Category: Philippine Star

Broadcaster Gretchen Ho addressed criticisms over her past professional interactions with the Israeli Embassy.

Gretchen issued the clarification after human rights advocate Caloy Conde raised questions about her Israel trip upon the invitation of its Ministry of Tourism and professional engagements with then-Israeli Ambassador to the Philippines Ilan Fluss in 2022 and 2023.

Conde’s post came amid criticisms surrounding a recent state-sponsored media visit to Israel involving Filipino journalists.

In a Facebook post, Gretchen confirmed that she traveled to Israel in July 2022 after being invited by Israel’s Ministry of Tourism, more than a year before the war in Gaza began in October 2023.

At that time, Gretchen said she was developing her travel documentary program ‘Woman In Action’ and considered producing an episode about the Holy Land.

‘While the itinerary and venues were arranged by our hosts, there were no restrictions on whom we could speak to, what questions we could ask, or what we could observe and say about the experience,’ she said.

According to Getchen, she was not asked to produce a particular narrative or portray Israel in a prescribed way. However, she acknowledged that she remained conscious that the trip was sponsored by the Israeli government.

‘I went there with an open mind, yet also very much aware that since this was a trip sponsored by their government, what we were NOT shown was as important as what we were shown,’ she said.

Gretchen said the trip gave her a better understanding of the complexities surrounding the history and realities of Israel and Palestine. She ultimately decided not to pursue an episode for ‘Woman In Action’ because she believed the subject required a more sensitive approach.

She also clarified that part of the arrangement for the trip was for her to attend an Israeli travel expo.

In May 2023, several months before the war began, Ho said she accepted a professional engagement to host an event organized by the Israeli Embassy.

‘I also interacted cordially with then-Ambassador Ilan Fluss, including an encounter at UP (University of the Philippines) that has resurfaced online,’ she said.

Gretchen said her professional interactions with Israeli officials did not prevent her from taking critical positions on issues involving the Israeli government.

After the war erupted in October 2023, she had the opportunity to interview Fluss in 2025 for her news-interview program ‘Morning Matters.’

During the interview, Gretchen said she questioned the ambassador about human rights violations in Gaza, the right of Palestinians to exist, and Israel’s status as a non-signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty compared with Iran.

‘My interactions with the Embassy never determined my editorial positions, nor did they prevent me from questioning an Israeli official critically,’ she said.

At the same time, Gretchen acknowledged the concerns surrounding her past interactions with the embassy, particularly when they are viewed in the context of the ongoing Israel-Gaza conflict.

‘I take questions about journalistic independence seriously,’ she said.

‘Looking back, I recognize more clearly the importance of maintaining not only editorial independence, but sufficient distance to avoid reasonable perceptions of conflict. There are choices I would approach with greater circumspection today.’

Gretchen also clarified her position on the conflict, saying she does not support genocide or the dehumanization of any people.

‘To be clear: I do not support genocide or the dehumanization of any people. I believe in the dignity and right to life of Palestinians and Israelis alike,’ she said.

She added that journalists must sometimes interact with individuals, institutions and perspectives that they may later need to scrutinize, while also examining their own professional boundaries and judgment.

‘Journalism requires us to encounter people, institutions and perspectives we may eventually have to scrutinize. It also requires us to continually examine our own boundaries and judgment,’ she said.

Gretchen ended her statement by saying she is listening to the concerns raised and will use the experience to reassess the standards she applies to her work moving forward.

The Office of the Special Assistant to the President has brought the Marcos administration’s healthcare and food assistance programs to Zamboanga Sibugay on Monday, August 10, with the turnover of medical assistance funding and the rollout of rice aid for beneficiaries in the province.

Special Assistant to the President Anton Lagdameo Jr. visited the Dr. George T. Hofer Medical Center, where he announced the release of P10 million in Medical Assistance to Indigent and Financially Incapacitated Patients (MAIFIP) funding to support the hospital’s zero-billing program.

