Category: Philippine Star

Every Filipino knows Jollibee. Fewer may know that the homegrown fast-food champion, now with a global network of outlets far beyond the Philippines, also owns a piece of Hong Kong’s culinary heritage.

Its acquisition of Tim Ho Wan, the celebrated dim sum chain that made its name as one of the world’s most affordable Michelin-starred eateries, means a Filipino enterprise now stewards a beloved Hong Kong brand and carries it to markets around the world.

Further cementing this strategic tie, Jollibee recently announced plans to choose Hong Kong over the US to list its international unit, a strong testament to the city’s status as a premier global financial hub.

Alongside the couple of dozen restaurants Jollibee runs across the city, it is a neat emblem of the real relationship between the Philippines and Hong Kong. It has never been a one-way trade relationship.

It has always been a round trip: Filipino enterprise reaching through Hong Kong into the Greater Bay Area and beyond, and Chinese Mainland and Hong Kong enterprises venturing out to the Philippines and the wider ASEAN.

That circuit is now moving at an accelerated pace. Two-way merchandise trade between the Philippines and Hong Kong grew 12.9% to reach some US$15.7 billion in 2025, while services trade expanded nearly 20% to $2.4 billion.

The Philippines now ranks as Hong Kong’s 13th-largest trading partner globally and its fifth-largest within ASEAN, a partnership anchored by the ASEAN-Hong Kong, China Free Trade Agreement and Investment Agreement.

Zoom out and the same current runs across the region: ASEAN has been Hong Kong’s second-largest trading partner for sixteen straight years. What is changing is not only the strategic trajectory, but the pace of growth, and Hong Kong is deliberately re-engineering itself to carry more of it, both ways.

An established presence on the ground

Hong Kong’s commitment to ASEAN is long-established and physical. The city runs a network of Economic and Trade Offices across the region, alongside Invest Hong Kong (InvestHK), the investment promotion agency of the HKSAR Government, with teams that reach into markets including the Philippines. That presence is two-directional.

Reaching outward, InvestHK connects Hong Kong start-ups and corporates with ASEAN’s investors, tech leaders and fast-growing consumer markets. Reaching the other way, its day-to-day mandate is to guide Filipino companies into Hong Kong-connecting them to capital, sites, licensing and talent, and smoothing every step of setting up. One network, both directions: a sustained bridge sitting in the middle of the traffic rather than at either end of it.

What Hong Kong puts within reach

For a Filipino enterprise weighing that move, the first thing Hong Kong puts on the table is access to capital on a scale few places can match. The city is already Asia’s largest hedge fund centre and the world’s largest cross-border wealth management hub, expanding at a projected 9% a year, and it has just moved to widen its lead.

A landmark bill now before the legislature would exempt private equity, venture capital and other fund managers from tax on performance-linked income, and spare their managers salary tax on performance-linked bonuses, a move that would make Hong Kong the first city in the world to set out clear rules of this kind. For a Filipino champion eyeing an international raise, or a conglomerate building a regional treasury function, that concentration of capital is a deep, and accessible, pool to fund the next stage of growth.

That capital story is increasingly a family story, too. For the family-owned conglomerates that anchor so much of the Philippine economy, Hong Kong offers a purpose-built home for the family office – and it has just sweetened the terms. A landmark bill introduced in mid-2026 broadens the tax concessions for family investment vehicles managed by single family offices, widening the range of qualifying investments and giving families greater flexibility and tax certainty in how they steward wealth across generations-all backed by a dedicated FamilyOfficeHK team and a deep bench of wealth-management expertise, and all close to the heart of Asia’s growth.

A market at the doorstep

If capital is one thing a Filipino firm gains through Hong Kong, a market is the other, and this year Hong Kong built new structure to open it. InvestHK welcomed the launch of the ASEAN Chamber of Commerce (Hong Kong), founded expressly to drive two-way trade and investment between the Chinese Mainland and ASEAN. The Chamber’s very first act was telling: it took more than 100 delegates on a guided tour of the Northern Metropolis. The Northern Metropolis is where the abstract becomes physical. Stretching across roughly a third of Hong Kong’s land along the Shenzhen border, it is the “north engine” of a dual-engine economy – innovation and industry to the north, finance and professional services to the south.

