Category: Philippine Star

A condominium manager survived an ambush in Makati yesterday after two motorcycle-riding men opened fire at her sport utility vehicle (SUV).

According to a police report, the woman was traversing Chino Roces Avenue before 7 a.m. when two men on a motorcycle approached the SUV and fired at least nine gunshots.

Witnesses said one of the suspects was wearing the uniform of a ride-hailing company, but the vehicle had an unknown plate number.

The victim drove her car near a police outpost, prompting the suspects to flee.

Police said the victim suffered eight gunshots to the thigh. She was rushed to the Makati Medical Center for treatment.

Makati police chief Col. Pedro Alagano Jr. said the motive could be related to the victim’s work as a condominium manager.

‘We’re checking if she had received a complaint from residents,’ Alagano said. ‘We’re also checking if she had management issues and enemies outside of her work.’

Philippine National Police spokesman Col. Allen Rae Co said PNP personnel have launched a manhunt for the suspects.

As the Japanese proverb said, if you fall down seven times, you must stand up eight.

Following a stunning upset loss in the Singapore Tennis Open, Alex Eala is setting her sights on the Asian Games.

Eala, ranked 18th in the world, absorbed the toughest loss of her career on Thursday evening, falling against World No. 180 Tatiana Prozorova, 6-4, 5-7, 3-6, in more than three hours of action.

The Filipina was seeded third in the tournament, but had an early exit from WTA 500 event.

After her match, Eala said that while she did everything she could on the court, she will need to focus on the learnings she had on the defeat.

‘Yeah, I think Tatiana played really well today. But, yeah, I think first, you just have to, like every loss, accept the fact that maybe she performed better today. And then, look at it, take the time to analyze, take the time to learn,’ she said.

The 21-year-old Filipina, who had a meteoric rise in the WTA rankings last year after having upset after upset in the Miami Open, said that the beauty of sports is the ‘constant evolution.’

‘I need to analyze and reconvene with my team and, you know, say, hey, we need to work on A, B, and C. And so I’ll work on it. And I think that’s the beauty of sports. That’s the beauty of tennis. It’s a constant, I guess, constant evolution. You’re always learning,’ she said.

‘And, yeah, in the end, you’re going to have days like this where you battle three hours and it just doesn’t go your way. So, yeah, I have to learn from it, but also not try to make it bigger than it needs to be.’

The Asian Games’ tennis tournament will kick off on Sunday.

Eala’s early exit will give her a few days’ rest before the Asiad.

‘It’s hard to see a loss as a blessing in disguise. I would have wanted to win today. I would have wanted to go further in the tournament. But whether it’s a blessing in disguise or not, it doesn’t matter at the present. What matters to me is learning from this loss and preparing for my next match.’

To strengthen intelligence and investigation against smuggling, the Bureau of Customs has implemented a reshuffle, replacing the chief of the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Services.

CIIS director Thomas Narcise was directed to swap positions with Jeoffrey Tacio, chief of the Commissioner Strategic Advisory Office, based on an order signed by BOC Commissioner Ariel Nepomuceno.

‘While former CIIS chief Narcise had delivered his tasks, I am now on the next phase of transforming the BOC. I need new commanders to direct our field movements,’ Nepomuceno said.

He said he is strengthening enforcement and intelligence leadership to sustain the momentum gained by the bureau in achieving its collection targets.

Nepomuceno said the BOC would embark on a more aggressive campaign against smuggling and for good governance.

BOC personnel will be barred from engaging in a brokerage business or any commercial interest that will place legitimate trade groups at a disadvantage, Nepomuceno said.

In December, some BOC officials and employees mentioned Narcise in a complaint sent to President Marcos.

The complainants urged Marcos to order an investigation into allegations of smuggling protection, corruption and abuse of authority occuring at the agency.

Nepomunceo said he has relieved some BOC officials and personnel at the port of Subic in connection with the reselling of condemned imported frozen chicken.

Five offices linked to a culinary school have been shut down over an alleged recruitment scheme that charged applicants as much as P420,000 for training and assistance in securing chef and cook jobs in Australia.

The Department of Migrant Workers on Friday, September 25, implemented a final closure order against Ausphin International Institute of Culinary Arts and Business Management and related operations in Baguio City, Pasig City and Mandaluyong City.

DMW Migrant Workers Protection Bureau head Rommel Abbang said the agency found that the company was allegedly recruiting chefs and cooks for jobs in Australia without the required recruitment license.

“We have closed down Ausphin businesses composed of three divisions after we received a report that they are doing recruitment activities for chefs and cooks with a promised salary of PHP200,000 to PHP250,000,” Abbang said during the Baguio operation, as reported by the Philippine News Agency.

