Category: Philippines Daily Inquirer

Techno Holdings Corp. (THC) proudly announces the official launch of Phiten in the Philippines. This milestone marks a significant step in giving Filipinos access to high-quality, science-backed health and wellness solutions from Japan. Phiten’s first Philippine retail store will open at the THC Health and Beauty Hub (THBH) at the 6th level of Shangri-La Plaza Mall by year end. The hub stretches to include the family of Japanese brands operated by THC including Miss Esthe, Nora Hair Salon and Nora Lab and Phiten’s IP Salon.

Founded in Kyoto, Japan over 40 years ago by its President and Founder, Yoshihiro Hirata, Phiten now has around 150 locations in Japan, and has presence in 30 countries primarily across North and Central America, Europe, and Asia.

‘We are delighted to bring Phiten’s trusted products to the Philippines,’ says Mylene Manlogon, THC’s VP for Business Development. ‘Our mission is to promote health and well-being through effective products and services, specifically from Japan which is known for its excellent research and innovation. We believe in Phiten’s unique technology and its relevance to the needs of Filipino consumers.’

Impressed with and inspired by the passion, determination and strong belief of THC in Phiten, Takashi Harada, Corporate Sales, International Business Team Head of Phiten, says that the company is looking forward to this partnership and to growing their business in this part of the world.

Experience AQUA METAL Technology

Phiten is renowned globally for its patented AQUA METAL technology, a breakthrough innovation that incorporates metals such as titanium, gold, palladium, and platinum into everyday wearable products to support overall health, well-being, recovery and improve one’s quality of life. It helps the body perform at its best.

‘We have heard customers say that Phiten works like magic,’ shares Lilet Martinez, THC VP for Operations, describing how first-time customers reacted to the products.

‘We are the only company that has this AQUA METAL Technology,’ says Harada-san, adding that Phiten is one of the biggest companies in Japan in the health and wellness space and no one can replicate their patented technology. He explains that their products are not medical devices and they do not claim to provide a cure to illnesses.

Phiten Retail

The brand offers a diverse range of items designed to promote recovery, including stylish and functional apparel, bracelets, necklaces, tapes, socks, joint supporters, and braces.

‘We cater to a wide market demographic – women in their 40s and 50s, people in their 20s and and those who work in very stressful environments’ says Manlogon.

Phiten products like gel, necklaces, supporters for elbows, knees, wrists and joints are widely used by professional athletes to help them recover from fatigue and enhance their performance,’ added Harada- san. He shares that, in Japan, the most patronized products are shirts, tapes, supporters, socks, supplements and water, among others.

In the Philippines, Martinez believes that the retail apparel products will be a hit among consumers. ‘They are more modern, more trendy and would appeal to a wider, younger customer base who want to incorporate Phiten’s technology in their daily life.’

Phiten’s other products utilize their technologies like different concentrations of AQUA TITANIUM, AQUA PALLADIUM, AQUA GOLD, AQUA SILVER, AQUA PLATINUM and a combination of various metals in METAX to better suit the wearer’s daily needs.

The First IP Salon outside of Japan

The Philippines will open the first and only Phiten IP Salon outside Japan, providing an exclusive wellness and recovery experience. The IP Salon features advanced body care systems such as the Phiten Alpha O2 Hyperbaric Chamber, Water Wave Bed, Healthy Light Bathing Capsule, Beauty Egg, and Facial Mask. Additionally, the latest technologies-‘nano METAX COATING’ and ‘Healthy Light Bathing’-will soon be available in Manila, highlighting the exclusive health and wellness opportunity for the Filipino market.

Harada-San says in closing ‘Try our products and experience Phiten technology.’

The Shangri-La Plaza launch celebrates Phiten’s local expansion, with Philippines-exclusive kiosks expected to open before the Christmas rush at Mitsukoshi BGC and Lucky Chinatown Mall. The Philippines is the only country allowed to operate Phiten’s kiosk versions.

The Bacolod City police officer who confessed to killing a woman did it ‘out of jealousy,’ according to the Philippine National Police (PNP) on Monday.

