Category: Philippine Star

The national government slashed its gross borrowings by 72.2 percent in August from a year earlier, as the absence of a retail Treasury bond (RTB) sale pulled down domestic borrowings, the Bureau of the Treasury said.

Data from the Treasury showed that total gross borrowings fell to P141.27 billion in August from P508.53 billion in the same period last year.

The sharp decline was largely a timing effect. The government raised P425.61 billion in new money from an RTB offering in August 2025, while no RTB was issued in the same month this year.

However, the government released the notice of offering for its RTB sale last week, seeking to raise at least P30 billion, with the offer period slated to run from Sept. 29 to Oct. 7. The issue date is set for Oct. 12.

Bulk or 90.6 percent of borrowings in August came from local lenders at P127.93 billion, 74.3 percent lower than the P498.21 billion a year ago.

The August domestic borrowings comprised P125.16 billion in fixed-rate Treasury Bonds and P2.77 billion in short-term T-bills.

In terms of external debt, the Treasury secured P13.34 billion, up by 29.3 percent from P10.31 billion in the comparative month in 2025. The entire amount was sourced from project loans.

For the eight-month period, borrowings slipped by 0.5 percent to P2.25 trillion from P2.27 trillion in the January to August 2025 period.

As of end-August, domestic borrowings dropped by 8.9 percent to P1.68 trillion while offshore financing rose by 35.7 percent to P578.2 billion.

The government has completed around 82 percent of the P2.73-trillion borrowing plan it crafted for the year.

Of the P2.73 trillion, P1.92 trillion will come from the domestic market while P815.51 billion will be sourced externally.

Philippine National Police chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. has challenged PNP personnel to increase to 100 percent the organization’s efficiency rate in responding to Unified 911 calls.

The PNP recorded a 96.15-percent efficiency rate from January to August, prompting Nartatez to push for faster and more reliable emergency response.

‘An efficiency rate of 96.15 percent is a strong performance, but for a service as critical as Unified 911, every second matters and every call could mean a life,’ Nartatez said. ‘We must not be satisfied with what we have achieved. Our goal is 100-percent efficiency because every caller deserves a swift, reliable and life-saving response from the PNP.’

Unified 911 handles emergency calls requiring police assistance, fire suppression, search and rescue, ambulance services and other urgent interventions.

Nartatez said response assets would be a priority in the PNP’s 2027 budget to ensure emergency calls result in timely action on the ground.

‘Our goal is not simply to answer calls, but to turn every call for help into a timely and effective response,’ he said.

Motorcycle fleet

Meanwhile, to boost response to emergency calls, more motorcycle units will be acquired and deployed by the PNP.

Expanding the PNP’s motorcycle fleet forms part of efforts to modernize frontline operations, particularly in congested urban areas and far-flung rural communities, according to Nartatez.

‘Gone are the days when policemen are being portrayed in movies as always the last to arrive in an emergency situation,’ he said over the weekend.

Seventy-three motorcycle units were turned over recently by the Department of the Interior and Local Government to Metro Manila police.

‘The provision of motorcycles will help our personnel better respond to the calls of our kababayans in the Unified 911 otline,’ Nartatez said.

Up to P2 billion has been allocated under the PNP program to fund mobility assets.

The National Food Authority (NFA) has adopted a purchase order (PO) system for procuring locally produced palay or unmilled rice, aimed at streamlining and improving monitoring of buffer stock volumes.

NFA administrator Larry Lacson said the agency has started implementing the PO system during the current wet season harvest, allowing farmers to formalize procurement commitments.

Under the PO system, the NFA establishes a formal arrangement that provides farmers with assured market access and predictable procurement schedules.

‘The farmer will just have to wait for their harvest and then bring it to the NFA. This is on top of our regular procurement,’ he told reporters.

It will also allow the agency to efficiently plan warehouse utilization, drying operation manpower deployment and allocation of funding.

The system improves the agency’s accountability and traceability of transactions to ensure that the palay procured by the NFA complies with the prescribed quality and documentary requirements.

Eligible farmers and farmers’ organizations or cooperatives must first be included in the Registry for Basic Sectors in Agriculture or issued a certification from the municipal agriculture officer.

The agency noted that the maximum that a farmer may deliver to the NFA is about 200 bags or 10,000 kilos of palay, noting that the ceiling may be modified in the future.

The NFA is expecting to reach about 592,000 MT in palay procurement by the end of the year, far below its 790,000 MT target for 2026.

Lacson earlier said that the agency was only able to procure about 92,032 MT of palay during the January to September period.

The remaining 500,000 MT will be purchased from the recent wet season rice harvest.

