Category: Philippine Star

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.

International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutors are seeking to present testimony describing alleged orders “from above,” planning and payments tied to killings in their crimes against humanity case against former president Rodrigo Duterte.

In a redacted filing released Friday, October 23, the ICC Office of the Prosecutor asked Trial Chamber III to admit the previously recorded testimonies of three witnesses identified only as P-1155, P-1156 and P-1157.

Prosecutors said the witnesses could provide evidence under Count 3 of the case, which covers murder and attempted murder allegations, including Duterte’s alleged knowledge and intent.

They could also point to the existence of a policy to “neutralize” suspected criminals through violence, prosecutors argued.

Witness P-1155’s account covers alleged orders “from above,” instructions given to police officers and a reward linked to one of the incidents under examination, according to the prosecution.

The testimony of P-1156, meanwhile, concerns alleged orders, planning, preparations and payment related to the killings.

The third witness, P-1157, is expected to provide evidence concerning a killing and a planned police operation against the targets.

An earlier prosecution filing, made public on October 21, also sought the admission of recorded testimonies from three other witnesses, identified as P-0008, P-1164 and P-1303. Prosecutors said their accounts could help establish a pattern of police killings.

Recorded testimony

The prosecution argued that the three accounts were consistent and corroborated one another.

The testimonies, moreover, would establish the alleged policy of targeting suspected criminals through violent acts, including murder, it said.

The previously recorded accounts were requested to be admitted under Rule 68(3) of the ICC Rules of Procedure and Evidence, a procedure that allows qualifying prior testimony to be introduced at trial.

The prosecution maintained that admitting the previous statements would help shorten the proceedings without prejudicing Duterte’s right to challenge the evidence against him.

Expert report

In a separate filing released October 23, prosecutors also sought the admission of an expert report and 15 associated items from a witness identified as P-1400.

The expert’s field and much of the report’s contents were redacted. Prosecutors proposed shortening the witness’s direct examination from five hours to two hours while allowing further questioning in court.

The ICC has scheduled another status conference for November 2 to address outstanding preparations ahead of the trial.

The ICC’s Trial Chamber III, presided over by Judge Joanna Korner, is expected to rule on the latest requests.

Trial opening. Duterte’s trial is set to open on November 30 over crimes against humanity charges involving killings during his presidency and his tenure as Davao City mayor.

Duterte has been detained in The Hague since March 2025.

Only members of law enforcement and national security agencies are authorized to operate as armed groups in this country.

In some of the safest countries in Asia such as Singapore and Japan, police and military personnel must turn in their service firearms when off-duty; guns cannot be brought home.

Meanwhile, in the Philippines, a powerful armed group is reportedly harboring Sen. Ronald dela Rosa, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity related to the bloody crackdown on illegal drugs.

This is according to Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla, whose department has jurisdiction over the Philippine National Police.

Outside the PNP, the Armed Force of the Philippines and other law enforcement and national security agencies, why is there a ‘powerful’ armed group in this country that can afford to harbor a wanted man?

Remulla said he was negotiating with the armed group, which he did not identify, for Dela Rosa’s surrender. Negotiations are preferred, Remulla said, to prevent a bloodbath that could spark unrest similar to the five-month siege of Marawi in 2017 and potentially cause up to 10,000 deaths.

That must be one powerful armed group. Why is it allowed to operate in this country?

Dela Rosa himself has yet to surrender 91 of the 117 guns registered under his name. The PNP Firearms and Explosives Office has revoked his ownership licenses for the guns, so he can be arrested for illegal possession of firearms. Remulla has described Dela Rosa, a former PNP chief, as ‘armed and dangerous.’

Dela Rosa has been absent from the Senate since November. That’s one-third of the entire period of operation of the current Congress.

Last May, he popped up for a day to help replace Sen. Tito Sotto with Alan Peter Cayetano as Senate president, and then left the premises by hitching a ride with Sen. Robinhood Padilla. It’s unclear how much of his monthly P300,000 in basic pay plus allowances and the bigger maintenance and other operating expenses he has received.

