Category: Philippine Star

Cebuana Lhuillier Bank’s (CL Bank) Iponventure campaign has earned international acclaim with a Bronze Stevie Award for Corporate Social Responsibility Program of the Year at the prestigious International Business Awards (IBA).

The award highlights the bank’s efforts to make saving simple, consistent and accessible for millions of Filipinos, proving that financial empowerment can begin with small, steady steps.

‘This recognition reaffirms our belief that true leadership is not measured only by growth and profit, but by how many lives we uplift and how much positive change we create. Iponventure is proof that even the simplest tools can spark a culture of saving, empower families and open doors to a brighter financial future for every Filipino,’ said Jean Henri Lhuillier, CEO of Cebuana Lhuillier Bank, as he reflected on Iponventure’s global win.

At the heart of Iponventure is the IPONBOX, a simple but powerful tool that has been distributed to more than 700,000 clients nationwide. This visual savings container serves as a constant reminder to set aside even small amounts of money regularly.

Shared through branches, community events, employee programs and social media content from financial experts, the IPONBOX has grown into a recognizable symbol of the message: start small and save consistently.

The campaign also makes formal saving more accessible through Micro Savings Accounts, which can be opened with just a P50 initial deposit.

By breaking down one of the biggest barriers to banking, Iponventure empowers Filipinos to begin their savings journey. This effort is further supported by the Cebuana 24k Rewards Program, a free loyalty program that gives clients incentives for using the bank’s financial services, helping them save even more along the way.

In 2024, Iponventure opened over 1.1 million new Micro Savings accounts and raised balances among IPONBOX users. These savings have helped families handle emergencies, grow small businesses, and plan for their children’s future-showing that even modest deposits create real security.

Unlike short-term campaigns, Iponventure drives lasting behavior change by combining practical tools, financial education, and community involvement, making saving a daily habit championed by both clients and employees.

By aligning its social responsibility programs with its mission to promote inclusive financial empowerment, CL Bank has gone beyond offering services. It has started a movement that makes saving personal, practical and achievable for every Filipino.

The Commission on Audit (COA) has yet to speak with Commissioner Mario Lipana about his possible resignation or early retirement, as he remains hospitalized and reportedly unable to speak.

During the House plenary debates on Wednesday, October 1, Rep. John Tracy Cagas (Davao Del Sur, Lone District) stood in as COA’s budget sponsor and answered questions on the agency’s behalf.

Rep. Leila de Lima (ML Party-list) asked for an update on her earlier request for COA Chair Gamaliel Cordoba to talk to Lipana.

She and two other minority lawmakers want Lipana to address concerns about a possible conflict of interest, especially in connection with the ongoing investigation into irregular flood control projects.

Cagas, however, said he was told that Lipana remains hospitalized and is still too sick to communicate, showing the medical certificate sent to COA.

This surprised De Lima, prompting her to ask COA if they did not even try to speak with Lipana’s relatives, let alone his wife or a common friend, when the issue he faces is a matter of public interest.

‘Kailangan po kasi masettle po yung issue na ‘yan because as I said, it affects very much the commission itself. Hindi pwedeng tumagal hanging itong issue na ito,’ De Lima said. (We have to settle this issue because as I said, it affects very much the commission itself. This issue can’t be left hanging.)

Lipana’s wife, Marilou Laurio Lipana, owns a contracting firm that secured over P1 billion worth of flood control projects in Bulacan between 2023 and 2025.

She served as the president and general manager of Olympus Mining and Builders Group Philippines Corp.

Bulacan is not only Lipana’s hometown, but public works officials have also accused him of receiving kickbacks from projects in the province.

De Lima also questioned why Cordoba had not communicated with Lipana in writing, given the latter’s medical condition. However, neither the budget sponsor nor the commission provided an answer.

During committee-level budget hearings, Cordoba committed to personally addressing the conflict-of-interest concerns with Lipana once the commissioner returned from medical leave. That leave was expected to end in September.

As of October, however, Lipana remains hospitalized. In the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee’s hearing, state auditor Tracy Ann Sunico said Lipana was in Singapore.

