Category: Philippine Star

The Department of Transportation (DOTr) has ordered Transportation Undersecretary Ricky Alfonso to explain his alleged involvement in a road altercation and the reported misuse of a government-issued protocol plate.

Acting Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez issued a notice to explain to Alfonso on Friday, October 10, directing him to justify why he should not face disciplinary action.

Unauthorized plate use. According to the DOTr memo, Alfonso’s vehicle bore a low-number protocol plate ’10’, which is officially reserved for presiding justices and the solicitor general. The same vehicle was reportedly involved in a road rage incident on Katipunan Avenue in Quezon City, where Alfonso’s driver allegedly punched and slapped another motorist during an argument.

Alfonso has three days from the issuance of the memo to submit a written explanation.

The memo stressed that ‘the use of protocol plates and the unauthorized use of blinkers do not automatically confer any sort of VIP status to any public official.’

Road altercation. Video footage of the altercation showed traffic enforcers attempting to mediate between the two parties, who were arguing over which vehicle had cut off the other. The footage quickly circulated online, prompting public outrage and calls for accountability.

The Land Transportation Office has since taken action, suspending the driver’s license for 90 days and issuing a show-cause order. Alfonso’s driver has also been terminated following the incident, officials confirmed.

The Quezon City government deployed over the weekend a rapid disaster assessment and needs analysis team to assist in rehabilitation efforts in areas affected by the powerful twin earthquakes that hit Davao region and nearby areas.

Fifteen personnel of city government agencies were deployed to Davao Oriental, which was among those severely affected by the magnitude 7.4 temblor on Friday.

Among those deployed were engineers from the city’s Department of Engineering and Department of Building Official, as well as members of the search and rescue team of the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office.

The local government said it would also send 500 hygiene kits for affected residents in Davao Oriental.

The kits contain toothbrush, toothpaste, shampoo, baby wipes, soap, sanitary napkin, comb, shaving razor, nail cutter, diaper and plastic chamber pots.

Quezon City earlier provided assistance to families affected by the magnitude 6.9 earthquake that struck Cebu on Sept. 30.

Nearly a month into the job, the leadership of the House of Representatives under Speaker Faustino Dy III has undertaken a minor revamp with the designation of four senior lawmakers.

During last week’s plenary deliberations, the House elected Rep. Ferdinand Hernandez of South Cotabato’s second district as one of the chamber’s deputy speakers, while Rep. Jan Padiernos of Galing ng Puso party-list was elected member of the House electoral tribunal.

Reps. Noel Rivera of Tarlac’s third district was designated chairperson of the House’s special committee on reforestation, while Ziaur-Rahman Alonto Adiong of Lanao del Sur’s first district was tasked to sit as chairperson of the House committee on suffrage and electoral reforms.

In a statement, Adiong said the committee will prioritize ‘bold, people-centered reforms: modernizing voting systems to combat disenfranchisement, enhancing transparency in campaign financing and safeguarding against foreign interference in our elections,’ he said.

When the new Speaker took over the House helm vacated by his resigned predecessor, Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez, Dy – a representative from the sixth district of Isabela province – promised to undertake substantial changes in the chamber.

Dy declared the overarching goal of his leadership is to ‘restore the trust’ of 115 million Filipinos in the House of Representatives, following allegations of massive corruption in government flood control projects.

Dy assured the public that he would be a ‘listening’ Speaker.

‘We will be transparent and accountable in our work,’ he said in Filipino. ‘We will listen to you, our citizens.’

‘No rank, no ally, no office will be spared from accountability,’ the Speaker warned.

House goes on break

Today will be the last session day of the House, after a majority of the 318 lawmakers vote to approve, on third and final reading, Marcos’ proposed P6.793-trillion national budget for 2026.

The House plenary is expected to pass House Bill 4058, or the General Appropriations Bill (GAB) for fiscal year 2026, which the leadership, under Dy, said will be free from alleged insertions, unlike those in the current 2025 spending measure.