The victim’s vehicle was found abandoned and bloodied in Hinigaran town, Negros Occidental last Wednesday, the PNP noted. The cop surrendered to the police last Saturday and admitted to killing her.

‘They are in a relationship. According to the suspect’s own admission, she is his girlfriend. Based on the statement he gave as a confession, they were talking inside the said vehicle,’ PNP public information chief Brig. Gen. Randulf Tuaño said, speaking in Filipino, in a press briefing in Camp Crame.

‘He got jealous. He got mad and accidentally shot her,’ Tuaño added.

Tuaño did not name the victim nor the suspect, only identifying her as a former nurse and a single mother; and the cop as a staff sergeant assigned to the Bacolod City Police Substation 5.

He added that the police officer has yet to detail for how long they were having relations.

The PNP also did not mention whether the victim was found.

‘The case for murder was forwarded nung Nov. 2 sa Negros (Occidental) Prosecutors’ Office. Ang hinihintay na lang na dokumento ay yung death certificate ng biktima,’ Tuaño said.

(The case for murder was forwarded last Nov. 2 to the Negros Occidental Prosecutors’ Office. The only document they’re waiting for is the death certificate of the victim.)

He added that proceedings have begun to dismiss the officer from the service/

Marjorie Barretto couldn’t help but feel sentimental as she marked the 40th day since the sudden death of Mito, the eldest among her siblings.

Barretto took to her Instagram page on Saturday, November 1, to express how much she missed her older brother since his death. The post also contained a photo of the actress holding Mito’s framed photo and glimpses of herself bonding with the latter’s family.

‘[Fortieth] day without you, Mito. They say the soul’s journey ends today. You are free now, surrounded by light and peace, watching over us with the same quiet strength you always had. There is not a moment for the past 40 days that I do not think of you,’ she said.

Barretto also confessed that she feels her older brother’s loss ‘more and more every day,’ while vowing that she loves him forever.

‘I feel your loss more and more everyday. I miss you so much. We all do. You would have been happy to see us celebrate you today. We love you always and forever,’ she said.

The actress-politician recently made headlines after her mother Inday accused her of stirring a rivalry between her sisters Gretchen and Claudine, and herself due to ‘inggit (envy)’ in a two-part interview with entertainment insider Ogie Diaz.

Inday also alleged that she wasn’t invited to Marjorie’s parties and other gatherings because the latter is ’embarrassed’ of her.

This led Marjorie to deny Inday’s claims in a lengthy statement last October 29, with the actress calling out her mother for turning her into some sort of a ‘damage control’ to make her youngest child ‘look clean,’ in an apparent reference to Claudine. At the same time, she also expressed her fury for causing a stir amid Mito’s wake.

‘Am I once again damage control? The Mission: Destroy Marjorie – to make the youngest child look good and clean,’ she said. ‘With my mom, if you are not a problematic child, you become the least favorite.’

The local governments of Rizal, San Jose, and Magsaysay in Occidental Mindoro have suspended classes at all levels in both public and private schools on Tuesday , Nov. 4, as Typhoon Tino continues to maintain its strength while moving westward over the Philippine Sea.

The province remains under Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal No. 1, covering the mainland towns of Abra de Ilog, Mamburao, Paluan, Sta. Cruz, Sablayan, Calintaan, Rizal, San Jose, and Magsaysay, according to the Provincial Information Office (PIO) of Occidental Mindoro.

In Magsaysay, Mayor Cesar Tria Jr. announced that the suspension of classes will extend until Wednesday.

Authorities warned that strong winds and intermittent rains are expected within the next 36 hours. Sea travel also remains risky due to rough to very rough sea conditions.

Residents are urged to remain alert, monitor updates from the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration and the PIO, and follow advisories from local government units to ensure safety.

A power struggle is seemingly looming between the Miss Universe Organization (MUO) and its VP for Asiana Nawat Itsaragrisil, as the global pageant thumbed down the ‘special dinner and talk show’ hosted by the latter for being ‘not authorized.’