Applicants without experience were allegedly asked to pay about P420,000, while those with experience were charged P95,000, according to the DMW.

DMW-Cordillera Regional Director Cheryl Daytec Yangot said the P420,000 payment included about P270,000 in tuition for a 12-month culinary program, plus additional fees for assistance in finding jobs in Australia.

The operation covered Ausphin’s culinary school, consultancy and recruitment businesses.

Abbang said the DMW conducted three surveillance operations before finding that the recruitment activities were being carried out without the required license.

All five offices were shut down simultaneously Friday.

‘They will not open again’

Ausphin International Institute-Culinary Arts and Business Management Inc. was incorporated on Nov. 16, 2017, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission certification displayed at the facility.

“This is a final closure order and they will not open again,” Abbang said.

The DMW will recommend that the Baguio City government cancel the school’s business permit and ask the SEC to cancel the company’s registration.

The agency will also file criminal complaints for alleged illegal recruitment against the company’s incorporators, officers and other individuals allegedly involved in the operations.

Yangot urged students who paid fees after being promised jobs in Australia to file complaints with the DMW.

“We are urging them to complain and we are assisting them to the fullest,” she said.

Yangot said DMW lawyers and the Integrated Bar of the Philippines would provide legal assistance in pursuing the cases.

She also urged Filipinos planning to work overseas to verify whether recruitment agencies are licensed and to carefully assess employment pathways offered to them.

“We have zero tolerance, so if you are conducting recruitment activities, please be mindful that you have to secure a license from DMW,” Abbang said.

The Department of Education (DepEd) has partnered with 38 local government units (LGUs) for the construction of three-story school buildings.

Financial aid will come from the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor).

Education Secretary Sonny Angara said the private sector would assist in the program to modernize school infrastructure.

With 12 classrooms each, the buildings will be constructed in targeted communities nationwide.

Funds for the program will be released in three tranches, contingent on technical compliance and progress monitoring.

Procurement and construction will be supervised by LGUs.

Upon completion by the end of 2027, the DepEd will assume full ownership, administrative management and maintenance of the facilities.

This is the second ceremonial signing under the partnership, following the first signing in March, with 21 LGUs to construct 252 classrooms.

Angara witnessed yesterday’s ceremony with local chief executives and Pagcor chairman and CEO Alejandro Tengco.

‘One of the biggest challenges that we face in DepEd is the shortage of classrooms,’ Angara said. ‘We continue to experience this not only because our school buildings are getting older, but yearly we are also being challenged by different calamities.’

Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian will attend today’s dialogue with the Manila Overseas Press Club.

Discussions will center on developments in the Senate as well as the country’s political and economic outlook.

To be held at the Fairmont Hotel Ballroom in Makati, Gatchalian will discuss the Senate’s 2026 legislative agenda, particularly the national budget, economic recovery and inclusive growth.

Gatchalian has identified five priority concerns: high commodity prices, declining purchasing power, high electricity costs, infrastructure and transportation gaps and employment insecurity.

Given the Senate’s constitutional role in treaties and international agreements, foreign policy will also be discussed, as Gatchalian sits on the Senate committee on foreign relations.

Revenge-seeking University of the Philippines tackles National University in a bid to run away from the pack as the UAAP Season 89 plunges back to action today at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Game time is at 6 p.m. for the main bill of the three-game offering, with the Fighting Maroons (2-0) looking to stay flawless against the Bulldogs (1-1) to solidify hold of the pole position.

At 12 p.m., Adamson (1-0) takes on Ateneo (1-1) while winless squads UE (0-2) and host Far Eastern University (0-1) shoot for maiden win at 2:30 p.m.

All eyes, however, are on the Fighting Maroons, who are out to follow up their 92-85 and 94-75 wins against the University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers and the Blue Eagles, respectively, to set the pace early in the tourney.

Coach Goldwin Monteverde is far from satisfied though, urging his wards to stay the course if the Diliman hoopers hope to avenge their bridesmaid finish to the La Salle Green Archers in Season 88.

“Every game as we go along sa season, whatever we could improve on, ‘yong mga, whatever lapses or mapa-improve or mapaganda ang team, doon kami matututo and we keep moving forward doon sa next game namin. Hindi kami titigil sa pagtrabaho namin,’ said Monteverde, who has steered UP to five straight finals appearances with three titles already.

UP had a week-long break to brace for an expected gritty NU defense as part of UAAP’s relaxed schedule with only five playdates in an all-out support to the Team Philippines’ campaign in the ongoing Asian Games.

