Category: Philippine Star

The first resident Ambassador of Ukraine to the Philippines, Yuliia Fediv, made her inaugural visit to Cebu this week as part of efforts to build deeper bilateral and regional partnerships between the two nations, with plans to establish sister-city relationships between Ukrainian and Cebuano cities and expand cooperation in trade, digital innovation, and creative industries.

The visit facilitated by Ukraine’s partner in Cebu, Curtis Vincent Go, marks an important step in Ukraine’s new diplomatic presence in Southeast Asia following the opening of its Manila embassy in December 2024.

Fediv, who assumed her post in March 2025, said her mission in Cebu underscores Ukraine’s strategy to promote ‘decentralized diplomacy’ and foster people-to-people and local government cooperation across the Philippines.

‘Regional diplomacy is a priority for us,’ Fediv said in an interview during her two-day engagement with local government and business leaders.

‘We are here to introduce Ukrainian cities to their potential partners in Cebu and the Visayas, and to plant the seeds for lasting city-to-city, business-to-business, and people-to-people cooperation,’ the lady Ambassador said.

Among the key initiatives discussed were proposed sister-city partnerships between Cebu City and Chernivtsi City, and between Cebu Province and the Chernivtsi Region-areas in Ukraine that share similar strengths in tourism, smart city development, and creative industries.

Talks were also held with Cordova and Lapu-Lapu City officials on potential linkages with other Ukrainian localities.

The ambassador also met with Cebu Governor Pamela Baricuatro and representatives of the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) and the European Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines (ECCP) to explore trade and investment opportunities in agriculture, information technology, and digital services.

Ukraine, long regarded as the breadbasket of Europe, is seeking to expand exports of wheat, sunflower oil, meat, and confectionery products to the Philippines.

‘We already export agricultural goods to the Philippines, but the volumes remain small,’ Fediv said. ‘Our businesses are keen to enter new markets in Southeast Asia, particularly in the Visayas.’

She also cited Ukraine’s growing IT and digitalization sector as a promising area for collaboration.

‘Ukraine is home to globally recognized fintech, healthtech, and govtech developers. With Cebu’s strong base of digital talent and its focus on STEM education, we see potential in tech partnerships,’ Fediv added.

Beyond commerce, Fediv emphasized the importance of cultural and creative exchanges, highlighting Ukraine’s emerging ‘Made in Ukraine’ brand that spans fashion, gastronomy, and design.

She noted Cebu’s thriving crafts and culinary scene as fertile ground for cross-cultural cooperation, even hinting at the possibility of Ukrainian restaurants opening in Cebu.

The ambassador also expressed plans to organize a Ukrainian business mission to Cebu in June 2026, coinciding with the province’s annual Cebu Business Month, to facilitate matchmaking between Ukrainian and Filipino enterprises.

‘Diplomacy today must go beyond capitals. Building partnerships from the ground up-from communities and cities-creates a stronger, more resilient foundation,’ she told reporters in an interview.

‘This visit to Cebu is just the beginning of a long-term partnership between our peoples,’ she said.

President Marcos visited for the second time yesterday victims of the magnitude 6.9 earthquake in Cebu, and cited the progress of relief and rehabilitation efforts in areas severely affected by the temblor.

Marcos said all families who lost their homes during the calamity now have temporary shelters as the government has started replacing tents with sturdier modular shelters.

‘I’m happy to report that every family (displaced by the earthquake) now has a place to stay, although these are only tents for the meantime,’ Marcos said during his visit to the ‘tent city’ in Barangay Cogon in Bogo City, the epicenter of the temblor.

‘We will keep working to make sure everybody’s OK, healthy and provided with their needs,’ he added.

Marcos thanked the Philippine Red Cross, led by its chairman and former senator Richard Gordon for assisting the quake victims, noting that most of the tents were provided by the Red Cross.

‘When you have a good leader, the people will move fast,’ Gordon said, to which the President responded: ‘Yes, definitely.’

Aside from Gordon, Marcos was accompanied by Public Works and Highways Secretary Vince Dizon and Social Welfare and Development Secretary Rex Gatchalian.

Marcos also inspected the first-ever Bayanihan Village in Barangay Poblacion in San Remigio town, where modular shelter units have been set up for displaced families.

The Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development, in collaboration with various government agencies, had set up at least 150 modular shelter units in Bogo City and in the towns of Daanbantayan and San Remigio, which were hardest hit by the temblor.

Marcos dropped by the Cebu Provincial Hospital in Bogo City to check ongoing repairs of damage caused by the earthquake.