Cagas only said that the COA commits to exhausting all means to communicate with Lipana.

De Lima then asked whether a motu proprio investigation has been launched into Lipana’s ties and involvement with a government contractor, to which Cagas said the Ombudsman already has.

This was already confirmed about a week ago during COA’s first round of plenary debates.

Two separate testimonies have tied Lipana to irregularities in infrastructure projects in Bulacan.

Dismissed district engineer Henry Alcantara claimed Lipana received P1.4 billion in kickbacks from local projects. In a corroborating narrative, former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Usec. Roberto Bernardo said Lipana asked to be introduced to officials from Bulacan’s First District Engineering Office.

He said he referred Lipana to Brice Hernandez, another DPWH official who has since been dismissed and implicated in the flood control controversy.

Apart from the Ombudsman, the Department of Justice said it is also reviewing Lipana’s liability in the case, especially as state auditors are involved in conducting post-audits for public works projects.

De Lima warned again that if Lipana refuses to step down, Congress may have to file impeachment raps against him.

After months of renovation for next year’s Asean Summit, the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City has been reopened.

‘We recognize the PICC as a symbol of Filipino resilience and creativity. That is why, with the PICC’s golden anniversary in 2026 and, coincidentally, our hosting of the ASEAN Summit, we reaffirmed our commitment to preserving and modernizing the PICC for many generations yet to come,’ President Marcos said yesterday.

Closed for renovation in March, the PICC will showcase a newly curated art collection and key pieces from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), he noted.

Owned by the BSP, the PICC was opened to the public on Sept. 5, 1976, during the term of Marcos’ father and namesake.

Among the historic events held at the PICC were the Miss Universe pageant in 1994 and the 2017 Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit.

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has reaffirmed in finality its decision to cancel the registration of the Duterte Youth Party-list, effectively leaving three seats in the 20th Congress up for grabs.

In its September 30 ruling made public on October 1, the Comelec en banc affirmed that Duterte Youth’s registration was invalid from the beginning for failing to publish its petition and hearing notice, a responsibility of the party-list rather than the poll body.

Beyond the jurisdictional requirement, the poll body also cited six grounds to cancel Duterte Youth’s registration.

Among these were ‘untruthful statements’ on its nominees’ eligibility and the mass withdrawal of nominees in 2019, which led chairperson Ronald Cardema to attempt a substitution despite being over the age limit to represent the youth.

Comelec called this ‘back-and-forth switching’ a ‘mockery’ in the election process.

The en banc also upheld the view that Duterte Youth failed to prove its genuine intent to represent the youth sector, adding that its calls for violence against groups it branded as subversive, including activists, went beyond political rhetoric.

The last two grounds cited by the poll body were violations of election rules and laws, particularly the National Youth Commission’s support for Duterte Youth. Cardema chaired the NYC Luzon Commission from 2017 to 2018 before being promoted to national chair later that year.

Comelec also explained that the ruling became immediately executory since the Supreme Court did not issue any temporary restraining order within 30 days of Duterte Youth’s receipt of the decision to deny the party-list’s motion for reconsideration.

Cardema, in a Facebook post, accused the poll body of accepting bribes to cancel the group’s claim to three House seats.

Duterte Youth’s canceled registration was borne out of a 2019 disqualification petition filed by four private individuals, with the Comelec eventually echoing their arguments in its 2025 decision.

The party-list, whose name stands for ‘Duty To Energize the Republic Through the Enlightenment of the Youth,’ has long aligned itself with the Duterte administration and family since it was founded in 2016.

In the 2025 party-list race, it received about 2.34 million votes, placing second and earning three seats under the Party-List System Act.

But with its final disqualification, the suspended proclamation was voided – and the three seats are now expected to go to party-lists that originally fell short of the cutoff.

Comelec Chair George Garcia said the three party-lists set to take over Duterte Youth’s seats will be proclaimed on Thursday, October 2.

Based on the party-list rankings, Abono, Ang Probinsiyano and Murang Kuryente could each secure one seat.

