Category: Philippine Star

The country’s leading professional classical and contemporary dance institution Ballet Philippines (BP) opened its 56th season with a truly historic and spectacular gala entitled ‘Three Masters, One Stage,’ uniting it with Repertory Philippines (Rep) and the Manila Symphony Orchestra (MSO) in an unforgettable evening at The Theatre at Solaire in Parañaque City.

Under the leadership of BP chairman Antonio O. Cojuangco and president Kathleen Liechtenstein, Rep president and CEO Mindy Perez-Rubio, and MSO president Maan Hontiveros, the event was, indeed, one for the books as this was the first time these three institutions performed together on stage. The world-class double bill delighted audiences with Rep’s vibrant Peter and the Wolf narrated by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Ressa, and BP’s enchanting Little Red Riding Hood choreographed by its artistic director Mikhail Martynyuk.

With maestro Marlon Chen conducting MSO’s stirring live music and an atmosphere brimming with artistry, collaboration, and cultural pride, the evening both celebrated creative excellence and inclusivity as over 1,000 free seats were gifted to families from underserved communities, military personnel, indigenous communities, and other partner groups.

Of chic and white

The always lovely and bubby Agile Zamora was feted with an infinity friendship party hosted and organized by her ever-thoughtful good friend Aj Olpindo at the newly opened Smith and Wollensky steakhouse in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City.

The chic white-themed set-menu dinner, which catered to about 50 dear friends, was made all the more enchanting with live jazz, a soulful singer, and a talented pianist which created an elegant evening brimming with warmth, music, and unforgettable memories.

A festival of light, love and renewal

The effervescent couple Shilpa and Raj Tolani, members of the Hindu Temple in Manila, invite everyone to celebrate Diwali, the radiant Festival of Lights, ongoing until Oct. 24.

A luminous symbol of faith, joy, and renewal, the festivity marks the victory of good over evil and light over darkness. Rooted in ancient Hindu tradition yet embraced across cultures, the five-day festival unites communities around the world in the spirit of gratitude, hope, and harmony. Through the glow of countless lamps, the sharing of sweets, and heartfelt gatherings, Diwali reminds us of the enduring power of goodness and the brilliance of the human spirit.

The Los Angeles Dodgers moved to within one win of returning to the World Series on Thursday, defeating the Milwaukee Brewers 3-1 to take a commanding 3-0 lead in their best-of-seven playoff series.

Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts and second baseman Tommy Edman both drove in runs while starter Tyler Glasnow recorded eight strikeouts in 5.2 innings in front of 51,251 fans at Dodger Stadium.

The result leaves the Brewers needing to stage a near-miraculous comeback in the National League Championship Series to keep their World Series hopes alive.

Refereeing a basketball game is no joke. You’re constantly under pressure to make decisions, moving quickly and getting into position while everybody else is likewise moving and making contact. We’ve said that the only time you know you’ve done a good job is when only half of the people complain. But so far, the University Athletic Association of the Philippines has had multiple incidents of referees losing command and control of the game.

It started with the pay gap between male and female referees. It would not have been so bad if it wasn’t reported that the salaries of female referees were decreased in favor of their male counterparts. This already cast the spotlight on the league, getting the wrong kind of attention.

Next came the Adamson-UP game three weeks ago, where confusion resulted in the Falcons only having four players on the floor for 10 seconds. It magnified the impression that the referees did not have full command of what was going on. No infractions, just an error that could’ve been avoided.

This week came the exclamation point. As University of the East was gunning for its first win in six games, a loose ball scramble resulted in what was whistled as an unsportsmanlike foul against Red Warrior Wello Lingolingo, causing injury to De La Salle’s Kean Baclaan. Lingolingo’s foul caused his disqualification after scoring 24 points, UE blows a 21-point lead, and DLSU wins in overtime. Lingolingo was later slapped a three-game suspension, all but dooming UE.

Refereeing is all about timing, positioning and judgment. The question of decision-making leaves the officiating in question. It leaves doubts as to the preparedness and even capability of the whistle-blowers. It is seriously hurting the UAAP’s image, but it can be fixed. UAAP basketball commissioner Jai Reyes has the experience and intelligence to rectify matters by improving the training of refs, even mid-season. It is also possible to expand the pool of officials, and most importantly, reprimand or suspend those in error.