The funding forms part of Malacañang’s continuing efforts to improve access to healthcare services and ease the financial burden on indigent patients seeking treatment in government hospitals.

Lagdameo also inspected key facilities and ongoing expansion projects at the Dr. George T. Hofer Medical Center to assess the hospital’s capacity to deliver quality healthcare services.

In the same visit, Lagdameo led the rollout of the ‘Bawat Bayan Makikinabang’ (BBM) Rice Distribution Program, during which rice assistance funded through the Local Government Support Fund (LGSF) was distributed to beneficiaries from identified barangays in the province.

He likewise met with provincial officials to discuss the implementation of the administration’s priority programs and initiatives in Zamboanga Sibugay.

The healthcare and rice assistance initiatives form part of the national government’s continuing efforts to expand access to essential public services, strengthen support for vulnerable communities, and bring government assistance closer to Filipinos across the country.

The British Chamber of Commerce Philippines (BCCP) paid a visit to the Philippine Ambassador to the UK Teodoro Locsin Jr. and discussed market opportunities to further advance the growing bilateral trade in areas such as agriculture, technology and services.

As of July 31, 2026, the UK-Philippine trade remained growing at £3.1 billion in the four quarters to the end of Q1 2026, an increase of 0.8% from the previous year.

Despite global market uncertainties, leading to a slower GDP growth of the Philippines at 2.3 percent in the second quarter of 2026, BCCP Executive Vice Chairman Chris Nelson remains positive that factors such as the country’s partnership with the UK, the Philippine chairship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), preparatory talks on Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), remain key in achieving economic rebound in the remaining quarters.

Nelson also welcomed the decline in the inflation rate to 6.2% in July, brought about by the slower annual increase in the transport index and a steady rate in food inflation at 5.3%.

The Philippine government also echoed the same sentiment, with Palace Press Officer Claire Castro stating that, “This slowdown is only temporary…As the government continues to speed up spending and release budgets more quickly, we hope the economy can start to pick up in the second half of the year as well.”

Additionally, the Department of Economy, Planning, and Development (DEPDev) Secretary Arsenio Balisacan noted that, ‘We are now seeing some positive developments moving us out of the situation of low growth…I think a key factor here is our ability to move public investments because we see and we notice that private investment is also very sensitive to public investment. So as we are able to get public investments, you would expect the private sector response also to improve and further boost the confidence that the private sector has on the government.’

Nelson welcomed these statements as British investors continue to explore market opportunities in the country. He urged the importance of having a sound legislative agenda, prioritizing measures such as the Cybersecurity Act, Digital Payments Act, Open Finance Act, and the Blue Economy Act.

He said: ‘These are the areas where the UK already works together with the Philippines through its expertise. And we are only going to see more interest coming from British investors if those industries remain empowered and ready for business despite market uncertainties worldwide.’

Antel Land marked a milestone in its vision of building complete communities with the blessing and official opening of the Church of St. Ignatius of Loyola at Anyana in Tanza, Cavite.

Presided over by Most Reverend Reynaldo Evangelista, D.D., Bishop of Imus, the inauguration coincided with the Feast of St. Ignatius of Loyola, making the occasion both a spiritual celebration and a significant milestone in the township’s growth.

Designed as a place of worship and community, the Church of St. Ignatius of Loyola welcomes families and residents into a sacred space dedicated to prayer, reflection and fellowship.

At the heart of the church is a wired crucifix that serves as a powerful symbol of faith, anchoring the sanctuary as a lasting place of worship.

Its modern architectural design reflects elegance and purpose, led by Architect Juan Seriña Jr. of H1 Architecture, an award-winning architecture and design firm recognized for its work in master planning, architecture and interior design.

The inauguration was attended by local government officials, members of the clergy, Antel Land executives, shareholders, partner brokers, employees, and guests. The celebration began with a ribbon-cutting ceremony, followed by the blessing of the church, marking the official opening of one of Anyana’s most meaningful community landmarks.

More than its physical presence, the Church of St. Ignatius of Loyola strengthens the spiritual and social life of the community. It reflects Antel Land’s long-term commitment to building not only homes, but also thriving communities where faith and fellowship are integral to everyday life.

