Category: Philippine Star

National University and Adamson tussle in a battle of revelation squads to stay in the leaderboard at the start of their UAAP Season 89 men’s basketball second-round campaign Saturday at the Blue Eagle Gym.

Both squads, parading young units after the graduation of their core, march into battle brimming with momentum and confidence from an impressive first-round run that catapulted them at the Top 3 ahead of other top contenders led by reigning champion La Salle.

But only one will carry on the tear in the crucial second phase in the main game of the double-header at 6 p.m., with the Bulldogs (5-2) sporting a handsome chance to forge a share of lead with UP (6-2).

Adamson (4-3), with a win, could a drag NU to a joint second, breaking a tie with Far Eastern University (4-3) as La Salle (4-4) and University of Santo Tomas (4-4) lurk just behind the Final Four picture in a mad dash to the finish line. Host FEU, the early leader, try stay to afloat and end a three-game skid against Ateneo (3-4) at 2:30 p.m.

NU – an 85-66 winner over Adamson in their first meeting – enter the second phase with three straight wins but coach Jeff Napa is far from satisfied, especially after finishing the elims as the No. 1 seed last season only to lose twice against eventual champion La Salle.

‘Ang mindset namin is winners set standards so ‘yun ang kailangan naming ma-address coming into the second round. We need to stay consistent,’ said Napa, who lost his core of MVP candidate Jake Figueroa, Steve Nash Enriquez and Jolo Manansala to graduation among the few.

Good thing for Napa, a new set of heroes have emerged for the Bulldogs so far spearheaded by guard Reinhard Jumamoy (72.714 points) and anchor PJ Palacielo (66.286), who finished at No. 1 and No 3 of the UAAP MVP race after the first round.

Adamson also has an MVP contender in the sixth-running Monty Montebon (60.571) but coach Nash Racela takes pride in the overall capability of his entire squad, who surged ahead after the first round as the heavy underdog capped by a 63-60 stunner of La Salle.

‘We should be happy with where we are at right now. To be honest as a coach I knew what we could do as a group, I could see our potential but I apologize to my players, they really surprised me. I wasn’t expecting to be at this point after the first round,’ said Racela.

‘But seven games is seven games. We still have seven more games so it does not really mean anything. It’s only experiential learning. We still have to through fire to learn and get better.’

The Philippine Under-15 Men’s National Football Team (PMNFT U15) steps onto the Hovsan Competition Complex in Baku, Azerbaijan, to open their campaign against Morocco in the inaugural FIFA U15 World Cup and Festival on Saturday.

The roster showcases a wide talent pool spanning from Luzon and the Visayas to North America and Europe, with Jordan Tan of Makati FC and Keanefred Cristiane Versales of De La Salle-Zobel guiding the backline in goal.

The defensive wall features Paolo Enrique Fernandez of PAREF Southridge, Juan Carlo Felipe Morales representing FA Manila and Panabo, Davao del Norte, Frank Jonas Oliverio of Makati FC and Negros Occidental, and Matthew Zamora of Arayat FC.

“Representing the Philippines at the first FIFA U15 World Cup and Festival is a milestone for these young players and for our youth program,” said Philippine Football Federation President John Anthony Gutierrez.

This historic opening match marks a monumental milestone for Philippine football, as the young squad represents the nation on the global stage in FIFA’s new fast-paced 8v8 tournament format.

“We chose a squad that combines players from our domestic clubs, schools, and regional football associations with Filipinos based abroad. We are proud of all of them, and we ask Filipino fans to support them,” said Gutierrez.

Led by head coach Roxy Dorlas, a former national team player and PMNFT U16 head coach, the team brings together homegrown prospects alongside players based in the United States and Spain.

In the midfield, dynamic playmaking duties belong to Micah Alva from Philadelphia, USA, Nathan Caligdong from the football stronghold of Barotac Nuevo, Iloilo, John Zhian Enario of FA Manila, Quito Alexander Pascual from the LA Galaxy Academy in the USA, and John Carlo Rendon representing Makati FC and Negros Occidental.

