Category: Philippine Star

Top seed Rolando Bregente and No. 2 Shinichi Suzuki fashioned contrasting semifinal victories Friday to set up the much-anticipated championship showdown in the NGAP Match Play Championship at Luisita Golf and Country Club in Tarlac.

Suzuki leaned on his superior length and experience to end young sensation Ralph Batican’s impressive run with a 2and1 victory, while Bregente survived a late charge from Emilio Hernandez to escape with a tense 1-up decision as the week-long championship heads to a fitting finale between the tournament’s top two qualifiers from the 36-hole stroke play eliminations.

Bregente, the stroke play medalist, appeared headed for a comfortable victory before Hernandez mounted a spirited comeback, trimming a three-hole deficit to just one over the closing stretch. Forced to come through under pressure, Bregente responded with a crucial par on the 18th hole to finally seal the hard-earned win on the rain-softened Luisita layout.

“I really struggled to make putts, even from close range,” said the 24-year-old Bregente in Filipino after surviving one of his toughest matches of the week.

Suzuki, meanwhile, continued his steady march through the knockout phase, using his powerful drives and match play savvy to frustrate the 15-year-old Batican, whose giant-killing campaign included a stunning 4and2 quarterfinal victory over runaway Stroke Play champion Jet Hernandez.

The 18-year-old Suzuki controlled the match from the outset and never allowed Batican to build the momentum that fueled his upset of Hernandez.

Bregente expects another stern test in the final.

“It would really be an interesting match,” he said of Suzuki. “He outhits me by a considerable distance. It’s going to be a tough match.”

In the women’s division, Precious Zaragosa rallied over the closing holes to defeat Lisa Sarines, 2-up, and arrange a championship duel with top seed Grace Quintanilla.

Like Bregente, Zaragosa is seeking her first Match Play crown and first national title, but faces a daunting challenge against the in-form Quintanilla, who recently captured the Singapore Amateur Open championship.

“I am super excited to play in the finals,” said the 15-year-old Zaragosa, who seized control by winning three straight holes starting at No. 15 to spoil Sarines’ bid for a rare double after the latter captured the Stroke Play Championship at Pradera Verde last week.

Zaragosa delivered the decisive blow with a pinpoint tee shot on the demanding par-3 17th, converting a birdie from pin-length range to move 1-up before closing out the match on the next hole.

Quintanilla, meanwhile, turned in another commanding performance, routing Nicole Gan, 4and2, to stay on course for yet another major amateur title and complete the women’s championship pairing.

Political dynasties are thriving not only in Congress and local governments, but also in barangay offices.

This has to be one of the biggest reasons for both Congress and Malacañang to repeatedly postpone the barangay elections, from the administration of Rodrigo Duterte to the current one.

Even as a bill that effectively institutionalizes dynasty-building has breezed through the House of Representatives and now awaits the counterpart measure from the Senate, both chambers are moving for yet another postponement of the barangay elections, already delayed by a year.

Not only that, since the latest scheme to circumvent the Supreme Court prohibition on repeated poll postponements worked last year, the sponsors of the current move are using the same tactic to reward their relatives and political leaders: by giving them an even longer regular term of five years, from the just approved four years.

Those hoping to challenge the incumbents this November must be wondering: what fantastic job did the current set of barangay officials do to deserve such a reward? Investors, for one, have long cited barangay red tape, meant chiefly for fund-raising, as one of the top hindrances to doing business in this country. For another, barangay officials failed to flag ghost or substandard flood control projects in their jurisdictions.

Commission on Elections officials have warned that every poll postponement costs taxpayers billions in additional expenses. But lawmakers have a dismal track record in the judicious use of public funds.

So here we are again, just three months before the next barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections, and right on cue, bills have been filed in both chambers of Congress, seeking a postponement of the BSKE by not just one but two years.

The SC had struck down as unconstitutional the repeated postponement of the BSKE. But lawmakers saw a loophole: the law gives Congress the power to fix the terms of BSK officials. So they used this power to effectively postpone last year’s BSKE, by tacking it on to resetting the BSK officials’ term from three to four years.

