Category: Philippine Star

It is rambutan season in the Philippines!

Rambutan’s main harvest season is from August to October. The red, hairy fruit that opens up to a translucent white flesh, which you bite off from a single big seed, is in great abundance at this time of the year and therefore sells at an affordable price.

You know it is in season when you see rambutan being sold in markets and supermarkets, offered by neighborhood online sellers for free delivery, and peddled by street vendors everywhere possible.

Some varieties give you a bit of work, as part of the hard covering of the seed tends to stick to the flesh and come off with it when you take a bite, but tuklapin varieties, where the sweet flesh easily separates from the seed, are now available for easy and effortless consumption.

Major harvests of rambutan during this peak season come from Southern Luzon, including Batangas and Laguna, as well as from Mindanao, Mindoro, and Palawan. A fruit native to Southeast Asia, it got its name from the Malay word that means hair because of its appearance. Its look and taste reminds you of the lychee fruit, and rightly so because they are relatives. It is also related to the fruit longan.

Rambutan offers many health benefits, so it should be a light and healthy fruit to indulge in. Rich in vitamins, minerals, and beneficial plant compounds, it is a good source of Vitamin C, which helps the body absorb dietary iron. It also serves as an antioxidant, thus protecting the body against free radicals, and its copper content assists in the proper growth and maintenance of heart, bone, and brain cells.

The fruit also contains potassium, calcium, carbohydrates, protein, and iron. It comes with a good amount of fiber, which helps promote good digestion and address the problem of constipation.

The ‘Degree Behind Bars’ program of Mandaue City College (MCC) drew the attention of local college presidents in Central Visayas as they explored initiatives that could be adapted by other institutions.

Association of Local Colleges and Universities in Region 7 (ALCU-7) Chairman Dr. Richel Bacaltos, president of Talisay City College, said the group looked into how MCC provides persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) an opportunity to pursue higher education while serving their sentences.

ALCU-7 members visited MCC on September 16 as part of its 13th quarterly meeting held in Mandaue City.

‘Mao na ang among tan-awon dinhi og giunsa nila… tingali ma-apply namo ang among nakat-unan sa pagbisita sa Mandaue City College,’ Bacaltos said.

He said the visit allowed members of the association to learn from MCC’s experience and examine how the program could potentially be applied in other local colleges.

Around 21 presidents of local colleges and universities from Cebu and Bohol took part in the two-day meeting, with eight representatives from Cebu and 13 from Bohol.

Bacaltos said the quarterly gathering also served as an avenue for local colleges to exchange experiences and discuss concerns that they commonly face.

‘We establish partnership, ingon ani benchmarking aron sa usa’g usa makakat-on mi,’ he said.

Among the challenges faced by local colleges, according to Bacaltos, are financial constraints and compliance with the standards and requirements of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED).

‘These are all challenges nga atong giatubang sa mga local colleges,’ Bacaltos said.

The association also discussed micro-credentialing with CHED and other initiatives related to student development.

Before the MCC visit, the college presidents met with Mandaue City Mayor Thadeo Jovito ‘Jonkie’ Ouano at City Hall on September 15.

Bacaltos said ALCU-7’s regular meetings provide member institutions with opportunities to establish partnerships and learn from programs and practices implemented by other local colleges

Volunteer divers took to the waters off Lapu-Lapu City yesterday to retrieve and document marine debris as the city marked International Coastal Cleanup 2026 through its annual Scubasurero marine cleanup.

The activity, dubbed ‘Scubasurero 2026: Diving for Clean Seas, Building Resilient Communities’, brought together city officials, environmental groups, private-sector partners and volunteer divers who conducted an underwater cleanup along the Hilutungan Channel.

Led by the City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) and Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Ma. Cynthia ‘Cindi’ King Chan, the activity focused not only on removing submerged waste but also on documenting the types of debris found in the city’s coastal waters.

The initiative forms part of the city’s Adopt-a-Reef advocacy and its ‘Atong Dagat, Atong Ugma’ campaign.

Chan said protecting the city’s marine ecosystems is closely linked to the livelihood of fisherfolk, coastal communities and tourism workers, as well as the city’s marine biodiversity.

She also urged residents to prevent household waste from reaching canals, waterways, and the sea.