For a Filipino enterprise that establishes there, it opens the door to an enormous customer base: RandD and new-industrialisation land, a cross-border innovation testbed with Shenzhen, and the Greater Bay Area’s US$2-trillion economy and 88 million consumers only minutes away. And here the rules of entry are unusual: land is awarded less on the size of the bid than on the substance of the plan – what a company will build, how quickly, how much it will invest, how many jobs it will create. For a genuine builder, it is a foothold that cannot simply be bought.

Filipino ambition heading out

With capital and market both within reach through Hong Kong, the pay-off is what a Filipino firm can then do with them, and ASEAN brands are already proving the route. In the first half of 2026, the number of ASEAN companies InvestHK helped set up or expand in Hong Kong rose by nearly 30% year on year.

“For companies across the Philippines and ASEAN, Hong Kong is far more than a market in its own right – it is the platform that connects their capital, talent and ambition to the Greater Bay Area, the Chinese Mainland and the wider world,” said Associate Director-General of Investment Promotion, Ms Loretta Lee. “What we increasingly see is two-way investment: Hong Kong’s financial and professional strengths paired with the drive of ASEAN enterprises and the growth impetus of the Belt and Road Initiative. That synergy is what turns a regional presence into a global one.”

Why the round trip matters now

That is why the Philippines is best understood not just as a destination but also as a corridor, one node in a network Hong Kong is actively widening under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

As a Belt and Road economy in its own right, the Philippines sits squarely within the framework Hong Kong was built to serve: the city is already home to around 1,400 Belt and Road companies and maintains a global network of offices spanning most of the economies along the route. What connects a Filipino firm to ASEAN through Hong Kong is the same infrastructure now reaching much further afield: in recent years Hong Kong has led high-level business missions to Central Asia, the Middle East and Africa, opening fresh channels and forging new partnerships along the way. Each mission extends the same promise – that a business anchored in Hong Kong is plugged into a genuinely global grid, not merely a regional one.

The next chapter comes home this September, when Hong Kong hosts the 11th Belt and Road Summit. It is the largest platform of its kind, gathering officials and business leaders from along the BRI route and beyond. Building on the ASEAN Pavilion that made its debut a year earlier, the Summit is where Filipino enterprises can hear the latest updates, meet project owners and investors, and test the newest opportunities first-hand.

Jollibee’s move shows how a global business can be built by using the Philippines and Hong Kong together. What is new is that the same route now runs in both directions at once – Hong Kong reaching into the Philippines through its people and presence, and Filipino enterprise reaching out to the world through Hong Kong’s capital, opportunities and expertise.

The companies that move early will set the terms for the rest. InvestHK stands ready as your on-the-ground partner, connecting you to the right capital, sites, licensing and talent, and smoothing every step of the way.

Art Arbole absorbed Jhonnel Ababa’s early charge, endured a costly back-to-back bogey stretch, then produced the biggest swing of the day on No. 15 to seize back the lead and move within 18 holes of a long-awaited Philippine Golf Tour breakthrough.

Arbole delivered a gutsy 68 for a 10-under 200 total Wednesday, overcoming bogeys on Nos. 12 and 13 with a clutch birdie on the 15th, where Ababa stumbled to a bogey after struggling with his approach. That two-shot swing turned what had been a one-shot deficit into a one-stroke lead, restoring Arbole’s momentum and putting him tantalizingly close to the title that has eluded him for 14 years in the ICTSI Negros Occidental Classic on the scorching Marapara course.

‘Medyo pressured talaga kasi first time kong mag-lead,’ said Arbole. ‘Pero focus lang talaga sa laro. Kahit nag-bogey sa Nos. 12 and 13, sinunod ko lang ang game plan ko,’ said Arbole, heaving a sigh of relief after surviving the toughest stretch of his round.

