Category: Philippine Star

Mindanao-based real estate and agro-industrial developer Damosa Land has become the first securities issuer to successfully register under the streamlined guidelines for selling or offering investment contracts through rental pool agreements.

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced that it has approved Damosa Land’s rental pool program, making it the first securities issuer to successfully register under the streamlined guidelines for Securing and Expanding Capital in Real Estate Non-Traditional Securities (SEC RENT).

Rental pool agreements are defined by the SEC as investment contracts, where a property developer sells or offers units in real estate projects, such as condominiums, hotels, or resorts, to the public.

Under these arrangements, buyers contribute their units to a rental pool, which is managed and operated by the company or a third-party operator.

The buyers, in turn, are entitled to receive a share in profits earned by renting out the units to third parties.

The SEC RENT was implemented through SEC Memorandum Circular 12, Series of 2024. It streamlines the registration process for securities of real estate firms involved in selling or offering investment contracts through rental pool agreements.

The SEC en banc, in a meeting on Sept. 26, resolved to render effective Damosa Land’s registration statement covering 100 certificates of participation in the condotel project of TRYP by Wyndham Samal, subject to its compliance with remaining requirements.

The certificates, which are valid for 20 years starting from the date of the operation, cover 94 standard class condotel units with an offer price of P50,000 each, four deluxe class units worth P75,000 each and two suite class units with an offer price of P100,000 each.

All units in TRYP by Wyndham Samal will be enrolled under a mandatory condotel rental pool program.

The SEC said that each unit will automatically be included in the rental pool upon purchase, allowing it to be marketed, rented and managed as hotel accommodation for hotel guests without transferring ownership.

The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) is accelerating the review process for proposed power projects and contracts to support the government’s total household electrification program.

The ERC has issued a resolution authorizing the use of summary proceedings for applications critical to ensuring energy reliability and affordability across the country.

This includes applications for constructing dedicated point-to-point limited transmission facilities, capital expenditure projects, confirmation of over- and under-recoveries, and approval of power supply contracts.

The commission, however, clarified that summary proceedings would only apply to uncontested applications or those without intervenors.

For cases with intervenors, summary proceedings may be used only if all parties agree to this process.

ERC chairman and CEO Francis Saturnino Juan said the move affirmed the agency’s dedication to delivering faster and more efficient regulation.

‘We will do everything we can to accelerate the resolution of applications filed before the ERC. Streamlining our processes is key to fulfilling our commitment to a more responsive and revitalized ERC,’ Juan said.

According to the ERC, adopting summary proceedings in several cases aligns with the Marcos administration’s target of lighting up every household nationwide.

Based on the latest Department of Energy data, around 5.25 percent of households across the country still has no access to electricity, most of which were in Mindanao.

The electrification rate in Mindanao lagged at 83.45 percent, well below the 98.84 percent for Luzon and 95.23 percent for Visayas.

In his State of the Nation Address in July, President Marcos said about 200 power plants were expected to be completed within the next three years to energize four million households and over 2,000 factories.

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is urging agribusinesses to tap the capital market for their funding needs, as the process for securities registration for the industry has been streamlined by the commission.

Corporations engaged in agribusiness are encouraged by the SEC to avail themselves of the Securing and Expanding Capital for Farms and Agribusiness Related Modernization Schemes (SEC FARMS) program which eases securities registration for the industry.

Under SEC FARMS, the SEC is required to review the registration statements of agribusiness firms within 28 days from the filing date, subject to the commission’s guidelines.

Through the scheme, agribusinesses may raise up to P500 million in funds per project.

‘We know that agriculture is the backbone of our economy – it feeds our people and sustains millions of families. Yet farmers and agribusinesses have often been left with little water to grow – the water here being capital or financing,’ SEC chairperson Francis Lim said.

‘SEC FARMS is our way of irrigating that field, making sure resources reach those who need them most so you can modernize, expand and thrive,’ he said.

SEC FARMs was enacted through SEC Memorandum Circular 8, Series of 2023, easing the registration process for the securities of agri-businesses in a bid to boost investor participation and drive growth in the industry.

