Category: Philippines Daily Inquirer

The country’s fuel marking program is moving toward an upgrade after securing government funding from the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Center to implement technological and operational enhancements aimed at curbing oil smuggling.

Fuel marking, which the government began in 2019, allows authorities to identify petroleum products that may have entered the market illegally by injecting molecular markers into fuel products that have paid the correct excise taxes and import duties.

In a statement on Tuesday, the PPP Center said its Project Development and Monitoring Facility (PDMF) Committee had provisionally approved P19.16 million for transaction advisory services for a proposed PPP covering the operations, maintenance and upgrading of the Philippine Fuel Marking Program.

This proposed PPP would introduce technological and operational upgrades, deploy additional field-testing units and provide training for the Bureau of Customs (BOC) and Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR).

The PPP Center stated that these measures aim to ultimately help the government independently and sustainably manage the program.

Currently, the Department of Finance (DOF) implements the fuel marking program in partnership with the joint venture of Swiss security technology firm SICPA SA and inspection company SGS Philippines Inc.

The DOF plans to continue the program through a PPP following an unsolicited proposal from SICPA. The PDMF support aims to prepare and structure the project before the PPP procurement process.

The funding will cover preparation of a due diligence report and tender documents, assistance during the PPP bidding process, and advisory services after contract signing until financial close.

The fuel marking project was among three proposals that secured PDMF support during committee meetings in July and August.

Iligan, Bataan projects

The committee also approved P60.94 million for project preparation and transaction advisory services for the rehabilitation, expansion and modernization of the Iligan City Waterworks System.

The proposed project covers the rehabilitation, financing, operation and maintenance of the city’s water supply system, including its water sources, pumping stations and pipelines, as well as the construction and upgrading of supporting infrastructure.

The government approved another P48.42 million for Bataan’s Bunker II-Pylon Project, which aims to create an integrated complex that will consolidate provincial offices and facilities for justice, health, and other public services.

The PDMF is a revolving fund managed by the PPP Center that finances feasibility studies, transaction advisory work, tender preparation and other activities needed to develop and implement potential PPP projects.

When it comes to figuring out what young shoppers want, SM Supermalls has decided that perhaps the best people to ask are-well, young shoppers themselves.

SM Supermalls president Steven Tan revealed that the mall giant has its own internal ‘Gen Z Council,’ a think tank composed solely of Gen Z employees whose job includes keeping management plugged into the fast-changing tastes of younger consumers.

‘You learn so much from the younger generation,’ Tan said, adding with a laugh that he ‘definitely’ cannot participate in the council.

Instead, the council members discuss trends among themselves before pitching their ideas to management. The older hands then bring experience and practicality into the equation.

‘You just have to be more practical when you apply. That is where we come in because of our experiences. Then you balance it out,’ Tan said.

SM Supermalls executive vice president for marketing Joaquin Agustin said the council plays a role in shaping the company’s strategies by providing insights straight from their generation.

Rather than leaving consumer research entirely to senior executives, SM deliberately taps its younger officers to find out what is clicking-and what isn’t-with today’s market.

‘They tell us and present to us what is the pulse of the market today,’ Agustin said.

Those insights, he added, help SM personalize what it does as a mall and as a broader business.

So while seasoned executives still call the shots at SM, some of the ideas keeping its malls relevant may increasingly come from the youngest voices in the room. -Emmanuel John B. Abris

Meralco keeps nuclear option

Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) stays the course on its nuclear power quest, tapping a US-based engineering firm to explore the potential deployment of small modular reactors (SMRs) in the Philippines.

With Meralco PowerGen Corp., the group inked a deal with Sargent and Lundy, in partnership with local engineering firm AMH Philippines Inc., to launch a comprehensive feasibility study on SMRs.

This forms part of the $2.8-million technical assistance program funded by the US Trade and Development Agency (USTDA), which Meralco secured in February.

