Category: Philippines Daily Inquirer

Bags woven from buri, a common palm, and other indigenous materials from Pangasinan have found their way to the international market and are set to take center stage in New York City during FashionPhilippines New York 2026 on September 16-18.

The Olly+Fely brand is owned and managed by Kawayan Nature EcoFriendly Product Trading, a Bolinao-based enterprise that produces fashionable yet sustainably made bags from buri, a material abundant on Santiago Island in Bolinao town and the nearby island town of Anda.

‘We are proud and honored to share that Olly+Fely officially joins the roster of emerging Filipino brands for FashionPhilippines New York 2026,’ said Precious Cayaon, who, together with her husband Jeff, owns and manages the community-based enterprise.

Their business works with local residents who weave indigenous materials into bags and other fashion pieces, turning a traditional craft into products that now reach markets beyond the Philippines.

‘For Olly+Fely, this marks another meaningful step in bringing proudly Filipino craftsmanship and woven artistry to the global fashion stage,’ Cayaon said.

When the couple entered the industry, many island weavers were on the verge of giving up their craft because traditional designs fetched low prices.

The couple started their business modestly, producing simple bags, purses and mats.

Over the years, however, the buri-weaving industry has experienced a revival. Islanders-mostly women-are now engaged in stripping, dyeing and weaving buri fibers into elegant and sustainable fashion pieces that appeal to environmentally conscious consumers around the world.

The bags, Cayaon said, have also ‘leveled up,’ now incorporating premium-grain leather, quality hardware and carefully selected accessories. Yet at the heart of every piece remain the skilled women of Bolinao, whose hands continue to transform raw fibers into works of fashion and craft.

Now, Olly+Fely is bringing these creations to New York, where the Accessories Council Trade Show describes the brand as embodying ‘whimsy and craftsmanship,’ creating character-driven accessories that celebrate individuality through playful designs and thoughtful handmade details.

From the quiet weaving communities of Pangasinan’s islands to one of the world’s fashion capitals, the journey of buri reflects not only the revival of a traditional craft but also the growing reach of Filipino artistry.

FashionPhilippines New York 2026 is organized by the Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions in partnership with the Accessories Council.

The Department of Education (DepEd) is set to request additional funding to hire more school counselor associates to address learners’ mental well-being.

At the Kapihan sa Manila Prince Hotel forum on Wednesday, DepEd Governance and Operations Undersecretary Malcolm Garma noted that the agency had already begun the process of hiring nearly 10,000 school counselor associates.

‘Ipa-prioritize natin yung mga schools na, based on our mapping, yung hotspots where violence was recorded,’ Garma explained.

(We will be prioritizing schools that, based on our mapping, are hotspots where violence was recorded.)

‘[It’s] budget season, so we will be asking for more because that 10,000 [counselor associates] will not be enough for the more than 45,000 schools we have,’ he added.

DepEd is scheduled to face the House of Representatives appropriations committee this coming Monday, September 7.

Garma noted that the department faced a challenge in hiring licensed guidance counselors.

In response to this challenge, according to the undersecretary, the agency hoped to ‘downgrade’ some of the agency’s line items for registered guidance counselors to school counselor associates.

‘Hindi ibig sabihin wala nang kakayahan itong associates to do counseling because they should be graduates of psychology or training in terms of behavioral science,’ he explained.

(This does not mean, however, that associates have no capability to do counseling because they should be graduates of psychology or have training in terms of behavioral science.)

‘We are optimistic that the hiring of counselor associates would be a game-changer in many schools,’ he added.

There are only around 5,000 registered guidance counselors in the Philippines, with only 1,000 serving under DepEd, the agency’s human resource and organizational development Undersecretary Willie Cabral said in August.

Guidance counseling in schools regained public attention following the fatal school shootings in Tacloban City last June 22 and Zamboanga City last August 18.

Although psychologists have reportedly also attributed the perpetrators’ actions to other factors apart from their state of mind, the incidents renewed interest in child and adolescent mental health.

The 11 residents of Kasibu, Nueva Vizcaya, who were arrested by police on Aug. 28 on charges of grave coercion and resistance and disobedience, have been released after posting bail on Tuesday.