‘Think of SEC FARMS as a new set of farming

tools – lighter, sharper and more efficient. With the right tools, your hard work will yield bigger harvests, not just for your families but for the whole nation,’ Lim said.

‘We are only at the start of this journey, but with your participation, I believe SEC FARMS can make Philippine agriculture more productive, competitive and sustainable,’ he said.

The Ayala Group and Honda are ending their dealership alliance after three and a half decades.

Ayala’s mobility solutions group ACMobility and Honda Cars Philippines Inc. (HCPI) announced yesterday the transition of their dealer operations effective Jan. 1, 2026.

Ayala said that all dealerships currently operated by ACMobility, through Iconic Dealership Inc., would be turned over toward the end of the year to new dealer principals which will continue to support Honda’s growth and expansion.

Dealerships currently under the operation of ACMobility are Honda Cars Makati, Honda Cars Pasig, Honda Cars Shaw, Honda Cars Bacoor, Honda Cars Cebu, Honda Cars Mandaue, Honda Cars Iloilo, Honda Cars Negros and Honda Cars Cagayan de Oro.

ACMobility will continue to operate all the dealerships until Dec. 31, 2025.

Ayala and Honda’s partnership dates back to 1990 with the opening of Honda Cars Makati.

The network grew steadily nationwide over the years, with ACMobility becoming the largest Honda dealer group in the Philippines.

ACMobility-operated Honda dealerships have sold over 220,000 vehicles as of August 2025.

‘We are grateful, and indeed proud, to have been part of Honda’s journey in the Philippines for the past three and a half decades,’ ACMobility chief executive officer Jaime Alfonso Zobel de Ayala said.

‘This transition reflects our ongoing effort to optimize our portfolio and focus on new growth areas. Among these are our initiatives in advancing sustainable mobility and electrification, where we continue to build solutions that benefit communities, businesses and the environment,’ he said.

In line with its ambition to lead the transition toward sustainable and electrified mobility in the Philippines, ACMobility is refocusing its investments in new and high-growth businesses in automotive distribution and charging infrastructure.

ACMobility has also recently exited from the Volkswagen and Maxus distribution businesses as the company moves toward streamlining its portfolio.

Ayala assured Honda customers they would experience a seamless transition, with the new dealer principals equally committed to delivering outstanding customer experience.

The company said that full sales and after-sales services would remain available at all locations under new dealers with Honda’s dedicated teams ready to assist with sales, maintenance, repairs, warranty support and vehicle care.

To ensure a smooth transition, it said the dealerships would directly contact customers with active reservations to guarantee car delivery without disruption.

All scheduled service appointments and repairs will likewise proceed as planned, with updates to be announced by ACMobility and HCPI through official channels.

Upon turnover of the dealership operations, ACMobility’s portfolio will be composed of the BYD and Kia distribution businesses; dealership operations of Isuzu, BYD, and Kia; electric vehicle charging infrastructure business; and the Bosch Car Service business.

The Philippines had a total of 30 national winners for the 2025 Asian Academy Creative Awards, with recipients including Dingdong Dantes, Dennis Trillo and action series “Incognito.”

Half of the national winners were projects by GMA Network including “Pepito Manaloto – The Story Continues” (Best Comedy Program), “Stars on the Floor” (Best Music/Dance Program), “The Voice Kids” (Best Adaptation of an Existing Format, Non-Scripted) and “Beauty Empire” director of photography Jay Abello (Best Cinematography, Fiction).

GMA also dominated the documentary division as “Lost Sabungeros” won the One-Off category, “I Juander: History for Sale” won the History category and “Reporter’s Notebook: Asia’s Scam Cities” won the Series category.

Dennis won Best Lead Actor for his role in “Green Bones” while the movie’s writers Anj Atienza and National Artist Ricky Lee won Best Screenplay.

Dingdong won Best Entertainment Host as the face of “Family Feud Philippines” while Anjo Baraquel and Julie Anne San Jose’s track “Gemini” for “Slay” won Best Theme Song/Title Theme.

