Category: Philippine Star

President Marcos met with Croatian Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Gordan Grli? Radman as well as the new ambassadors of Belgium and the United Kingdom on Tuesday, reaffirming his commitment to deepen ties with the three nations.

This was the first official visit to the country of Radman, according to the Presidential Communications Office.

Marcos underscored the importance of Radman’s visit as a new chapter in the long-standing friendship between the Philippines and Croatia.

Radman cited Croatia and the Philippines’ shared values and mutual respect for international law.

He was in the Philippines from Oct. 12 to 14. He met with government officials, including Foreign Affairs Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro, Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro Jr., Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac as well as leaders of Congress.

In separate ceremonies at Malacañang on Tuesday, Marcos received the credentials of Ambassadors Vladislava Iordanova of Belgium and Sarah Hulton of the UK and Northern Ireland.

The local stock market gathered further steam, buoyed once again by bargain hunters capitalizing on cheap prices.

The benchmark Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) improved by 0.29 percent or 17.88 points to close at 6,094.10, extending its winning streak to three.

The broader All Shares Index also inched up by 0.06 percent or 2.25 points, settling at 3,670.88.

‘The PSEi continued to correct slightly higher for the third straight trading day amid some bargain-hunting activities,’ Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. chief economist Michael Ricafort said.

AP Securities said the market continued to track higher, but trimmed its gains after profit taking kicked in when the index touched an intraday high around 6,100.

‘The PSEi extended its gains as market sentiment turned positive, supported by the peso holding its ground against the greenback, nearing the 57 mark. Moreover, bargain hunting continued to be one of the key drivers of trading activity throughout the week,’ Luis Limlingan of Regina Capital said.

Trading was strong with total value turnover rising to P7.9 billion from the previous day’s P6.17 billion.

Sectoral gauges were a mixed bag, with mining and oil posting the largest increase at 1.15 percent, while property suffered the biggest decline at 0.87 percent.

Market breadth, however, was negative as decliners edged out advancers, 107 to 95, while 56 issues were unchanged.

The session’s top traded stock was still ICTSI, which surged by 2.42 percent to P550 per share. It was followed URC which jumped by 1.05 percent to P77 and Manila Water which fell by 2.9 percent to P36.80.

The Supreme Court (SC) has reversed the ruling of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to disqualify Caloocan 2nd District Rep. Edgar Erice from running in the 2025 elections.

In a ruling made public yesterday, the SC granted Erice’s petition, which challenged the Comelec resolution disqualifying him for allegedly spreading false and alarming information meant to disrupt the electoral process.

The high court also dismissed the disqualification petition filed by Raymond Salipot against Erice.

In December last year, the Comelec affirmed the decision of the poll body’s Second Division to disqualify Erice for questioning the credibility of South Korean firm Miru Systems’ automated election system.

The SC said the Comelec ‘went beyond’ its jurisdiction when the poll body ruled that Erice was guilty of violating the Omnibus Election Code and imposed the penalty of disqualification.

Community leaders, including ethnic Blaans, and employees of a private firm have joined forces to provide health services to marginalized villagers in a remote community in the hinterland town of Tampakan, South Cotabato.

Ferdinand Encia, chairman of Barangay Buto in Tampakan, told reporters on Thursday, October 16, that personnel of the Sagittarius Mines Incorporated (SMI) delivered to his office on Friday, October 10, medicines for common ailments and other medical provisions to boost the current joint medical service program of the firm and their barangay government.

Encia and municipal officials separately told reporters on Thursday that barangay leaders, community health workers, the SMI and Blaan tribal leaders in Tampakan are cooperating in pushing forward their community health and medical thrusts in all of the barangays in their municipality.

The SMI was contracted by the national government to soon operate the Tampakan Copper-Gold Project, which shall cover adjoining Blaan domains in Tampakan, Columbio in Sultan Kudarat, in Malungon in Sarangani and in Kiblawan in Davao Del Sur.

Encia and his constituent barangay leaders said the SMI has not extracted copper and gold yet in their hometown, but has already spent big amounts of money for community empowerment, health and education programs in the four municipalities in the past 10 years.

‘We are thankful to the management of this mining firm for its support for the health services of our barangay government and all the other barangay governments in Tampakan,’ Encia said.

The vice mayors of Malungon and Kiblawan, Maria Theresa Constantino and Joel Calma, respectively, said some of the health workers in their municipalities, including members of the indigenous Blaan community, finished midwifery and nursing courses through the SMI’s college scholarship program.