The measure was approved on second reading on Friday, after grueling debates in both the budget amendment review sub-committee and its mother committee, the powerful appropriations committee, simultaneously headed by Nueva Ecija Rep. Mikaela Angela Suansing.

Congress will be on a month-long recess until Nov. 10 when session resumes after the Undas break.

Suansing assured her colleagues that all proposed amendments to the 2026 national budget were thoroughly discussed and properly reflected in the version passed by the panel.

She said no additional amendments would be introduced following the GAB’s approval on second reading.

During last week’s plenary session, the House scrapped the P35 billion worth of funding for Strengthening Assistance for Government Infrastructure Program (Sagip) lodged under the unprogrammed appropriations (UA) in the 2026 national budget.

Suansing said Sagip’s removal will, in effect, be an augmentation for government projects, saying this would already suffice, as the P249-billion UA would only provide support for the Philippine government’s counterpart funding for foreign-assisted projects, and social services too.

‘Infrastructure projects would no longer be part of the authorized uses for UA, save for infrastructure projects under foreign-assisted projects and for strengthening assistance for social programs, which would be P45 billion in total,’ she explained.

‘Climate budget mislabeled for DPWH’

Floods, just like any other natural disaster, may indeed be categorized as a result of ‘climate change,’ which opposition lawmakers have recently discovered, since about P983 billion in the national budget for 2026 went again to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

The House minority bloc, led by Rep. Marcelino Libanan of 4Ps party-list and Rep. Antonio Tinio of ACT Teachers party-list, decried what they described as ‘mislabeling’ of projects in their scrutiny of HB 4058.

Libanan noticed the ‘mislabeling of certain climate-related expenditures’ in the GAB, which the executive department presented to the House for evaluation and scrutiny.

‘Though P983 billion is labeled as climate-related expenditures, 76.7 percent is funneled to DPWH, 13 percent to the Department of Transportation, and barely one percent to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). This is climate budgeting by mislabeling,’ Libanan observed.

The 28 members of the opposition bloc stood behind Libanan when he delivered his fiery speech, where they noticed that even ‘critical programs’ of the DENR have turned out to be ‘underfunded’ in the 2026 spending budget of the national government.

A police team arrested a patrolman from the Police Regional Office-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region and a companion after selling to them two assault rifles and three pistols in an entrapment operation in Davao City before dawn Monday, October 13.

The suspect, Patrolman Muhammad Sidomar Gando of PRO-BAR’s Regional Mobile Force Battalion 14, and his civilian accomplice, initially identified only as James, are now locked in a detention facility of the Davao City Police Office.

Gando and his male companion were immediately detained after selling to plainclothes agents of the Police Regional Office-12 two 5.56 M4 combat rifles, two .45 caliber pistol and a 9 millimeter Beretta pistol during a tradeoff along Roxas Avenue in Davao City.

Talks and text messages have since been spreading in Cotabato City and Maguindanao del Sur and Maguindanao del Norte provinces, stating that Gando, an ethnic Maguindanaon, has relatives who are gunrunners operating in Central Mindanao.

One of the pistols he had sold to the non-uniformed policemen, the 9 millimeter Beretta, was marked Philippine National Police property.

Brig. Gen. Joseph Arguelles, director of PRO-11, said they are to prosecute Gando and his cohort for the violation of Republic Act 10591, also known as the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Act which outlawed possession and sale of firearms and ammunition without permission from the government.

Brig. Jaysen De Guzman, director of PRO-BAR, said they will immediately file administrative charges against Gando to have him removed from the police service due to his criminal offense.

Farmgate prices of palay have started to rise after diving below P10 per kilo a few weeks back.

Palay traders at the Intercity Industrial Estate in Bocaue – a major rice trading town in Bulacan – said the farmgate price of palay in Central Luzon now averages P14 to P15 per kilo for newly harvested crops.

Rice traders also confirmed to The STAR that clean and dry palay is being procured at an average of P18 to P19 per kilo.