Other GMA winners were the “Inside the Crocodile Cage” episode of “Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho” for Best Infotainment Program, the “YOLO sa Antique” episode of “Biyahe ni Drew” for Best Lifestyle Program, “Eleksyonaryo: The Dapat Totoo Digital Exclusives” for Best Short Form (Scripted) and “DigiDokyu: The Rice God of the Cordillera” for Best Short Form (Non-Scripted).

ABS-CBN meanwhile won four awards: “Incognito” for Best Drama Series, “Saving Grace” for Best Adaptation of an Existing Format (Scripted), “How to Spot a Red Flag” for Best Original Production by a Streamer (Fiction) shared with Viu and the “The Silent House (Maguad Family Story)” episode of “Maalaala Mo Kaya” for Best Single Drama/Telemovie/Anthology Episode.

Other high-profile national winners were “Untold” star Jodi Sta. Maria for Best Lead Actress, “The Kingdom” star Piolo Pascual for Best Supporting Actor, “The Caretakers” star Dimples Romana for Best Supporting Actress, “Isang Himala” for Best Feature Film and its filmmaker Pepe Diokno for Best Director (Fiction).

Completing the Philippine winners were the third season of “Sing Galing” for Best Non-Scripted Entertainment, Gretchen Ho of “Morning Matters” for Best Factual Presenter, “Money Talks with Cathy Yang” for Best News Program, “Merry ang Vibes ng Pasko” for Best General Entertainment Program, “Ready, Set, Read!” for Best Children’s Program, and “JSM Travel and Tours” for Best Promo/Trailer.

Dennis is in good company as fellow category winners include Korean star Park Bo-gum for “When Life Gives You Tangerines,” Taiwanese F4 star Vic Chou for “The World Between Us: After the Flames and Australia’s Jacob Elordi for “The Narrow Road to the Deep North” while Piolo was accompanied by Australia-based actor Hugo Weaving for “How To Make Gravy.”

Jodi’s fellow winners are Oscar-winning “Disclaimer” star Cate Blanchett and “Pachinko” star Kim Min-ha, both of whom also won at the recent Seoul International Drama Awards. Min-ha’s co-star and another Oscar winner Youn Yuh-jung won in Dimples’ category.

Other notable Korean winners are “When Life Gives You Tangerines” as Best Drama Series, “Culinary Class Wars” for Best Non-Scripted Entertainment and the 2024 MAMA Awards for Best General Entertainment Program.

All national winners will be invited to a conference, red carpet, and Grand Awards Gala taking place in Singapore this December 3 and 4.

Amid the driving rain and fierce winds of Typhoon Paolo, Team North stood tall – unyielding and unrelenting – as it powered its way to a wire-to-wire triumph to claim the crown in the ICTSI North vs South Elite Junior PGT Championship here on Friday.

After dominating the Four-ball format with an emphatic 8-4 win and grinding out a hard-fought 6 1/2- 5 1/2 victory in Foursomes, North proved it could also excel when the pressure was squarely on individual shoulders. In the decisive Singles matches, they delivered yet again – claiming 11 of the 24 showdowns while halving two others – to power past the 24.5-point title threshold and seal a convincing 26 1/2-21 1/2 triumph at The Country Club.

North needed just 10 wins in the head-to-head battles to wrap up the title in this inaugural Ryder Cup-style finale, but added an extra for good measure – cementing its dominance and validating the months-long journey that began in the Luzon series, with standout talents emerging from seven grueling legs played across the region’s top championship courses.

South mounted a spirited comeback late, overcoming early setbacks to notch 11 victories and narrow the overall gap to 21-23 with several matches still to be played.

With the championship hanging in the balance, North’s Vito Sarines delivered a moment for the ages.

Locked in a tense, all-square battle with South’s Ralph Batican, Sarines pulled off a stunning 20-yard chip-in on the treacherous 18th hole – an audacious shot that cut through the rain and pressure like a knife. The ball rolled then dropped into the cup with clinical precision for birdie, triggering a thunderous eruption from the North camp and sealing a dramatic 2-up victory in the boys’ 11-14 division.

That electrifying finish handed North a crucial point, bringing their tally to 24 in what had been a nail-biting showdown.

But while the cheers echoed around the 18th green and outside of the TCC Pavilion, the true clincher unfolded quietly at the distant 15th.

