Category: Philippine Star

The Hotel, Resort and Restaurant Association of Cebu Inc. (HRRACI) has named more than 60 finalists for its 2026 Cebu Tourism and Hospitality Awards, spotlighting workers, educators and industry initiatives shaping the province’s tourism economy.

The awards span eight categories, covering frontline and back-of-house employees, supervisors and managers, as well as hospitality educators, sustainability programs and marketing campaigns.

The annual awards come as Cebu’s tourism industry continues to focus on service quality, workforce development and sustainability amid a more competitive regional tourism market.

Hotel and resort employees account for the largest share of finalists, with properties across Cebu and Mactan represented.

In the ‘Front of the House Employee of the Year’ category, finalists include Trisha Marielle C. Abellana of Savoy Hotel Mactan Newtown; Kyle Francis B. Alivio of Seda Ayala Center Cebu; Razel C. Bejagan of Seda Central Bloc Cebu; Marjorie C. Booc of bai Hotel Cebu; Argen Marie C. Catubig of Tambuli Seaside Resort and Spa; Shaun Andrei P. Del Socorro of NUSTAR Resort Cebu; Marc Jay G. Delos Reyes of The Reef Island Resort Mactan; Quimquim Clau P. Dimol of Mövenpick Hotel Mactan Island Cebu; John Andrew A. Gabales of Club Serena Resort; Ericka Zhane S. Gonzaga of Crimson Resort and Spa Mactan; and Cleford O. Maguate of Radisson Blu Cebu.

The ‘Heart of the House Employee of the Year’ category recognizes workers in operational roles that are largely outside guest-facing areas.

Finalists are Khenjee Alinsenorin and Barbara Caumeran of NUSTAR Resort Cebu; Godofredo H. Canene Jr. of Savoy Hotel Mactan Newtown; Patricio B. Cuizon Jr. of Montebello Hotel Cebu; Ivy C. Icoy of The Reef Island Resort Mactan; Rosalinda L. Manliguez of Crimson Resort and Spa Mactan; Leonard P. Maybituin of Seda Central Bloc Cebu; Janna Rae D. Nabua of Mercure Mactan Cebu; Cherelyn M. Reomalos of Tambuli Seaside Resort and Spa; and Gil I. Sumipo Jr. of Radisson Blu Cebu.

For ‘Supervisor of the Year,’ the finalists are Cecil Odilon H. Arce of Seda Ayala Center Cebu; Sheen I. Carmelotes of Savoy Hotel Mactan Newtown; Van Clinton A. Carvajal of Seda Central Bloc Cebu; Dave Clark P. Gandionco of Quest Hotel and Conference Center Cebu; Nikko L. Gasalatan of Marina Seaview Restaurant; Wende Ann D. Gumilao of The Reef Island Resort Mactan; Randy C. Lagas of Waterfront Cebu City Hotel; Roderick D. Manligues of bai Hotel Cebu; John Claudi Nono and Romeo C. Tura Jr. of NUSTAR Resort Cebu; Jessica Jean A. Quimzon of Seda Ayala Center Cebu; and Ramonita C. Samillano of Radisson Blu Cebu.

The ‘Manager of the Year’ category includes Maria Carriessa Anne D. Banting of Radisson Blu Cebu; Robert Conrad M. Bañez of Sheraton Cebu Mactan Resort; Ariel C. Caintic of Bluewater Maribago Beach Resort; Kayla Marie M. Catipay of Crimson Resort and Spa Mactan; Venus D. Ferrolino of bai Hotel Cebu; Edmar L. Malaca of Seda Ayala Center Cebu; Ofelia O. Paras and Eric Christopher Villamor of One Tectona Hotel; Grethel Carmel M. Polloso of Savoy Hotel Mactan Newtown; Arnel G. Potot of Mövenpick Hotel Mactan Island Cebu; Ronnie Martin A. Rebolledo Jr. of NUSTAR Resort Cebu; Raymart Jerico R. Revillas of Mercure Mactan Cebu; and Michel Angelo C. Tablon of Tambuli Seaside Resort and Spa.