In today’s hyper-transparent world, companies rise and fall not only on the strength of their balance sheets, but also on the credibility of their leaders. This truth was once again underscored with the release of the CARMA PH CEO Media Index Report 2025, which I had the privilege of unveiling during my plenary talk at the 32nd National PR Congress of the Public Relations Society of the Philippines.

The Index, developed by global media intelligence firm CARMA, provides a detailed analysis of how ten of the Philippines’ top CEOs are portrayed in traditional and digital media. It goes beyond counting clippings or mentions. Specifically, CARMA profiles CEOs based on five trust-building attributes:

Strong leadership: The ability to guide and influence others while effectively communicating vision and actions in ways that shape public perception and trust.

Strong communication skills: Delivering meaningful and favorable content for the brand.

Great foresight: Showing critical thinking when it comes to future planning and possibilities.

Openness and transparency: A readiness to communicate openly and share clear, honest and accessible information.

Ethical behavior: Acting with integrity and responsibility, ensuring decisions and actions align with moral values.

Who stood out

The 2025 results put Manny V. Pangilinan (MVP) and Ramon S. Ang (RSA) at the top of the rankings.

MVP dominated coverage in infrastructure, telecommunications and sports, often framed as a leader with great foresight and strong leadership in industries crucial to national development. RSA, meanwhile, was highly visible in aviation, energy and philanthropy, frequently highlighted for his decisiveness and social responsibility.

But perhaps the most telling finding is that ethical leadership was largely absent from media narratives, even in coverage of CEOs’ sustainability initiatives and commitments. The exception was RSA, who was consistently portrayed as acting with integrity and responsibility, particularly when his companies’ community support and disaster relief programs were covered.

Another important insight is that while CEOs often appear in news stories, headline visibility was limited. Two executives stood out here: MVP, through his leadership of Meralco and RSA, through his stewardship of Petron Corp. and San Miguel Corp. Both registered the highest number of headlines directly carrying their names, highlighting their prominence not just in the body of stories, but in the most visible and influential parts of coverage.

The Index also captured how new leadership can draw immediate attention. Carl Raymond Cruz of Globe Telecom, who took the helm in April 2025, was featured in a significant number of headlines compared to other CEOs. His entry into a critical industry at a pivotal time was quickly reflected in heightened media visibility, underscoring how leadership transitions can shape reputational narratives.

Why this matters

The results of the Media Index matters because the CEO effect on reputation is enormous. Global studies suggest that as much as 45 percent to 50 percent of a company’s reputation is directly attributed to its chief executive.

When a CEO is consistently framed with trust attributes the halo effect extends to the entire organization. It enhances investor confidence, reassures regulators, builds customer loyalty and boosts employee morale. Conversely, when CEOs are portrayed as opaque, inconsistent or ethically questionable, the reputational damage cascades from the individual down to the enterprise.

In short, CEOs are no longer just managers. They are frontliners of reputation and their visibility and credibility can either stabilize or destabilize corporate trust.

A tool for PR professionals

What makes the CARMA CEO Media Index especially valuable is that it is not just a research report. It is a practical tool for communicators.

PR professionals can use it to:

Benchmark executive visibility and credibility against peers and competitors, showing boards how their CEO stacks up in the public arena.

Diagnose reputational strengths and gaps by analyzing which trust attributes are consistently associated with their CEO, and which are absent or underplayed in media coverage.

Guide content and engagement strategies, for example, if a CEO is seen as strong on leadership but weak on openness and transparency, communicators can design speaking opportunities, interviews and digital engagement to reinforce that missing attribute.

Defend budgets and strategies by presenting objective, third-party data to CEOs, CFOs and boards, proving that PR outcomes are measurable, comparable and actionable.

In essence, the Index transforms PR from reporting vanity metrics to presenting boardroom-ready insights. It equips communicators with the language and evidence that decision-makers respect.

Implications for reputation management

The implications are clear: reputation management today must include executive positioning as a strategic priority. It is no longer enough for companies to tell great brand stories or launch creative campaigns. The CEO’s narrative has become a core driver of stakeholder trust.

This means:

CEOs must embody strong leadership and foresight in ways that inspire stakeholders.