The church serves as a lasting place of worship and gathering, welcoming residents of Anyana to share in devotion, unity and a stronger sense of community.

Located at the heart of Anyana, the Church of St. Ignatius of Loyola is more than a place of worship-it is a defining feature of a township envisioned to blend modern living with timeless values.

‘When we began developing Anyana, we envisioned more than a place where people would simply live,’ Kendrick Lao, marketing director of Antel Land, said.

‘We dreamed of building a community where families could grow, thrive, and build their future together. From the very beginning, we knew that a church would always be an essential part of that vision,” he added.

The addition of the Church of St. Ignatius of Loyola reinforces Anyana’s vision of creating a community where spiritual life is woven into everyday living.

Beyond its spiritual anchor, Anyana continues to flourish as a premier family destination that balances modern lifestyle and convenience.

Strategically positioned with easy access through major thoroughfares such as Manila-Cavite Expressway (CAVITEX) and Cavite-Laguna Expressway (CALAX), the township continues to grow with The Shopgrounds, its commercial and retail hub featuring a curated selection of dining and retail establishments.

Together with the newly blessed Church of St. Ignatius of Loyola, these developments reinforce Anyana’s vision of a holistic master-planned community that will continue to serve families for generations to come

Her family owns them, but tycoon Teresita Sy-Coson admits she cannot comfortably shop at SM malls.

‘I don’t enjoy shopping in our own malls because there are so many people, you know, looking at what I’m doing,’ Sy-Coson, SM Investments Corp. vice chairperson, said.

‘It takes the fun away,’ she added.

Speaking at the 32nd National Retail Conference and Expo, the eldest child of the late retail taipan Henry Sy Sr. said she enjoys doing her shopping abroad instead.

‘In other countries, I have more freedom to go around. Nobody’s watching. And yes, I can be in the ugliest clothes, and nobody minds me,’ Sy-Coson said.

‘I would be in my home attire. I don’t have to put on makeup. I just go around and it’s fun. It’s fun to be able to do things that you like to do without people watching,’ she added.

Still, Sy-Coson said she does buy things from their own store through SM’s personalized service.

‘But what I do is I will ask them to shop for me. That is the start of the personal shoppers in the store, because that is the way I shop. And so I thought that maybe other customers will also like to do the way I shop, in which I call them or text them, tell them what I need, tell them to give me the photo, and that’s where I make my decisions to buy. So I do shop in our store,’ she said.

With more than 800 personal shoppers nationwide, SM Store’s Personal Shopper service provides convenience and delivery as early as same day.

The Sy family owns and operates the largest chain of shopping centers in the country, with 90 SM malls nationwide.

SM’s retail operations are also the country’s largest and most diversified, consisting of grocery stores, department stores and specialty retail stores.

‘I was born into a retail family. I had no choice. I just have to go into it on and on. So that is my life,’ said Sy-Coson, who started working in the family business at the age of 13.

‘As you know, we started as a family business. So in family business, all the children are expected to help out one way or another, or else you feel guilty. So we had to help out after school or in weekends. We don’t go out with friends on weekends. We just have to help out because this is the one that that puts food on the table for the family,’ she said.

Sy-Coson said it took a lot of time and perseverance to get SM where it is today in terms of size.

‘We’re still trying very hard every day, but I have to say that we have good teams in many areas. We have team in the mall. We have other people in the retail and also in all the other areas. What is important is to have good team, and you just guide the team, and of course you have to listen to them because you can never always have the right answer. Having a good team helps a lot,’ she said.

Sy-Coson said the retail industry will continue to evolve, noting that what is good at this time may not be applicable in the future.

‘Of course, the basic values of hard work, perseverance and integrity will always be there. But I cannot imagine how things will be in the future so I dare not forecast,’ she said.

Malacañang disputed Vice President Sara Duterte’s claim that the People’s Ville housing project in Davao City began during her term as mayor, presenting permits and registration documents issued from 2023 to 2024.