Education, sustainability and marketing

The awards also recognize the role of education in building Cebu’s tourism workforce.

Finalists for ‘Hospitality and Tourism Educator of the Year,’ are Nemesia W. Devero of the University of Cebu Lapu-Lapu and Mandaue; Russel D. Tadena of Consolatrix College of Toledo City Inc.; and Lilibeth C. Ygonia of the University of Cebu-Main Campus.

The ‘Sustainability Champion of the Year,’ finalists are ‘Dusit Tree of Life’ by Dusit Thani Mactan Cebu; ‘Growing with Purpose’ by La Joya Farm Resort and Spa; ‘Skills Behind Walls’ by Radisson Blu Cebu; and ‘A Perfect Circle: Transforming Hospitality Waste Into Community Happiness’ by Savoy Hotel Mactan Newtown.

Finalists for ‘Best Marketing Campaign of the Year include ‘Pink Power’ by bai Hotel Cebu; ‘LIKHA: A Journey Beyond Wine, Culinary, and Arts’ by Mercure Mactan Cebu; ‘NUSTAR Dragon Boat Regatta: Advancing Cebu’s Sports Tourism Story’ and ‘WOVEN: 4 Years of Elevated Moments’ by NUSTAR Resort Cebu; ‘The Bloc Collective: A Lokal Pop-up’ by Seda Central Bloc Cebu; and ‘#BookDirect’ by Tambuli Seaside Resort and Spa.

The awards emphasize an industry increasingly measuring competitiveness not only through visitor arrivals and hotel occupancy, but also through service standards, workforce capability, sustainability and the ability of hospitality businesses to create distinctive experiences As commercial fleet demand grows: Michelin expands Phl distribution network

The Philippines succumbed to 19th seed Spain, 1-3, in the women’s division and host Uzbekistan 2, 1.5-2.5, in the men’s side as it failed to barge into the top 10 after five rounds of the 46th World Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, Uzbekistan Sunday night.

Woman International Master Jan Jodilyn Fronda-Grafil was the lone shining light for the Filipinas as she stunned IM Ann Matnadze on board three to avert a shutout after Woman Grandmaster Janelle Mae Frayna, WIM Ruelle Canino and Woman FIDE Master Shania Mae Mendoza all suffered crushing defeats on boards one, two and four.

Fronda-Grafil remained the highest scorer for the team with 4.5 points out of the possible five and, if she can sustain it, she will get an opportunity to contend for an individual medal at board four.

The Filipinos had the chance to escape with a 2-2 draw after IM Pau Bersamina, GM Daniel Quizon and IM Jem Garcia drew on boards two to four and IM Michael Concio Jr. looked headed into a split versus GM Abdimalik Abdisalimov on top board.

But Concio blundered away his chances in a rook versus bishop-and-knight endgame and fell in 73 moves in their English encounter.

The stinging defeats sent the men’s squad into a tie for 46th and the women’s side into a logjam at 36th, both with six match points each.

For several years now, the Second Congressional Commission on Education or EDCOM 2 has been raising the need for more guidance counselors in public schools.

As of August 2024, public elementary and secondary schools lacked some 5,000 guidance counselors, according to EDCOM 2.

At the time, bullying in schools was already recognized as a key problem in the dismal performance of Filipino 15-year-old students in the Program for International Student Assessment or PISA.

Guidance counselors must pass a professional licensure exam and have a master’s degree in guidance counseling.

Education Secretary Sonny Angara wanted the requirement for a master’s degree removed. First of all because only a handful of higher education institutions offer this course, and second because the additional costs of obtaining a master’s degree compared to the starting salaries and challenges of the job may deter youths from pursuing such a career.

But in July this year, the Civil Service Commission reaffirmed the requirement for a master’s degree for guidance counselors, and a bachelor’s degree for school counselor associates. Both need civil service eligibility.

The Department of Education is hiring more school counselor associates, but this requires funding. It’s unclear if DepEd, whose budget proposal for 2027 is lower by over P39 billion from its 2026 outlay, will get the necessary funds for mental wellness.

