Category: Philippines Daily Inquirer

Aeta community members began fencing parts of Mt. Bagang in San Marcelino on Sunday, claiming the area is part of their ancestral domain despite a Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) finding that a private company’s forest plantation application does not overlap with any approved Certificate of Ancestral Domain Title (CADT).

The fencing was led by Aeta leader Trolie Romualdo, who said the community’s CADT is identified as CADT No. 280, contrary to information earlier provided by Zambales Provincial Environment and Natural Resources officer Marife Castillo.

Castillo said the DENR’s verification, based on available references and data from the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP), showed that the Socialized Industrial Forest Management Agreement (Sifma) application of Philippine Ocean Business Corporation (POBC) did not encroach on any approved CADT.

She made the clarification in an Aug. 13 response to the Inquirer’s request for information.

POBC’s application for clearance to establish a tree plantation covers 51.88 hectares (ha) in Mt. Bagang along Barangay Sta. Fe.

Romualdo has maintained that the Aeta community considers Mt. Bagang part of its ancestral territory and has sought recognition of its claim.

The fencing came after two tree-growing activities were conducted in Mt. Bagang by the San Marcelino municipal government and private-sector partners, during which nearly 1,000 African talisay seedlings were planted.

Aeta leaders said they support reforestation efforts but questioned why the activities proceeded without prior consultation with the community, which they consider the owners of the ancestral domain.

Pending NCIP process

Castillo said POBC’s Sifma application had been endorsed to the NCIP Central Luzon office for evaluation and the issuance of the appropriate clearance or certification, as may be required under existing laws and regulations.

The endorsement was made through a DENR letter dated April 15, 2025, she said.

The DENR said the NCIP process was being undertaken pursuant to Republic Act No. 8371 or the Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act of 1997.

‘All applications for forestry tenure instruments are endorsed to the NCIP for evaluation and the issuance of the appropriate clearance or certification, as may be required,’ Castillo said.

Pending the issuance by the NCIP of a Certification Precondition stipulating that the free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) of the Aeta had been secured, or the release of a Certification of Non-Overlap or a Resolution of Non-Consent, the DENR said a Provisional Agreement may be issued to the applicant, subject to applicable rules and regulations.

The provisional agreement allows temporary improvements within the area covered by the application while the necessary requirements and evaluations are being completed.

San Marcelino Indigenous Peoples Mandatory representative Robert Dela Cruz earlier said POBC had undertaken an FPIC process for about six months in connection with its proposed project, but the process had not yet been completed.

The ancestral domain area identified by Indigenous leaders covers around 33,608 ha across the villages of Aglao, Buhawen, San Rafael and Sta. Fe. The Aeta communities in the area include the Ayta Ambala, Ayta Mag-Indi, and Ayta Zambal.

Without the prolific Justin Brownlee to rely on, Gilas Pilipinas hopes to draw a big lift from its young guns like Carl Tamayo in the second round of the Fiba World Cup Asian Qualifiers.

Tamayo, of course, will look to step up in the absence of the injured Brownlee. He is also fully aware that he can only do so much, and it will take a village to fill the void left by Brownlee.

‘I think it really is a challenge for us because we all know how big of a part JB (Brownlee) plays in our national team and coach Tim’s (Cone) system,’ said Tamayo.

‘That’s the challenge in front of us so everyone needs to help out. We need to work together to fill that space for this window and we’ve been practicing hard. Hopefully, we get the two wins so we have a bigger chance to play in the World Cup.’

Brownlee has long been the Philippines’ offensive anchor and best clutch performer. He averaged 14.2 points, 5.8 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game in the five games. Brownlee was already dealing with injuries in Gilas’ double overtime loss to New Zealand before sitting out the Nationals’ final game of the third window against Australia.

There was, however, a silver lining amid Brownlee’s woes against the Kiwis, with Tamayo and fellow youngblood Kevin Quiambao picking up the slack.

Tamayo turned in 17 points, four assists and two rebounds against New Zealand, while Quiambao fired 23.

‘This team is different. There’s a lot of talent in this team. We have to stick to our role to help the team win the next two games. It’s going to be crucial for us, especially for KQ (Kevin Quiambao) now that Justin is not here.’

‘I don’t think we can do what Justin is doing. No one in our team can be like Justin but we’ll do whatever we can to help our country.’

Gilas’ second-round campaign tips off Friday against Jordan before clashing with Iran on Sunday, with both games taking place at Mall of Asia Arena

In-person classes have been suspended in some areas for Wednesday, Aug. 26, due to inclement weather brought by the southwest monsoon.