‘Kung kita mismo magmatngon sa atong basura ug dili nato kini itugyan ngadto sa atong mga kanal, sapa, baybayon, ug dagat, dako kaayo ang atong ikatabang sa pagpanalipod sa atong kadagatan,’ she said.

The Scubasurero activity concluded with a ceremonial pledge board signing, reaffirming the participating groups’ commitment to continued ocean conservation efforts.

Among those present were Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR)-7 Regional Executive Director Laudemir Salac, CENRO head Jocelyn Abayan, representatives of the Philippine Coast Guard, environmental groups, diving organizations, hotels, and other private-sector partners.

The city also joined the simultaneous cleanup organized by the DENR-7 in partnership with CENRO.

Fifteen designated coastal cleanup areas across mainland and island barangays were mobilized for the activity, drawing participation from national government agencies, city and barangay officials, schools, environmental organizations, private companies, and volunteers.

The 2026 cleanup carries the theme ‘Clean Seas for Resilient Communities.’

During the activity at Bridge Park in Barangay Pajo, Chan said the city’s coastal protection efforts extend beyond annual cleanup drives and include waste management, mangrove rehabilitation, marine conservation, and environmental monitoring.

Lapu-Lapu City Lone District Representative Junard ‘Ahong’ Chan, meanwhile, called for sustained coastal protection efforts, particularly among young people.

‘This is something we need to do regularly. Let us also teach our children and young people the importance of caring for our environment,’ he said.

Salac also stressed that coastal cleanup should be accompanied by proper waste management, from waste segregation and collection to recycling, resource recovery and environmentally-sound disposal.

He said the cleanup should serve as a reminder to prevent waste from becoming pollution rather than treating cleanup as a one-day activity.

The simultaneous cleanup was also attended by representatives of the Environmental Management Bureau-7, Philippine Coast Guard Central Visayas District, Department of Social Welfare and Development-7, Department of Health-7, Philippine Statistics Authority, Department of Economy, Planning and Development, Lapu-Lapu City Police Office, Office of Civil Defense, Bureau of Fire Protection, and other government agencies

Several groups marched through the streets of Metro Manila on Sunday, September 20, on the eve of the 54th anniversary of the declaration of Martial Law.

Youth and student groups marched from La Salle Green Hills in Mandaluyong to the EDSA Shrine in Quezon City, while the August Twenty One Movement (ATOM) held a separate march in front of the Supreme Court in Manila.

The protesters called for government transparency, accountability over corruption, and the passage of legislation against political dynasties.

The march also called for the conviction of Vice President Sara Duterte in the Senate impeachment trial.

The protest was spearheaded by Akbayan Youth, the Student Council Alliance of the Philippines, Youth Against Kurakot and various university student leaders.

Meanwhile, ATOM marched to the Supreme Court to protest the high court’s ruling that reverse the conviction former First Lady Imelda Marcos. The group called for accountability for what it alleged the Marcos family had stolen. The group, along with Tindig Pilipinas and Partido Manggagawa, also marched toward the EDSA Shrine.

Monday, September 21, marks the 54th anniversary of the declaration of Martial Law in the Philippines.

The proclamation placing the country under martial law was signed by then-President Ferdinand Marcos Sr. on Sept. 21, 1972, but it was only announced on national television on September 23.

Martial Law was lifted on Jan. 17, 1981. Human rights groups estimate that the regime resulted in 70,000 arrests, 34,000 cases of torture and 3,240 deaths.

The ramming by a China Coast Guard (CCG) ship of a Philippine civilian vessel can never be justified, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs.

‘There is no justification for the CCG vessel to undertake aggressive actions against a Philippine civilian law enforcement vessel and cause damage to the ship and endanger the safety of the civilian crew,’ the DFA said, referring to an incident on Friday off Palawan involving a CCG ship and the BRP Datu Magat Salamat, a law enforcement civilian vessel of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR).

‘The Philippines emphasizes that the BFAR vessel was merely conducting routine and lawful humanitarian activities to support Filipino fisherfolk in the West Philippine Sea,’ the DFA added.

The DFA noted that the CCG vessel’s ‘illegal, coercive, aggressive and dangerous acts are inconsistent with China’s obligations under international law, including UNCLOS and the 2016 Arbitral Award, the 1972 International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREGS) and the 1974 Safety of Life at Sea Convention (SOLAS).’