PISA administrators had previously described the Philippines as the ‘bullying capital’ of the world. Based on the results of the PISA in 2025, the Philippines improved to third place, ranking behind Rwanda and Kenya, which participated for the first time in the PISA.

But the Philippines could regain the dubious distinction as the bullying capital following the killings of students by their schoolmates mostly inside schools using guns and knives in separate incidents since 2025.

While the killers in some of these incidents appeared to have been the bullies rather than the bullied, their impact on the mental health of the students in the schools could affect academic performance.

At the same time, the suspects obviously had serious mental health problems, with the shooters in the two most recent cases killing themselves.

The shooting rampages have emphasized the importance of timely psychological intervention that might have helped prevent the tragedies. But where are the mental health professionals who can provide such interventions?

In many public schools, teachers double as counselors, but mental health professionals obviously have specialized training that teachers lack.

Addressing extreme violence among youths requires multiple approaches, but one of the key elements is mental health intervention. Officials need to do more to address this lack of mental health professionals in schools.

Yuen Verbruggen saved his biggest burst of speed for last, surging past Jerald Federiso in a frenetic closing run to capture the overall Sunrise Sprint crown in the Damosa Land 5150 Triathlon in Davao del Norte.

Verbruggen stayed within striking distance of Federiso through the 750-meter open-water swim and 20-km bike leg before unleashing a powerful finishing kick over the 5-km run to clock 1:11:31.

Federiso had the early advantage, posting faster splits of 13:46 and 33:48 in the first two legs. But Verbruggen proved too quick in the run, where his 20:15 was more than a minute better than Federiso’s 21:18, allowing him to secure the overall victory by 40 seconds.

Federiso settled for second in 1:12:11, while John Carl Lim completed the podium in 1:12:49.

In the women’s division, Alessandra Aquino dominated the field to claim the overall and 18-24 titles in 1:26:01. She posted splits of 14:42 in the swim, 42:18 on the bike and 25:17 in the run, finishing well ahead of Andrea Cui (1:29:38) and Keena Clarke (1:46:58).

VST ECS Phils., Inc., the country’s leading ICT distributor, is expanding its enterprise technology portfolio through a new partnership with Akamai Technologies, the cloud and security company that powers and protects businesses online.

The appointment strengthens VST ECS’s portfolio with advanced cybersecurity and cloud capabilities, giving its channel partners and customers broader access to enterprise-grade digital protection solutions.

As organizations across the Philippines become increasingly dependent on cloud environments, digital platforms, APIs and connected applications, cybersecurity has become a critical business priority.

Through this partnership, VST ECS now offers Akamai’s security solutions-including application and API security, DDoS protection, Zero Trust security, microsegmentation, bot protection, DNS security and cloud security-as part of its expanded enterprise solutions portfolio.

This addition allows VST ECS to support a wider range of industries: helping banks and financial institutions protect digital banking platforms and APIs, enabling retail and e-commerce businesses to safeguard online transactions and manage malicious bot activity, and strengthening the resilience of citizen-facing digital services for government and public-sector organizations.

For enterprises operating hybrid and multicloud environments-including BPOs, telecommunications companies, and healthcare organizations-VST ECS can now also offer Zero Trust and microsegmentation capabilities that help strengthen access controls and limit the movement of threats across critical systems.

“Cybersecurity has become a fundamental business priority as organizations become increasingly dependent on digital platforms, cloud environments, and connected applications,” said Jimmy Go, president and CEO of VST ECS Phils. Inc.

“Our partnership with Akamai gives our customers and partners access to technologies that can help protect critical digital assets, strengthen cyber resilience, and support the secure growth of their businesses,’ Go added.

Through this appointment, Akamai’s portfolio of cybersecurity solutions becomes more accessible to organizations across the country, leveraging VST ECS’s expansive and highly diversified channel ecosystem.

“Strengthening our partnership with VST ECS in the Philippines as we continue to expand Akamai’s reach and support for customers and partners is important,” said Gordon Woo, regional sales director, Akamai Technologies.