The 11 were among residents who had barricaded an area in Barangay Paquet to oppose the mining exploration activities of North Luzon Mineral Resources Corp. (NLMRC).

They were arrested when police moved to clear a blockade that allegedly sought to prevent the entry of fuel intended for the company’s exploration activities.

The protesters were ordered to post a total of P401,610 in bail, or P36,510 each.

Their release came as Bishop Jose Elmer Mangalinao of Bayombong called for a ‘fair’ and ‘lawful’ dialogue between the mining company and villagers opposing its exploration activities.

In a pastoral statement on Sunday, Mangalinao urged authorities to resolve the dispute through ‘due process’ and asked police and the courts to ‘look beyond the charges’ filed against the protesters.

‘Let us not look only at the charges written on paper. Let us also see the people behind those charges,’ Mangalinao said.

The bishop said the protesters’ poverty should not diminish their rights and questioned what he described as the ‘haphazard’ arrests and mining activities conducted without adequate hearing or consultation.

‘It does not mean that if they are poor, they have fewer rights,’ Mangalinao said.

Permit

He also said villagers had the ‘right’ to oppose the exploration because their health, safety and the environment-including their farms, water sources and forests-as well as their children’s future were at stake.

NLMRC obtained a permit in May 2025 for gold and copper exploration covering 4,456 hectares in Barangay Paquet.

The area is claimed by villagers to form part of the ancestral domain of Bugkalot and Ilongot indigenous communities.

Mangalinao, Fr. Christian Dumangeng, an antimining advocate, and other community members have also faced charges over their opposition to the exploration activities.

Their lawyer has raised the possibility that the cases could constitute a strategic lawsuit against public participation, or SLAPP, which he described as an effort to discourage villagers and advocacy groups from advocating environmental protection and community rights.

Tensions escalated on Aug. 28 when police moved to clear the blockade against fuel trucks, resulting in the arrest of the 11 protesters. Two other villagers were hospitalized during the incident.

Provincial and municipal officials, including Gov. Jose Gambito and Kasibu Vice Mayor Alberto Bumolo Jr., have since negotiated with the protesters for a temporary agreement to keep NLMRC personnel and equipment out of the site while talks continue.

Vice President Sara Duterte’s defense counsel and former Department of Education (DepEd) chief of staff Michael Poa is scheduled to testify on Wednesday, Sept. 2.

He will be called on by the prosecution panel to take the witness stand.

The counsel cannot yet be called a hostile witness at this time, since this description comes after he has been formally presented by the prosecution to the impeachment court.

Poa is expected to testify about the DepEd’s use of confidential funds (CFs) when Duterte was its secretary from 2022 to 2024.During that period, while Poa was the secretary’s chief of staff, the department disbursed P112.5 million in CFs.

Among these disbursements are P15 million supposedly used to help fund the Armed Forces of the Philippines Youth Leadership Summits.

Poa had supposedly requested military certification after the Commission on Audit required supporting documents to explain how DepEd used its CFs.

Over the weekend, House Deputy Speaker Paolo Ortega V called Poa a ‘central figure’ in Duterte’s impeachment, especially as he served as both Duterte’s chief of staff and spokesperson at DepEd.

The lawmaker noted that Poa likely knew how the confidential funds were processed within the agency at the time, as part of his job.

After his role at DepEd, Poa continued to represent Duterte as counsel as early as the first impeachment complaints were filed against the vice president in 2025.

Poa’s testimony will then be followed by Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) Assistant National Statistician Marizza Grande.

Grande is set to testify on PSA’s findings on the identities of the curious names that appear in the acknowledgment receipts filed by the Office of the Vice President and DepEd as proof of payment for confidential activities.

An unusually blazingly red sun greeted early risers in Tacurong City, Sultan Kudarat, on Wednesday morning, creating a striking sight against the grayish sky.

Elric Batilaran, who took a photo of the sunrise, said the sun appeared unusually red as it rose over the city.

His photo showed the bright red sun above palm trees and buildings in Tacurong.

Reports said that dust, smoke, haze, and other tiny particles in the air can make red and orange colors more visible.