Communications teams must help leaders demonstrate openness and transparency, particularly in moments of scrutiny.

Ethical behavior must move from being absent in coverage to being central, and PR must help CEOs communicate these commitments credibly.

The bigger message is this: the plot twist in public relations is not about chasing more attention. It is about proving credibility and banking trust.

For communicators, the challenge is to stop measuring noise and start managing narratives. For CEOs, the challenge is to recognize that they are not just figureheads of companies, they are the currency of corporate trust.

And for organizations as a whole, the reminder is timely: in an economy where scrutiny is sharper and trust is fragile, reputation is built not only on what companies do, but on how their leaders are seen, heard and believed.

For many Filipinos, the word ‘debt’ is often avoided because it comes with fear and anxiety. Many stories of being buried in debt or struggling to pay it off have caused a negative perception. But the truth is, if used correctly and responsibly, loans are not something to fear-they can actually be a tool for growth and progress.

Mostly, it’s because of lack of financial knowledge and the bad experiences of others. If the concept of interest rates, repayment terms and proper budgeting isn’t clear, it’s easy to think of a loan as a burden. And when used for wants and not for needs, that’s when the impact becomes negative.

In fact, according to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, only two out of 10 Filipino adults have formal loans, while the rest rely on informal lending. Around 77% remain unbanked or underbanked, which explains the hesitation towards borrowing. Yet BSP data also shows that 43% of borrowers use loans for productive purposes such as business, real estate or asset purchases.

This proves that loans, when managed wisely, are not burdens but bridges. Whether for a home, a vehicle or a business, they can turn dreams into reality. With the right financing and discipline, loans don’t hold you back-they push you forward.

As one of the leading financing companies in the Philippines, Global Dominion Financing Inc. offers easy and affordable loan products such as car/truck financing, car refinancing (Sangla OR/CR) and more-all designed to support Filipinos in their journey to success.

At the heart of Global Dominion’s work is the commitment to show that it can be possible (#PwedePala) maabot ang tagumpay kapag may tamang ka-partner sa iyong financial needs. Loans are not enemies of financial freedom; used wisely, they’re bridges to success. With the right partner, you’ll realize that it’s possible to dream big and achieve more-because there will always be a “Ka-Partner Mo sa Pag-Angat.”

Big man Quentin Millora-Brown is now officially part of Gilas Pilipinas’ expanded pool, the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) said, ahead of the FIBA World Cup 2027 Asian Qualifiers.

Millora-Brown, who was reclassified as a local by FIBA earlier this year, will now be part of the Gilas pool before it takes on Guam in the first window on November 28 and December 1.

He is one of four players added to the 12-man roster that saw action in the recently concluded FIBA Asia Cup.

‘We’re excited to have QMB in the pool,’ SBP President Al Panlilio said in a statement posted on Facebook Wednesday evening.

‘We got a close-up look at what he can do when he played for the Macau Black Bears and talking to coach Tim, he’s certain a guy like QMB can shine in the system that we have,’ he added.

Joining him in the now 16-man pool are Barangay Ginebra guard RJ Abarrientos, naturalized player Ange Kouame and injured big man Kai Sotto.

The 12-man Gilas squad that competed in the Asia Cup included Chris Newsome, Calvin Oftana, Scottie Thompson, Jamie Malonzo, June Mar Fajardo, CJ Perez, Dwight Ramos, Japeth Aguilar, Kevin Quiambao, Justin Brownlee, Carl Tamayo and AJ Edu, who will stay in the pool.

‘Continuity is still the main priority of coach Tim Cone but we saw it fit to add a couple of pieces to the training pool,’ Panlilio said.

‘Obviously, Justin will still be the top choice in terms of having a naturalized player in the lineup but we need to take advantage of actually having multiple naturalized players,’ he added.

Kouame and Abarrientos have not yet played for Gilas head coach Cone, but they have joined practices. Millora-Brown, meanwhile, will be a newcomer.

Sotto has suited up for Gilas a number of times in the past before sustaining a knee injury in January.

The first game of the first window will be played in Guam, while the December 1 game will take place in the Philippines.