Here are the areas where classes have been suspended:

Pampanga

Macabebe – no face-to-face classes (public and private); shift to alternative modes of learning

San Simon – no face-to-face classes (public and private); shift to alternative modes of learning; until Aug. 28

Santo Tomas – no face-to-face classes (public and private); shift to alternative modes of learning; until Aug. 28

Benguet

Kibungan – no face-to-face classes (preschool to senior high school) until Aug. 27.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration said in a weather advisory that the southwest monsoon will affect parts of Luzon in the next few days

Electricity consumers in Tacloban City and the towns of Palo and Babatngon in Leyte province were warned of possible temporary power interruptions on Tuesday as the Visayas power grid was placed under red and yellow alerts amid tight supply conditions.

The Leyte II Electric Cooperative (Leyeco II) said the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP), the operator of the country’s transmission grid, informed the cooperative that the Visayas Grid would be under red alert from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. and yellow alert from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Aug. 25.

NGCP’s 8 a.m. update showed that the Visayas had 2,421 megawatts (MW) of available capacity against a projected peak demand of 2,570 MW, leaving a supply gap of about 149 MW during the peak period.

Leyeco II said forced outages of several power plants and the operation of other generating facilities at reduced capacities caused the tight supply.

NGCP reported that 10 power plants were on forced outage, while 13 others were operating at derated capacities, resulting in a combined 904.5 MW of unavailable capacity.

Among the factors that the NGCP cited were the unavailability of the Visayas’ large coal-fired power plants TVI 1, TVI 2, and KSPC 1, as well as limited power imports from Mindanao because of that region’s high demand forecast.

A red alert means available power supply is insufficient to meet consumer demand and the transmission grid’s regulating requirement. A yellow alert, meanwhile, means the operating margin is insufficient to meet the grid’s contingency requirement.

Leyeco II warned that if the tight supply condition persists and NGCP directs the cooperative to reduce its load, it may implement Manual Load Dropping (MLD), or the temporary disconnection of electricity supply in selected portions of its service area to reduce overall electricity consumption.

The cooperative said this measure would be implemented only if necessary and upon appropriate notice from NGCP.

Leyeco II serves more than 96,600 member-consumers in Tacloban City and the municipalities of Palo and Babatngon. Its franchise area is officially covered by Republic Act No. 12017, which authorizes the cooperative to operate and maintain the electricity distribution system serving the three areas.

The NGCP’s transmission facilities supplying the area include the Babatngon-Arado 69-kilovolt transmission line, which serves Tacloban and the neighboring towns.

Leyeco II urged its member-consumers to conserve electricity, particularly during peak-demand periods, and to monitor official announcements from the cooperative and NGCP for updates on the grid condition and any possible power interruptions.

The Land Transportation Office (LTO) on Tuesday issued a show-cause order and imposed a 90-day preventive suspension of the driver’s license of an actor who crashed his vehicle into several establishments.

According to the agency in a statement, the actor is required to appear before the LTO’s Intelligence and Investigation Division for a hearing scheduled Friday. The LTO did not name the actor in the statement.

He was also directed to submit a sworn explanation, as well as the necessary documents supporting his position concerning the allegations outlined in the show-cause order.

Meanwhile, the vehicle used by the actor has already been placed under alarm while the investigation is ongoing, the LTO said.

According to the agency’s investigation and a report from the Antipolo City Police Station, the actor fell asleep and lost control of the vehicle, causing it to cross into the opposite lane and ram three shops and a motorcycle along Marcos Highway in Antipolo City, Rizal. One person was injured in the incident.

The actor later admitted that he fell asleep while driving, saying that he lost control of the vehicle and was ready to take full responsibility for the incident.

The actor also said that he would address the needs of the injured individual and pay for the damage to the establishments caused by the accident.

‘Before even starting the vehicle, the driver should already know if they can remain alert until they reach their destination,’ LTO chief Assistant Secretary Markus Lacanilao said.

‘If you are tired or sleepy, do not force yourself to drive, as doing so puts not only yourself but also other motorists and people around you at risk,’ he added.

The LTO noted that the actor may face charges, including reckless driving, and the revocation of his license for being deemed an improper person to operate a vehicle.

Meanwhile, the LTO advised all motorists to ‘Be careful and responsible when driving. If you are tired or sleepy, do not force yourself to drive; take some time to rest instead.’

Internal Revenue Commissioner Charlito Martin R. Mendoza and Supreme Court Associate Justice Alfredo Benjamin S. Caguioa are spearheading discussions to align the Bureau of Internal Revenue’s Electronic Documentary Stamp Tax (eDST) system with the Supreme Court’s Electronic Notarization (eNotarization) facilities.

During their Aug. 11 meeting, Mendoza and Caguioa led BIR and SC representatives in discussing how the documentary stamp tax (DST) can be paid and affixed electronically, allowing electronically notarized documents to remain digital from end to end.

