Category: Philippine Star

EY Global Delivery Services (GDS) recently launched its advanced Cybersecurity Center in Cebu, expanding the organization’s global, AI-driven cyber operations network and reinforcing the Philippines’ role as a hub for cybersecurity, AI talent and intelligent cyber defense. The center is designed to support continuous threat detection and response at global scale through advanced analytics, automation and AI-led operations.

‘Cebu combines a deep cyber talent pipeline, a high-velocity delivery culture and a rapidly maturing technology ecosystem, forming the critical conditions for a scaled cyber innovation hub,’ said Maez De Guzman, EY GDS Philippines Cybersecurity Leader and EY Cybersecurity Managed Services Emerging Markets Leader.

‘This Cybersecurity Center strengthens the Philippines’ role as a strategic hub in EY’s global, AI-native cyber operations fabric while systematically developing Filipino talent to operate and engineer the next generation of cyber resilience.’

As the initiative strengthens EY GDS’ platform-driven cybersecurity services, it creates pathways for Filipino professionals to work on global cyber challenges. It also marks a continued investment in Cebu as an emerging center for cyber innovation, AI-led security operations and future-ready digital talent.

Paris-born fashion retailer Kids Around made its Philippine debut, gathering premium and luxury childrenswear from partner brands as well as its own fashion line into one store.

The maiden branch of the concept store opened in Makati’s Greenbelt 5 with items from Boss, Chloe, Givenchy, Kenzo, and Kids Around itself.

A majority of the selection offers clothings from children between four and 16 years old. Select brands have items for infants and toddlers up to three years old.

“More than bringing these brands under one roof, we wanted to create an experience that celebrates children’s individuality and gives kids the freedom to discover their own sense of style,” said Sabrina Miranda, group general manager of Adrenaline Group, in a statement.

Adrenaline Group is the operator of Kids Around in the Philippines. Miranda later explained to Philstar.com in an exclusive interview after the store’s opening that a common theme among the retailers over 85 boutiques in 29 countries is that each branch features luxury brands that are the most popular in a given country.

She added that Kids Around branch can only carry partner brands that its host mall also carries – with the exception of standalone stores like in Paris.

Miranda teased that more brands are coming in when the retailer opens its next two Philippines stores in Rustan’s branches at Makati and Shangri-La Plaza.

The Philippines’ first Kids Around store currently features the Children’s Spring/Summer 2026 collections of Boss, Chloe, Givenchy, Kenzo, and Kids Around. The selection will be added with pieces from the Autumn/Winter 2027 collections.

Asian food conglomerate Jollibee Foods Corp. (JFC) is scaling down some of its operating assumptions, as well as its planned store network expansion and capital expenditures for the year, as the group’s first-half profitability declined despite a strong second-quarter showing.

The Jollibee Group has revised its gross new store opening target for 2026 to a range of 1,000 to 1,100 stores from 1,200 to 1,300 stores originally, while the capex range has been adjusted to P13 billion to P15 billion, from the previous range of P13 billion to P16 billion.

Full-year same-store sales growth guidance has likewise been lowered to a range of three to four percent from four to six percent.

Operating income growth guidance, meanwhile, is now eyed to range from 10 to 15 percent, down from the previous 15 to 18 percent, reflecting the updated same-store sales assumptions, the revised expansion assumptions, continued transition-related costs for China and Smashburger, as well as the still-dynamic cost environment.

The Jollibee Group, however, is maintaining its guidance for system-wide sales growth of eight to 12 percent and store network growth of five to 10 percent, supported by continued demand across key markets and disciplined execution across its global brand portfolio.

Despite the lower gross opening target, the group said it continues to expect overall store network growth to remain in line with its previous guidance, reflecting ongoing portfolio optimization and the timing of store openings and closures. The Jollibee Group saw its net income attributable to equity holders of the parent company drop by 13.3 percent to P4.87 billion in the first half, while net income fell by 16.7 percent to P4.93 billion.

JFC expanded its global store network by 6.4 percent year-on-year to 10,767 stores.

This reflected 461 gross new store openings and the addition of 172 stores from the acquisition of Shabu All Day, which was partly offset by 207 store closures during the first half.