The study, which is seen completed by the last stretch of 2027, will produce ‘a rigorous, data-driven basis for determining whether, when, and how SMRs’ can beef up the country’s electricity mix. SMRs have a capacity ranging from 300 megawatts (MW) to 450 MW each.

Meralco said that it has created an SMR working group to work closely with the engineering firms.

‘Partnering with Sargent and Lundy marks a pivotal step in turning our nuclear roadmap into actionable, data-driven decisions under our NEST (nuclear energy strategic transition) program,’ MGEN president and CEO Emmanuel Rubio said in a statement.

‘As we advance this USTDA-funded study, MGEN remains committed to exploring safe, reliable, and low-carbon technologies such as SMRs as we work to secure the Philippines’ long-term energy future and support the country’s economic growth,’ he added.

Talks on nuclear energy advanced under the leadership of President Marcos, seemingly a continuation of what his father, late President Ferdinand Marcos Sr., envisioned with the establishment of the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant. The mothballed facility, however, was hounded by safety fears

One round into the 31st Nomura Cup, and after combining for a 142 tally to forge a tie for second place, Team Philippines stalwarts Rolando Bregente and Jet Hernandez are convinced that the country has what it takes to finally end a 63-year drought in the event also known as the Asia-Pacific team championship.

‘I have no doubt that this team is capable. It has all the tools,’ the 24-year-old Bregente said in Filipino after draining four birdies in a three-under-par 69 at Bayhood No. 9 Golf Club in Beijing on Tuesday. ‘We are where we want to be at this stage of the tournament-just in step with the powerhouses of the region like Japan, China and Thailand.’

The Filipinos are tied with the Japanese, as they jointly trail surprise leader Hong Kong-China by two shots. The Philippines holds a three-shot advantage over the Chinese and defending champion Vietnam, who both carded 145s, a shot ahead of the formidable Thais.

‘I am pretty excited about this team, and I am pretty sure people back home who are following [the sport] are, too,’ Hernandez told the Inquirer after rescuing a 73 despite a very rough day on the sleek greens. ‘Once I knew who the [other members of the] team were, I could tell we really had a good shot before coming over.

‘But we are taking things one day at a time,’ he stressed. ‘I thought today we did a good job of keeping ourselves in the hunt, which was a goal of ours heading [into] today.’

Shinichi Suzuki, the youngest member of the team at 18, signed for a double bogey 5 on the 18th for a 75 and did not count. The 6-foot-3 Filipino-Japanese is bracing for a big second-round bounce-back after learning from his mistakes.

‘Adrenaline got me on No. 18,’ Suzuki told the Inquirer in a separate interview, referring to how he overshot the green and found the water hazard behind it. ‘I’ve learned to accept the mistakes I made today and will use them to bounce back in the next three days.’

Jeffrey Shen and Markus Zachary Lam fired 70s to make up scoring for HK-China, while Japan got 71s from Taisei Nagasaki and Mao Matsuyama for its 142.

‘We will work with what we have in front of us and control what we can,’ Hernandez said. ‘[If we do that] to the best of our abilities, we’re going to be fine.’

Toll fees for all vehicles travelling between Pulilan, Bulacan, and San Fernando, Pampanga, on the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) will be waived starting Wednesday.

According to the DOTr, this is in response to the heavy traffic jam affecting many motorists along portions of NLEX due to heavy flooding at Tulaoc Bridge in San Simon, Pampanga.

‘Magpapatuloy ang libreng toll hanggang sa bumalik sa normal ang sitwasyon sa NLEX,’ said the DOTr in a Facebook post.

(The free toll fee will continue until the situation at NLEX goes back to normal.)

The agency said Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez personally coordinated with NLEx Corporation President Luis Reñon to waive toll fees from Pulilan to San Fernando and vice versa for all vehicles.

The DOTr and the Toll Regulatory Board also directed NLEx Corporation to provide food and water, and establish portalets for motorists who will be stuck in the traffic jam.