“With organizations facing an increasingly complex security landscape, our channel ecosystem plays an important role in helping customers protect their applications, APIs, infrastructure, and digital experiences. Together with VST ECS, we look forward to enabling our partners with the technology, expertise and support they need to address these evolving customer requirements and create new opportunities for growth.”

The partnership reflects VST ECS’s continued expansion of its enterprise portfolio to help organizations secure, build, and scale their digital operations, while reinforcing Akamai’s commitment to supporting the resilience and performance today’s connected environments require.

To learn more about VST ECS’s expanded cybersecurity offerings and how the Akamai partnership can support your organization’s digital security needs, contact Ven Mabanglo, Product Manager

Another major oil price hike hits consumers today, a week after we endured a price spike. The forecast for this vital commodity is discouraging.

The sharp rise in global oil prices could be the front act for an even more serious problem. There might not be enough oil supply to meet the needs of the world’s economies.

According to a report by global bank JP Morgan, world oil inventories are projected to hit their operational floor this month if the Strait of Hormuz remains constricted. Below this level, pipelines cannot maintain pressure and refineries could start failing.

Should refineries fail, the ability to refine oil into usable products will be impaired. Even if Hormuz fully opens, refineries may have to be rehabilitated. The disruption could last longer. Everything becomes an engineering problem, not only a geopolitical one.

In the weeks after the US attack on Iran, governments tried to manage the movement of oil prices by drawing on their strategic petroleum reserves. The drawdown has been such that the reserves are now exhausted. Without the reserves, there is no way the price shocks could be cushioned. This is the reason oil prices are spiking everywhere.

The worse news is that the geopolitical factors causing the oil crisis are getting more severe. Oil deliveries are not only restricted at the Strait of Hormuz. Deliveries through the Red Sea could be blocked at the Bab al-Mandab strait. Houthi forces, allied with Iran, have launched a surprise offensive that extended their control over Yemen’s coastal areas adjacent to the vital strait.

The Houthi offensive now gives the group better ability to harass commercial shipping. The group managed to attack Saudi oil pipelines, including the east-west pipeline that provided an alternative to shipping oil out of the Persian Gulf.

US forces in the region have yet to participate in pushing back the Houthi offensive despite urgent request to do so from Saudi Arabia. There is talk of an arrangement between the US and the Houthis for the former to desist from attacking the latter in exchange for guarantees American commercial shipping will not be attacked.

Saudi Arabia is in obvious peril. The ruling family there avoided building a strong military because it feared a coup being mounted. Saudi military units are led by members of the royal family, not necessarily the most competent commanders available.

For fear the situation in the region might deteriorate further, European countries and Japan have offered to help in securing the shipping lanes. But this might be too late. Oil shortages may begin affecting the world’s economies in a couple of weeks, setting the stage for recession.

Money trail

We see from the ombudsman’s complaint filed against former speaker Martin Romualdez the sort of painstaking work required to uncover the money trail originating from the flood control scam. Corruption, even on a grand scale, is hard to document. Cash is fungible and receipts are never issued.

Consider the controversy over the Mahayhay-Tuburan road project in Del Carmen, Surigao del Norte. The road was reported as completed. The contractor has been fully paid. But on inspection, the road is only partially built.

The ombudsman has taken notice of this particular project and mentioned Surigao del Norte Rep. Francisco ‘Lalo’ Matugas and his son, former congressman Francisco ‘Bingo’ Matugas II, in connection with this uncompleted project. Both deny any connection with this project.

Investigators have identified the contractor as Boometrix Development Corporation. Ronald Abejo and his wife Princess are the principal shareholders of the contracting firm. Abejo is a nephew of Lalo and first cousin of Bingo.

Family relations is only part of the story, however. It does not firmly establish the involvement of Matugas father and son to the failed project. Construction of the road was sealed in a contract between the DPWH and Boometrix. There is no documentary record that Matugas father and son actually participated in selecting the contractor, implementing the project and certifying the accomplishment for purposes of full payment.

This particular project has a contract price of P85.9 million and a contract effectivity period from March 6 to Oct. 28, 2022. The last payment on record was made on March 24, 2024.

