Category: Philippine Star

Members of the 80-seat Bangsamoro Parliament elected a new speaker during a session on Tuesday, October 21, to replace the late 85-year-old Maranao lawyer Pangalian Balindong, who passed away earlier this month.

Members and the figurehead of the parliament, Chief Minister Abdulrauf Macacua, confirmed on Wednesday, October 22, that Mohammad Yacob, who had studied Sharia jurisprudence at the International Islamic University of Madinah in Saudi Arabia, was nominated speaker and voted for unanimously on Tuesday by regional lawmakers.

Macacua and Yacob are both senior officials of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.

The MILF’s two agreements with the national government, the 2012 Framework Agreement on Bangsamoro and the 2014 Comprehensive Agreement on Bangsamoro, paved the way for the establishment of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) in 2019, replacing the less empowered Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), which had been in place for 27 years.

On Wednesday, Bangsamoro parliament members, including lawyer Sittie Fahanie Uy-Oyod, engineer Baintan Adil-Ampatuan and physician-ophthalmologist Kadil Sinolinding Jr., separately said that they will cooperate with Yacob’s peace and development agenda as speaker.

‘We shall extend to him the same support we extended to our first ever, pioneer speaker, who passed away early this month,” said Sinolinding, who is also functioning as BARMM’s health minister in a concurrent capacity.

The Moro National Liberation Front, which has representatives in the BARMM parliament and is helping MILF officials manage some of the agencies under the Bangsamoro government, also pledged support for the speakership of Yacob.

‘We shall help him and our chief minister keep the regional government’s peace and development efforts in the autonomous region going,” BARMM’s labor and employment minister, Muslimin Sema, chairman of the MNLF’s central committee, said.

In an initial message at the parliament on Tuesday, Yacob said he would do his best to nurture the gains of the peace overtures of the national government with the MNLF and the MILF.

Both fronts are cooperating in overseeing the Bangsamoro regional government.

‘We shall continue with the peace and development initiatives started by our departed speaker via our newly anointed Speaker Yacob. We know he will function as a speaker religiously, in the context of good, upright governance. He is qualified for that task,’ Macacua said.

Aside from studying Sharia law in Saudi Arabia, Yacob also completed a master’s degree in public administration at Cotabato City State University.

One of the most unforgettable pieces of evidence presented of ill-gotten wealth from corruption in the flood-control projects was a photograph of wads upon wads upon wads of ?1,000 bills arranged like blue building blocks on top of a table in a DPWH regional office.

Yes, we all saw it; a physical representation of the wealth that most of us will never earn in our lifetime, or even two or three, and the insatiable greed of some people.

This led to proposals to demonetize ?1,000 and ?500 bills to curb corruption; they assume it will make it inconvenient for contractors to pay government officials or politicians if they don’t have ?1,000 and ?500 bills.

Sure, it sounds like a good idea, but the way we see it, it will be the public and those who don’t engage in corruption who will be more inconvenienced by such a move.

For this piece, let’s limit our argument to the ?1,000 bill only. Let’s be honest about something first; the peso isn’t exactly a strong currency taking into consideration other currencies around the world, and daily transactions here amounting to thousands of pesos are becoming more common.

We are talking about eating out, going for groceries, or even buying fruits in the local talipapa, etcetera. Because of inflation, the ?1,000 bill is no longer as rare as it used to be and is becoming more part of everyday transactions.

So if ?1,000 bills are to be done away with, people will have to bring in their wallets 10 ?100 bills or 20 ?50 bills, or a combination of both denominations. This isn’t only inconvenient, it’s also impractical. It will be like the days of World War II where Filipinos had to bring bags of Japanese ‘Mickey Mouse’ money because of its low value.

Let’s also not forget that, like everyday purchases, transactions involving corruption can be done via bank transfer or other cashless means. No physical cash actually has to change hands for a transaction to be made. As they say: If there’s a will, there’s a way. So why target the bills of larger denominations?

There are many ways to curb corruption, but demonetizing ?1,000 and ?500 bills isn’t the way to go and may cause more harm than good.

This December, a new girl group is set to represent Cebu in the P-pop scene: ARZA, a play on the Cebuano word ‘alsa’, which means ‘to rise.’

