Category: Philippine Star

Fool’s consolation?

After punching the final ticket to the PBA Governors’ Cup quarterfinals, Barangay Ginebra will have a tough matchup with the San Miguel Beermen.

The Gin Kings stamped the last ticket to the quarters via a 101-96 win over the Blackwater Bossing Friday evening.

This placed them at the third seed of Group B, which put them on a collision course with San Miguel in the best-of-five quarterfinals.

After their win over the Bossing, Ginebra head coach Tim Cone called it ‘consuelo de bobo’.

‘Consuelo de bobo. You fight your way to the playoffs and your reward is you have to face San Miguel. But, you don’t get to really choose who you get to play. I think once you get into the point where you start choosing, I don’t know, it’s just like bad karma or whatever,’ he said.

‘To me, I’ve always felt through the years that you play the game the way you’re supposed to play it. You play it hard. You play it to win. And then you let the cards fall where they may. And you take care of business, what’s in front of you,’ he added.

Cone stressed that he believes ‘there was not much choice’ in the quarterfinals, as they would face either the explosive San Miguel squad or the top seed of Group A, the NLEX Road Warriors.

‘NLEX has been playing great, great basketball conference long. They beat us up in a practice game. So it wasn’t really a team that we were excited to play either,’ he said.

‘And obviously, we’re not excited to play San Miguel… But, it’s a best of five series. So, you know, that kind of equals it all out. So it’ll be should be a really good battle to see who comes in. I think the matchups are kind of very interesting.’

Following an up-and-down conference, Ginebra had to win three of their last four elimination round games to make it to the quarterfinals.

Heading to the matchup with the Bossing, Ginebra, the 4-6 Meralco Bolts and Blackwater were still in the running for the final playoff berth.

‘Well, first let me say that it was, this was a tough group and we’re real proud of our guys for working their way back into the conference after, you know, working our way back into the group and still making the playoffs. And I guess we finished as the third seed,’ he said.

‘Didn’t look that way a couple weeks ago, so we had to really scratch and claw to get to where we were.’

Game 1 of the Gin Kings-Beermen clash will be on Tuesday, 7:30 p.m., at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.

The Monetary Board last Thursday administered the equivalent of shock therapy – the sort given to patients whose hearts stop beating. Our economy is in intensive care.

Policy rates were increased by 50 basis points. That is a lot, considering that this event was preceded by a sequence of rate increases. It is as if our economy has been put into a chokehold.

The large interest rate increase was not expected. In a poll of economists, the expectation is that the rate hike would be 25 basis points – as usual. Our business community is still in shock.

The sharp increase brings policy rates to 5.50 percent. This is the fourth consecutive increase and it is met mainly by dismay.

The objective of the rate hike is two-fold: arrest the depreciation of the peso and calm the galloping inflation rate.

The peso did gain a little after the interest rate decision was announced. But the currency resumed its fall the rest of the trading day Thursday, breaking a new record at about $1:P63.5. It now seems unlikely that interest rate policy alone could break the peso’s fall.

Our inflation rate rose to 7.2 percent in September, up from 6.1 percent in August. Raising interest rates is an effective tool if inflation is driven by economic hyperactivity. Our economy is not heating up. It is sluggish. Higher prices are due to cost spikes, such as oil prices.

It is doubtful if a higher interest rate regime will rein in the cost-driven inflation rate. It will certainly drain the vitality of our equities market as savings go to government bonds instead of private stocks.

Ironically, a higher interest rate regime adds to the cost factors pushing up prices. Every enterprise inputs the cost of financing to the price of its products. Higher interest rates is a higher cost factor.

The Monetary Board decides according to its mandate. Its mandate is to manage inflation. Its control over policy rates is the main weapon. Perhaps the only weapon its has in its hand. Fiscal policy is beyond its reach.

But our fiscal policymakers have been passive while all the problems mount. Our budget deficit is yawning. Our trade balance is tilted against us. Our balance of payments is horrifying.

Over the last four years, our propensity to borrow has been unrestrained. When Marcos Jr. assumed the presidency, our debt was at about P12 trillion. The debt, in peso terms, will likely be double that by the time he exits – making him the most debt-addicted president in our history.

Strangely, he tells us the debt is just a meaningless number in the air. How did he come to see it that way?