Spearheading the attack are forwards Satriani Alcantara, who plays out of Barcelona, Spain, alongside Cavite products Dan Emmanuel Becera of Trece FC and Josef Adrien Peña of La Salle-Dasmariñas.

To meet FIFA’s mandate of fielding a tight-knit 14-player roster, the Philippine Football Federation (PFF) assembled a squad that mirrors both the depth of domestic grassroots programs and the far-reaching extent of the global Filipino diaspora.

Saturday’s clash against Morocco will be the first of five demanding Group F matches for the Philippines in Baku, setting the stage for a landmark week in Philippine youth sports.

The PMNFT U15’s historic journey to Baku is made possible through the support of the Philippine Sports Commission, alongside private sector partners including Puma, Studio 300, Padel 300, and Anytime Fitness.

They return to action on Sunday, October 25, against Liberia at 6:30 p.m. and then face a quick turnaround on Monday, October 26, taking on Costa Rica at 12:45 a.m. before meeting Belize later that evening at 6:30 p.m.

Dorlas is supported by an experienced technical bench consisting of assistant coaches Tetsuya Tsuchida, who previously served as PMNFT U16 head coach, and Joseph Jino Villarino, a former PMNFT U19 international player.

Gutierrez reaffirmed full confidence in the technical staff, emphasizing their deep understanding of the players and the national development pathway.

The group stage concludes early Tuesday, October 27, with a match against Curacao at 12:45 p.m

Sta. Lucia Land Inc., the flagship property development arm of the Robles and Santos families’ Sta. Lucia Group, intends to borrow over P7 billion from local financial institutions to refinance existing loans and support its continuing expansion.

Sta. Lucia said its board approved resolutions authorizing the company to secure loans and credit facilities from various financial institutions.

These include loans of up to P4 billion from China Banking Corp. and up to P1.5 billion from BDO Unibank Inc.

The company has also been authorized to obtain a credit line facility of up to P200 million from Unicapital Finance and Investments Inc., as well as a short-term loan facility of up to P1 billion from several creditors through Unicapital Inc.

Further, the company is seeking a loan of up to P520 million from CTBC Bank (Philippines) Corp. and a credit line facility of up to P100 million from Sterling Bank of Asia.

As part of its continuing expansion, Sta. Lucia is targeting the acquisition of a parcel of land in Laguna measuring 465 square meters.

It is also working to enter into joint ventures to develop projects in Pangasinan, Laguna, Cavite and Pasig.

Sta. Lucia has earmarked P5.93 billion for capital expenditures this year to support the continued development of existing residential and commercial projects and fund new ones.

Through its investments in project development and land acquisitions, Sta. Lucia aims to become the country’s top real estate company not just in size, but also in quality projects, growth, returns and innovation.

The Department of Agriculture (DA) is looking to open export opportunities for coconut products in West Africa, following the shipment of young coconuts to Liberia.

The Philippines has shipped 50 metric tons of young coconuts to the African country, with the DA noting that this could open new opportunities for coconut products in neighboring countries.

Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. stressed the importance of market access and private-sector partnerships in making agriculture more competitive and improving farmers’ livelihoods.

‘Expanding into new international markets creates opportunities for our coconut farmers and exporters. The challenge is to turn these initial shipments into sustained demand that delivers better returns to our farmers and strengthens the Philippine coconut industry,’ he added.

The recent coconut shipment was part of a partnership between the DA and Davao City-based Avante Agri-Products Philippines Inc.

The agency said that Avante Agri-Products shipped whole green young coconuts to Monrovia, Liberia within two 40-foot refrigerated containers. The shipment has a combined free-on-board value of $22,400.

Liberia’s Ministry of Agriculture is facilitating the shipment, with CMA CGM deploying its Smart Reefer Container technology to help keep the produce fresh during transport.

The coconuts were intended to be donated to rural communities in Liberia to support feeding programs and provide household benefits.

The spirit of the late Josephine Medina lives on.

Lhey Manginsay and Wilfred Redulla paid fitting tribute to the Paralympic bronze medalist after winning silver in mixed doubles Class XD17 at the 5th Asian Para Games at Sky Hall Toyota yesterday.