‘The Philippines calls on China to respect Philippine sovereign rights within its exclusive economic zone in accordance with UNCLOS as affirmed by the 2016 Arbitral Award, exercise restraint and avoid actions that could further escalate tensions in the region,’ the DFA said.

Investigators have completed gathering evidence from a ferry that caught fire while sailing in the waters off Coron, Palawan, according to the Philippine Coast Guard.

The PCG said the evidence-gathering activity on M/V June Aster was meant to support the ongoing maritime safety and crime investigation.

A joint team from the PCG, the Philippine National Police, the Bureau of Fire Protection and the Coron police yesterday conducted a final sweep of the vessel, according to PCG spokesperson Cmdre. Noemie Cayabyab.

A PCG response team has completed draining water from the engine room of the June Aster.

Cayabyab said the team collected 7, 865 gallons of oily water from the ferry.

Samples of lube and contaminated oil as well as seawater collected from the ferry will be subjected to laboratory tests.

Cayabyab said monitoring of the June Aster and the surrounding water will continue for possible oil spill.

Records showed 77 people died, 43 survived and eight are still missing from the maritime mishap.

On September 7, the Department of Trade and Industry through the ASEAN Committee on Business and Investment Promotion hosted the second ASEAN Business Media Exchange in Makati City. The forum coincided with the Philippines’ chairship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

Present at the forum were Trade and Industry Secretary Ma. Cristina Roque, Social Welfare and Development Secretary Rex Gatchalian, and Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Leo Herrera-Lim. The discussions revolved around the country’s priorities as leader of the regional bloc. The chairship has three pillars: political-security, economic, and socio-cultural.

During the forum, government and industry leaders discussed the ASEAN Digital Economy Framework Agreement (DEFA), a deal that seeks to provide a roadmap to empower businesses and stakeholders across the region. This will be done ‘through accelerating trade growth, enhancing interoperability, creating a safe online environment, and increasing the participation of MSMEs.’

The DEFA aims to create an integrated digital market that would unlock some P2.3 trillion worth of trade by the year 2030. It signals that ASEAN is moving from broad commitments toward an integrated digital market. This will increase demand for cloud computing, digital payments, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and cross-border data services.

Data centers are front and center in this regard. They are the modern equivalent of roads, ports, and airports. Physical transport corridors were responsible for powering the earlier stages of regional trade integration. In this day and age, data centers are seen to power the next phase of ASEAN’s digital expansion. They form the fundamental backbone for financial services, government systems, telecommunications, healthcare, logistics, manufacturing, and the emerging AI economy.

This sector represents a significant source of big-ticket, long-term investment.

Meanwhile, the ‘cloud’ is never an abstract concept. Instead, it is grounded on heavy industrial assets. Digital services, artificial intelligence, cross-border e-commerce, and real-time payments do not exist in a vacuum; they operate through data centers backed by reliable electricity, redundant connectivity, secure facilities, and specialized technical talent.

It was only fitting that the discussions during the ASEAN Business Media Exchange 2026 revolved around how the DEFA could translate regional integration into practical economic opportunities.

A fundamental fact is that the DEFA’s promise hinges entirely on backend infrastructure. The trade goals sound good and are lofty, but achieving them will depend on whether we could have adequate physical facilities on the ground.

Data-center developments require substantial capital and can generate wider demand for energy, construction, engineering, telecommunications, cybersecurity, and professional services. Absence or inadequacy in these aspects will prevent the Philippines, and the region, from realizing the objectives that ASEAN had set out.

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There are several aspects of data centers that need closer attention.

For instance, data centers are usually associated with bigger corporations. But while building a data center requires massive capital investment beyond the reach of individual small businesses, this shared infrastructure underpins scalable digital platforms that could enable true regional inclusion for MSMEs.

Micro, small, and medium enterprises represent 97% of Southeast Asian businesses and 85% of regional employment. Proper data infrastructure ensures that a local entrepreneur in Davao can sell to a buyer in provincial Thailand and receive instant local currency settlement safely and reliably.

Data sovereignty and cybersecurity must also be addressed clearly. The Philippines needs policies that protect national and consumer interests without unnecessarily restricting trusted cross-border data flows or discouraging investment.

