Category: Philippines Daily Inquirer

The Department of Agriculture (DA) is conducting laboratory observations on lacewing larvae to evaluate their potential as a biological control agent against red-striped soft scale insects (RSSI) that have caused widespread damage to sugarcane plantations on Negros Island.

The study being done by the Regional Crop Protection Center (RCPC) in Negros Island Region is focusing on documenting the predatory behavior and feeding activity of the larvae against RSSI, as they are voracious predators known for their role in controlling aphid populations in agricultural fields.

The initiative forms part of the agency’s broader efforts to develop sustainable, science-based integrated pest management strategies using natural predators to suppress pest populations.

The RCPC laboratory, according to the DA, is preparing for the mass production of lacewing larvae, with distribution to pest-affected areas planned to begin later this year.

The low pressure area (LPA) being monitored inside the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR) is not expected to make landfall in the country, although it may develop into a tropical cyclone this weekend, the state weather bureau said on Friday.

Designated as 08i, the LPA was located 720 kilometers (km) east of Itbayat, Batanes as of 3 a.m., Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) weather specialist Obet Badrina said in the agency’s forecast on Friday morning.

‘Posible pa rin ito maging bagyo, lalo na this coming weekend, pero hindi naman ito magkakaroon ng direktang epekto sa ating bansa. Hindi natin ito inaasahang mag-landfall sa Pilipinas,’ Badrina explained.

(This may develop into a tropical cyclone, especially this coming weekend, but it won’t have a direct effect on our country. We don’t expect this to make landfall in the Philippines.)

‘Ang magiging direksyon nitong low pressure area kung sakaling maging bagyo ay sa bahagi naman ng Taiwan,’ he added.

(The direction of this low pressure area, if it does become a tropical cyclone, is towards Taiwan.)

In Pagasa’s latest tropical cyclone formation outlook, the weather bureau said LPA 08i had a medium chance of developing into a tropical depression within the next 24 hours as of 2 a.m. on Friday.

If the LPA develops into a tropical cyclone, it will be given the local name Pilandok, Badrina noted

A student’s post was behind the ‘security concern’ that prompted La Salle Green Hills (LSGH) in Mandaluyong City to switch to online classes on Thursday as a precaution, according to the police.

‘The specific threat was that someone posted on Facebook that they are a shooter. That’s what they said. Shooter. The word shooter was highlighted,’ Mandaluyong police chief Col. Reynan Patam told reporters.

‘The message was for students who reached out to their parents who then called school officials. That’s when our attention was called,’ Patam said.

‘Initially, the school administration had a person of interest … For now, we can’t divulge their identity. But, it was confirmed that the person is studying here,’ he added without saying whether the student was a male or female.

La Salle Green Hills announced on Wednesday night that because of a ‘security concern,’ all classes from pre-school to Grade 12, including International Baccalaureate and Alternative Education, would be conducted online the next day.

Safety first

‘In light of this, and in deep respect, empathy and solidarity regarding the recent heartbreaking incidents in the news, we refuse to leave our campus vulnerable or take any security risks with our students’ safety,’ it said.

Patam said that he and Eastern Police District (EPD) director Brig. Gen. Melecio Buslig Jr. met with school officials on Thursday to check security measures at LSGH.

He said that in response to the threat, the Mandaluyong police will be deploying a team of police officers to secure the campus in coordination with school officials. All the law enforcers on duty will be allowed to use only short firearms.

According to the Mandaluyong police chief, the deployment will begin when face-to-face classes resume at the school since officials had previously announced online class arrangements on Friday, Aug. 28, while Monday, Aug. 31, is a holiday.

Threat verification

In a separate statement, the EPD said it had tapped its Anti-Cybercrime Team to ‘verify the veracity and authenticity of the reported online threat.’

It also tasked the Mandaluyong police to intensify visibility around the school premises.

‘The EPD assures the public that the situation is being closely monitored and that appropriate measures are in place to ensure the safety and security of students, faculty, school personnel, and the entire academic community in the Metro East,’ it said.

‘The public is likewise urged to remain calm and refrain from sharing unverified information that may cause unnecessary alarm,’ it added.

The country recently recorded its first mass school shootings, the first at San Jose National High School in Tacloban City on June 22. It was carried out by two students aged 14 and 15 who killed three students and wounded around 20 others.