Calling basketball games is decidedly human, and mistakes will never be completely avoided. But, judgment can be improved, gravitas can be earned, emotions controlled. At times, it is also a question of qualification. Referees earn their living by the volume of games they call in and outside the league. That may be worth monitoring, as well. If the referees are also working other leagues and games where they have more power, it may color their overall capability. The level of organization and competition will not be consistent, allowing for more latitude in committing errors.

We could say that officiating is – pardon the pun – a calling, a commitment. Therefore, as a whole, the UAAP basketball organization has to strengthen their commitment to doing a good job. Mistakes are regrettable, but faith in the technical officials can be restored if these errors can be avoided from this point on. Unfortunately, the heat of the spotlight is already on them.

The Philippine saga of comedian Conan O’Brien isn’t over after he appeared on the set of “Sanggang-Dikit FR” with celebrity couple Dennis Trillo and Jennylyn Mercado.

Conan was in the country shooting segments of his travel show “Conan O’Brien Must Go,” but took a small detour for a cameo role in the police drama.

Television writer Jose Arroyo, who accompanied Conan’s team, shared that the comedian will have a cameo role on “Sanggang-Dikit FR” as “an evil creep with an evil moustache.”

Behind-the-scenes photos shared by Dennis show him and Jennylyn’s characters apprehending Conan’s character in a corner fight, resulting in an arrest.

“Hindi po AI, hindi din panaginip, never naimagine na mangyayare.welcome to the party Conan,” Dennis wrote on his social media posts.

Jennylyn reposted the photo she, Dennis, and Conan had together, simply writing in her caption “May Bisita kami.”

During his Manila visit, Conan also went to Bonifacio Global City, Rizal Park, Quiapo, Philip Candies, Manila Hotel and Fort Santiago.

Minimum wage earners and domestic workers or kasambahay in Soccsksargen will receive a salary increase starting next month following the issuance of a new wage order by the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board.

The RTWPB granted an increase of P30 in the daily wage of workers in the non-agriculture as well as retail and service sectors. Those in the agriculture sector will receive an increase of P33.

The adjustment will bring the minimum daily wage in the non-agriculture, retail and service sectors to P460 and P443 in the agriculture sector.

The increase will bring to P11,998 the monthly rate of workers in the non-agriculture, and retail and service sectors, and to P11,555 for those in agriculture.

Up to 21,000 minimum wage earners in Soccsksargen will benefit from the new wage order.

Those earning above the minimum wage are also expected to indirectly benefit from the adjustment due to wage distortion.

Domestic workers employed in cities and first class municipalities will receive an increase ranging from P1,000 to P1,500, bringing their minimum monthly pay to P6,000.

The wage order will take effect on Nov. 2, the RTWPB said.

Engineering and infrastructure company Megawide Construction Corp. has secured minority ownership in listed affiliate Citicore Renewable Energy Corp. (CREC) following a block sale with Citicore Power Inc. (CPI).

In a stock exchange filing, Megawide said the transaction involving 1.10 billion secondary shares of CREC, representing 9.88 percent of its outstanding common stock, is non-dilutive to existing shareholders.

The company said the valuation used and price at which the transaction was executed was the 30-day volume-weighted average price of CREC shares as of Sept. 30, which also met the Philippine Stock Exchange’s guidelines of a regular block trade.

‘The transaction signifies the strong intra-company cooperation within the bigger Megawide-Citicore Group to achieve a shared objective – that is to create and maximize shareholder value,’ Megawide chairman and CEO Edgar Saavedra said.

Saavedra expects the asset injection to strengthen Megawide’s balance sheet and overall equity position.

The deal forms the bulk of the settlement of advances agreed among the Megawide-Citicore group of companies on Sept. 10, with the balance of P1.5 billion expected to be concluded by the end of the year.

Megawide earlier said the company would receive P9.4 billion from parent Citicore Holdings Investment Inc. and sister company CPI as settlement of advances.

‘Currently, our market capitalization stands at P6.6 billion and the value of the subject CREC shares, based on last closing price, is around P4.9 billion. From a valuation standpoint, the infusion represents an additional boost to our existing market capitalization and immediate upside to shareholders and investors,’ Saavedra said.

Megawide earlier announced it is entering a renewed chapter in its corporate history, with 2025 as the pivotal year.

The company recently bagged a multibillion-peso deal with property giant Megaworld Corp. for two new projects.

It has also expressed strong interest to participate and become a major player in the government’s Pambansang Pabahay Para sa Pilipino or 4PH program.

