Category: Philippine Star

President Marcos has ordered a lawful, non-violent arrest of Sen. Ronald dela Rosa after the government put up a P50 million bounty and gave the fugitive lawmaker one week to surrender, a Palace official said yesterday.

‘There should be no time wasted in enforcing the law. The police should act quickly and aggressively. That is the President’s order. Enforce the law and arrest those who need to be arrested,’ Palace press officer Claire Castro said yesterday. But the President, Castro added, stressed that no lives should be lost in the process.

‘No one must die in the arrest of Senator Bato but they should not resist because our police force will not back down,’ Castro added.

‘Time is of the essence so we must act faster. The President supports the steps of the DILG (Department of the Interior and Local Government), DOJ (Department of Justice) and law enforcers).’

Castro issued the statement following the Senate minority bloc’s appeal to the President and concerned agencies to work with Dela Rosa’s counsel ‘toward a peaceful resolution’ of the situation.

Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla said It is better for Dela Rosa to surrender instead of playing a cat-and-mouse game with authorities.

Remulla issued the statement after the senator’s lawyer expressed concern over his client’s safety and questioned the legality of the government bounty for Dela Rosa’s arrest.

Dela Rosa’s counsel, Israelito Torreon, criticized Remulla for putting the senator’s life in danger, saying a bounty without a warrant from a local court does not promote law enforcement but ‘invites people to take the law into their own hands.’

Remulla said the International Criminal Police Organization or Interpol has issued a red notice alert for Dela Rosa, who has a standing arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC) as a co-conspirator of former president Rodrigo Duterte in his war on drugs.

Duterte is facing charges of crimes against humanity before the ICC in The Hague.

‘He (Dela Rosa) has a valid red notice from the Interpol. We will arrest him and accord him all what is due under the law,’ Remulla said in a Viber message.

Torreon insisted that the bounty is invalid as there is no warrant issued by local courts for the senator’s arrest.

Remulla brushed aside Torreon’s statement and maintained that manhunt operations to arrest Dela Rosa will not stop. ‘It is best he surrender,’ Remulla said.

Remulla described Dela Rosa, former chief of the Philippine National Police, as armed and dangerous, with a dedicated PNP task force sent out to locate and arrest him.

Warning vs ‘coddlers’

PNP chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. gave Dela Rosa one week to surrender and warned his coddlers they will face criminal cases for providing refuge to the senator.

The Senate minority bloc took the cudgels for Dela Rosa, defending his right to due process after the government put a bounty on his head.

In a statement released by the office of Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano, the 10-member bloc defended Dela Rosa’s right to answer the charges before a domestic court and not before the ICC.

‘We understand the government’s desire to resolve this situation in the interest of law and order. We believe a peaceful resolution that respects our laws and protects lives remains possible,’ the minority bloc said.

‘The Secretary of the Interior and the Chief of the Philippine National Police have duties to fulfill. We respect those responsibilities and share their desire to bring this matter to a lawful conclusion. We offer our cooperation toward achieving that goal peacefully,’ they added.

The European Union and the Philippines have announced the launch of the EU-Philippines AI Industry Lab, expanding their digital cooperation under the Global Gateway Strategy, which now involves a total of euro 40 million in funding.

The new EU-Philippines AI Industry Lab, announced at the 2026 AI Forum organized by the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines, follows a three-day joint mission organized by the EU and the Department of Science and Technology. The mission brought together experts from Europe and local private sector to strengthen AI cooperation.

The EU said the AI Lab, which will be established through the Department of Science and Technology under its National AI Center for Research and Innovation program, reflects the shared commitment of the EU and the Philippines to harness the opportunities of digital transformation and emerging technologies while promoting openness, trust, security and responsible innovation.

‘The EU-Philippines AI Industry Lab will foster a dynamic and inclusive artificial intelligence ecosystem for the European and Philippine industry, micro, small and medium-sized enterprises and start-ups as part of the National AI Strategy for the Philippines,’ the EU said.