The next incident happened on Aug. 18 at Ateneo de Zamboanga University. A 14-year-old Grade 8 student shot and killed a Grade 10 student before also killing himself.

The U.S. Open draws for men’s and women’s singles Thursday delivered one what-could-have-been possibility: Had Serena Williams decided to play, there could have been a Williams sisters showdown in Round 1.

When Venus Williams was given a wild card into the event at 46, the U.S. Tennis Association initially held one spot, which surely would have gone to Serena if the six-time U.S. Open champion wanted to play after returning to tennis for the first time since 2022. When the 44-year-old decided to only compete in doubles, the USTA awarded that last wild card over the weekend to American Sofia Kenin, the 2020 Australian Open champion.

On Thursday, Venus Williams and Kenin were randomly drawn to face each other.

Main draw play at the final Grand Slam tournament of the season begins Sunday.

Two-time defending women’s champion Aryna Sabalenka opens against Camila Osorio. The top-ranked Sabalenka, who has struggled during the North American hard-court season, could face Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova, the No. 6 seed, in the quarterfinals.

The other potential women’s quarterfinals: No. 2 Elena Rybakina vs. No. 8 Iga Swiatek, No. 3 Jessica Pegula vs. No. 7 Karolina Muchova, and No. 4 Coco Gauff vs. No. 5 Mirra Andreeva, the French Open champion.

Pegula, who opens against Elena-Gabriela Ruse, would play the Williams-Kenin winner in the second round.

Some first-round matches won’t be determined until the conclusion of the qualifying tournaments, which were scheduled to finish Thursday. Potential women’s contenders such as No. 11 Marta Kostyuk and No. 17 Alex Eala were among those waiting to see who they would face in their openers

Alex Eala will face a qualifier in the first round of the US Open women’s singles tournament.

Eala was seeded No. 17 at Flushing Meadows in New York after the men’s and women’s singles brackets were released early Friday.

Qualifiers are ongoing, and main-draw action begins August 30.

Eala, currently at a career-best No. 18 in the WTA rankings, is making her second women’s main-draw appearance at the US Open, where she is also a former girls’ Grand Slam champion.

Should Eala advance to the second round anew, she will face the winner between Oleksandra Oliynykova and Reese Brantmeier, a wild card.

Also in her section of the draw are No. 14 seed Iva Jovic, who takes on Magdalena Frech, and Magda Linette, who also faces a qualifier in the first round.

Last year, the Filipino tennis ace reached the Round of 64 after beating Clara Tauson in a breakthrough Grand Slam win.

Since then, Eala has made historic strides in her first full season on the WTA Tour, including a Round of 16 stint at Wimbledon.

She also won her first WTA Tour-level title at the Mubadala DC Open, which kicked off her North American hard-court swing

Nine senior Philippine National Police (PNP) officials were given new positions in the organization’s latest reshuffle.

The reassignments were done through General Orders Nos. NHQ-GO-DES-2026-4817 and 4818 both issued by PNP chief of directorial staff Lt. Gen. Neri Vincent Ignacio last August 26.

The changes took effect on Friday, August 28.

Police Regional Office (PRO) Ilocos Region director Brig. Gen. Jovencio Badua was designated as the officer in charge of the Directorate for Police Community Relations, replacing Maj. Gen. Roderick Augustus Alba, who is set to retire on August 31.

Maritime Group director Brig. Gen. Crisaleo Tolentino was appointed to replace Badua as PRO Ilocos Region chief.

Further, PRO Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) director Brig. Gen. Ericson Dilag was assigned to replace Directorate for Information and Communication Technology Management officer in charge Brig. Gen. Milo Pagtalunan, who is set to retire on August 30.

Logistics Support Service (LSS) director Brig. Gen. Noel Vallo took over for Dilag as PRO CAR head.

Directorate for Comptrollership deputy director Brig. Gen. Jaime Cadatal was designated to replace Vallo as LSS chief.

PRO Caraga director Brig. Gen. Marcial Mariano Magistrado IV was appointed as the new deputy director for the Directorate for Comptrollership after Cadatal’s reassignment.

Training Service director Brig. Gen. Rolindo Suguilon replaced Magistrado as PRO Caraga head.