Our debt is growing because government needs more cash each day to give away as subsidies. This is the only way it could buy legitimacy for itself.

Then there is the massive looting. The Supreme Court finally stepped in and declared the unprogrammed allocations unconstitutional. Our legislators used this device to remove funding for regular projects and throw money at congressional insertions. They effectively skirted the constitutional ban against enacting a budget larger than what the executive branch proposed.

Under this scheme, hundreds of billions in additional spending was inserted into the budget over the last three years. A lot of that was lost to the syndicate of legislators and executive officials. A lot of that was borrowed money.

The massive looting and the looming debt crisis are not unrelated phenomena. One feeds the other. Both require a treasonous degree of mismanagement.

The Supreme Court proved itself the last bulwark against our democracy being overwhelmed by a perilous combination of incompetence and greed. All the looting that happened involved the criminal connivance of officials from both the executive and legislative branches.

In the wake of the Court’s dramatic ruling, some are now arguing that impeachment proceedings against Marcos Jr. must now be initiated. He should ultimately be held responsible for the widespread and systematic looting that happened. His signature was indispensable for making the flawed budgets law.

But who will impeach him? The mafia of legislators who crafted the deeply flawed budgets?

Remember that all the money that was looted includes borrowed funds. The next generations of Filipinos will bear the burden of repaying the loans that funded ghost projects. The pain will be borne a century hence.

Raising interest rates now will not cure the flawed fiscal policies that brought us to where we are now: a nation with a wilting economy and intolerable inflation. The third quarter GDP numbers will likely deliver yet another shock: our economy is deader than we dared to imagine.

Each day the peso depreciates and prices outstrip wages, ordinary Filipinos suffer increasing misery. The mismanaged economy takes its toll – especially on our young. This is what the debt number means. It not a meaningless thing hanging in the air. It is a noose squeezing out our nation’s life.

The increase in interest rates will raise the costs of doing business. It could finally bring our economy to recession. It certainly will not create new jobs or open more economic opportunities.

Our economy is like a dead horse. Our monetary policy is kicking it even more. That will not return it to life. It will only inflict greater cruelty on a plundered country.

Rep. Leila de Lima (ML Party-list) said Rep. Paolo Duterte’s libel and cyber libel complaints against GMA Network send a “chilling” message to journalists.

De Lima criticized Duterte’s complaints in a social media post Friday, October 23, saying journalists should not face punishment for reporting allegations of corruption.

“Filing a libel case against a media network and its journalists for doing their job of reporting allegations of corruption sends a chilling message to other media practitioners,” De Lima said.

She said attacks against GMA Network and other media outlets following the filing could also be read as a warning to journalists that they “could be the next to be sued.”

“This is clearly an attempt to silence journalists and truth-seekers, depriving them of their freedom of the press,” De Lima said.

She linked the complaints to what she described as the Duterte family’s history of conflict with media organizations, citing actions involving Rappler, the Philippine Daily Inquirer and ABS-CBN during the administration of former President Rodrigo Duterte.

De Lima said journalists merely reported accusations made by witnesses and argued that seeking information about the allegations was part of their responsibility to the public.

The lawmaker, a former human rights commissioner and justice secretary, had led investigations into killings in Davao City. She was later detained on drug-related charges during Rodrigo Duterte’s presidency, before courts determined insufficient evidence against her.

Duterte: Filing a case is a right

Paolo Duterte rejected De Lima’s criticism Saturday, October 24, arguing that seeking legal redress is not an attack on press freedom.

“Filing a case through the legal process is not an attack on press freedom, but a right available to every citizen,” Duterte said in a Cebuano social media post.

Duterte acknowledged the importance of press freedom to democracy but said journalists also have a responsibility to ensure their reports have sufficient basis.

“Reporting an allegation and proving that it is true are two different things,” he said. He added that allegations should be addressed through evidence and due process.

Duterte then turned personal in his response, bringing up past allegations against De Lima involving the New Bilibid Prison and saying an accused person has the right to defend himself.

He ended his post with a swipe at De Lima, telling her to stay in Congress, “just keep acting cute there” and “keep smiling for now.”

Some roads in Manila will be closed from Oct. 30 to Nov. 3 for the commemoration of Undas, the Manila Police District announced yesterday.