On Sunday, Nov. 2, Itsaragrisil launched a social media campaign where the Top 10 candidates with the most likes on their solo portraits will have a ‘special dinner and talk show’ with him. The portraits are found on the official Facebook and Instagram accounts of Miss Universe Thailand.

So far, the Philippines’ own Ahtisa Manalo garnered over 1.2 million likes on Facebook and 142,000 likes on Instagram.

However, the MUO issued a statement declaring the event as ‘not authorized,’ with a seeming warning against committing a violation of its intellectual property rights.

‘The organization wishes to make it absolutely clear that this activity is not authorized. Any independent or third party activity using the Miss Universe name, logo, marks, or related branding without prior written authorization is considered a violation of intellectual property rights and brand integrity,’ it read.

Citing the campaign, the organization also reminded the public that ‘promotional materials, contests, or voting initiatives’ using the MUO’s name are ‘unauthorized and misleading.’

‘The organization further declares that any promotional materials, contests, or voting initiatives currently circulating online under the Miss Universe name, including those associated with the aforementioned event, are unauthorized and misleading. Such initiatives do not represent the values, operations, or official activities of the Miss Universe organization,’ it said.

The MUO further stated that it has the right to ‘take appropriation action’ against those who would use its name, intellectual property, and trademark without its consent.

The organization also reminded the public that ‘official communications, announcements, and voting initiatives’ will be released through its verified platforms.

‘As the global authority of the Miss Universe brand, MUO will continue to uphold the highest standards of transparency, professionalism, and integrity in every country where it operates. The organization reaffirms its ongoing commitment to protecting its delegates, partners, sponsors, and the global public from misleading or unauthorized activities,’ it said.

Itsaragrisil has yet to respond to the MUO, as of this writing.

The Miss Universe Organization is under new management following the appointment of its new chief executive officer, Mario Bucaro, replacing Thai business mogul Anne Jakrajutatip who held the position since 2022.

Jakrajutatip, through her company JKN Global Group, stepped down from her post in June after a board ‘restructuring,’ leaving behind her co-owner Legacy Holdings Group of Raul Rocha, pageant president, as a minority shareholder.

Itsaragrisil has a stake in Jakrajutatip’s company. His own company, Miss Grand International, also acquired the franchise to stage the Miss Universe Thailand pageant until 2029.

Activities for Miss Universe 2025 kicked off with a registration ceremony at the Chatrium Hotel Riverside in Bangkok, Thailand. Candidates are welcomed by Itsaragrisil, reigning titleholder Victoria Theilvig, Miss Grand International 2025 Emma Tiglao, and other executives.

The coronation ceremony will take place at the Impact Challenger Hall on Nov. 21. Representing the Philippines is pageant veteran Ahtisa Manalo who arrived in Bangkok on Sunday.

Former Ako Bicol Rep. Elizaldy ‘Zaldy’ Co has yet to respond to the Office of the Ombudsman’s directive for him to submit his explanation over its investigation into alleged irregularities in the anomalous flood control projects.

Assistant Ombudsman Mico Clavano said the order to file a counter-affidavit was sent to Co’s last known residence, but the recipient ‘refused to accept’ the document.

‘So what I think this remark means is that the last place or the last residence of former congressman Co was used in the delivery of the order, and yet the persons who received it on his behalf refused to accept the order,’ Clavano said in a press briefing on Monday.

‘So that remark I will have to clarify. But usually, what happens there is it’s deemed received already. And if the periods have already lapsed, then we will consider the person. In this case, or former congressman Co, as in default,’ he added.

Clavano explained that persons ‘in default’ means that they did not accept the order to file a counter-affidavit or they did not take the opportunity to present their defenses.

‘I’ll get more [information]. Because it just says here that the recipient refused to accept the order to file a counter-affidavit. I believe this was filed last week. The order was delivered last week and [was] refused,’ the official said.

Aside from Co, seven other officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) were likewise ordered to file a counter-affidavit in relation to the complaints on the anomalous flood control projects.