A Mandaluyong court has ordered the Department of Foreign Affairs to cancel the passports of former Philippine Sweepstakes general manager Royina Garma and former police commissioner Edilberto Leonardo in connection with the 2020 killing of Wesley Barayuga.

In an order dated October 15, the Regional Trial Court also directed the cancellation of the passports of Santie Mendoza, Nelson Mariano and Jeremy Causapin, all facing murder and frustrated murder charges.

‘As holders of valid Philippine Passports, there exists serious risk that they will flee from the jurisdiction of the court to evade trial and punishment,’ the court’s order read.

The court granted the prosecutors’ request two take two preventive legal steps, namely a hold departure order that prohibits the accused to leaving the country without permission, and a passport cancelation.

It also noted that all accused except Mendoza and Mariano remain fugitives from justice.

Arrested suspects in NBI custody. Garma and Leonardo’s bid to halt proceedings was also rejected, as the court directed that Mendoza and Mariano to remain in the custody of the National Bureau of Investigation.

Both Mendoza and Mariano had entered not guilty pleas, and the court set a pre-trial conference on November 12.

Alleged masterminds. Garma and Leonardo were previously tagged as alleged masterminds in Barayuga’s killing during House Quad Committee hearings. Barayuga, who served as Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office board secretary, was shot dead in Mandaluyong City in 2020.

In September, former Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said Garma had been deported from the United States after her asylum application was denied and was reportedly set to testify before the International Criminal Court against detained former President Rodrigo Duterte.

Facebook and YouTube remain the most popular social media platforms in the Philippines, with Filipinos emerging as the most frequent users of these sites globally, a report released yesterday showed.

The Digital 2026 report – released by media, social and consumer intelligence company Meltwater and creative agency We Are Social – found that 83.3 percent of the Philippine population are using the internet.

While this is far from almost universal access already achieved by some countries, the report showed that adoption of internet in the Philippines is above the global average of 73.2 percent.

At least 99.5 percent of internet users in the Philippines said they used at least one social media or messenger platform in the past month.

Based on the report, an average Filipino user spends 13 hours and two minutes per week browsing social media (excluding videos), second to Kenya that reported an average of 14 hours and 18 seconds.

The average for Filipino users increased to 33 hours and 50 minutes per week if social media use included online video content such as TikTok, Reels and vlogs, among others. It also ranked second to Kenya, with 36 hours and 16 seconds.

Filipinos ranked highest globally among those who use YouTube, with 85 percent of internet users saying they accessed the platform at least once in the past month. The global average is 55.4 percent.

Facebook remains the most popular platform in the country, with 94.9 percent of Filipino online users saying they used the platform at least once in the past month. The global average for Facebook use is 56.9 percent.

Messenger also remains the most popular messaging application in the Philippines, with 90.6 percent saying they used it at least once in the past month.

Short-form video platform TikTok is also emerging as a popular platform, with 82.2 percent of Filipino online users saying they accessed it in the past month. The country ranked fourth in terms of TikTok use, after Nigeria, Thailand and Vietnam.

Less popular platform but still with sizeable usage in the Philippines included Instagram (71.2 percent), X (41.2 percent), Telegram (55.7 percent), Pinterest (40.5 percent), WhatsApp (37.6 percent), Reddit (32.4. percent), LinkedIn (25 percent) and Threads (24.3 percent).

The data were based on the broad survey of internet users aged 16 and above conducted by London-based GWI in the second quarter of 2025.

Globally, the report found over six billion individuals already using the internet, representing 73.2 percent of the total population.

The sky is the limit for Starboy.

Filipino billiard icons Django Bustamante and Carlo Biado heaped praises on 19-year-old billiards prodigy AJ Manas, who was included in the title-defending Team Asia for the Reyes Cup.

Manas, one of the fastest-rising stars in the sport, was handpicked by team captain Bustamante for Team Asia, who will take on Team Rest of the World for the Reyes Cup starting Thursday.

Bustamante said that Manas has what it takes to be world champion in the future.

‘Siya kasi yung pinakabatang player natin na gumagaling, e yung iba naman, nasa ranking naman sila, si AJ wala sa ranking, so binigyan ko siya ng wildcard, ako yung pumili sa kaniya. So, may tiwala naman ako kay AJ, kasi di ko naman kukunin ang isang player kung wala kang tiwala. So magaling na si AJ,’ Bustamante said.

