Category: Philippines Daily Inquirer

The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) appears on track to distribute remaining farm lots to landless tillers by 2027, Agrarian Reform Secretary Conrado Estrella III said on Thursday.

During the House of Representatives’ committee on appropriations hearing on DAR’s 2027 budget, Estrella said about 20,000 hectares remain from the 5.4 million targeted for distribution under the nearly four-decade-old Comprehensive Agrarian Reform law.

‘Around 20,000,’ Estrella said during the DAR’s congressional budget hearing, as he pitched to lawmakers a P14.69 billion total budget for the agency next year.

DAR Undersecretary Kazel Celeste said the agency’s next year funding for land distribution was pegged at P4.1 billion, which could cover around 20,000 hectares of farmland. However, Celeste warned that the amount allotted for land distribution next year may fall short of funding needs.

Despite that, Estrella offered an optimistic outlook.

‘We are not worrying about those things,’ Estrella told the Inquirer, adding that the agency had ‘many ways’ of distributing the land without funding being a constraint.

‘It depends on being innovative and creative,’ he said, without elaborating.

Land reform is a contentious issue in the Philippines, an agricultural country where vestiges of Spanish colonial land ownership have endured for decades, concentrating possession among a few.

About 47 percent of the country’s total land area is agricultural land, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

Achieving next year’s distribution target may hinge on ‘cleansing’ land records to drop parcels with technical or documentary flaws, according to Tim Salomon of advocacy group Task Force Mapalad.

‘One hectare removed from the list is one farmer left landless,’ he said.

Salomon said the land distribution program ‘is severely underfunded,’ casting doubt on whether DAR’s budget next year will be enough for the agency to complete its apportionment of farm lots

The customer may not always be right but, for businesses, responding to their needs and concerns will always be paramount.

The Philippines’ Best Customer Service 2027 survey sought to identify those businesses that gave premium service to clients. They were companies that people liked and, more importantly, were more likely to recommend to others because of the quality of their customer service. Businesses were also evaluated on accessibility, customer focus, quality of communication, professional competence and range of services.

Jointly undertaken by the Philippine Daily Inquirer and Statista, the world’s leading data and business intelligence portal, the survey was conducted from February to April 2025 and covered both online and brick-and-mortar enterprises. Rankings were based on more than 90,000 customer evaluations.

The Philippines’ Best Customer Service 2027

1

CHOOSE INDUSTRY

Start here

Search all companies

Participants made a purchase, used a service or gathered information about a product or service in the last three years.

The survey considered the likelihood that respondents would recommend specific brands to family and friends, along with five evaluation criteria. Quality of communication measured whether interactions through email, telephone or face-to-face contact were friendly and polite, while professional competence assessed the quality and accuracy of information provided. Range of services looked at the variety of solutions available to customers, customer focus measured whether customers felt acknowledged and important, and accessibility assessed the availability of customer service in a shop or through a helpline.

The final score was equally divided between likelihood of recommendation, which accounted for 50 percent, and the five evaluation criteria, which collectively accounted for the remaining 50 percent. Accessibility, customer focus, quality of communication, professional competence and range of services each carried a 10-percent weight.

The survey has extensive market coverage, encompassing 78 categories across different types of retailers and service providers. These were grouped into online services and digital products; catering, restaurants and leisure; brick-and-mortar retailers; services; and online retailers. Each group was further subdivided according to the specific products sold and services provided.

Okada Manila in the category of Services: Transportation and Travel registered the highest score of 96.87. It is followed by the Grand Hyatt Manila, also in the same category, with a score of 95.57.

The international luxury fashion brand Dior, in the category of Bricks-and-Mortar Retailers: Clothing, is third with a score of 95.12.

With a score of 94.88, Philux, a Filipino furniture manufacturer and retailer listed in the category Bricks-and-Mortar Retailers: Home Goods, is fourth. Shangri-La Hotels, also in the category of Services: Transportation and Travel, is ranked fifth with a score of 94.81.