Corporate documents do not show that either Lalo or Bingo were involved at any point as incorporator, shareholder or officer of Boometrix. Neither of the two signed any contract documents for the road project. As far as the documentary evidence goes, neither the father nor the son is implicated.

The ombudsman suggests the two politicians are involved in this anomaly. This is a tough matter to prove. The anti-graft agency needs to go beyond the family relationships and the documentary evidence. They will have to find something that connects the two politicians to the anomalous project.

Bringing Boometrix to court to account for a fully paid but unfinished project is easy. Establishing that this anomaly was made possible because of some act of political brokerage is what will challenge the investigators.

There are tens of thousands of public works projects akin to this one. They are either unfinished, substandard of completely ghost. In each of them, politicians are suspected of involvement.

But mere suspicion does not produce conviction. The case against Martin Romualdez and whatever possible case might be filed over this incomplete road in Surigao del Norte requires heroic investigative work.

A company that Vice President Sara Duterte declared as one of her business interests won nearly P36 million in government contracts during her term, almost a third from the Davao City government, a procurement official testified on Tuesday, September 22.

Rendel Sopeña, division chief of the Electronic Government Procurement Operations Division of the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS), told the Senate impeachment court that the government’s procurement database shows 49 contracts awarded to Gencorp Industries Inc.

The City of Davao awarded 15 of the 49 contracts, worth P34.22 million, while PhilHealth Region 11 awarded 33 contracts worth P1.33 million. The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration Region 11 awarded one contract worth P330,000.

The contracts, worth P35,878,188 in all, were awarded between July 21, 2022 and June 23, 2026, according to the summary cited by Presiding Officer Sen. Chiz Escudero.

Prosecutors confirmed that none of the awards predated Duterte’s term as vice president.

Sopeña’s testimony today comes as the House prosecution continues its presentation of evidence for Article II, which accuses Duterte of accumulating unexplained wealth. The prosecution said Duterte herself declared in her 2024 and 2025 statements of assets, liabilities, and net worth (SALNs) that she is a Gencorp shareholder.

The 1987 Constitution expressly bars the president and vice president from participating in any business during their tenure.

Gencorp’s corporate records, however, do not list Duterte as a stockholder or director, Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Director Gerardo Del Rosario testified yesterday and confirmed again today during the tail-end of his testimony.

Escudero said the senator-judges would and should weigh both pieces of evidence.

But lead prosecutor Rep. Jinky Luistro (Batangas, 2nd District), who conducted the direct examination for Sopeña, argued that Duterte’s own declaration is the stronger document, given it was she who prepared her own SALN.

“The admission came from the respondent herself,” Luistro said.

Gencorp and ‘Jollibee Bolton’

Sopeña said he searched the PhilGEPS database for the merchant name “Gencorp Industries Inc.” in response to the court’s subpoena. He said he extracted 231 documents totaling 484 pages, then printed, certified, and signed each one.

Among the Davao City contracts Sopeña identified were one worth P5.14 million and another worth P6.28 million. Another document was a request for quotation from the city for catering services.

The OWWA contract was covered by a memorandum of agreement between OWWA’s Region 11 office and “Jollibee Bolton.”

Sopeña read from the document that Jollibee Bolton is under Gencorp Industries Inc. and is a franchise of Jollibee Foods Corporation. When Luistro asked whether this was the Jollibee known to the public, a question the defense had objected to, the PhilGEPS official said he was “not familiar.”

Sopeña stressed that the data in PhilGEPS come from the government agencies themselves, which are responsible for encoding procurement details and uploading documents.

Defense counsel Roberto Batungbacal noted that the contracts were awarded after Duterte was no longer mayor of Davao.

“So it is clear your honor that these contracts were awarded during the time that the vice president was not in the city of Davao anymore,” Batongbacal said.

Escudero, however, did not carry this objection given that the documents are relevant to the trial precisely because it did not cover the period in which she was mayor of Davao City.

“If she was still the mayor I would not have allowed it because it would have been irrelevant for our purposes,” Escudero said.

Batungbacal also objected to the line of questioning on relevance.