Once director Josh Boone read the script for Regretting You, the movie adaptation of the best-selling novel by Colleen Hoover, he jumped right in.

‘Regretting You is a coming-of-age story about relationships between parents and children growing up, like my previous films Stuck in Love and The Fault in Our Stars,’ shares Boone. ‘I have always been and always will be attracted to movies about families, specifically kids who are finding out that their parents are fallible. That’s an important moment in anybody’s life.’

In Regretting You, Allisom Williams and Mckenna Grace play the mother-daughter duo of Morgan and Clara Grant, respectively, as they explore what’s left behind after a devastating accident reveals a shocking betrayal and forces them to confront family secrets, redefine love, and rediscover each other. Regretting You is a story of growth, resilience, and self-discovery in the aftermath of tragedy, also starring Dave Franco, Mason Thames and Sam Morelos, with Scott Eastwood, Willa Fitzgerald and Clancy Brown.

The story works on multiple levels, says Allison Williams, which makes it perfect for a wide audience. ‘There’s so much contained within this movie,’ says Williams, who plays Morgan Grant.

‘When I’m talking to another mother, I say it’s about a mom who is watching her daughter go through a moment that completely changed her own life. She is hoping that her daughter won’t do the same thing, but at the same time she does not regret having her daughter. When I talk to younger people, it’s about a couple that’s clearly meant to be together. That could actually be referring to either of the romances in the movie. It is also about a relationship that begins at the moment when two kids are about to embark on a new adventure in the world. That’s part of what made it so meaty and such fun to work on.’

For Mckenna Grace, who plays Morgan’s teen daughter Clara, the story was also a big reason she wanted to be part of the film; it was the quality of the script that impressed her from the start.

‘It hits all the right places,’ Grace says. ‘It’s really sad, but still such fun. When I read the book, I really connected to Clara. The dialogue felt so natural that I sometimes threw in things from the book that weren’t in the script, but that were so right for Clara. Josh created such a fun and safe environment to create in that it was easy. He’s so much funnier himself than I ever expected.’

When Boone offered Dave Franco the chance to play Morgan’s love interest, Jonah, Franco seized the opportunity to play a character different from what he’s played before.

‘I have played degenerates in recent films, so when he [Josh] called and asked if I was open to playing a nice guy, I was ready,’ says Franco. ‘It is fun to play morally ambiguous characters, but it’s also nice to play someone that audiences can root for.’

‘There is a lot of drama in this movie and a lot of romance,’ continues Franco. ‘Mckenna once said that she’s either crying or kissing or doing both in every single scene. And that’s not far from the truth. We’re hitting the broad spectrum of emotion.’

Mason Thames, who plays Miller (Clara’s love interest), agrees. ‘This movie can be very sad, but it’s also very sweet, often funny and a bit of a journey. I hope the audience leaves crying. It’s an emotional roller coaster, so bring plenty of tissues.’

Hoover, whose stories are known for powerful emotions, tumultuous relationships and unforgettable characters, shares: ‘Audiences will have a fun and emotional experience. It is something you can watch with friends and family and feel good about, then go back and watch it a second time with a different group of friends. It’s just a real feel-good movie.’

There are certainly heartbreaking moments, but ultimately the filmmakers want audiences to be uplifted by the tale. ‘No matter what, life keeps going and things keep happening,” says Boone. ‘You are going to laugh again. I say that from experience.’

Regretting You, from Paramount Pictures, opens in Philippine cinemas this October 22.

The TNT Tropang 5G returned to the win column after disconnecting the Converge FiberXers, 110-103, in their PBA Philippine Cup clash Saturday at the Chavit Coliseum in Vigan, Ilocos Sur.

TNT, which rose to 2-1, thus dealt Converge its first loss in two games. The Tropang 5G also bounced back from a 92-77 drubbing by Ginebra last Wednesday.

RR Pogoy spearheaded the winning team with 27 points, five rebounds, two assists, a steal and a block, while Calvin Oftana had 18 markers, six boards and five dimes.

After trailing by as much as 14 points, 47-61, Converge was able to tie things up at 90-all after a layup by Justine Baltazar.

But a 4-pointer by Rey Nambatac, followed by a trey by Pogoy, gave TNT a 97-90 advantage with 4:38 left.

A layup by Justin Arana halted the run, but Nambatac’s 4-pointer and a triple by Kelly Williams, which sandwiched a deuce by Juan Gomez-de Liano, pushed the Tropang 5G ahead by double digits anew, 104-94.