‘Nakausap ko po si NLEX President Luis Reñon para matulungan ang ating mga motorista at mga pasahero na labis na naapektuhan nitong matinding traffic, alinsunod sa utos ng ating Pangulo. Nagpapasalamat po tayo dahil agad din po silang tumugon sa ating hiling na magpatupad ng libreng toll hanggang sa maging maayos ang sitwasyon ng trapiko,’ Lopez said in the same post.

(I spoke to NLEX President Luis Reñon to help our motorists and commuters affected by the heavy traffic, in line with the President’s directive. We express our gratitude for their immediate response to waive toll fees

The House prosecution panel is considering skipping the bribery case against Vice President Sara Duterte, public prosecutor Rep. Joel Chua said on Wednesday.

Instead, the House may proceed with tackling Duterte’s alleged unexplained wealth after it finishes its presentation on the vice president’s alleged misuse of P612.5 million in confidential funds, Chua said.

‘We are considering dropping one article, so for now, pinagaaralan namin kung we will proceed na after next week sa unexplained [wealth], although wala pa talagang final, pero isa yan sa mga kinoconsider namin,’ he told the media.

(We are considering dropping one article, so for now, we are studying whether we will proceed after next week with the unexplained [wealth], although nothing is really final yet, but that is one of the things we are considering.)

‘Yung first two articles na sinampa namin, naniniwala kami na matibay na. Hindi mo naman pwedeng idrop ang unexplained wealth dahil lahat inaabangan na ito,’ Chua explained.

(The first two articles we filed, we believe are solid. You can’t drop unexplained wealth because everyone is waiting for it.)

He was referring to Duterte’s alleged grave threats against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., and her alleged misuse of confidential funds.

Chua added that by skipping an impeachment article, the impeachment trial may end by December this year.

‘Hopefully by end of November tapos na pati defense so kung matatapos kami ng first week ng October or mid-October makakapagsimula na nag defense so they have until November dahil marami namang common witnesses kami eh, naipresenta rin eh. So hopefully by December magkaroon na ng decision ang impeachment court,’ the lawmaker shared.

(Hopefully by the end of November the defense will be finished, so if we finish by the first week of October or mid-October, we can start the defense, so they have until November because we have many common witnesses, they have also been presented. So hopefully by December the impeachment court will have a decision.)

The impeachment court allotted eight of the 92 trial days for the prosecution to present its case on Duterte’s supposed bribery of Department of Education Officials

Taal Volcano in Batangas recorded a significant increase in sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions over the past 24 hours, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) reported on Wednesday.

Taal emitted 526 metric tons of sulfur dioxide on September 1, up from the 381 metric tons recorded daily since Aug. 27, according to Phivolcs’ morning bulletin. Despite the increase, the emission level remained classified as ‘weak.’

The agency did not detect any upwelling of hot volcanic fluids in the Main Crater Lake and no volcanic smog, or ‘vog,’ during the monitoring period.

Taal also recorded eight volcanic earthquakes but no volcanic tremors during the observation period.

Phivolcs said Taal Volcano remains under Alert Level 1, indicating a low level of volcanic unrest.

The agency reminded the public, however, that the volcano remains in an ‘abnormal condition.’ It stressed that Alert Level 1 ‘should not be interpreted to have ceased unrest nor ceased the threat of eruptive activity.’

The Philippine National Police-Anti-Cybercrime Group (PNP-ACG) has pushed for amendments to the SIM Card Registration Act, saying that despite its passage, almost all recent cybercrime cases in the country still involve subscriber identity modules (SIM) cards.

PNP-ACG director Maj. Gen. Wilson Casil Asueta made the suggestion during a press briefing on Tuesday after reporting that authorities arrested a 26-year-old man in Obando, Bulacan, on Aug. 24 for the illegal sale of around 400 registered SIM cards.

‘Our SIM Card Registration Act is not being implemented effectively. We need new provisions so we are appealing to our legislators for the immediate passage of amended laws for this purpose,’ Asueta said.