To this, Luistro countered that the evidence relates to the final subsection of Article II, which accuses Duterte of non-divestment of business and financial interests. “And it is along this line that we are showing the participation of the respondent by way of the evidence being presented with respect to Gencorp Industries Incorporated,” Luistro said.

Luistro’s request for judicial notice

At the end of her direct examination, Luistro asked the court to take judicial notice of, or formally accept without proof, several points.

The first was that an Ombudsman records official had already testified on Duterte’s 2024 and 2025 SALNs, in which Luistro said Duterte declared Gencorp shares acquired in 2013.

She also cited Article VII, Section 13 of the Constitution and two provisions of Republic Act 12009. Under those provisions, the head of a procuring entity approves the recommendations of the Bids and Awards Committee, and for local governments that head is the local chief executive.

Luistro said the official who approves such resolutions in Davao City is Mayor Sebastian Duterte.

Batongbacal objected that these were not proper subjects of mandatory judicial notice.

Escudero took judicial notice of the laws Luistro cited, “but not as to the interpretation meaning nor application of those laws according to the view of one party only.”

He said any family relationship involving Basye would have to be proven when the mayor takes the witness stand.

The vice president’s brother is among the prosecution’s upcoming witnesses.

Escudero also noted that while Duterte’s SALNs presented in court mention Gencorp, the prosecution’s own SEC witness testified that Gencorp’s records do not show her as a stockholder or director.

He said the court takes notice of both, and left it to the senator-judges to “evaluate, and weigh the testimony of those witnesses.”

What the SEC records show

On Monday and Tuesday, Del Rosario testified that Duterte does not appear as an incorporator, director, or stockholder of Gencorp.

Del Rosario said Gencorp’s sales from 2021 to 2024 topped P1 billion, but the company declared no dividends in those years.

Earlier on Tuesday, Escudero had Del Rosario compare Duterte’s SALNs with SEC records. Her 2024 SALN declares her a stockholder of Gencorp, with an entry suggesting the firm was formerly two other companies.

SEC records show three separate firms, none of which lists her.

Asked how the two could be reconciled, Del Rosario said Duterte might hold her interest through a trust arrangement, or through control of a corporate shareholder.

Sopeña will return for cross-examination on Monday, September 28, at 10 a.m.

The court will not hear witnesses on Wednesday, September 23.

It will instead hold oral arguments on whether the court should overturn Escudero’s ruling that 16 of 24 votes are needed to convict Duterte.

Prosecutor Rep. Leila de Lima (Mamamayang Liberal) will argue for the prosecution, while the defense will name its lawyer on Wednesday.

The proposed partnership between Ignite Power and South Cotabato II Electric Cooperative (Socoteco 2) should push through but with strong safeguards in place to protect consumers, according to a business group.

The General Santos City Chamber of Commerce and Industry said the proposed deal could help address Socoteco 2’s operational challenges and financial losses while improving its aging infrastructure.

At the same time, the cooperative must ensure that the rights and economic interests of its member-consumer-owners (MCOs) are fully protected.

‘Reliable power supply, affordable electricity rates, good governance, accountability, operational integrity, equity protection and ownership rights of the cooperative, and full transparency and informed consent of the MCOs are the bedrock and non-negotiable principles upon which we stand in connection with the proposed conditional joint agreement,’ the chamber said in a statement.

Although it had previously preferred Socoteco2 to remain a distribution utility, the chamber acknowledged that the ‘confluence of internal and external factors’ had made it challenging for the cooperative to continue operating as one.

To address concerns over the proposed deal, the group said the agreement must include binding commitments requiring the private partner to rehabilitate Socoteco 2’s facilities, which could help lower system losses.

Ignite Power, a joint venture between Razon-led Primelectric Holdings and boxing legend Manny Pacquiao’s MP Holdings, has proposed investing in the modernization of Socoteco 2’s power distribution network.

If approved, the deal would support a five-year modernization program aimed at reducing Socoteco 2’s system losses to 5.5 percent from the current recoverable level of 8.25 percent.

Beyond addressing system losses, the chamber said safeguards must also be put in place to prevent sudden increases in power rates.