Duterte made the claim on August 7 when asked by local media about President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s July 28 visit to People’s Ville.

“Yes I know kasi project namin ‘yan noong mayor ako, ‘di ba? So ayokong mag-comment sa kanyang pagbisita,” Duterte said.

(“Yes, I know because that was our project when I was mayor, right? So I don’t want to comment on his visit.”)

At a press briefing on Tuesday, August 11, Palace Press Officer Claire Castro presented documents that she said demonstrated the project was established under the Marcos administration.

Among them were a development permit dated July 18, 2023; certificates of registration for People’s Ville 1, 2 and 3 issued June 20, 2024; and an application for a building permit dated Feb. 16, 2024.

“Narito po ang development permit para hindi po tayo mabulagan at maloko nung ibang mga taong nagpapanggap na ang proyektong ito ay sa kanila at hindi sa kasalukuyang administrasyon,” Castro said.

(“Here is the development permit so we will not be misled by people pretending that this project is theirs and not that of the current administration.”)

Castro did not mention Duterte by name.

People’s Ville project

People’s Ville is a 14-hectare condominium-type development in Davao City under the government’s Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino, or 4PH, Program.

The project, developed by the Social Housing Finance Corp. under the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development, consists of 72 five-story buildings.

Castro said more than 2,600 housing units have been completed, while four buildings with 400 units are under construction.

She urged the public to scrutinize competing claims over government projects.

“So mainam po na maging mapanuri tayo at ang proyektong ito ay para po sa ating mga kababayan. Hindi para magpabida ang sinuman kun’di laan para sa ating mga kababayan lalong-lalo na sa Davao City,” Castro said.

(“So it is better for us to be discerning. This project is for our fellow Filipinos, not for anyone to take credit for, but for our people, especially those in Davao City.”)

Akbayan Partylist has asked the Supreme Court’s Judicial Integrity Office to review the actions of a Pasig City court after it issued orders suspending a newly approved minimum wage hike for workers in Metro Manila.

In a letter complaint filed on Tuesday, August 11, Rep. Percival Cendaña, representatives of Sentro ng mga Nagkakaisa at Progresibong Manggagawa (Sentro), and several labor federations requested an administrative evaluation of Pasig Regional Trial Court Branch 152 before the high court.

‘We write as concerned citizens and labor organizations with a direct and continuing interest in the integrity of the wage-fixing machinery established by Congress under Republic Act No. 6727, and in ensuring that the statutory safeguards governing the implementation and review of wage orders are observed,’ the groups said.

The complaint centers on two interim orders issued by the trial court regarding Wage Order No. NCR-27:

A status quo ante order issued by the Pasig RTC executive judge on July 24, 2026 – just one day before the wage hike was set to take effect.

A temporary restraining order (TRO) issued by Branch 152 on July 30, 2026, which halted the wage order’s implementation until Aug. 13, 2026, contingent on a P1 million bond.

The legal challenge against the wage order was filed by two construction firms seeking a petition for declaratory relief.

According to the groups, the trial court’s orders conflict directly with Article 126 of the Labor Code, which explicitly prohibits lower courts from issuing preliminary injunctions or TROs against proceedings of the National Wages and Productivity Commission (NWPC) and Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Boards.

‘The concern is particularly significant where, as here, the statutory framework expressly provides a mechanism for challenging a Wage Order and specifies the circumstances under which its implementation may be stayed,’ the groups said.

Beyond their request for an evaluation, the groups urged the Supreme Court to issue guidance to lower court judges regarding labor injunctions and Rule 58 requirements.

They recommended that the proposed circular remind judges that Article 126 bars any order that effectively suspends a wage hike, reinforce that proper appeals belong with the National Wages and Productivity Commission, and warn that failure to comply with these restrictions will result in administrative sanctions.

Every manager, at some point, encounters an employee who breaks a rule, misses a deadline, or does something that triggers an accusing, instinctive response: ‘You’ve just violated our rules!’ To explain this well, here’s a story that is deeply relevant to how we live in our society.