Yesterday, acknowledging public concerns over the law enforcement capability of the government, Remulla announced a P50-million bounty for Dela Rosa’s capture and gave the senator a week to turn himself in.

It was unclear what the government intended to do if Dela Rosa ignored what seemed like an ultimatum to surrender.

The government is going to look even weaker if that deadline lapses without the expected result.

You have probably seen this video circulating online of a road rage incident in Talisay City; a motorcycle rider gets upset at a bus drive, overtakes then parks his motorcycle directly in front of the bus to stop it, then gets into the bus to spit at the driver.

What led to the dispute between the motorcycle rider and the bus driver was not recorded, but everything the rider did after it is; including his dangerous maneuver in stopping in the middle of the road, up to his spitting at the bus driver, eyes aflame, nostrils flaring, and lips downturned and all.

To get to the bottom of the matter, the Land Transportation Office has issued a show cause order against the rider, but also asked him and the bus driver to both surrender their licenses while awaiting preventive suspension.

Because the LTO is still looking into the incident we won’t say yet who was in the right or in the wrong regarding what led to the traffic altercation. However, we can say with certainty that at least for the rider, that was not how someone civilized ought to act in the road.

Again, the right thing to do when placed in a situation where you feel like striking out against someone, especially someone driving a vehicle like you are, is to keep your cool.

Some drivers or riders need to realize that they share the road with other drivers or riders; the road was not made for them alone. Some drivers or riders also need to realize that cameras are almost always around these days, and any rash action they do can be recorded, quickly spread, and immortalized on the internet.

Some drivers or riders also need to realize that their actions can deem them unworthy of a driver license –a privilege that can be taken away from them the moment they become unworthy of it– and they may lose their driving privileges forever.

As with many road ragers who have been penalized for being violent or even jailed for doing worse in the past, they always say they regret giving in to a moment of poor judgment.

Clang Garcia was in the inflight magazine trade for many years and would also dabble in handling inbound tours. She traveled as part of her job covering places for the magazine, and would see ‘hop-on hop-off’ tours in major cities. These buses have designated stops on a route where a tourist can get on or off at any of the stops. Usually like a circuit, one can go around a circuit more than once if you wished. Taking inspiration from those tours, Clang tried to talk to hotels in Manila to pilot a similar tour but this time, using the popular iconic Filipino jeepney. The hotels could not grasp the concept of making people get on at their stop but lose them to other destinations. Clang had to innovate to keep her business going, and so she curated tours around food.

Along with the late chef Margarita Forés and with the late tourism secretary Mon Jimenez, she curated a tour for food media for the Madrid Fusion in 2017. They started the trip at Farmer’s Market in Cubao, visited historical sites in Intramuros, stopped at designated restaurants to try local fare – and slowly the tour was taking shape. Since then, Clang has focused on food tours instead of the usual tourist sites with obscure dining experiences. Most tours would bring tourists to iconic sites but would serve food just as a break with no mention of its origins and local ingredients. Clang’s innovation led to the publication of her first book ‘Food Holidays’ in 2016, which won the Best Food Tourism book at the Gourmand awards in 2021.

The jeepney was another concern. She had to get a franchise from the Land Transportation Franchise Regulatory Board even if she only had one jeepney. She has special routes, not competing with the riding public on regular jeepneys. When she was about to renew her franchise, the agency shifted or updated its requirements, asking her to buy 10 new jeepneys with Euro4 compliance. First, it was going to cost her a lot. Second, how could she operate 10 new tours by herself? Her prayers were answered because the COVID lockdowns happened even before she could take a loan to get those new vehicles which would have drained her cash flow. A sigh of relief for Clang to again twist and pivot to another business model.

She went around the country to discover unusual food that was indigenous to a community and got to meet many cultural communities which now became her signature food tours. I am a witness to her success as she took three foreigner friends of mine on a special tour of Manila with food included. The focus is on food and its origins, with the side tour of the sights. This makes her tours unique and truly an experience tourists can keep as a beautiful memory of the Philippines.