These include developing AI infrastructure and data ecosystems; promoting principled, trustworthy technology adoption across industries; building skills and talent partnerships; improving market access and laying the groundwork to facilitate investments.

The EU and the Philippines intend to promote research and development opportunities between public and private sector organizations, foster the sharing of expertise, and support the translation of research into real-world applications and industrial impact.

‘It will advance the principled technology infusion of AI – the deep and seamless integration of digital tools, systems and innovation into business operations, services, curricula and complex engineering environments – so that AI becomes a core capability, not an add-on,’ the EU said.

Following the signature in July 2026 by EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice President of the European Commission Kaja Kallas and Foreign Affairs Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro of the Joint Statement elevating EU-Philippines relations to an enhanced partnership and the recently concluded negotiations for a free trade agreement, both sides are deepening cooperation to build a more robust, resilient and mutually beneficial bilateral partnership.

In practice, the AI Lab will establish the enabling AI ecosystem through infrastructure, cloud services, data sets – including Earth Observation Data from Copernicus, Geospatial Analytics and Technology Solutions and other DOST programs’ data – and development of AI use cases in priority sectors such as energy, health, environment and disaster resilience.

It will also drive a skills and talent partnership for AI deployment by connecting European and Philippine businesses and innovators with technical expertise, innovation advisory services and European technology know-how from European Digital Innovation Hubs and AI Factories, alongside public-private partnerships with EU private-sector actors in the Philippines and local universities.

To support promising AI solutions as they grow, the AI Lab will facilitate investment and market access by promoting technology standards and drawing on EU experience in interoperability, cybersecurity, data protection, intellectual property and human-centric AI governance, while enabling AI solutions to be tested under a ‘test before invest’ approach.

‘By bringing together public and private stakeholders, the AI Industry Lab seeks to create new opportunities for innovation, competitiveness, and sustainable economic growth and investment for both the Philippines and the EU,’ the EU said

Fool’s consolation?

After punching the final ticket to the PBA Governors’ Cup quarterfinals, Barangay Ginebra will have a tough matchup with the San Miguel Beermen.

The Gin Kings stamped the last ticket to the quarters via a 101-96 win over the Blackwater Bossing Friday evening.

This placed them at the third seed of Group B, which put them on a collision course with San Miguel in the best-of-five quarterfinals.

After their win over the Bossing, Ginebra head coach Tim Cone called it ‘consuelo de bobo’.

‘Consuelo de bobo. You fight your way to the playoffs and your reward is you have to face San Miguel. But, you don’t get to really choose who you get to play. I think once you get into the point where you start choosing, I don’t know, it’s just like bad karma or whatever,’ he said.

‘To me, I’ve always felt through the years that you play the game the way you’re supposed to play it. You play it hard. You play it to win. And then you let the cards fall where they may. And you take care of business, what’s in front of you,’ he added.

Cone stressed that he believes ‘there was not much choice’ in the quarterfinals, as they would face either the explosive San Miguel squad or the top seed of Group A, the NLEX Road Warriors.

‘NLEX has been playing great, great basketball conference long. They beat us up in a practice game. So it wasn’t really a team that we were excited to play either,’ he said.

‘And obviously, we’re not excited to play San Miguel… But, it’s a best of five series. So, you know, that kind of equals it all out. So it’ll be should be a really good battle to see who comes in. I think the matchups are kind of very interesting.’

Following an up-and-down conference, Ginebra had to win three of their last four elimination round games to make it to the quarterfinals.

Heading to the matchup with the Bossing, Ginebra, the 4-6 Meralco Bolts and Blackwater were still in the running for the final playoff berth.

‘Well, first let me say that it was, this was a tough group and we’re real proud of our guys for working their way back into the conference after, you know, working our way back into the group and still making the playoffs. And I guess we finished as the third seed,’ he said.