The NFA has set a buying price of P22 per kilo for wet palay and 27 per kilo for dry palay during the wet season harvest, which usually spans from September to November.

A police official testified Monday, September 28, that 51 firearms with a combined market value of more than P7.2 million are registered to Vice President Sara Duterte and her husband, lawyer Manases Carpio.

This was shared by prosecution witness Police Maj. Joericson Sanggalang, records chief of the Philippine National Police’s firearms and explosives office, during the impeachment trial on Monday.

The unfurling of evidence in the trial of the vice president, however, has appeared to slow down in the eyes of some senator-judges. Sen. Migz Zubiri at one point likened the prosecution’s recent presentation of evidence as a “big firework” fizzling out into a “kwitis (small rocket).”

Prior to the direct examination of Sanggalang, Zubiri and other senator-judges asked the prosecution why it deemed relevant to present a witness who will testify to Duterte’s firearms, for Article II, which accuses her of possessing unexplained wealth.

Presiding Officer Sen. Chiz Escudero eventually allowed the prosecution to complete its presentation of the witness but asked it to shorten its line of questioning.

Here are the three highlights from today’s proceedings.

1. Police official testifies on VP’s firearms

At least 22 firearms are registered to Duterte and 29 to Carpio, Sanggalang said during the direct examination, led by House prosecutor Rep. Ysabel Zamora (San Juan). He put the market value of the vice president’s firearms at P2,184,550.

Sanggalang said three of Duterte’s rifles are Class A light weapons, which have fully automatic functions.

He said the firearms law allows law enforcement agencies such as the PNP and the Armed Forces of the Philippines to acquire such weapons. Individuals who owned them before the law took effect may keep them registered.

Sens. Zubiri, Erwin Tulfo, Tito Sotto, and Alan Cayetano questioned the relevance of the testimony. Zubiri and Sotto said officials commonly declare firearms as personal property in their statements of assets, liabilities, and net worth (SALN). “Many of us are firearms owners here, if not all members of the Senate,” Zubiri said.

Sen. Raffy Tulfo later called the testimony “a waste of time.”

Escudero, prior to making a ruling, said he himself was “headed towards excluding this witness.” He noted that P7 million would be “well within the SALN [Duterte] submitted of P88 million as of the latest.”

Zamora said however SALN guidelines require registered firearms to be declared individually. The defense said those guidelines apply only to SALNs filed from 2026.

Escudero decided to press on with Sanggalang’s presentation but, like other senators, was candid in expressing his doubts on its relevance to the impeachment case.

“We find this witness not as convincing with respect to ill-gotten wealth as would be others,” Escudero said.

Sanggalang confirmed that the values presented before the court were based on current market prices, not on the actual acquisition cost.

The defense did not cross-examine him.

2. PhilGEPS official: 11 of 15 Davao City contracts with GenCorp not publicly bid

During the first half of the proceedings today, Sopeña told Sen. Risa Hontiveros that 11 of the 15 Davao City contracts with GenCorp went through negotiated small value procurement. That method is used for low-value contracts and does not require public bidding.

He estimated the 11 contracts at P7 million to P8 million in total, out of about P34 million in Davao City contracts with the company.

Sopeña said none of the 11 exceeded P2 million. He said all carried the title “food and catering services” but were published and awarded on different dates.

Under cross-examination by defense counsel Roberto Batungbacal, Sopeña confirmed that 34 of GenCorp’s 49 contracts were awarded by PhilHealth Region 11 and OWWA Region 11, not by Davao City.

Lead prosecutor Rep. Jinky Luistro argued that GenCorp’s participation in the city’s bidding was a conflict of interest under Article VII, Section 13 of the Constitution.

Escudero noted that Duterte’s SALN declares her a GenCorp stockholder, while Securities and Exchange Commission Director Gerardo Del Rosario previously testified that the company’s records do not list her.

“So that is one difference that still has to be reconciled at some point,” Escudero said.

He said he expects both sides to address the discrepancy.

Sen. Ping Lacson meanwhile urged the defense to reconsider its approach of relying purely on technical questions, as these were not registering well with senator-judges.

The questions suggest the standard is proof beyond reasonable doubt, the level required in criminal cases, “which I believe is not the case in this impeachment trial,” Lacson said.

3. Baste Duterte to testify Tuesday; rulings due

Escudero granted Davao Mayor Baste Duterte’s request to testify on Tuesday and Wednesday instead of Monday.

In a letter, the mayor said he needed time to gather, organize, authenticate, and reproduce the documents covered by his subpoena, including contracts that Davao entered with GenCorp.

The prosecution also dropped PhilHealth witness Gary Samonte, a lawyer.

