Category: Philippine Star

The European Union (EU) has donated 150,000 euros, approximately P10.9 million, to help victims of severe flooding caused by monsoon rains in Luzon.

The humanitarian assistance is expected to benefit more than 32,000 people in areas severely hit by flooding including Ilocos region, Central Luzon and Metro Manila.

The funding will help the Philippine Red Cross provide essential household items including sleeping kits, water containers and hygiene kits to displaced families.

‘The aid will also be used to provide hot meals and safe drinking water to people in evacuation centers and affected communities. Mobile health teams will offer medical consultations, medicine, health information and mental health support,’ the EU said.

It said hygiene activities and disease monitoring will be conducted to mitigate the risk of water- and vector-borne diseases that are prevalent after flooding.

The assistance is the EU’s contribution to the disaster response emergency fund of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.

The fund is on top of the over two million euros earlier allocated to humanitarian partners in the Philippines.

‘Relief assistance is an expression of European solidarity with people in need all around the world. It aims to save lives, prevent and alleviate human sufferings, and safeguard the integrity and dignity of populations affected by natural disasters and man-made crises,’ the EU said.

In 1998, I was so new in the coffee industry and did not know where to start connecting with farmers. I was only exposed to Silang, Cavite then, so I joined the Coffee Foundation of the Philippines on their trips with the agency most concerned about coffee, Dept. of Trade and Industry-International Coffee Organization Certifying Agency or DTI-ICOCA. We paid our way to find farms and meet farmers; with my business partner we traveled to Benguet and Bukidnon with this motley group of coffee advocates.

Almost 30 years later, today we find Bukidnon to be more accessible as you can drive from Davao or fly to Cagayan de Oro’s Laguindingan airport. The roads are good, long and winding, taking you to the famous Kitanglad and its neighbor Kalatungan. In between these two majestic mountains are coffee areas, one near Lake Napalit and one closer to Kitanglad.

Many years ago, Sumilao town had a processing area for exportable coffee. That has since stopped operations but Bukidnon still became a destination for coffee because of Monk’s Blend, a famed coffee brand popularized by the Benedictine monks in Malaybalay. The brand reached supermarkets and I saw they had a professional roasting machine, at least to make assorted beans taste better than what the market had then. Today, we have many micro roasters preparing coffee to your taste – medium or dark roast, and of different varieties.

Bukidnon has always remained special to me – as this was where I first met Father Colombano who asked me to stay for vespers, where you hear a pin drop as everyone kneels in silent prayer at the Monastery of the Transfiguration. On first Sundays, they have a community breakfast where you get to meet the priests and monks on their monthly socials with visitors from far and wide.

I got the chance to see their coffee facility many years back – a German-made Probat roaster when the coffee trade was not yet as exposed to better equipment. Think circa 2000s, which was a long time ago. This is why Monk’s Blend became such a revered brand – with a story and good coffee to boot.

Today, as road networks improved, we found ourselves visiting Bukidnon more frequently, sometimes as tourists, sometimes as trainers and most of the time as friends of many village elders and IP communities. We have also started a partnership with Xavier Science Foundation to plant coffee in the lands reachable only by foot and cared for by local cultural communities.

What is the secret to Bukidnon’s appeal as a tourist destination and as a place for relaxed community work and advocacy? The weather is wonderfully cool and balanced – with some rain in the afternoons but sunshiny mornings. The restaurants and hotels have kept pace with development of local tourism. We keep discovering new cafés and food joints, we like to shop at roadside stalls for fruits, corn and other native products. Traveling back to Davao, you can find a Michelin-featured restaurant called Pilgrim. Traveling to Misamis Oriental (about an hour’s drive) you can find Don Narciso Café. And traveling in and around Valencia and Malaybalay, there are many places to stay overnight and then continue on with your road trip the next day. Bukidnon is also famous for the Del Monte farm where steaks have a pineapple hint of flavor, they say.

In 2003, we found a school that needed help in the Miarayon area. Lately, I found out that the schoolchildren we once supported are now either in college or are taking their master and doctorate degrees already. That wonderful news was sent by Gina Alfonso of Cartwheel Foundation who we worked with 20 years ago in Miarayon, way before today’s coffee fame. The secret’s out – coffee from these parts tastes very good, especially if farmers are trained in post-harvest processing.