Completing the list of Top 10 brands are Ascott, a chain of hotels and serviced apartments and listed in Services: Transportation and Travel, with a score of 94.41; LG Electronics Philippines, Inc., in the category of Online Retailers: Home Goods, with a score of 94.33; Red Ribbon, a bread and pastry chain in the category of Catering: Restaurants and Leisure, with a score of 93.5; Uniqlo, in the category of Bricks-and-Mortar Retailers: Clothing, with a score of 93.38; and online Uniqlo with a score of 93.30.

Based on survey results, the top three to five brands in each category with the highest scores are also recognized for Best Customer Service 2027.

There has been a lot of discussion about Alex Eala online-and the talk about her has been so polarizing.

Amid the love and adoration she has been getting, there have been questions, too, about why she gets all the attention, the big courts and a lot more perks than the many-time Grand Slam champions on the women’s tour.

The postmatch conference after she disposed of Mary Stoiana in straight sets, 6-1, 6-2, in her first match at the US Open in Flushing Meadows, New York, provided a clue-the same one that has marked her interactions with sports journalists.

A lot of the questions she was asked were about Alex Eala the person.

‘I’m constantly trying to be a better person, a more intelligent, more aware person,’ she said on Wednesday (Manila time) after her victory.

‘And yeah, [I’m trying to] be the best version of myself,’ added the Filipino star when asked about being an idol for a lot of young girls. ‘And I don’t think my tennis would be as good as it is now if I wasn’t the person that I am off the court and I wasn’t as open-minded or, you know, eager to learn. So I think those two go hand in hand.’

Sure, Eala fielded questions about her tennis. Early on, she discussed her service game against Stoiana.

‘[L]ike I’ve been saying, the serve is just a constant effort … it’s constant work and trying to improve,’ she said about the one facet of her game that always comes under intense scrutiny. ‘I’m always trying to improve something. So I’m happy with how I served today. Hopefully, hopefully we’re going up or maintaining the level in the next couple of matches.’

She also talked briefly about her next opponent, Oleksandra Oliynykova of Ukraine, who beat her on clay during their first meeting last May in the Strasbourg Open in France.

‘There are a lot of things that I could have done better [against her],’ the world No. 18 said. ‘I think I’ve developed a lot in those months. So yeah, all I can do is go into that match with the same mindset as today … or even better than the mindset I’ve been having these past couple of weeks, and try to do my best.’

But even as the tennis talk continued, there was a palpable effort by journalists to peel away the layers of Eala’s mystique in an effort to find what exactly makes her click among her fans and how she handles the rapid rise of her popularity. ‘I’m still so young, so I have so much to learn when it comes to managing, you know, there’s so much I feel I’m going to experience and so many challenges I’ve yet to encounter,’ said the 21-year-old ace. ‘I don’t know, it feels like just yesterday that I was dreaming to be on [the Louis] Armstrong [Stadium], for example, or dreaming to play against the players that I’ve been playing against.’

‘I just think it would be such a shame if I didn’t do my best to enjoy.’

Eala returns to the USTA Billie Jean King Tennis Center on Thursday for her second match, where she is expected to have another strong crowd support as she did against Stoiana.

And Eala will never get tired of basking in the love she is shown, no matter what opinions people have online.

Frankie Pangilinan said her concern for the Philippines and issues affecting the country played a key role in her decision to make her acting debut in the political drama ‘Edjop.’

Pangilinan, who joins the ensemble cast of the film inspired by the life of late student leader Edgar ‘Edjop’ Jopson, said she does not consider herself an activist, but sees filmmaking as one way of expressing her advocacy.

‘Nagsali naman din ako sa mga rallies before. I’m too shy to call myself an activist because there’s so many students and other activists,’ Pangilinan told Inquirer Entertainment on Thursday, Sept. 3 after the film’s media conference in Quezon City.

‘Parang kapal naman na mukha ko to compare myself to activists like Edjop, na wala naman akong, I don’t think that I’ve sacrificed anything nearly as big as my life,’ she added.

Still, Pangilinan said she cares deeply about the Philippines and the issues that the film tackles.

‘I care deeply about, obviously, the Philippines. I care deeply about all of those issues and that’s precisely why, in a way, creating this film is one way that this is our version of activism, this is our fight. And that’s really important,’ she said.

Frankie also said she did not need to ask her parents, Sen. Kiko Pangilinan and megastar Sharon Cuneta, for permission to take on the project.