However, authorities have not confirmed whether haze caused the unusually red sun seen over Tacurong on Wednesday.

The sight came as haze from forest fires in Indonesia has reached some parts of the Philippines.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Environmental Management Bureau (DENR-EMB) said smoke from forest fires in Kalimantan, Indonesia, is being carried toward the Philippines by the southwest monsoon, locally known as habagat.

The haze has affected parts of Luzon and the Visayas, where several areas have recorded higher levels of fine particles in the air.

But authorities have not confirmed whether the haze from Indonesia reached Tacurong, or that the red sunrise seen in the city was a result of it.

DENR-EMB said the haze could continue to affect parts of the country from Sept. 1 to 3 as smoke from the Indonesian forest fires continues to be carried by the habagat.

The agency said rain could help clear the air by washing away smoke and other fine particles.

A thick haze has been observed in parts of Occidental Mindoro, including Calintaan town, as smoke from forest and land fires in Indonesia reached several areas of the Philippines, local disaster officials said.

The Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO) of Rizal town in Occidental Mindoro warned residents about the haze after reports indicated that the southwest monsoon has carried smoke from fires in Indonesian districts of Sumatra and Kalimantan toward Southeast Asia.

Photos released by the Provincial Information Office of Occidental Mindoro on Wednesday showed murky aerial conditions in Calintaan.

According to the MDRRMO, moderate to heavy haze was headed for several areas of Luzon, Mimaropa, Bicol and the Visayas based on a 6 p.m. report on Aug. 31.

Areas experiencing moderate to heavy haze are Palawan, Occidental Mindoro, Oriental Mindoro, Marinduque, and Romblon.

Light to moderate haze was also reported in parts of Metro Manila, Bataan, Pampanga, Bulacan, Tarlac, Cavite, Laguna, Rizal, Batangas and Quezon.

Several provinces in Bicol and the Visayas were likewise affected, including Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Catanduanes, Albay, Sorsogon, Masbate, Antique, Aklan, Capiz, Iloilo, Guimaras, Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental, Cebu, Bohol, Leyte, Biliran and Samar.

The MDRRMO advised residents to limit prolonged outdoor activities while haze persists, particularly in areas where smoke is visibly thick.

Those who need to go outdoors were encouraged to wear face masks to reduce exposure to smoke and fine particulate matter.

Children, older adults and people with sensitive respiratory systems were urged to take extra precautions and remain indoors when possible.

The haze comes as parts of Southeast Asia continue to deal with smoke from forest and land fires, with wind conditions carrying the pollutants across national borders.

Prosecution counsel Benjamin Tolosa Jr. received a scolding from the Senate impeachment court for engaging in ‘intramurals’ with the defense lawyer and wasting time, after he started his examination of former Education Undersecretary Michael Poa on Wednesday by asking if he is a competent lawyer.

At the resumption of Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial on Wednesday, Tolosa asked Poa – also a counsel for Duterte for these proceedings – regarding his educational background, his entry into the legal profession, and eventually being appointed into various positions in the Department of Education (DepEd).

When Tolosa asked whether Poa is a trusted official of Duterte, Sheila Sison, counsel for the respondent on duty, said she is willing to stipulate or agree to that matter.

But when Tolosa asked whether the defense would also stipulate that Poa is an ‘is an experienced and highly competent lawyer,’ Sison fired back, asking if the prosecution is classifying Poa as an expert witness.

‘Before I respond to that, may I now ask the prosecutor if they are qualifying this witness as an expert, your Honor,’ Sison said.

‘Because that is the inference from that proposal to stipulate, that he is highly experienced and of high expertise, in the work that he does, your Honor, as a lawyer. So earlier, they qualified him as a hostile witness and if they qualify him now as an expert, then that will give the prosecutor some leeway to ask him on legal matters,’ she added.

Tolosa then said that the defense cannot dictate on the prosecution if they will consider Poa as an expert witness, as it falls under their discretion. However, Presiding Officer and Senator-judge Francis Escudero told Tolosa that he can just ask the questions as they are.

