Category: Philippines Daily Inquirer

Coach Tim Cone is holding out hope that Carl Tamayo would be fine after suffering a sprained ankle in Gilas Pilipinas’ 82-81 overtime victory over Jordan in the fourth window of the Fiba World Cup 2027 Asian Qualifiers.

Tamayo left with 7:58 left in the third quarter after rolling his left ankle while driving to the hoop and spent the rest of the thrilling encounter at Mall of Asia Arena playing the role of cheerleader.

While Tamayo was able to walk on his own, Cone said his status and availability for Sunday’s crucial tiff with Iran at the same venue will depend on his recovery.

‘Right now, he can walk. But beyond that, it’s swollen. It’s a sprained ankle,’ Cone said. ‘We’ll give him the treatment tonight, and tomorrow and we’ll see how he is at that point.’

That also puts Cone to ponder whether he’ll make a slight change to his 12-man roster, with RJ Abarrientos and Justin Arana part of the pool.

Abarrientos and Arana were the last two cuts for the window, but Fiba rules allow changes during the window, provided the players are in the official pool.

Cone, however, would rather stick with the status quo.

‘In the meantime, we still have RJ and Justin on the list,’ he said. ‘Those two guys could fill in for Carl, if necessary. Hopefully, it won’t be necessary.’

Before going down, Tamayo was one of the bright spots for Gilas with eight points, including a three-pointer to end the half, cutting Jordan’s lead to 44-39, a shot Cone described as uplifting.

The Philippine women’s football team believes it will be up for a daunting task of just getting out of the group stage in the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, which will also serve as a preparation leg for next year’s Fifa Women’s World Cup.

Coach Mark Torcaso’s side is in Group G with China and two familiar opponents in Uzbekistan and Hong Kong, with the top two teams and possibly the third placer advancing to the quarterfinals.

‘I think all the groups are tough groups in their own individual ways. I think our group is a tough group,’ Torcaso said after the Philippine Football Federation recently released the team composition for the quadrennial meet set Sept. 14 to Oct. 2.

The Filipinas have not faced China since losing 3-0 the 2018 Asian Cup, while it was Uzbekistan that they defeated 2-0 in a play-in match in this year’s Asian Cup to secure qualification to the World Cup.

Meanwhile, the Philippines nipped Hong Kong, 1-0, in 2025 at the Asian Cup Qualifiers.

‘We’ve got Hong Kong-(who) we narrowly beat to qualify for the Asian Cup as well-who are also a very good team, and we also know how good China is,’ Torcaso said. ‘We haven’t played China ever since I’ve been here. China is a great team and it gives us a chance to play against a very, very good team.

‘But again, this Asian Games is also about preparing us for the World Cup,’ he added.

The Philippines faces Uzbekistan to open its Asian Games campaign on Sept. 14, before facing Hong Kong on Sept. 17 and China on Sept. 21.

Veterans Olivia McDaniel, Hali Long, Angela Beard, Katrina Guillou and Jaclyn Sawicki, plus Mallie Ramirez and Isabella Pasion headline the Filipinas’ roster.

In 2023, the Filipinas reached the quarterfinals of the Hangzhou Asiad led by striker Sarina Bolden, before being battered by eventual champion Japan.

One cloudy morning last year, my partner and I met the residents of the Aeta neighborhood who welcomed us to their sacred ancestral land.

After our hike, we were presented with a very simple dish for lunch: a bowl of boiled chicken, its hot broth, and unfamiliar green leaves. The Aetas call this binukaw, derived from the leaves of the binukaw tree (Scientific name: Garcinia binucao) from the forest. The young leaves and its fruits serve as souring agents, like the non-native sampalok used in typical sour Filipino dishes like sinigang. Some communities across the Philippines would use this food ingredient for the same purpose, according to the documentation of Lokalpedia.

Binukaw has only five ingredients: chicken, binukaw leaves, water, a pinch of salt, and black pepper. While it seems simple, the broth is very rich with flavor-just the right mix of savory and sour. A spoonful tastes like a warm embrace. A hot broth paired with a cup of steamed rice perfectly complemented the drizzling weather. How did they know the meal we needed at that moment?

I grew up in the city not knowing anything much about our rich food heritage from different parts of our country. Here, I realized how long I was disconnected from the simple gifts of our own forests, like the heartwarming taste of binukaw.