JFC’s second quarter results, however, showed a recovery from first quarter cost pressures, with the group delivering record quarterly net income attributable to equity holders of the parent company, stronger revenue growth and improved margins.

Net income attributable to equity holders of the parent company during the second quarter reached P3.4 billion, up by 5.7 percent from P3.2 billion in the same period last year.

‘Our second quarter results demonstrate the continued strength of the Jollibee Group’s global brand portfolio and the resilience of consumer demand across our key markets,’ JFC chief executive officer Ernesto Tanmantiong said.

‘We delivered healthy system-wide sales growth across all regions, supported by strong contributions from both our Philippine and international businesses, continued same-store sales growth and ongoing expansion of our global store network,’ he said.

The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) is moving to scrap the value-added tax (VAT) on system loss charges, with consumers estimated to save around P6 billion annually.

Under a draft resolution, the ERC is proposing to exclude system loss charges from the taxable gross receipts of generation companies (gencos) and the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP).

The proposal will require distribution utilities to separately identify the system loss charge on consumers’ bills as a government-mandated pass-through cost not subject to VAT.

Once finalized and confirmed by the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), the move will effectively remove the 12 percent VAT on system loss charges, delivering immediate relief to households and businesses nationwide.

‘The exclusion of the allowable system loss charge from the VAT base of gencos and NGCP will directly reduce the cost of electricity charged to consumers,’ the ERC said, citing its mandate to ensure access to affordable power.

System loss refers to electricity that has been generated and paid for but is lost during transmission and distribution to end-users. The cost is currently recovered through a separate line item on consumers’ power bills.

With system loss charges estimated at around P50 billion annually, ERC chairman and CEO Francis Saturnino Juan said removing the corresponding VAT could save consumers roughly P6 billion.

Juan, however, noted that the proposal still needs the BIR’s acceptance of the ERC’s characterization of system loss charges as a government-mandated pass-through cost.

Implementation will also depend on the BIR issuing its own rules to operationalize the proposed VAT removal.

‘Imposing VAT on top of a charge for electricity that was never delivered to consumers is fundamentally at odds with the nature of VAT as a tax on the value of goods and services actually rendered,’ Juan said.

For an average Metro Manila household consuming 200 kilowatt-hours, system loss charges amounted to P0.8751 per kWh in July.

‘Removing the VAT corresponding to that system loss charge alone would translate to approximately P21 in potential savings for that household,’ Garin told a media briefing yesterday.

‘It may be one component of the electricity bill, but it reflects a larger principle: consumers should not be made to shoulder costs that can and should be addressed through greater efficiency and accountability,’ she added.

This follows President Marcos’ directive during his State of the Nation Address last month to eliminate electricity charges that do not reflect actual services rendered to consumers.

The National Electrification Administration (NEA), meanwhile, said 89 of the country’s 121 electric cooperatives could face financial losses if they are required to absorb the cost of removing system loss charges from power bills.

‘If they are made to answer for technical systems losses, they will eventually not be able to pay their suppliers,’ NEA administrator Antonio Mariano Almeda said. ‘The continuing partial payments will eventually lead to indebtedness without source of repayment.’

Senate impeachment presiding officer Sen. Francis Escudero said he is set to issue a ruling regulating public statements made by counsels in the ongoing impeachment trial, citing repeated violations of the court’s rules on decorum.

The issue came to a head during a recent court session when Sheila Sison, the chief lawyer of the defense panel, raised concerns over a social media post by lawyer Amando Virgil Ligutan, a private prosecutor.

“Quite frankly… I asked the clerk of court to monitor the public statements of the counsels of the parties this past week. And one side has been crossing the line many, many times,” Escudero said.

Sison decried Ligutan’s social media post from 11:29 a.m., which she claimed took passive-aggressive jabs at laywer Kristine Ferrer, who had earlier cross-examined Commission on Audit witness Xylene del Campo.

During the cross-examination, Ferrer and private prosecutor Lorna Kapunan clashed over whether a witness could be forced to answer with a simple “yes” or “no.”

When Kapunan argued that misleading questions are not allowed on cross-examination, Ferrer responded, “They are allowed.’

Ferrer was cross-examining Del Campo about a joint circular governing confidential and intelligence funds.