The MPD said motorists will not be able to access Blumentritt Road, Dimasalang and Maceda Streets as well as Aurora Boulevard for the activities on All Saints’ and All Souls’ Days.

According to the MPD, the Metro Manila Council has identified those roads as having a high concentration of foot traffic during Undas, especially those visiting the Manila North and South cemeteries.

Maj. Philipp Ines, MPD spokesman, said 1,000 police officers would be sent on a skeletal deployment by Oct. 28. They would be stationed at Manila North and South cemeteries and at La Loma and Manila Chinese cemeteries.

‘Do not bring firearms, alcohol, sound systems or other prohibited items inside,’ Ines said, as he reminded the public to observe protocols and safety guidelines.

Ines advised parents bringing small children to have them wear ID tags for easier identification, in case they get separated.

Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian yesterday rejected calls from the Makabayan bloc in the House of Representatives to recall the chamber’s budget bill for 2027, saying that the Senate would make the necessary corrections to ensure constitutional compliance without risking a reenacted budget.

House Deputy Minority Leader Antonio Tinio and his Makabayan colleagues recently urged Congress to pull the House-approved version of the 2027 budget from the Senate, arguing that it contains provisions that mirror elements struck down by the Supreme Court, including questionable triggers for unprogrammed appropriations and prohibited lump-sum allocations.

‘I think it’s important and necessary so that the House can clean up its own mess, because if you look at the budget passed by the House, there are significant parts that could be declared unconstitutional as well,’ Tinio explained. ‘We don’t want yet another budget that will be declared unconstitutional.’

However, Gatchalian dismissed the necessity of recall, explaining that the Senate is already positioned to correct these flaws during its consolidation and committee report process.

‘Not necessary because we are entering the consolidation of the budget here so we can do the correction ourselves,’ Gatchalian told reporters.

‘Rest assured, the 2027 budget will be compliant with [the] Constitution,’ Gatchalian said, adding that the 2027 budget would not mirror the unconstitutional provisions flagged by the high court in the 2024 and 2025 budgets.

Meanwhile, Sen. Panfilo Lacson warned that returning the budget bill to the House would likely result in a reenacted budget – a scenario that he described as ‘worse’ because it operates on lump sums without itemized provisions.

‘That is not the solution. The solution is for the Senate to really scrutinize and cut all the fat sent in the GAB [General Appropriations Bill] of the House. That is the solution,’ Lacson said.

He suggested Makabayan bloc lawmakers should instead raise their concerns with their House colleagues who would eventually sit in the bicameral conference committee.

Senate budget cut

In a bid to set an example for fiscal discipline, Lacson revealed that the Senate plans to slash its own proposed budget by P2 billion.

‘In fact, we agreed with the Senate President the other day, me being the chairman of the committee on accounts, we will reduce our budget, the Senate budget, by about P2 billion from the NEP [National Expenditure Program],’ Lacson disclosed.

He pointed out the contrast between the two chambers, noting that while the House added P5 billion to its own allocation, the Senate is taking the opposite route.

Lacson gave assurance that the P2-billion cut – which will bring the Senate’s budget down to P5 billion from the proposed P7 billion – will not disrupt the chamber’s operations, as there are still unused funds available.

Gatchalian said the Senate is also addressing red flags in the House version, particularly concerning infrastructure insertions, with some farm-to-market road projects proposed by the House having been plotted in the middle of the ocean.

‘There are coordinates there that is in the Benham Rise or in the Middle East. So we have to check. I’m sure it’s a typo,’ Gatchalian said.

The Senate President added they have already flagged the Department of Agriculture regarding these errors and duplicate project entries.

Lacson noted that the Senate’s decision to invite civil society organizations as resource persons during the budget hearings has been instrumental in exposing these anomalies.

20 years ago, Kojie.san began with a single product and an entrepreneurial bet on an opportunity that had yet to be proven. Today, the homegrown beauty brand marks two decades in the market as Beauty Elements Ventures, Inc. (BEVi), the company behind Kojie.san, looks toward its next phase of growth.

What began with the iconic Kojie.san Kojic Acid Soap has grown into one of the Philippines’ most recognizable homegrown beauty brands. Alongside it, BEVi has expanded its portfolio, entered new categories and built capabilities across product development, manufacturing, distribution, e-commerce, and international markets.