‘Darating ang panahon, ito tandaan niyo, magiging world champion yung bata na yan. Kasi bata pa siya, magaling na. E lalo na pagka nabatak pa yan sa mga tournament at practice. Basta magiging world champion ang bata na yan,’ he added.

Biado seconded this.

‘Si AJ, future world champion natin yan. Napakalaking bagay niya sa Reyes Cup dahil siya yung tinututukan ng mga tao ngayon, lalo na sa mga kabataan dahil napakagaling ng bata na to,’ he said.

‘So napakalaking tulong sa kaniya itong exposure na ganito para mag-improve pa lalo yung game niya pero napakagaling ng bata na ito, hindi ako nag-aalala sa kaniya,’ he added.

Bustamante, though, underscored that he would defeat Manas if his 19-year-old self faced off against the prodigy.

‘Magaling na ko nun kasi nung araw naman kasi, puro pustahan lang e wala namang tournaments. Ngayon na lang dumarating yung mga tournaments. Compare mo ako kay AJ, talo ko siya nung araw na kasing edad ko siya,’ he said.

‘Mas malakas ang loob ko kasi nung bata ako, kahit saan ako pumunta dala ko yung tako ko at hindi ako nahihiya kahit kanino.’

WNT Nineball No. 1 Fedor Gorst and No. 17 Jayson Shaw seemingly tried to target Manas during the press conference, saying the youngster will ‘feel the heat’ in the competition.

But Manas, while admitting pressure, voiced readiness to clash with some of the best.

‘Siyempre po, nape-pressure ako kasi first time kong makasali sa ganitong event, lalo na reyes cup na dito gaganapin sa Pilipinas. Masaya ako na nakasama ako sa Team Asia, so gagawin ko yung lahat ng makakaya ko,’ he said.

‘Oo naman kasi magagaling din yung mga kalaban natin, so kailangan nating pag-igihan. Pakita natin kung gaano kalakas yung Team Asia,’ he added.

Manas also relished the opportunity to learn from the legends.

‘Napakalaking impact para sa akin kasi yung mga kasama ko, legend na e. Yung iba marami nang world title, so kailangan mabigyan nila ako ng tips or mga hindi ko alam na tira pero gagawin natin lahat.’

The Reyes Cup will run from October 16-19.

Miss Grand Philippines 2025 Emma Mary Tiglao wowed spectators, both on-site and online, with signature moves during the Miss Grand International preliminary round.

Emma’s performance was well received by the venue audience as applause and shrieks swelled above the show’s music.

Her amazing swimsuit performance on the Hua Hin, Thailand stage translated on social media as her entry on Facebook garnered well over 300,000 likes as of writing, equal to more than 1.5 million points.

Other delegates with sizable like counts were Vietnam’s Nguyen Thi Yen Nhi (398,000) and hometown bet Sarunrat Puagpipat of Thailand (158,000).

Likewise, Emma’s Mayari costume, employing Pampanga’s parol elements as designed by Patrick Isorena, became the top voted ensemble from the National Costume competition.

On Facebook, it amassed around 418,000 likes, joining Yen Nhi as the onyl ones whose reactions went over the 400,000 mark.

Emma aced her Grand Talk session with the pageant’s founder and president Nawat Itsaragrisil, where ten co-candidates chose her as the candidate to win the title should they vote for someone other than themselves.

Many were probably surprised by Emma’s choice of preliminary evening gown. Raul Ablaza Uson’s red number with studded epaulettes was not what most had in mind.

It is possible her team wanted her to look different from more than half of the delegates sporting the same silhouette.

The 13th Miss Grand International coronation rites will unfold on October 18 at the MGI Hall in Bangkok, Thailand. Reigning Miss Grand International Christine Juliane Opiaza of the Philippines will crown her successor. Stay tuned!

Our common understanding of speculation is that it is the forming of a theory or conjecture even in the absence of firm evidence. If someone thinks or guesses about something for which there is not enough information to be certain, he is speculating.

I saw a social media post of former Senator Gregorio ‘Gringo’ Honasan. In a specific portion of his post, Honasan said ‘nag lindol sa Cebu. Wala akong nabalita-an na may foreign aid na naman. xx Seguro ang nasa isip nuong nanuno-od sa atin sa ibang bansa ‘magbibigay tayo nang tulong, kukorakutin na naman,” I hope that I accurately quoted Gringo.