During his first visit on Oct. 2, Marcos ordered the release of more than P200 million in assistance from the Office of the President, for distribution to affected local government units (LGUs).

He also ordered the Department of Budget and Management to release the Local Government Support Fund and download this to the provincial government of Cebu as well as to LGUs severely impacted by the calamity.

Death toll now 79

Meanwhile, the number of fatalities in the Cebu earthquake increased to 79 yesterday.

The Office of Civil Defense said the increase in the death toll was due to late reporting of fatalities to LGUs.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said the number of injured people remained at 559, with no one reported missing.

The number of damaged houses in Central Visayas has reached 141,524.

The NDRRMC said more than P416.9 million worth of food and non-food assistance have been provided to affected communities including 1,302 families or 5,079 people who are staying in 17 evacuation centers.

Today, October 18, 2025, the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL) returns to its birthplace, Cebu, where it was founded in 2007.

NUPL is a ‘nationwide voluntary association of human rights lawyers as well as lawyers from mainstream bar groups or traditional legal practice who have expressed interest in human rights lawyering and advocacy in various degrees and capacities.’

I was still a Law student back then when around 89 lawyers from across the country, together with paralegals and fellow Law students, first assembled in Cebu in September 15-16, 2007 amid the increasingly repressive atmosphere under the then-unpopular Arroyo administration.

NUPL thus says in reference to its founding congress in Cebu: ‘The genesis of the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL) emerged from the urgent need for a structured response to the grave human rights violations during Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s administration.’ These abuses, including extrajudicial killings, forced disappearances, and political harassment, along with the then impending passage of the Human Security Act of 2007, showed the urgent need for organized legal action and advocacy.

By 2016, during its 4th Congress in Legazpi City, Albay, NUPL had grown to more than 20 chapters nationwide. As of 2023, it has 258 member-lawyers in chapters throughout the country, making the NUPL the largest lawyers’ organization in the Philippines in terms of membership. If Law student members and paralegals are included, the number grows even larger.

For its 7th National Congress, the NUPL returns to Cebu with the theme: ‘Seven Congresses Strong: Advancing Peoples’ Lawyering in the Struggle for Rights, Justice, and Accountability.’ That the congress was first held in Cebu and has now returned for its seventh is a testament to Cebu’s enduring role in the defense of human rights, both historical and contemporary.

But as a member of the NUPL, I can say that it is more than just human rights lawyering. In the words of Boehringer (Athens Journal of Social Sciences, 2015), ‘progressive lawyers have formed organizations for the specificpractice of law in the interests of the people.’ So what exactly is peoples’ lawyering, and how is it distinguished from ordinary legal aid to the marginalized?

In the Philippine context, says NUPL chairman Edre Olalia in a 2013 presentation culled from the late NUPL founding chairman Romeo T. Capulong’s ‘Lawyering for the Oppressed and the Exploited Poor: Selected Speeches on People’s Lawyering in the Philippine Context’, ‘peoples’ lawyer’ means lawyering for the overwhelming majority of our people composed of peasants, workers, urban poor, small fisherfolk, indigenous people, women, youth, and migrant workers.

While traditional legal aid also serves the poor and marginalized, the key difference lies in the perspective of the peoples’ lawyer. A peoples’ lawyer helps the poor not just because they cannot afford legal fees, but because he or she understands that their poverty and the injustices they suffer come from an unjust system that must be changed. Thus, beyond providing competent legal services, a people’s lawyer is also deeply committed to social change as part of his or her work.

Says the late Atty. Capulong: ‘Unlike the typical pro bono lawyer, the people’s lawyers do not limit themselves to the generally accepted interpretation and use of the law to uphold and protect their clients’ interest. They know that in an elite-dominated society, the law is merely the expression of elite interests. Instead, they take a critical view of the law and what the law should be from the perspective of the disenfranchised or marginalized client.

‘Unlike the traditional practitioner who pleads the client’s cause during adversarial proceedings with the cold neutrality of a skilled legal technician, the people’s lawyers fight with passion and dedication to the legal as well as the social cause of the client, pleading such cause in and outside the courtroom or legal fora, in dialogue and negotiations, in networking and building alliances, in street rallies, in media, in legislative inquiries and hearings, and in symposia and conferences.’

At the 2007 NUPL Founding Congress in Cebu, then Supreme Court Chief Justice Reynato Puno delivered these resounding words: ‘By calling yourselves the ‘people’s lawyer,’ you have made a remarkable choice. You decided not to remain in the sidelines. Where human rights are assaulted, you have chosen to sacrifice the comfort of the fence to the dangers of the battlefield. But only those who choose to fight on the battlefield live beyond irrelevance.’