Perhaps today’s bias on our food heritage is a product of our colonial past. During the Spanish colonial period, large-scale monocultures replaced subsistence agriculture that dominated in our precolonial history. Non-native cash crops were introduced, such as corn, tobacco, tomatoes, and potatoes. That historic shift threatened native food biodiversity toward near-extinction and displaced our traditional foodways that had sustained the Philippines for centuries.

When the American period came, colonial mentality was further embedded in the Filipino foodways by setting Western systems above indigenous foodways, leaving lasting legacies on dietary habits and cultural attitudes toward food. The American colonial government reinforced such cultural superiority through education, policy, and advertisements, shaping how Filipinos ate and how they saw themselves. Everything Western merged at the center-front, while what was native to us was pushed to the periphery.

Perhaps today’s bias on our food heritage is a product of our colonial past. During the Spanish colonial period, large-scale monocultures replaced subsistence agriculture that dominated in our precolonial history. Non-native cash crops were introduced, such as corn, tobacco, tomatoes, and potatoes. That historic shift threatened native food biodiversity toward near-extinction and displaced our traditional foodways that had sustained the Philippines for centuries.

When the American period came, colonial mentality was further embedded in the Filipino foodways by setting Western systems above indigenous foodways, leaving lasting legacies on dietary habits and cultural attitudes toward food. The American colonial government reinforced such cultural superiority through education, policy, and advertisements, shaping how Filipinos ate and how they saw themselves. Everything Western merged at the center-front, while what was native to us was pushed to the periphery.

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But it was also the colonial mentality and legacies that sparked resistance among Filipino cuisine practitioners during the colonial period. They did not passively accept the cultural dominance of the West. When it came to food, they responded by adopting, adapting, or even outright rejecting these influences. During these times, Filipino families had selective adaptations that transformed the food into something that is still uniquely Filipino, proving their agency against a system of cultural superiority.

Reflecting from this past, I believe collective agency could hold the key to resolve our alienation with food heritage. Advocacy platforms like Lokalpedia are archiving and promoting food heritage to provide Filipinos the comprehensive knowledge on the overlooked indigenous food items and heirloom food products before we lose them.

Food heritage cannot transform the Philippine food systems toward sustainability alone, but archives of our food diversity can inform how we can pull down food prices, end hunger and malnutrition, empower farmers and food workers, and bring long-term resilience to our local food systems.

With food becoming the nexus issue interlinking various global and local challenges such as disaster vulnerability and rural hunger, it’s about time to be more open to considering our diverse food heritage in our individual food choices. For researchers and the national government, the development of our national food systems dashboard can also consider food heritage data to inform future policy decisions related to food, nutrition, and livelihoods. For local governments and the private sector, measures must be implemented to protect indigenous peoples’ cultural heritage, provide local livelihood support, and ensure their easier access to markets.

I learned from the binukaw that there’s so much more than the food I used to eat.

Access to simple dishes like the binukaw shouldn’t be too complicated. We have the right to receive the embrace that the binukaw soup gave me on that cold, rainy day. I dream of a future where binukaw, and the rest of our hidden gems in Philippine cuisine, would no longer appear ‘exotic,’ ‘foreign,’ and ‘unnatural.’

Andre Jacques Tigno, 25, is a sustainability practitioner, climate leader, and nature storyteller based in Quezon City. He is pursuing his graduate studies on sustainability under the Master of Liberal Arts program at Harvard University.

Alex Eala has helped drive ticket prices to all-time high levels as the US Open gets off the ground at the Flushing Meadows in New York on Friday (Saturday in Manila), with the Filipino superstar taking the court against a yet-to-be-named qualifier on Sunday morning.

‘Price increases for the US Open this year reflect big names like Serena Williams, Carlos Alcaraz and Alex Eala, setting records in anticipation of getting to see these huge stars perform,’ Yahoo Sports’ contributing writer Shlomo Sprung quoted Michael Stock, GameTime’s director of pricing and business strategy, as saying in a report published Friday.

According to Sprung’s report, average ticket prices this year ballooned from $196 in 2022 to $346 (around P21,100) this year, where the average Armstrong ticket price is up 52 percent year-over-year.

