Category: Philippine Star

People love to travel when there is a festival happening because they know that a lot of activities will take place and they will not only be entertained but also learn from the culturally and historically rich experiences. This is true not only in the Philippines but in other countries as well, such as in the Sichuan Province of China, which is best known for its fiery and spicy regional cuisine.

The 2026 Sichuan Ganzi Mountain Culture and Tourism Festival just took place at the Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture at Sichuan Province last July, and tourists flocked to the place to witness the unique event that seemed to come straight out of Chinese period films.

Featuring a diverse range of activities, which include nomadic culture performances, intangible cultural heritage (ICH) exhibitions, and folk customs experiences, the 2026 edition of the Sichuan Ganzi Mountain Culture and Tourism Festival showcased the region’s unique nomadic culture with modern cultural tourism development.

The event attracted numerous visitors eager to experience the charm of grassland culture, which they started to feel right at the opening ceremonies, which transformed Yuke Grassland into a natural stage. Local herders drove cattle across the vast grasslands, carrying black yak-hair tents traditionally used by Kham pastoralists and holding urdah, which are traditional stone-throwing ropes used by Tibetan herders for livestock management.

The scenes vividly recreated the millennia-old nomadic lifestyle of Kham communities, who have long followed seasonal migration routes in search of water and pasture.

Behind the Tibetan herders came a grand procession of heavy cavalry and the legendary Gesar riders. Riders in traditional attire galloped across the grassland, valiant and heroic in bearing.

Next came a vibrant parade of ethnic costumes showcasing Pulu, a traditional Tibetan handwoven wool textile, alongside modern tailoring designs to highlight the blending of ancient culture and modern fashion.

“As the scenes of nomadic migration gradually unfolded before my eyes, a long-lost yearning for a simpler pastoral life suddenly welled up within me,” said Zhang, a visitor who traveled from Beijing to specifically witness the event.

He added: “My whole family loves the grassland lifestyle in Daofu. It is something you cannot experience in the city.”

His words more than summed up the experience visitors had during the event.

The Sichuan Ganzi Mountain Culture and Tourism Festival has had seven successful editions, with this year’s edition featuring eight major events, including the Ganzi 1,000-person ICH livestream showcase and the fashion-inspired Guozhuang gala.

A range of grassland market activities – such as ICH workshops, local produce exhibitions, local food tasting, and music-themed leisure gatherings – also offered visitors an immersive cultural experience.

Daofu County, where the event took place, is situated in China’s northwestern Sichuan Province, with an average summer temperature of around 24°C. It boasts of a remarkable blend of natural landscapes – including Yala Snow Mountain, Stone Forest Park, Yuke Grassland, alpine meadows, and Tianlong Lake – as well as cultural heritage, such as Kham traditions and the Highland Silk Road.

Over a five-year period, starting from July 2021 to June 2026, Daofu County received a cumulative total of 10.4123 million tourists, thus generating nearly 11.454 billion yuan in tourism revenue.

The allocation for emergency loan assistance for members and pensioners of the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) displaced by flooding in Luzon and Mindanao has been increased to nearly P8 billion.

The state-run pension fund said the program covers 16 areas affected by the southwest monsoon and Typhoons Luis, Maymay and Neneng.

The expanded loan program applies to GSIS members and pensioners working or residing in areas declared under a state of calamity.

Deadline of application will be from Sept. 20 to Nov. 16, depending on affected areas.

Qualified borrowers with existing emergency loans may avail themselves of up to P40,000, with the outstanding balance of their existing loans to be deducted from the proceeds. Those with no existing emergency loan balance may borrow up to P20,000.

The loan is payable within 36 months and carries a corresponding interest rate of six percent.

Members and pensioners may apply through the GSIS Touch mobile app or check the state insure’s website for areas covered by the loan assistance program.

With ube going global, the Department of Agriculture has banned the export of fresh purple yam to protect local planting materials.

Whether the ban comes too late will be known soon enough, if other countries with advanced agricultural and food processing industries begin selling ube products sourced from their own farms.

After taking the local tuber for granted for a long time, agriculture officials appear unprepared for the spike in global demand as Philippine ube attains international renown rivaling matcha.