The six-member group consists of Isaiah, Dorothy, Sophia, Jana, Niña, and Angel – managed by Music n Motion Academy and Stage K.I.T. Artists Management.

‘Our group’s mission is to lift and rise and to inspire others to rise as well,’ said Isaiah, the group’s leader, lead dancer, and sub-vocalist, during an interview with The FREEMAN at the music school in Parkmall, Mandaue.

‘I usually get mistaken as the youngest in the group when I am actually the oldest,’ the 18-year-old added.

ARZA’s youngest member is Angel, 13, the lead vocalist. She has been doing commercials since she was five years old.

The main vocalist and lead dancer, Niña, 15, is a school athlete who plays volleyball and badminton. She is also a campus journalist, combining her two interests when she competed at a press conference last year as a sports writer.

Jana, 16, is the group’s main rapper and lead vocalist. She also runs a small bracelet-making business.

Dorothy, also 16, is a fast learner when it comes to choreography, while Sophia, the same age, has a twin brother who can also sing.

While they had different interests growing up, all members share a desire to perform onstage.

‘Since I have the ability to sing, I wouldn’t want to waste that. So I showcased my talents when I was little,’ Jana said.

‘My passion as a dancer started when I would watch the festival queens performing at the Sinulog Festival. Then I would see singing competitions on TV like The Voice Kids, and I grew up loving to sing,’ Dorothy added.

Sophia chimed in, saying, ‘I sang a lot when I was little, even though I was off-key. As I grew older, I wanted to make my voice better, so I took lessons here at Music n Motion.’

While the girls have a wide range of influences – from soloists like Olivia Rodrigo and Sarah Geronimo to K-pop acts such as TWICE, Stray Kids, and ENHYPEN – they cited BLACKPINK and KATSEYE as the groups they most want to emulate.

‘When we saw the members of KATSEYE in their performances and their journey in fighting for their spot in the group, they showed they can be successful and inspire others with their passion and talent,’ Dorothy explained. ‘Their bond as members is so strong that their connection shows in their performances, and they have such a powerful aura.’

‘As for BLACKPINK, we want to be like them, to show a different type of sound that showcases so many styles we can explore,’ she added.

Among the members, Niña and Dorothy have trained with Music n Motion the longest. Niña started in 2018, taking a break to focus on her studies before returning. Dorothy joined in 2016, later transferring to another music school in Lapu-Lapu City, before returning in 2023.

Angel briefly joined during the COVID-19 pandemic through virtual lessons before rejoining in 2023 when in-person classes resumed. Sophia joined around the same time as Angel. Jana is the newest trainee, having joined only a few months before being enlisted as part of ARZA.

Despite being new, Jana appreciated how warmly she was welcomed. ‘All of the members were so approachable, kind, and patient since I still need to work on my dancing,’ she said.

It’s this collaborative dynamic that assured ARZA’s managers of their ambitious decision to debut their in-house idol group after seeing their performance at a recital earlier this year.

‘The chemistry they have is that they always have the same idea when it comes to dancing. They work well together. It’s when they have the attire on that the magic comes. This group has so much potential, which is why we are molding them as a P-pop group,’ said their manager Brian Keith Sianson.

‘I am so happy that I found these members because it’s not easy to form a group. You have to consider their voices, charisma, and sometimes looks – but they’re all pretty. I can see so much potential in them,’ added Music n Motion founder Leonyl Navarro, who established the school in 2014 when it was located at J Center Mall (now SM JMall).

Building chemistry requires fostering genuine friendships. ‘The friendship we built is the foundation of ARZA. I hope that bond we built can resonate with audiences,’ Isaiah said.

‘It wasn’t hard for us to build that connection because from the first practice alone, we instantly clicked and knew what our positions would be,’ Niña added.

Isaiah also said it’s about being harmonious despite their different personalities, which she believes makes the group stand out. ‘Some of us can be naughty, some can be demure, one can be nonchalant. I think that’s what makes us whole. We balance each other out.’

This comes as an advantage for Isaiah as the leader. ‘Since they are younger than me, I have to show that I am a good role model for them. But they make this job easy because they always listen to me when there are announcements, reminders, and advice. They don’t make it heavy for me.’