Part of Team Philippines is La Salle’s Luis Pablo and Doy Dungo as well as UST’s Koji Buenaflor with former King Tiger Nic Cabañero, who made it to the semifinals of the 3×3 men’s basketball.

And the Bulldogs, likewise, are banking on that one-week pause to plot their attack on the fancied Fighting Maroons following a 76-56 rebound against the Red Warriors to hand a fitting present to coach Jeff Napa on his 45th birthday.

“Noong third quarter [against UE], medyo nakuntento kasi we’re leading big. So ‘yong mindset na gano’n ang kailangan naming ma-correct. Kasi coming malakas yong kalaban namin,” warned Napa after avenging their narrow 89-87 defeat to the Green Archers in the opener.

“Hindi kami puwedeng maging ganon yung mindset namin. Kailangan, every quarter, pagpasok na pagpasok pa lang, consistent kami sa gusto naming mangyari talaga. Although siyempre nababawi naman nila pero hindi rason yong nababawi agad kasi mahirap magbigay ng opportunity sa kalaban lalo na pag nakuha nila ‘yong momentum nila. So ‘yon ‘yong kailangan naming ma-address para at least maging favorable talaga pa sa amin on Saturday.’

Ayala president and CEO Cezar Consing has allayed concerns over Mynt Inc.’s upcoming blockbuster initial public offering (IPO), saying critics won’t be able to undermine GCash’s ‘very exciting story.’

‘I don’t think it’s a concern. I think they’re wrong,’ Consing said in an interview with ANC when asked about those calling the GCash IPO more of a liquidation or an exit IPO.

‘The fact is people knew that there would be sellers in this IPO. There are private equity firms. There are shareholders that have been in Mynt from the very early days. They want liquidity. They want to sell,’ he said.

Selling shareholders in the IPO, as listed in the company’s preliminary prospectus, are Advanced New Technologies (Singapore) Holding Pte. Ltd., ASP Philippines LP, Lion Fintech Investments Pte. Ltd., Insight PHP Holdings Ltd., LGVP, LP, LGVP GCA LLC and LGVP IVY (Investments) LLC.

It also includes individual selling shareholders Alberto Curnelius Trinidad, Anthony Isidro, Maria Corazon Alvarez Adriano, Martha Sazon, Oscar Enrico Reyes Jr., Robert Conrad Gonzales and Winsley Royce Bangit.

‘What we have is potentially a very exciting story. Now, there might be some people that, you know, might be some naysayers, but that doesn’t take away what is overall an amazingly exciting story,’ he said.

Eric Jurado, hedge fund manager for the SeA (Southeast Asia) Focus Portfolio, said one of the most attractive aspects of GCash is that it has already built something that would be difficult and expensive to replicate from scratch.

As of June 2026, GCash parent company Mynt reported 41.5 million monthly active users – equivalent to nearly 56 percent of the Philippine adult population – something a new entrant in the Philippines’ competitive fintech space would find hard to replicate.

Jurado said Mynt’s IPO success depends less on first-day trading pops and more on whether GCash can sustain its ‘go deep and go wide’ strategy.

‘Go deep by increasing engagement and the number of financial services each customer uses. Go wide by bringing more Filipinos, including those overseas, consumers, merchants and businesses into the ecosystem,’ Jurado said.

‘That means execution matters. Competition matters. Credit quality matters. Regulation matters. And, perhaps most importantly, earnings growth matters. It is about whether one of the Philippines’ most successful digital platforms can continue turning its enormous user base into a long-term earnings-compounding machine,’ he said.

The national government will offer at least P30 billion in retail treasury bonds (RTBs) starting next week, as investors seek safer and more stable investments amid market volatility.

In a notice of offering posted on its website dated Sept. 23, the Bureau of the Treasury (BTr) said it plans to sell a minimum of P30 billion worth of 2.5-year peso-denominated RTBs due in 2029.

The public offer will run from Sept. 29 to Oct. 7, with the issue date set for Oct. 12. It will mature on April 12, 2029.

RTBs are relatively low-risk investment instruments guaranteed by the full financial capacity of the Philippine government. Investors can purchase for as low as P5,000.

The planned issuance will mark the 25th year of the government’s retail bond program and the second time it will be available on GCash’s GBonds platform.

‘Interest on RTB 32, to be calculated on a 30/360-day basis, will be paid quarterly in arrears on the last day of each three-month interest period, the BTr said.

In addition, the Treasury is offering a bond exchange program for holders of existing government securities maturing on Oct. 20 (RTB 15-01), Dec. 7 (FXTN 20-13), Jan. 4, 2027 (FXTN 03-30), March 1, 2027 (RTB 15-02) and March 4, 2027 (RTB 05-15).