Although he did not reveal their names, Clavano stated that a former regional director of the DPWH in Mimaropa had filed a motion on October 24 for an additional 15-day period to file a counter-affidavit.

‘Former assistant regional director, the current assistant regional director, the chief of the Construction Division, and the OIC (officer-in-charge) chief of the Planning and Design Division [of the DWPH) filed an appearance with motion for time to file a counter-affidavit dated October 24, requesting 10 days from October 25 through their counsel,’ he said.

‘A project engineer received the order to file a counter-affidavit on October 15, 2025. Another materials engineer filed an entry of appearance with manifestation requesting 10 days from October 27 to file the counter-affidavit. And as of today, he has filed his counter-affidavit with the Office of the Ombudsman,’ Clavano added.

I have written at least eight columns on the outrageous flood control scams, the investigations, the apparent culprits, the laws applicable, and the personalities who could hasten the criminal prosecution, the return of the ill-gotten loot to the national treasury, and the prevention of their recurrence. As a result, I have received about 800 comments via email, text messages from, and personal conversations with friends and readers. Obviously, I do not have the space to accommodate all of them. Instead, I chose one that typifies their frustrations from Lorenzo de la Paz, as follows (with some edits):

IT BEGAN WITH A SIMPLE QUESTION-how many taxpayers are there for every government employee? The answer shocked me: barely three taxpayers for every bureaucrat.

We have 82 provinces, each with its own governor, vice governor, provincial board members, and an entire bureaucracy beneath them. Add to that 149 cities, 1,493 municipalities, and 42,011 barangays-each with layers of officials, councils, and employees. Include 317 congressmen and 24 nationally elected senators, and a staggering picture of our bloated political structure emerges. Yet the true measure of governance is not in the number of positions filled, but in the performance and integrity of those who fill them.

Beyond these visible layers lies the executive branch-a monstrous machine with hundreds of departments, bureaus, and agencies employing millions of personnel, many of them redundant or idle. Each department sustains its own hierarchy of directors, administrators, assistants, and consultants. This vast machinery consumes an enormous portion of the national budget, leaving little for genuine public service. As bureaucracy expands, so does corruption-feeding a system that exists to sustain itself rather than to serve.

THE BUREAUCRACY KEEPS GROWING, but good governance keeps shrinking. In a system so compromised, the expansion of government becomes an engine of exploitation-fueled by patronage, unqualified appointments, and even ghost employees who continue to draw salaries from the pockets of hardworking taxpayers.

Even at the smallest unit of government, corruption finds a foothold. Every barangay receives an annual budget from the national government-a share of national taxes meant for local services and community development. Yet too often, these funds are turned into instruments of political control and patronage, serving power instead of the people. The barangay, once envisioned as the foundation of grassroots democracy, has in many places become its first casualty.

We live in a nation where democracy is often confused with legitimacy. Many assume that because there was an election, democracy is alive and well. But true democracy is more than having an election-it is about accountability, transparency, and service to the people. When those elected use their mandate for self-enrichment, when trust is betrayed and laws are bent for protection, the moral foundation of democracy collapses.

Western powers may recognize the Philippines as a democracy, but such recognition does not legitimize the corruption endured by its people. What good is democracy if it merely preserves a system that serves the powerful and impoverishes the rest?

The government has even mastered diversionary tactics-channeling public outrage into nationalism and external disputes. The West Philippine Sea issue has become, for many, a rallying cry of patriotism. Yet behind this veil, the government conveniently forgets its most sacred duty: to uplift its people from poverty. Millions of Filipinos toil abroad, sending money home not to build a nation, but to sustain a corrupt and self-serving system.

AND AS RECENT EVENTS SHOW, the cycle of impunity remains unbroken. The flood control scandal, now nearly three months old, is proof-the biggest fishes, known to everyone, continue to be protected by the very system that claims to serve justice.

The Marcos administration’s proposed tax relief is a gesture, not a reform-a breadcrumb token in place of truth. Every honest businessman knows that before taxes reach the treasury, a portion is already lost to extortion and harassment within the Bureau of Internal Revenue. Audits have become weapons, and integrity a disadvantage. The middle class pays for both governance and graft, while the powerful remain untouched. True relief will never come from token gestures but from true moral courage-to cleanse a system that bleeds its own people without serving them.