The 35-year-old had been virtually flawless for 38 holes, going bogey-free from the back nine of the opening round through No. 11 of the third round while piling up eight birdies. But his remarkable run unraveled in a hurry on Nos. 12 and 13.

He hooked his drive into the water hazard on the par-4 12th, then missed a 10-foot par putt from the bunker on the next hole.

Instead of allowing the mistakes to derail him, Arbole treated the two bogeys as something he could absorb.

‘Good bogeys na rin,’ he said.

Then came No. 15 – and the turning point of the pivotal round.

Arbole hit the shots he needed and converted his birdie chance, calling it almost a fortunate break.

‘Good tee shot, good second shot, tapos good putt. Lucky birdie,’ he said.

Ababa, meanwhile, struggled on his approach and needed extra work around the green before settling for a bogey. The result was a dramatic two-shot swing: from trailing by one with four holes remaining, Arbole suddenly led by one.

He made pars on the final three holes to preserve the advantage, even after leaving himself with birdie opportunities inside six feet on each of the last three holes.

There were no regrets.

‘Enjoy lang. Shot-by-shot lang ang atake,’ said Arbole, who knows that one more solid round could finally deliver the breakthrough he has chased since becoming a professional in 2012.

Arbole made the cut in his first professional tournament at Spendido Taal that year but finished last. Fourteen years later, he is now 18 holes away from a first PGT victory – and a potential birthday gift with his 36th birthday coming on September 29.

The one-stroke lead, however, offers little room for complacency.

Ababa stayed firmly in contention at 201 after matching Arbole’s 68, keeping the championship within his reach and setting up a final-round duel for the P448,750 winner’s purse in the P2.5-million championship organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments Inc.

More importantly for both players, the title represents unfinished business.

Arbole is chasing the breakthrough that has remained elusive throughout his career. Ababa, meanwhile, is seeking to end a two-year title drought.

‘Kailangan sa back nine maganda talaga ang driving para maka-score. Yun ang importante,’ said Ababa, who finally put his struggles on the par-5 18th behind him with a par.

His back nine, however, yielded a one-over 36, including the costly bogey on No. 15 that erased what had been an impressive front-nine 32.

Still, Ababa remained upbeat about his chances.

‘Maganda ang laro ko ngayon, especially sa irons at putting,’ he said.

He also had to contend with a cough and cold brought on by the erratic weather, prompting him to skip his usual post-round range and putting session and head straight home to rest.

‘Siguro kailangan ko talaga ng pahinga. Pahinga lang muna. Baka swertehin bukas,’ he said.

Luck, however, may only be a small part of the equation in what promises to be a tense final round. With just one stroke separating Arbole and Ababa, every drive, approach and putt could prove decisive on a Marapara layout that has repeatedly shown how quickly fortunes can change.

Jeffren Lumbo remained in third at six-under 204 after a 69, four shots off the pace but still within striking distance on a course where no lead has appeared entirely safe.

Defending back-to-back champion Rupert Zaragosa carded a 67 to tie Zanieboy Gialon, who fired the day’s best round of 65, at 205. Clyde Mondilla and Randy Garalde matched 69s for joint sixth at 207.

Aidric Chan shot a 67 to join Josh Jorge, who carded a 70, and Guido van der Valk, who slipped to a 73, at 208.

Angelo Que, the recent Summit Point leg winner and reigning Order of Merit champion, faltered with a double-bogey on No. 7 and struggled to recover on the back nine, closing with two bogeys against a lone birdie for a 71. The stumble left him tied for 21st at 213, 13 strokes off Arbole, effectively ending his title hopes.

But all eyes will be on Arbole and Ababa in the final round, with the former carrying not just a one-shot lead but the weight of a14-year wait

The upcoming initial public offering of GCash’s parent company is being seen as a potential economic catalyst for broader participation.

With Mynt Inc.’s. IPO expected to be the largest, this has the potential to attract foreign direct investments, a much-needed boost to lift the country’s economy, with regulators and government officials pointing to its possible impact on trading activity, retail investment and the digital economy.

Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chairman Francis Lim said he is ‘fervently hoping’ that the GCash IPO will help generate gains for the country’s capital market.

‘[We are] fervently hoping that GCash’s IPO will be a catalyst, especially for our capital market,’ Lim said.

The Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE), meanwhile, has expressed optimism that the landmark listing could boost trading activity and attract more retail investors, particularly as subscriptions to the IPO will be accessible through GStocks, GCash’s stock-trading platform.

PSE President and Chief Executive Officer Ramon Monzon said he is ‘optimistic’ that the debut will drive strong market activity ahead of the fourth quarter and result in a significant increase in new retail investors.

‘I am optimistic that this debut will drive strong market activity ahead of Q4. We expect to see a significant uptick in new retail investors,’ Monzon said in a media interview last week.

Trade Secretary Ma. Cristina Roque also said the wider use of GCash and digital-payment platforms could help micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) expand their market reach, particularly through e-commerce.

‘Companies like GCash and digital payments will really help MSMEs grow, as it will become easy for them to sell their products, especially on e-commerce platforms,’ Roque said.

She added that digital payments could make it easier for MSMEs to reach and transact with customers in far-flung areas, allowing small businesses to participate more actively in the digital economy.

The PSE approved Mynt’s listing application on September 18, moving the company closer to what is expected to become one of the largest IPOs in Philippine history.

Ayala Corp. and Globe Telecom Inc., in separate statements, said Mynt received the PSE’s Notice of Approval on September 17 for its listing application covering up to 8.03 billion common shares, with an overallotment option of up to 1.20 billion additional secondary common shares.

The PSE approval came less than two weeks after Mynt received a pre-effective letter from the SEC for its proposed IPO.

Mynt’s planned offering carries a maximum indicative price of P10 per share and could generate gross proceeds of up to P92.32 billion if the overallotment option is fully exercised, potentially making the GCash listing one of the largest IPOs in Philippine history.

The final offer price, however, will be determined through the book-building and price-discovery process, with the public offering scheduled for October 6-12 and the tentative PSE listing slated October 20.

The Philippines is ‘developing options’ to address the ramming of a Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) vessel by a China Coast Guard (CCG) ship last Friday off Palawan, Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro said.

‘This definitely needs to be addressed and we’ll be talking with the National Security Adviser and the National Maritime Council,’ Teodoro said in an interview on the sidelines of the ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting-Plus Experts’ Working Group on Maritime Security’s Joint Cooperative Activity and Future Leaders’ Program in Olongapo City, Zambales on Monday.

‘This is an unarmed vessel, a BFAR vessel. There’s no rhyme, no reason,’ he said, referring to the BRP Datu Magat Salamat.

‘It’s not merely a violation of maritime rules and regulations, but a criminal act by Chinese Coast Guard. So, we will be addressing that. I’m not going to talk about specifics now, but definitely… our personnel are already developing options for addressing this,’ he said.

Asked about some Filipinos defending the CCG’s action against the BFAR vessel, Teodoro said ‘that is not acceptable, and a betrayal of the Republic of the Philippines.’

In an interview with ‘Storycon’ on One News, Philippine Coast Guard spokesman for the West Philippine Sea Rear Admiral Jay Tarriela said it was the first recorded case of a Chinese ship deliberately ramming an unarmed civilian Philippine vessel.

‘This is the first time that we have documented a China Coast Guard vessel aggressively ramming a government vessel from the Philippines that is unarmed, civilian and conducting a humanitarian mission,’ Tarriela said.

‘It is only 54 nautical miles from Palawan. That is what is surprising about this particular incident,’ he said. ‘They were really caught by surprise. They were not prepared for this intentional ramming.’

He said it would be illogical for the smaller BFAR vessel to intentionally put itself in the path of a much larger Chinese ship.

‘I do not think that vessel would intentionally ram itself because its ship is small compared with the Chinese vessel. It would sink,’ he said.

Tarriela said he is not authorized to disclose details of any proposed government response but stressed he is in favor of strengthening the country’s maritime capabilities.

‘What we need are more Coast Guard assets and more BFAR assets,’ he said.