This will likewise be offered from Sept. 29 to Oct. 7, with the issue date set for Oct. 12.

National Treasurer Sharon Almanza earlier said the government is aiming to raise less than half of the amount from last year’s RTB sale in August, as the government has other financing options for the rest of the year.

The government raised P507.16 billion from five-year notes in its last RTB issuance.

A framer of the 1987 Constitution called out Senators Alan Peter Cayetano and Camille Villar, who objected to the proposal to lower the number of votes needed to convict Vice President Sara Duterte in her impeachment trial.

Former Commission on Elections (Comelec) chairman Christian Monsod, who helped craft the 1987 Constitution, said Cayetano and Villar may be wrong in challenging the majority ruling of the Senate impeachment court.

Cayetano and Villar were among the six senators who boycotted the voting to modify the original threshold of 16 out of the 24 senators set by impeachment trial presiding officer Sen. Francis Escudero.

Excluded in the voting on Wednesday were senators who are facing charges, detained, in hiding or on sick leave even if the two-thirds threshold mandated by the 1987 Constitution remained.

Thirteen senators voted in favor of the motion – stating that 14 votes out of 20 senators are needed for a conviction – while one, Escudero, was against. Six others did not participate in the voting.

Cayetano tried but failed to block the proposal, arguing that a vote to favor lowering the number of senators qualified to vote to convict or acquit could violate the provision in the 1987 Constitution that requires ‘No person shall be convicted without the concurrence of two-thirds of all the members of the Senate’ in an impeachment trial.

When asked about Cayetano’s argument in an interview over radio dzBB yesterday, Monsod said, ‘He’s wrong.’

Monsod said the Senate can continue the impeachment trial against Duterte amid plans by some senators to boycott the proceedings.

‘As long as there is a quorum, the Senate can continue. If they plan on doing that (boycott), it’s for headlines only. They talk like they know everything, especially Cayetano,’ he said.

Monsod took a swipe at Villar’s opinion seeking respect for their colleagues currently being detained. She turned emotional in defending her fellow senators whom she said have not been convicted of the charges pressed against them.

‘She does not understand the law,’ he said.

Monsod noticed the difference in views of Camille and her brother Sen. Mark Villar, who voted to adjust the denominator in the voting threshold. ‘I don’t know whether they are playing the political game.’

Meanwhile, Monsod maintained the Anti-Plunder Act or Republic Act 7080 explicitly mandates that government officials charged with plunder shall be suspended from exercising the functions of their office.

In addition, the lowering of what he called the ‘denominator’ in the voting threshold should also include a ‘fugitive from justice because once he is arrested, he is already prevented from exercising his power.’

The 24-member Senate is currently down to 20 with the absence of detained Senators Jinggoy Estrada and Rodante Marcoleta, both facing plunder and graft charges, and Sen. Ronald dela Rosa who remains in hiding while facing arrest by the International Criminal Court (ICC).

On Sen. Loren Legarda, who is on a prolonged medical leave, Monsod said: ‘We will see whether she should be included in the denominator or not… because she participated in the deliberations before she left for that leave.’

In recalling how the 1987 Constitution was created, Monsod said they changed the provision on the voting threshold in an impeachment trial from three-fourths to two-thirds.

He also believed the Supreme Court (SC) ‘should not interfere in the definition of the powers’ of the Senate, which creates its own rules.

Not indicative of guilty verdict

Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian said the 13 votes to lower the conviction threshold was not indicative of the verdict in the Vice President’s impeachment trial.

In a chance interview yesterday, Gatchalian denied that the 13 votes were ‘reflective’ of the verdict, adding that the senators will decide based on the evidence presented during the trial.

‘No. Because when it comes to the verdict, it’s about the evidence, it’s about the testimonies, it’s about how the prosecution and defense will present their cases,’ said Gatchalian.

‘The defense is trying to prove that the allegations have no basis. It’s complicated. We have yet to reach the final voting,’ Gatchalian said.

Asked if the outcome of the threshold voting meant that the numbers were enough to convict, Gatchalian said: ‘Nothing is certain.’

Airtight evidence

House prosecutors vowed to do their best in persuading senators to convict the Vice President based on the airtight evidence they will present moving forward and regardless of the final voting threshold.

‘We are not here to count the votes, we are not vote-counters here. We have to present the evidence needed to convict the VP based on the Articles of Impeachment that we have filed,’ Rep. Terry Ridon, a member of the House prosecution team, said.

Lead prosecutor Rep. Gerville Luistro said it’s still a long way to go before the senators cast their votes