There, Jakob Taruc calmly dismantled Eric Jeon with a dominant 4 and 3 victory in the boys’ 15-18 division. His steely composure and relentless play sealed the title for North – delivering the full point that pushed them past the finish line with a 25-point total.

Then came Rafa Anciano, who added flourish to North’s crowning moment. Down early against Precious Zaragosa, Anciano staged a gritty comeback and closed it out with a 3 and 2 win – lifting North’s total to 26. Zach Villaroman capped the effort with an all-square result against Alexis Nailga, nudging the final score to 26 1/2-21 1/2.

What began as a tightly fought, rain-soaked duel between two proud regions ended in celebration for the North. And at its heart was a daring chip, a quiet clincher, and a team that rose when it mattered most.

‘The lead in Day 1 was very, very important,’ said Team North captain’s representative Joey Anciano. ‘It’s like a step inside the door already. Day 2 was to maintain or increase the lead and we also won, leaving us with 10 matches and a draw to win the cup.’

And momentum they had in spades.

After two days of intense action – marked by drama, momentum swings and relentless pressure – Team North came into the final day poised, calm and battle-ready.

Even the threat of Typhoon Paolo couldn’t shake its players’ resolve.

As gray skies darkened and strong winds gusted over the drenched course, the players teed off in drizzle. But Team North was all business. They seized early control in nine of the first 15 pairings, while four matches remained all-square in the hotly contested 7-10 and 11-14 age groups.

The South squad, composed of the Visayas-Mindanao region’s finest junior talents, made a spirited stand. In the boys’ 11-14 division, four of their players surged ahead early. But Team North was quick to respond. Zianbeau Edoc and Sarines clawed back to force all-square results against Jared Saban and Batican, respectively- dampening South’s momentum just as it began to rise.

North’s dominance held strong in the boys’ and girls’ 7-10 and girls’ 11-14 categories, where they displayed unflinching composure amid challenging conditions. That resilience, forged over months of elite competition, shone through when it mattered most.

North even conceded an early match when 15-18 standout Patrick Tambalque was forced to withdraw while leading Armand Copok by two after five holes, citing a severe back injury.

But this hardly mattered for a team that continued to shine across multiple age-group divisions, undeterred by the windy, stormy conditions.

Anciano raised the determination and effort shown by his players throughout the tournament.

‘It was teamwork and team dynamics. And credit goes to the players definitely because they fought their hearts out,’ said Anciano.

‘Every match the players did their best and that’s what’s important. That’s why we have this kind of tournament. Golf is an individual sport, but we are blessed to have this event which is also all about teamwork,’ he added.

He also emphasized the individual talent of the team and how their game plan paid off.

‘All our players are gifted – they’re talented, strong hitters, and strong in their individual games,’ Anciano said.

‘Actually, it can go both ways, but again we had a strategy through all three days and it worked. So we’re happy to win this one,’ he added.

Halo Pangilinan delivered the opening blow for North with a dominant 6 and 5 rout of James Rolida in the boys’ 7-10 division, setting the tone early in the singles matches. Mavis Espedido quickly followed suit with a 5 and 3 triumph over Soleil Molde, answering South’s first win of the day – Kvan Alburo’s 6 and 5 demolition of Asher Abad.

Ronee Dungca continued North’s charge in the youngest division, dismantling Claren Quiño with a commanding 7 and 6 victory. Zach Guico then overpowered Ethan Lago, 6 and 4, while Jacob Casuga cruised to a 6 and 5 win over Ken Guillermo in the boys’ 11-14 bracket. In the girls’ 7-10, Winter Serapio rolled past Francesca Geroy, 4 and 3, and twin sisters Lisa and Mona Sarines delivered back-to-back wins in the girls’ 11-14 – an 8 and 6 rout of Brittany Tamayo and a 3 and 2 decision over Kimberly Baroquillo, respectively.

Despite the rains and North’s early surge, South staged a spirited comeback.