‘Our last medal in the Asian Para Games was a silver from Jo in 2018,’ said national para table tennis coach Louie Eballa, referring to Medina, who passed away five years ago.

Manginsay and Redulla pushed for gold but fell to Paralympic gold medalist Zhao Shuai and Asian Para Games silver medalist Xiong Guiyan of China, 7-11, 11-9, 4-11, 6-11.

The silver not only averted a shutout in the final two days of table tennis but also evoked memories of Medina, who delivered the country’s last medal in the sport – a silver in the 2018 Jakarta Asian Para Games.

It somewhat made up for the lost bronze medal of Cyril Cloyd Ongcoy in the men’s 1500m T12/T13 earlier in the day, after the athletics jury reinstated initially disqualified Fakhriddin Khamraev of Uzbekistan.

The decision dropped the 23-year-old Ongcoy – a double gold medalist in last January’s ASEAN Para Games in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand – to fourth place. Khamraev was awarded the gold, while Jordan’s Nabeel Maqableh and India’s Sharath Makanahalli, who initially took gold and silver, settled for silver and bronze, respectively.

Former Bangsamoro parliament member Edrieza Rimbang has denied financing the recently foiled attempt to ship P3.5 billion worth of “shabu (meth)” from Laos into the Philippines.

In a nine-minute video posted on Facebook on Thursday, October 22, Rimbang denied having connived with any individual to arrange for drug shipments to enter the Philippines.

“What they are saying, that we are involved in that Laos [shipment], is not true,” he said in Filipino.

He also dismissed claims that he bankrolled the operation, pointing to his defeat in last month’s Bangsamoro parliamentary elections, which he blamed on a lack of funds. “Now they are saying I financed drugs. Where would I get the money?” he said.

Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla named Rimbang on October 16 as one of 11 persons of interest in the case, saying he was “believed to be the financier of the entire operation.”

Remulla claimed Rimbang chartered the private jet that carried the 521 kilograms of suspected methamphetamine intercepted in Laos.

The flight had first been scheduled to land at a general aviation hangar at Ninoy Aquino International Airport on September 26, but its date was moved three times, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines.

The flight manifest had deceptively declared the aircraft’s cargo as vape products.

Rimbang was among four persons of interest who did not appear before the PNP Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, along with Abdulkarim Macalatas, whom Remulla identified as the intended consignee, Abdullah Rimbang Macarimbang and Aldren Samante.

Rimbang did not say in the video whether he would honor the subpoena. He did reject social media posts claiming he had fled abroad. “I did not leave. I did not leave our country,” he said.

Nartatez said on October 16 that Rimbang was believed to be in the Philippines.

Rimbang was appointed to the Bangsamoro Transition Authority, the region’s interim parliament, by former President Rodrigo Duterte in 2019.

He ran for the Lanao del Sur 3rd district seat in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao’s first parliamentary elections on September 14 but lost to Abdul Rauf Adiong of the SIAP party.

In the video, Rimbang said he owed his appointment to the Duterte family and suggested his political ties explained why he had been named.

“Let’s not link me to Laos just because I am pro-Duterte,” he said.

Remulla has said investigators found no evidence connecting the Duterte family to the shipment, though he noted that Rimbang and the family had long been political allies who ran under the same party.

The Department of Finance (DOF) is still fine-tuning a proposed tax amnesty bill, which it aims to file with the House of Representatives within the year, according to Finance Undersecretary Rolando Ligon Jr.

‘Right now, we are fine-tuning the draft of the proposed General Tax Amnesty (GTA) bill. We still need more information to ensure the amnesty is successful. We need to address the additional taxes that we need to collect,’ Ligon told reporters.

The measure has yet to be filed in Congress, but the agency hopes to submit the bill before the end of the year, with congressional hearings expected to begin next year.

The proposed GTA is among the tax measures mentioned in President Marcos’ State of the Nation Address and identified as one of the legislative priorities.

The proposed amnesty program will cover taxes imposed under the National Internal Revenue Code and administered by the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR).

In 2019, former president Rodrigo Duterte vetoed the general tax amnesty provisions under Republic Act 11213, but retained the estate tax amnesty provisions.

