Category: Philippine Star

Never underestimate the power of training.

At a dog training conference, a trainer boasts that he can train a dog to do anything. To illustrate this, he brings a German Shepherd onto the stage and claims he’s taught it Morse code.

Someone in the audience shouts, ‘Prove it!’

He gives the dog a nod, and it walks over to a table and, with its paw, taps out the following sequence.

The audience sits in stunned silence for a moment until someone asks, ‘Well, what did it say?’

‘Woof!’

It is that season again. All over the country, management teams are locking themselves in conference rooms, staring at whiteboards, and arguing over next year’s numbers. Strategic planning season has arrived. Targets are being set. Budgets are being built. And somewhere in that budget, almost predictably, a familiar line item gets the first stroke of the red pen: training and people development.

This year, the temptation is stronger than usual. The conflict in the Middle East has rattled markets, pushed up oil prices, and quietly made its way into the cost of almost everything we buy. The peso has felt it. Inflation has crept back. Finance officers are sharpening their pencils, and the instinct in every uncertain season is the same: trim whatever looks optional.

And training, on a spreadsheet, always looks optional.

Here is the problem. It isn’t.

Allow me to paint a simple picture. Imagine a long-distance runner who, worried about the cost of food, decides to stop eating a few weeks before the marathon. He will save money, yes. He will also collapse before the finish line.

Cutting your people’s development during a difficult year works the same way. You save a little now and pay for it painfully later, right when you need your organization to run its hardest.

We forget a basic truth about business. Equipment depreciates. Buildings depreciate. Machines lose value the moment you switch them on. People are the only asset on your books that can appreciate-but only if you keep investing in them.

Neglect them, and they depreciate faster than any machine because discouraged, unequipped, and uninspired people do not simply stand still. They quietly leave – or worse, they stay and stop caring.

Zig Ziglar said it best: ‘The only thing worse than training your people and losing them is not training them and keeping them.’

In a lean year, that line should be posted on every planning-room wall. A downturn does not ask less of your people. It asks more.

Fewer hands are expected to carry heavier loads. Margins are thinner, so every decision matters more. Customers are anxious, so service must be sharper. Morale is fragile, so leadership must be clearer and steadier.

This is precisely the season when your team’s skills, mindset, and motivation make the difference between an organization that merely survives and one that comes out of the storm stronger than it went in.

History keeps proving this. The companies that emerge from every recession as market leaders are rarely the ones that cut the deepest. They are the ones that remain disciplined about costs while continuing to sharpen their people as their competitors grow dull.

When the recovery comes – and it always comes – they were the ones ready to run.

So, as you sit in your planning sessions and build next year’s budget, may I offer a suggestion?

Do not treat the growth of your people as an expense to be minimized. Treat it as a multiplier to be protected.

A well-designed seminar, a leadership program that develops your managers, a keynote that inspires a weary team – these are not luxuries you enjoy when times are good. They are investments that pay the highest returns precisely when times are hard because they make the same team produce more with the same budget you already have.

I have spent the better part of my life in front of business audiences, and I have witnessed what happens in a room when tired people are prompted about their ‘why,’ when leaders are given practical tools instead of vague pep talks, and when an organization decides that its people are worth developing even in a difficult year.

Something moves. Energy returns. Clarity returns. And that renewed team walks back into the marketplace ready to compete.

If your plan for next year is to win, it must include the people who will actually do the winning. Put a line in that budget for their growth and then, unlike everyone else, refuse to cross it out.

The season is uncertain, the pencils are sharp, and the pressure to cut is real. But the organizations that will own the recovery are the ones deciding, right now in their planning rooms, to keep growing the very thing that grows them.

Choose to be one of them.

Around P900,000 was spent by the Municipality of Consolacion to provide reusable tumblers to nearly 3,000 Grade 6 pupils, teachers and advisers in the town’s 20 public elementary schools in a bid to reduce single-use plastic waste.

The tumblers were distributed throughout July under the municipality’s Tumbler Ordinance, which promotes the use of reusable containers and seeks to lessen plastic waste in schools and communities.

The project was funded through the Local Government Unit’s Community Assistance Fund (CAF) allocated to Environment Committee Chairman Councilor Fred Herrera.

Herrera said the program was intended to turn the municipality’s environmental policies into an everyday practice, particularly among young learners who regularly use disposable plastic bottles and containers.