Let us break down Senator Honasan’s statement into recognizable parts. First, the former senator said that an earthquake hit Cebu. This was the tremor that devastated the northern part of the province on September 30. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, using the method first developed by Charles Richter, a seismologist based in California, reported that the quake’s magnitude registered 6.7. The Phivolcs also reported that it was a shallow earthquake and that was why it was more destructive due to its proximity to the surface.

In the second part of Honasan’s post, he claimed to have not noticed the presence of foreign aid to the victims. That was also the observation of my children and their friends. You see, the day after the earthquake, my children Averell, Byron, Beatriz and Charisse hastily organized a relief effort. With the help of their cousins and friends, they drove a wing van filled with water and readily edible goods to Bogo City and Medellin town. They delivered part of their relief goods to the office of Bogo City Mayor Mayel Martinez, a family friend, and City Administrator Max Suico, my former law student. Medellin Councilor Nino Lim, a blood relative, received part of the items. According to my children, they were probably among the earliest responders because there were not many noticeable relief operations although when they returned the following Sunday, the fifth day after the tremor struck, bringing forth another wing van of water and food to Tabogon and Daan Bantayan towns, hundreds of other relief teams already came.

In comparison, Bogo City and neighboring towns were also devastated by typhoon Yolanda, about 12 years ago. I do remember that my lady Carmen, I and our family went thru the same route to bring relief goods. The labor we put in gathering whatever little we could afford was more than adequately compensated by the grateful smiles of those who received our relief materials. More than that. The kind heartedness of many people from all walks of life was most evident. We were heartened to see several foreign national teams helping the typhoon victims. They travelled from distant shores. I could specifically remember Israelis helping repair damaged structures while their medical teams attended to the injured. The US navy sent their corps too as some other foreigners whose countries of origin I cannot now recall did. When my children went on their relief run, last October 2 and 5, they noticed such absence of foreign help teams.

The third portion of Honasan’s statement prods me to write the title of this article. Was the senator speculating when he said that foreign help was not forthcoming because relief givers from other countries knew that their goods instead of being given to disaster victims would just be lost thru all known tricks of corruption? No. Honasan’s statement was not speculative. In form, he might sound speculating but while he did not present material evidence to support his declaration, we heard then from unchallenged reportage following the Yolanda catastrophe that huge loads of American canned goods originally intended for typhoon victims were replaced with Philippine made sardines by heartless bureaucrats and selfish officials. And was it not that bundles of clothing entirely disappeared? The senator echoed a sad truth and not a speculation.

SM Prime Holdings Inc., the integrated property development arm of the SM Group, is opening its 89th mall in the country tomorrow.

SM City La Union, which spans more than 51,000 square meters of leasable area, is SM’s ninth mall in Northern Luzon.

SM Prime said that over 80 percent of the new mall located along Diversion Road in San Fernando City has already been taken up.

‘We designed it to serve as a landmark for both residents and tourists. As the surfing capital of the region, La Union deserves a retail center that reflects its vibrant lifestyle and rich culture,’ SM Prime president Jeffrey Lim.

SM Prime said a highlight of SM City La Union is the Sandbox, a 1,348-square meter outdoor venue designed for sports tournaments, mini-concerts, yoga, Zumba and other community activities.

SM City La Union will be anchored by major tenants such as SM Store, SM Markets, Ace Hardware, Toy Kingdom, Levi’s, Watsons, Surplus, Pet Express, Adidas, Miniso, Sports Central, SM Appliance Center, Puma, UNIQLO, National Bookstore and BDO.

For dining and leisure, SM City La Union will feature a food hall offering Ilocano, Filipino and international dishes, while SM Cinema will showcase the first Director’s Club in the province.

‘With our diverse and unique offerings, we hope to strengthen La Union’s position as both a tourism and economic hub in Northern Luzon,’ Lim said.

As the country’s largest mall developer, SM Supermalls has set an aggressive expansion and redevelopment program in its pipeline over the next five years.

Its expansion initiative will entail the opening of four to five malls every year. Also included in the plan is the delivery of one flagship mall annually over the next five years.

SM is investing over P150 billion in 16 major redevelopments and 12 new lifestyle malls to ensure that its entire portfolio evolves into greener, smarter and more people-centered destinations by 2030.