‘There was never anything like asking for permission. There was never a discussion about whether or not, it was more of them asking, ‘Do you want to do this?” she said.

Frankie noted that her parents have always encouraged her and her siblings to form their own opinions, even when they disagree.

‘They’re always very, very supportive of what we want to do, how we feel, us, even when we disagree, they’re supportive of us having our own opinions, our own thoughts, instead of trying to convince us otherwise,’ she continued.

The project also had a personal connection for Frankie and her father. She recalled that Kiko was the one who introduced her to Jopson’s story by giving her Benjamin Pimentel’s book ‘UG’ when she was still in high school.

Frankie added that Jopson was one of her father’s idols, while her mother, who was less familiar with Jopson, also knew of him through her husband’s memories.

In ‘Edjop,’ Frankie plays the young Joy Jopson, the wife of Elijah Canlas’ titular character.

Edjop was a prominent student leader and former president of the National Union of Students of the Philippines who became known for engaging directly with students, workers and people in positions of power.

Frankie said she ‘enjoyed’ being on set and remains open to taking on more projects depending on the material.

As she began her acting career, Frankie shared she drew inspiration from her mother’s work. She admitted that she felt shy about asking Cuneta directly for acting advice, but studied her performances, including in the 1996 film ‘Madrasta.’

‘What I really admire about my mama’s acting style specifically is that she exhibits a lot of restraint, which is very, very rare, honestly. And like, tsaka, you know, it’s rare, but it’s also hard to master,’ she said.

Directed by Katski Flores, the upcoming biopic also stars Jodi Sta. Maria, Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo, Cedrick Juan, Teroy Guzman, Gab Pangilinan, and Issa Litton, among others.

The Maharlika Investment Corp. (MIC) more than tripled its capital deployment in the first half of 2026 to P18.8 billion, exceeding its total investment for the entire previous year as the state-run sovereign wealth fund ramped up investments in the logistics and power sectors.

The latest deployment brought MIC’s cumulative invested capital to P24.7 billion as of end-June.

In 2025, MIC deployed P5.9 billion, meaning investments made in the first six months of 2026 alone surged 219 percent.

‘Our first-half performance demonstrates MIC’s rapid progress from foundation-building to active capital deployment,’ MIC president and chief executive Rafael D. Consing Jr. said in a statement.

‘By channeling funds into critical infrastructure, energy logistics, and strategic commercial ventures, we are delivering sustainable financial returns for the Filipino people while actively supporting economic growth,’ he added.

Breaking down the latest deployment, MIC extended a P15-billion short-term working capital facility to Petron Corp. to finance crude oil and refined petroleum importations and operational needs.

It likewise spent P4.79 billion to acquire additional shares in port operator Asian Terminals Inc.

During the period, MIC also completed its first asset divestment by exiting its bridge-loan investment in Makilala Mining Co. Inc. through the assignment of its lender position, generating about a 25-percent annualized peso return.

Moreover, MIC’s capital deployment from January to June generated P2.09 billion in total portfolio returns. Of this amount, P1.45 billion came from unrealized fair value changes, P439 million from dividends, P146 million from loan interest and P56 million from realized gains.

Consing earlier told reporters that MIC was targeting at least P35 billion in capital deployment this year, with investments in agriculture and the Mindoro power grid in the pipeline.

He further added they have around P53 billion available for capital deployment.

Meanwhile, MIC will receive P125 billion in capital: P50 billion from the Land Bank of the Philippines, P50 billion from the national government, and P25 billion from the Development Bank of the Philippines.

However, the national government has yet to remit its contribution.

Despite the rapid increase in capital deployment, MIC still posted a net income of P1.24 billion in the first half. Its total assets stood at P129.5 billion as of the end of June.

Interest income from cash and short-term placements reached P1.14 billion during the period, helping offset operating expenses amounting to P170.8 million.

Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon is eyeing a possible review of the ‘Aquino-Singson Master Plan’ as part of the government’s efforts to address the country’s flooding problem, according to Palace press officer and Undersecretary Claire Castro.

In a briefing on Thursday, Castro said the master plan could be used alongside the Department of Public Works and Highways’ (DPWH) separate master plan for major river basins.