Meanwhile, PRO Zamboanga Region director Brig. Gen. Dennis Esguerra was assigned as the new deputy director of the Directorate for Investigation and Detective Management, replacing Brig. Gen. Nestor Babagay Jr.

Babagay was designated the new regional director of PRO Northern Mindanao earlier this week, following the appointment of Brig. Gen. Christopher Abrahano as officer in charge of the National Capital Region Police Office last Sunday.

Replacing Esguerra as PRO Zamboanga Region director was Drug Enforcement Group director Brig. Gen. Elmer Ragay.

The PNP has yet to detail who will replace Tolentino, Suguilon and Ragay as Maritime Group, Training Service and Drug Enforcement Group heads, respectively.

Despite continuing heavy rains over Zambales on Friday, the search will continue for three members of an Aeta indigenous community who have gone missing after the boat carrying them capsized in Mapanuepe Lake in San Marcelino town.

The subjects of the search are a 26-year-old woman and two young children. They were among the 13 passengers in the boat that capsized at about 2 p.m. on Thursday near the Sunken Church in Barangay Buhawen.

Search and recovery operations will resume with the municipal disaster response personnel, the police, the Philippine Coast Guard, and other responding agencies taking part.

In a phone interview, Euphraim Jayson Diciano, head of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) in Zambales, said personnel from their Special Operations Group are expected to conduct an underwater search for the three missing passengers.

The boat reportedly encountered strong winds and rough lake conditions while returning from a vaccination program and a meeting under the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps).

Six passengers died in the incident: Elvis Tiglao Pabalan, 33; Joanavie Mae Tiglao Pabalan (age not listed); Sally Serrano Dela Cruz, 29; Prince Lenard Serrano Dela Cruz, 1; Evelyn Yurik Lagman, 45; and Cedric Serrano Liwanag, 2.

Four survivors were identified as Rebecca Paana Sulit, 39; Palit Liwanag, 32; and Julian Pabalan Balario and Marqie Paanan Balario, whose ages were also not listed at press time.

The passengers are members of the Aeta community in Sitio Lumibao, an area across Mapanuepe Lake from the main part of Barangay Buhawen. Residents have to cross the lake by boat to reach the barangay proper.

Philippine National Bank (PNB) is backing a solar power and battery storage project in Iloilo with a P6.215-billion co-financing package, supporting the continued buildout of renewable energy capacity in the Visayas.

Singapore-based Levanta Renewables has reached financial close for its 166-megawatt-peak (MWp) solar power project with an 80-megawatt-hour Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) in Barotac Viejo, Iloilo.

The project is targeted to begin commercial operations by the second quarter of 2027.

Once operational, the facility and BESS will add renewable energy capacity to the Visayas grid and support the country’s transition to cleaner power sources.

‘Achieving financial close is a major milestone for this project,’ Levanta CEO Pramod Singh said.

Singh said PNB’s support will help the company deliver cleaner and more reliable energy in the Philippines.

PNB first senior vice president and corporate banking group head Allan Ang, meanwhile, said the financing was in line with the lender’s push to support investments that address growing energy requirements and strengthen energy security.

‘As the country moves toward a more balanced and sustainable energy mix, we remain committed to supporting investments that help address growing energy needs, strengthen energy security and drive inclusive economic growth,’ Ang said.

The transaction also supports PNB’s sustainability framework, which guides the bank’s financing for responsible and sustainable growth.

PNB Capital and Investment Corp., the bank’s investment banking arm, is one of the arrangers of the project.

Levanta is building a gigawatt-scale renewable energy portfolio across Thailand, the Philippines, Vietnam and Malaysia.

The Singapore-headquartered renewable energy platform develops, builds and operates utility-scale solar, wind and energy storage projects

Levanta is wholly owned by sustainable infrastructure investor Actis, which is part of General Atlantic’s global investment platform.

Mayon Volcano in Albay spewed ash again Friday morning, generating a grayish plume, state seismologists reported.

According to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs), the ash emission from Mayon’s crater occurred at 9:08 a.m.

‘This event generated a 150-meter-tall grayish plume that drifted to the east-northeast as recorded by the VMCB (Calbayog Observation Station) RasPi Camera,’ the agency noted.

Phivolcs has been monitoring moderate volcanic unrest at Mayon in recent days.

On Thursday morning, state seismologists recorded a weak ash explosion from the volcano’s summit crater.