‘With all due respect, the defense cannot dictate on the prosecution on the nature of the testimony of the witness. That discretion falls entirely and exclusively on us, if we want to present a witness as an expert witness, or ordinary witness. He may be the most qualified lawyer, but it’s still our discretion if we want to use him as an expert witness or not,’ Tolosa said.

‘Then in that case the chair will ask counsel to simply proceed with his questions because counsel, I find it irrelevant to be asking for a stipulation if Atty. Poa is good at what he does, I believe he is, but unless you will qualify him as an expert as pointed out by Atty. Sheila, instead of going through these intramurals,’ Escudero replied.

Tolosa tried to interrupt, but Escudero firmly told him that the chair was making a ruling.

‘Atty. Tolosa, Chair is ruling, kindly proceed with your direct examination already and go direct to your points,’ Escudero said.

‘But with all due respect, his competence is highly material to this case, because it will go into the credibility of his statements, and of course your Honor please, we be given some leeway because even if this is direct, because he is a hostile witness, this is the nature of our cross-examination,’ Tolosa replied. ‘So we hope that we be allowed, we be given wider latitude in examining this witness.’

‘Counsel, you are asking for a stipulation which the opposing counsel refused to do so again […] We’ve wasted enough time on these intramurals between you and counsel for respondent, just proceed with your direct. The witness is there, the witness is smart enough to answer,’ Escudero added.

The atmosphere during Wednesday’s trial has been tense, as the impeachment court is presented with a unique situation, where a counsel for the respondent – in this case, Poa acting as Duterte’s lawyer – is asked by the prosecution to take the stand as a hostile witness.

Sison, lead counsel for Duterte, initially questioned Tolosa’s offer as he called Poa ‘abugadong walang alam’ (lawyer who knows nothing) as it appears to be a mere ‘rhetoric aimed to provide drama.’

Tolosa said that it was not his intention to insult Poa, saying that he was merely referring to Poa’s insistence during a House of Representatives hearing in 2024 that he does not have personal knowledge of the confidential fund (CF) expenditures made by the DepEd for the first three quarters of 2023.

Still, Sison asked that the statements be stricken off the record, as Tolosa could have used better phrasing. Escudero agreed with Sison, ruling that Tolosa’s remarks be removed from the records.

Poa is the tenth witness presented by the prosecution for Article I of the Articles of Impeachment, which delves into allegations of CF misuse within Duterte’s offices – DepEd and the Office of the Vice President (OVP).

Before Poa, the prosecution panel presented two Land Bank of the Philippines officials from which OVP and DepEd withdrew their CFs; Commission on Audit (COA) auditors who checked on the confidential expenditures made by Duterte’s offices; OVP staffers like former special disbursing officer Gina Acosta; and on Tuesday, two Philippine Army (PA) officials.

During the trial on Tuesday, Army Col. Maranos Boransing II and Army Col. Magtanggol Panopio testified that none of Duterte’s offices – whether it be DepEd, OVP, or even the Vice Presidential Security and Protection Group – placed part of its regular allocations or CFs to their youth oriented-programs.

Boransing and Panopio were referring to the Youth Leadership Summit (YLS) and the Information Education Communication (IEC), programs funded by the PA’s annual budget, which aim to curb communist groups’ recruitment of high school and college students.

However, when the Commission on Audit (COA) flagged DepEd’s P15.54 million confidential expenditures through an audit observation memorandum (AOM), the department cited certifications from Boransing, Panopio and other PA officials regarding the conduct of the YLS and IEC to prove the use of CFs.

During the trial, Panopio also admitted being shocked that DepEd under Duterte used his certification to justify its confidential expenses.

The Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) has approved the commercial sale of an African swine fever (ASF) vaccine from Vietnam, giving a boost to the government’s campaign against the animal disease.

On Wednesday, BAI said in a statement that AVAC Vietnam Joint Stock Co. developed the ASF-approved vaccine, a live, attenuated, gene-deleted freeze-dried vaccine designed to protect pigs against the ASF virus.

‘The availability of a commercially approved ASF vaccine is crucial to our repopulation program,’ Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said.

‘It gives hog raisers another tool to protect healthy animals as we work to rebuild the industry and secure a more stable supply of pork,’ the agriculture chief added.