In the Slow Food movement (www.slowfood.com) we do have Slow Food travel which began in Europe and now is already in Western Visayas. The Slow Food focus is on preservation of culture through food and traditional ways of cooking. Think pinikpikan manok, pinaupong manok, pinausukan manok which are ways different provinces and cultures prepare chicken. Even paksiw (stewed in vinegar) for fish is called differently in Iloilo as pinamalhan. There are slight variations in souring ingredients or in fermentation called buro, balao-balao or in pickling like atchara.

This is also how Clang envisions the preservation of culture, starting with the basic social unit which is the family. If we eat together as a family even just once a month, and feature Lola’s recipes or taste what our mothers used to cook, we can start listing down these recipes and passing them down to the next generation. Her advice to all readers and their families is to preserve their own family recipes because eating together makes a family unite in a soulful way. We are the guardians of our culture and if we look inwards, we can touch three generations immediately and preserve what we still remember.

My brother took it upon himself to gather everyone every Sunday lunch to rediscover recipes of our Mom’s puchero, pancit lomi and even how she served seafood like crablets, crabs and shrimps. Everybody gets to learn how to eat talangka, buntot sa mustasa, giniling sa tausi and tito sa mani. Every family has their quirky traditions and this, according to Clang’s research, is our food heritage.

To innovate on her jeepney tours, Clang helped develop the Malabon tricycle food tours, food tours in Binondo, Intramuros and Cavite and a special indigenous foodways tour combining B’laan and T’boli cultures in Sarangani and Cotabato. There, tourists see how indigenous people start fire from scratch and use what is in their backyard, or what you can call a ‘zero kilometer’ dish as you never have to leave home to get ingredients. That is true locavorism, or cooking from what is closest to point of use – the backyard reveals all the ingredients for a local dish.

Her good and green tips for sustainability of food cultures are to travel, eat and learn. And we can start today with our own families. What did your grandmother (in our case, our grandfather cooked) cook? Since our great grandparents came from Amoy (now Xiamen), our grandfather taught our mother that kind of cooking which we still do today, four generations later. After keeping your family recipes intact, you can now travel and learn other cultures, locally first like Pampango or Visayan cuisine, or even Tausug fare.

Or you can join Clang on one of her tours and learn more about foodways and our Filipino food culture. You can find Clang in social media and as Food Ambassador of the World Food travel association. Or get a copy of her book Food Holidays, a do-it-yourself food guide to Philippine gastronomy.

I find myself passing time while trying to look for a very good topic to write about this rainy afternoon. I turn to different modes of distraction to slow down my very active brain. With different things to do left and right, it is difficult to find focus amid a very noisy landscape. At this point, I recall an activity I did this week about opportunities to give a younger version of myself. Of course, I said I would want to give the gift of time.

The generation of teenagers these days seems so hung up on the instant. They want to know everything in advance, even when told to take it easy or slow down. At one point, they are so excited and give it their all, but in the next few moments, they hit a slump and shun the tasks that need to be completed. They often use the words ‘burnout,’ which is legitimate in every sense. The harder question is how to manage it without wearing ourselves or each other out.

I wonder if my background in an intense high school environment taught me to toil even when I was not feeling well, or if there is simply greater emphasis now on well-being. While these concerns are valid, it seems that time for the much-needed break is often what gets taken away. As it is, a second passes faster than the blink of an eye. Before we realize it, we are already in the last quarter of the year. We think about the promises we made at the start of the year and gauge whether we can still fulfill them. Time has indeed taken its toll on all of us.

To return to the gift of time, I would always encourage the young to take things calmly and at their own pace. Nothing beats a relaxed pace of life while getting to know oneself. There is so much out there to discover about what we can actually do, and speeding things up might do more harm than good. Waiting is also one of the most challenging things to do. Like delayed gratification, it teaches us that not everything worthwhile needs to happen immediately.

