Category: Philippine Star

Alex Eala faces another upset-savvy opponent in Mika Stojsavljecic of Great Britain in Round 1 of the WTA500 Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo, Japan.

Ranked No. 308 in the world, the 17-year-old British is slated to become the lowest-ranked rival of Eala in a banner campaign this year marked by a meteoric rise to the WTA Top 20.

But that should serve as enough warning for the 21-year-old Eala, who absorbed a bevy of upsets against lower-ranked foes in the past month.

Stojsavljecic is also a wildcard in the tourney.

Eala, for her part, came off a 7-5, 6-4 loss to World No. 13 Diana Shnaider of Russia to miss out on a quarterfinal seat in the WTA500 Ningbo Open over the weekend.

That was Eala’s first loss against a higher-ranked adversary after a Round of 16 finish in the WTA500 Singapore Open as the No. 3 seed with a stunner against No. 180 Tatiana Prozorova of Russia and a Round 1 exit as the No. 13 seed in the WTA1000 Wuhan Open with a loss to No. 217 Han Shi of China.

As the No. 1 seed in the 20th Asian Games, Eala also fell to the No. 85 Xiyu Wang of China to waste her best shot at gold without the top guns in the continental tourney for another bronze medal like in her Hangzhou debut.

Typhoon Rosal, the most powerful cyclone this year, has stepped out of the Philippine area of responsibility on Saturday morning, October 24.

No tropical cyclone wind signals remain in effect but strong winds and dangerous seas may still affect parts of the country, PAGASA said in an advisory.

In its 11 a.m. bulletin, the state weather bureau said Rosal was 525 kilometers north-northeast of Itbayat, Batanes, outside PAR.

The typhoon had weakened further, with maximum sustained winds of 120 kilometers per hour near the center and gusts of up to 150 kph.

It was moving east-northeastward at 20 kph toward the East China Sea.

Earlier Saturday, Rosal had maximum sustained winds of 150 kph and was moving southwestward after making a counterclockwise loop over the sea east of Taiwan.

Strong gusts may persist

Despite Rosal’s exit from PAR, its periphery may continue to bring strong to gale-force gusts Saturday over Batanes, the Babuyan Islands, Ilocos Norte, Aurora, northern Quezon, Polillo Islands, the Bicol Region, Romblon, Capiz, Iloilo and Negros Occidental.

Strong to gale-force gusts may also affect Batanes, the Babuyan Islands and Ilocos Norte on Sunday.

PAGASA said local winds may be stronger in coastal, upland and mountainous areas exposed to the prevailing winds.

Dangerous seas over Northern Luzon

The cyclone may be gone, but its expansive wingspan has lingering effects. A gale warning remains in effect over the seaboards of Northern Luzon.

Very rough seas with waves reaching as high as 5.5 meters are forecast along the northern seaboard of Batanes, while waves may reach 4.5 meters along the northern seaboard of the Babuyan Islands.

PAGASA said sea travel is risky for vessels of all types and tonnage in these areas. Mariners were advised to remain in port or seek safe harbor until winds and waves subside.

Rough seas are also forecast over several coastal waters of Northern Luzon.

Waves may reach 4 meters over the remaining seaboards of the Babuyan Islands, the northeastern seaboard of mainland Cagayan and the northern seaboard of Ilocos Norte.

Waves of up to 3.5 meters are forecast over the remaining seaboard of Ilocos Norte and the seaboard of Ilocos Sur.

Up to 3-meter waves may affect the remaining seaboards of mainland Cagayan, the western seaboard of Pangasinan, the seaboards of Isabela and northern Aurora, and the northern and eastern seaboards of Catanduanes.

Mariners of small vessels, including motorbancas, were advised not to venture out under these conditions.

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.

The temporary procedural pause in the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, which is set to resume on November 9, gives us time to reflect on two seemingly opposing views. I think this discussion must continue through the 2028 polls because it concerns the very survival of our imperfect democracy.