She then asked whether the circular limited the use of confidential funds to apprehending people.

Following the incident, Ligutan’s Facebook post read as follows:

A principle ALL lawyers and law students know by heart:

Misleading questions are NOT allowed even on cross-examination.

However, Ligutan did not mention any names in his post.

Sison clarified in court that Ferrer was referring to leading questions being permissible on cross-examination, not misleading ones.

In an ambush interview with reporters, Ligutan said his post was without malice.

‘Hindi po allowed ang misleading questions. Hindi ko ‘yan (post) buburahin dahil ‘yan po ay nakasaad sa ating Rules of Court,’ Ligutan said.

(Misleading questions are not allowed. I will not delete that [post] because that is stated in our Rules of Court.)

Section 10 of Rule 132 of the Rules of Evidence does not allow misleading questions to witnesses.

Aside from the same charge already tackled during her ongoing impeachment trial, Vice President Sara Duterte is facing yet another case of grave threats over her remarks to have President Marcos and members of his family killed.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) confirmed the filing of a grave threats case against Duterte yesterday before the Quezon City Regional Trial Court.

The case is for violation of Article 282 of the Revised Penal Code, in relation to Section 6 of Republic Act 10175 or the Cybercrime Prevention Act, according to DOJ spokesman Polo Martinez.

‘Our prosecutors saw that there was prima facie evidence with reasonable certainty of conviction to indict the Vice President for the crime of grave threats by means of the cyberspace,’ he told reporters.

He noted it was ‘the same matter referred to by the (National Bureau of Investigation) to the DOJ, which is currently one of the subjects of the ongoing impeachment proceedings against the Vice President.’

The NBI filed the complaint for grave threats and inciting to sedition against Duterte in February 2025, which cited her remarks during an online press briefing in November 2024 that she has hired someone to take out President Marcos, First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos and his cousin former speaker Martin Romualdez, should she be killed.

In May 2025, Duterte called on the DOJ to dismiss the ‘false and baseless’ complaints against her, saying ‘being accused of a criminal offense, I am constitutionally presumed innocent even in these proceedings, and need not dignify the complaint with a reply, when no evidence has been shown to support it.’

Martinez noted the inciting to sedition complaint has been dismissed, apparently for lack of evidence.

He also maintained the upcoming handling of the grave threats case against Duterte by the Quezon City court ‘should not be affected by the ongoing impeachment proceeding and vice versa,’ since both courts are ‘procedurally distinct and separate.’

Martinez disclosed that Duterte faces one count of grave threats with bail fixed at P120,000.

It was contrary to the statement from Duterte’s lawyer Paul Lawrence Lim that she was slapped with ‘three counts of grave threats.’

‘Under prevailing circumstances, we have anticipated and prepared for such an outcome. Under our laws, the Vice President continues to be presumed innocent and is confident that the charges against her will ultimately be dismissed,’ Lim said in a statement.

Lim added that as a sitting impeachable officer, the Vice President may not be prosecuted for an alleged offense that is also the subject of an impeachment case.

‘Given these serious legal issues, the Vice President will exercise all available legal remedies in due course,’ he said

After a week of incessant rains I was wondering if any good would come out of the storms, habagat and tropical depressions that seemed to park themselves in the Philippine area of responsibility.

Most of the news in traditional and online platforms focused on flooding, flooded roads, flooded municipalities and provinces but hardly anything on the relief efforts, acts of courage, charity or kindness. The only eye-catching story was about two men in Kawit, Cavite rescuing children.

The only ‘good’ I could think of that may come out of the rains, particularly the widespread flooding all over northern and southern Luzon, was it would serve as a cold and brutal reminder, if not a wake-up call, that NO ONE, no CongTractor or elected official has been charged or landed in jail for the ghost flood control projects.

While suspects and ‘accused’ continue to boldly go where others would be ashamed to be seen, it just occurred to me that all the magnifying glasses and guns are focused mostly on former House speaker Martin Romualdez. I’m fine with that but…

Why is no one investigating, interrogating or gathering information about the involvement and actions of members of ‘the small committee,’ party-list groups or other congressional committee members who had a hand in the controversial budget insertions and manipulations?