Perhaps the real value of time lies not in how much we accomplish in a day, but in how much of ourselves we give to the things that matter. There is a difference between making the most of our time and filling every moment of it. If I could give my younger self anything, I would say there is no need to rush into becoming the person you are meant to be. Some lessons take years to understand, and some opportunities arrive only when we are ready for them. We may not always have control over how quickly time passes, but we can choose how we spend it. After all, life is not a race against the clock. Sometimes, the best thing we can do is slow down, breathe, and allow time to do its work.

Every October, we wear pink. Communities hold awareness campaigns, landmarks are illuminated in symbolic colors, and social media feeds are filled with messages of solidarity. These gestures serve an important purpose. They remind us that breast cancer remains one of the most pressing health threats facing Filipino women today.

But awareness alone is no longer enough.

As we observe Breast Cancer Awareness Month under this year’s theme, “Every story is unique, every journey matters,” we are reminded that behind every diagnosis is a woman with her own aspirations, responsibilities, and dreams. She may be a mother caring for her children, a daughter supporting aging parents, a professional building a career, or a community leader serving others. Every breast cancer journey is different, but all patients share a common need: timely access to quality care, financial protection, and hope for recovery.

At UHCWatch, we believe the national conversation must move beyond awareness and toward concrete action. As we have consistently emphasized, ‘Every October, we wear pink. But what Filipino women truly need isn’t a gesture of solidarity, it’s a guaranteed path to early screening, predictable financing, and modern medicine.’

Breast cancer is no longer just a health statistic. It remains a public health crisis that continues to claim the lives of thousands of Filipino women every year. Despite major advances in cancer detection and treatment, many patients still face significant barriers that delay diagnosis, interrupt treatment, and ultimately reduce their chances of survival. Limited access to screening services, fragmented referral systems, geographic disparities, and high out-of-pocket costs continue to prevent many women from receiving the care they need.

The consequences extend far beyond the patient. A breast cancer diagnosis often affects an entire family. Savings are depleted, household income is disrupted, children may be forced to sacrifice educational opportunities, and caregivers face added emotional and financial burdens. This is why breast cancer must be viewed not only as a medical concern but also as a social and economic challenge.

As UHCWatch has repeatedly stressed, ‘When a mother succumbs to breast cancer because she couldn’t afford or access early diagnosis, it is a systemic failure, not just a health statistic.’ Preventable deaths should compel us to examine whether our health system is truly delivering on the promise of Universal Health Care.

Cancer treatment remains one of the leading causes of catastrophic household spending. While PhilHealth and government medical assistance programs have expanded support in recent years, many families continue to experience financial hardship as they navigate diagnosis, surgery, medicines, therapy, and long-term follow-up care. Financing mechanisms must therefore be fully optimized, sustainably funded, and streamlined to ensure that patients receive timely assistance without unnecessary barriers.

For many Filipino families, the choice remains heartbreaking. Some delay diagnostic procedures because of cost. Others postpone treatment due to transportation and accommodation expenses. Still others discontinue treatment altogether when household finances can no longer sustain the burden. This reality is unacceptable. As we often remind policymakers, ‘No Filipino woman should have to choose between financial survival and medical treatment.’

This is why UHCWatch calls for the further expansion and continuous enhancement of PhilHealth benefit packages for breast cancer. These benefits should not only increase financial coverage but also comprehensively support the entire continuum of care, from screening and diagnosis to treatment, rehabilitation, survivorship, and palliative care. Coverage must reflect the real-world needs of patients, including access to diagnostics, pathology services, medicines, supportive therapies, mental health support, and long-term follow-up care.

At the same time, the push for stronger cancer financing must not be limited to breast cancer alone. Patients living with lung, liver, cervical, colorectal, and other cancers face many of the same barriers, including delayed diagnosis, limited access to specialists and treatment facilities, and overwhelming financial costs. As PhilHealth continues to strengthen its cancer care packages, reforms should be guided by a broader vision of equitable cancer care that ensures meaningful financial protection and access to quality services for all cancer patients. No Filipino should be left behind simply because the disease they face receives less public attention or inadequate financing support.