For Jazz Burila, president and CEO of Beauty Elements Ventures, Inc., the journey is best understood not simply through the number of years the company has been in business, but through the decisions and relationships that allowed it to grow.

‘Those may seem like small moments. But millions of small moments, repeated over twenty years, become something much bigger. They become trust. And trust is something no company can manufacture. It has to be earned. Again and again.’

That trust became the foundation for Kojie.san’s continued evolution, allowing the brand to move beyond the product that started it all and respond to changing beauty, skincare, and personal care needs.

From one product to a broader portfolio

Kojie.san’s 20th anniversary offered a look not only at how the brand has evolved, but at the broader business BEVi has built around it.

The company unveiled developments across several categories, including the expansion of Defensil with new germ protection solutions and TV host Kuya Kim Atienza as its newest brand ambassador; Bio Camilo Hair and Scalp Care; botanical skincare line Cacay Cure Exponential Care; and fragrance collection Freshly Piqued.

Within the Kojie.san portfolio, Kojie.san Men revealed a new identity and expanded lineup, while Kojie.san Sun Protect, DreamWhite by Kojie.san, Kojie.san+, and Kojie.san Classic reflected the continued evolution of the brand across different skincare and personal care needs. Diamond Skin further expanded BEVi’s presence in premium skincare.

The company also introduced qloud, a new digital ecosystem and curated marketplace spanning beauty, fashion, wellness, lifestyle, and consumer products, signaling how the business is extending beyond traditional beauty and personal care into new consumer platforms.

Together, the developments point to a company that is no longer building around a single product or category, but across a wider portfolio of brands, businesses, and consumer opportunities.

Building the business behind the brands

Behind that portfolio is a broader group of capabilities developed to support continued growth.

Beauty Elements Ventures Manufacturing Inc. (BEVMi), led by President Reginald I. Burila, supports the group through its manufacturing capabilities, while other businesses across the group extend its reach into distribution, international markets, e-commerce, and business development.

The direction builds on a journey that has already taken Kojie.san beyond its home market. As Burila reflected in her anniversary address, what started small eventually found its way ‘beyond Manila, beyond the Philippines, into the hands and homes of people in other parts of the world.’

But reaching 20 years also raises a larger question for the business: what should the next 20 look like?

The next 20 years

With two decades behind Kojie.san, BEVi is looking ahead to a bigger opportunity: taking what it has built and creating the foundation for its next era of growth.

That next chapter means investing in new ideas, stronger manufacturing, new markets, and the people who will lead the business forward. It also means creating more ways for its brands to reach consumers, both in the Philippines and beyond.

The ambition goes beyond growing individual brands. BEVi is building an organization that can identify new opportunities, develop brands around evolving consumer needs, and help them grow at home and beyond the Philippines.

Kojie.san remains the clearest example of what that approach can build. What started with a single product has grown into a brand trusted across generations and markets. The opportunity now is to take the experience, partnerships, and capabilities built over the past 20 years and use them to create what comes next.

And as the business grows, so does the definition of legacy. For BEVi, the next chapter is not only about how far today’s brands can go, but about building an organization strong enough for the next generation to take further.

Twenty years built the foundation. What comes next is about how much further it can go.

Ateneo at home held on to a 75-72 squeaker over Far Eastern University to snap a three-game skid in the UAAP Season 89 men’s basketball on Sunday at the Blue Eagle Gym in Quezon City.

Kieffer Alas sank the dagger charities in the last two seconds to rescue the Blue Eagles from a near collapse after leading by as many as 18 points, including 11 inside the last two minutes.

Alas finished with 21 points, four rebounds and two steals as the Blue Eagles drew inspiration from home fans and improved to 4-4 to rejoin a crowded middle pack of the standings.

The super rookie drew solid coverage from Jared Bahay with 15 points, while reinforcement Sultan Baruwa collared a 13-point, 12-rebound double-double laced by two assists. Ian Espinosa and Travis Roberts chipped in eight points each.

‘This is a very huge win for us because I know were are just one game behind sa mga nasa upper bracket,’ said coach Louie Alas, whose wards ended the first round with an 80-68 defeat to University Santo Tomas in Sampaloc, Manila.

