Category: Philippines Daily Inquirer

Philippines Airlines (PAL) keeps soaring higher, as it has just bagged a prestigious 4-Star Major Airline 2026 rating.

The flag carrier earned the award from the Airline Passenger Experience Association (Apex), a US-based air travel organization.

Airlines securing this status mean that they ‘consistently deliver excellence across critical touch points-cabin comfort, cleanliness, food and beverage, inflight entertainment, connectivity and customer service.’

Taking home the recognition is seen to boost PAL’s global credibility as well as cement its position against rivals.

‘Being recognized by APEX, the world’s leading airline industry association, is a significant milestone for Philippine Airlines,’ said Carlos Luis Fernandez, PAL executive vice president and chief operating officer.

‘We remain steadfast in sustaining the highest standards of service for the welfare of the passengers we serve across our global network,’ Fernandez added.

PAL also earlier clinched the 2025 Flyers’ Choice Award as the second most preferred airline in Southeast Asia.

The group flies to 31 destinations in the Philippines and 38 routes in Asia, North America, Australia and the Middle East. -Lisbet K. Esmael

DTI chief to lead Asean Ministers meeting

It’s official: the Philippines will host the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Economic (Asean) Ministers in 2026.

Trade Secretary Ma. Cristina Roque will assume the post of Asean Economic Ministers (AEM) meeting chair, succeeding Malaysia’s Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry Tengku Datuk Seri Utama Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz.

In her speech, Roque emphasized the Philippines’ commitment to elevating the region’s economic growth and cooperation through AEM, which is responsible for advancing the region’s economic agenda.

‘Let me assure you that the Philippines will uphold the true spirit of Asean-fostering development, strengthening bonds and deepening friendship among its member countries,’ the trade chief said.

She added that the Philippines ‘is ready to take on the gavel with unwavering commitment and purpose,’ building on Malaysia’s momentum to lead the region.

Let’s hope that Roque can muster more energy to transform the newly issued Asean Community Vision 2045 into concrete opportunities to generate jobs, stimulate innovation and promote inclusive growth for businesses and people across the region.

Even without the AEM chairmanship, Roque already has a lot on her plate-from selling the Philippines as an investment destination to ironing out issues on contractor accreditation and licensing. -Jordeene B. Lagare

Salceda leads climate talks

As the government scrambles to address public rage over corruption among high-ranking officials, climate-related talks will be brewing elsewhere.

We’re talking about the Leaders in the Asia-Pacific for Building Ambitious Climate Momentum Toward COP30 that will be held on Wednesday in Bangkok, Thailand.

Former Albay Rep. Joey Salceda will lead the talks for the Philippines in his capacity as the former cochair of the United Nations Green Climate Fund and chair of the Institute for Risk and Strategic Studies Inc., or Salceda Research.

He is expected to stress the ‘right of developing countries to development, the need for expanded climate financing and the recognition of loss and damage as central to climate justice.’

This is a crucial development, especially since the Bangkok event is the first major regional platform in Southeast Asia to bring together lawmakers, experts and communities to specifically discuss climate solutions ahead of the 30th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties.

Let’s hope that this creates a ripple effect-and not another flood. -MEG J. ADONIS INQ

Gani Stevens and Rey Remogat couldn’t have exploded at a better time for the University of the Philippines in the UAAP Season 88 men’s basketball tournament.

The Fighting Maroons finally got over the hump after a 0-2 start after trouncing University of the East, 92-75, at Araneta Coliseum on Sunday.

Interestingly, Stevens and Remogat throttled to a different gear against their former team.

The two said they didn’t have an ax to grind against UE.

‘He (Remogat) talked to me before the game but nothing like, ‘let’s go out there and show UE what we got.’ It was more of him telling us to play our game and execute. We know about the chemistry we have,’ Stevens told the Inquirer.

‘I have a lot of love for that school and community. They treated me so well in my first season with the UAAP. Moving on, it was a great team win and we knew we had to get a win today.’

Stevens, after struggling in the first two games, gave the defending champions a shot in the arm with a double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds.

Remogat also regained his shooting touch, finishing with 21 points on top of seven rebounds and 11 assists after averaging just 2.5 points per game in the team’s first two outings.

Much like Stevens, though, Remogat also downplayed his duel with his former team.

‘There’s no added ‘gigil.’ We came from two straight losses. ‘Gigil,’ can bring good or bad things so I just focused on what I should do as a point guard,’ he said.

‘I didn’t use UE as a basis for me to play well because we believe that, as a champion team, everything starts in practice. We already have all the basis we need in practice.’ he added.