The Philippines must align its breast cancer response with the World Health Organization’s Global Breast Cancer Initiative (GBCI), which aims to increase early detection by ensuring that at least 60 percent of invasive breast cancers are diagnosed at Stage I or II, that patients receive a definitive diagnosis within 60 days of initial detection, and that 80 percent of diagnosed patients receive complete standard treatment. These are more than performance indicators; they are life-saving targets that can prevent unnecessary deaths and improve outcomes for thousands of Filipino women. As UHCWatch emphasizes, ‘Aligning with the WHO-GBCI targets isn’t just about meeting metrics; it’s about saving thousands of mothers, daughters, and workers every single year.’ Meeting these goals will require stronger coordination among the Department of Health, PhilHealth, local governments, healthcare providers, patient advocates, and civil society, alongside sustained investments in diagnostics, medicines, referral systems, and equitable access to quality care, particularly for women in underserved and geographically isolated communities.

We therefore urge the DOH and PhilHealth to ensure that improvements in cancer benefit packages translate into meaningful gains in access and outcomes on the ground. The government’s cancer control agenda should be fully integrated into the United Agenda (UNA) for Health, recognizing that reducing the burden of cancer is essential to achieving the broader goals of Universal Health Care, health equity, and financial risk protection. By aligning cancer prevention, early detection, treatment, survivorship, and palliative care strategies with the priorities of the UNA for Health, we can ensure a more coordinated, patient-centered, and sustainable response that leaves no cancer patient behind.

This October, let us honor every breast cancer story not only with awareness, but with action. Let us build a healthcare system where every journey truly matters and where no Filipino facing breast, lung, liver, cervical, or any other form of cancer is denied the chance to live because quality care remains out of reach. That is the true promise of UHC, and it is a promise we must fulfill.

It has been seven years since the untimely death of former Senate president Aquilino Pimentel Jr., or ‘Tatay Nene,’ on Oct. 20, 2019.

How time flies.

I still remember the Pimentel family asking me to speak at his wake. Anticipating a long line of speakers, I rescheduled my flight to Iloilo from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. and went straight from the wake to NAIA for my departure.

Looking back, I realized at the wake that I’ve worked with Senator Pimentel for 21 years! Over that time, I went from being his consultant to becoming his ‘anak;’ from preparing questions for interpellations to putting together campaign plans and from seeking out his favorite rhum during my travels to bringing my wife, Charito, to lunch with his family at his ‘senior citizens’ home in Quezon City.

I worked in the Senate for more than 30 years, starting with Senate president pro tempore Teroy Laurel and ending with Senate president Nene Pimentel. In between, I worked with senators Letty Shahani, Juan Flavier, Gringo Honasan and Jun Magsaysay.

That may be why I enjoyed working in the Senate then: for young Filipinos like me, who joined soon after it was reconstituted following the fall of martial law, it was a place where the best and brightest debated the country’s real issues.

That was where debates and interpellations among senators Salonga, Laurel, Gonzales, Pimentel, Saguisag, Shahani and Enrile felt like graduate-school lectures we had to memorize.

It was a place where one could marvel at how Salonga, Pimentel and Gonzales could debate on the floor without briefing notes – and where, later, senator Turing Tolentino could deliver a more than an hour-long privilege speech and answer questions without a single piece of paper on his lectern.

Oh, how far the Senate has fallen with this current crop of politicians.

Nene Pimentel was one of my heroes during the anti-Marcos movement, but I never got the chance to speak with him or work with him in my early years in the Senate.

After studying at USC and working for the California State Legislature, I returned to teaching at UP. In 1995, I resumed political campaigning. Gwen Pimentel-Gana, a student of mine at UP NCPAG’s graduate school, encouraged me to join Nene Pimentel’s 1998 Senate comeback campaign.

I started as a legislative consultant and met like-minded leaders who became my lifelong friends – including then assistant solicitor general (now Sandiganbayan Associate Justice) Karl Miranda, former Eastern Samar governor (later Senate secretary) Lutz Barbo and, of course, our chief of staff, Atty. Gwen Gana.