‘Didn’t look that way a couple weeks ago, so we had to really scratch and claw to get to where we were.’

Game 1 of the Gin Kings-Beermen clash will be on Tuesday, 7:30 p.m., at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.

Let’s face it. No matter how hard you try to manage your finances and keep your expenditure well within your regular income, there are times when you need some extra money for a good reason.

Bridge an income gap perhaps, finance a small business you’ve been planning to put up for years, help pay for the medical procedure that your mom needs to undergo, or simply keep your household moving like a well-oiled machine when it has been chugging and stalling for a while now.

With the rise of digital lending in the country, regulated platforms have brought formal credit closer to underserved Filipinos long excluded from traditional finance, yet abusive collection practices by rogue lenders continue to weaken trust in the system.

Some digital lending companies present themselves very impressively and make their terms seem like the easiest to comply with for those who need the extra money fast, so quite a number of people end up dealing with them.

That is to find out later on that there are hidden charges needed to be paid, unreasonably high interest rates, and, should they be remiss with even one payment due.

They are harassed with constant threats, text messages, and calls, even acts of public shaming with no let-up until they pay. There seems to be no way out once you’re trapped in their system. This is why it is important to choose the right digital lending company to partner with and not be lured into a shady deal by sweet promises and attractive terms. If a deal feels like it is too good to be true, it probably is too good to be true and you better beware.

So how do you land with a legitimate digital lending company that will honor the terms of your deal and treat you – and your debt – with dignity and respect?

Do your research. Make sure you look up the company and find out everything you need to know about them.

Find out if it is a legitimate digital lending company, duly registered so that they will be legally bound to fulfill the terms written on the legal document you will sign up for, and check people’s reviews on the company’s performance.

Deal only with a legitimate company that offers good loan packages, has received glowing reviews, and comes highly recommended

Find out all the terms involved in the loan that you are planning to secure. The terms should be clear and upfront, fees and payments should be transparent, and there should be a fair collection scheme. There must be no hidden terms, charges, or collection schedules and practices.

On our way to work, me and my wife Denise usually pass by the NBC network office at the Rockefeller Center along 48th St. as there is a cheap Chinese take-out diner in the vicinity. After we bought our food last Monday morning, there was a sizeable crowd gathered around a pop-up store on 30 Rockefeller Plaza. Since we still had a little time, we checked what it was all about.

It was the final two days of the NBA Tip-Off Comic Drop showing limited-edition superhero inspired comic books featuring stars of all 30 NBA teams. This is NBC Sports’ promotional campaign celebrating Year 2 of the NBA on NBC and was the first time that a network had telecasted an NBA Tip-Off triple header. Yes, I completely forgot about this as the comic giveaways began in the first week of October in selected areas around Manhattan.

The promotional issue has five collectible covers with designs that show the triple header opening night matchups, the New York Knicks starting five and the main stars of the opening night matchups on three other covers – Cade Cunningham (DET) and Jayson Tatum (BOS), LeBron James (PHI) and Jalen Brunson (NYK) and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (OKC) and Victor Wembanyama (SAS).

We didn’t know that they were already giving away those comic books early that morning, so we proceeded to work. Denise got off early afternoon and on the way home, she passed by the area and decided to line up. After an hour and 15 minutes on the line, she got a copy. Clueless, she sent me a photo asking me who’s the player inside the booth. It was Ron Artest/Metta World Peace interacting with the crowd.

The contents mainly are a recap of the previous Finals and a preview of all 30 teams done in typical comic book artwork. LeBron has overstuffed biceps, Stephen Curry as a Roman warrior, Kyrie Irving looks like a western gunslinger, Kevin Durant depicted like a Voltes 5 hybrid, Tatum looking like a toned-down Green Lantern, Wemby as an elongated Django and Luka Doncic looks like Iron Man who forgot his mask.