Who is protecting whom and over what? Or maybe I should ask: is anybody at the DOJ actually investigating the paper trail or lack of it in Congress? Because if no agency of the PBBM administration is investigating the matter, what are we hoping for, in terms of justice being served?

The monsoon rains also reminded me to write about the fact that the ghost flood control projects is not just multiple conspiracies to commit crime and thereby plunder but may constitute or qualify as multiple homicide, manslaughter or murder, if only real lawyers put their minds to it.

Several if not many individuals, young and old, died due to the floods and the absence of flood control projects that were already paid for. I hope that the Department of Defense or the DOH or DSWD has some sort of files listing who and where people died due to flooding or drowning where the projects never came to be.

If such cases or charges prospered, there will be no issues about bail, life sentences or politically designed pardons or commutation of sentences. Such deaths is not simply due to reckless imprudence, the causes were premeditated and scaled.

On the dark side of things, I’m honestly concerned if the suspects and the accused will ever experience the humiliation of standing in court while the charges against them are read before family and the media.

Given how key witnesses have ‘died,’ recanted, bought or disappeared, how sure is the Marcos administration that justice will be served? The fact that suspected and accused legislators have stayed out of the crosshairs of any serious and direct interrogation makes it all suspicious.

Meanwhile Sen. Rodante Marcoleta, Sen. Jinggoy Estrada and Bong Revilla have been turned into scapegoats and members of the lower house have kicked out or ostracized ex-congressmen Barzaga and Leviste. That is not justice; it is deflection and reverse persecution.

While I do not want to give life to the possibility that justice won’t be served, I cannot also deny that Romualdez et. al. have a history of dealing with similar charges in the past, as well as many hours and days spent sitting and standing before investigators or judges and eventually being declared ‘not guilty.’

For all the declarations of PBBM and Ombudsman Remulla, we all know that justice is a long game that we often lose in the Philippines because our political system and merry-go-round replacement of government officials often cause procedural amnesia.

In terms of injury, it is said that ‘time heals all things’ or ‘time often decides things if you wait long enough.’ When I looked for something closer to criminal cases, one phrase hit hard: ‘time favors the accused.’

Going back to the search for some good in spite of during this period of really pouring rains and floods, a member of our men’s discipleship group shared that everywhere they drove, it was either get stuck in traffic or forge through floods.

Even the motels and low-cost hotels were fully occupied, and motorists were lucky if they actually made it to an SM mall parking garage. What was interesting was his account of how the LRT mass transit system and presumably the MRT provided the only flood-proof transport for stranded commuters.

We take such things for granted but any administration and Congress should do everything they can to activate and legislate non-negotiable, untouchable, politics-proof and future-proof mass transit projects.

In the same manner, government and Congress should do likewise for the construction of new dams and water retaining facilities. We may have a lot of water now, but most countries are in agreement that water, not diesel, will be a serious concern.

During the weeklong deluge, someone also replayed the documentary on why BGC does not experience flooding. That of course is attributed to the gigantic cistern or rainwater impounding tank underneath BGC.

Indeed, rains and floods work wonders on what we take for granted!

Officials launched on Tuesday, August 11, new service facilities in the Bangsamoro Regional Hospital and Medical Center (BRHMC) in Shariff Aguak, Maguindanao del Sur as a highlight of the commemoration of the first anniversary of the institution.

The BRHMC was launched on Aug. 11, 2025 and has since been providing continuing medical services to patients from the Muslim, Christian and non-Moro indigenous non-Moro communities in the Bangsamoro region’s adjoining Maguindanao del Sur and Maguindanao del Norte provinces and Cotabato City.

Hospital chief Mohammad Ariff Baguindali, Bangsamoro Deputy Health Minister Minister Dr. Zul Qarneyn Abas and two members of the regional parliament, the engineer Baintan Adil-Ampatuan and the lawyer Sittie Fahanie Uy-Oyod, together led the inaugural opening of the BRHMC’s newly-established Pediatric Intensive Care Unit and Karamah Social Hygiene Clinic as part of Tuesday’s ceremony.