Finally, there are valid concerns on energy consumption that are inseparable from data-center policy. Data centers require continuous, high-capacity electrical power at competitive rates; moreover, global operators increasingly require access to renewable energy to fulfill corporate sustainability mandates.

As such, the pursuit of a stronger digital economy must necessarily go hand in hand with building up the country’s energy security.

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Regional competition is intensifying. Other ASEAN economies are actively positioning themselves as data-center hubs, so the Philippines must move decisively if it wants to capture a meaningful share of future investment.

In order to stay competitive amid this regional dynamism, the Philippines needs to have decisive national coordination. Rival ASEAN economies are already aggressively positioning themselves as digital and data center hubs. The Philippines must move rapidly to align energy policy, telecommunications, land-use planning, workforce development, and investment incentives into a unified national strategy.

The Philippines already has several distinct advantages to be competitive on the regional and even global stage: a large and digitally engaged population, growing demand for cloud services, strong business-process and technology sectors, strategic regional positioning, and an expanding digital economy.

But these advantages will only translate to concrete economic gains if the country takes on a strategic perspective to attracting and sustaining investments. This is where political will and consistency play a pivotal role. Investors need reliable and competitively priced power, sufficient transmission capacity, redundant connectivity, efficient permitting, available industrial sites, regulatory consistency, and confidence in the country’s data-governance framework.

Specifically, the government should develop a coordinated national strategy that aligns digital infrastructure, energy, connectivity, investment promotion, workforce development, cybersecurity, and land-use planning.

As this year’s chair of the ASEAN, the Philippines is in a good position to lead the bloc in the charge toward digitally powered economies. Data centers are a significant part of this. However, simply uttering that we would like them to drive economic activity is never enough. We have to invest in the infrastructure that would support them. We have to work toward a level of energy security that would support this requirement while also responding to the current energy requirements of the country.

Indeed, data centers must be treated as strategic economic infrastructure-alongside energy, transport, telecommunications, and logistics-and incorporated into the country’s long-term investment strategy. Only then could we lay claim to being the leaders in the region, and to leading the region, in this economic priority.

The Filipino is being squeezed from both ends again. At the pump, prices defy logic. In our pockets, the peso buys less and less. This is not new, but it is more dangerous now because the two maladies have come together.

Historically, Brent crude, the global benchmark, hit its all-time high of $147.02 per barrel on July 11, 2008. In the country, the peak was not 2008 but 2022 when Russia invaded Ukraine. Then (2022), pump prices for both gasoline and diesel breached the P80 per liter level.

For the peso, we are living through the worst. On September 11, 2026, the peso slumped to a new all-time low of P62.68 against the US dollar, breaking the previous record of P62.625. To put that in perspective, we already thought the bottom was when the peso closed at P60.10 vs dollar, weakest level in history, surpassing the prior record of P59.87 on March 16.

Why is oil unhinged? There is no single reason for it. It is a pile-up. OPEC+ has kept supply deliberately tight. The US-Iran-Israel shadow war in the Strait of Hormuz threatens 20% of global supply. The protracted Ukraine war has structurally rerouted diesel. Add a strong US dollar that makes crude more expensive in pesos, and speculative funds that ride momentum like surfers on a storm.

Why is the peso bleeding? For the same and opposite reasons. The US Federal Reserve kept rates higher for longer, pulling capital back to the US. Our import bill exploded because we pay oil in dollars. Our trade deficit widened and foreign investments hesitated on political noise.

We have been here before, separately and simultaneously. In 1973, oil rose 300% from $3 to $12. The Marcos administration then, under Martial Law, had to implement strict energy conservation measures – carless days, taxicab stands in Plaza Miranda, even a return to firewood when LPG doubled. We survived by rationing and by seeking alternative power.

In 1997, the peso was the casualty. The peso dropped from P26 per dollar at the start of the crisis to P46.50 in early 1998 to P53 in July 2001. BSP raised overnight rates from 15% to 32% to defend it, then let it float. We cushioned it with IMF programs, bank closures, and painful fiscal discipline.

However, when the twin maladies hit together (in 2008 and again in 2022), the effect was a worse mix of high prices, slow growth and hungry families.