Agriculture Undersecretary Constante Palabrica said a second vaccine, PROVAC from South Korea, is undergoing testing by BAI, which could provide another option for local hog raisers by next year.

Likewise, Palabrica said he has requested P1 billion in funding next year to subsidize ASF vaccination programs for backyard pig farms, potentially making the vaccine more accessible to smaller producers.

Additionally, the government approved the commercial release of the ASF vaccine after the first ASF outbreak in 2019, which caused billions in losses and significantly reduced the country’s hog production since then.

Data from BAI showed that ASF outbreaks have reached 76 of the Philippines’ 82 provinces as of writing.

Sen. Jinggoy Estrada said that he will pursue all available legal remedies after the Sandiganbayan Fifth Division dropped former Public Works and Highways Secretary Manuel Bonoan as a coaccused in the plunder case.

In a statement, Estrada said he respected the decision of the anti-graft court but stressed that he still had other legal options available.

‘While I respect the decision of the Sandiganbayan, I wish to emphasize that there remain legal remedies available to me under our judicial system, which my legal team will carefully study and pursue at the appropriate time,’ Estrada said Tuesday.

‘I intend to avail myself of all remedies provided under our laws,’ he added.

Estrada said the Sandiganbayan’s decision did not end his legal recourse, adding that he would continue to rely on due process and the rule of law.

‘My faith in our judicial system remains firm. I will continue to stand by the truth and pursue every lawful means available to protect my rights and clear my name and honor,’ he said.

His statement came as the Sandiganbayan Fifth Division dropped the plunder and graft charges against Bonoan, who was accused alongside Estrada and several Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) officials over an alleged scheme involving P573 million in kickbacks.

Bonoan had been the subject of a bid by the Office of the Ombudsman to discharge him as an accused and turn him into a state witness in other flood control corruption cases.

He had also testified before the Sandiganbayan in the case against former Sen. Ramon ‘Bong’ Revilla Jr., where he claimed that all senators in 2024 had availed themselves of a ‘leadership fund’ allotted by the DPWH under the 2025 national budget

Solar Philippines Power Project Holdings Inc. (SPPHI), an embattled firm backed by Batangas Rep. Leandro Leviste, has gained P3 billion following its move to cut its stake in Pangilinan-led SP New Energy Corp. (SPNEC).

Based on a regulatory filing on Tuesday, the solar company sold 2.4 billion shares priced at P1.25 apiece.

This led to a reduction in its interest in SPNEC to 11.51 percent.

Before the transaction, Meralco PowerGen Corp. (MGEN) of billionaire Manuel V. Pangilinan had a 57.33-percent stake in SPNEC; Leviste’s SPPHI held 16.30 percent; while Metro Pacific Investments Corp. had 3.20 percent.

The buyer of the company’s shares was not disclosed.

In February, Pangilinan, chair of Manila Electric Co., said the group did not offer to acquire Leviste’s stake in the solar firm. But he noted that the young tycoon was in talks with foreign investors for the potential disposal of the shares.

A separate disclosure stated that SPNEC’s board of directors had approved the acquisition of properties from SPPPHI subsidiaries, Provincia Investments Corp. and JJPNM Agro Industrial Corp.

MGEN previously said it would pursue the rebranding of SPNEC to MGEN Renewable Energy Holdings Inc., with analysts seeing this as an attempt to pursue a backdoor listing or move away from controversies linked to Leviste.

Leviste entered the political arena after winning as Batangas 1st District Representative in the 2025 elections. Even in less than a year, he was already embroiled in different controversies, such as his allegation that House members received a P2 million Christmas bonus each. He has also been exposing corruption activities in public infrastructure spending.

Amid these claims, the Department of Energy (DOE) also hit Leviste over SPPHI’s idle projects, drawing a hefty P24-billion fine.

The Energy Regulatory Commission previously said Solar Para Sa Bayan Corp., another firm under Leviste’s business, could face up to P150 million in penalty over alleged illegal and high power charges in Occidental Mindoro.

Just last week, the Office of the Ombudsman ordered Senator Loren Legarda and her son Leviste to answer plunder and graft complaints against them over the latter’s failure to deliver solar power committed under a congressional franchise.