In a statement on Monday, Mendoza said the meeting aimed to address the paper-based DST affixation requirement, which the BIR and the SC had identified during their Feb. 27 discussions as the remaining paper-based step in an otherwise electronic notarization process.

‘If a document can be executed, signed, notarized, and verified electronically, it should not have to go back to paper just to comply with the documentary stamp tax. That is why we are working with the Supreme Court to remove this remaining paper-based step and make the entire process seamless and more verifiable,’ Mendoza said.

This reform builds on the SC’s Rules on Electronic Notarization, approved on February 4, 2025, and the BIR’s Revenue Regulations No. 28-2025, issued on Dec. 22, 2025, which implemented the enhanced eDST system and mandated its use by covered taxpayers, including notaries public.

Mendoza said the initiative supports the Digital and Data Transformation and Service Excellence and Stakeholder Engagement pillars of BIR DARES, while helping modernize notarization-a core process in many business and private transactions-and supporting the government’s broader ease-of-doing-business agenda.

‘We are redesigning processes so government systems work together and transactions become simpler, faster, and easier to verify. This cooperation with the Supreme Court shows how inter-agency coordination can produce practical and lasting reforms that make it easier and safer for people and businesses to transact,’ he added.

San Juan City Mayor Francis Zamora led the distribution on Monday of version 2 of the Makabagong San Juan customized rubber shoes and physical education uniforms to 13,000 kindergarten-to-grade-12 public school students at the Makabagong San Juan Theater.

According to a statement from his office, the distribution was part of the city’s comprehensive educational assistance to support San Juan students, aimed at reducing the financial burden on their families while ensuring that they have the resources they need to focus on their studies.

Zamora was joined by his son, Special Assistant to the Mayor Rocco Zamora; Vice Mayor Angelo Agcaoili; and city councilors.

Mayor Francis Zamora ties a student’s shoe. -Photo from his office.

The new rubber shoes and PE uniforms replaced those previously provided by the city to continuing K-12 students, while newly enrolled students also received their own sets.

Beyond school necessities, the city government also provides financial incentives to honor students and graduating students moving up from Grades 6, 10, and 12.

Another student receives a pair of new shoes from San Juan Mayor Francis Zamora. -Photo from Zamora’s office

Students who distinguished themselves by winning regional, national, and international academic and sports competitions also received financial incentives in recognition of their achievements. All families of public school students are also provided financial assistance for educational expenses.

Public school teachers also received their own laptops and financial incentives.

The Makabagong San Juan Theater fills up with students who received new rubber shoes and PE uniforms from Mayor Francis Zamora. -Photo from Zamora’s office

Zamora has consistently identified education as one of his administration’s foremost governance priorities.

The results of the city’s sustained investments in education were already evident. According to the Philippine Statistics Authority’s 2024 Functional Literacy, Education and Mass Media Survey (FLEMMS), released in 2025, San Juan registered a functional literacy rate of 95 percent, ranking No. 1 among all highly urbanized cities in the Philippines

In-person classes have been suspended in some areas for Wednesday, Aug. 26, due to inclement weather brought by the southwest monsoon.

Here are the areas where classes have been suspended:

Pampanga

Macabebe – no face-to-face classes (public and private); shift to alternative modes of learning

San Simon – no face-to-face classes (public and private); shift to alternative modes of learning; until Aug. 28

Santo Tomas – no face-to-face classes (public and private); shift to alternative modes of learning; until Aug. 28

Benguet

Kibungan – no face-to-face classes (preschool to senior high school) until Aug. 27.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration said in a weather advisory that the southwest monsoon will affect parts of Luzon in the next few days

Lea Salonga has defended her decision to unfollow BTS members RM and J-Hope following their attendance at a Chris Brown concert, saying the move was made for her own well-being and not as a punishment against the K-pop stars.

Salonga, who has been long vocal about her admiration for BTS, addressed the issue during her ‘Ask Miss Lea’ session on Threads on Tuesday, Aug. 25, after a netizen asked whether her views had changed about RM and J-Hope’s appearance at Brown’s concert.

‘First off, my being a fan can be equated to a single grain of sand on a massive beach,’ Salonga said. ‘Whatever my actions are won’t affect anyone, except maybe cause consternation in the minds of other fans, which I do expect and accept responsibility for.’

‘Yes I did unfollow, but I did it for my own sake,’ she added. ‘It’s not meant to be punitive to either of them, at all.’

Salonga explained that she decided to distance herself from the BTS members after realizing that the controversy was affecting her emotionally.

‘But I recognized that I was waking up sad and/or upset, or find myself way too affected. This was unhealthy so I took a step back, for me,’ she expressed.

The Broadway star also acknowledged that RM and J-Hope are autonomous individuals who can make their own decisions, just as she has the right to make her own.