‘Dili enough nga maghimo lang ta og ordinance. We have to translate the ordinance into action,’ Herrera said.

He said the reusable tumblers are meant not only to provide students with containers for drinking water but also to encourage them to develop habits that can help reduce plastic waste.

Grade 6 pupils were selected as the initial beneficiaries as they are considered ‘mature enough’ to understand environmental responsibility and are preparing to transition to junior high school.

The initiative also supports lessons on waste management under the Department of Education curriculum, including the ‘5Rs’ – reduce, reuse, recycle, recover and repair.

Vice Mayor Joannes ‘Joyjoy’ Alegado, who joined the school-to-school distribution, said encouraging environmental responsibility among young people requires sustained effort and investment.

‘The reusable benefit of a tumbler is essential in curtailing the volume of single-use plastics that are indiscriminately thrown away,’ Alegado said.

He said the municipality wants students to take an active role in efforts to protect the environment, particularly by reducing their dependence on disposable plastic products.

Additionally, Herrera said he plans to seek a higher CAF allocation during the upcoming budget hearings to expand the program to other grade levels and sectors.

The local council is also pursuing broader environmental measures. Herrera recently sponsored an ordinance that went through its first reading promoting a ‘Bring Your Own’ (BYO) practice in government offices, schools and business establishments in Consolacion.

For Fuse Financing president and CEO Tony Isidro, the journey into formal credit began at home. When he was 10, Isidro helped tend his grandmother’s sari-sari store in Marikina, where he witnessed – and came to know by heart – a familiar scene: his grandmother’s loyal customers, or suki, as they’re known in Filipino, would stop by, pick out what they needed and ask to have their purchases ‘palista,’ or recorded on credit, Isidro recalls.

Looking back, Isidro says those childhood experiences taught him one of his earliest lessons in financial literacy: borrowing is fundamentally built on trust.

‘Borrowing money is deeply personal because it usually comes at a time when people need support the most,’ Isidro tells The STAR.

Isidro brought that lesson with him when he joined Fuse Financing, the lending arm of e-wallet giant GCash, five years ago. Since then, he has led the company in pursuing its vision of providing fair, accessible digital loans that help create a better everyday life for Filipinos.

‘Borrowing with dignity’

Palista is just one of the many ways Filipinos turn to credit when cash is tight, particularly when formal borrowing is not within easy reach.

Another widely used form of informal lending is the so-called ‘5-6’ loan. The term 5-6 has long been associated with informal moneylenders who typically charge a 20-percent interest rate – borrow P5 and repay P6, hence the name. Others, simply turn to relatives or friends when they need quick cash to make ends meet.

Isidro says such practices persist partly because traditional financial institutions have often left Filipinos feeling ‘excluded and overwhelmed’ by the requirements of borrowing through formal channels.

‘The challenge we face at Fuse is: how do you replicate that intimate, neighborhood-level trust at scale?’ he says.

Fuse aims to bridge that gap by making formal credit more accessible while giving borrowers an experience rooted in dignity and respect.

‘Borrowing with dignity means ensuring that every touchpoint across the customer’s entire journey – from the moment they secure their loan to the way they repay – is respectful, fair and empowering,’ Isidro says.

‘True financial inclusion is not just about giving people access to credit – it’s about treating them with respect every step of the way,’ he adds.

Measuring, building trust

At Fuse, dignity starts with a score.

The firm developed its technology-driven trust score called GScore, which measures a customer’s credit score based on their footprint within the GCash ecosystem. Through such a mechanism, Isidro points out, they can ‘extend fair, respectful and accessible’ credit to Filipinos.

The GScore helps unbanked Filipinos build a digital financial identity since some of the persisting challenges they face are the absence of formal financial records, collateral or traditional credit histories.

Fuse also extends dignity in how it handles collections. Isidro emphasizes that the firm has a zero tolerance policy on abusive collections and harassment.

The firm has begun using artificial intelligence to monitor call interactions between its agents and customers to ensure that every conversation remains ‘respectful, fair and strictly within regulatory guidelines.’

Isidro explains that technology provides Fuse with the necessary speed and scale to attract and serve its clientele, which has been growing consistently in recent years.

‘The biggest lesson I’ve learned in the past five years is that financial inclusion isn’t just about technology – it’s fundamentally about trust,’ Isidro, a management engineering graduate, says.

‘True, long-term success comes from understanding our customers deeply and building products that responsibly solve their daily pain points,’ he adds.