Filipino tennis sensation Alex Eala overcame a tough opening challenge from Katarzyna Kawa of Poland, 6-3, 3-6, 7-5, in their rain-delayed round of 32 match at the WTA 125 Suzhou Open on Tuesday in China.

Rain suspended play for a few hours in the first set with the score knotted at 2-2 but that didn’t stop Eala from getting the headstart when the match resumed.

Eala’s hard-earned victory came just days after she fell to Lulu Sun of New Zealand in the semifinals of the Jingshan Tennis Open.

The 20-year-old Eala, seeded fourth in the tournament, advanced to face Greet Minnen in the round of 16 on Wednesday.

Minnen, 28, swept China’s Shi Han, 6-4, 6-0, in her opening match.

It’s been a hectic September for Eala, which began with a maiden WTA title win at the Guadalajara 125 Open.

The World No. 58 Eala then suffered a quarterfinal exit at the Sao Paolo Open before bowing out in the Jingshan Open semifinal on Saturday.

The proposed safeguard duty on cement imports is unlikely to raise prices but instead help safeguard the local industry against unfair competition, an industry group said.

‘The measure is needed to give local manufacturers a fair chance to compete against foreign suppliers that enjoy government support,’ the Cement Manufacturers Association of the Philippines Inc. (CeMAP) said in a statement on Monday.

The group said this safeguard measure would keep the domestic cement manufacturing viable and protect local jobs.

‘It is of national interest to promote and protect the local cement industry against unfair competition from other countries. The Philippines’ [cement industry] is not subsidized,’ CeMAP executive director Rey Baja said.

Other groups, including the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Federation of Philippine Industries, have signified their strong support for imposing the safeguard duty.

To recall, in February, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) slapped a provisional safeguard duty of P400 per metric ton (MT), or P16 per 40-kilogram bag, on imported cement. This is good for 200 days from the date of issuance of the relevant Bureau of Customs order.

The cash bond was enforced after the DTI’s preliminary investigation discovered a ‘casual link’ between the increased imports of these cement types and serious injury to the local industry.

‘The increased volume of imports, both in absolute terms and relative to domestic production, was found to be the substantial cause of the overall impairment in the local industry,’ the DTI said in its Department Administrative Order No. 25-01 issued in February.

The Tariff Commission subsequently initiated an inquiry into the merits of imposing a definitive safeguard duty against importations of Ordinary Portland Cement and Blended Cement from various countries.

On top of existing tariffs

Under the Safeguard Measures Act, the state may impose safeguard measures on top of current tariffs in case increased imports cause or threaten to cause serious injury to the sector.

‘Since then, cement prices have stayed stable, with many local manufacturers keeping the market competitive,’ CeMAP said.

The group pointed out that the industry incurred P5 billion in losses as well as experienced slower operations and job cuts due to the entry of imported cement.

Cement imports stood at 7.6 million MT in 2024, mostly from Vietnam, even as the local industry has a total capacity of 51 million tons.

However, demand was only 35 million tons while actual production dropped to 27 million tons, meaning only 53 percent of the overall output capacity was used.

‘Industry leaders say the situation is unfair. Some Vietnamese cement companies are state-owned or receive government incentives that Filipino manufacturers do not get,’ CeMAP said.

‘This allows them to sell cement at very low prices, even when the Philippines already has enough supply,’ it added.

According to CeMAP, cement manufacturing contributes at least one percent to the country’s gross domestic product and supports about 130,000 direct and indirect jobs. INQ

A truck driver’s license was revoked on September 23, after an individual atop the cargo of his vehicle fell and died on July 23 in San Miguel, Iloilo, the Land Transportation (LTO) Office.

According to the LTO, the 22-year-old victim was the helper of the truck driver who was ‘seated on bamboo poles loaded onto a truck when he slipped on the rain-soaked cargo, fell, and sustained fatal head injuries.’

Though taken to a hospital, the helper was declared dead on arrival, the LTO reported.

‘The presence of a passenger atop unsecured cargo constitutes a clear breach of safety protocols and reflects a failure to exercise control and diligence,’ LTO-6 Regional Director, lawyer Gaudioso P. Geduspan II said in the resolution.

In response to the show-cause order issued to the truck driver on July 28, he claimed that the cargo was secured and he advised the victim to ride on the passenger seat, but the victim ‘insisted on staying atop the load while allegedly recording a video.’

Still, the LTO held the driver liable for the helper’s safety, citing that drivers must ‘exercise reasonable caution,’ thus ruling the truck driver an improper person to operate a motor vehicle ‘at this time.’

Upon recommendation of the LTO’s Intelligence and Investigation Unit, the license revocation will last four years.

Furthermore, the driver’s license was placed on alarm and the driver was fined for reckless driving. /cb