Philippine production cannot keep pace even with domestic demand for ube – fresh, powdered, processed into paste and flavors for a wide range of food items. The tuber can become a major cash crop, but the government must provide the necessary aid to farmers, in terms of premium planting materials, technical assistance, financial and marketing support.

Incentives must also be given to those with the capabilities and know-how for production on a larger scale including tissue culture. The government must move quickly to obtain a Geographical Indication for Philippine ube and assist local governments in getting GI registration for specific regional varieties.

The Philippines is no stranger to GI registration; ‘Guimaras mango’ is now GI-protected in its export to Europe. The same can be done for ube.

Neighboring countries particularly Thailand and Vietnam have moved faster in seeing the market potential of their crops. The Philippines had to play catch-up with Thailand in exporting coconut juice and cream, and has yet to capitalize on expanding the production of the uniquely delectable macapuno.

Farmers need help in propagating the best varieties of other items that grow well in the Philippines or are unique to certain regions, such as pili, pungent Ilocos garlic, coffee and cacao.

There’s a huge global market for orchids and cut flowers, but in this region, the Philippines is trailing Thailand and Taiwan in orchid production, and Thailand and Malaysia in cut flowers.

Energizing the farms through the production of high-value crops such as ube and empowering farmers are infinitely better than any state-funded ayuda or subsidy. And such crops, like ube, also become a source of national pride.

The Philippines’ current account deficit widened by 51.7 percent to $15.44 billion in the first half as higher import bills outpaced growth in export earnings, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) said.

The shortfall increased from $10.18 billion a year earlier and represented 6.4 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) compared with 4.3 percent previously.

In the second quarter alone, the deficit widened by 60.7 percent to $8.97 billion from $5.58 billion a year earlier. It was also larger than the $6.47 billion gap in the first quarter.

The current account measures the country’s trade in goods and services, income flows and transfers such as remittances. A deficit means payments abroad for these transactions exceeded receipts.

The deterioration stemmed mainly from the goods trade deficit – or the excess of merchandise imports over exports – which expanded by 15.5 percent to $37.7 billion in January to June from $32.63 billion a year ago.

Goods imports rose by 12.4 percent to $72.44 billion, while exports increased by 9.2 percent to $34.73 billion.

The BSP said import growth was largely driven by higher prices, with purchases concentrated in telecommunications equipment, electrical machinery, manufacturing inputs and fuel products.

‘Elevated global energy prices during the period, driven by supply concerns linked to geopolitical developments in the Middle East, contributed to higher import payments,’ the central bank said.

Imports of telecommunications equipment and electrical machinery reflected continued investment in digital infrastructure, while purchases of manufacturing materials supported production.

Export growth, meanwhile, came largely from higher shipment volumes. The BSP cited sustained overseas demand for electronics linked to artificial intelligence and data centers, alongside machinery and transport equipment. The peso depreciation also supported exports.

Earnings from services and remittances helped cushion the larger goods trade gap.

The services surplus, or the excess of earnings from services sold abroad over payments for foreign services, edged up by 1.6 percent to $5.22 billion. Services exports increased by 4.8 percent to $25.32 billion, while imports rose by 5.7 percent to $20.1 billion.

The BSP reported business process outsourcing revenues of $15.4 billion and travel receipts of $5.3 billion in the first half.

Cash remittances coursed through banks increased by 2.4 percent to $17.15 billion from $16.75 billion.

However, the primary income surplus, which covers cross-border earnings from work and investments, fell by 28.7 percent to $1.36 billion, providing a smaller offset to the trade deficit.

Despite the wider current account shortfall, the overall balance of payments (BOP), which summarizes the country’s economic transactions with the rest of the world, improved as stronger financial inflows helped meet external funding needs.

The BOP deficit narrowed by 30.6 percent to $3.88 billion in the first half from $5.59 billion a year earlier.

Net inflows in the financial account, which records cross-border investments, loans and other financing transactions, rose by 39 percent to $12.28 billion.

The BSP attributed the increase mainly to a reduction in domestic banks’ outstanding loans to foreign borrowers and higher foreign borrowing by local banks and other sectors.