Discussing whether enough senators would vote to convict the vice president, political strategist Malou Tiquia pointed to the 32 million people who elected her. Speaking on DZYT Radyo 765, she asked: ‘Paano mo masisikmura na i-convict sa isang charge ang bise presidente na nahalal ng 32 million? Paano?… And yet, yung survey tumataas.’

I take her remarks to mean that removing the vice president could carry a heavy political cost, given her electoral mandate and what Tiquia described as the vice president’s rising survey ratings.

The other view comes from impeachment prosecutor Amando Virgil Ligutan. Asked early on why he had joined the prosecution team, he gave an answer that struck me as simple yet powerful. He recalled the case of a school principal in Virac, Catanduanes, who was sentenced to 11 years in prison for pocketing P5,000.

‘If we can send to jail somebody for pocketing ?5,000, why can’t we remove from office the sitting vice president for misusing millions of pesos of public funds?’ Ligutan said.

Tiquia’s view belongs to realpolitik and is valid in that respect. Serious political consequences and the real pressures surrounding a decision cannot simply be brushed aside.

On the other hand, Ligutan’s argument carries equal, if not greater, weight because accountability, even on the sole remaining charge of unexplained wealth, comes with being elected to office. An electoral mandate operates within constitutional limits. That is a lesson Ligutan and I, like other lawyers, took to heart in Law school.

Neither of us comes from the political elite. We are mere lawyers who have little to lose politically in this battle.

The two views can therefore be acknowledged without being placed on equal footing. Political consequences, on the one hand, must be understood and effectively addressed. Constitutional mandates, on the other hand, must be fulfilled through a fair proceeding whose outcome rests on evidence and constitutional grounds, even when doing so carries a heavy political cost.

This priority matters because the Constitution binds us as a republic despite our different backgrounds, interests, and political loyalties. I highly doubt we can survive for long as a republic if the impeachment trial turns up strong evidence of the vice president’s culpability, yet the senator-judges acquit her because realpolitik dictates it.

When we studied the Constitution in Law school, we were taught that it restrains the exercise of power, including power backed by a majority. Constitutional historian Charles McIlwain identified legal limits on government as an essential feature of constitutionalism. A government remains subject to those limits even when its decisions enjoy popular support.

There is nothing strange about a people at a saner and more peaceful time imposing restraints on themselves. Political theorists call this arrangement precommitment, a sort of safety measure that shall save us from our future impassioned selves or our transient impulses.

James Madison, an American statesman and Founding Father, understood the difficulty. In The Federalist Papers, a series of essays arguing for the ratification of the U.S. Constitution, Madison warned that appeals to the people over constitutional disputes could become contests of partisan passion. He explained why dependence on the people needed additional safeguards. Those elected to govern must themselves be controlled. Without constitutional restraints, democratic government cannot survive the excesses of its own mob.

And with today’s information ecosystem easily made murky by sophisticated disinformation networks and targeted propaganda, it is much easier to manipulate electoral choices and turn the system against itself. This can happen without the kind of genuine revolution that once overturned systems that no longer served the people.

Yes, constitutions are open to criticism and lawful reform, even revolutions. We don’t pretend that their authors possessed wisdom beyond their generation. What we cannot accept is that just because a leader is popular he or she is already exempted from the constitutional rules governing his or her office.

Ligutan understands that upholding the Constitution may be all that stands between the republic’s survival and its destruction by an electoral mob caught in a murky information ecosystem. Its restraints must hold even when survey polls seem to demand that they be set aside to protect a popular political brand.

Motorists should brace for another increase in diesel prices next week as escalating hostilities in the Middle East threaten to further disrupt global oil supplies.

Based on the first four days of trading in the Mean of Platts Singapore, the regional benchmark for refined petroleum products in the Asia-Pacific, diesel prices are projected to rise by P2 to P2.50 per liter.

Gasoline prices, meanwhile, could drop by P1 to P1.50 per liter.

The projected adjustments remain preliminary as they do not yet account for week-on-week changes in freight costs.