The masterplan that Castro was referring to is the one crafted under former Public Works Secretary Rogelio Singson, who headed the DPWH when former president Benigno Aquino III was still in office.

‘Iyan po ay pagsasama-samahin at titingnan, at kailangan na po ring i-update. At ang sabi nga rin po ng Pangulo sa nakaraang pagpupulong, kailangan na ring i-update kung ano ang dapat na gawin nang naaayon na po sa maaaring epekto ng climate change,’ Castro said.

(That will be consolidated and reviewed, and it also needs to be updated. As the President said during the previous meeting, we also need to update what needs to be done in accordance with the possible effects of climate change.)

The Aquino administration approved a long-term, P351-billion flood management master plan in 2012 made during the time of Singson at DPWH.

However, this was not carried out by the administration of former President Rodrigo Duterte.

Asked why the master plan had not been implemented during the first four years of the Marcos administration, Castro said she could not speak on behalf of previous officials.

‘Ang akin lamang masasagot ay kung ano po ang ginagawa ngayon ni Secretary Vince Dison dahil sa pinaabot niya sa atin ginagawa niya po sa ngayon ang lahat ng mga imprastraktura base sa master plan ng major river basins,’ she said.

(Ang akin lamang masasagot ay kung ano po ang ginagawa ngayon ni Secretary Vince Dison dahil sa pinaabot niya sa atin ginagawa niya po sa ngayon ang lahat ng mga imprastraktura base sa master plan ng major river basins. )

Moreover, the Palace official clarified President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s statement on Wednesday that the country had a ‘master plan’ for flood control for decades but that it had never been implemented.

‘Ang pinapatungkulan po dito ng Pangulo ay nakita po ng mga eksperto rin na may mga masterplans na noon na dahil sa hindi naisagawa, nagkakaroon ito ngayon ng epekto sa pagbabaha,’ Castro said.

(What the President was referring to is that experts have also observed that there were master plans in the past that, because they were not implemented, are now contributing to the flooding we are experiencing.)

‘So, ang Pangulo po ngayon ay gumagawa ng mga proyekto, lalung-lalo na sa ilalim ng pamumuno ni Secretary Vince Dizon. So, kung ano po iyong hawak natin ngayon especially itong sa major river basins, iyan po iyong inuuna ng Pangulo para po maibsan iyong epekto ng sobrang pagbabaha or taas ng tubig kapag malakas po ang ulan o mayroon pong bagyo,’ she continued.

(So, the President is now undertaking projects, particularly under the leadership of Secretary Vince Dizon. What we currently have, especially the plans for the major river basins, are what the President is prioritizing in order to mitigate the effects of severe flooding or rising water levels during heavy rains or typhoons.)

The government is also willing to make the national flood control master plan public as part of its transparency efforts

EST Cola of Thailand pulled the rug out from under Nxled in five sets, scoring a 26-24, 21-25, 21-25, 30-28, 15-12 win and taking the solo second place in the PVL Invitational Conference on Thursday night at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The Thais fought their way back from a 12-20 deficit in the fourth set, with Papatchaya Phontham nailing the big blows to ignite a 12-3 run and take set point, 24-23.

The Chameleons took the match point thrice – the last at 28-27 after Gel Cayuna’s 1-2 play, but Nannaphat Moonjakham scored back-to-back kills before Jackie Acuña’s attack error to force a decider.

Nxled kept EST Cola within striking distance in the fifth set, 13-12, after Acuña’s block. But a costly net fault by Lyann De Guzman sent the Thais to match point, followed by Moonjakham’s game-winning attack that wrapped up the match in two hours and 52 minutes.

Phontham led the Thais with 26 points off 23 kills, two blocks, and an ace. Moonjakham delivered 22 points and 20 digs, while Nirarach Srikuta added 21 points and 17 excellent receptions.

‘I’m so happy and excited after winning two games,’ said Moonjakham

EST Cola booked its second straight win for the solo second place with a 2-1 record before it faces unbeaten Creamline (3-0) on Friday at 6:30 p.m.

‘Team Creamline is number one and not easy for Team Thailand because they have [a strong] key player,’ said Moonjakham, referring to Jaja Santiago-Minowa. ‘Fighting! Fighting! Fighting!’

