg Open from June 21-27 in Germany for a historic partnership.

Flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) is bringing a new experience for its passengers by joining one of the world’s biggest airline alliances, marking a fresh chapter not just for the operator, but for the country as well.

PAL yesterday announced it is joining the oneworld Alliance, accepting the invitation extended by the group at the International Air Transport Association Annual General Meeting in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

PAL becomes the 16th member of the oneworld Alliance, and it will be only the second operator based in Southeast Asia after Malaysia Airlines.

With the membership, PAL will provide passengers network access to almost 1,000 destinations across 170 countries and territories. PAL also becomes the only Philippine carrier right now that is a member of a major airline alliance.

On top of international connection, passengers will benefit from the integration of PAL’s frequent flyer program Mabuhay Miles with those of oneworld Alliance members. They can also expect a wider suite of premium lounges that they can access abroad.

Further, the membership raises Philippine presence on a larger scale, and this could boost visitor arrivals in a time when international tourism is struggling from higher fares.

PAL Holdings Inc. president Lucio Tan III said the airline joining the oneworld Alliance is a step forward in linking the Philippines and Southeast Asia to the rest of the world.

‘Becoming a member of the oneworld Alliance and strengthening Southeast Asia representation within the group significantly brings the Philippines and the region closer to the world like never before,’ Tan said.

American Airlines CEO and oneworld Alliance chairman Robert Isom said the alliance benefits from PAL’s membership, too. The group is working on expanding its Asia-Pacific presence, and PAL operates in multiple routes in the region.

‘PAL’s entry into oneworld supports our long-term strategic growth and strengthens connectivity across key markets in the Asia-Pacific region. The airline has a proud heritage, and it will serve a critical role in our Southeast Asia network,’ Isom said.