Despite the increase, farmers’ group Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura (Sinag) said the prices are still lower compared to that of the National Food Authority (NFA), which buys fresh palay at P17 per kilo and P23 for clean and dry palay.

Sinag president Rosendo So said the prices are still not profitable for rice farmers, noting that palay farmgate price should be at least P17 per kilo to allow farmers to earn.

So suggested that the government raise the tariff for rice importation to 35 percent as this might pull the farmgate price to the P17-per-kilo level.

NFA administrator Larry Lacson said the grain agency has a P6-billion procurement fund for this harvest season and targets to buy four million bags of palay.

Home Credit Philippines (HCPH), the country’s leading consumer finance company, has helped more than 12 million Filipinos access essential products and services, from smartphones and appliances to mobility and insurance.

At its recent event, Future Focus: Building Tomorrow Together, HCPH revealed that it has financed 2.5 million smartphones since the start of 2024 -an average of 5,000 devices per day already by August 2025.

The company also reported strong growth across other product categories, underscoring how far it has come in just over a decade, evolving from a small retail booth to a nationwide financial partner trusted by millions.

From 33 customers to 12 million loyal customers

Since opening its first booth in 2013 with only 33 customers, HCPH has grown into the country’s leading consumer finance provider.

Today, it reaches millions nationwide through 18,000 partner stores and a dedicated team of 10,000 sales associates.

‘Our journey has always been about empowering Filipinos to achieve more,’ said Puneet Suneja, chief sales officer of HCPH. ‘From 33 customers from our first day to 12 million we’ve served today, every milestone reflects our mission of making modern living more attainable-whether through a smartphone, a home appliance or mobility solutions.’

Premium smartphones made affordable for every Filipino

iPhones remain the top choice for many Home Credit users looking to upgrade to a premium device.

Financing for these smartphones reached P10 billion in 2024 and is expected to hit P20 billion by the end of 2025-double the previous year’s volume.

Enhancing comfort at home, on the road

HCPH also plays a role in modernizing Filipino households. Refrigerators, televisions and air conditioners remain top choices among financed items.

During Home Credit’s peak season, the company financed an average of 700 refrigerators, 1,400 televisions and 1,100 air conditioners per day, highlighting strong demand for comfort and convenience at home.

Mobility, on the other hand, has emerged as a rapidly growing category in the Philippines. According to motorcycledata.com, the country ranks as the fifth-largest motorcycle market in the world, highlighting strong local demand.

Recognizing this trend, HCPH makes motorcycles and e-bikes more accessible through flexible financing options, enabling more Filipinos to enjoy convenient and affordable mobility.

Since the start of 2024, HCPH has financed close to 70,000 units of motorcycles and e-bikes, amounting to P4.5 billion, providing customers with not just transportation but also greater independence in managing work, family and leisure.

All-around consumer protection, with every purchase

Beyond financing, HCPH also offers Home Credit Protect, a comprehensive program designed to give customers peace of mind without added financial strain.

Users can choose between Borrower Protection, which covers accidents, life, illness, hospital cash, installment waiver, unlimited online consultations and protection for borrowers and their families or Device Protection, which safeguards against accidental liquid damage, offers extended warranty, fast door-to-door repair or replacement, and like-for-like device replacement.

‘For as low as P3 a day, the same price as a pandesal, customers can protect their purchases, extend product life and secure coverage for themselves and their families. With Home Credit Protect, they don’t just safeguard their devices; they gain confidence knowing they and their loved ones are covered,’ Suneja explained.

As of August 2025, Home Credit has already approved and released over P1.75 billion in claims, with nearly 70,000 devices repaired or replaced under Home Credit Protect, showing strong customer trust.

Driving economic growth

These achievements underscore the vital role consumer finance plays in the country’s economic and digital growth.

Smartphone adoption, appliance upgrades, and mobility access fuel productivity, improve quality of life and strengthen the Philippines’ position as one of Southeast Asia’s most dynamic consumer markets.