Any tariff adjustments, it stressed, should comply with the rules set by the Energy Regulatory Commission and remain subject to public oversight.

The chamber also called for measurable performance standards for the proposed joint venture, including targets for power reliability, service quality and customer responsiveness.

On ownership, the chamber urged the protection of Socoteco 2’s reported 30-percent stake in the partnership.

The agreement, it added, should include anti-dilution provisions to preserve the cooperative’s board representation and voting rights.

Anthology ASEAN Architecture Festival 2026 will put the Southeast Asian nation at the centre of this year’s architecture and design conversation.

Taking place on October 2-4, 2026, at Intramuros, Manila, the festival will bring together architects, designers, cultural practitioners, government leaders, institutions, students, communities and the public under the theme ‘Shared Ground: Architecture of Care, Culture, and Collective Futures.’

Organized by WTA Architecture and Design Studio in partnership with the City of Manila, Intramuros Administration, and National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), this year’s Anthology Festival is envisioned to be a significant industry, civic and cultural event-one that connects architecture and design with heritage, public life, governance and the future of Southeast Asian cities. The festival is supported by main sponsors Boysen, Fasclad, Glassbox, Omni and Midea.

With 128 speakers from the Philippines, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and beyond, Anthology 2026 will feature three international keynotes, 14 Filipino × ASEAN conversations, cross-sector roundtables, ten regional installations, open presentations and evening forums, with an expected audience of 4,000.

‘Anthology is making ASEAN the starting point for this edition-not simply as a geographic category, but as a field of shared conditions, ideas and possibilities,’ says William Ti Jr., festival curator and founder and principal architect of WTA Architecture and Design Studio. ‘Shared Ground asks what we can learn from one another while respecting what makes each city and community distinct.’

Since 2016, Anthology has held seven editions, welcomed more than 20,000 participants and brought together 455 speakers from the Philippines and around the world. This year’s regional focus marks a new chapter for the festival, expanding its role as a platform for Southeast Asian exchange and thought leadership.

Shared Ground: Architecture for a region in transition

‘Shared Ground’ reflects the belief that architecture is more than buildings. It is also about how people live together, how public spaces are shaped, how communities respond to climate and change, and how culture and memory are carried into the future.

The festival will explore three interconnected ideas over three days. Each day connects one of the festival’s themes to a defining question and an international keynote.

October 2 – Care: What is owed to a building and its people after ribbon-cutting?

Pritzker Prize laureate Shigeru Ban will open the festival with a keynote on Care. His humanitarian work with paper structures, temporary buildings and disaster-relief housing demonstrates how emergency architecture can be innovative, dignified, resource-conscious and rigorous.

The discussion will connect to the Philippines’ own experience with emergency architecture. In 2020, WTA delivered 75 quarantine facilities with more than 3,500 beds, raising questions about how architecture can respond quickly without sacrificing dignity-and what responsibility remains after a crisis.

October 3 – Culture: How can architecture hold shared memory without fixing it into a static image?

The keynote for Culture will be announced in the coming days.

The day offers a timely lens for considering heritage and public life in Intramuros, where preservation, identity, tourism, everyday use and urban change exist in constant conversation.

October 4 – Collective Futures: How do we negotiate the futures of our cities across differing needs and finite resources?

Ole Scheeren will close the festival with a keynote on Collective Futures. Through his work across Asia, Scheeren has explored density as a social condition to be designed, demonstrating how large-scale buildings can support community and shared life-not merely accommodate floor area.

For a region urbanising at extraordinary speed, the closing conversation will examine how cities can grow while remaining inclusive, connected and collectively shaped.

‘At the heart of Anthology 2026 is the belief that ‘buildings only become architecture once they are shared.’ A building becomes architecture through the lives that unfold in it, the communities that use it and the public life it supports,’ says Ti.

ASEAN designing its own future

Anthology 2026 does not propose a single Southeast Asian model. Manila is not Jakarta; Bangkok is not Singapore. ASEAN cities have different histories, climates, economies, cultures and needs.