According to him, cyberspace crimes involving SIM cards include scamming, online gambling and identity exploitation.

‘I can honestly say that almost all cybercrimes committed start with SIM cards. That is our problem. It is difficult for us to monitor because there are so many lacking provisions and our laws, including the SIM Card Registration Act, are no longer applicable,’ Asueta said.

Among the amendments being proposed by the PNP-ACG are identity authentication and the activation of SIM cards only after successful authentication and registration.

Preferred ID

‘If possible, we should only use one ID, our national ID which comes with biometric information,’ Asueta said.

He also suggested limiting SIM card ownership to a maximum of five per person and monitoring the distribution and redistribution of SIM cards.

President Marcos signed the SIM Card Registration Act, or Republic Act No. 11934, in 2022 to provide ‘accountability in the use of SIM cards and aid law enforcers in tracking perpetrators of crimes committed through phones.’

RA 11934 was also aimed at ‘significantly boosting government initiatives against scams committed through text and online messages.’

Under the law, telco companies and direct sellers must ask for a valid ID from SIM card buyers.

Those who already owned a SIM card before RA 11934 took effect were also required to register the card with telcos within a certain period or else, it would be deactivated.

Penalties were also listed for those who registered a SIM card using false or fake information, as well as those who used the SIM card for illegal activities.

The 22nd Philippine Quill Awards and the 12th Philippine Student Quill Awards recognized outstanding communication work, organizations, and emerging communicators, highlighting the breadth of communication excellence across the professional and academic communities.

The Philippine Quill Awards recognized work that demonstrated excellence in communication management, research, training and education, and communications skills, while also recognizing sustainability communications and breakthroughs and innovations as a new area of practice.

‘Tonight, we celebrate the very best of Philippine communication. The Quill matters because it recognizes the power of communication not only to inform or influence, but to move people, spark a feeling, and create meaningful change. I am especially proud when the stories we tell celebrate who we are as Filipinos-our identity, our values, and our communities. At its best, communication gives those stories the power to be heard, felt, and remembered,’ said Marzie Marzan, Chair of the 22nd Philippine Quill Awards.

The Top Division Award for Communication Management went to ‘PINAG-UUSAPAN: Earning National Media Coverage and Third-Party Credibility for Filipino Cuisine,’ by PAGEONE, Advocacy Partners Asia and simpol.ph. The program used media relations and third-party credibility to build national attention around Filipino cuisine.

For Communication Research, the Top Division Award went to ‘The Infrastructure of Legitimacy: A Definitive National Study Reframing Reputation as Measurable Capital,’ by PAGEONE and Advocacy Partners Asia. The national study examines reputation as a measurable form of capital and offers a new perspective on organizational legitimacy.

The Top Division Award for Communication Training and Education went to InLife University, recognizing its approach to building capability through learning and development.

For Communications Skills, the Top Division Award went to ‘World of Flavors: A Culinary Journey Through Taste, Culture, and Shared Discovery,’ by Megaworld Lifestyle Malls, which uses food, culture, and visual storytelling to engage audiences.

Celebrating the next generation of communicators

The 12th Philippine Student Quill Awards recognized the quality and creativity of communication work produced by students, including work that applies emerging technologies and storytelling approaches to issues that matter to communities.

The Top Division Award for Sustainability Communications and Breakthroughs and Innovations went to ‘ST:AIN: An Interactive Game-Based Communication Tool for Youth Solid Waste Management Awareness,’ by CIIT College of Arts and Technology. Through interactive storytelling and gamification, the project turns waste management education into an engaging experience designed to help young audiences better understand and practice proper waste segregation.

The Top Student Quill Award went to ‘Sining sa Lansangan’ by the University of Santo Tomas – Angelicum College. Through documentary storytelling, the project celebrates the resilience and creativity of jeepney artists, presenting the iconic jeepney as a moving canvas of Filipino identity, history, and culture.

The Student Quill also named De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde 2026 School of the Year, recognizing the institution’s contribution to developing the country’s next generation of communication professionals.