Considering that they are ‘academic achievers’ in school, they dedicate their weekends to rehearsals, emphasizing time management so they don’t compromise their education.

‘They were quite committed before they signed the contract. Our goal is to make them unique, especially vocally. They may have similar dances to other groups, but their core is their voice – that’s what will make ARZA different from others,’ Sianson said.

Navarro praised their dedication, saying, ‘They have the perseverance, willingness, and desire to learn more,’ noting that their training has become more challenging.

As for their upcoming debut single, ARZA is brainstorming ideas, leaning toward a ‘girl power empowerment’ concept, with a track produced by LG Fuentes.

‘I am excited for when we release our first song because what’s important is that people enjoy our sound and feel inspired,’ Dorothy said.

ARZA will officially debut on Dec. 14 at SM Seaside City during Music n Motion’s recital concert.

‘I hope Cebuanos support us in this journey because we’re not doing this just for us but for Cebuanos. We have so much in store for our potential fans, and they have a lot to look forward to,’ Isaiah said.

‘If they’re going to be our fans someday, we promise we’ll work hard and improve ourselves every day,’ Sophia added.

The University of the Philippines (UP) Cebu Fighting Maroons edged past the University of San Jose-Recoletos (USJ-R) Kicking Jaguars, 1-0, to barge into the win column of the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation, Inc. (CESAFI) Season 25 football tournament over the weekend at the Cebu City Sports Center.

Jaybe Abasolo scored the lone goal at the 20th minute for UP Cebu, which now holds an even 1-1-1 win-loss-draw record.

USJ-R suffered its second setback with one draw.

In the other collegiate matchup, the University of San Carlos (USC) Golden Booters and the University of Southern Philippines Foundation (USPF) Kicking Panthers fought to a 1-1 standoff.

USC’s John Cyril Sinoy broke the ice with just six minutes gone by in the game.

But USPF’s John Rey Arino sank the equalizer at the 64th minute resulting in a stalemate.

In the juniors division, the Don Bosco Technical College (DBTC)-Cebu Greywolves beat the Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu (SHS-AdC) Magis Eagles, 1-0, to stay unbeaten with two victories and a draw.

Yuki John Ceniza delivered the game-clincher for Don Bosco at the 50th minute.

In the other result, the USJ-R Jaguar Cubs triumphed for the first time at the expense of the San Carlos School of Cebu (SCSC) Baby Warriors, 1-0.

Louie Vincent Fernandez drilled on the winning goal for the Jaguar Cubs at the 14th minute.

Lopez-led Energy Development Corp. (EDC) is exploring plans to repurpose its 129-megawatt (MW) geothermal power plant in Leyte following the end of its economic lifespan.

EDC vice president Ryan Velasco said the company is set to conduct feasibility studies for the potential repurposing and redevelopment of the Upper Mahiao Power Plant site in the municipality of Kananga.

This follows EDC’s submission of a letter of intent to the Department of Energy for the phased decommissioning of Upper Mahiao, which has reached its maximum economic life.

The facility was also said to have become technically incapable of generating electricity.

According to Velasco, key components of the geothermal plant typically have an economic lifespan of just 15 to 20 years.

EDC plans to complete the first phase of the plant shutdown, involving two of the four units, by 2026, with the remaining units to be decommissioned by 2029.

The Upper Mahiao plant, commissioned in 1996, had reportedly been considered for major upgrades along with other geothermal facilities in Leyte.

Other EDC plants in Leyte include the 232.61-MW Malitbog, the 198.14-MW Mahanagdong and the 123-MW Tongonan, latest company data showed.

A subsidiary of First Gen Corp., EDC is the country’s largest geothermal player. It operates at least 13 geothermal plants with a combined capacity of about 1,200 MW, the largest portfolio of its kind in the country.

Aside from the Philippines, the company intends to develop geothermal plants in Indonesia as it actively explores growth opportunities in other countries.

The Philippines’ Crystal Cariño and Nicole Tabucol missed out on a potential shot at a gold medal after succumbing to Thailand’s Phatrawan Simawong and Chiratchayaphon Kenkhunthod, 2-0, in the teqball semifinals of the 3rd Asian Youth Games at the Exhibition World Bahrain Wednesday.