Gomez-de Liano tried to tow the FiberXers back with a 4-point play, but timely shots by Nambatac and Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser kept Converge at bay.

Ganuelas-Rosser and Williams had 14 points apiece for TNT, while Nambatac had 10, with all coming in the fourth quarter.

Arana and Alec Stockton dropped 19 points each for the FiberXers. Justine Baltazar and Schonny Winston chipped in 17 monthly apiece while Gomez-de Liano added 14 points, nine rebounds and six assists.

The FiberXers will try to regain their winning touch as they take on the Terrafirma Dyip on Wednesday at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium in Manila.

For their part, the Tropang 5G will return to action on Friday against the Titan Ultra Giant Risers at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.

The local government unit of Lamitan City has received an award from the Bangsamoro local government ministry for its power plant project and shall receive a P4 million fund incentive as part of the special citation package.

Radio reports on Saturday, October 18, in Cotabato City stated that the P4 million that the Ministry of the Interior and Local Government-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region shall release to the Lamitan City local government unit is a prize for its having been awarded the MILG-BARMM’s LGU Grant Assistance for Innovative Practices (LGAIP) 2025 for its multi-million Reinventing Our Services in Electricity, or ROSE, diesel power plant project.

The ROSE diesel power plant was established by the Lamitan City LGU about four years ago.

Residents of Lamitan City, covering more than 40 barangays, first learned about the award from a letter to its mayor, Roderick Furigay, sent by the director-general of the MILG-BARMM, engineer Khalid Dumagay, confirming that their LGU shall receive LGAIP 2025 in recognition of its ROSE diesel power plant project.

Regional officials of MILG-BARMM, which is being managed concurrently by the region’s chief minister, Abdulrauf Macacua, and Furigay, signed in Davao City last Wednesday, October 16, the documents pertaining to the P4 million prize for the ROSE diesel power plant project’s recognition as an exemplary LGU innovative thrust via the LGAIP 2025 selection process.

Lamitan City is in Basilan, one of the five provinces in BARMM. The region also has two other cities: Marawi, the capital of Lanao del Sur, and Cotabato in Maguindanao del Norte, where the Bangsamoro regional capitol is located.

‘We are grateful to the Bangsamoro government for this very special recognition,’ Furigay, now in his second term as Lamitan City mayor, said on Saturday.

MILG-BARMM officials said Lamitan City had received six Seal of Good Local Governance (SGLG) awards from the central office of the Department of the Interior and Local Government in the past seven years.

The yearly grant by the DILG central office of the SGLG award to municipal, city, and provincial governments is based on efficiency in public service, handling of local government coffers, and extensive peacebuilding and security initiatives of nominees.

The DILG central office does not grant an SGLG to a nominated LGU whose elected officials have graft cases in courts or in the Ombudsman, or are involved in criminal activities.

‘We give the Lamitan City local government unit two thumbs up for its ROSE diesel power plant project,’ Macacua, figurehead of the 80-seat Bangsamoro regional parliament, told reporters in Cotabato City on Friday.

Furigay said they intend to use the P4 million LGAIP 2025 grant to set up solar lighting facilities in strategic areas in Lamitan City.

Hans T. Sy is the ‘Management Person of the Year 2025’ of the Management Association of the Philippines, the largest organization of CEOs with over 1,000 members.

Hans, 69, is chair of the Executive Committee of SM Prime and chairman of the board of China Banking Corp. A member of the Sy family, which is the richest in the Philippines, Hans is cited for his superior management of both SM Prime and China Bank, with a sharp focus on sustainability and inclusion.

SM Prime Holdings, Inc. (SMPH) is one of the most valuable Philippine public companies (P1.086 trillion or $118.7 billion, fourth highest) and one of the largest integrated property developers in Southeast Asia.

SM Prime offers innovative and sustainable lifestyle cities with the development of malls, residences, offices, hotels and convention centers. It is also the largest property company, in terms of assets, in the Philippines.

China Banking Corp. (Chinabank) was founded in 1920. It is the first bank to lend the legendary taipan Henry Sy his loan.

Under Hans, Chinabank has become one of the best managed, fastest growing and most profitable banks in the Philippines. At end-June 2025, Chinabank was ranked by the BSP the fifth largest, with assets of P1.49 trillion, outranking the likes of RCBC, Security Bank, PNB, DBP and Union Bank, in that order.