We went early the next day and when we got to 30 Rock before 9am, there was already a long line. Denise asked the first guy on the line what time he was there and said he came in a little past 7am. The things you do for freebies. Long story short, we got our comic books, a copy of the NYK starting five and three copies of the tip-off matchups as you can’t choose which.

For the love of the game and for collectibles, I lined up. Denise, since she got off earlier than me, lined up again in the afternoon. Not for the love of the game but for the love of the husband. Charot.

The Philippine National Police (PNP) is investigating how fugitive businessman Charlie ‘Atong’ Ang managed to elude law enforcement authorities and leave the country.

Ang, the alleged mastermind in the kidnapping and killing of cockfighting aficionados or sabungeros, has fled the Philippines and is reportedly in Cambodia, according to Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla.

PNP spokesman Col. Allen Rae Co said there is an ongoing probe on Ang’s reported departure in coordination with other concerned government agencies.

‘We will be investigating all circumstances surrounding this development,’ he said at a news briefing in Camp Crame in Quezon City.

Ang is accused of ordering the systematic murder of hundreds of sabungeros who allegedly cheated in cockfight games, with most of the bodies allegedly buried in Taal Lake, Batangas.

Co assured the victims’ families they will not stop until Ang is arrested and brought to court to face trial.

‘Regardless of his current whereabouts the PNP remains committed to serving the warrant of arrest, bringing him before the courts to answer for the charges against him,’ he said.

Lifestyle and travel show ‘I Heart PH’ is returning to Hong Kong for a new season featuring the city’s cultural attractions, culinary destinations and local businesses which will premiere on October 25 in GTV.

In partnership with the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB), the award-winning show will feature destinations that highlight the city’s blend of heritage, creativity and modern lifestyle.

The upcoming episodes were previewed during the ‘I Heart PH’ media launch at Winford Resort Manila recently.

Chian Jia Liew, HKTB regional director for Southeast Asia, welcomed the partnership, which aims to encourage Filipino travelers to explore Hong Kong beyond its familiar tourist attractions.

‘We are delighted to partner with I Heart PH once again to showcase the many experiences that can be found Only in Hong Kong,’ Liew said.

‘Hong Kong is a city where you can experience dynamic contrast of East and West, heritage and innovation, vibrant city life and stunning nature, all within easy reach,’ she added.

The show will feature five destinations and experiences, including the Hong Kong Palace Museum, which houses collections of Chinese art and historical artifacts, and Madame Tussauds Hong Kong, where visitors can see wax figures of international personalities.

Among the Filipino celebrities featured at Madame Tussauds are boxing champion Manny Pacquiao, Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach, Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray, actress-host Anne Curtis and actress Kathryn Bernardo.

The program will also visit Ma Wan 1868, a former fishing village that combines historical landmarks, creative spaces and local dining spots. Visitors can explore the area’s Tin Hau Temple and enjoy views of the Tsing Ma Bridge.

Another featured experience is the Ding Ding Foodie Tour, which takes visitors around Hong Kong Island aboard an air-conditioned tram while introducing them to the city’s food culture, history and neighborhoods.

The season will also include Hong Kong Disneyland, which offers attractions, themed lands and entertainment inspired by Disney stories. Its Christmas activities are scheduled to begin on November 20.

Beyond tourist attractions, ‘I Heart PH’ will spotlight businesses that reflect Hong Kong’s culture and creative identity.

Among them is Bakehouse, an artisanal bakery founded by Grégoire Michaud, who previously served as executive pastry chef at Four Seasons Hong Kong.

The show will also feature Kingstone Engraving, which preserves the traditional craft of hand-carved personalized stamps, and TeemTonefai, an ice cream and gelato brand known for its distinctive flavors and towering gelato creations.

Goods of Desire (G.O.D), meanwhile, offers accessories and home decor inspired by Hong Kong’s architecture, traditions and everyday life. Its founder and designer, Douglas Young, established the brand to celebrate the city’s cultural identity through locally inspired products.