The Alas Pilipinas national beach volleyball teams led by the celebrated pair of Sisi Rondina and Bernadeth Pons has thrown everything out the window to focus on the 33rd Southeast Asian Games Thailand is hosting in December.

And the experience they gained from competing against some of the world’s best in the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour Challenge comes in handy in the SEA Games beach volleyball competitions set December 12-19 at the Huamark Sports Complex in Bangkok.

‘We’re all happy that we were able to participate in the Challenge, although it was a short campaign for us, we learned a lot from every match that we can apply in SEA Games,’ said Pons, who with Rondina became the first-ever Philippine pair – men or women – to win a match in the Challenge and reach the round of 24.

‘We must continue training hard, we must be consistent in our timing, attacks, receives and blocking,’ Pons said. ”Good thing we were able to play against competitive teams in the Challenge.’

Alas Pilipinas’s Brazilian head coach Joao ‘Kioday’ Luciano Simao Barbosa said the candidate teams to the Thailand SEA Games include Sunny Villapando and Dij Rodriguez, Jenny Gaviola and Alexa Polidario and Kly Orillaneda and Gen Eslapor for the women’s squad.

The men candidates are Cambodia 2023 Southeast Asian Games bronze medalists James Buytrago and Ran Abdilla, Ronniel Rosales and Rancel Vergara and Edwin Tolentino and Larry John Francisco.

Each country is allowed two teams in the Thailand SEA Games.

According to Alas Pilipinas beach volleyball team manager Cherry Macatangay, all six pairs will be corralled in the Nuvali Sand Courts by Ayala Land in Santa Rosa City to fully concentrate on the games that are 55 days away.

“We’re ready anytime if chosen for the SEA Games,’ Gaviola said. ‘We’ll determine what adjustments to make.’

Thailand and Indonesia are the dominant force in SEA Games beach volleyball with eight gold medals each in the women and men categories, respectively.

The Philippines, on the other hand, has six bronze medals – three in each gender – since the discipline became a medal sport in 2003.

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) is expected to deliver another rate cut in December as growth risks deepen and business confidence weakens amid corruption concerns in public spending, according to economists.

Metropolitan Bank and Trust Co. chief economist Nicholas Mapa and DBS Bank senior economist Radhika Rao said the BSP might extend its easing cycle into early 2026 after last week’s surprise 25-basis-point reduction brought the benchmark policy rate to 4.75 percent, the lowest in three years.

Mapa said the BSP appears inclined to support moderating gross domestic product (GDP) growth as the economy continues to underperform.

‘It looks like the BSP is intent on supporting moderating growth momentum, with GDP now projected to slip below the government’s official growth aspiration for a third consecutive year,’ Mapa said.

Mapa described the latest move as a ‘quick (baby) step’ toward what BSP Governor Eli Remolona Jr. now considers the ‘Goldilocks’ rate of around four percent, lower than the previous five percent estimate.

‘Four is the new five,’ Mapa said. ‘With inflation expected to stay close to target through 2027, the BSP is taking advantage of this manageable inflation environment to address growth challenges.’

Mapa expects further easing in December and the first quarter of 2026, noting that the central bank remains ‘quick and nimble’ and will adjust policy based on evolving economic data.

DBS’s Rao said the BSP’s fourth consecutive rate cut marks a clear dovish shift, as policymakers grow increasingly cautious of weaker domestic demand and the impact of corruption allegations on business sentiment.

‘Policymakers are wary of downside risks to growth from a slowdown in infrastructure projects, private sector spending and real estate investments, besides the hit to confidence from corruption allegations in flood-control projects,’ Rao said.

Rao noted that the allegations, which have drawn scrutiny from lawmakers and involve several legislators and contractors, have likely dampened investor and business sentiment.

The peso weakened after the BSP’s surprise move, prompting speculation that foreign exchange intervention may be used to stabilize the currency.

Rao said a weaker peso could pose inflation risks, although inflation remains within the two to four percent target range.

‘The central bank’s dovish commentary, impending growth risks and a negative output gap suggest that the door remains open for another cut in December, which will take the rate to 4.50 percent,’ Rao said.

According to Rao, external conditions remain favorable, with the US Federal Reserve’s expected rate cuts likely preserving rate differentials and providing space for the BSP to ease further.

China’s Fan Shuangshuang fired a stellar 6-under 66 to seize a two-stroke lead in the first round of the Women’s China Open on Friday in what is her first tournament start in six months.