This is why a sustainability plan for Bukidnon or for each coffee-growing province is key. Sometimes a national program is just too far to reach so a localized plan works for these coffee origins that are far from each other.

Bukidnon is also known for dairy as they pride themselves in having livestock and good grass that cattle feed on. There also are organic farms in and around as we visited Down To Earth farms as well as discover new sources of adlai, the grain that diabetics prefer for its lower glycemic index. Many years back adlai was sold at just P6/kilo and sold as food for hogs. Not anymore. Health conscious diners and progressive chefs started using the grain in risotto, arroz caldo and now many provinces have started to grow adlai or Job’s tears. Farmers found a premium market for what was once hog feed.

Bukidnon is known as the food basket of Mindanao and was the largest contributor to the gross value added to agriculture forestry and fishery (AFF) in 2024. Its contributions to the AFF has been going up, surpassing that of 81 provinces and 33 highly urbanized cities, as reported by the Philippine Statistics Authority.

Can you imagine what a rich province can contribute to sustainability of coffee, among other crops? It also does not experience as much weather changes like typhoons as it is a landlocked area.

You may want to explore what Bukidnon has to offer, other than coffee, pineapples and sugarcane. For me, I treasure all the memories and hope to make more trips for the sustainability of not just the coffee but every sector of agriculture.

Four outlaws, all linked to remnants of the now-defunct Dawlah Islamiya terror group, were killed in gunfights while pursuing soldiers and policemen in Barangay Manaulanan in Tugunan town in the Bangsamoro Special Geographic Area on Saturday morning, September 19.

Local executives, traditional Moro community leaders, officials of the Police Regional Office-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region and the Army’s 6th Infantry Division separately told reporters on Saturday afternoon that the hostilities in Sitio Gawang in Barangay Manaulanan in Tugunan erupted when heavily armed men opened fire at soldiers dispatched to check on reports by villagers about their presence in the area.

Barangay officials and members of the Islamic religious community in Tugunan had confirmed that four gunmen, from a group forcibly collecting ‘protection money’ and rice from villagers on a periodic basis, were killed in the ensuing encounters.

Tugunan is one of the eight towns in the Bangsamoro Special Geographic, under the regional government of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, but is inside the territory of Cotabato province in Region 12.

Tugunan Mayor Abdulbayan Abas, chairperson of their multi-sector municipal peace and order council, was quoted in radio reports as saying that the anti-terror operation in Barangay Manaulanan of the Army’s 40th Infantry Battalion of the 602nd Infantry Brigade under 6th ID and units of the Police Regional Office-Bangsamoro Autonomous was a legitimate law-enforcement activity, meant to clear the area from lawless groups.

Barangay and municipal officials said four bandits were killed one after another by pursuing soldiers and policemen in the ensuing gunfights.

A Philippine Air Force attack helicopter fired machine guns at the armed group while exchanging shots with soldiers and policemen, forcing them to scamper away, leaving their dead companions.

Villagers in Barangay Manaulanan had evacuated to safe areas, according to local executives.

Aznar Shipping Corp. president and CEO Kyle Alexander Aznar said in June that the company had no immediate plan to go public yet, although he emphasized that it aimed to be IPO-ready.

Three months later, the company announced that it is ready to sail with a P737-million initial public offering targeted by December.

‘We decided over the time period that this is the time to expand, especially when our first half 2026 figures came out. We saw that the revenue was very promising. We did better than last year despite the economic uncertainty,’ Aznar said when asked by The STAR what changed during that time frame that made them decide to pursue a maiden public offering.

‘That’s when we realized that for our sector, the market is there, the demand is there. So that is when we decided that OK, it’s time to expand,’ he added.

Aznar Shipping, which aims to list on the small, medium and emerging board of the Philippine Stock Exchange Inc. under the trading symbol ‘ALX,’ is eyeing to debut in the market despite a challenging environment.

Aznar acknowledged that even if current market conditions are uncertain, he is confident in the company’s good story, fundamentals and business model.

‘For me, market conditions, they’re out of our control. They’re just like the sea. You can’t always hope for calm waters. What you can do is really learn to sail in rough conditions,’ he said.