Has Sy was chosen by MAP as its most outstanding CEO of the year for the following reasons:

1. His lifelong commitment to environmental stewardship, social inclusion, good governance and resilience (ESG-R), establishing SM Prime as a benchmark for sustainable and resilient urban development;

2. Championing people-centered leadership and diversity by fostering a corporate culture that promotes employee welfare, professional development and work-life balance, while building an organization that exemplifies the UN Global Compact Women’s Empowerment Principles;

3. Spearheading innovative and sustainable retail development which continuously provides growth opportunities for MSMEs, local government units and the communities where SM malls operate;

4. Helping shape global and local guidance on integrating disaster risk reduction into core business strategies by representing the Philippines in the UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction and by founding ARISE Philippines;

5. Raising the Philippine flag with pride in other countries like China, and proving that Filipino companies can compete successfully with global big brands;

6. Broadening access to quality education and athletic excellence by nurturing the National University (NU) and supporting other broad-based initiatives that shape future generations;

7. Personally supporting vulnerable children through Child Haus which provides critical health care and hope to indigent children with cancer; and

8. His personal contributions to shaping national values and inspiring others through his unwavering integrity, exceptional managerial competence and visionary leadership.

Hans is the fourth CEO of the Henry Sy group to win the MAP award for management excellence. Its previous winners were: Henry Sy (1999), daughter Teresita Sy (2016), and BDO CEO Nestor Tan (2019).

MAP confers the ‘MAP Management Person of the Year’ award on individuals in business or government, whether a member of the MAP or not, who have attained unquestioned distinction in the practice of management and have made valuable contributions to the progress of the country and in re-shaping national values.

It is bestowed on exceptional persons who have posted a record of achievement and distinction as leaders and managers of organizations, and who are exemplary models who deserve to be emulated by their peers and by the younger leaders and managers.

The conferment of the award follows a thorough, stringent selection process. The distinction of ‘MAP Management Person of the Year’ has only been conferred 49 times in the six-decade history of the award.

The criteria for the award include integrity, leadership and management qualities; contribution to nation-building and values formation; effective stewardship within the confines of the highest standard of business and management practice; among others.

Previous ‘MAP Management Person of the Year’ awardees: Washington Z. SyCip (1967), Geronimo Z. Velasco (1977), Henry A. Brimo (1978), Jose M. Soriano (1979), Cesar E.A. Virata (1981), Jaime V. Ongpin and Vicente T. Paterno (1982), Dante G. Santos (1983), Cesar A. Buenaventura and Roberto T. Villanueva (1985), Jaime Zobel de Ayala (1987), Ramon V. del Rosario Sr. (1988), Jose B. Fernandez Jr. (1989), Raul T. Concepcion (1990), Oscar J. Hilado (1991), Alfonso T. Yuchengco (1992), Juan B. Santos (1994), David M. Consunji and Rizalino S. Navarro (1996), Gabriel C. Singson (1998), Delfin L. Lazaro and Henry Sy Sr. (1999), Oscar M. Lopez (2000), Tony Tan Caktiong (2002), Jesus P. Tambunting (2003), Rafael B. Buenaventura (2004), Manuel V. Pangilinan (2005), George S. K. Ty and Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala II (2006), Jose L. Cuisia Jr. (2007), Antonino T. Aquino and Jesus P. Estanislao (2009), Lilia B. de Lima and Ramon R. del Rosario Jr. (2010), Erramon I. Aboitiz (2011), Aurelio R. Montinola III (2012), Edgar O. Chua (2013), Albert F. del Rosario (2014), Amando M. Tetangco Jr. (2015), Teresita Sy-Coson (2016), John L. Gokongwei Jr. (2017), Fernando Zobel de Ayala (2018), Nestor V. Tan (2019), Federico R. Lopez (2020), Carlos Chan (2021), Isidro A. Consunji (2022), Ernesto Tanmantiong (2023), Rogelio L. Singson (2024) and Hans T. Sy (2025).

Hans gets his award on Nov. 24, 2025.

On government mismanagement of its flood control program resulting in P1 trillion being stolen by the corrupt, there will be no more public hearings on this scam – none in the House, none in the Senate and none in the so-called Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI).

The Filipino people won’t be able to see the most corrupt species of human beings ever to walk this land – eye to eye – on national television. And I see why – this rhymes with Eye-See-Eye.

By conducting its hearings behind closed doors, ICI rescues the corrupt from the prying, angry eyes of the public.