Joining his office transformed my relationship with him from seeing him as an icon to seeing him as an idol and eventually as a ‘Tatay.’

He lived simply. When I was invited to his birthday celebration at his home in Marikina, I dressed up, only to find Senator Pimentel in slippers and casual clothes. He told me to grab a beer and join the karaoke session.

He showed me what it means to lead with principle and competence. Everything was done in accordance with the rules. Even our hiring as Senate consultants (we didn’t get paid well, by the way) required us to submit numerous documents, attend committee hearings and prepare questions for interpellation and proposed amendments.

He was a taskmaster who expected no less of his staff and consultants than he was willing to do himself. He personally led the drafting of more than 100 Omnibus Amendments to the Local Government Code. We worked on them during our secluded weekend sessions in Laguna, which ran late into the evening and resumed immediately after breakfast.

He wrote his own speeches and would call me only when he needed data. He also wrote his own book, ‘Martial Law in the Philippines: My Story.’ How do I know? He would call me at 4 a.m., asking me to trace and verify the people he included in his memoirs. I couldn’t tell him I was in high school when these events occurred.

Despite tempting offers to switch sides while he was Senate president and later senator, he was so principled that he would often tell me, ‘I would rather be in the opposition, even if I am the opposition of one.’

He repeatedly told me his antidote against corruption. He said, ‘Do not engage in even the smallest corrupt activity, because once you start, it becomes a slippery slope you can never get out of.’

I served as his negotiator with the FPJ and Roco camps during his 2004 reelection campaign. Although he received better offers from the other camps, he ultimately chose to lead the FPJ senatorial slate. We did the impossible: we placed third while spending less than any other winning candidate.

Having lost my father before assuming leadership roles, I came to regard Senator Pimentel as my ‘Tatay.’ I emulated him and sought his counsel at every critical juncture in my professional life – from campaigning for FPJ and serving as a spokesman in the Villar presidential campaign to becoming UP vice president for Public Affairs and, ultimately, CHED commissioner and chairman.

His guidance and life lessons have served me well in my leadership positions.

There will never be another Nene Pimentel, and I’m privileged to have worked with him and to call him my Tatay Nene.

As organizations accelerate investments in cloud, artificial intelligence (AI), and digital technologies, many discover that adopting technology is only the beginning. When businesses expand across physical and digital channels, fragmented systems and disconnected technologies can increase complexity, slow expansion, and impact customer experience.

Increasingly, organizations are realizing that sustainable growth depends not on adding more technology, but on orchestrating technologies so they work together to create greater business value.

Globe Business convened nationwide business leaders from retail, financial services, healthcare and energy utilities at the recently held G Summit 2026, to discuss how unified digital foundations enable organizations to scale faster, strengthen customer trust and respond more effectively to changing business demands.

Building digital-ready foundations requires organizations to look beyond individual technology investments. It requires the discipline to orchestrate them into a connected ecosystem where every capability works toward a common business goal.

Dennis Wong, Globe Business senior advisor said organizations that adopt this mindset are better positioned to turn technology investments into real business outcomes instead of isolated projects.

“First, you need to have very reliable connectivity for access,’ Wong said. ‘Number two, you need to have a scalable cloud platform. Number three, once you have all this, you need to have a very secure infrastructure. Next, it’s all about the collaborative tool. You need to have the right API to link everything together. If the network folks, the cloud folks, and the security folks don’t talk to each other, your transformation is not going to happen.”

Across retail, financial services and healthcare, sector leaders reiterated that true enterprise resilience stems from embedding technology directly into business strategy. In the retail sector,

Walter Yu of AC Retail (ACx) and Anko stressed that cybersecurity must be designed into transformation efforts from Day 1 rather than added as an afterthought during system integration. Dustin Lacap of McDonald’s Philippines echoed this mindset, noting that future-ready cloud infrastructure is a business growth decision, not simply an IT initiative.