The Filipina pair, however, will have a chance at a bronze in the sport that’s a mix of sepak takraw and table tennis if they beat host Bahrain’s Rawan Abdulaziz and Fatima Albanna in the girls’ doubles event Thursday.

Alas Pilipinas likewise suffered its first defeat in girls’ volleyball at the hands of regional powerhouse Thailand, 25-21, 25-18, 25-14, at the Hall B of the Isa Sports City.

It was the first defeat for the Nationals in two outings.

Despite it, the country, represented by National University bracketed at Group D, made it to the classification phase for the teams that finished in the top eight from the four groups.

Action though intensifies starting today in golf, mixed martial arts, muay, taekwondo and triathlon where the country has bets with a legitimate shot at a podium finish, possibly a gold.

One of the country’s entries with the best chance at a gold is John Brix Ramiscal, a world championship gold winner in Abu Dhabi last month in the junior 16-17 male category.

The Philippines is hoping to add to the first gold captured by Kram Airam Carpio in pencak silat a few days back and possibly surpass its two-gold, three-silver haul last edition in Nanjing, China 12 years ago.

‘We can win more because our lineup is strong and we can pull surprises in golf, weightlifting, athletics, muay and boxing,’ said Philippine Olympic Committee president Abraham ‘Bambol’ Tolentino, who attended Wednesday’s Olympic Council of Asia meeting at the Art Hotel and Resort here.

Tolentino, part of the OCA board, said gold winners should take home a bounty for their feats.

The government, by law, is mandated to hand gold winners in Asian-level events done at least biennially and participated in by a minimum of 25 countries with an incentive worth P500,000.

‘The Philippine Sports Commission and the POC should give incentives. If The Palace sees that we gave them, there’s a big chance they will give too,’ he added.

The government has lost close to P600 billion from cases dismissed in courts due to ‘inordinate delay’ in prosecution, Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla said yesterday.

‘It’s very alarming. This has to stop. There’s much negligence, we have to stop this habit. We should have a way of tracing who is responsible for what,’ Remulla said at a briefing.

The P600 billion, he said, spans the last 15 years. The problem, he said, may have stemmed from dilatory tactics employed by defense lawyers to prolong trial, mostly of graft cases.

Remulla said he would be pushing for shortening the period of evaluating whether cases are dismissible – from 72 hours to 48 hours – to avoid political theatrics.

The period of preliminary investigation will also be reduced from the allowable one year to only 60 days. The fact-finding phase will also be limited to 60 days.

‘From evaluation to fact-finding to preliminary investigation to prosecution, it stretches to one year. It has to stop. We have to either dismiss or file it. Dalawa lang yan. Walang matutulog dapat. Everything has to move,’ he said.

Remulla also vowed to raise the standards for the filing of cases – from determining probable cause to establishing reasonable certainty of conviction to prevent the weaponization of the ombudsman and to have cases promptly subjected to trial.

The ombudsman said his office is already crafting revised rules on preliminary investigation and would have them published once completed. He said the rules would be crafted in such a way that no rights would be violated.

Remulla said he also hopes to initiate a dialogue with the judiciary – including the Supreme Court – to address the delays in cases, as well as other problems besetting the justice system.

After securing majority control of listed coal exploration company Coal Asia Holdings Inc., the group led by Pure Energy Holdings Corp. has launched a tender offer to acquire additional shares from the minority investors.

In a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE), Coal Asia said Pure Water Corp. and Quadwater Corp. are offering to buy up to 11,328,600,040 common shares, equivalent to about 28.3 percent of the company’s total outstanding stock.

The offer price is P0.0088 per share, which is about 14.2 percent higher than the P0.0077 per share acquisition price in the earlier share purchase deal.

Last Sept. 26, selling shareholders Dexter Tiu, Eric Roxas, Gertim Chuahiong, Alexander Tiu and John Capinpin collectively owned 28,671,400,000 common shares, representing 71.68 percent of Coal Asia’s outstanding capital.

They entered into a share purchase agreement with Pure Energy Holdings Corp., Pure Water Corp. and Quadwater Corp. for the sale and purchase of those shares.

Under the rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission, investors who buy enough shares to take control of a listed company must make an offer to buy out the remaining shareholders.

The rule ensures that minority investors are given the same opportunity to sell their shares at a fair price once control of the company changes hands.