The program will also visit Dara, a Filipino restaurant that serves familiar comfort food to Filipinos and other diners in Hong Kong.

Jermaine Bunoan, Dara’s co-founder and head of operations, said the restaurant draws inspiration from the simplicity and familiarity of home-cooked Filipino meals.

Through its new season, ‘I Heart PH’ aims to introduce viewers to Hong Kong’s diverse attractions, from historical sites and culinary experiences to creative enterprises and places that offer a taste of home for Filipinos living abroad.

So far, so good.

That was how Nxled coach Guidetti Ettore viewed his Chameleons after roaring to a third straight victory following a 25-16, 22-25, 25-17, 25-19 victory over ZUS Coffee yesterday in the PVL All-Filipino Conference at the MOA Arena.

‘It’s nice to see that we have the same resilience that we showed in the last part of the PVL on Tour as well as the Invitational,’ said Ettore. ‘Definitely following the same line of determination and they’re more serene when faced with difficult situations.’

While there was a slip of concentration in the second set, Nxled was relatively calm almost all throughout in carving out a third straight triumph.

The Highrisers went down to their third loss in a row.

It helped that Jonah Sabete-Escamillan stepped up when Brooke Van Sickle struggled, and unloaded a 22-point performance that she spiced up with 18 kills, three blocks and an ace. Van Sickle wound up with just 12 hits but helped preside over the squad’s floor defense with a match-best 13 digs.

For Sabete-Escamillan, quickness was their weapon. ‘Knowing matatangkad sila, kailangan namin ng fast game,’ she said.

The Chameleons have been riding high on their runner-up finish – their best finish in franchise history – in the Invitational just a month ago. And the way they’re playing right now, there is a strong chance they may end up going all the way.

Murder charges have been filed against eight suspects tagged in the murder of a barangay chairman in Sto. Tomas, Batangas.

The charges were filed before the Office of the City Prosecutor in Sto. Tomas on Wednesday afternoon.

Of the eight suspects, only Michael Ben Calalo, 30, was arrested. The rest including two businessmen, two drivers, a former politician, a barangay kagawad and the gunman remain at large.

Calalo allegedly helped the gunman, who was reportedly his cousin, escape after killing Dennis Austria in Barangay Anastacia on Oct. 15.

Calalo and the assailant sped away on a motorcycle before transferring to a Toyota Vios.

The suspect was arrested on Tuesday at his alleged hideout in Barangay Balagtasin in the nearby town of San Jose.

Police said the arresting team recovered the Vios, which was reportedly registered under the name of Calalo.

Video footage of a closed-circuit television camera showed Calalo and the gunman transferring from a motorcycle to the Vios.

Calabarzon police deputy chief Col. Mario Mayames Jr. said Calalo signed an extra-judicial confession, admitting his participation in the crime.

The mastermind of the murder reportedly promised the gunman P250,000.

With the filing of the charges, Mayames said the Austria murder case is considered solved.

Col. Oliver Ebora, Batangas police director, urged anyone with information about the case to coordinate with the police, to help strengthen the charges and ensure conviction of those responsible.

It’s a crucial PBA Governors’ Cup duel against Blackwater that looks all too familiar for Barangay Ginebra coach Tim Cone.

Last game of the group stage, two ways to advance to the playoffs.

Seal it with a win. Or at the very least, get the Last-8 ticket by emerging on top of a potential three-way tie at 4-6 with Meralco and the Bossing (3-6) after tiebreak.

Thanks to their +30 points differential against the Bolts (+7) and Pat Aquino’s Bossing (-37), the Gin Kings can still afford to drop tonight’s Group B windup at Ynares Center-Antipolo and move forward – as long as the losing margin won’t reach 24.

Otherwise, it would drag Cone and his bunch to second among the three, allowing Meralco to catch the last bus to the crossover quarters instead.

For the Bossing to overtake the two in a tiebreaker, they must to beat Ginebra by a whopping 45 points.