The Philippines couldn’t cash in on its chances versus 18th seed Hungary and suffered a heartbreaking 1.5-2.5 defeat Friday night in the 46th World Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

WGM Janelle Mae Frayna and WIM Jan Jodilyn Fronda seized a positional edge and the initiative after the opening play but could only extract a draw on boards two and three while Mhage Sebastian battled her way from a cramped position and escaped with a split.

It wasn’t the case for Woman FIDE Master Shania Mae Mendoza, who appeared to have survived her opening inaccuracies with a strong middlegame only to throw it away with poor endgame play and lost to WIM Kata Karacsonyi at board four.

Global investment giant Kohlberg Kravis Roberts and Co. (KKR) has divested its entire stake in Lopez-led First Gen Corp. for P25.77 billion, just weeks after its bid to raise its ownership in the power firm was rejected.

KKR, through Valorous Asia Holdings Pte. Ltd., sold 715.86 million shares – equivalent to a 19.9-percent economic interest in First Gen – to Angsana Finance Ltd., a subsidiary of Cayman Islands’ Gateway Holdings Ltd.

A Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) filing showed that the block sale was executed on Sept. 10 at P36 per share, substantially higher than First Gen’s P23.70 closing price on Sept. 11.

Following the transaction, KKR senior advisor Manolo Michael de Guzman resigned as a director of First Gen. Bank of America advised KKR on the deal.

‘KKR had been in First Gen since 2020, so it was about time for it to exit and realize a return on its investment,’ China Bank Capital Corp. managing director Juan Paolo Colet said when sought for insights.

While the transaction is not expected to have any immediate financial impact on First Gen, Colet said Gateway’s entry could affect how tycoon Federico Lopez charts the power firm’s strategic direction.

Gateway is an alternative investment manager focused on emerging markets across South and Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Africa.

‘Given Gateway’s entry price of P36 per share, they would need to unlock significant value to make a good return, and one way to do that is through an MandA (merger and acquisition) either at the First Gen or EDC (Energy Development Corp.) level,’ Colet said.

KKR’s divestment came after the Lopez Group’s First Philippine Holdings Corp. thumbed down the former’s proposal to acquire a portion of the latter’s stake in First Gen. FPH currently owns 67.84 percent of First Gen.

KKR had sought to buy an 8.43-percent stake in First Gen held by FPH and launch a voluntary tender offer for the power firm’s entire 11.67-percent public float at P35 per share.

Senators are calling for immediate action following another school shooting incident, this time at a high school in South Cotabato that left three students dead on Friday.

‘I call on the executive department, the Department of Education, the Philippine National Police and other law enforcement agencies: this is becoming repetitive! Do something about it,’ Sen. Bong Go said.

Go filed Senate Bill 2413 or the Safe Schools and Violence Prevention Bill, which provides for a National Safe Schools Framework covering anti-bullying measures, mental health support, campus access control, risk assessment and incident command for students and personnel, among others.

The bill is pending before the Senate committee on basic education chaired by Sen. Bam Aquino.

In his statement, Aquino condemned the latest school violence, which came on the heels of similar shootings in Tacloban City in June and in Zamboanga City in August.

‘We are calling on the government to quickly ensure the safety of our schools and communities for the welfare of students and teachers,’ he said.

Aquino is seeking the passage of the Comprehensive School Safety Act, which aims to require schools to bolster security by hiring more personnel and installing more closed-circuit televisions and metal detectors.

For her part, Sen. Risa Hontiveros said school shootings ‘cannot be our new normal.’

Authorities, Hontiveros said, should focus on different facets of child development, factoring in mental health, gun access and the prevalence of social media.

She also reiterated her warning on the dangers of nihilistic violent extremism (NVE), seen by law enforcers as a factor that triggered school shootings in Tacloban and Zamboanga.

Hontiveros cited the proposed SAGIP Bata Act, which seeks to require online platforms to appoint a Philippine representative authorized to receive subpoenas, take down orders, request for account information and other directives from the government.

‘But one measure will never be enough,’ Hontiveros said. ‘The government needs to do a real accounting of how we are failing our children.’