In simpler terms, this requirement called a tender offer protects small investors by making sure they can sell their shares under the same conditions offered to the company’s previous controlling owners.

Trading in Coal Asia shares was temporarily halted yesterday as the PSE gave market participants time to digest the company’s disclosure.

Coal Asia has an authorized capital stock of P5 billion, divided into 50 billion shares with a par value of P0.10 per share.

As of June 30, 2025, the company’s issued and outstanding capital stock stood at 40,000,000,040 common shares.

Based on its latest public ownership report dated Oct. 2, 2025, a total of 14.4 billion common shares are held by the investing public, accounting for 35.99 percent of the company’s total outstanding shares.

Coal Asia is a holding company with interests in energy and mineral exploration.

Through its subsidiary, Titan Mining and Energy Corp., it holds coal operating contracts in Davao Oriental and Zamboanga Sibugay, where it explores and develops coal resources for future power generation and industrial use.

The Hong Kong branch of Madame Tussauds has tapped actress Kathryn Bernardo to join its hall of celebrity statues, with Bernardo becoming the latest Filipino to get a wax figure.

Madame Tussauds Hong Kong hosts the wax replicas of Filipinos Manny Pacquiao, Pia Wurtzbach and Catriona Gray. A wax figure of Lea Salonga, meanwhile, can be viewed at the Singapore branch on Sentosa island.

Having a statue in Hong Kong hits close to Kathryn’s heart as her 2019 blockbuster “Hello, Love, Goodbye” withh Alden Richards was shot there while its 2024 sequel “Hello, Love, Again”, is currently the highest-grossing Filipino film of all time.

The company also took note of Kathryn’s rise in star power since her start as a child actress, going on to appear in projects like “Mara Clara”, “Got to Believe”, “Pangako Sa ‘Yo”, “The Hows of Us” and “A Very Good Girl”, many of them opposite ex-boyfriend Daniel Padilla.

Forbes Asia recognized Kathryn as one of the most influential celebrities on social media in the Asia-Pacific region in 2020, with her fan base reaching Vietnam, Thailand and South Korea.

In a statement, Kathryn shared that having her own wax figure was a dream come true and expressed her gratitude to the Madame Tussauds Hong Kong team for their trust.

“I’m excited for my fans worldwide to visit and interact with my twin, especially in Hong Kong since it’s such a meaningful milestone for me,” added Kathryn, who had her measurements taken last August.

Wade Chang, General Manager of Merlin Entertainments Hong Kong, noted the value of the Filipino market and praised Kathryn as “an inspiring artist who has worked tirelessly to achieve her success.”

Kathryn’s statue is currently being sculpted and is slated to be unveiled next year, joining the likes of Rihanna, Timothée Chalamet, Chris Hemsworth, Ahn Hyo-seop, Kim Soo-hyun, Bae Suzy and Hyun Bin.

Defending champion National University and Santo Tomas secured Final Four spots after hurdling their respective foes in the Shakey’s Super League (SSL) Preseason Unity Cup quarterfinals yesterday at the San Andres Gym in Manila.

Celine Marsh stepped up for the four-peat-seeking and twice-to-beat Lady Bulldogs as they turned back gritty San Beda University, 26-24, 25-27, 25-18, 25-16.

The sophomore open spiker took over the scoring role in the absence of Sam Cantada and Denesse Daylisan, who are currently playing for the national team in the 2025 Asian Youth Games in Bahrain, finishing with a game-high 23 points.

Meanwhile, the Tigresses cruised past hapless Ateneo, 25-16, 25-21, 25-21, to book a fourth straight semis appearance in the competition, supported by Asics, Mikasa, Smart Sports, Summit, Team Rebel Sports, Belo Deo, Eurotel-Apo View Hotel, Batangas Country Club, Executive Optical, Baic Auto Philippines, SM Tickets and PusoP.com as technical partners.

Regina Jurado uncorked 13 points while Xyza Gula logged 11 markers for UST, which drew closer to a championship return since its runner-up finish in 2023.

Both NU and UST advanced to the semis armed with a twice-to-beat advantage by virtue of their No.1 seedings in their respective pools after the second round.

The Lady Bulldogs will next face the survivor between Far Eastern U and University of the Philippines.