‘What is in our control is really how we operate, how we run the company. And for me, I believe in our business model. I believe in our market. I believe that the fundamentals are there to help us grow. And right now, I think it’s the right time,’ Aznar said.

Aznar Shipping’s potential IPO by the end of the year will also come on the heels of what could be the biggest IPO in the country, which is Mynt Inc.’s blockbuster listing in October.

Asked if he is confident that there will still be enough investor appetite in the market following the GCash IPO, Aznar said: ‘I’m not concerned because it’s a different industry. It’s so far from us. GCash is fintech, we’re a logistics company.’

Aznar Shipping operates a short-haul, high-frequency shipping model with nine operating vessels focused on four major inter-island routes with regular port calls at eight ports across the Visayas.

The Cebu-based shipping operator’s expansion strategy is anchored on increasing vessel capacity, developing additional viable routes and strengthening the supporting capabilities needed to operate a larger regional shipping platform.

For the first half, the company reported a 155-percent surge in net income to P53.19 million. Its revenues soared by 110 percent year-on-year to P210.99 million on the back of additional vessel capacity and higher cargo and passenger revenues.

For its IPO, Aznar Shipping plans to offer of up to nine billion primary common shares, with an over-allotment option of up to 100 million secondary shares, at an indicative offer price of up to P0.67 per share, subject to a bookbuilding process.

At the maximum indicative offer price, the primary offer may generate up to P670 million in gross proceeds for the company, while secondary shares under the over-allotment option may add up to approximately P67 million.

‘I know it’s a capital-raising activity, right? But on top of that, that’s not the only reason. It’s really for long-term sustainability,’ Aznar said.

‘We’re a third-generation family business, and for me, I would want our family business to outlast me,’ he said, noting that being a public company serves as the gold standard of corporate governance.

‘That’s what really encouraged me and inspired me to undertake that endeavor, and I believe doing so would help sustain our business over many generations more to come,’ Aznar said.

Cebuano firm Aznar Shipping Corp. is turning to the Philippine capital markets to finance an expansion of its fleet and maritime infrastructure, confident that the growing role of shipping in domestic trade will sustain demand for inter-island services.

The shipping operator has filed a registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission for an initial public offering of up to 1 billion primary common shares, with an over-allotment option of up to 100 million secondary shares, subject to regulatory approval.

At an indicative maximum price of P0.67 a share, the primary offering could raise as much as P670 million in gross proceeds. The secondary shares could generate a further P67 million if the over-allotment option is fully exercised.

The final offer price will be determined through book-building.

Aznar Shipping intends to deploy most of the proceeds towards fleet expansion and shipyard facility development, while allocating the remainder for general corporate purposes. The planned investment reflects the company’s effort to build a larger regional shipping platform at a time when trade and passenger flows across the Visayas are expanding.

‘As economic activity across the Visayas continues to grow, we want Aznar Shipping to grow with the region,’ Kyle Alexander C. Aznar, president and chief executive, said.

The company sees additional vessels and infrastructure as critical to connecting more of the region’s emerging economic centers and increasing its capacity to carry passengers, vehicles and cargo.

The investment case rests partly on the scale of maritime activity already concentrated in the Visayas.

A study by the Center for Research and Communication estimates that Visayas ports accounted for about 35 per cent of national cargo throughput, 60 per cent of passenger traffic and 49 per cent of roll-on/roll-off vehicle movements between 2022 and 2025. More than half of the country’s ship calls were also recorded in the region.

RoRo traffic – a key market for Aznar Shipping because its vessels carry vehicles as well as passengers and cargo – is expected to provide further momentum. The CRC study projects Visayas RoRo traffic to grow at an average annual rate of 12.9 per cent through 2028, compared with 10.7 per cent nationally.

That differential points to a potentially attractive regional growth market, but also underscores the capital intensity of competing for it.

Aznar Shipping currently operates nine vessels on four major inter-island routes, with regular port calls at eight ports across Cebu, Leyte, Panay and Negros Occidental.

Its customer base spans shippers, trucking and logistics companies, bus operators, construction companies, freight forwarders and passengers, giving the company exposure to both commercial and consumer demand.

The company plans to increase vessel capacity, add viable routes and develop the operational infrastructure needed to support a broader network.