Nattharika Wasan added 10 points for the Thais, while setter Natnicha Saelao had 27 excellent sets on top of five points.

Nxled had 24 blocks in the match but still couldn’t capitalize on its block party.

Jonah Sabete-Escamillan led the Chameleons with 26 points off 15 kills, six blocks, and five aces on top of 21 digs and 13 receptions.

Myla Pablo had 16 points, while MJ Phillips and Acuña tallied 13 and 11 points, respectively. Cayuna had 23 excellent sets, 12 digs, and 10 points.

Nxled dropped to a 1-2 record, tied with Farm Fresh, PLDT, and Ho Chi Minh City, which will be the Chameleons’ next opponent on Friday at 4 p.m.

Pangasinan Gov. Ramon Guico III on Wednesday (September 2) said the provincial government is pushing for the dredging of major rivers, most of which have become heavily silted, to reduce or eliminate Pangasinan’s seasonal struggles with widespread floods.

‘We are going for dredging,’ he told the Inquirer in telephone interview.

Guico stressed the need for well-planned and high-quality river protection and infrastructure projects that would address flooding in the long term.

‘We should have well thought out and quality river protection and infrastructure projects-a multi-year contract and not a piecemeal approach,’ Guico said.

‘There must be a study of all major rivers and tributaries in Pangasinan to determine the flow of water,’ he added. ‘Government agencies such as the Departments of Environment and Natural Resources and of Public Works and Highways should conduct these studies so that a feasible river restoration project can be implemented.’

The provincial government has started dredging the Limahong Channel in Lingayen, one of the deltas of the Agno River. The other delta is located in Labrador town.

The project has been contracted out to a private company at no cost to the provincial government, with the company retaining ownership of the materials dredged from the river, because the provincial government has no funds for dredging northward, Guico said.

However, Guico said the effects of the project have yet to be felt because the contractor has only recently begun removing silt from the mouth of the channel.

The company just dredged the entrance of Limahong so the dredging equipment could enter the channel,’ he said.

Guico also dismissed reports claiming that solar farms established in the mountainous areas of Pangasinan have contributed to the province’s massive flooding.

He said the areas where the solar farms were established had already lost much of their vegetation even before the projects were put up. While reforestation efforts have been undertaken, he said some of the newly planted trees have been destroyed by fires.

Guico said the provincial government is also coordinating with Dagupan City officials on the possible dredging of the Sabangan River, the delta of the Sinucalan-Marusay-Pantal River system, located between Dagupan City and Binmaley and leading toward the Lingayen Gulf.

Sabangan River is a critical downstream bottleneck, slowing the flow of floodwaters from neighboring towns like Calasiao and Binmaley out toward the Lingayen Gulf.

Guico also pointed out the need to clear the waterways of fish pens as these block the flow of water specially during monsoon season.

Guico also said that while the provincial government has already begun dredging the Marusay River, the effort could be undermined if the Sabangan River remains heavily silted.

‘If Sabangan is heavily silted, floodwater will be trapped in the river system because it cannot freely flow toward the Lingayen Gulf,’ he said.

The provincial government is likewise preparing to undertake the dredging of the Nayum River, a natural waterway that marks the geographic boundary between Infanta town in Pangasinan, and Santa Cruz town in Zambales.

At of presstime, at least 15 towns and two cities have barangays that are under water, with most still not passable by light vehicles, according to the Pangasinan Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office.

The municipalities of Mangatarem and Calasiao and Dagupan City still have national roads that are not passable by light vehicles, said Pia Navata Flores, spokesperson of the PDRRMO.

The other towns with flooded barangays for weeks now are Agno, Mabini, Aguilar, Binmaley, Bugallon, Lingayen, Malasiqui, Sta. Barbara, San Jacinto, and Basista as well as San Carlos City.

Basista was the latest to confront floods because of the swelling of the Camiling River.

In Calasiao, all 24 barangays experienced flooding, but five barangays are under about four feet high of floods, said Kristine Joy Soriano, spokesperson of the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management.

As of 5 am of Wednesday, 3,256 families (10,654 individuals) are still inside evacuation centers in different towns. /

The prosecution panel is now preparing for the possible presentation of evidence for its unexplained wealth allegations against Vice President Sara Duterte.