‘With our scale and expertise, Home Credit is not only serving individual customers but also contributing to economic activity,’ said Sheila Paul, chief marketing officer of HCPH. ‘We are on track to exceed last year’s performance and will continue supporting a new generation of Filipinos seeking access to technology, comfort, and convenience in everyday life.’

Home Credit Philippines is a financing company duly licensed and supervised by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP).

In support of the country’s shift toward modernizing the transport sector, CarBEV (Battery Electric Vehicle), a pioneer in electric vehicle (EV) fleet solutions, has partnered with AngCars, the four-wheel ride-hailing arm of Angkas, to introduce the Philippines’ first large-scale all-electric fleet for app-based mobility.

The alliance represents a key milestone in advancing sustainable transport solutions in the Philippines, with equal focus on environmental impact and driver empowerment.

Following the signing held last October 6, CarBEV and AngCars are set to officially launch their partnership on October 28 with the deployment of 50 brand-new Next Automatic Taxi of Bestune as the pilot fleet, setting a new benchmark for smart, efficient and zero-emission urban mobility.

‘This partnership with AngCars is more than a business move; it’s a step toward reshaping how Filipinos move,’ said Christian Bradley, CEO of CarBEV.

‘Our vision is to make electric mobility accessible to everyone, helping operators lower costs, enhancing the passenger experience, and contributing to the country’s sustainability goals.’

Empowering the people behind the wheel

For CarBEV, electrifying transport is just the beginning; the real mission is empowering the people behind the wheel. Through CarBEV’s Lease-to-Own program, drivers can get behind the wheel of brand-new electric vehicles with zero down payment, up to 70% lower monthly costs compared to traditional gasoline units, and full coverage on maintenance, insurance and roadside assistance.

The program allows drivers to focus on stable income opportunities while enjoying the long-term benefits of EV ownership. It also ensures they receive government-mandated benefits such as SSS, PhilHealth and Pag-IBIG contributions, giving drivers the stability of a secure and sustainable livelihood.

‘Driver empowerment is part of our DNA at Angkas,’ said Nur Laminero, head of AngCars.

‘Working with CarBEV lets us take that commitment further, helping our four-wheel drivers embrace sustainable mobility while improving their livelihood.

The collaboration reinforces the goals of the Electric Vehicle Industry Development Act (EVIDA), which advocates greener, more cost-efficient transport across the Philippines. By transitioning TNVS fleets from gasoline to electric, CarBEV and AngCars are leading the charge toward a transport system that benefits both the environment and urban commuters alike.

Toward a smarter, sustainable Philippines

The CarBEV x AngCars partnership represents just the beginning of a broader movement toward sustainable mobility in the Philippines. By 2026, CarBEV aims to expand its fleet to 1,000 electric vehicles, working closely with ride-hailing, logistics, and corporate partners to accelerate the country’s transition to cleaner transport systems.

‘We want every ride to make a difference, for the environment, for drivers and for passengers,’ said Bradley.

‘Our guiding principle is MiniMax (Minimum Expense, Maximum Comfort) because sustainability should never come at the cost of comfort or affordability. With partners like AngCars, we’re building a transport future where cleaner mobility also means better livelihoods and stronger communities.’

The Philippine Stock Exchange Inc. (PSE) has refuted claims circulating online about the market capitalization of listed companies, which the company believes are aimed at provoking investors to lose confidence in the country’s capital market.

‘The PSE would like to set the record straight once and for all on the true and correct market capitalization (MCAP) data of the listed companies in the PSE,’ the exchange said in a statement yesterday.

The PSE’s statement was made in response to a post last Oct. 10, 2025 on social media ‘by a pseudo-expert on the stock market,’ which it said ‘advanced the preposterous claim that the PSE has lost up to P5 trillion in market capitalization since December 2024.’

The PSE said that it tracks two types of MCAP – domestic and total.

Domestic MCAP includes the MCAP of the Philippine companies whose primary listing is at the PSE, while total MCAP includes domestic MCAP plus the MCAP of certain foreign companies dually listed in the PSE.