As organizations expand, integrating cloud capabilities into their broader technology ecosystem helps simplify operations and support long-term growth.

In financial services, Suzelyn Urbano shared how GCash is using AI to drive innovation across the enterprise-reimagining how teams work, accelerating ideas into impact and unlocking new possibilities for the business, while ensuring AI adoption remains secure, responsible, and guided by human judgment.

Healthcare organizations are undergoing the same transformation. Atty. Gideon Peña noted that customers no longer compare an HMO only with another HMO, but with the best experiences across industries. For iCare, this means using technology to simplify claims processing, reduce friction, and deliver faster, more responsive omnichannel experiences.

What powers physical and digital infrastructure is equally important as regional economies expand. As energy providers modernize to support expanding urban centers, Globe Business works alongside utility leaders to deliver the connectivity, cloud intelligence and security needed to maintain grid resilience.

Mark Anthony Kindica of Visayan Electric Company highlighted how bridging disparate platforms with modern network tools transforms energy distribution for over half a million Cebuanos. He explained that true enterprise value emerges when isolated digital systems work together, enabling utilities to shift from reactive troubleshooting to predictive maintenance.

Similarly, Arvin Padayhag of Davao Light and Power Company Inc. and Aboitiz Power Distribution Utilities emphasized that physical assets and enterprise IT must evolve together. He observed that orchestrating technology, data and teams builds a more resilient infrastructure, adding that robust cybersecurity is an indispensable component of power reliability.

For industry leaders, the real challenge was never choosing the right technologies. It was making them work together seamlessly to deliver meaningful business outcomes. With Globe Business as an end-to-end partner integrating connectivity, cloud and security capabilities, organizations across industries can focus on what matters most.

“You should be focusing on the business. You should be focusing on your customer,’ Wong said. ‘That’s where Globe Business wants to be. We want to be your trusted partner. We want you to be able to focus on the right thing, and we will be able to support you, design and orchestrate all these fundamental things with you.’

Clyde Mondilla weathered a blistering charge from a slew of pursuers and delivered a master class in clutch shot-making under pressure, producing a classy finish to capture the ICTSI South Pacific Classic crown Friday at the South Pacific Golf Club.

With his lead under siege and the leaderboard in constant flux, the Del Monte ace regained control with a near-ace on No. 15 and a clutch birdie putt from long range on the 17th to move two shots clear of Sean Ramos with one hole to play. He could even afford to miss a four-foot birdie putt on the 72nd hole, drawing gasps from the gallery, and still emerge with a two-stroke victory.

Mondilla closed with a two-under 70 for an 18-under 270 total, holding off Ramos, who mounted a determined comeback before wavering late with a 69 for 272. Angelo Que and Keanu Jahns, meanwhile, made stirring bids that kept the pressure on the leader until the closing holes.

The final margin, however, hardly reflected the tension and turbulence of the closing stretch, when five players were separated by just two strokes and every shot threatened to change the outcome.

The pressure was mounting after 10 holes as Ramos pulled ahead on a clutch two-shot swing on the 10th. But Mondilla refused to lose his composure. A timely reset helped him regain his rhythm, with his putter finally coming alive as he pulled away in the closing stretch.

‘Sean was gaining strokes on me, so the pressure was really intense. But after No. 10, I settled down, regained my momentum and started sinking my putts,’ said Mondilla in Filipino, who pocketed the top purse of P448,750.

Despite the mounting pressure, Mondilla remained confident in his chances, trusting his game and his ability to deliver when it mattered most.

‘I always believed I had a good chance of winning this week, and thankfully, things worked out in my favor,’ he said.

Still, it was not until he drained a lengthy putt on the 17th that Mondilla felt the victory was finally within reach. He celebrated the clutch shot with a triumphant roar and a fist pump, a fitting release after a tense battle down the stretch.

His confidence had already received a boost on No. 15, where he narrowly missed an ace. The near-hole-in-one fueled his momentum heading into the decisive penultimate hole.