The IPO will therefore provide Aznar Shipping with capital to pursue growth without relying solely on internally generated funds or conventional borrowing. For investors, however, the expansion also puts greater emphasis on the company’s ability to convert regional economic growth into higher vessel utilization, revenue and returns on capital.

Aznar Shipping has appointed Investment and Capital Corporation of the Philippines and PNB Capital and Investment Corporation as joint issue managers, joint lead underwriters and joint bookrunners.

Subject to regulatory approvals and market conditions, the IPO is scheduled to run from December 1 to December 8, 2026, with listing targeted for December 18 on the Philippine Stock Exchange’s Small, Medium and Emerging Board under the ticker ALX.

The company is enrolled in the PSE’s Listing Engagement and Assistance Program, which provides prospective issuers with guidance and support through the listing process.

For Aznar Shipping, the offering is more than a fund-raising exercise. It is a test of whether a regional shipping company can scale alongside an increasingly integrated Visayas economy – and whether investors will see enough value in that growth to back its next phase of expansion.

The Philippines remains on track to conclude negotiations for a free trade agreement (FTA) with Canada this year.

‘We made substantial and positive progress last round, and we remain on track in concluding the Philippines-Canada FTA negotiations this year,’ Trade Undersecretary Allan Gepty said in a Viber message yesterday.

The Philippines and Canada held the fourth round of FTA talks from Sept. 8 to 11 in Toronto, Canada.

‘We are almost closed; we will just address remaining issues through virtual and small meetings,’ Gepty said.

Once talks are concluded, the FTA with Canada will be the Philippines’ first free trade deal in North America.

Gepty said the FTA with Canada has a forward-looking scope, coverage and commitment to enable the countries to build a stronger, future-ready economic partnership.

‘This FTA pursues sustainable development and an inclusive agenda, resilient supply chain and digital transformation,’ Gepty said.

As negotiations for the FTA with Canada progress, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is stepping up its engagement with stakeholders to maximize the deal’s intended benefits.

The DTI recently held consultations with Philippine professionals and Filipino-Canadian businesses to provide an overview of the bilateral FTA and exchange views on the deal’s trade and commercial opportunities.

The Philippines has been working on increasing its FTAs to diversify its trade partners.

In July, the Philippines concluded FTA talks with Chile, marking the country’s first trade deal in Latin America.

The Philippines is also pushing to complete its FTA review with Japan this year.

Members of the House prosecution panel have maintained that their statements on the ongoing impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte were not about the merits of the case, but merely on procedure and summary of the proceedings.

Bicol Saro party-list Rep. Terry Ridon and counsel for the prosecution Benjamin Tolosa Jr. made this assertion as they explained to the Senate impeachment court why they should not be sanctioned for violation of the sub judice rule which barred parties from commenting on the merits of the case.

In his verified answer to the impeachment court’s show cause order, Ridon said his statements only meant to keep the public informed of the status and progress of the proceedings, adding that he has always understood the distinction between reports on what transpired during proceedings, explaining procedural developments and progress of the prosecution.

‘In making these statements, Rep. Ridon never intended to prejudge the case, influence the senator-judges, substitute public discussion for the evidence and arguments properly presented before the honorable court or diminish the authority of the honorable court to determine the merits of the impeachment case,’ he said.

For his part, Tolosa said his statements either concerned procedural matters or merely recounted matters already placed on record fairly and accurately, in good faith and without editorial comment.

He asserted that his statements, when considered in its complete context, did not evaluate a disputed fact, the credibility of a witness, the relevance, weight or sufficiency of evidence.

‘Accordingly, there is no basis for citing the undersigned counsel for violation of Rule 18,’ Tolosa said.

He further contended that his statements did not state that the prosecution’s evidence was already sufficient to warrant the Vice President’s conviction nor did he urge the Senate impeachment court to convict Duterte.

‘The undersigned counsel did not assess the credibility, weight or sufficiency of those statements and admissions, nor did he urge this honorable impeachment court to draw any particular conclusion from it. Instead, it was merely made to explain the prosecution’s decision to reserve its right to call Respondent ,’ Tolosa said.

Infrastructure and transport advocates have urged government to strip the Toll Regulatory Board (TRB) of its power to issue tollway extensions, saying its authority should be limited to regulating toll rates.