‘As many fans have rightly pointed out, we are owed nothing really. They are autonomous human beings, but so am I, and whatever decisions I make are mine alone,’ Salonga explained.

‘If I hurt anyone in the aftermath, that isn’t my intention but I’m sorry if I hurt you nonetheless,’ she continued.

Despite unfollowing the two BTS members, Salonga made it clear that her affection for the group and the role their music played in her life remain.

‘I am still so grateful for the typhoon they created in my life when they arrived in 2020. I was navigating my marriage ending, raising a teenager, and a global pandemic (not to mention the occasional death threat due to politics). They saved my sanity when I needed saving. I’ll never forget that,’ she said.

Salonga was also asked how difficult it was for her to ‘give Joon and Hobi grace,’ referring to RM’s real name, Kim Nam-joon, and J-Hope’s real name, Jung Ho-seok.

‘Right now, it’s not about giving them grace or not, but rather giving myself the space to stop being upset,’ she replied.

‘I’m giving them as much grace as I can. As I’ve said, this isn’t punitive, I’m not doing this to punish them. This is a step to take in order for me to be able to enjoy the music again, and I will get there eventually. I hope you understand,’ concluded the Filipina actress-singer.

RM and J-Hope have faced criticism from some fans since attending Brown’s co-headlining concert with Usher at Rogers Stadium in Toronto on Aug. 12.

J-Hope later shared photos and videos from the concert on social media, while Brown posted a backstage photo of himself with RM and J-Hope.

The images prompted backlash from fans who questioned the BTS members’ decision to publicly associate with Brown, whose career has been marred by legal controversies and allegations involving violence.

Brown pleaded guilty in 2009 to assaulting his then-girlfriend, singer Rihanna, and has faced other allegations and legal cases involving violence.

The controversy also prompted The Pixel Project, a nonprofit organization focused on ending violence against women, to indefinitely suspend RM from its list of ’16 Male Role Models Helping to Stop Violence Against Women.’

The organization said it had waited for RM to publicly address the controversy before taking action, while noting that being a role model does not require perfection.

‘We have never expected any male role model (including RM) to be perfect. Everyone is human after all,’ The Pixel Project said in a public statement.

‘But being a decent human being also means being accountable when your choices hurt other people,’ it added.

The organization said RM and J-Hope’s decision to pose with Brown was ‘at best, careless about the wider damaging impact’ of publicly associating with him.

Some fans have defended the BTS members, arguing that attending a concert or taking a photograph with another artist does not necessarily mean endorsing that person’s past behavior. Others suggested that RM and J-Hope may have attended as fellow musicians.

Presented by the Philippine Foundation for the Rehabilitation of the Disabled (PFRD), the Apolinario Mabini Awards is one of the country’s longest-running recognition programs promoting the rights, welfare, and inclusion of persons with disabilities. The Disability-Friendly Establishment Award recognizes organizations that go beyond compliance by providing facilities, services, and environments that enable PWDs to navigate public spaces with dignity, independence, and confidence.

The recognition reflects Robinsons Land Corporation’s belief that accessibility is fundamental to creating welcoming spaces where everyone can participate in community life. Through Robinsons Malls, the company continues to design and operate developments that are inclusive, and responsive to the diverse needs of its customers. As the heart of the communities it serves, Robinsons Malls is committed to creating environments where every individual can connect, participate, and thrive.

‘We are honored to receive this recognition, which affirms our commitment to creating spaces that are accessible and inclusive for everyone,’ said Maria Kristina Real-Lim, Deputy Business Unit General Manager of Robinsons Malls. ‘At Robinsons Malls, we believe every individual deserves to enjoy meaningful experiences in spaces designed with dignity, comfort, and accessibility in mind. Through thoughtful design, responsible operations, and meaningful partnerships, we continue to build communities where everyone feels welcome and empowered.’

Beyond its physical spaces, Robinsons Malls actively partners with government agencies, advocacy groups, and local communities to promote programs that advance inclusion, accessibility, and equal opportunity. These collaborations form part of the company’s broader commitment to creating developments that generate lasting social value while improving everyday experiences for the communities it serves.

The recognition builds on Robinsons Malls’ longstanding commitment to accessibility, following previous honors received by Robinsons Magnolia and Robinsons Galleria South at the Apolinario Mabini Awards. It further reflects the company’s continued efforts to embed inclusivity into the way its malls are designed, operated, and experienced.

As Robinsons Land Corporation continues to expand its portfolio of Robinsons Malls across the country, it remains committed to creating destinations where everyone can connect, participate, and thrive. By championing accessible, inclusive, and community-centered developments, Robinsons Malls continues to build better lives while serving as a steady and dependable presence at the heart of the communities it serves.