If they could do it for the 2025 BSKE, why not for this year? This time, the proposal is to give BSK officials a five-year term.

This move is just the latest manifestation of lawmakers’ inability to resist any opportunity to abuse power, perpetuate their dynasties or reward their supporters. If they could have their way, they would allow their relatives and political leaders in the barangays to serve forever.

In declaring BSKE postponement unconstitutional, the Supreme Court had emphasized the importance of genuine periodic elections in exercising the right of suffrage and proper representation in a democracy.

But since when did the Constitution stop the abuse of power in this country?

Orchestra of the Filipino Youth (OFY) proudly announces its major fundraising concert, ‘Music for a Regenerative Future.’

The special performance will take place on Aug. 16, 2026, at The Proscenium Theater at Rockwell.

More than an evening of exceptional music, the concert is a celebration of nature, sustainability and our shared responsibility to protect and regenerate the world we live in.

Under the baton of Maestro Gerard Salonga, the concert pays tribute to the environment and our shared connection with nature. Audiences will be treated to a masterfully curated repertoire of orchestral music inspired by the natural world, breathtaking landscapes, and the urgent call for ecological harmony.

Featured soloist Daniel Asis, a 16-year-old Filipino pianist, will perform George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, bringing youthful brilliance to one of the most celebrated works in the piano repertoire.

The evening culminates in Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6 in F Major, ‘Pastoral,’ a timeless tribute to the beauty, serenity, and restorative power of the countryside.

Since its founding in 2012 by Ang Misyon Inc., the OFY has nurtured exceptionally talented yet underprivileged young Filipino musicians through intensive orchestral training, mentorship and meaningful performance opportunities.

To date, the organization has transformed the lives of more than 1,100 scholars, empowering them not only to achieve artistic excellence but also to develop discipline, resilience, teamwork and a deep sense of cultural pride.

As a fundraising concert, this event invites corporations, foundations, organizations and music lovers to become partners in transforming lives through the power of music. Proceeds from the concert will directly support OFY scholars by funding their weekly music lessons, professional orchestral training, meals during rehearsals and transportation allowance.

Heavy rains brought by Tropical Depression Maymay and the southwest monsoon have raised the water level in Angat Dam by almost half a meter.

Data from the Bulacan disaster risk reduction and management office showed that as of 2 p.m. yesterday, the water level in Angat had risen to 157. 58 meters, or higher by 49 centimeters from the previous day’s 157.09 meters.

Despite the improvement, the elevation remained below Angat’s critical level of 160 meters.

Angat Dam provides more than 90 percent of Metro Manila’s potable water needs, supplies irrigation water for rice fields in Bulacan and Pampanga, and generates hydropower for the Luzon grid.

Meanwhile, Bustos Dam, also located in Bulacan, yesterday discharged water to its downstream river system after the elevation rose close to the reservoir’s spilling level of 16 meters.

Local disaster management officials said that as of 11 a.m. yesterday, the elevation in Bustos was 15.82 meters or just 18 centimeters below its spilling level.

Christian Manalo, acting chief of the office of the National Irrigation Administration in Central Luzon, clarified that the rise in the elevation of Bustos was due to water coming from the dam’s upstream river system, and not from Angat.

Manalo said that Bustos did not release the excess water to the north and south irrigation canals.

He said palay farms served by these irrigation canals are still saturated with rainwater.

The excess water from Bustos flowed toward the dam’s downstream river system.

It was not just the leaky roof that poured in the Ninoy Aquino Stadium in Manila.

The Magnolia Hotshots found their groove in the fourth quarter to blast the Meralco Bolts, 105-88, in their PBA Governors’ Cup clash on a rainy Friday evening.

After less than an hour of a rain delay because of a leaky roof, Magnolia turned a 71-70 lead to a double-digit advantage with 34 points in the final frame as their offense torrented through to a breezy win.

KJ Buffen had 27 points, seven rebounds and three assists in the win. Jerom Lastimosa backstopped with 17 points, six assists and five rebounds, while Ian Sangalang had 16 markers and 10 boards.