At present, Fuse’s products involve GCredit, a flexible credit line for users; GGives, an option to turn purchases into installment terms and GLoan for instant cash needs.

For the first quarter, Fuse has lent some P406 billion to 11.1 million unique users, 85 percent of whom are first-time users of formal credit.

The milestone, Isidro points out, highlights the sheer volume of Filipinos they have helped to steer away from informal, predatory ‘5-6’ lenders and onboard into the formal credit ecosystem.

‘While we’ve made meaningful progress, we admittedly still have a long way to go in closing the country’s credit and financial inclusion gap,’ Isidro says.

‘However, we remain optimistic that through our responsible credit solutions, we can bring more Filipinos into a safer, fully regulated formal credit ecosystem,’ he adds.

Stories that move

What keeps Isidro going are the stories behind every loan approved – the ordinary Filipinos whose lives have been changed by access to formal credit.

Among them is Sheila Gomez, a lawyer from Iloilo, who said GLoan became a reliable source of financial support while she was in law school.

Another is Juvy Camante, a 55-year-old sari-sari store owner from Pateros, who relied on GLoan to keep her business afloat and support its daily operations.

And that mindset of prioritizing customers is something that has been cultivated into Isidro’s leadership values when he was still in the consumer goods industry, which he says is ‘extremely relevant’ in the financial technology space.

‘That deep understanding of mass-market consumers is what allows us to create financial tools that are intuitive, accessible and meaningful, even for first-time borrowers,’ Isidro says.

Nothing reflects Fuse’s customer-first approach better than the launch of GLoan Sakto in 2024, a nano-loan product that Isidro calls his favorite. Designed for borrowers with small, immediate financing needs, it lets users borrow as little as P100 with no paperwork, zero interest, a minimal processing fee and a 14-day repayment term.

Isidro aptly describes it as ‘sachet loans,’ reflecting the sachet culture of Filipinos or buying things in small portions.

The product, Isidro says, has worked and has become a pantawid, or bridge, for Filipinos to meet their daily needs between paydays. These customers, he adds, have usually been tagged as ‘high risk’ by traditional lenders, excluding them from the formal system and forcing them to rely on predatory loan sharks.

‘Especially during challenging economic conditions, many users appreciate having access to small-ticket loans that help them address immediate needs while also helping them build their credit profile over time,’ he says.

The road ahead

Isidro shares that Filipinos’ understanding of digital credit products continues to improve, describing it as ‘an ongoing journey.’ That is why, he adds, continuous education remains crucial.

‘People need clear guidance on how to use credit to build financial health rather than falling into debt traps or turning to unregulated, predatory lenders out of desperation,’ he says, noting that they recently partnered with the Securities and Exchange Commission on a nationwide financial literacy campaign.

Some of the areas where Fuse sees massive opportunities in the next few years include refining its GScore technology, partnering with mission-aligned organizations like the Asian Development Bank, expanding ecosystem and merchant partnerships, and doubling down on consumer education, Isidro says.

‘We need to continually refine our technology and data models so we can offer tailored, industry-specific financing that is fair, transparent and built to help businesses and everyday Filipinos grow and seize opportunities truly,’ he explains.

Isidro is optimistic that Fuse, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, will continue to expand significantly and not just reach individual clients but also micro, small and medium enterprises that serve as the backbone of the economy.

‘Leadership is about creating a clear vision and empowering the team to move as one toward it. At Fuse, that unity of purpose keeps us relentlessly focused on the customer,’ Isidro says.

‘It means balancing innovation with responsibility-we aren’t just building lending products; we’re building trust and helping Filipinos borrow with dignity,’ he adds.

The Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) expects the full development of the Pax Silica artificial intelligence (AI) hub in New Clark City in 30 years starting 2028.

In a press briefing, BCDA president and CEO Joshua Bingcang said the development is expected to start in 2028 and involve three phases.

Led by the United States, the Pax Silica initiative aims to promote a secure and resilient supply chain for AI and semiconductors. The Philippines became part of the initiative in April.

The first phase, which will cover around 500 hectares, is expected to accommodate around 10 to 20 firms.

‘We see that in three to five years,’ Bingcang said.

Prior to the development, the BCDA is looking to sign the framework for the use of the AI hub with the US partner this year.

The framework will define industries that will locate in the AI hub. A commercial deal is separately being negotiated for the lease in the AI hub.