The PSE said that dually listed firms include Manulife Financial Corp. (traded on the Toronto, Hong Kong, New York and Philippine stock exchanges), Sun Life Financial Inc. (traded on the Toronto, New York and Philippine stock exchanges) and Del Monte Pacific Ltd. (traded on Singapore and Philippine stock exchanges).

Since only less than one percent of the outstanding shares of Manulife and Sun Life and less than five percent of Del Monte are lodged for trading in PSE, the exchange said that it uses domestic MCAP data as the MCAP reference number ‘since it more accurately captures the performance of the Philippine stock market.’

The PSE said domestic MCAP is down by P273.26 billion or 1.88 percent year-to-date.

Given the suspension of Senate and House hearings on the flood control mess to give way to the probe of the Independent Commission for Infrastructure, an opposition lawmaker renewed calls for the ICI to livestream its probe.

‘This is not what we expected from the ICI. When we say independent commission, it doesn’t necessarily mean it will have to do it by its lonesome, or they should do it solo,’ House Deputy Minority Leader and ML party-list Rep. Leila de Lima said over the weekend.

‘With the House infra comm joint inquiry already suspended, and no hearing yet scheduled by the Senate Blue Ribbon committee, Filipinos are eager to know the current status and the pacing of the investigation,’ she added.

The former senator and justice secretary also took a swipe at President Marcos amid the flood control controversy.

‘This hardheadedness of the ICI, is this also what the President really wants?’ she asked. ‘If he is one with the clamor for transparency, we call on the President to urge the ICI – created through his Executive Order 94 – to livestream its hearings.

‘A fact-finding body like the ICI, dealing with matters of such importance must be transparent and open. People need to know what’s happening to allay fears and dispel any suspicion of a potential cover-up or whitewash,’ De Lima warned.

Las Piñas Rep. Mark Anthony Santos echoed De Lima’s sentiments, emphasizing that publicizing the hearings ‘will promote transparency, accountability, and fairness.’

‘This is why the ICI should consider livestreaming its hearings – so that the people themselves can see what’s really happening. If only the proceedings were livestreamed, then no such thing could have happened,’ Santos said, pertaining to an alleged outburst of a former cabinet member during an ICI hearing last week.

‘Why the secrecy? It should be made public. The people have the right to know. It’s taxpayers’ money,’ he stressed.

Terrafirma joined the ‘upset party’ in PBA Season 50 Philippine Cup games at the Ynares Center-Antipolo and in doing so, ended an 11-game skid dating back to the previous conference.

Taking the cue from the reversal-filled doubleheader in this very arena four days before, the Dyip derailed a Robert Bolick-less NLEX, 97-91, to improve to 1-1 last night.

Terrafirma put new coach Ronald Tubid in the win column after Friday’s 87-107 loss to Blackwater and posted its first W since a 97-85 disposal of Phoenix at the start of the Season 49 All-Filipino last April 4.

The Dyip gave the Road Warriors (1-1) a dose of their own medicine after their takedown of defending champion San Miguel Beer, 85-84, last Oct. 8, which actually capped a day of stunners at Ynares Antipolo touched off by new franchise Titan Ultra’s shocking dispatching of Meralco, 100-96.

‘Lagi naming sinasabi sa mga bata, although we’re undersized, as long as we compete, may chance tayong manalo,’ said Tubid in his first appearance at the post-game presscon for the winning coach and best player.

Rookie JM Bravo led the Dyip’s all-out effort with 18 points on a 6-of-15 shooting to go with eight rebounds. Jerrick Ahanmisi (14), Paolo Hernandez (13-7), Didat Hanapi (13), Louie Sangalang (11-7) and Mark Nonoy (13 boards) were also solid in the pullaround.

‘Medyo over-eager mga bata nung first game namin,’ noted Tubid. ‘Good thing, nag-respond sila agad at naka-bounce back kami at hindi mabaon sa second game na ito.’