After about 40 minutes of delay due to the rain pouring on the playing court, the contest resumed and eventually, Magnolia led by two, 75-73, after a Bong Quinto layup with 10:22 left.

But a massive 15-2 run, capped by a Zav Lucero deuce, broke the game wide open, 90-75, with 5:11 to go.

Meralco tried to storm back, but huge shots by Paul Lee, Sangalang and Mark Barroca kept their opponents at bay, 95-80.

A Chris Newsome triple made it an 88-98 deficit with 2:12 to go, but finishing touches by Buffen, Sangalang and Barroca iced the game.

Lucero chipped in 10 points, two rebounds, two assists and a block for the Hotshots.

Antonio Hester powered Meralco with 24 points, three assists, two rebounds, two steals and a block. Jason Brickman had 19 markers, while Newsome and CJ Cansino had 17 and 15, respectively.

Magnolia rose to a 3-3 win-loss record, while Meralco dropped its fourth straight loss as it slipped to a 2-4 slate.

Up to 200 millimeters of rain may drench Zambales, Bataan and Occidental Mindoro on Friday as the southwest monsoon keeps waterways and low-lying communities in Metro Manila, Rizal and Laguna at risk of flooding.

State weather bureau PAGASA identified several rivers and tributaries in the Marikina-Laguna de Bay basin that may be affected by continued rainfall.

Light to moderate rain fell over the basin during the 12 hours ending at 6 a.m., while light to moderate rain and thunderstorms were forecast through 6 p.m.

Waterways that may be affected include the upper and lower Marikina River, Pasig River, San Juan River, the main Laguna de Bay basin and tributaries in Metro Manila, Rizal and Laguna.

The bulletin also identified the Pagsanjan, Tanay, Morong, San Isidro, Biñan and San Juan rivers, as well as tributaries in Rodriguez, Marikina, San Mateo, Antipolo, Quezon City, Pasig, Cainta and Taytay.

Road and street flooding may occur because of accumulated rainwater, poor or clogged drainage systems and higher tide levels, PAGASA said.

People living near mountain slopes and in low-lying areas were advised to remain alert for possible flash floods.

Up to 200 mm of rain

Zambales, Bataan and Occidental Mindoro may receive 100 to 200 mm of rain on Friday due to the southwest monsoon.

PAGASA forecast 50 to 100 mm over Ilocos Sur, La Union, Pangasinan, Abra, Benguet, Tarlac, Pampanga, Bulacan, Metro Manila, Cavite, Batangas and Antique.

The heavy rain may persist through the weekend.

On Saturday, 100 to 200 mm may fall over Ilocos Sur, La Union, Abra, Benguet, Zambales, Bataan and Occidental Mindoro.

Ilocos Norte, Pangasinan, Apayao, Kalinga, Mountain Province, Ifugao, Nueva Vizcaya, Tarlac, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Bulacan, Metro Manila, Cavite and Batangas may receive 50 to 100 mm.

By Sunday, Ilocos Sur, La Union, Abra, Benguet and Zambales may still receive 100 to 200 mm. Rainfall of 50 to 100 mm may affect Ilocos Norte, Pangasinan, Apayao, Kalinga, Mountain Province, Ifugao, Nueva Vizcaya, Tarlac, Nueva Ecija, Bataan, Pampanga and Occidental Mindoro.

PAGASA warned that rainfall may be higher in mountainous and elevated areas. Flood and landslide impacts may also be worsened by rain that has already saturated the ground.

Habagat rains persist after Maymay

Maymay had weakened into a low-pressure area and was located 565 kilometers east of Echague, Isabela, as of 3 a.m. Friday.

Despite Maymay’s weakening, the southwest monsoon continued to affect Central and Southern Luzon and the western portion of the Visayas.

Monsoon rain may affect Occidental Mindoro, where moderate to heavy and at times intense rainfall could trigger flash floods or landslides.