Even as citizens take to the streets to protest corruption, the government shields itself behind laws, bureaucracy, and the illusion of democracy. We are a nation overgoverned, underled, and underserved.

It is time we confront this absurd reality-not with cynicism, but with courage. Because silence, in the face of such decay, is no longer acceptable. It is surrender.

Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal (TCWS) No. 3 was raised over parts of the Visayas and Mindanao Monday morning as Severe Tropical Storm Tino (international name: Kalmaegi) moves towards landmass, the state weather bureau said.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa), in its Monday morning update, said TCWS No. 3 is in effect over Guiuan and Mercedes in Eastern Samar, as well as Dinagat Islands and Siargao-Bucas Grande Islands in Mindanao.

Pagasa warned of a ‘moderate to significant threat to life and property’ in these areas due to winds of 89 to 117 kilometers per hour (kph).

Meanwhile, TCWS no. 2 is still up for the following areas:

VISAYAS

Central and southern portions of Eastern Samar

central and southern portions of Samar

Leyte

Biliran

Southern Leyte

Bohol

northern and central portions of Cebu, including the Bantayan Islands and the Camotes Islands

northeastern portion of Negros Occidental

MINDANAO

The rest of Surigao del Norte

northern portion of Surigao del Sur

northeastern portion of Agusan del Norte

Signal No. 1 is also up over the areas:

LUZON

Sorsogon,

Masbate, including Ticao and Burias Island

Albay

southern portion of Quezon

southern portion of Marinduque

Romblon

central and southern portions of Oriental Mindoro

central and southern portions of Occidental Mindoro

Cuyo Islands

Calamian Islands

VISAYAS

Northern Samar

the rest of Eastern Samar,

the rest of Samar

the rest of Cebu

Siquijor

Negros Oriental

the rest of Negros Occidental

Guimaras

Iloilo

Capiz

Aklan

Antique, including Caluya Islands

MINDANAO

The rest of Surigao del Sur

northern and central portions of Agusan del Sur

the rest of Agusan del Norte

Camiguin

Misamis Oriental

northern portion of Bukidnon

Pagasa last located Tino around 360 kilometers east of Guiuan, Eastern Samar, moving west-southwest at 25 kph.

Tino is packing maximum sustained winds of 110 kph, with gusts of up to 135 kph, Pagasa added.

Pagasa also forecasts that Tino will ‘continuously intensify and may reach typhoon category within the next 12 hours’ but may slightly weaken after it makes landfall in the vicinity of Eastern Samar, Leyte, Southern Leyte, or Dinagat Islands on Tuesday.

Small-scale fisherfolk, lodged among the poorest in society, are pleading with lawmakers to tackle a bill seeking to restore their exclusive rights to fishing grounds nearer the shore, or where they and their smaller boats can safely operate. They called on the House of Representatives to take up House Bill No. 5606, or the proposed ‘Atin ang Kinse Kilometro’ Bill, when it resumes session on Nov. 10.

The Makabayan bloc filed HB 5606 last Oct. 20 to restore the exclusive rights of small fisherfolk over municipal waters, or what is known as the 15-kilometer fishing zone from the shore. The Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas, which helped the Makabayan legislators craft the bill, said the measure is in response to the Supreme Court’s ruling upholding a lower court order to completely open municipal waters to commercial fishing vessels.

It all began on Oct. 5, 2023, when Mercidar Fishing Corp., a commercial fishing company, filed a petition at the Malabon Regional Trial Court (RTC) seeking to declare as unconstitutional certain provisions of the Philippine Fisheries Code of 1998 and its implementing rules that limited the users of municipal waters to small fisherfolk and gave local government units (LGUs) jurisdiction over their fishing zone.

