Category: Philippine Star

The government is reviewing the country’s rice tariffs and may raise these to as much as 35 percent after the current import ban ends, Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said yesterday.

Tiu Laurel said the review is being carried out with Finance Secretary Ralph Recto and Special Assistant to the President for Investment and Economic Affairs Frederick Go, following President Marcos’ directive.

‘We’re running the numbers now, from 20 percent, 25 percent or 35 percent. Hopefully, we can make a decision before the closure of the ban,’ Tiu Laurel told reporters in an interview at the House of Representatives in Quezon City.

The move comes as farmers’ groups press for stronger safeguards against cheap rice imports that have dragged down farmgate palay prices to below P10 per kilogram.

In a petition filed with the Department of Agriculture (DA) yesterday, the Federation of Free Farmers (FFF) and the Magsasaka Party List urged the government to impose provisional safeguard duties under the Safeguard Measures Act.

The two organizations said the 60-day import ban that began in September was not enough to stabilize prices.

‘By itself, the import ban will not prop up palay prices significantly because traders anticipate that cheap imports will flood the market again when the ban is lifted in November,’ FFF national manager Raul Montemayor said.

He added that raising tariffs is the fastest way to compel traders to pay higher prices to farmers while remaining competitive with imports.

Magsasaka chair Argel Joseph Cabatbat, for his part, said the government’s proposed floor price for palay may not work if market prices remain low because of imports.

‘The low prices that rice producers have been receiving for their labor represent not just an economic problem. They threaten the very survival of rice farmers and the long-term security of our entire agricultural sector,’ Cabatbat said.

The two groups warned that the country’s 2.5 million rice farmers could lose as much as P43 billion this year due to the surge in imports.

They traced the surge to the government’s tariff cut from 35 percent to 15 percent in July 2024, as well as a 40-percent drop in world rice prices from early 2024 levels.

Under Republic Act 8800 or the Safeguard Measures Act, the DA secretary can impose safeguard duties on rice imports that cause or threaten to cause serious harm to local producers.

Duties can last up to 200 days while the Tariff Commission investigates and issues a final ruling. Importers must also post a bond equivalent to the safeguard duty on top of the current tariff.

Following allegations linking him to a kickback scheme involving Sen. Francis Escudero, tech executive Maynard Ngu has resigned from his position at a property firm.

In testimony from retired Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) undersecretary Roberto Bernardo, Ngu was alleged to have received P160 million in kickback funds on behalf of Escudero.

Ngu is the Chief Executive Officer of Cosmic Technologies, the company behind the Cherry Mobile brand.

In a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange, Altus Property Ventures, Inc. announced a change in its board of directors.

Ngu, aside from being a businessman, also serves as President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s Special Envoy to China for Trade, Investment, and Tourism.

‘Please be informed that the Board of Directors of Altus Property Ventures, Inc. (APVI) has duly accepted the resignation of Mr. Maynard S. Ngu as independent member of the Board of Directors of APVI effective September 29, 2025,’ the disclosure statement read.

Ngu cited ‘personal reasons’ for his resignation.

Based in Ilocos Norte, APVI is a stock corporation incorporated as a property firm. The board that Ngu stepped down from is chaired business mogul Faraday Go, the brother of Marcos’ economic and investment special assistant, Frederick Go.

Bernardo claimed he was friends with Ngu and alleged that Ngu received kickbacks on behalf of Escudero. Bernardo also claimed that Ngu was present when Escudero personally thanked him for the money.

Escudero has denied all allegations, calling them part of a scripted narrative being used against him. The former Senate president has since vowed to prove himself innocent.

The flood control issue has drawn national attention, as billions of pesos are suspected to have been lost through flood control kickback schemes allegedly involving lawmakers and officials from the DPWH.

Local manufacturers are urging the government to impose a definitive safeguard duty on cement imports to allow the industry to compete with foreign suppliers and retain their workforce.

‘We need this safeguard to ensure the industry remains viable and to protect local jobs,’ Cement Manufacturers Association of the Philippines Inc. (CeMAP) executive director Rey Baja said in a statement.

CeMAP said cement manufacturers in the Philippines are not receiving subsidies, unlike some Vietnamese cement suppliers that enjoy support from their government allowing them to sell at lower prices.

‘It is of national interest to promote and protect the local cement industry against unfair competition from other countries,’ Baja said.

CeMAP said business groups like the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Federation of Philippine Industries also support the imposition of a safeguard measure to protect local jobs.

Cement manufacturing contributes at least one percent to the country’s gross domestic product and supports around 130,000 jobs.

The industry group also expects cement prices to be stable even if a definitive safeguard measure is imposed.

‘We also don’t think it will result in higher prices,’ Baja said.

According to CeMAP, cement prices have been stable despite the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI)’s imposition of a provisional safeguard duty on cement imports.

In February, the DTI issued an order imposing a provisional safeguard duty of P400 per metric ton or P16 per 40-kilogram bag of imported cement after finding a causal link between increased cement imports and injury to the domestic industry.

The provisional safeguard duty is in place for 200 days while the Tariff Commission decides on whether a definitive safeguard measure should be implemented.

Republic Act 8800 allows the government to impose a safeguard measure in the form of increased tariff on certain imports when there is serious threat or injury caused by a surge in import of like products.