‘But this is just (one) win. We need to bounce back against. We need to have a back-to-back win for us to be in contention again. As of now, we’re still in the lower bracket of the standings.’

At home this time, Ateneo did albeit via slimmest of margins after a 48-30 lead in the first half that it managed to protect in the last two minutes.

With what seemed a comfortable 73-62 upperhand off Roberts lay-up in the 1:51 mark, the Blue Eagles surrendered a 10-0 Tamaraws rally capped by a Jorick Bautista triple in the last three seconds.

Good thing for the hoopers from Katipunan, Alas was steady from the stripe to avenge their one-sided 93-70 loss to the Tamaraws in the first round.

FEU, once the early league leader at 4-1, absorbed its third consecutive defeat despite the 18 points of Bautista to slide to at 4-4 for a three-way tie with Ateneo and reigning champion La Salle.

Mo Konateh, the leader in the Best Foreign Student-Athlete derby, added a 12-16 double-double, Kirby Mongcopa and Cabs Cabonilas had 11 each, as reigning MVP Janrey Pasaol settled for seven points.

In women’s basketball, NU (5-2) fended off La Salle (1-6), 75-71, to end the first round in style as FEU (4-3) gained a piece of the coveted No. 4 seed with a 50-48 win over Adamson (4-3) on Gilas Pilipinas 3×3 stalwart Victoria Pasilang’s game-winner.

The scores:

Ateneo 75 – Alas 21, Bahay 15, Baruwa 13, Espinosa 8, Roberts 8, Tuano 6, Kapihe 2, Rogers 2, Bongo 0, Espina 0.

FEU 72 – Bautista 18, Konateh 12, Mongcopa 11, Cabonillas 11, Pasaol 7, Burgos 7, Daa 4, Nakai 2, Felipe 0, Gish 0, Montemayor 0.

Quarterscores: 21-14, 46-30, 58-50, 75-72.

Nur Misuari, founding chairman of the Moro National Liberation Front, has expressed strong support for Abdulraof ‘Sam’ Macacua to lead the Bangsamoro government.

‘You have my support, my full support,’ Misuari told Macacua.

Misuari made the remarks during Macacua’s courtesy visit to his residence in Davao City on October 22, congratulating him on his electoral victory in his parliamentary district and encouraging him to continue pursuing his vision for the Bangsamoro people.

‘Carry on, I hope you will stay long in your administration, In Shaa Allah,’ Misuari said, adding that younger leaders like Macacua should be able to pursue ‘a bigger dream for our people.’

‘We need good people like you at the helm,’ the veteran Moro leader added, underscoring his confidence in Macacua’s leadership.

Misuari’s endorsement comes as five provincial governors in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) have thrown their support behind a 46-member parliamentary coalition aligned with Macacua ahead of the inaugural session of the region’s first regular Parliament on October 30.

The governors are Mamintal Alonto Adiong Jr. of Lanao del Sur, Tucao Mastura of Maguindanao del Norte, Ali Midtimbang of Maguindanao del Sur, Mujiv Hataman of Basilan and Yshmael ‘Mang’ Sali of Tawi-Tawi.

The coalition, formed by 46 elected Members of Parliament (MPs), brings together lawmakers from different political parties and groups under a common governance framework, positioning itself to organize the incoming government and determine the parliamentary majority.

With 46 members in an 80-seat Parliament, the coalition commands a numerical advantage over the 41 votes needed for a simple majority, giving it a strong position in the organization of Parliament and the selection of the next chief minister.

Macacua, who chairs the Bangsamoro Federalist Party (BFP), emerged as a key figure in the post-election political realignment following the September 14 parliamentary elections, with his party and allied groups consolidating support across different political formations.

Misuari’s backing adds historical and political significance to Macacua’s leadership bid, given the MNLF founder’s prominent role in the decades-long Moro struggle and the separate political paths taken by the MNLF and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.

Macacua previously served as military chief of the MILF’s armed wing, the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces, before political realignments ahead of the elections placed him on a separate electoral track from the MILF’s United Bangsamoro Justice Party.

The combination of Misuari’s endorsement and the governors’ support for the parliamentary coalition strengthens Macacua’s political position, although the final choice of chief minister remains subject to the parliamentary process.