The BRHMC is located inside the compound of the Integrated Provincial Health Office Maguindanao (IPHO-Maguindanao) in Shariff Aguak, one of the 24 towns in Maguindanao del Sur, a component-province of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

The physician Baguindali, who is also overseeing the IPHO-Maguindanao in concurrent capacity, had told reporters at the sidelines of the event that the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit and the Karamah Social Hygiene Clinic are meant to maximize the services of the BRHMC for the local Muslim, Christian and indigenous non-Moro communities.

Baguindali, Abas, and the two lawmakers in BARMM’s 80-seat parliament, Adil-Ampatuan and Uy-Uyod, also launched during Tuesday’s symbolic celebration of first founding anniversary of BRHMC its administration’s PhilHealth Yakap and PhilHealth Gamot humanitarian outreach projects, meant to hasten hospital services to patients who are members of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation.

Baguindali’s office and the Ministry of Health-BARMM are cooperating in facilitating applications for PhilHealth membership of villagers in Maguindanao del Sur.

‘The Pediatric Intensive Care Unit and these two PhilHealth-related thrusts will surely enhance our services to patients of our hospital,’ Baguindali said.

The BRHMC was jointly established last year by Baguindali and other physicians in the IPHO-Maguindanao, the office of Regional Health Minister Kadil Sinolinding Jr. and members of the 80-member Bangsamoro parliament, among them the chairperson of its health committee, Hashemi Dilangalen, who is also a physician, Uy-Uyod and Adil-Ampatuan.

The physician-ophthalmologist Sinolinding, also a member of the Bangsamoro parliament, said on Wednesday that he and his subordinates in the regional health ministry appreciate the improvements done in the BRHMC, within just 12 months, by Baguindali and his subordinate-medical workers and employees of its different administrative divisions.

Political surveys are snapshots of public sentiment. When properly analyzed, they reveal the direction of political outcomes.

The June 2026 Philippine Public Opinion Monitor (PPOM) of WR Numero Research provides precisely that insight. WR Numero has become one of the country’s leading and most credible survey organizations. Its quarterly surveys go beyond name recall and voting preferences. They track political loyalties, regional differences, public sentiments and voters’ willingness to change their minds.

In a nutshell, the latest PPOM survey reveals a country burdened by economic hardship, political division and growing dissatisfaction with President Marcos and government institutions. It also shows that the 2028 presidential election will not be a one-sided contest, but a highly competitive race.

The June survey was done by interviewing 1,432 Filipino adults in a multi-stage sampling method. It carries a national margin of error of +/- 2.6 percent at a 95 percent confidence level. WR Numero’s partnership with ABS-CBN News for Halalan 2025 further strengthens its credibility.

What does the latest survey tell us?

First, the Marcos political base is disintegrating. Only 18 percent of Filipinos now identify as Marcos supporters, down four more points since March. The Pink-Yellow bloc, meanwhile, rose three points to 20 percent, overtaking the Marcos bloc. The pro-Duterte faction remains the largest at 37 percent, but this is far below the Duterte’s high-water mark in 2022, when Sara Duterte won 61.5 percent of the vice presidential vote. The Duterte base has effectively been cut by almost half. Another 24 percent identify with none of the three political blocs.

This is an extraordinary reversal for both Marcos and Duterte. Remember that Marcos won the presidency in 2022 with 58.77 percent of the vote on the promise of unity. Four years later, his political base has fallen to third place to only 18 percent. The electorate finally realized that ‘unity’ was not a governing philosophy but a political ‘budol’ (ruse) with Bongbong Marcos as its chief promoter.

Further, 68 percent believe the country is moving in the wrong direction. Fifty-five percent are dissatisfied with Marcos’ performance, while only 36 percent are satisfied. Economic distress is now more severe than it has been in years. Thirty-two percent of Filipinos struggle every day to afford food, household bills, transportation and other necessities. Another 29 percent face such hardship once or twice a week. In other words, six in 10 Filipinos regularly struggle just to survive.

Marcos has failed to ease the people’s plight even after four years in office and the survey shows it. Clearly, the demands of the presidency is proving much larger than Marcos’ capabilities.

Second, Sara Duterte is the early frontrunner – but far from invincible. In a multi-candidate presidential race, Sara Duterte commands 39.4 percent of the vote, slightly down from 40 percent in April 2025. Leni Robredo follows with 20.9 percent, nearly double her 12 percent support in April 2025. Raffy Tulfo receives 14.2 percent, slightly lower than his 14.9 percent last year. However, 17 percent remain undecided, while 42 percent say they may still change their minds.