‘China wants new world media order’

In its latest ‘Propaganda Monitor’ released on Monday, the Reporters Without Borders (RSF) meanwhile has warned of China’s worldwide campaign to shape the media to advance its political and economic interests.

The RSF said Chinese leader Xi Jinping has pursued since 2013 a ‘new world media order’ designed to promote Beijing’s narrative while suppressing reporting that challenges the Chinese government.

The group says the campaign uses everything from media partnerships and foreign-language broadcasting to pursue its goals.

The RSF cited Beijing’s content-sharing deals with foreign broadcasters, funding and equipment for local newsrooms, recruitment of diaspora media, government-backed journalist training and fully funded trips to China.

It also pointed to Chinese embassies’ alleged efforts to discredit or intimidate journalists investigating Beijing’s influence – including cases in the Philippines.

The report also highlights the expanding role of Chinese state media like CGTN and Xinhua which operate in 160 countries. Chinese state-linked institutions, meanwhile, increasingly court YouTubers, TikTok creators and other influencers to reach younger audiences.

Beijing has also targeted independent and diaspora journalists overseas, including those in Uyghur as well as Hong Kong journalists based in the United States and the United Kingdom. With its arrest and detention of 120 news professionals, China can be considered the world’s leading jailer of journalists, according to RSF.

It also warned that China’s information strategy increasingly intersects with other authoritarian governments. Chinese state media organizations such as CGTN, for instance, have amplified material from Russian state outlets including RT and Sputnik, including coverage surrounding Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Such cooperation could help authoritarian governments expand their influence over the global information environment, according to RSF.

The government wants fare increases to be a “last resort” as it looks for other ways to shield drivers and transport operators from soaring fuel prices without passing the burden on to commuters, the Department of Transportation said.

In a statement read by Palace Press Officer Claire Castro on Tuesday, September 22, Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez said the government is still exploring other forms of assistance before considering higher fares.

“Pinipiga pa muna natin ang gobyerno kung ano pang pwedeng gawin para makatulong sa mga tsuper at transport operators na hindi ipasa sa mga commuters ang pasanin,” Lopez said.

(“We are exhausting what else the government can do to help drivers and transport operators without passing the burden on to commuters.”)

“Kung pagtaas ng pamasahe ay sana maging last resort natin,” he added. (“If fares have to be increased, we hope that will be our last resort.”)

Transport groups and provincial bus operators have renewed calls for fare increases as pump prices posted their third major hike in September.

This week alone, diesel prices rose by P8.82 per liter, gasoline by P4.88 and kerosene by P6.47.

Several provincial bus operators said in a joint statement Tuesday that fuel now accounts for about 45% to 60% of their total operating costs.

Transport group PISTON, meanwhile, has announced a nationwide transport strike on September 29 and 30 to press the government to act on rising fuel prices. Among its demands are higher fares and the suspension of taxes on petroleum products.

The DOTr said it is focusing on fuel subsidies and other measures aimed at reducing costs for drivers, operators and commuters.

These include toll exemptions for provincial buses and an extension until the end of the year of terminal fee waivers for public utility vehicles using the Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange.

The government also cited the waiver of monthly terminal fees at 86 SM public transport terminals nationwide, 50% discounts on MRT-3 and LRT-2 fares and “Libreng Sakay” programs implemented by various government agencies.

Separately, Castro said the Development Budget Coordination Committee is expected to complete within the week its recommendation on the possible suspension or reduction of excise taxes on fuel products.

“Siguro most probably by this week ay mabibigay na po nila sa pangulo,” Castro said. (“Most probably, they will be able to submit it to the President by this week.”)

There was a championship feel in the St. Benilde-Jose Rizal U duel.

It was evident by how the two battled, shot after shot, possession after possession.

But in the end, it was the Bombers who made things happen when it mattered most as they turned back the Blazers, 73-69, yesterday in a duel between the Group A leaders in NCAA Season 102 at the Filoil Center.