An out-of-school 15-year-old boy was caught stealing a pack of bread from a convenience store. He gets caught and ends up in court. The store owner and the police expected jail time.

However, they witnessed a masterclass in leadership disguised as a legal proceeding. The judge asked the boy three basic questions: ‘Why did you steal? Why didn’t you buy it? Why not ask your father or mother for help?’

The boy’s answer revealed society’s failures. He’s supporting a sick mother while his father abandoned them. They have no money and no support from similarly-impoverished relatives.

He begged on the street. But people routinely turned him away so desperation pushed him to commit the smallest crimes with the biggest consequences.

After hearing this, the judge did the unthinkable. He fined everyone in the courtroom $10 each, including himself giving $50 – for allowing a society where a young man is forced to steal to feed an ailing mother.

The collected money was given to the boy as a symbolic apology.

Whether historically accurate or not, this anecdote is often attributed to former New York City Mayor Fiorello La Guardia as a powerful illustration of how context can change our understanding of wrongdoing.

Masterclass

I find such a story as a masterclass in root cause analysis. It illustrates the importance of looking beyond the immediate cause and investigating the conditions that contributed to the behavior.

Here are the key lessons of the story:

1. Fix the root cause, not the symptom. Punishing the boy appears to be justified at first glance. However, it ignores the condition of his family’s poverty, illness, and lack of government support. In the workplace, punishing a worker for a mistake may address the immediate incident, but it does not necessarily correct the underlying process. There’s no assurance that the broken process would not happen with a different worker.

Organizations should investigate the underlying causes before deciding whether discipline is appropriate. One root cause analysis tool is by asking Five Whys. This aligns well with W. Edwards Deming (1900-1993) who said: ‘A bad system will beat a good person all the time.’

2. Ensure psychological safety. Avoid a blame culture that aligns with the logic of the store owner who demanded retribution rather than understanding the context. When employees fear disproportionate punishment for honest mistakes, they may become reluctant to report errors or near-misses.

In our story, the judge acknowledged that the failure belonged to the entire community, not just the individual boy. In any organization, correcting failures is a shared responsibility of all workers and their managers who must ask:

‘Does the organization provide the right training? Were the job standards unrealistic? Were the tools or equipment faulty? Did management ignore early warnings?

3. Install a robust preventive system. Simply jailing the boy would cost the society more money while leaving his mother starving to death, perpetuating a downward cycle. Relying on punishment alone can encourage defensive compliance, where employees follow procedures mechanically to avoid blame even when those procedures produce poor results.

That’s why world-class organizations focus on pokayoke or mistake-proofing system so that workers would have difficulty making the same mistakes.

Lessons

Before judging anyone for their ‘bad’ behavior, study first the context. Weigh everything. Understand that a behavior is a symptom, not the root cause. The judge in our story did what modern managers often fail to do. He asked questions that went deeper than the mistake itself.

The question is – What system contributed to the employee’s error? It’s not about excusing bad behavior. It’s about discovering and understanding the conditions that created them. That’s how leadership begins where being judgmental ends.

Victor Hugo (1802-1885) has a passage in Les Miserables (1862) that summarizes this article: ‘If the soul is left in darkness, sins will be committed. The guilty one is not he who commits the sin, but he who causes the darkness.’

At five in the morning a rider warms up his motorcycle in Metro Manila. At the same hour a virtual assistant in Batangas is closing the books for a dental clinic in New Jersey, a graphic artist in Metro Cebu is sending a logo to a client in Berlin and a mother in Cagayan de Oro is packing the last of 40 orders her online store sold overnight. None of them have an employer. All of them are working. Together they are millions strong, and they are the most important workforce our laws cannot see.

We have a name for the Filipino who leaves home to work abroad, and we built an entire architecture of state around him. Agencies, protections, reintegration programs, a holiday in his honor. But the newest generation of Filipino workers found a way to reach the world without leaving the dinner table, earning dollars from a bedroom in Bacolod and serving commuters on our own streets. For them we have built almost nothing. Our labor law still speaks only two words: employee or nothing. The gig worker is neither, so he is treated as nothing.