For Richard Arboleda, President of IABC Philippines, the two Quill programs reflect both the evolution of the profession and the pipeline of talent entering it.

‘Communication is being asked to do more than communicate. It is increasingly expected to help organizations navigate trust, reputation, behavior, and business outcomes. What we are recognizing tonight is work that takes that responsibility seriously. These are not just good communication outputs. They show what happens when communication is treated as a strategic discipline.’

The Philippine Quill Awards also named its 2026 institutional honorees. PLDT and Smart were named Company of the Year, while PAGEONE was named Agency of the Year.

Together, the two award programs recognize the current practice and future of communication in the Philippines, from strategic reputation-building and research to creative storytelling, organizational learning, sustainability, and student-led innovation.

The Philippine Quill Awards and Philippine Student Quill Awards are organized by the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) Philippines. The event was made possible through the support of Gold Sponsor Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP); Silver Sponsor Land Bank of the Philippines; and Bronze Sponsors BDO Unibank, Inc. and MERALCO.

Serena Williams is getting back on the court against Maya Joint – this time with sister Venus by her side.

The Williams sisters were drawn Tuesday to face the team of Hao-Ching Chan and Joint, who beat Serena at Wimbledon this summer, in their opening women’s doubles match at the US Open.

Serena Williams, 44, returned this year after four years out of action and lost to Joint, a 20-year-old from Australia, 6-3, 6-7 (6), 6-3.

She injured her knee in the match and had to pull out of her planned doubles match at the All England Club with Venus, 46.

But they are set to compete at the US Open, where the Williams sisters won the title in 1999 and 2009 and are 27-7 in their nine appearances.

They last played in 2022, losing in the first round in what was expected to be Serena’s final match in Flushing Meadows.

Joint and Chan are the No. 14-seeded team.

The first round of the women’s doubles tournament begins Thursday.

Elijah Canlas disclosed that he and Miles Ocampo parted ways amicably, clarifying that there was no third party involved in their breakup.

The actor confirmed the split through his interview with Ogie Diaz on the latter’s YouTube vlog on Tuesday, Sept. 1.

‘As much as I’ve been trying to keep it private, dahil lumalabas na itong lahat, I think it’s time for me to say na opo, totoo [‘yung breakup],’ Canlas said. ‘We got back together thinking this is it. But yeah, that’s what happens with relationships.’

‘Binigay namin lahat. We broke up mutually and very amicably. Walang hate, at least on my part,’ he continued. ‘Masakit ‘yung gano’ng klase na wala naman talagang problema pero na-realize niyo lang na baka hindi lang talaga match.’

Canlas opted not to expound on the breakup out of respect for the actress-TV host and the relationship they had. He nonetheless admitted that while the split was amicable, they are still in the process of healing.

‘It’s not easy to just jump back into friends like that… But I’d be open to it, of course. The love will always be there,’ he underscored.

During the interview, the actor also lamented the speculations surrounding their split, particularly allegations of him cheating on Ocampo.

‘It’s not true. Miles would know that it’s not true,’ he said. ‘There’s no third party involved. Walang gano’n, ever.’

Canlas further addressed the dating rumors hounding him and singer-actress Thea Astley, after they were earlier spotted together in La Union.

‘Thea and I are just friends and we’ve been friends for a while. And it wasn’t just the two of us in LU, we were with our other friends,’ he clarified, adding that the videos from the trip were ‘blown out of proportion.’

Astley also previously set the record straight on her friendship with Canlas, stressing that she was not a third party in the latter’s recent breakup.

‘Wala akong bago… Right now I’m focused on work, on myself,’ Canlas stressed. ‘I was in a relationship for five years. That’s a long time in my life. Those five years, I don’t regret any of it. Those were the best five years of my life. ‘

Canlas and Ocampo’s relationship began in 2021. They parted ways in 2023, then got back together in 2024.

Ocampo has yet to publicly speak about the breakup as of this writing.