The Philippines and Guam are joined by Australia and New Zealand in Group A of the Asian Qualifiers. Only the top three teams will make it to the next stage.

You might have already seen photos online of a modern Public Utility Jeepney stuck under a pedestrian overpass in Raintree Mall in Barangay Sta. Cruz, Cebu City, after its driver decided to divert from the usual route and take a ‘shortcut’ to avoid heavy traffic.

The modern PUJ got wedged in under the overpass morning the other day after the driver misjudged the vertical clearance of his vehicle. Seven feet of vertical clearance was okay, the modern PUJ was slightly taller than that. Damage was caused to both the vehicle and the overpass. While no injuries were reported as a result of the incident, we are sure it caused traffic in that road for a while.

Sure, it’s a funny thing to happen, but it’s also a symptom of something else; drivers with old traditional PUJ attitudes handling new vehicles.

Yes, we now see a lot of modern PUJs plying different routes in our streets, and they are convenient. They are much roomier, with air-conditioning, the option to pay cashless, and closed off from the street; who wouldn’t mind forking over a few more pesos to ride them, rather than suffer being overcrowded and exposed to the heat, dust, and dirt of the road in a traditional PUJ?

But then again, many of the people behind the wheel of a modern PUJ are still of a mindset that they are driving traditional PUJs. So at times we can see them racing against each other, stopping where they shouldn’t to pick up or drop off passengers, packing passengers in like sardines in a can, and taking liberties –read that as shortcuts– when it comes to avoiding traffic.

Which was what happened here.

New vehicles and old attitudes don’t mix. Modern PUJ drivers should realize they are no longer driving traditional PUJs, but much bigger and heavier vehicles that can cause more damage or result in more injuries, or worse, if mishandled. They should be more mindful of the rules of the road and what is and isn’t allowed.

Since his ouster as Senate president, Francis Escudero has largely kept to himself. Until last Monday, when he came out swinging – against resigned House speaker Martin Romualdez.

What got Senator Chiz in a fighting mood, it seems, was Romualdez being spared (so far) from recommendations for criminal indictments in connection with the mangling of the national budget and flood control corruption.

Romualdez has also not been mentioned among the lawmakers who are being probed by the Commission on Elections for receiving campaign contributions from contractors doing business with the government.

Pro-Duterte senators have complained that a witness presented at a Senate Blue Ribbon committee hearing by Sen. Rodante Marcoleta (reportedly without the courtesy of a heads up to panel chair Panfilo Lacson) has not been taken seriously by probers.

The witness, ex-Marine bodyguard Orly Guteza, had tagged both Romualdez and Zaldy Co in alleged massive kickbacks delivered to their homes in cold cash. Guteza was reportedly introduced to Marcoleta by former Quezon City congressman Michael Defensor, a Cabinet member during the presidency of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, no fan of Romualdez.

Guteza must face state prosecutors or the National Bureau of Investigation to assess his testimony for possible criminal indictments against those he implicated. But he was a no-show at the NBI last week, and has made himself scarce.

Both Escudero and Romualdez are casualties of the flood control mess. Before their fall from their leadership posts in Congress, the two had already been pointing fingers at each other’s chambers in the scandal over the ‘most corrupt budget ever,’ the 2025 General Appropriations Act (GAA).

Escudero, in his fighting speech last Monday, sounded petulant in the theme of his message: why single out senators? Why only me?

He’s not alone though in wondering aloud why Romualdez has not been questioned, at least in connection with the mangling of the national budget during the 19th Congress.

The House speaker at the time can’t pin the blame for this mainly on Co, the chairman of the committee on appropriations, who has been conveniently missing in action since the start of the 20th Congress.

Rubbing salt into Escudero’s wound must have been Lacson’s disclosure over the weekend that ‘almost all’ senators in the 19th Congress had budget insertions totaling over P100 billion in the 2025 GAA.

Senate President Vicente Sotto III had to undertake some damage control within the chamber, pointing out that such insertions are part of the normal budget process and are not all tainted with corruption.