The 20-year-old Fan smiled her way to nine brilliant birdies through her opening 14 holes at Enhance Anting Golf Club before stumbling with a double bogey on the 15th hole, which allowed in-form Canadian teenager Anna Huang to stay hot on her heels after a 68.

The leaderboard in the CNY 1 million showpiece also featured a strong group of Thai challengers, with Kultida Pramphun returning a 69 for tied third place alongside local hopefuls Lin Xinen, Pang Runzhi and 15-year-old amateur Zhou Shiyuan, who is a three-time CLPG Tour winner. Fellow Thais, Sherman Santiwiwatthanaphong, who is currently second on the CLPG Tour Order of Merit, Chonlada Chayanun and Phisitkhwan Pooratanaopa all carded 70s for tied seventh place.

Defending champion Ji Yuai began her campaign with a battling 71 to end the first day five strokes back while 16-year-old Xu Ying, who turned professional this week after earning low individual honors at the recent World Amateur Team Championships Espirito Santo Trophy in Singapore, also carded a 71.

This week’s CLPG Tour flagship tournament is only Fan’s third appearance of 2025 as she took a sabbatical due to health reasons but she has quickly dusted off her clubs, with a hot putter propelling her to a sizzling start in Shanghai.

‘This is my first tournament round in a while. I’m very nervous at the start but my irons were pretty good and it encouraged me to play better. My putting is usually not that good but today, it went well and my caddie helped a lot with reading the greens. I got some good luck too,’ said Fan.

Keeping her expectations low for her long-awaited return to Tour life, Fan displayed a positive attitude and brushed aside her lone blemish on the 15th hole. ‘It was a bad thing, but I’m still like 6-under and based on the score, I was not nervous,’ she said.

‘I played in the China Open many years back (in 2019) which was a great experience as I got to play with Feng Shanshan and Yin Ruoning (in the third round) and that was fascinating. I know I’m not quite as good like them, but it really encouraged me to practice harder. I’ve tried to play in the US (Epson Tour) in the last two years but it didn’t go well.’

Anna Huang, 16, may be far away from her Canadian base in Vancouver but she was right at home at Enhance Anting, shrugging off an opening bogey with five birdies as she ended the first day in solo second.

She won back-to-back Ladies European Tour titles in Spain and France last month, becoming only the fourth teenager to triumph on the circuit, and she now has her eyes fixed on a first professional victory in Asia.

‘I think I’m just hitting it really well. My ball-striking was good, especially my irons as I was able to get a few shots close for easy birdies,’ said Huang. ‘I think just mentally, I’ve been more confident with my game. That really helps with the overall game and shooting lower scores. That’s been the key.’

Seasoned-campaigner Sherman Santiwiwattanaphong of Thailand took her familiar place on the leaderboard after a mixed card that featured six birdies against four bogeys. The 28-year-old, who has enjoyed stints on the LPGA Tour, is presently ranked second on the CLPG Tour Order of Merit, and is seeking to repeat her Merit triumph of two years ago.

The highlight of her day was a chip-in birdie on Hole No. 8. ‘I’m enjoying myself here. I want to play happy golf. The course is nice, I love it. It was a case of some good and some bad golf. Finishing on 2-under is good,’ said Sherman, who holds three professional victories.

‘I’m looking for my second win (in China) but I’m not trying to pressure myself. I’m just trying to have fun with my golf and enjoy it. If I play my best, I think the second win will be soon.’

Former socioeconomic planning secretary Cielito Habito warned that the Philippine economy is being weighed down by both internal weaknesses and external shocks stemming from US President Donald Trump’s trade policies.

Speaking at the Security Bank Economic Forum, Habito said that while inflation and unemployment remain relatively stable, deeper structural issues from job quality and governance to weak productivity and protectionist trade policies continue to hold the country back.

‘Our inflation rate is down to 1.7 percent, unemployment is at record lows of around 3.1 percent, but the quality of jobs and the mismatch in skills are our real challenges,’ Habito said.

‘The biggest chunk of our jobless now are college graduates, people who have studied all the way to find out they don’t fit in the workplace,’ he said.

The former National Economic and Development Authority chief noted that the Philippines grew by 5.4 percent in the first half, slower than last year’s 5.6 percent, with agriculture surprisingly becoming the fastest-growing sector at seven percent in the second quarter.

Government spending, particularly on consumption rather than infrastructure, has kept the economy afloat amid slowing private investments and exports. This is at a time when Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) peers are grappling with similar global headwinds but showing stronger investment and export momentum.