Spitfire guard Lawrence Mangubat took charge late while Chris Hubilla did the heavy lifting in defense in helping snare JRU the solo lead with a pristine 2-0 record while sending CSB sprawling to second with a 2-1 mark after occupying the pedestal for a brief time.

In Group B action, Arellano U outlasted Emilio Aguinaldo, 91-87, to catch up on Letran on top with a 2-0 card. The Generals sputtered to 0-2.

Alex Eala is on track for another recognition before she plunges back to action closer to home at the start of her Asian swing Thursday in Singapore and the Asian Games next week in Japan.

Eala, as one of the tour leg winners in the just-concluded North American hardcourt swing, headlines the race in the ‘Star of the Swing’ poll by the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) as the season shifts to Asia.

The 21-year-old Filipina, ranked No. 18 in the world, has a whopping 78%of over 5,000 votes as of writing time for a runaway lead over seven other candidates.

Eala qualified in the ‘Star of the Swing’ on the grand hard courts of North America after winning her maiden WTA Tour title in the WTA500 Mubadala Citi D.C. Open in Washington last month with a 4-6, 6-4, 6-0 comeback victory over home bet Jessica Pegula.

She also netted her biggest career seeding at No. 29 in the US Open, where she made it to the third round.

Newly minted US Open champion and world No.1. Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan follows suit at 16% while Canada Open winner Iga Swiatek of Poland (WTA No. 9) is at 3%.

Other candidates include US Open runner-up Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus (No. 2), Cincinnati winner Coco Gauff of USA (No.4), Monterey winner Diane Parry of France (No. 30) and Guadalajara winner Iva Jovic of USA (No. 13).

Completing the list is the World No. 1 pair of Katerina Siniakova of Czechia and Taylor Townsend of USA, who ruled the US Open to complete a career Grand Slam after previously winning the 2024 Wimbledon, 2025 Australian Open and 2026 French Open.

Last July, Eala also earned the ‘Star of the Swing’ for the grass-court season in Europe after a WTA125 title in Birmingham and a Round of 16-finish in Wimbledon with 89% of the total votes. She bested Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova (7%) and runner-up Karolina Muchova (3%), both from Czechia.

Eala is hoping to carry on that momentum into the Asian swing, beginning with a Round 2 duel against No. 180 Tatiana Prozorova in the WTA500 Singapore Open Thursday at the OCBC Arena.

Court designation and game time are still to be announced, with the lefty ace gaining a first-round bye and extra days off as the No. 3 seed.

Eala is looking to settle some unfinished business in Singapore after a 6-3, 6-2 loss to Simona Waltert of Switzerland in the qualifying round last year when she was still outside the Top 100.

It’s also part of her preparation for the Asiad from September 27 to October 2 in Nagoya, with hopes of improving on her two bronze medals in women’s and mixed doubles events in the 2023 Hangzhou Games.

Listed in the women’s singles and women’s doubles, Eala is the Asiad title favorite as the highest-ranked WTA player and especially with the absence of reigning gold medalist Zheng Qinwen of China.

Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano failed Wednesday to stop the Senate impeachment court from voting on whether to revise the 16-vote threshold for convicting Vice President Sara Duterte.

Senator-judges voted 13-6, with one abstention, to reject Cayetano’s challenge and allow the threshold question to proceed.

‘With 13 affirmative votes, six negative votes, one abstention, the appeal is lost,’ Presiding Officer Chiz Escudero said.

The vote was not yet a decision on how many votes would be required to convict Duterte. Instead, it settled Cayetano’s attempt to prevent the impeachment court from taking up the threshold question at all.

Cayetano had raised a point of order arguing that the issue should have been settled at the start of the trial because it involved the court’s jurisdiction.

He urged the impeachment court to leave the constitutional question to the Supreme Court rather than reinterpret the threshold midway through the proceedings.

Cayetano warned that changing the number of senators used as the base for computing the two-thirds requirement could produce the equivalent of a ‘mistrial.’

He and Sen. Pia Cayetano had also said they would not participate in a vote on the threshold itself because they believe the Supreme Court should resolve the issue.