Lacson, who has been likened to a suicide bomber in his anti-corruption crusade, agreed with his former running mate Tito Sen. To further assuage those who were hit by his bato-bato sa langit statement, Lacson also clarified that the House budget insertions in the GAA were far greater, with more lawmakers involved.

And just to dispel accusations of singling out his fellow senators, Lacson announced yesterday that the Blue Ribbon committee would invite Romualdez and Co to its hearing on the flood control anomalies. Romualdez can decline; Co, now a civilian who is believed to be looking for a safe haven abroad from prosecution, can be subpoenaed if he fails to show up.

The Blue Ribbon chaired by Lacson will be one step ahead of the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI), which has yet to summon Romualdez.

People wanted Congress to stop its probes on the budget and flood control anomalies once the ICI started its work, since lawmakers are seen to be deeply involved in the scandal.

But now that ICI proceedings have turned out to be top secret, defying the avowed push toward transparency, accountability and all that blather, people are back to relying on Lacson and the Blue Ribbon for peeling the layers of corruption for all to see.

Deals are struck and justice is influenced or bought behind closed doors. This is not just perception; it is often the reality in our looted country. This valid concern is what ICI chair Andres Reyes Jr. can’t get in the clamor to open its proceedings to the public. Reyes seems to think he’s still working as an associate justice in the Supreme Court. The ICI executive director, Brian Hosaka, is also a former spokesman for the SC.

Incidentally, there’s a scuttlebutt that the SC has decided to stand firm on its invalidation of the impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte, never mind if a critical argument used in the decision is based on fake news. It’s a self-serving decision that rewrites the rules and makes it nearly impossible to impeach the impeachable including SC members.

If this turns out to be true, it could intensify perceptions of institutional damage in the judiciary, which even a former head of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines has described as ‘part of the problem’ in endemic corruption.

The ICI was created because there were doubts about the impartiality of government prosecutors under the Department of Justice, which is part of the executive branch. But now with its secrecy, the ICI is looking like a redundant body, simply duplicating the work of state prosecutors.

Already there are speculations swirling that the body is merely out to throw several expendables under the bus while protecting untouchables, among them Romualdez.

As of yesterday, the Palace position was that it would not interfere in the ICI’s decision to conduct its proceedings behind closed doors. But at the rate the ICI is going, it might soon find itself facing mass protests for its lack of transparency.

The Discaya couple faced the ICI yesterday and, according to their lawyer, gave a ‘tell-all plus plus.’

‘Wala na kaming tinatago’ – they are not hiding anything anymore, lawyer Cornelio Samaniego III told reporters, but declined to give details. ‘Tell all na kami ng lahat (We’re telling everything).’

Only the ICI is doing the hiding this time.

Let’s just wait for the next Blue Ribbon hearing.

The Philippines, barely past the triple storms of September, braces anew as the 16th tropical cyclone, ‘Paolo,’ formed east of Catanduanes on Wednesday morning, October 1.

According to PAGASA, Tropical Depression Paolo was last spotted 760 kilometers east of Virac, Catanduanes, carrying maximum sustained winds of 45 kilometers per hour (kph) and gusts of up to 55 kph.

Paolo developed around 8 a.m. on Wednesday, only 12 hours after the low-pressure area entered the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR).

It is currently moving westward at 25 kph, with strong winds extending outwards up to 360 kilometers from the center.

No wind signals have been raised as of 11 a.m., but PAGASA said Signal No. 1 may be hoisted as early as Wednesday afternoon or evening.

Although the tropical depression is unlikely to affect local weather immediately within the next 24 hours, heavy rains are expected by Friday, October 3.

Forecast track

PAGASA said Paolo is projected to make landfall on Friday, either in Isabela or northern Aurora by morning or afternoon. While the current forecast shows the storm crossing Luzon, the weather bureau noted that its track could still shift southward.

The cyclone is expected to intensify further over Philippine waters, possibly reaching severe tropical storm strength by Friday and even strengthening into a typhoon before landfall.

Wind Signal No. 3 may be the highest warning raised as Paolo crosses the country, though Signal No. 4 is possible if it intensifies into a typhoon.

PAGASA also said as many as four tropical cyclones may enter PAR this October.