The 21-year-old Eala, a former US Open girls’ champion, is seeded 17th in New York and belongs to the quarterfinal draw of Coco Gauff, who won the WTA 1000 Cincinnati Open event, 6-2, 6-4, over Jessica Pegula last week in Ohio.

Her breakout tournament in Miami in the previous year signaled the start of a new form of madness in how live matches are being attended, as Filipino communities, wherever Eala plays, come out in droves to show support, a following that earned the name ‘Eala-mania.’

Even other WTA stars welcomed this development as something good for the sport.

Should Eala, who broke through at the WTA level by ruling the Mubadala DC Open in Washington, also against Pegula, advance to the second round anew, she will face the winner of the Oleksandra Oliynykova-Reese Brantmeier match. Brantmeier made the main draw as a wildcard.

Also on her side 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.

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

Alcaraz, meanwhile, will be making his first tournament appearance in singles play since April. He played in the mixed doubles and was forced out of the first round with his team-up with the legendary Serena Williams.

Alcaraz is the No. 2 seed and will face Roman Safiullin. The two-time US Open champion was forced to miss the French Open and Wimbledon because of a right wrist injury.

The Spaniard looked rusty in the mixed doubles tournament. He may have to be sharper against Safiullin, who reached the fourth round at Wimbledon, upsetting Andrey Rublev and Joao Fonseca along the way before falling to 24-time Grand Slam singles champion Novak Djokovic in four sets.

Safiullin also upset Alcaraz, ranked No. 2 at the time, in the ATP Masters 1000 in Paris in 2023. Alcaraz avenged that loss the following year at the Paris Olympics in their lone other meeting

The James L. Gordon Memorial Hospital (JLGMH) in Olongapo City has reached full bed capacity amid a continuing increase in patients, including suspected and confirmed cases of leptospirosis.

In a public advisory on Friday, Aug. 28, the hospital said that despite the situation, its emergency room remains open and patients will continue to undergo proper triage and medical assessment.

However, with all inpatient beds occupied, patients who require admission may experience delays.

When necessary, the hospital will coordinate referrals to other appropriate health facilities based on the patient’s condition and the level of care required.

JLGMH also said pediatric patients who may require dialysis, particularly children weighing less than 30 kilograms, will be carefully assessed by doctors on a case-by-case basis.

Patients who require a higher or more specialized level of care will be referred to an appropriate facility to ensure their safety and proper management.

‘We ask for the public’s understanding and cooperation as our doctors, nurses, and hospital staff continue to do everything they can to provide safe and proper care to every patient amid the current surge,’ the hospital’s statement said in Filipino.

For non-emergency conditions, the public was encouraged to seek appropriate outpatient or primary care services to help ease congestion in the emergency room

Since his call-up to Gilas Pilipinas, Justin Brownlee has always played the role of ‘Mr. Clutch’ for the Philippines.

When the Philippines found itself in overtime against Jordan in the second round of the Fiba World Cup 2027 Asian Qualifiers, it needed someone to take on the mantle of savior with Brownlee out.

Enter CJ Perez.

‘My coaches just trusted me. They kept telling me to attack the basket and drive to the paint,’ he told reporters after their gritty 82-81 overtime win over Jordan at Mall of Asia Arena on Friday.

‘When I drive, sometimes others are open and sometimes, I can shoot it.’

FOURTH QUARTER CJ

CJ Perez talks about taking over Gilas Pilipinas in the clutch vs. Jordan. | @MeloFuertesINQ

Follow our live updates here: https://t.co/UxbZM5DE3E pic.twitter.com/zKv2cesq7e

– INQUIRER Sports (@inquirersports) August 28, 2026

After Jordan took a 66-64 lead with 3:57 left in the fourth quarter, Perez took matters into his own hands and scored the Philippines’ final six points to send the game into overtime tied at 72-all.

He also went on to sink four of Gilas’ 10 points in the extra period.

‘When you’re in situations like those, sometimes you don’t even think about things,’ he said. ‘But, I have my confidence given by my teammates because I was shooting well. I’m proud that my teammates are proud of me.’

The San Miguel Beer star knew when to attack but also when to make the timely plays.

With the score tied at 79, Perez drove the paint once more but this time, kicked it out for a wide-open Kevin Quiambao, who sank the dagger for the Philippines with 11.7 left in the game.