In a study by several infrastructure and transport researchers, they said the local tollway network, both completed and planned, has grown to as much as P2.73 trillion to date.

However, the study said toll projects granted through supplemental toll operation agreements (STOA), issued by the TRB, amounted to P766.81 billion.

The researchers said it is necessary to strip the TRB’s power to grant STOA. Although the STOA is designed to extend the distance of an existing tollway, the study flagged multiple instances that it was used to approve large-scale projects.

In 2022, toward the end of the Duterte administration, the TRB granted San Miguel Corp. (SMC) with a STOA for the 19.37-kilometer Pasig River Expressway (PAREX). The TRB said PAREX is an extension of SMC’s South Luzon Expressway.

SMC bagged STOAs for three others: the 417-km SLEX Toll Road 5; 40.62-km Southern Access Link Expressway; and the 136-km Northern Access Link Expressway.

The process was changed only when the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Code was amended in 2023, requiring tollways issued with STOAs to be subjected to a comparative challenge.

Still, the researchers insisted that the TRB’s power should be reduced to setting toll rates, raising how its authority to grant STOA competes with the capacity of the Department of Public Works and Highways to process PPPs.

‘Accordingly, the powers and functions of the TRB should be reduced and limited to regulation of existing tollways and toll setting. It should no longer decide on development of new tollways or on STOA,’ the study proposed.

The researchers also warned of competition concerns given that Philippine tollways are operated largely by two developers: SMC (P1.2 trillion) and Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. (P482 billion). The two are working toward a merger.

In response, the researchers called on the Philippine Competition Commission to signal as early as now that it would block the proposed merger, citing industry concentration.

The study was developed by researchers from commuter groups Ilog Pasiglahin, Make It Safer Movement and Move As One Coalition and academic institutions Ateneo de Manila University, Harvard Kennedy School and Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Muntinlupa.

A China Coast Guard (CCG) vessel ‘intentionally rammed’ a ship of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) about 54 nautical miles off the coast of Palawan on Friday, the Philippine Coast Guard said.

PCG spokesman for the West Philippine Sea Rear Admiral Jay Tarriela said the CCG vessel struck the BRP Datu Magat Salamat at around 11 a.m. while the Philippine vessel was conducting a fisherfolk assistance mission.

‘It was not a collision. It was an intentional ramming done by the CCG-21585,’ Tarriela said.

Tarriela said the BFAR vessel was carrying out a mission to provide fuel subsidies and food packs to Filipino fishermen in the Kalayaan Island Group following weeks of monsoon rains.

‘The objective of the BFAR deployment is purely humanitarian. It is not conducting operations that provoked anybody or any state,’ he said.

The contact damaged the main railings on the starboard side, metal stanchions and support structures as well as deck fixtures and equipment. No injuries were reported.

‘Even after the collision, CCG-21585 conducted yet another dangerous maneuver, passing dead astern at a distance of only about five meters,’ Tarriela said.

‘This kind of behavior of the Chinese government is an outright violation of the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) Convention and the collision regulations,’ Tarriela added.

The Chinese embassy, however, disputed the Philippine account, saying the incident was a collision caused by the BRP Datu Magat Salamat after it ignored warnings from the CCG vessel and accelerated after altering its course.

The BRP Datu Magat Salamat was refloated Thursday after running aground at Hasa-Hasa Shoal during its operations.

Tarriela said it would be docked at Coron Port for an assessment of its seaworthiness.

He said the CCG’s 215 series consists of smaller, faster and more agile vessels capable of intercepting ships in the West Philippine Sea.

The decision on whether to file a diplomatic protest will be left to the Department of Foreign Affairs, while the PCG would continue supporting the remaining BFAR vessels in their supply missions to Filipino fisherfolk.

A village chairman surrendered to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) his nephew who had been wanted for drug charges in this city on Tuesday.

Jaime Bustarde, chief of Barangay City Camp Proper, tapped the help of his sister, Lily Flora, in persuading their nephew, Jayson Sumera, to surrender.

Judge Maria Ligaya Rivera of the Baguio Regional Trial Court Branch 5 on Monday issued an arrest warrant for Sumera, who was wanted for violating Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.

After failing to find Sumera in his known address, the NBI sought the assistance of Bustarde, who asked his sister to bring their nephew to the barangay hall, where the suspect was arrested.