What did we do then? We improvised a cushion. In 1984 we had created the Oil Price Stabilization Fund to cushion domestic prices from wide fluctuations. It went bankrupt though by 1995. In 2008, the government borrowed money from abroad to reduce the impact of high food and oil prices on the poor. We rolled out Pantawid Pasada (part of ‘Katas ng VAT’ then), targeted cash transfers, and staggered price hikes.

What must we do now? In the short term, government must be surgical, not wasteful. No blanket fuel subsidies that benefit the rich with SUVs. Expand targeted fuel vouchers for PUV drivers, fishermen and farmers. Release strategic rice and food stocks to break the second-round inflation. BSP must not burn reserves defending an indefensible level, but smooth volatility. And please, no price controls that create shortages.

For the people, we must do what Filipinos do best: conserve without being told. Carpool, maintain engines, shift to off-peak travel. Every liter saved is a dollar not imported.

For good, we must solve it. We have been an oil hostage for 50 years because we refused to diversify. Fast-track indigenous gas, geothermal, hydro and solar, not as press releases but as baseload. Revive serious public transport so workers won’t need their own vehicles to get to work. Build refineries or, at least, strategic reserves for 60 to 90 days.

For the peso, earn dollars, not borrow them. That means exports, not just remittances. Manufacturing, not just malls.

More importantly, to our country’s leaders, BSP, DOE, and the big business chambers who can change the course, stop managing the crisis, start ending it. The Filipino has weathered every oil shock and every peso crash because he had no choice. Give him a choice this time. Give him energy security and a strong currency built on production, not debt.

The storm is here again. Will we just put up tarpaulins over the price boards, or finally build a roof that holds?

Just two weeks after the Department of Education conducted a National Simultaneous School Safety Drill in both private and public elementary and high schools, at least three Grade 8 students were killed and six wounded in yet another shooting incident yesterday afternoon, this time in South Cotabato.

Authorities said a 16-year-old ninth grader took the 9mm of his father, an employee of the local government, and managed to bring the weapon into the Banga National High School.

After the shooting rampage, the boy turned the gun on himself. His mother, a DepEd employee, reportedly said she had planned to take the boy to a psychologist because he had become part of the True Crimes Community, an online subculture revolving around the glorification of mass killers and violent criminals.

South Cotabato Gov. Reynaldo Tamayo Jr. said the shooter was reportedly a ‘recruiter’ for True Crimes.

It was the third deadly school shooting since June 22, when two boys aged 14 and 15 brought guns into the San Jose National High School in Tacloban and began firing randomly, killing three students and wounding 20 other people. Both boys were reportedly addicted to the sandbox video game GoreBox that features extreme violence.

Nearly all the shots were fired by the 14-year-old using the 9mm service pistol that he took from the home of his aunt, police S/Sgt. Arla Ray Paciencia, who now faces administrative and criminal complaints and may be dismissed from the service.

On Aug. 18, a Grade 8 student of the Ateneo de Zamboanga also brought two guns to the university’s junior high school building and began shooting, fatally hitting another student.

The gunman then went up to the fourth floor of the building and shot himself. He had taken the guns belonging to his father, who had left the firearms in the car that brought the boy to school.

Apart from losing his son, the father, Lt. Lars Jalani II, has been sacked as district commander of the Bureau of Customs Enforcement and Security Service at the Zamboanga port. Like Paciencia, Jalani faces administrative and criminal complaints.

Following these tragedies, authorities had reminded law enforcement personnel to ensure the proper safekeeping of their guns, keeping the weapons away from other people particularly minors.

The warning apparently went unheeded in the case of the shooter in Banga town.

Since the shooting in Tacloban, all schools are also supposed to have tightened security. And then there was the launch on Sept. 3 of the nationwide school safety drills.

Yet here we are again, facing another deadly tragedy involving students in a high school. What will it take to make schools truly safe spaces for learning?

Suspected stolen petroleum products valued at P2.39 million were seized during a police operation that also resulted in the arrest of two suspects in Tarlac City on Thursday.

The raid on an unauthorized fuel distribution site in Barangay San Rafael resulted in the recovery of 8,200 liters of diesel, a fuel tanker, a tractor head, fuel pumps, hoses and other equipment.

Police said the suspects failed to show documents authorizing them to sell petroleum products.

‘Sale of petroleum products is governed by rules. The raid was not all about seizure, but also about protecting legitimate businesses, consumers and the public,’ Philippine National Police chief. Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said.