Occasional rain was forecast over Metro Manila, Pangasinan, La Union, Benguet, Zambales, Bataan, Tarlac, Pampanga, Bulacan, Rizal, Cavite, Batangas, Laguna and Antique.

The rest of Luzon and Western Visayas may experience scattered rain and thunderstorms due to the southwest monsoon.

Dolphin remains outside PAR

Typhoon Dolphin remained outside the Philippine area of responsibility, about 1,095 kilometers northeast of extreme Northern Luzon as of 3 a.m.

It had maximum sustained winds of 140 kph near the center, gusts of up to 170 kph and was moving west-northwestward at 20 kph.

Its trough may bring scattered rain and thunderstorms to Batanes and the Babuyan Islands, with possible flash floods or landslides during moderate to at times heavy rain.

The rest of the country may experience isolated rain showers or thunderstorms, which could trigger localized flooding or landslides during severe thunderstorms.

Over P773.77 million worth of flood control projects in La Union are being questioned after Typhoon Luis inundated parts of San Fernando.

In Mexico, Pampanga, two flood control projects worth P359.37 million are facing scrutiny before the Office of the Ombudsman.

Groups are urging the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Commission on Audit and other oversight agencies to investigate at least 19 flood control, drainage, slope protection, seawall and creek rehabilitation projects implemented between 2018 and 2025 in La Union.

Projects with the biggest allocations were awarded to several contractors, including St. Gerrard Construction General Contractor and Development Corp., owned by the detained Discaya couple.

Another contractor, linked to anomalous flood control projects in La Union, is Silverwolves Construction Corp., reportedly owned by Reps. Eric and Edvic Yap.

Among projects with the biggest allocations are a P144.75-million flood control structure in Barangay Pagdaraoan, a P144.6-million slope protection project from Barangay Sagayad to Sevilla and a P98.99-million slope protection project along Bato Creek.

St. Gerrard handled the Bato Creek project in 2024.

Cong-tractor?

In Pampanga, criminal and administrative charges have been filed by a barangay official against former congressman Aurelio Gonzales Jr., members of his family and four Central Luzon public works officials.

A.D. Gonzales Jr. Construction and Trading Co. Inc. reportedly won contracts in 2023 for a P94.55-million flood control project in Barangay Suclaban and a P264.82-million project in Barangay Culubasa.

Due to substandard infrastructure, respondents are accused of plunder, graft and corruption, malversation and grave misconduct, among others.

Video footage in 2023 and geotagged photographs dated July 30 are attached in the complaint filed by Terence Napao, chairman of Barangay Sto. Cristo and president of the Liga ng mga Barangay in Mexico.

Evidence shows erosion, damaged concrete and other defects in portions of the projects that could indicate poor workmanship or the use of substandard materials, Napao alleged.

In 2023, Napao filed a complaint involving three flood control projects worth over P611 million.

Gonzales has said the ombudsman dismissed the complaint for lack of merit.

Respondents in Napao’s recent complaint are Gonzales, San Fernando Vice Mayor Brenz Gonzales, Pampanga Rep. Mica Gonzales, Michelin Gonzales, Zenaida Quiambao, former DPWH Central Luzon director Roseller Tolentino, Ignacio Evangelista, Anna Marie Tayag, Arthur Santos and unidentified John Does.

President Marcos has allowed Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla to delegate the authority to approve foreign travel requests of local government units officials.

Administrative Order (AO) 47, signed on July 30 by Executive Secretary Ralph Recto by the authority of Marcos, aims to expedite the processing of travel applications.

AO 47 amended AO 267, which delegated the President’s authority to approve travel requests to the DILG chief.

The new order permits Remulla to pass on the authority to his designated representatives, to facilitate faster processing.

‘Considering the volume of travel requests and the increasing demands of regional coordination, there is a need to refine the approval processes, to ensure responsiveness amid contemporary government realities,’ AO 47 read.

In a message to The STAR, Remulla said local officials can go directly to the offices of DILG regional and provincial directors for the approval of their travel requests.

The Local Government Code mandates local government officials traveling abroad to secure permission from the Office of the President if the period of travel is more than three months, if it falls during periods of emergency or crisis, or when the travel involves the use of public funds.