‘Preferential rights’

On Dec. 11, 2023, the Malabon RTC sided with Mercidar, emphasizing that control over natural resources belongs to the national government, not the LGUs. It also held that the Fisheries Code’s provision for ‘preferential rights’ of small fisherfolk did not expressly exclude commercial fishing in municipal waters. The Malabon RTC’s decision went unchallenged because the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG), which represents the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources and the Department of Agriculture, failed to file a timely response.

On Jan. 2, 2024, the OSG brought the case to the Supreme Court, but on Aug. 19 of the same year, the high tribunal’s first division dismissed the petition because it was filed too late. It said the deadline to appeal had passed and the RTC ruling had already become ‘final and executory.’ While motions for reconsideration are now pending at the Supreme Court, the Malabon RTC decision stands, causing fear among small fishermen.

Given the country’s vast marine resources, it makes one wonder why commercial fishing companies, with their more advanced equipment and vessels that can operate way beyond the 15-kilometer municipal waters, insist on encroaching on the traditional fishing grounds of the marginalized fisherfolk.

Frequent typhoons

HB 5606, if enacted, will ban commercial fishing vessels from operating within municipal waters. Violators face penalties, including a fine equivalent to the value of the catch or P10,000, whichever is higher, for the first offense; a fine and the confiscation of the catch and fishing gear for the second infraction, and imprisonment for six months and the automatic revocation of the fishing license for a third offense. HB 5606 asserts that the State has a constitutional duty to protect subsistence fishers and guarantee their preferential rights to marine and fishing resources. House lawmakers need to act with urgency on the Makabayan bill to right a wrong on small fisherfolk.

Senators also need to take action on Senate Bill No. 1007, filed last Aug. 6, on the establishment of fisherfolk resettlement areas. Nearly three decades since the enactment of Republic Act No. 8550 or the Philippine Fisheries Code of 1998, the proposed bill noted that the establishment of such settlement areas remains delayed. Reliant on coastal resources for their subsistence and livelihood, the frequent typhoons and natural disasters that hit the Philippines every year expose them to risks that endanger their lives and income sources.

Bleak future

The Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations estimated that as of 2020, there were nearly 2 million active fishers operating an estimated 476,000 fishing vessels, around 60 percent of which did not have engines and used sails or oars. It added that more than 80 percent of fishers in the Philippines can be characterized as small-scale fishers.

Alice Ferrer, executive director of Too Big To Ignore Philippines, the local unit of the Bangkok-based nongovernmental organization championing the rights of marginalized fishers, has lamented that small-scale fisherfolk now face a bleak future under the Malabon RTC ruling permitting commercial fishing in the municipal waters.

In truth, the two bills in the House and in the Senate will not be enough to lift out of poverty the families dependent on municipal waters. However, passing them will ease their burden and anxiety. As Ferrer pointed out: ‘Justice demands that [small fisherfolk] receive more under the law. Laws and policies must recognize their disadvantaged position and must support to uplift them. This is about fairness.’

The provincial government of Cebu has suspended work in all national and local government offices throughout the province starting at noon on Monday until Tuesday, as Typhoon Tino brings heavy rains and strong winds over parts of the province.

Gov. Pamela Baricuatro, through Executive Order No. 67, ordered the work suspension to ensure the safety of government employees and the public. The suspension covers all government offices except those involved in emergency response, health, social welfare, and public safety services.

Baricuatro also ordered the suspension of all bus operations in Cebu starting Monday evening as a safety precaution due to Typhoon Tino, which continues to bring strong winds and heavy rains over the Visayas.

In an advisory, the governor said the last bus trips from Cebu City’s North Bus Terminal will depart at 3 p.m., while the last trips from the South Bus Terminal will leave at 8 p.m.

‘All bus operators are instructed to cease and desist operations after their final trips today until further notice,’ Baricuatro said.

The move aims to ensure the safety of commuters and transport personnel amid deteriorating weather conditions caused by Typhoon Tino.

Pagasa earlier placed parts of Cebu under Signal No. 2 as the storm continued to intensify while moving westward. The governor urged residents to remain alert, stay indoors, and monitor official advisories for updates

The province has also started preparing food and medical items for those who will be affected by the typhoon.