Jetti Petroleum president Leo Bellas said oil prices rallied amid mounting supply concerns following intensified Houthi attacks on Saudi infrastructure and vessels.

‘Loadings outside of the Arab Gulf are now threatened as well, jeopardizing Gulf crude loadings and ship-to-ship transfers that helped support regional loadings,’ Bellas said.

Market anxiety has also been fueled by fears of further escalation in geopolitical tensions following the US midterm elections.

For refined petroleum products, diesel prices have come under additional upward pressure from declining oil flows and intensified Ukrainian attacks on Russian refineries.

‘Meanwhile, rising gasoline inventories in Singapore pointed to an improving product availability in Asia,’ Bellas said.

He added that persistent tightness in diesel supplies has encouraged refiners to maintain crude processing rates, potentially helping sustain gasoline supply even as demand weakens.

The Department of Energy is expected to announce the prescribed pump price adjustments on Monday.

Strategic oil reserves

Amid continuing oil price volatility, lawmakers are pushing for the creation of a Philippine Strategic Petroleum Reserve System to help shield consumers and businesses from supply disruptions and sharp price increases.

Camarines Sur Reps. Migz Villafuerte and Luigi Villafuerte urged yesterday their colleagues in the House of Representatives to support House Bill 9367, which seeks to establish the reserve system.

The measure was also authored by Rep. Tsuyoshi Anthony Horibata and Bicol Saro party-list Rep. Terry Ridon.

The lawmakers explained that the country’s dependence on imported petroleum products leaves it vulnerable to global market fluctuations, underscoring the need for government-controlled fuel reserves.

‘Despite its heavy reliance on imported petroleum products, our country lacks a comprehensive legal framework establishing a government-controlled strategic petroleum reserve that will protect Filipinos and businesses from wild swings in the prices of diesel, gasoline and other petroleum products,’ Luigi said.

Migz, meanwhile, noted that countries with established strategic petroleum reserves could draw on their stocks during supply disruptions and periods of severe price volatility.

‘The Philippines has no comparable government-controlled strategic petroleum reserve to draw from during a major supply disruption and thus remains largely exposed to market volatility, relying instead on commercial inventories and external supply conditions,’ he said.

The proposed framework would cover the acquisition, storage, maintenance, rotation and emergency release of petroleum reserves. It would also allow the Department of Energy to work with private entities through public-private partnerships to develop and operate reserve facilities.

The push for legislation comes as Maharlika Investment Corp. and the Philippine National Oil Co. have signed a memorandum of understanding to evaluate the development, financing and operation of a strategic tank farm in Bataan.

The PNOC is targeting the facility’s operations to begin by 2028, with an initial capacity of one million barrels that could eventually expand to 15 million barrels.

Illegal fuel

Meanwhile, Metro Manila police have intensified operations against illegal fuel trading amid concerns that unscrupulous sellers could exploit supply uncertainties.

Metro Manila police officer-in-charge Brig. Gen. Christopher Abrahano ordered police intelligence units and station commanders to strengthen monitoring and validation of unauthorized fuel trading.

The directive followed the arrest of four individuals by Quezon City police on Tuesday for allegedly selling 172 liters of petroleum products illegally beside a gasoline station in Payatas.

‘We will not allow illegal traders to take advantage of the situation for their own gain,’ Abrahano said.

After years of waiting for housing security, 160 beneficiaries of the GMA Ville Lot 110 Housing Project in Barangay Carreta, Cebu City, moved a step closer to land ownership after receiving Certificates of Entitlement during a ceremony at Cebu City Hall last Thursday, October 22.

The certificates formally recognize the beneficiaries’ rights under the government’s housing program and identify them as qualified occupants who may eventually obtain ownership of the lot they occupy, subject to compliance with housing program requirements.

The awarding ceremony was led by Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) Secretary Jose Ramon Aliling and attended by Cebu City Mayor Nestor Archival.

“Salamat kaayo and hinaot pa unta we could have more documents of titles to come in the near future,” Archival said.