Instead, the festival will create a platform for the region to learn from itself while remaining grounded in the specificity of each place. Government and public-sector participation is expected to represent approximately 15 percent of the audience, bringing policy, governance and the public interest into direct conversation with design and development.

‘We are not looking for one imported answer to the future city,’ says Ti. ‘The region is already generating its own knowledge and models. Anthology is a place to make those ideas visible, put them into conversation and ask what we can build together.’

Intramuros as shared ground

For this edition, Intramuros will serve as more than the festival venue. The 400-year-old walled city will become a protagonist in the program, with talks, installations, roundtables and evening forums unfolding across its historic spaces.

Audiences will encounter questions of memory, access, material, public space and collective life while moving through a living urban environment where heritage and change meet.

‘We want the festival to leave the conference hall,’ says Ti. ‘In Intramuros, the city itself becomes part of the discussion. It is not a backdrop; it is shared ground.’

The program will include:

Anthology Talks: Fourteen Filipino × ASEAN conversations on themes including Culture is not a Style, Architecture Without Heroes and Care Without Control.

Shelter Dialogues: Roundtables pairing an ASEAN architect, a Filipino architect and a government leader in sessions such as Public Good, Private Power and Governing the Future We Share.

Ground Works: Ten Filipino × ASEAN collaborations installed throughout Intramuros, including Thresholds of Access, Material Memory and Local is Future.

Anthology RAW: An open platform for emerging work, unfinished ideas, new research and perspectives, with moderated critics responding to each presentation.

Living Anthology Exhibition: A living exhibition showing the evolving positions on Shared Ground throughout the course of the festival, on view until December at the Centro de Turismo Intramuros.

After Dark: Evening forums bringing architecture into conversation with culture, history and public life after sunset.

Publications: WTA Shared Ground Artbook, narrated by Potato, the studio cat, explores eleven WTA projects in a playful and accessible way. Field Notes is a post-festival publication documenting the ideas and moments collected from the festival.

Anthology ASEAN Architectural Festival 2026 is designed for architects and designers, but it is equally an invitation to students, artists, educators, cultural workers, policymakers, developers, communities and anyone invested in the future of cities.

The Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL), boosted by its chief backer SportsPlus, held to a rousing success its annual All-Star Festivities last Saturday at the Ynares Center in Montalban, Rizal.

In a news release, SportPlus said it helped the MPBL stage a memorable All-Star experience for fans by deploying a full production team to document, organize, and overall support the annual extravaganza.

The festivities were highlight by an afternoon exhibition game between the North and South Division Executives, with the North and South All-Stars battling to an 89-89 draw.

Hours before the festivities began, SportsPlus personnel were already at the venue, setting up activation booths, checking broadcast equipment, and rehearsing their various roles, including the SportsPlus dancers who kept fans entertained throughout the event.

By 1 p.m., the registration booth and fan zone were open, giving supporters the chance to mingle, take photos, and get up close with their favorite MPBL stars.

The SP dancers added energy to the festivities during the intermissions, becoming part of the action in several events.

Gilas Pilipinas legend Ranidel de Ocampo and stand-up comedian GB Labrador, both SportsPlus Balyahan hosts, scored and witnessed Joe Gomez de Liano’s highlight reel during the Slam Dunk Competition.

Halftime brought even more excitement as fans had the chance to win shirts through Pop Up Shot/Bazooka and Molten basketballs tossed into the crowd by MPBL Commissioner Emmer Oreta, with help from Stepping Curry and Lebwrong James, the NBA impersonators portraying Stephen Curry and LeBron James, as well as SportsPlus mascot Kalaw D’Kalbaw.

But among the biggest attractions was the Clutch Time Challenge.

The challenge gave two contestants a chance to win P50,000 by completing four shots: a layup, free throw, 3-pointer and half-court shot, in 45 seconds.

‘SportsPlus is proud to be part of this year’s MPBL All-Star festivities. As the Official Title Partner of the MPBL, we are committed to creating a more engaging and memorable experience for fans through our activations, interactive games, and giveaways,’ said SportsPlus Head of Brand Marketing Paul Macalindong.