‘Luckily, KQ was there, I saw him and he made the shot. He has so much confidence and I’m proud of him,’ Perez said proudly.

In the end, the four-time PBA champion recorded 16 points, four rebounds and one very important assist.

Agricultural damage due to the combined effects of the enhanced southwest monsoon and tropical cyclones Luis, Maymay (international name: Kujira), and Neneng (international name: Gaenari) has climbed to P2.32 billion, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said on Thursday.

The latest tally represented a 21.5-percent increase from the P1.91 billion in losses the DA reported on Monday.

The weather disturbances affected 69,615 farmers and fishers in eight regions, namely Cordillera, Ilocos, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Bicol and Western Visayas. About 60,896 metric tons of farm produce were damaged, covering 62,732 hectares of agricultural areas.

‘Further damage and losses are expected in affected regions as assessment and validation are ongoing,’ the DA said in its advisory. Rice accounted for 59.74 percent or P1.39 billion of the overall damage, with the majority of damaged crops in vegetative and reproductive stages. Losses in high-value crops amounted to P692.21 million, equivalent to 29.83 percent of the total.

Two political prisoner support groups on Thursday criticized the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) for the ‘special treatment’ given to Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, who was brought to a private hospital for a tear in his left knee.

Estrada, who is detained in a Quezon City on charges of plunder, graft and bribery in relation to the flood control scandal, was on his way to the hospital for a scheduled knee X-ray on Wednesday when his camp said he felt something snap in his knee.

‘The plunderers are treated with kid gloves while political prisoners are deprived of the basic rights to life, liberty and competent medical care,’ Amanda Echanis, Laya Campaign for the Release of All Political Prisoners spokesperson, said.

For Danilo dela Fuente, Samahan ng Ex-Detainees Laban sa Detensyon at Aresto vice chair, the senator’s condition is generally not considered an emergency.

Meanwhile, BJMP spokesperson Jayrex Bustinera told the Inquirer, ‘The medical check-up of Sen. Jinggoy Estrada was covered by a court order.’

‘BJMP was implementing a lawful court directive, not extending special treatment,’ Bustinera added.

For his part, Orthopedic surgeon Fernando Syquia earlier said that Estrada may need surgery for a meniscus tear in his left knee.

Every day, thousands of Ninja Van riders weave through streets and barangays nationwide. They know every corner shop, sari-sari store, and neighborhood grocery store on their routes.

But what if they could do more than move parcels? With an extensive network and a trained fleet of riders, they could also provide brands with real-time visibility into what is actually happening on store shelves-whether products are in stock, displayed correctly, or losing space to competitors.

This is the idea behind Ninja Van’s newest operational engine, Ninja FieldSight, an AI-powered, real-time retail intelligence solution. Combining Ninja Van’s delivery footprint with computer vision and analytics, FieldSight enables FMCG brands to monitor product availability, verify retail execution, and track competitor activity – without the high costs, heavy retainers, and long lag times of traditional market research agencies

Addressing the FMCG Blind Spot

High-priority retail doors and neighborhood stores account for a significant share of everyday consumer purchases. Yet, even across an FMCG brand’s most critical store locations, a blind spot persists: a lack of continuous, real-time visibility into what actually happens on the shelf between delivery runs. Out-of-stock products go unnoticed, promotional displays are improperly executed, or competitors gain shelf space, long before brands become aware.

‘The future of FMCG retail success is no longer just about making sure packages are being delivered to the stores. It’s also about understanding what happens on the shelf once they get there,’ says Danielle Hung, Head of Business Planning and Operations, Ninja Van.

Traditional field audits have long been used to bridge this gap, but they come with high overhead costs, prolonged recruitment, and tedious deployment cycles. Brands are left waiting during long report turnaround times, with no ability to view their data while still fresh. ‘Long data lead times deliver yesterday’s news weeks too late. By the time insights reach decision-makers, the information is often already outdated,’ Hung noted.

Reinforcing Delivery Network with Data

Instead of building a separate field force, Ninja Van leveraged something it already had: one of the country’s largest logistics networks. FieldSight builds on its B2C and B2B delivery infrastructure, with thousands of Ninja Van riders plying the roads daily.