Smuggled cigarettes valued at P15 million were seized during a police operation in Dumaguete, Negros Oriental on Wednesday.

The contraband was found in a truck that arrived on board a roll-on roll-off vessel at a port in Barangay Looc.

Negros Island Region police director Brig. Gen. Roman Cardiño said three men – identified as Jear Masayon, Joanie Meria and Alfad Asari – were arrested during the operation.

The suspects are residents of Pagadian City in Zamboanga del Sur, from where the contraband reportedly originated.

Cardiño said the suspects failed to show documents for the transport of the cigarettes, which were concealed under boxes of dried fish.

Among the items found in the truck were 263 master cases of cigarettes bearing the brands Walter Premium and Busqu.

The packs of cigarettes reportedly bore no graphic health warnings.

The hardships of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) is a sustained issue even in elite nations like Switzerland as depicted in Dominik Locher’s “Enjoy Your Stay.”

Mercedes Cabral plays Luz, a migrant worker who with other undocumented Filipinas cleans luxury chalets in the Swiss mountain village of Verbier, earning meager salaries while avoiding the attention of authorities at the risk of deportment.

Luz is one of the more senior Filipino workers for the cleaning company of Alexis Manenti’s Thibault, and any money she earns goes back home to her daughter currently under the care of ex-husband Tonio (Nico Antonio).

Issues arise when Tonio brings the family’s custody battle to live television where their child must choose which parent to live with when she turns seven in a matter of months, and the hapless Luz hasn’t been home in years trying to find jobs outside the Philippines.

Pressed for time, Luz tries to recruit more cleaners and find more ways to earn cash, pushing her moral boundaries to its limits.

OFW stories are familiar source materials for local movies, popular examples being “Anak,” “Milan,” “Dubai,” “Sunday Beauty Queen,” “Caregiver,” “Hello, Love, Goodbye” and its record-breaking sequel.

But screenwriter Honeylyn Joy Alipio put it best during the Philippine premiere of “Enjoy Your Stay” to open this year’s Cinemalaya Film Festival, that as long as Filipinos need to resort to working abroad, such stories continue needing to be told.

Switzerland is viewed by many to be a first-class country with an exceptionally high cost of living and yet major cities in the famously neutral nation are populated with Filipinos, some of them undocumented immigrants or TNTs (“tago nang tago”).

The film, which premiered at Berlinale 2026, isn’t coy about this culture. Luz and her companions have their passports stored away, live in close quarters, dodge any sightings by polices, and are even asked by Thibault to as much as possible “use the back door.”

Juxtaposed with that by cinematographer Jeanne Lapoire are shots of extravagant Verbier chalets, the stunning Swiss Alps, and Europeans mindlessly preparing for another downhill ski – all while Filipino workers tidy up the messes they leave behind.

“Enjoy Your Stay” does dangle the threat of being caught as plot thrills but Swiss authorities hardly pay attention to the helpers, almost as if aware that without them, literal and figurative expensive structures would fall apart.

All of this hinges on Mercedes’ exceptional performance as Luz, capable of expressing professionalism while doing the mundane as well as vulnerability when her personal life is at stake.

Early on it’s subtly hinted that Luz would err on the side of caution even it meant going against fellow Filipinas, because upending the status quo would through away everything all have worked for.

Mercedes pushes the boundaries of Luz’s moral foundations to the edge, often dragging the involvement of her companions, played by Anna Luna, Irma Adlawan, Donna Cariaga, Hasmine Kilip and Ruby Ruiz, in a cameo appearance.

For struggling migrant workers, money often comes first. Literal cash even makes the film’s first few clips set during Christmastime, a period considered by Filipinos to be sacred and ideally devoted to family.

But from thousands of miles away, the lengths OFWs would go to sustain their families can be agonizing to witness, even in places as beautiful as the Alps.

As residents and tourists enjoy their stays in high-class spaces, it’s the low-income workers from far-flung areas burdened to pick up the pieces.