The court will rule Tuesday on the prosecution’s request for admission on Duterte’s bank records and other documents. A request for admission asks the other side to admit or deny matters so they need not be proven through witnesses.

Rep. Chel Diokno said the request would spare the court from hearing 20 more witnesses. However, lead defense counsel Sheila Sison argued that it runs against the constitutional right to remain silent.

The court will also rule on show cause orders issued last week to certain House prosecutors under the sub judice rule, which restricts public comment on pending cases.

After Baste Duterte, the prosecution will present two Davao City register of deeds officials and Atty. Ronnel Buenaventura, executive director of the Anti-Money Laundering Council Secretariat.

Whole-day trials begin October 1.

The well-travelled Filipino is no stranger to Läderach. Who wouldn’t be lured into their chocolate shops filled to the brim with every type of chocolate you could ever imagine?

Sourced from the finest cocoa beans and meticulously crafted under the eye of a literal World Chocolate Master, Läderach offers fresh chocolate unlike any other.

Luckily, Filipinos need not go far as the brand expands its hold in the Philippines by opening in Greenbelt 5, Makati City.

Founded in 1962 by the Läderach (pronounced lay-der-akh) family, the company is now in the hands of the third-generation brothers Johannes, Elias and David Läderach.

Läderach offers different ways for customers to experience their chocolate. From customizing your own bag by scooping individually wrapped bonbons to requesting your favorite FrischSchoggi broken by hand, there is something in a Läderach chocolatier that will surely spark joy.

The chocolatier’s pride and joy are showcased by the counter chillers and will easily entice any passerby.

Different stacks of large chocolate slabs called FrischSchoggi (pronounced frish-shog-gee) which literally translates to ‘fresh chocolate.’ The slabs are made with carefully sourced, quality ingredients and come in a variety of flavors that’ll suit any preference.

From trendy flavors such as the Dubai Dark or the Confetti Milk to more classic ones such as the Macadamia Milk, Rocher Almond Milk, Caramel Salé Milk Dark, there’s no wrong answer because everything tastes exquisite.

For the more adventurous ones, the Raspberry-Blackberry White or the Orange-Almond Dark might be more to your liking. Your only struggle will be choosing one (or more) to take home.

Luckily, they are also available in an assorted box of individually wrapped FrischSchoggi to lock in the freshness.

Right beside their FrischSchoggi display is dreamy glass case of truffles in every way you can have them: praline, nougat, caramel, honey and more varieties are available and sold per piece. It’s perfect for a loved one or a quick pick-me-up after a long day.

While the brand knows that the Filipino market is notorious for having a sweet tooth, the culture of pasalubong is also ingrained in our DNA, which is why they offer a variety of gifting products to choose from, ideal for special occasions or just-because moments.

Choose from heart-shaped chocolates with messages like ‘thank you,’ ‘I love you,’ or ‘happy birthday.’ Whoever you’re gifting for, they’re bound to appreciate any Swiss sweet treat from Läderach’s.

Läderach’s handcrafted chocolate creations are available from 260 chocolate shops across 30 countries. Two of their chocolateries are now in the Philippines; their debut shop is in the SM Mall of Asia and the second one has freshly opened at Greenbelt 5.

The third one is set to open at SM Megamall. The chocolate franchise is brought into the Philippines through Valiram, one of Southeast Asia’s leading luxury retailers with nearly a century of specializing in luxury retail and over 600+ stores across multiple industries.

The Department of Agriculture (DA) is proposing a gradual increase on imported pork duties as farmgate prices for local hogs continue to decline.

The DA’s proposal calls for an incremental tariff increase, starting with an initial 10-percentage-point hike on the current in-quota rate of 15 percent and the out-quota rate of 25 percent.

Duties for imported pork will result in rates of 25 percent for in-quota and 35 percent for out-quota.

The total allowable import volume for pork currently stands at 204,210 metric tons (MT), which are subject to lower tariff rates.

The agency noted that farmgate prices for live hogs decreased to P150 per kilo in August from P215 per kilo in June last year.

Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. told reporters the pork tariffs could revert to the previous rates of 30 percent for in-quota imports and 40 percent for out-quota shipments as early as next year.

Executive Order 62, which lowered tariff rates for imported pork, is set to expire in 2028.

Tiu Laurel said the phased hike in pork tariffs is meant to prevent sudden shocks to the market.

He added that the proposal has already been submitted to the Tariff Commission, noting that once the review begins, the agency has up to 200 days to impose a temporary safeguard measure.

‘Once that is triggered and depending on the situation at that time, if needed, we will do quantitative restrictions,’ Tiu Laurel said.