‘I was already pumped up after my birdie on No. 15, which nearly went in for a hole-in-one. Then came the 17th, when I sank that long putt. That was when I told myself, ‘This is it. I have to make sure I birdie before Sean does.’ Fortunately, I made it, giving me a two-shot lead heading into the final hole and a real chance to close out the win,’ said Mondilla.

The two-shot margin may suggest a relatively comfortable finish, but the final-round battle was anything but. Against a field of determined challengers and a leaderboard that remained volatile deep into the round, Mondilla produced the shots that mattered most, turning a chaotic finish into a statement victory.

It was a finish that demanded not just precision but composure, and Mondilla delivered when it mattered most.

After surrendering his three-stroke overnight lead on a costly two-shot swing against Ramos on the 10th, Mondilla found himself one down as his pursuer seized control. But the multi-titled campaigner refused to buckle, capitalizing on Ramos’ miscue on No. 13 to draw level before nearly holing his tee-shot on the par-3 15th to reclaim the lead.

His defining moment came on No. 17, where he sank a long birdie putt to go two up with one hole remaining. The four-footer he missed on the last may have denied him a fitting flourish, but it could not undo the clutch work that had put the title within his grasp.

Ramos, seeking his second Philippine Golf Tour victory, mounted a formidable challenge, rallying from three shots down with a four-under-par round after a birdie on No. 10, which Mondilla’s bogeyed, briefly shifting the momentum in his favor. But the recent Asian Development Tour winner in Egypt failed to sustain his charge, dropping a costly shot on the 13th that allowed Mondilla to regain the upper hand.

And regain control he did, never relinquishing it the rest of the way.

Jahns produced the day’s most explosive charge, firing a nine-under 63 to threaten the leaders despite starting the final round 10 shots off the pace. Playing under preferred lies, he came within inches of another birdie on the 18th, settling for a 32-31 finish and a 273 total that tied Lee Song, who closed with an even-par 72, for third.

Que also mounted a serious challenge, moving within one shot of the lead after an eagle-fueled six-under effort through 17 holes. But a three-putt bogey on the last left him with a 67 and a 274 total for fifth.

The closing holes turned the championship into a nerve-wracking test of shot-making and temperament. With Ramos pressing, Que surging and Jahns charging from deep in the field, the final groups played under mounting pressure, each shot carrying the potential to reshape the leaderboard. Every walk off the course brought another twist, and every putt drew heightened anticipation as the gallery witnessed a finish worthy of a championship.

Yet Mondilla, drawing on years of experience in pressure-packed battles at home and abroad, held firm. His response to each challenge underscored the poise of a proven champion, one who understood that winning such a contest required more than power and precision.

Song, who stood just one stroke behind Mondilla after 54 holes, failed to sustain his challenge after a double bogey on the par-five second. He briefly revived his hopes with a birdie on No. 10, but could not keep pace with the charging pack.

Elee Bisera fired a 68 to share sixth place at 278 with Russell Bautista, who carded a 71. Jeffren Lumbo also shot 68 to tie for eighth at 279 with Ira Alido and Gab Manotoc, who finished with 69 and 73, respectively.

For Mondilla, the triumph marked a welcome return to the PGT throne after a two-year title drought dating to his victory over Que at Caliraya Springs in 2024.

‘This win means a lot because I’m back in the winner’s circle. My confidence is back, too, especially when it comes to handling pressure. I also want to thank my wife, May, and my two daughters, who continue to inspire me,’ he said.

For Mondilla, the victory meant more than another title. It marked his return to the winner’s circle and a timely boost to his confidence, particularly in handling pressure during crucial moments.

With his confidence restored and his competitive edge sharpened, Mondilla is eager to carry the momentum into his next assignment.

‘I’m more than ready for the next tournament,’ he added.

That next challenge comes at the ICTSI Apo Golf Classic, which gets under way Tuesday at the nearby Apo Golf and Country Club. Fresh from his confidence-boosting victory, Mondilla will arrive not only as a player to watch but also as a formidable contender for another crown.