CeMAP said the country’s cement imports reached 7.6 million metric tons last year, with the bulk coming from Vietnam.

While the local industry has a total capacity of 51 million tons, actual production dropped to 27 million tons, while demand was only around 35 million tons.

This led to P5 billion in losses, slower operations and job cuts.

With the industry in a difficult position, CeMAP said a definitive safeguard measure is needed to make local cement manufacturing viable.

Whenever the photographer would yell “wacky!” during a shoot, the very definition of it confuses me. The quickest wacky pose I know is to raise two of my fingers and form it into a finger heart. The gesture became popular during the hit of the K-drama wave, where characters used it to portray a cute kind of love, happiness, or just to strike a pose. However, its context has changed in the Philippine setting when top contractor Sarah Discaya used a finger heart to convey a message to the public.

Discaya has become a household name since they were named by the president as one of the top contractors in the country. Their projects span the entire nation, with many believed to be anomalous. Reports say they allegedly operate nine companies with the same nature of business, sometimes even competing against each other in public biddings. Talk about monopolizing infrastructure projects and taking advantage of the system by placing prices higher than what the market offers today. Many were quick to notice their seemingly fast ascension in the social ladder, coupled with lifestyles that are lavish, glittering, and very much devoid of the ordinary Filipino’s struggle.

Recent news about substandard flood control projects uncovered by the National Bureau of Investigation in Central Visayas brought more attention to the issue. Inspectors found works that were either incomplete or below standard, raising public suspicion about the kind of contractors the government entrusts with taxpayers’ money. This is where the finger heart of Discaya becomes more than just a pose. It becomes a symbol of irony: a cheerful gesture masking the weight of corruption and inefficiency that Filipinos continue to endure.

We cannot just finger heart our way into finding who the real culprit is in this whole scandal. It may be a sign of positivity, but it is also an insult to those who are trying their best to put out the truth for everyone to know. The investigations done by agencies like the NBI are not for show; they require utmost effort, long hours, and persistence, because they too want justice for the taxes that come out of people’s pockets. There is nothing to be joyous about this whole situation, especially as the issue seems to drag on. The bigger fear is that it will eventually be forgotten, buried under the next wave of headlines.

I would like to finger heart those who are joining the cause in calling for accountability. They deserve to use this gesture among themselves because they are in unity to get to the bottom of things. Their voices on the streets are not in vain, as they have become part of a bigger cause. It is one that challenges the very positions of power in government today or perhaps, it should be the other way around. We should be the ones finger hearting those who are now slowly being held accountable. After all, true love for a country is not expressed in cute poses but in the courage to stand for what is right.

Brovage Clinic, a new men’s health clinic in Metro Manila, is striving to put an end to the notion that sexual health is a taboo topic, especially for men.

The clinic, located in Bonifacio Global City (BGC), Taguig, has been operating on a soft opening for the past couple of months now, making its grand opening as September draws to a close.

Minimally Invasive Urologist Frederick Mendiola owns and heads the clinic, aided by two Singaporean doctors, Alan Tan and Aivee Clinic’s Z’Shen Teo, and a number of specialists in different fields.

In an exclusive interview with Philstar.com, Dr. Mendiola explained that the clinic specializes in mostly sexual dysfunction in men.

Erectile dysfunction is the main issue under this topic, but other focuses are premature ejaculation, problems with desire and libido, and mismatched testosterone levels.

“It’s actually a one-stop shop for men,” the doctor summarized briefly, adding the clinic also offers longevity and lifestyle medicine, all of them certified by country’s Food and Drug Administration and health department.

As an urologist, Dr. Mendiola is very much aware that many people suffer from sexual dysfunction, and most men do not seek consultation because sexual health remains taboo in Philippine society.

“85% of men who suffers from erectile dysfunction will not seek consult. Maybe because of shyness, machismo, and it’s sort of a stigma,” the doctor said. “We still have the stigma because of society natin, traditions, and our Roman Catholic belief.”

That is why architectural designer JJ Acuña designed the clinic to appear spa-like, complete with a bar near the corner, so that patients will feel relaxed in a safe space.

“We would like them to feel that it’s a discreet institution that they can go to anytime, na hindi sila mahihiya,” Dr. Mendiola added.

Dr. Mendiola acknowledged that another reason why men do not address sexual health is the lack of spaces to do so, reiterating that many want to preserve this macho image they have of themselves.

With the help of media platforms, social media and other health advocates, the clinic wants to educate the public about sex and it’s importance in people’s lives.

The doctor pointed out that sex gives longevity as it prevents long-lasting or long-term illnesses, on top of it being made pleasurable for human beings thus adding to quality of life.

“This is the best place to go. Kasi kita mo naman, tahimik, tago, maraming alak!” Dr. Mendiola quipped. “So we want it to be relaxed, unlike other clinics.”

He did explain choosing a BGC location since his partner Dr. Teo has numerous clinics in the area, and they want to target first the A Market.

This as the machines and treatment options needed for sexual health can be costly, although the doctor did express hopes more people would be able to access such remedies.

“Eventually, pag dumami na nang dumami ang ganitong clinics, and then of course by law of supply and demand, bababa na rin yung pricing ng gamot at machines, and hopefully maging available to the mass market,” Dr. Mendiola ended.