Also present were DHSUD Region-7 Director Mark Anthony Lindugan, National Housing Authority (NHA) Region-7 Officer-in-Charge Regional Manager Dante Estrobo, Department of Welfare for the Urban Poor (DWUP) Head Marie Joan Loreto, and Cebu City Local Housing Board Chairman Atty. Irish Dwight Remedio.

The initiative was undertaken through the DHSUD, NHA and Cebu City Government, with the DWUP facilitating local coordination for the housing beneficiaries.

Officials described the distribution of certificates as a significant milestone for the families, many of whom have long sought security of tenure over the properties they occupy.

Archival congratulated the beneficiaries and reminded them that the documents carry both opportunities and responsibilities as they work toward securing ownership of their lots.

For beneficiary Daisy Tañajura, the awarding represented more than a document.

“Ang kalampusan nagdala og dakong kalipay ug paglaum sa mga benepisyaryo tungod kay kini usa ka importanteng lakang padulong sa mas sigurado nga mga pamuyo ug mas maayong kaugmaon alang sa tagsa-tagsa ka pamilya,” she said via the city’s PIO.

A Certificate of Entitlement is not yet a land title. Rather, it serves as proof that a family has been recognized as a qualified beneficiary of a government housing program and is entitled to pursue eventual ownership under the terms and conditions of the project, as additional requirements must still be met before titles can be issued, housing officials described the award as a step toward, rather than the completion of, the ownership process.

The awarding forms part of the government’s continuing efforts to provide secure tenure to low-income families and informal settler households through socialized housing programs.

The Benedicto College (BC) Cheetahs will not only seek to extend their lead but also exact revenge on the University of San Jose-Recoletos (USJ-R) Jaguars when they clash anew in the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation, Inc. (CESAFI) Season 26 basketball tournament today (Saturday, October 24) at the Cebu Coliseum.

The Cheetahs, who are currently on top of the college division standings with an 8-1 record, suffered their first and only loss of the season at the hands of the Jaguars, 62-60, in overtime during their first-round encounter exactly a month ago.

BC will be out to avenge that defeat when it takes on the 5-3 USJ-R squad at 3:30 p.m.

In the other collegiate showdown, the University of Cebu (UC) Webmasters will aim for a repeat victory over the University of San Carlos (USC) Warriors in the 5 p.m. main game.

The Webmasters routed the Warriors, 81-63, in their previous meeting on September 10.

Both teams enter the rematch with identical 5-4 records.

In high school play, reigning five-peat champions Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu (SHS-AdC) Magis Eagles and the University of Cebu Lapu-Lapu and Mandaue (UCLM) will try to stretch their unbeaten runs.

The 5-0 Magis Eagles will face the 3-3 Cebu Eastern College (CEC) Dragons in the 10:30 a.m. opener, while the 6-0 UCLM squad will take on the 7-2 UC Junior Webmasters at 12:30 p.m. in an intriguing duel between sister teams.

In the other featured match, the 6-2 Cebu Institute of Technology-University (CIT-U) Junior Wildcats will tangle with the 1-4 University of Southern Philippines Foundation (USPF) Baby Panthers at 2 p.m.

The national government is actively pursuing full monetary restitution and criminal accountability against rogue contractors involved in the multibillion-peso flood control scandal, according to Secretary Vince Dizon of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

Responding to queries during an inspection of ongoing dike repairs in Calumpit, Bulacan last Wednesday, Dizon assured the public that the government has not written off the public funds lost to substandard, overpriced infrastructure projects previously executed by controversial firms like those owned by private contractor couple Curlee and Sarah Discaya as well as Wawao Builders.

‘The legal process is moving forward,’ Dizon said. ‘Government agencies, including the Office of the Ombudsman, the Office of the Solicitor General and the Department of Justice, are handling the cases. Most of the personalities involved are already detained, while authorities continue to track down remaining fugitives.’

Dizon emphasized that the prosecution strategy includes forcing errant contractors to reimburse the full cost of defective and unfinished flood control assets under the legal doctrine of restitution championed by the ombudsman.