Separately, Ligon said the DOF is studying a voluntary disclosure program for imported vehicles with underpaid taxes, separate from the proposed GTA.

‘This is a voluntary disclosure program (admin measure). It is therefore separate from the GTA,’ he said.

The proposed Bureau of Customs initiative would address cases involving imported vehicles with misdeclared values or underpaid taxes.

However, the measure remains in its early stages and is still being studied.

Food and beverage company RFM Corp. is staying ready for acquisition opportunities, keeping deployable cash even as it continues to reward shareholders with large amount of dividends.

RFM said its board approved a P600-million cash dividend, equivalent to approximately P0.17807 per share, which is payable on Dec. 2, 2026 to stockholders of record as of Nov. 5, 2026.

The declaration brings the company’s total cash dividends for 2026 to P1.5 billion, following three P300 million dividend tranches paid earlier in February, May and July.

‘Even as we declare this large amount of dividends, RFM is keeping dry powder for opportunities to buy new businesses,’ RFM president and chief executive officer Joey Concepcion III said.

Over the past years, Concepcion said RFM has invested in capacity expansion in its milk and bread lines and funded these capital expenditures with internal cash.

‘In addition, the ongoing multi-year upgrade and expansion in production capacity in our Selecta ice cream joint venture with The Magnum Ice Cream Co. Inc. will be financed through loans,’ he said.

Concepcion said RFM remains committed to providing shareholders with consistent cash returns while retaining sufficient financial flexibility to invest in its brands, production capabilities and long-term growth.

RFM is one of the country’s leading branded food and beverage companies, with businesses in pasta, milk, flour and ice cream.

Its portfolio includes Fiesta, Royal and Selecta Milk, while its participation in the ice cream segment is through Magnum RFM Ice Cream Inc., which markets Selecta, Magnum and Cornetto in the Philippines.

RFM generated consolidated net revenues of P16.86 billion in the first nine months, 11 percent higher than last year’s P15.23 billion. Net income grew by 10 percent to P1.38 billion.

In the third quarter alone, RFM’s net revenues rose by 17 percent year-on-year to P6.36 billion while net income expanded by 18 percent to P566 million.

RFM said growth was supported by both consumer and institutional groups, with strong sales across its consumer brands, particularly Selecta Milk.

The Department of Education (DepEd) will be including data-driven criteria to determine and prioritize areas with the most severe classroom shortages.

In a statement yesterday, Education Secretary Sonny Angara said classroom allocations must be responsive to school needs and directed toward areas facing the most severe shortages.

Angara made this assurance after the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2) issued a report on gaps in allocations for local government units (LGUs) with the highest estimated shortages, based on initial 2026 allocations.

DepEd stressed that allocation decisions will continue to weigh the severity of shortages, site readiness, project feasibility and implementation timelines.

Angara explained that in order to accelerate infrastructure delivery, DepEd is deploying a multi-pronged strategy that integrates Department of Public Works and Highways-led construction, LGU partnerships, public-private partnerships, DepEd Learning Continuity Spaces and collaborative initiatives with both government and private sector organizations.

Under the current LGU-led classroom construction initiative, allocations cover 439 LGUs, 1,955 schools and 8,777 classrooms nationwide.

Complementing these efforts, DepEd’s tripartite agreements with the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. and 48 LGUs have so far secured 576 classrooms for construction in priority communities.

To strengthen transparency and accountability, DepEd maintains oversight through regular physical and financial progress reporting, technical validation and monitoring protocols across division, regional and central office levels.

Department of Public Works and Highways Secretary Vince Dizon is a very busy man, so much so that he spent less than 20 minutes at the infrastructure forum arranged by the Economic Journalists Association of the Philippines held last Monday, Oct. 19 at the Insular Life Building along Paseo de Roxas and Ayala Avenue in Makati.

He said that he had been called to attend a meeting in Malacañang and, thus, could not stay longer and participate in the Qand A session.

The DPWH Secretary spent less than 20 minutes delivering his speech. Perhaps I should describe it as more of a long explanation as to why he has no

infrastructure plan to talk about. Instead, what we heard from him was the difficulty he faces in dealing with one of the most corrupt Philippine government departments.