Lucas Revilleza edged Zoji Edoc, 2 and 1, in boys’ 7-10, while Denise Mendoza blasted past Tyra Garingalao, 5 and 3, in girls’ 7-10. In girls’ 11-14, Zuri Bagaloyos downed Alexie Gabi, 3 and 2, and Rafella Batican eked out a 1-up victory over Kendra Garingalao. In the girls’ 15-18 division, Crista Miñoza and Tashanah Balangauan scored emphatic wins – 7 and 5 over Levonne Talion and 5 and 4 against Chloe Rada, respectively.

South’s late rally leveled the singles matches at 8 wins apiece, and it even surged ahead as Marcus Dueñas and Saban outlasted Ryuji Suzuki and Edoc via the same 3 and 1 results in boys’ 11-14, and Mhark Fernando essayed a 4 and 3 victory over Kristoffer Nadales in boys’ 15-18.

But it wasn’t enough to erase North’s five-point cushion from the first two days of team play. In the end, the Luzon aces proved just as tough and dominant in individual matches as they had been in team competition, securing a well-deserved overall victory in the rain-soaked championship.

North’s Tiffany Bernardino earlier blew a four-hole lead late, enabling Mikela Guillermo to salvage an all-square match, stalling the team’s impending march to the championship.

By day’s end, the storm in the skies mirrored the storm unleashed by Team North on the course – calculated, fierce and unstoppable.

The victory capped a season-long, cross-regional showcase of emerging Filipino golf talent – a tournament built not only on skill, but on heart, grit and camaraderie.

And as the North players hoisted the championship trophy, they didn’t just celebrate a tournament win. They celebrated the spirit of a team that weathered every challenge – from championship pressure to the edge of a typhoon – and emerged as the brightest stars of Philippine junior golf.

Emerging as standout performers for Team North were Espedido, Dungca, Casuga, Serapio, and the Sarines twins, who swept all their matches in Fourballs, Foursomes and Singles. On the other hand, Balangauan and Miñoza were the only unbeaten players from Team South, with Balangauan winning all her matches, including the only three tournaments she had participated in during the Vis-Min series.

Numerous flash deals and travel freebies will be up for grabs at this year’s Klook Travel Fest taking place this month.

The three-day event by the travel services and experiences platform will be from October 10 to 12 in Pasay’s Mall of Asia Main Atrium.

Klook Philippines’ associate director for marketing Ulla Roqueza shared during a media conference for the event that many of the promos in store are patterned after the results of Klook’s Travel Pulse surveys from earlier this year.

Last year’s Travel Fest was centered on hotel bookings as the company saw a demand for such deals, but this year, the theme is going back to destinations.

Though survey results show that do-it-yourself tours and theme parks remain popular, there is a growing interest for emerging destinations. This trend influenced the multitude of deals for destinations, such as Vietnam and Taiwan, as there are for the traditional favorites Hong Kong and Singapore.

Vietnam deals include Buy 1 Get 1 Attraction Tickets to Sun World Vietnam, a theme park with a cable car ride and water park, among others.

The launch of the Disney Adventure Cruise Line and the many nature locations in the Mandai Wildlife Reserve highlight promos for Singapore, while old deals for Hong Kong Disney Land and Ocean Park Hong Kong are again available.

The platform is also keeping an eye on long-haul destinations, prompting deals and promos for Australia and Europe, on top of other event-exclusive promos.

During the media conference, Roqueza also shared that the travel platform has around a half a million experiences available for users and listed some 2025 highlights like campaigns for Taiwan, Vietnam, Thailand, and even a collaboration with Marie Kondo.

Other highlights are a partnership with the Department of Tourism for the digitization of tourism efforts, a push for hotel bookings, and the Klook Kreator Program.

The collapse of several government-owned buildings and public structures in the Cebu earthquake will most likely add more fire to the ongoing investigations into various graft-tainted infrastructure projects of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH). Parallel investigations are taking place at the Senate Blue Ribbon committee and the newly created Independent Commission on Infrastructure (ICI). Being grilled in these investigations were unscrupulous private contractors in cahoots with errant DPWH district engineers allegedly involved in the ghost flood control projects funded under the annual government budget.

The initial investigations have so far unmasked ‘proponents’ of the questioned 2025 budget ‘insertions,’ including senators and House members of the 19th and 20th Congresses who were namedropped by these contractors and DPWH district engineers in their sworn testimonies at these public hearings.