Bingcang said that an initial $10 billion will be invested by foreign locators for infrastructure such as roads, water and energy to support their requirements in the AI hub.

Amid concerns being raised about the project, he said that no hyperscalers will be built in the AI hub.

He said that an American firm earlier explored the possibility of putting up a hyperscaler facility within New Clark City, but outside of the Pax Silica hub.

The firm did not push through because of its huge power requirements.

Bingcang said that the AI hub will host the manufacture of chips used in cellphones, laptops and servers.

Trade Undersecretary Ceferino Rodolfo said in the same event that no farmers and indigenous people communities would be displaced because of the AI hub.

‘New Clark City is a master planned development…There is an ECC (environmental compliance certificate) for the whole masterplan of New Clark City and it’s a titled public land for industrial use,’ he said.

Earlier, Bingcang dismissed reports about BCDA offering to buy farmers’ land in the area for P30 per square meter or P300,000 per hectare by saying those belong to the government.

‘How are we going to buy when it’s our land? In the first place, that’s government land,’ he said.

‘If there’s a disturbance, we’ll provide financial assistance. Everybody wins,’ he said.

At full development, the BCDA expects potential investments in the Pax Silica AI hub to reach between $40 billion and $70 billion.

The BCDA also expects P60 billion in lease income over 25 years and P68 billion to P75 billion worth of annual tax potential.

It also estimates $200 billion worth of exports at full buildout from the Pax Silica hub.

In terms of employment, the BCDA expects the AI hub to create 130,000 to 190,000 direct jobs and 500,000 to 800,000 indirect jobs.

Did you know that Melanie Marquez once overpriced her talent fee three times for a showdown with another supermodel, Anna Bayle, in a fashion show?

She actually told Ana the reason why she refused the offer because she didn’t want to steal the thunder from beneath the latter’s feet, as she knew that Anna, like her, worked so hard to achieve her mark in Europe.

“Para lang ipag-sabong kaming dalawa sa rampa,” Melanie told Philstar.com during a recent photoshoot in the country.

The former beauty queen-host has been based in the United States and just flew in for the photoshoot of Boyet Fajardo’s latest holiday collection.

Melanie recalled that Anna told her she never thought Melanie had that in her.

After Melanie was crowned the youngest Miss International winner in 1979, she went on to win the Glamorous Woman of Italy title and Face of the ’80s in New York, which led to her stint in the Supermodel of the World where she was hailed as the model with the most beautiful hair by Clairol.

‘i think my X-factor comes from professionalism, coupled with my dedication and genuine character. Anything fake will eventually manifest itself. Just be yourself,’ Melanie said.

Aside from her persona in front of the camera, Melanie’s resume behind the camera include that of being a filmmaker and celebrity mom to Miss Universe Philippines 2023 Michelle Dee.

She once dabbled as co-host in a TV show with the late entertainment stalwart Ricky Lo.

During the photoshoot, Melanie showed poses that give testament to her years in front of the camera by reflecting the vision of the designer.

‘God will give you that brilliance, then your personality and good heart will glow. People around you think you don’t seem to age. And you are not bothered by material things. Just live within your means. You’ll find peace and contentment,’ Melanie shared this nugget of wisdom.

Fajardo launched his limited-edition holiday collection to mark his 48 years in the fashion industry.

The collection is mostly in black and white with a few splashes of vibrant color.

‘I feel excited about this collection. I was never excited about my photo shoots before, but now I am! This collection highlights my 48 years in the fashion industry, through all the struggles, as my journey speaks volumes of my acumen throughout all the generations I’ve served – from the baby boomers to the millennials, and now the younger crowd,” Fajardo said.

Philippine state-run firms failing to deliver value and are draining state resources should be shut down, with their functions absorbed by other agencies to free up fiscal space for more relevant programs and services, the Department of Finance said.

The DOF explained that the move to abolish non-performing government-owned and -controlled corporations (GOCCs) can provide resources for other endeavors.

‘We have over 100 GOCCs. I would say about 10 percent of them should be closed. But there are government procedures to follow so it’s a little slow,’ Finance Secretary Frederick Go told radio dzRH.

Go said reviewing GOCCs that may face closure is a ‘cyclical process.’

The move comes as budgetary support given to state-run firms reached P98 billion in the first five months of 2026.

However, the Marcos administration has collected P501 billion in dividends from GOCCs in four years, which is 31 percent higher than the P382 billion collected in former president Rodrigo Duterte’s full term.