President Marcos tasked him to handle the DPWH after pulling him away from the Department of Transportation where he had been assigned to replace former DOTR secretary Jaime Bautista.

Dizon had barely warmed his seat at the Transport department when he was thrust into dealing with an agency mired in the flood-control controversy.

He actually has a very good relationship with business reporters due to his previous stint in government when he was with the Bases Conversion and Development Authority Secretary Vince is supposed to get the government’s main infrastructure agency back on track with building important projects that are key to pump-priming our ailing economy.

Mind you, the EJAP Infrastructure Forum was not a spur of the moment event. It had taken months to arrange and coordinate all the speakers for an informative half-day session.

Thus, we would have expected Secretary Dizon to have prepared as well, and if something had come up at the last minute, at least assign his undersecretary or representative to do an informative presentation on what the Marcos administration plans to do in its last two years, at a crucial time when the local economy needs government to take the lead in funding economic activity through construction of vital public works and structures.

Business reporters who attended the half-day forum were expecting to hear a comprehensive briefing from the DPWH Secretary on the state of the department’s infrastructure projects, including the controversial flood control projects that have rocked the country.

We were hoping to hear about the government’s infrastructure plans and share that information with the business sector.

Unfortunately, Secretary Vince did not prepare a presentation. What he did talk about and highlight is his mission to help reform the DPWH and the difficulty of embarking on such a task.

Secretary Vince admitted that he is very much aware of criticism from the media that ‘si Secretary Vince, puro inspection, puro turo-turo…I respect that. I respect the Fourth Estate’s view that, having seen DPWH secretaries come and go, and projects not being finished… I respect that. And that is a very, very valid point.’

However, he explained that his inspections have a purpose. ‘These inspections that we have been doing, and will continue to do, are vital.’ He pointed out, ‘the culture of these departments, unfortunately, is really a culture of just leaving things as they are. There is zero sense of urgency in these departments.’

He cited, ‘a distinct engineer sees a road unfinished… bale wala….an unfinished bridge, bale wala . They don’t care. That is the prevailing culture.’

The same culture, he adds, is also present in the DOTR, ‘you go to LTO, the prevailing culture, fixers…They don’t care. ‘

But, according to Sec Vince, if the Secretary himself does not go visit the departments and personally points out what is wrong and warns them of the consequences, they won’t change.

(If the Secretary himself does not go there and says, hey, di pwe-pwede ito. Kailangan may timeline, kailangan kayo may quality control, kailangan kayo on budget…kung hindi kulong kayo. Not to mention, magnakaw kayo, kulong kayo. iI we don’t do it, di magbabago, and we’ve seen it).

On the other hand, Sec Vince said that after breathing down on their necks, after 60 or 45 days, the departments do their work. (We have seen pag pinukpok namin sila, six months matatapos, 45 days matatapos.) ‘And that is really the reason for that.’

‘But the point here is, it is absolutely necessary. And we would love to see the day where we never have to do that. When a district engineer or regional director would do that himself…for ourselves. I would love to see that day. Unfortunately, we’re not there yet… We’re not there yet. We’ll get there, I hope. Maybe when there are more people in jail…and stay in jail. But we’re not there yet.’

The DPWH, according to Sec Vince, has more than 70,000 people. ‘That’s how big this organization is. The only bigger department is probably the Department of Education. But It’s hard. It’s like, as they say, you have an oil tanker. It’s so hard to turn it. It’s so hard to turn this huge ship.’

‘It’s so hard. It’s so ingrained, its culture of apathy, walang malasakit, pagnanakaw, no sense of urgency. It’s so hard. But we have to do it slowly and we have to keep on pounding again. These are the reforms we’ve tried to do.’

Add to that he said, is the need for transparency, acknowledging complaints about the difficulty in getting information and documents about projects.

Secretary Vince proudly pointed out that he has now addressed that issue with a digital portal where the public and media can now get data and documents on projects, bidding forms and contracts, including geo-tagging information about the exact location of where the project is to enable verification.