One of those named was former Senate president Francis ‘Chiz’ Escudero, who was first implicated at the House infra committee hearing. Before he was ousted as Senate chief, Escudero was directly linked to one of the 15 contractors identified by President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. (PBBM) as having cornered P545 billion worth of flood control projects of the DPWH for the past three years.

Lawrence Lubiano, owner of Centerways Construction and Development Corp., admitted at the House public hearing that he contributed to the election campaign of his ‘good friend’ Escudero during the May 2022 national and local elections.

At the Kapihan sa Manila Bay news forum last Wednesday, Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman George Erwin Garcia announced the seven-man poll body has ‘invited’ Escudero to face investigation into allegations he might have violated the country’s election law on the limits of campaign contributions.

Under the Omnibus Election Code, candidates must submit their individual statement of contributions and expenses (SOCE) whether they won or lost in the elections. Garcia strongly took exception to the accusation that the Comelec ‘singled out’ Escudero in their probe of candidates who accepted donations from contractors with business interests or projects with the government.

Garcia explained Escudero was summoned first because the contractor already admitted giving P30 million to the senator’s campaign fund. Subsequently, Escudero himself confirmed this in media interviews. Thus, the Comelec looked into Escudero’s SOCE submission, Garcia cited.

According to Garcia, Lubiano already appeared before them at the Comelec. Lubiano explained his ‘campaign donation’ to Escudero was done in his ‘private capacity’ and that the money came from his personal account and not from his company’s finances, the Comelec chief added. Garcia disclosed they asked Escudero to appear next week at the Comelec.

‘Ngayong linggo na ito, yung kandidato na nabigyan ng contractor ay may sulat na po siya para mag appear sa susunod na linggo. Senador po yun. Umamin naman po siya,’ Garcia cited.

‘Hihintayin na lang po natin ang sasabihin ng kandidato dahil sa batas parehong liable ang nagbigay at tumanggap,’ he pointed out. If proven liable, Garcia added, the donor and the candidate will both face imprisonment of one year to six years and perpetual disqualification from holding public office.

At the outset, Garcia announced that he has already ‘inhibited’ himself from any activities related to the Comelec investigation into Escudero’s case. Formerly one of the most sought-after election lawyers, Garcia represented Escudero’s runningmate, ex-senator Grace Poe, who ran but lost in the May 2016 presidential elections.

Also during our news forum, Garcia confirmed 54 other presidential, vice presidential, senatorial, governor and mayoral candidates who ran in the May 12, 2022 elections are also facing Comelec investigation for the same accusation. Included in the Comelec list were those named in the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) report. Based on the PCIJ report, both PBBM and Vice President Sara Duterte allegedly received donations from some of the 15 contractors being grilled at the Senate and the ICI.

While the PCIJ reported having based their list on Comelec records, Garcia noted stark differences in the names of particular contributor-companies from the SOCE list of the Comelec’s political and finance affairs department. Garcia instructed the poll body’s 38-man political and finance affairs department to set aside for the meantime the SOCE evaluation of the May 2025 mid-term elections. The Comelec chief directed their SOCE investigators to focus instead on the 2022 national and local elections.

‘Anyway, there is enough time for our SOCE investigations before the next national and local elections in May 2028,’ Garcia pointed out. Under our country’s election laws, Garcia pointed to the five-year prescriptive period within which the Comelec can run after violations. If not filed within this time frame, an election offense can no longer be prosecuted, he stressed.

This is the reason why, Garcia added, he has been asking the Department of Budget and Management to allow the Comelec to beef up its political and finance affairs department, given the three-year cycle of elections in our country.

So for now, it will do well for PBBM, Vice President and other May 2025 candidates named in the PCIJ report to go over their respective records of campaign donations.

They better come out clean as a whistle on their SOCEs. That’s all that Comelec could ask from the candidates.