More importantly, Sara’s national advantage depends heavily on Mindanao where she receives an astounding 88.5 percent of the vote. This demonstrates regional dominance, but also geographic over-concentration.

Outside Mindanao, the contest looks entirely different.

Robredo leads in the rest of Luzon with 31.27 percent, against Sara’s 20.36 percent and Tulfo’s 16.98 percent.

Metro Manila is practically a three-way tie: Sara at 24.82 percent, Tulfo at 23.29 percent and Robredo at 22.29 percent. Sara leads in the Visayas with 35.8 percent, but Robredo remains competitive at 19.3 percent.

Third, the picture changes in a one-on-one race. In a one-on-one presidential race, Duterte leads Robredo by only 10 points, 50 percent to 40 percent, with 10 percent undecided. Note that Sara has already announced her presidential ambitions and received the dividend from it. Leni has not confirmed her candidacy yet.

More revealingly, Robredo defeats Sara in Metro Manila, 49.59 percent to 41.42 percent. She demolishes her in the Rest of Luzon, 55.33 percent to 27.81 percent. Historically, whoever wins Luzon wins the presidency.

Luzon, including Metro Manila, account for 56 percent of registered voters. Robredo therefore leads Sara in areas representing more than half the electorate.

Fourth, Robredo has enormous room to expand. Sara’s support is large but rigid. Her political identity is inseparable from the Duterte name, the excesses and crimes of the previous administration and her family’s bitter feud with the Marcoses. This guarantees her a loyal base, but it also imposes a natural ceiling.

Robredo draws support from several groups, namely, the growing Pink-Yellow bloc; disillusioned Marcos voters; disillusioned Duterte voters; independents searching for good governance leaders; younger voters attracted to reform and moderate Filipinos who reject both Marcos incompetence and Duterte excesses and entitlement.

Robredo also possesses something her rivals cannot manufacture – an established record of honest, compassionate and competent public service. Her Angat Buhay network has allowed her to remain relevant without appearing obsessed with power. While others quarrel over positions and money, Robredo continues working among ordinary Filipinos.

Fifth, the 2028 election may become a referendum on political character. The survey shows that Filipinos are not merely unhappy with individual officials – they are losing faith in the political establishment itself.

The candidate that represents decency without weakness, reform without vindictiveness and competence without dishing out freebies will have the advantage.

The survey does not say that Robredo will inevitably win. It says something more important – that she can win. The Marcos coalition is crumbling. Duterte support is regionally concentrated and on a declining trend. The Pink-Yellow bloc is expanding. The independent middle remains available. Robredo already leads across vote-rich Luzon and is within striking distance nationally.

Vibe Hotel Alabang officially celebrated its grand opening through a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by executives of Sun Group of Companies, government officials, corporate partners, and distinguished guests.

Leading the ceremony were Executive Vice President Ma’am Ida Ang, Sun Group of Companies Chief Operating Officer Mr. Simon Tan, Managing Directors Mr. Kevin Richard Lim and Ms. Isabelle Lim, Vibe Hotels General Manager Mr. Tiago Abreu and Chief Finance Officer Ms. Roselle Lagura.

The event was also attended by Sun Group of Companies managers, corporate and business partners, representatives from the Las Piñas Police and Barangay Captain Christine Abas-Ding of Putatan, who joined in celebrating the official launch of the newest hospitality destination in Alabang.

The grand opening marks another milestone for Sun Group of Companies as it continues to strengthen its presence in the hospitality industry.

Vibe Hotel Alabang offers modern accommodations, contemporary amenities, and unique dining concepts designed to provide guests with a vibrant and comfortable stay.

Following the successful launch of Vibe Hotel Alabang, the company is set to continue its expansion with the soft opening of Vibe Hotel Buendia on August 8, further extending the Vibe Hotels brand and bringing its signature hospitality experience to more travelers across Metro Manila.

The celebration concluded with a hotel tour, networking activities, and a gathering of guests and partners in support of the continued growth of the Vibe Hotels brand.