As riders pass target retail touchpoints, FieldSight automatically prompts them to capture shelf images through a proprietary AI bot on their phones. Uploaded photos are instantly processed by Vision AI to validate that they are high-resolution, accurately labeled, and backed by geo-tagged, time-stamped visual proof.

‘We don’t send temporary auditors into unfamiliar streets,’ Hung added. ‘Our riders are already part of their neighborhood’s daily rhythm. That allows us to collect retail intelligence naturally as part of our existing operations’

Faster Insights, Deeper Reach, Real-Time Deployment

FieldSight gives FMCG brands strategic advantages in terms of speed, reach, accuracy, and flexibility, shifting retail strategy from reactive troubleshooting to proactive shelf management.

Because touchpoints are identified based on rider proximity and data is transmitted immediately, SKU availability can be confirmed in near real time. This replaces weeks-long report cycles with daily feedback loops, ensuring they can respond with timely corrective action. Through automated shelf-share measurement, live dashboards and interactive heat maps, brands can reduce stock-outs, improve on-shelf availability, protect promotional investments and respond more quickly to competitor activity.

While traditional audits provide market intelligence through slow, manual reporting cycles, FieldSight ensures ground-level data is accessible. Brands gain a real-time window to competitor pulse, including rival pricing, neighborhood promotions, and new product launches.

Moreover, every audit is backed by high-resolution, geo-tagged, and time-stamped visual verification, creating a reliable audit trail that confirms shelf placement and planogram compliance. Unlike manual self-reporting-where data can be altered, misattributed, or delayed-FieldSight is designed to eliminate human error, field fraud, and blind spots.

Whether conducting a rapid hyper-local spot check or a coordinated nationwide audit, FieldSight scales to business needs. Brands can launch customized campaigns across selected territories or simultaneously nationwide, with as little as 24 hours’ notice and no lengthy recruitment or deployment period.

Winning at the Counter: From Data to Brand Impact

By combining historical audit data with real-time shelf insights from FieldSight, brand managers can anticipate supply gaps and intervene before empty shelves compromise brand trust, erode customer loyalty, and drive shoppers to competitors.

True brand impact happens when products remain reliably within arm’s reach at the exact moment of purchase. FieldSight extends visibility beyond logistics, giving brands confidence not only that products have reached their destinations, but that they are present, visible, and retail-ready on store shelves.

Powered by its nationwide delivery network and advanced AI, Ninja Van is redefining operational excellence-transforming everyday deliveries into real-time retail intelligence that drives stronger execution and better business outcomes.

Your product left the warehouse. But is it actually on the shelf? FieldSight turns your delivery footprint into real-time retail intelligence as they happen.

Twin defeats on Thursday denied the Philippines a chance to extend its debut run in the WBSC Women’s Baseball World Cup in Tainan, Taiwan.

The Filipino batters were handed an 8-2 loss by Chinese Taipei before being brutally shown the door by Venezuela hours later with a 10-0 rout at the Aspac Secondary Field.

That concluded the campaign of the Philippine squad, which finished with a 2-3 win-loss record, well short of securing a top three finish in Group B and a spot in the six-team Finals to be held next year in Rockford, Illinois.

But the first World Cup stint did not end without the Philippines giving itself something to remember after bouncing back from Tuesday’s 3-0 loss to defending champion Japan to open the rain-delayed competition.

Wednesday saw coach Saki Bacarisas’ squad produce a breakthrough first win by blanking Cuba, 6-0, before returning to the field in the evening to beat Great Britain, 8-2.

In both games, Martine Francisco broke the ice for the Philippines by driving home the first run against Cuba, and the first two against Great Britain, all in the first inning.

The WBSC took notice of the performance of the University of the Philippines softball standout in both games and named her Player of the Day.

It was the momentum the Philippines needed going into the final day, but both Chinese Taipei and Venezuela had other ideas.

Starting pitcher Jojielyn Lim was rocked by Chinese Taipei with four runs in the first inning, and the Philippines could not recover to settle for defeat.

Against Venezuela, the Philippines was on even terms in the bottom of the first after Veronica Velasco advanced to second on a balk with one out. But Mae Langga popped out to the shortstop, and Francisco struck out swinging against Venezuelan righty Abril Amaro.

Venezuela would extend its lead in the second by tacking on six runs to make it 7-0.