Escudero rejected that position and allowed the impeachment court to decide whether Sen. Erwin Tulfo’s motion to reconsider the threshold should proceed.

Thirteen of the 20 senator-judges present backed Escudero’s ruling.

Threshold question still alive

Still before the impeachment court is Tulfo’s bid to exclude four senators who have been absent from the trial from the base used to calculate the two-thirds vote required for conviction.

Escudero had ruled at the opening of the trial that 16 votes were needed to convict Duterte, interpreting the Constitution’s requirement of ‘two-thirds of all the Members of the Senate’ as referring to the chamber’s full 24-member roster.

Tulfo’s motion asks the court to reconsider that interpretation in light of senators who are not participating in the proceedings.

If the court adopts a smaller denominator, the number of votes required for conviction could also fall.

The senator-judges are now expected to vote separately on that question.

The impeachment court had set Sept. 23 for oral arguments and deliberation on the disputed threshold after hearing differing interpretations from retired Supreme Court justices invited as amici curiae, or friends of the court.

The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the Department of Education (DepEd) are expected to formalize an agreement on deploying “visible patrols” inside public schools following a series of school shooting incidents this year.

Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said in a press briefing on Tuesday, September 22, that a memorandum of agreement between the two agencies is set to be released by next week regarding the proposed safety protocol.

These “visible patrols,” according to Castro, may be composed of barangay security officers, particularly women, to monitor situations inside the schools.

‘Sila po [DILG] ay magkakaroon ng memorandum of agreement or pagkakasundo ng DepEd tungkol sa kanilang suhestiyon na magkaroon ng mga bantay sa loob ng paaralan na maaari ay mga tanod, lalong-lalo na mga kababaihan,’

(The DILG will have a memorandum of agreement with DepEd about their suggestion to have lookouts inside the school, which could be barangay security officers, especially women.)

The proposed security officer, Castro said, is currently under review.

‘Very disturbing’ situation

Meanwhile, Castro said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has learned about the incident and directed immediate action on what he called a ‘very disturbing’ situation.

According to Castro, Marcos read the alleged letter written by the 16-year-old Grade 9 student who shot 10 of his classmates, killing three, including himself.

‘So nung nabasa ng pangulo ‘yung hindi umanong sulat nung nagsagawa nito, ang sabi ng Pangulo ay very disturbing at hindi ito normal na pangyayari,’ Castro said. ‘Kakaiba siya, hindi siya ordinaryo. So kailangan talagang aksyunan.’

(So, when the president read the alleged letter of the suspect, the president said it was very disturbing and that it was not a normal event. It is unusual; it is not ordinary. So it needs to be acted upon.)

In response, aside from the proposed security protocol by the DILG and DepEd, Castro said the Department of Social Welfare and Development is currently conducting parenting services to guide families on raising children.

The DSWD is also conducting trauma-informed care to help school personnel recognize concerning behaviors among students, according to Castro.

In a span of four months, three school shooting incidents took place one after the other, with no less than teenage students as the armed shooters.

Last June 22, two students in San Jose National High School in Leyte went on a shooting spree that killed three schoolmates and left several others injured.

Police reported one of the shooters was a 14-year-old student who played online multiplayer game, Gorebox. According to its Google Play listing, it is a game where players can ‘obliterate anything [they] desire’ and ‘engage in brutal combat with an extensive arsenal of weapons and explosives.’

On August 18 this year, a shooting incident occurred at the junior high school building of the Ateneo de Zamboanga University in Zamboanga City. Three students were killed, including the Grade-8 student shooter, while 20 others were injured. Police probers discovered the student shooter visited several websites promoting nihilism.

The latest incident of school violence took place at the Banga National High School in South Cotabato where a 16-year-old Grade 9 student shot at 10 of his schoolmates last Friday (Sept.18). Two of his fellow students were killed and eight other schoolmates were wounded. Initial investigation showed the shooter-student allegedly watched and followed True Crime Community websites that purportedly tends to normalize violence.

While one of the shooting incidents was perpetrated by a student who was hooked on a violent online game, there are no scientific studies to show a direct link between video games and violent behavior. Although, there have been a spurt of school-shooting incidents, our government officials must not resort to knee-jerk reactive measures.