Quantitative restrictions are measures a country imposes to limit either its imports or exports of a specific item or commodity.

The DA is also seeking higher tariff rates on frozen pork jowls, which it says have become a major import item due to their lower duty treatment and growing competition with local pork in retail and food service.

Pork imports rose by five percent year-on-year to 602,655 MT in the January to August period, up by five percent from 573,091 MT the previous year, according to the Bureau of Animal Industry.

The Philippine Coast Guard has accused a Chinese ship of deliberately broadcasting a false location to hide its movements in the waters off Batanes.

The Chinese ship, Jia Hai Ke 7, had been holding its position in waters crossed by undersea cables, which the PCG said was consistent with an unauthorized seabed survey.

“A seabed-survey vessel hiding its position while holding station in this corridor raises serious concern over the security of the country’s undersea communications infrastructure and the potential military use of the data collected,” the PCG said in a statement.

The PCG checked the ship’s movements using Canada’s Dark Vessel Detection system. The ship’s Automatic Identification System, the transponder that broadcasts a vessel’s identity and position, showed it leaving Xiamen in China’s Fujian province past midnight on September 21.

By 8:10 p.m. that day, its signal placed it somewhere off Bindari, Papua New Guinea, more than 2,000 nautical miles away.

The PCG called the trail “physically impossible” and said the ship falsified its location to hide its movements from Philippine authorities.

A PCG monitoring station in Itbayat detected the ship. On Monday morning, a patrol plane sent by Admiral Ronnie Gil Gavan, the coast guard commandant, confirmed it was about 38 nautical miles northwest of Itbayat, inside the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.

Itbayat is the country’s northernmost municipality and is around 160 kilometers from Taiwan.

The PCG said its aircraft crew radioed the Chinese ship several times to explain its presence and stop any unauthorized activity. The ship did not respond.

Batanes sits between northern Luzon and Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its territory. In June, Chinese scholars argued that Batanes is a natural extension of Taiwan, a claim vehemently rejected by the Philippine government.

This comes days after Chinese navy and coast guard ships interfered with a Philippine resupply mission to Ayungin Shoal on September 24, an incident the United States condemned on Sunday, September 27.

The Philippines and Cyprus have signed a cooperation agreement in higher education and research.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro and Cyprus Foreign Affairs Minister Constantinos Kombos signed the Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation, which will allow both countries to strengthen their partnership and strategic collaboration in higher education, teaching, student learning and research.

The two ministers met on the sidelines of the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Wednesday to discuss prospects for further cooperation in areas of mutual interest.

During the meeting, Lazaro and Kombos reaffirmed their commitment to elevate the longstanding relations between the Philippines and Cyprus, highlighting more than 45 years of cooperation.

They discussed ways to strengthen political and economic cooperation, people-to-people exchanges and exchanged views on regional and global developments.

At the same meeting, Kombos conveyed Cyprus’ decision to endorse the Manila Declaration on Seafarers’ Human Rights, Safety and Well-being

Seeing no legal impediment in adopting various universities’ policy, the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) is open to issuing a measure recognizing students’ lived names during graduation rites.

Provided that official records will not be altered, the CHED ‘does not see any restrictions needed for this,’ Makati Rep. Monique Lagdameo said on Sept. 23.

During House deliberations on the CHED’s proposed 2027 budget, Akbayan party-list Rep. Percival Cendaña explained that lived names are important to queer people ‘as the names on their birth certificates may not be what they live with.’

Many schools have allowed the use of lived names during graduation rites, including the Ateneo de Manila University, De La Salle University, Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila, Philippine Normal University, Polytechnic University of the Philippines and University of the Philippines, Cendaña said.

Power projects totaling over 17.8 gigawatts were endorsed to the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) for system impact studies (SIS) in the first half, according to the Department of Energy.

Latest DOE data showed that 137 projects secured SIS endorsements from January to June, more than half of which were battery energy storage systems at 85.

The list also included 18 wind, 16 solar with battery storage, eight hydropower, one waste-to-energy and three biomass projects.

Also seeking grid impact assessments were one natural gas-fired, two diesel-fired and three coal-fired power projects.

The SIS determines whether the national grid has sufficient capacity to accommodate a new connection and identifies any upgrades needed, including additional transmission lines, transformers or substations.

As the country’s sole transmission operator, the NGCP is responsible for the operation, maintenance and development of the state-owned power grid.

NGCP spokesperson Cynthia Alabanza said transmission and generation planning must go hand in hand, calling for a more holistic approach to developing the country’s energy infrastructure.

‘The new generation must be located, connected and timed in coordination with transmission development. Building generation in an area where the network cannot evacuate the output creates stranded capacity,’ Alabanza said.