‘The good news is we’re still the second fastest-growing economy in ASEAN. The bad news is that private investments and exports are slowing down,’ Habito said. ‘And we all know why – persistent hurdles in doing business, bureaucratic constraints, corruption scandals and weak governance.’

According to Habito, foreign direct investments in the Philippines remain among the lowest in the region, with the country being ‘second to the worst’ in ASEAN.

Goods exports, at around $70 billion annually, pale in comparison to Indonesia’s $201 billion, he said.

‘Our country is too inward-looking,’ Habito stressed. ‘We have been too defensive in our trade stance, trying to protect domestic producers but ending up uncompetitive and missing huge opportunities in global markets.’

Turning to global risks, Habito warned that Trump’s renewed tariff measures could once again disrupt global supply chains and hurt ASEAN economies.

‘Trump’s mode of economic policy is to raise import tariffs, reduce income taxes and rely on import duties to fund the government,’ he said. ‘That will lead to higher inflation in the US, wider inequality and a slowdown in global trade that will ripple across Asia.’

He said that while the Philippines may only have ‘moderate exposure’ to Trump’s trade wars, the resulting flood of cheap Chinese goods into Asia could threaten domestic manufacturers.

‘If Chinese goods can’t enter the US, they will flood Southeast Asia,’ he said. ‘That’s already happening. In Thailand, about a hundred factories have been closing every month over the past two years because of cheap Chinese imports.’

To scale up transit options in Metro Manila, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) yesterday began piloting the operation of six four-car trains in the Metro Rail Transit Line 3.

The MRT-3 four-car trains will be deployed during the morning rush hour to provide convenience, accommodate hundreds of thousands of commuters daily and ease passenger buildup between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m.

According to the DOTr, the four-car trains can ferry as many as 1,576 passengers per trip. Each additional car increases capacity by 394 passengers against the regular configuration of three cars.

The DOTr said it continues to find affordable and safe measures to ease the plight of commuters, especially as the holiday season nears.

MRT-3 general manager Michael Capati said more Dalian train units would be activated. Procured in 2016, the China-made Dalian trains were left unused due to compatibility issues.

In March, the DOTr, then under Vince Dizon, extended the service hours of the MRT-3 by one hour during weekdays to serve commuters working at night.

For most of the game, Magnolia couldn’t shake off hard-fighting Titan Ultra, which repeatedly climbed out of double-digit holes.

But come the payoff canto, veterans Mark Barroca and Ian Sangalang made sure the Hotshots would finally land the KO blow.

With the two veterans sparking a 13-0 salvo to start the fourth, the troops of LA Tenorio secured a 127-119 win over the Giant Risers to take the lead in the PBA Philippine Cup at 2-0 last night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Barroca and Sangalang, embracing their new roles coming off the bench, combined for 10 in that telling run that enabled the Hotshots to seize a 105-88 upperhand, which they later stretched to 119-98.

Sangalang finished with 21 while Barroca shot 16 with seven assists in backing up Zav Lucero, who dished out a 23-point, 17-rebound, four-assist performance in the follow-up to their 80-73 victory over Ginebra on opening night.

‘Vets are vets. Whether they get five, 10, 15 minutes, I know they will deliver,’ said Tenorio.

Later, Meralco unleashed a 33-14 closing barrage to defeat Ginebra, 89-75. The Bolts improved to 2-2 off a 0-2 start while sending the Gin Kings to 1-2.

A Mandaluyong court has ordered the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to cancel the passports of retired police colonel Royina Garma, former National Police Commission commissioner Edilberto Leonardo and three others in connection with the murder of Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office board secretary Wesley Barayuga in 2020.

The Regional Trial Court Branch 279 also issued a hold-departure order against Garma, Leonardo and their co-accused Lt. Col. Santie Mendoza, former police officer Nelson Mariano and Jeremy Causapin.

In the same four-page order, the court denied the motion filed by Garma and Leonardo to suspend proceedings, and instructed that Mendoza and Mariano remain under the custody of the National Bureau of Investigation.

Both Mendoza and Mariano, who were arrested in connection with Barayuga’s killing, pleaded not guilty through their counsel Raymund Palad. The court set the pre-trial conference on Nov. 12.

Garma is facing charges of murder and frustrated murder for allegedly masterminding Barayuga’s killing. She was deported from the United States in September after her asylum plea was denied.

Her whereabouts are unknown. Garma left the country for Singapore last month to meet with personnel of the International Criminal Court. She is expected to testify against Rodrigo Duterte before the ICC.