‘It is not enough that they are behind bars; they must return every peso stolen from the public,’ he said. ‘While the justice system handles the recovery and prosecution, the DPWH’s job today is to fix the flood defenses in Calumpit and ensure that future projects are built correctly and transparently.’

For the most part, DC Studios need not worry what Paramount intends to do with Warner Bros., driving all its focus instead on expanding its new comic universe now with “Clayface,” based on the popular Batman villain.

Tom Rhys Harries plays Matt Hagen, a rising actor who gets on the wrong side of a powerful Gotham mob boss, resulting his face getting disfigured and his stardom practically finished.

He desperately approaches doctor Caitlyn Corr (Naomi Ackie) willing to volunteer as a human test subject for her nanite treatment capable of healing damaged tissue and nerves.

The treatment begins well but when things go awry, Hagen injects himself with more nanites which on the surface heals him from any injury, but in reality also gives him the ability to alter his physical and vocal appearance.

Revenge seeps into the fallen actor’s mind against all who turned on him, risking the trust of an engaged Corr who he finds himself falling for.

Body horror is a big swing for any studio, whether for a franchise or a standalone film. Fortunately for DC and Warner Bros., the backstory for Clayface in the comics offers so much promise beyond laying the groundwork for who will be this universe’s long-term Batman. “Clayface” is R-18 but some unnecessary edits can slim it down to R-16, but it still doesn’t take away how effective director James Watkins – his past horror outings including “The Woman in Black” and “Speak No Evil” – applies the gore for the shape-shifting villain.

Visual effects and prosthetic makeup do well to render the melting skin and abnormal changes of Rhys Harries’ Hagen, a face almost a canvas for transformation.

From a filmmaking standpoint though, the movie comes up short, bearing too much similarity to Sam Raimi’s “Darkman” from 1990 or body horror classic “The Fly” by the master himself David Cronenberg.

With respect to Watkins, there is the hovering question of how different the film would be if Mike Flanagan had stayed on board to see the project through, or even if his original script was kept rather than overhauled by fellow scribe Hossein Amini.

“Clayface” hit the key notes with the right tune but missed out on others than make the full melody, which DC may still view as a victory given the collision it came to with “Supergirl”.

Hope remains for the studio following the success of “Lanterns”, but there is still so much ground to make up before it can embrace a true appearance.

An Israeli businessman who changed his name to conceal property fraud in the US has joined the board of Davao-based businessman Dennis Uy’s Dito CME Holdings Inc.

In a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange, Dito said it has elected Oozi Cats as director following its annual stockholders’ meeting.

Cats resigned in 2017 as CEO of Telit Communications – a company he built in the 2000s – after his colleagues launched an internal investigation against him.

The investigation found that Cats is actually the Uzi Kats wanted in the US over property fraud. Further, it was reported that Cats willingly hid this information from colleagues and investors.

Telit is now part of the Telit Cinterion, a provider of internet-of-things solutions. The company is headquartered in Florida and London, supplying high-value chips to some of the world’s biggest manufacturers, including Honda and Lenovo.

Fraud case aside, Cats joining Dito will provide the company with an executive who has known the telco industry since the early cellular days.

Before leaving Telit, Cats was able to snap up big-time clients, including car maker Tesla, proof of his capability to set up partnerships with investors.

Cats’ entry into Dito also signals that the telco is determined to break its bleeding cycle, pinning hope that the executive could help it finally book a profit.

Dito also appointed investment manager Xinxin Wang into its board. The telco is also welcoming as independent directors long-time accountant Enrique Pampolina and trustee of the Government Service Insurance System Cenon Audencial Jr.

Salvador Medialdea, the former executive secretary of President Duterte, ended his term in Dito as independent director. Dito entered the telco industry when it won the right to become the third player during Duterte’s time in 2018.

Eric Recto, who served as finance undersecretary from 2002 to 2005, also concluded his term as a member of Dito’s board.

Dito wants to become profitable by 2028, but is nowhere close from doing so, as it tripled its net loss to P11.29 billion in the first half.