It also surpassed the numbers from the Gloria Arroyo and Noynoy Aquino administrations with P84 billion and P165 billion, respectively.

Last month, the government recognized 50 GOCCs for their record dividend remittance of P147.15 billion, led by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) and the Land Bank of the Philippines.

Under Republic Act 7656, or the Dividend Law, GOCCs are required to declare and remit at least 50 percent of their net earnings during the preceding year as dividends to the national government.

The DOF has urged firms to raise their dividend remittance rate to 75 percent to maximize non-tax revenues and strengthen the government’s fiscal position.

Power restoration efforts by the Benguet Electric Cooperative (BENECO) continued across Baguio City and Benguet on Sunday, August 9, despite heavy rains and strong winds battering the area.

As of noon, BENECO said 28.96% of its consumers in Baguio City had been restored with electricity, with power available in 44 of the 129 barangays.

Across BENECO’s entire area of responsibility, 37.32% of consumers currently have electricity as crews work to repair damaged power facilities. Out of total 269 barangays in Baguio and Benguet, only 95 barangays have been re-energized.

Initial assessment placed the cost of damage at more than P1.5 million, although BENECO said the figure remains provisional and is expected to rise as additional damage reports come in.

The cooperative reported damage to at least seven transformers and 22 electric posts amid the continuing inclement weather.

BENECO teams remain deployed in various areas to restore power as quickly and safely as possible, but operations continue to be challenged by persistent rain, strong winds and potentially hazardous conditions.

The country has expanded its agricultural export push in the Middle East following the shipment of more than 17 metric tons (MT) of Davao-grown produce to Saudi Arabia, according to the Department of Agriculture (DA).

In a statement, the DA said 17.2 MT of Cardava bananas, sweet potatoes and singkamas (turnip) had been shipped to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia.

The shipment had a total value of P800,000 and consisted of 1,350 boxes of bananas weighing 12 kilos each, 50 boxes of sweet potatoes and 50 boxes of singkamas, each weighing 10 kilos.

Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said further expansion of the overseas market would allow the country to reduce its more than $11 billion annual farm trade deficit.

‘Expanding agricultural exports helps narrow our trade deficit, encourages investments in modern farming and logistics, generates jobs in rural communities and builds a more competitive agricultural sector that can drive long-term economic growth,’ he added.

Tiu Laurel said new export markets would create new opportunities for the country’s farmers to receive higher incomes, ‘instead of allowing that value to benefit producers in other countries.’

The produce was exported by Gerb Golden Hands Corp. from Sto. Tomas in Davao del Norte and bound for Jeddah-based Rana Mohammed Saleem Commercial LLC.

Davao Region executive director Macario Gonzaga said the recent shipment showed that continued export promotion could provide concrete results for the region’s farmers and agribusinesses.

He added that continued participation in international trade exhibitions creates marketing opportunities for local farmers and exporters.

‘Every successful shipment strengthens Davao Region’s reputation as a dependable source of premium agricultural products and opens the door to more sustained export opportunities,’ Gonzaga said.

Business discussions were held during the AGRA Middle East Exhibition held at the Dubai World Trade Centre in 2024, where the DA’s Agriculture Regional Field Office XI and Gerb Golden Hands showcased Davao’s agricultural products.

Henri Schoeman rediscovered his winning form in Cebu, overcoming punishing heat, a choppy swim and a blustery bike course before fighting through cramps in the closing run to reclaim the men’s professional crown at the IRONMAN 70.3 Lapu-Lapu here on Sunday.

The 34-year-old South African clocked 4:08:52 over the demanding 1.9-km swim, 90-km bike and 21-km run course, returning to the top two years after his breakthrough triumph in the same race presented by Megaworld. He won his first Lapu-Lapu 70.3 in 2024 in 4:02:31, beating another deep international field.

But this victory carried far more weight for Schoeman, who has endured two difficult years trying to regain the form that once made him one of the world’s elite triathletes.

‘This win means so much, you know. I’ve had a really tough two years, struggling to find my form,’ said Schoeman, who described the victory as a major confidence boost and a sign that there is still more to come.

Schoeman said the race largely unfolded according to plan, with the swim setting up his decisive move on the bike. He pushed hard in the opening leg before creating the gap he needed on the 90-km ride, which again featured the imposing Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway (CCLEX).