It generated a grayish plume that rose 500 meters before drifting east-northeast.

Before this, the agency recorded two volcanic activities at Mayon’s crater on Wednesday: an ash emission at 8:30 a.m. that generated a grayish plume drifting east-northeast, and a weak ash explosion at 1:57 p.m. that also generated a grayish plume, which reached 1,500 meters before drifting east-northeast.

Mayon is currently under Alert Level 2, signifying a moderate level of volcanic unrest.

Phivolcs said entry into the six-kilometer-radius permanent danger zone and the flying of any aircraft close to Mayon Volcano are prohibited.

Some hotels become landmarks. Others become part of a city’s memory.

For nearly four decades, Mandarin Oriental Manila was one of those places. It welcomed business leaders sealing deals, diplomats navigating delicate conversations, families marking milestones and generations of guests who saw the hotel as a familiar fixture in the capital’s social life.

More than a decade after it closed its doors, the luxury hospitality brand is preparing for a homecoming.

Set to open on Dec. 14, Mandarin Oriental Makati, Manila will rise above Ayala Triangle Gardens.

But this is not simply a revival of a familiar name.

The new property represents a fresh interpretation of luxury hospitality-one that blends global standards with distinctly Filipino character.

Standing nearly 99 meters above the heart of Makati, the hotel occupies one of the country’s most prominent addresses. Nestled beside Ayala Triangle Gardens and surrounded by the commercial district’s offices, restaurants, galleries and retail destinations, it places guests at the center of a city that continues to evolve as a regional business and lifestyle hub.

For Mandarin Oriental, the return carries both symbolic and strategic weight.

‘Our return to Manila marks an exciting new chapter for Mandarin Oriental,’ says Laurent Kleitman, the group’s chief executive.

Kleitman describes the Philippines as one of Southeast Asia’s most vibrant and culturally rich nations, adding that the new hotel aims to capture Metro Manila’s energy through design, experiences and the brand’s signature service.

The reopening also reflects the growing importance of Metro Manila within the region’s travel landscape. Just a short drive from the international airport, the hotel is positioned to serve both business and leisure travelers arriving from key cities across Asia, the Middle East and North America.

The property will feature 275 rooms and suites, five dining and bar concepts, an expansive spa and wellness floor, as well as a range of event spaces designed for everything from corporate gatherings to weddings and cultural celebrations.

Its design draws heavily from the Philippine landscape and local craftsmanship. Guest rooms will incorporate natural materials, warm wood tones and woven details, while large windows invite sunlight and sweeping views of the city and surrounding greenery.

The hotel is also designed with multigenerational travel in mind. Spacious accommodations, connecting rooms and family-focused suites seek to address the changing needs of travelers who increasingly prioritize shared experiences.

Food is another defining feature. Dining concepts will showcase contemporary Cantonese, Filipino and international cuisine, while highlighting local ingredients and craftsmanship. The goal is not merely to serve visitors, but to create gathering spaces where residents and travelers can intersect.

Perhaps nowhere is the Filipino influence more evident than in the wellness facilities. Spanning 800 square meters, the spa and wellness floor will overlook Ayala Triangle Gardens and feature a 25-meter outdoor swimming pool. Treatments will draw inspiration from traditional Filipino healing practices such as hilot and sukob ng manggagamot, combining indigenous techniques and native botanicals with modern wellness approaches.

For Ayala Land, which partnered with Mandarin Oriental on the project, this marks another chapter in Makati’s continuing transformation.

‘The return of Mandarin Oriental represents a defining moment for Makati,’ says Jaime Urquijo Zobel de Ayala, head of Urban Estates Group at Ayala Land. ‘We are proud to welcome back a brand that has long been part of the city’s cultural and social fabric. As Makati continues to evolve and redefine urban living, the reopening of Mandarin Oriental reflects our commitment to innovation, excellence and world-class experiences. It also sets a new benchmark for luxury hospitality in the Philippines.’

Its Grand Hall can accommodate up to 1,000 guests and is complemented by additional function rooms, meeting spaces and direct access to Ayala Triangle Gardens for outdoor gatherings.

When Mandarin Oriental Makati, Manila opens its doors later this year, it will not simply bring back a celebrated hotel brand. It will reconnect a city with a piece of its past while introducing a new generation of travelers to a distinctly Filipino vision of luxury.