Neglect

For the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT), the shooting at the Banga National High School (BNHS) in South Cotabato exposed government neglect of public schools.

‘Let us not blame teachers or video games for this tragedy simply to cover up the government’s negligence. We are in dire need of guidance counselors as well as mental health and psychosocial programs, yet where are they? Priority is instead given to drills and the deployment of police forces – who are also known for sowing violence,’ ACT Philippines chairperson Ruby Bernardo said.

She added that the prevalence of school violence cannot be separated from the chronic neglect the education sector has been suffering for long.

She noted that under the 2026 budget, the Department of Education created 10,000 School Counselor Associate (SCA) I positions translating to roughly one counselor associate for every 2,600 learners nationwide.

She said that while DepEd reported around 5,000 registered guidance counselors in early 2026, no more than 1,000 were actually employed across roughly 50,000 public schools.

‘With only one counselor for every 2,600 students nationwide – a situation where the number of counselors and school security personnel is already woefully inadequate – education funding is set to be slashed further,’ Bernardo said.

Meanwhile, the Department of Health (DOH) has promised to shoulder the hospital bills of the victims in the BNHS shooting.

‘We will assist. We will pay the bills. We will put it under MAIFIP (Medical Assistance for Indigent and Financially Incapacitated Patients) and the President will take care of it,’ DOH Undersecretary Mary Ann Maestral said.

The DOH is also deploying mental health teams to handle cases of trauma among students and teachers.

‘We take care of the mental health also, we have teams for that. They are ready. It depends where do the teachers want the debriefing to take place,’ Maestral said.

Modern technology is increasingly aiding disaster preparedness in the Philippines, with the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) advancing artificial intelligence (AI) and other technologies to help save lives even before disasters strike.

AI is powering the government’s central monitoring platform, the Handa Integrated Platform for Preparedness and Response, which was launched in March to provide information on disaster preparedness across different hazards.

‘It’s like the ChatGPT of disaster preparedness,’ Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) director Teresito Bacolcol said at the Cagayan Valley Regional Science, Technology and Innovation Week press conference.

‘You can type in what the different active faults are in Region 2 or any part of the country, and it will provide you with answers,’ he added.

Bacolcol said the Handa platform has ‘simplified the assessment of hazards.’

The public can access the platform at handa.georisk.gov.ph.

Anyone can submit an incident report, which will be verified by the Office of Civil Defense and local government units with accounts provided by PHIVOLCS.

AI is also being used to improve weather forecasting by the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration.

‘PAGASA’s data are so big, so we need to use AI to improve forecasts; our target is five days to 14 days,’ DOST Secretary Renato Solidum Jr. said. ‘The computing time to process the data would be every three hours. We are experimenting with the use of AI to shorten it to 15 minutes so that the forecasts are more up-to-date.’

PAGASA recently released its National Hydro-Met Observing Network, or PANaHON app, which provides near-real-time information from weather stations across the country.

DOST has also turned over a unit of the Mobile Command and Control Vehicle (MoCCoV) to the Tuguegarao local government.

The MoCCoV is a mobile command center that can be set up in remote areas in just 20 minutes.

It has three air-conditioned rooms that can serve as a command room, conference room, rescue or medical triage room, kitchen or independent bathroom.

It is also equipped with solar panels and a backup generator that can run for up to 32 hours.

In a speech to policymakers and disaster responders, Solidum said DOST is committed to investing in scientific research, hazard monitoring, early warning systems, geospatial technologies, impact-based forecasting and AI to allow the public to act with greater knowledge and lead time.

‘But our responsibility at the DOST goes beyond producing information,’ Solidum said. ‘Science must enter the decisions that shape people’s lives … Science and the information it provides must guide policies and influence investment.’

‘The public expects information to move and decisions to be made. They expect resources to reach the people who need them. And they expect us to be ready before the emergency begins; that’s why convergence should produce a connected and operationally ready disaster risk reduction and management system,’ he added.

DreamWorks Animation is marking a notable shift in its animation design and characterization, and Filipino influences are playing a part in that progress.