The Department of Education (DepEd) announced last Monday it will add another layer of school security – ‘digital safety.’ In a statement, DepEd Secretary Sonny Angara cited the government has already implemented several physical measures to beef up the security in schools, in response to the recent incidents of school violence.

The DepEd ‘digital safety’ campaign intends, Angara cited, to provide practical and age-appropriate guidance on safe chatting and online behavior, grooming and online child exploitation, cyberbullying and online harassment, privacy, scams and protecting personal information.

‘We need to give children, parents and teachers the knowledge and tools to navigate these spaces safely,’ the DepEd Secretary pointed out. Angara vows to work with the Department of Information and Communications Technology, Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), among other government agencies, to immediately pilot-test the ‘digital safety’ campaign in selected schools.

There is no one-size-fits-all solution to previously rare school-shooting occurrence in our country.

Officials, namely DILG Secretary Jonvic Remulla, were quick to point to nihilistic websites as having largely brainwashed these students to shoot guns at people as the quick solution to their school problems. Many of our government authorities blame the negligence of these platform operators to filter these so-called ‘nihilist websites’ from being accessed by youngsters whose minds are most vulnerable to its deadly influences.

Information and Communications Secretary Henry Aguda would rather subject tech giants such as Meta Platforms Inc. to get a legislative franchise before they can offer digital platforms, such as Facebook and Messenger, to Filipinos. Aguda favors the imposition of stricter rules on the entry of online platforms in the Philippines in the wake of these tragic events.

In particular, Aguda reportedly supports instead proposed House Bill 4786, or the Social Media Platform Franchise Act pending at the 20th Congress. HB 4786 treats social media sites like Facebook as broadcasting channels. It seeks to mandate digital platforms to establish a local office with a designated country representative and create a grievance redress system accessible to Filipinos.

There is a consolidated House Bill authored by Speaker Faustino Dy III titled ‘Establishing Safety Standards and Regulatory Measures for the Protection of Children on Social Media and Online Gaming Platforms.’ But Dy’s HB is seeking to impose a blanket prohibition instead of risk-based regulation.

Can this be implemented reliably across platforms without creating easy workarounds or simply pushing minors toward less-regulated services? Does enforcing feature-level prohibitions create pressure for platforms to collect or infer more age-related information about every user? Is Congress establishing the substantive rule clearly enough?

From the initial information about this bill, livestreaming, endless scrolling and short-form video are categorically prohibited, while other potentially compulsive features merely require safeguards. Section 19 (h) of this bill targets the mechanism – livestreaming or short-form video – not whether the underlying content is harmful. Platforms must disable these functions for identified child accounts.

Should a 17-year-old and a 13-year-old automatically face exactly the same prohibition on these features? Where is the developmental distinction? Is a categorical feature ban consistent with the bill’s own commitment to proportionate and age-appropriate regulation?

On the other hand, the Senate approved last Monday on third and final reading the proposed Comprehensive School Safety Act under Senate Bill 2426. Authored by Senate President Win Gatchalian, the approved measure reflects his previous proposal to ban the use of mobile devices and portable electronic gadgets within school premises during instructional hours. It could be a much more practical step toward strengthening school safety amid escalating violent incidents involving learners.

There are other separate proposed legislative measures at the Senate and also counterpart bills at the Lower House seeking to impose restrictions in accessing Facebook and other platforms popular to the so-called Millennials and GenZ populace. Our lawmakers are apparently trying to outdo their counterparts in the European Union (EU).

This was after the European Commission had adopted the ‘Keeping Internet Digital Spaces Accountable and Trustworthy’ Act, or KIDS Act for short. It prohibits children under the age of 13 from having a social media account, and sets an EU-wide minimum age for minors to open an account of their own at the age of 15. Service providers operating in 27 EU member states will have to show that their services are age-appropriate and safe by design.

In our situation here, the immediate must-do is remove the bad websites to keep safe cyberspace for our kids’ tech access.