The numbers should end any debate about whether this deserves the republic’s attention.

Around a million and a half Filipinos now work on global freelancing platforms alone, and the count multiplies when riders, drivers, online sellers and local gigs are added. By one estimate, roughly one in five employed Filipinos was already earning through online platforms as early as 2021, and in the two years before that, Filipino freelance earnings grew faster than anywhere else in Asia.

The digital economy these workers power is now measured in trillions of pesos, close to a tenth of everything the country produces. If this workforce were a province, it would be among our most populous. If it were an export, we would hold parades for it. Instead it appears in no census category that fits, and waits.

Start with what must be protected, because it is precious. Flexibility is not a loophole. It is the whole point. The rider who chooses his hours can attend his daughter’s recognition day. The freelancer who chooses her clients can care for an aging parent between projects.

Force these workers into fixed shifts under traditional employment contracts and we have not protected them. We have taken from them the very freedom that drew them to the work, and pushed the most vulnerable back into the informal shadows where no protection follows at all.

But freedom without structure is not independence. It is abandonment. When the delivery rider falls on a wet flyover, when the virtual assistant is scammed out of three months’ pay, when the online seller loses everything to a platform policy changed overnight, each discovers the same thing: no SSS to claim, no PhilHealth to lean on, no institution that ever recorded their work existed. The safety nets are not missing. SSS, PhilHealth and Pag-IBIG were built by law for every working Filipino. What is missing is the bridge.

The bridge is the platform itself, and this is where the new social contract must be written. Every platform profiting from Filipino work should know its workers, stand behind them and connect them to the protections the law already provides. Enrollment in government safety nets, accident coverage, continuous training, honest and transparent standards.

In practice this is not complicated. A platform that welcomes a worker can enroll him in SSS and PhilHealth that same day, set aside a sliver of every payout so his contributions never lapse, arrange group accident coverage at rates no lone worker could ever negotiate and certify his training the way every respected profession certifies its own. Some platforms already live this way, treating the welfare of their community as duty rather than marketing. That should not be the exception. It should be the pride and the price of operating in this country.

And a contract requires two honest signatures. Protection flows through relationship, and relationship requires commitment on both sides.

A platform can only vouch for, train and cover a worker it actually knows. Where the state sets limits and keeps registries, every worker must count once, because a roster padded with names that exist in three places at the same time protects no one and cheats the thousands waiting outside the gate.

A worker of record with a platform of record is not an employee, any more than a doctor accredited to one hospital belongs to that hospital. Commitment is not bondage. It is the only structure through which care can actually be delivered.

This is the third way our laws must learn to speak: neither employee nor orphan, but a recognized Filipino platform worker with a legal identity of his own. The International Labor Organization has drawn the blueprint in its new convention on platform work, one the Philippines helped shape.

Congress can make us among the first nations to write it into law, covering the rider and the freelancer, the seller and the artist, the driver and the assistant, in one framework worthy of them all.

We are told the future of work is being invented in San Francisco and Shenzhen. Look closer. It is being lived, right now, in Batangas and Metro Manila, in Metro Cebu and Cagayan de Oro, by people who have always worked ahead of their institutions.

Our seafarers moved the world’s cargo. Our nurses held the world’s hands. Now the world’s work has finally come to us.

The least we can do is see these workers, count them and protect them. Do that, and they will do what the Filipino worker has always done. They will carry us forward.

Local pump prices are set to go down by more than P4 this week, according to the Department of Energy.

The agency announced the following pump price rollback on Monday, August 10:

Diesel – to go down by P4.30 per liter

Gas – to go down by P4.70 per liter

Kerosene – to go down by P4.88 per liter

The new prices are valid until Monday next week, August 17.

Here are the new price estimates for August 11-17, 2026:

Estimated New Fuel Prices for August 11-17, 2026

Based on the price adjustments announced by DOE on August 10.