Meanwhile, the paths of PBBM and Vice President Sara did not cross yesterday when they separately visited the sites hardest hit by the magnitude 6.9 earthquake. The powerful tremor rocked Cebu and several other Central Visayas provinces. It struck around 9:59 Tuesday evening or after office hours, when most people were already in their homes. As of yesterday, government authorities reported at least 72 individuals were declared quake casualties.

The previous day, PBBM flew to Masbate, devastated in the latest Typhoon Opong that visited us this year. As of latest count, 40 people perished directly related to the ‘tri-phoon’ Mirasol-Nando-Opong. One of the country’s most active volcanos, Taal in Batangas, threatens to erupt anew while building up steam.

Sadly, the string of natural calamities demands a ‘disaster-in-chief’ in full command over the chaotic situation usually arising in such life-or-death emergencies.

The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) is putting in place extra screws to tighten the cybersecurity requirements of the Konektadong Pinoy Act ahead of the entry of new players.

The draft implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of the Konektadong Pinoy Act showed that new data transmission industry participants (DTIPs) would have to undergo more scrutiny upon entry.

For one, the DICT will come up with guidelines detailing the risk profile per DTIP segment, with considerations for factors like market share, network coverage, among others.

Once a DTIP enters the market, it will be asked to comply with the cybersecurity requirements of the DICT to prevent unauthorized access and protect national security. They have to conform to principles of National Cybersecurity Plan 2023-2028 and its future iterations.

In particular, the DICT will mandate DTIPs to set up a computer emergency response team. They will also be tasked to adopt a secure software development life cycle and zero-trust framework.

DTIPs also have to subscribe to global standards, particularly the International Organization for Standardization, National Institute of Standards and Technology and Center for Internet Security.

On top of this, DTIPs will be mandated to develop and roll out a risk management plan covering business continuity, data classification and supply security.

Likewise, they will be required to submit to the DICT a vulnerability assessment and penetration testing and a material report for every cybersecurity incident encountered.

Afterward, DTIPs have to secure a cybersecurity certification from a third-party organization in two years from registration. They also have to obtain a certificate of compliance from the DICT to proceed with their operations in the Philippines.

Failure to comply with these certifications will lead to the suspension of their operations. If they fail to be certified in six months, the DICT will revoke all of their licenses, and they will forever be prohibited from setting up data transmission in the country.

Prior to its enactment into law, the Konektadong Pinoy Act was flagged by telco providers for its alleged neglect of cybersecurity protocols by giving new DTIPs two years to get certified.

Information Secretary Henry Aguda, in response, said the IRR would reinforce the cybersecurity aspect of the law that seeks to entice more telcos to offer connectivity to Filipinos.

Petron Corp. has secured accreditation from the Department of Energy as an official liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) training center, becoming the first oil company to earn this distinction.

The DOE’s Oil Industry Management Bureau (OIMB) awarded the certification last week to Petron through its vice president for industrial sales Virgilio Centeno.

‘We are honored to be recognized as a center of safety and excellence in the LPG sector, an industry we are proud to lead through our trusted flagship brands, Petron Gasul and Fiesta Gas,’ Centeno said.

The accreditation, he added, underscored the company’s commitment to championing the ‘highest standards of safety and quality in every aspect of our LPG business.’

According to Petron, the certification is expected to boost its ability to train and certify qualified service persons from its refinery, terminals, haulers, dealers and retail outlets.

The company currently operates the Bataan refinery, the country’s remaining oil refinery that is capable of producing around 180,000 barrels of oil per day.

‘As more LPG personnel undergo proper training from qualified institutions, consumers can be more confident in the quality and reliability of the LPG products they receive,’ DOE-OIMB director Rino Abad said.

Petron has started scheduling its training sessions, kicking off with dealers and retailers in Ormoc, Leyte. All LPG personnel trained by Petron will receive a DOE certificate, which is essential for meeting licensing requirements.

The LPG Industry Regulation Act, mandates businesses engaged in the production, distribution or sale of LPG to secure the necessary licenses, permits and certifications from the DOE and other relevant agencies.

The DOE has called on all LPG players to strictly follow regulations to ensure public safety, warning that failure to comply could result in business shutdowns, permanent disqualification and fines of up to P100,000 for each violation.

Violators may also face imprisonment for up to 12 years, the DOE said.