The October 30 session will be a crucial test of the coalition’s ability to translate its numerical advantage into a functioning government as the Bangsamoro region transitions from the interim administration to its regular parliamentary system.

The outcome will shape the region’s immediate political direction and its capacity to advance peace, development and inclusive governance under the new parliamentary arrangement.

Police arrested veteran journalist Philip Lustre Jr. while he was attending a media forum in Quezon City on Saturday, October 24, over a cyber libel case filed in Davao City.

Officers from the Quezon City Police District’s Station 10 took Lustre into custody, acting on a warrant issued by Davao City Regional Trial Court Branch 10, state-run Radyo Pilipinas reported.

Lustre’s lawyer, Dino De Leon, said his client was unaware of the case before the arrest. He added that police had no information on who filed the complaint.

De Leon said Lustre’s camp would post P48,000 bail and seek the reopening of the preliminary investigation.

Lustre was brought to the QCPD Kamuning Station 10 for booking and underwent physical and medical examinations.

Lustre is a longtime journalist and critic of the Duterte family. He wrote “Kill, Kill, Kill,” a book about former President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs.

Jacob Rolida may still carry amateur status, but his stellar performance at the ICTSI South Pacific Classic signaled a player ready to leap into the professional ranks.

In a tournament defined by a tight five-man race won ultimately by multi-titled Clyde Mondilla, Rolida carved out a major breakthrough of his own by capturing low amateur honors.

Rolida outlasted fellow rising star Miguel Ilas in a gripping battle that stretched to the final hole, with both players finishing tied for 12th overall at eight-under 280 over 72 demanding rounds at the South Pacific Golf Club.

The amateur honors came down to the slimmest of margins, secured by Rolida’s closing 69 against Ilas’ 70, breaking a deadlock after four days of sustained pressure.

The duel was fiercely contested from the start, featuring matching opening-round 68s, dramatic lead changes, and pivotal shifts that kept both competitors locked in a tense race.

Everything climaxed on the closing stretch, where Ilas narrowly missed a seven-foot birdie putt on the par-5 18th, leaving the door open for Rolida’s steadier finish.

For the 25-year-old former Ateneo de Manila golf team captain and national team veteran, the strong finish validated his belief that he can successfully transition to the big league.

‘Actually, it’s my second PGT event, so, yeah, so happy,’ said Rolida, whose understated reaction belied the significance of competing neck-and-neck with seasoned professionals.

His confidence grew from the very first round, when an opening 68 showed that he could keep pace with the professionals. Rather than being intimidated by the depth of the field, he drew motivation from it.

‘After the first day, parang I mean, I played good, so in my mind it’s like ang ganda din pala ng competition here kasi, well, four-under in the first round doesn’t really get you that far. I mean, it’s nice also to see the other players play well. Parang na-engganyo din ako to play well,’ he said.

That competitive spark was matched by a game plan that held up throughout the week. Rolida credited his ability to find fairways, create scoring opportunities and capitalize on what the course offered for helping him sustain his challenge over four demanding rounds.

‘It’s just a good overall week. Parang, well, nasusunod yung game plan, natatamaan yung fairways and maraming opportunities na nakuha ko din, like I made the most out of the opportunities that the course gave me,’ he said.

Remarkably, this milestone was achieved without a regular coach in recent months, relying instead on past guidance from mentors like J3 Altea and Boyet Zaragosa as he eyes future Q-School stints.

‘Wala akong coach ngayon. I haven’t gone to a coach in a while,’ he said, adding that he had worked with different coaches but had not recently stuck with one.

For a player with national team experience, a strong amateur pedigree, and the ability to contend against professionals over 72 holes, the South Pacific result could prove more than a one-week highlight. Qualifying school will present a tougher test, demanding consistency, sharper execution and the ability to deliver under pressure, but Rolida has given himself a promising platform from which to pursue those ambitions.

He also expressed gratitude to Pilipinas Golf Tournaments Inc. for the opportunity to compete and to South Pacific Golf Club’s management for providing excellent playing conditions throughout the week. More importantly, he leaves Davao with a hard-earned amateur title, valuable experience against the pros and renewed confidence that the next chapter of his golfing journey could take him considerably further.