The studio first entered the market with early releases “Antz,” “The Prince of Egypt,” and “The Road to El Dorado,” but arguably its pop culture-defining hit was the “Shrek” franchise that began at the turn of the millenium.

Since then, the company has released franchises for “Madagascar,” “Kung Fu Panda,” “How to Train Your Dragon,” and “Trolls,” each to varying degress of success alongside one-part features.

Next on the theatrical line is “Forgotten Island” helmed by longtime DreamWorks artists and “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish” directors Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado.

What makes the upcoming film so special is that it is inspired by Filipino culture, mythology, and folklore. It is also borrows from the real-life friendship between the Filipino-American Mercado and Crawford, whose wife is Filipina.

It’s a daunting task to follow the footsteps of well-received and award-winning predecessors. However, recent releases like “The Wild Robot” and even “The Last Wish” can serve as indication to the direction DreamWorks is heading. Philstar.com exclusively spoke with Crawford and Mercado to discuss how Filipino creativity factored in the pioneering animation studio’s improvement.

Mercado began by stating his belief that DreamWork’s progress is elevated by Filipino artistry, not just by the community sharing its stories and making their voices heard but also to inspire other cultures to step up.

“I want to hear everybody’s story, we always talk about how ‘rising tides raise all ships,'” he said. “I think together we can tell very beautiful, personal stories and amazing filmmaking.”

Crawford elaborated on the special opportunity “Forgotten Island” had to play with different animation styles, including 2D animation, which was contributed by the Quezon City-based Snipple Animation.

While the movie heavily makes use of 3D animation, flat 2D styles are used in individual storytelling formats and exaggerated moments by characters.

The director credited the local animators in Snipple for inspiring the film’s crew and for much of how the project has been received so far.

He even compared the collaboration to his working relationship and real-life friendship with Mercado.

The filmmakers first worked together as storyboard artists on “Kung Fu Panda 2” 15 years ago and have been quite the dynamic duo ever since.

“That was the experience and joy working with Snipple, it was amazing,” Crawford added.

Mercado ended by recalling how emotional he got upon entering Snipple’s office for the first time last year as – in all his years working in animation. He had never seen a studio full of Filipino animators and artists, and for him it was incredible to witness.

“Forgotten Island” follows best friends Raissa and Jo (Liza Soberano and H.E.R.) stranded on the titular mystical island Nakali filled with aswangs as told by the latter’s grandmother (Dolly de Leon).

Also in the voice cast are Lea Salonga, Filipino-American comedian Jo Koy, Filipino-Canadian actor Manny Jacinto, Filipino-American actress Amielynn Abellera, Dave Franco, Jenny Slate, and Ronny Chieng.

The movie goes wide in Philippine cinemas beginning September 23.

The Gilas women stamped their ticket to the quarterfinal round of the Asian Games women’s basketball division after blasting Hong Kong, 90-73, Sunday morning at the Aichi International Arena in Japan.

Gilas remained unscathed through two games after back-to-back huge wins. The squad first defeated Kazakhstan, 86-58, before the huge win over Hong Kong.

Stefanie Berberabe paced the Filipina dribblers with 21 points, five rebounds and two assists. Afril Bernardino added 17 markers, 11 boards and four dimes, while Jhaz Joson had 15 points.

The two teams were kept in a close game through the midway point of the third quarter, with a triple by Tsz Kwan Li making it a 59-57 lead by the Philippines.

But Gilas stepped on the gas and left Hong Kong on the rear-view mirror with a backbreaking 16-3 run capped by a deuce by Afril Bernardino to push the Philippines ahead, 76-60, with 7:37 remaining.

Li and Tong tried to rally Hong Kong back into the game, but Bernardino, Joson, Camille Malagar and Berberabe put the finishing touches in the dominant win.

Malagar tallied 14 points for the winning team, while Elizabeth Means chipped in 11.

Li carried the offense for Hong Kong with 30 points, five rebounds and three assists, while Tan Fung Ma had 15 markers.

The Philippines will take on Japan in their final Group B play on Tuesday. The home team is also holding a 1-0 record thus far, before facing Kazakhstan Sunday afternoon.