This phase means it will start calling witnesses and showing proof, should there be changes to the schedule, Bicol Saro party-list Rep. Terry Ridon said on Thursday.

Ridon said in a press briefing that he is aware of the possibility that the team will be called by mid-September to present its case, should the prosecution panel decide to drop Article III or the bribery case.

The lawmaker is a public prosecutor and prosecution team leader for Article II of the Articles of Impeachment.

Article II deals with allegations that Duterte and her husband Manases Carpio had unexplained wealth which were not declared on her Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN).

Article III focuses on allegations that the vice president bribed several officials of the Department of Education.

‘The team tasked to present the unexplained wealth case is preparing for the entry of our article,’ Ridon told reporters at the Batasang Pambansa.

‘And we also acknowledge that there are conversations as to no longer presenting bribery accusations and moving straight to the unexplained wealth article. We will decide (on) it in due time,’ he noted.

‘But as far as the unexplained wealth team is concerned, we are preparing so that by the middle of September or towards the end of the month, we can lay down evidence before the Senate Impeachment Court,’ he added.

The prosecution also confirmed that its members have received copies of the bank and tax records of the Duterte-Carpio couple and their business interests.

These materials will be studied by the team to see if these items can be presented in the impeachment trial.

‘Yesterday afternoon, the prosecution was given a copy of all the bank information of our vice president, her husband and their companies,’ Ridon said.

‘The Senate Impeachment Court also gave the prosecution panel a copy of all the tax documents of the vice president, her husband and their companies,’ he noted.

‘So, in the coming days, we will study and scrutinize all these documents, as this will constitute the last important pillar of the evidence that we will use to prove the allegations under the unexplained wealth article,’ the legislator said.

It was Ridon who focused on the alleged issues with Duterte’s SALN when the House committee on justice tackled the two impeachment complaints against the vice president.

Ridon said last April that there was an increase in the vice president’s net worth that is not proportionate to her salary, noting that her net worth rose by over 1,000 percent from 2008 to 2024.

He explained that Duterte’s SALN in 2008 showed a net worth of P18.4 million, while her net worth in her 2023 SALN grew to P77.5 million and P88.5 million for 2024 – representing a 378 percent increase from 2008 to 2024.

However, the lawmaker noted that if figures were based on Duterte’s 2007 SALN – the first year that she became a public official – the jump from a net worth of P7.2 million to 2024’s P88.5 million represents a 1,120 percent spike.

Aside from the SALN issue, Ridon also previously pointed out before the confirmation from Anti-Money Laundering Council Executive Director Buenaventura.

Buenaventura affirmed that they saw covered and suspicious transactions made by Duterte and Carpio, and a total of P6.7 billion in total transactions from bank accounts from the couple.

This includes a total of P4.4 billion in inflows and P1.5 billion worth of outflows.

Meanwhile, several members of the prosecution confirmed that they are mulling whether they will drop Article III or the bribery allegations due to time constraints.

On Wednesday, Manila Rep. Joel Chua confirmed in an ambush interview that the prosecution panel is considering to refrain from presenting Article III.

In a press briefing later that day, Chua clarified that the bribery allegations against Duterte remain strong.

He noted that the only reason why the prosecution panel has considered this article as expendable is due to priorities and a yearning to expedite the trial.

Chua explained that if they push through with the withdrawal of Article III, this will be similar to what the prosecution panel did for the impeachment trial of former Chief Justice Renato Corona.

However, he also stressed that this is not a new matter, reminding the public that the group had said before that if the prosecution is satisfied with the evidence and testimonies at hand, it will let go of one article.

A 70-year-old woman died on Wednesday night after a fire of still unknown origin gutted a private school in Dasmariñas City, Cavite.

The victim was the school owner, who resided at Brentwood Academy of Dasmariñas Inc. in Barangay Sta Cruz 1, according to the Calabarzon police report on Thursday.

The initial investigation reported that the fire broke out at around 8:32 p.m. and originated from one of the school’s classrooms.

Authorities declared the fire under control at around 9:13 p.m. About 30 minutes later, firefighters recovered the victim’s charred body inside the school’s administration office during clearing operations.

Investigators are still determining the cause of the blaze