The bike, however, was no easy ride even for the world-class professionals. Strong winds swept across the course and made the exposed sections particularly demanding, with the CCLEX bridge providing one of the race’s biggest physical and tactical tests.

Schoeman managed to hold his advantage through the bike and carried that cushion into the half-marathon, where the tropical heat turned the final leg into a test of patience and survival.

‘I just wanted to make sure that I get to the finish line, because I know it gets really hot on the run,’ he said.

Schoeman, who had split times of 27:23 (swim)-2:10:09 (bike)-1:26:15 (run), revealed that cramps forced him to ease off his pace, opting to race conservatively rather than risk losing the victory in the closing kilometers.

He held off Austrian Sebastian Fuchs and Ben Hamilton of New Zealand, who clocked 4:12:51 (35:33-2:09:36-1:22:19) and 4:14:34 (32:34-2:10:01-1:27:06), respectively.

While Schoeman celebrated a triumphant return, Australian Olympian Natalie Van Coevorden delivered an equally impressive performance, capturing the women’s professional crown in the race organized by Sunrise Events Inc., which drew more than 1,400 triathletes from 48 countries, with the majority competing for top honors in various age-group divisions.

The huge turnout also underscored how the IRONMAN 70.3 Lapu-Lapu has become a regular and much-anticipated part of Cebu’s sporting calendar – a race where elite international competition, challenging tropical conditions and the unmistakable energy of the Cebuano crowd come together year after year.

As in previous editions, thousands of spectators lined the course, turning the roads and finish area into a wall of sound that helped carry exhausted athletes through the most challenging portions of the race. Their boisterous support has also become one of the defining features of IRONMAN racing in Cebu.

Van Coevorden clocked 4:30:11 to dominate an all-Australian podium, finishing ahead of compatriots Charlotte McShane, who posted 4:47:33, and Paige Cranage, who crossed the finish line in 4:53:17.

Van Coevorden, who competed in both the women’s individual and mixed relay events at the 2024 Paris Olympics, admitted the conditions were among the toughest she had experienced in a 70.3 race. The heat was relentless, the wind was persistent and, for much of the day, she found herself racing alone at the front.

‘I think we had probably the most challenging conditions I’ve ever had for a 70.3 today. It was hot, it was windy, and I had a pretty solo day by myself,’ she said, visibly relieved after securing the victory.

The swim proved especially difficult, with the strong current making the return leg particularly demanding. Van Coevorden also had to contend with the wind on the bike, recalling how she feared being blown toward the water while crossing the bridge, but maintained her rhythm and stayed within herself.

McShane, who battled Van Coevorden near the front early on, said the swim took a heavy toll. A strong current helped propel the athletes outward, but the return trip became a brutal fight against the water, leaving her depleted before she even reached the bike.

‘I felt pretty terrible straight away on the bike,’ said McShane, describing the remainder of the race as survival. The wind added another layer of difficulty, while the heat made the run equally unforgiving as the professionals battled simply to keep moving toward the finish.

Austria’s 24-year-old rising star Fuchs, meanwhile, turned in the biggest result of his young career with a strong runner-up finish, drawing strength from a deeply personal motivation. ‘Four years ago my dad died and this is for him,’ he said, dedicating the performance to his father.

Fuchs said the swim was particularly rough and choppy, while the bike demanded plenty of strength on the bridge and the uphill sections. By the run, the heat had intensified the suffering, but the massive Cebu crowd gave him and the other athletes a much-needed lift.

‘The crowd was amazing and they pushed us so hard,’ he said.

That boisterous support has become one of the defining features of IRONMAN racing in Cebu. As in previous editions, thousands of spectators lined the course, turning the roads and finish area into a wall of sound that helped carry exhausted athletes through the most painful portions of the race.

A man was arrested after he allegedly tried to rob a gasoline station in San Rafael town in this province yesterday morning.

Reports said the suspect and his two companions arrived on a motorcycle at the gasoline station in Barangay Sampaloc at past 3 a.m.

The suspect approached a pump attendant and declared the robbery, but the cashier managed to call for help, according Lt. Col. Lawrence Gerald Bathan, acting chief of the San Rafael police.

Armed with a bladed weapon, the suspect tried to enter the cashier’s booth, but responding police officers arrived and arrested him.

The suspect’s companions fled on foot, leaving behind their motorcycle.

Police said they recovered from the suspect two plastic sachets containing shabu, a knife and the motorcycle.