Category: Philippines Daily Inquirer

About 141,000 hectares (ha) of Northern Mindanao’s farmlands have been identified as vulnerable to the impact of a long dry spell, prompting agriculture officials to remind farmers to weigh their options for the planting season.

‘September will be decisive for farmers,’ said Jose Apollo Pacamalan, regional executive director of the Department of Agriculture (DA) in Northern Mindanao.

He said that with the El Niño fallout building up, farmers are faced with a hard choice of whether to plant or skip a new cropping cycle this month.

Citing advisories from the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) of below-normal rainfall conditions for months, the DA-10 mapped out the areas which could be hardest hit and advised farmers to be discerning in investing in a cropping cycle.

Pacamalan said they already flagged 92,000 ha for corn and another 49,000 ha for palay that are categorized as vulnerable to El Niño because these are either rain-dependent or have no all-weather source of irrigation water.

The DA validated the data through municipal, city and provincial agriculture offices, which assessed local conditions, checked on soil moisture stress and evaluated the status of irrigation systems, including inventories of shallow tube wells and water impounding facilities.

Over 85,000 ha of paddies across the region, however, are unlikely to be affected by the dry spell, including about 11,000 ha in Valencia City, Bukidnon, being serviced by the Pulangi River Irrigation System. Also, there are about 24,000 ha of land within the watershed areas of Mt. Kitanglad and Mt. Kalatungan, also in Bukidnon, that could withstand droughts.

According to Anianita Fortich, who heads Pagasa Mindanao, meteorologists are seeing a ‘very strong’ El Niño shaping up after surface temperatures have breached over 2 degrees Celsius than usual and its peak could be felt sometime in November and December this year, with residual effects within the first quarter next year.

‘This could even be worse than the last three El Niño we had,’ said Fortich, referring to the droughts that parched farmlands across the country, including Northern Mindanao, in 1982-1983, 1997-1998 and 2015-2016.

Below-normal rainfall

In Bukidnon, hundreds of hectares of rice fields in Valencia City, a major agricultural hub, have been affected by below-normal rainfall, prompting the National Irrigation Administration to implement scheduled water deliveries.

Valencia hosts over 10,000 ha of farms, consisting of 9,862 ha of irrigated land, 990 ha of rainfed farms, and 19 ha of upland fields dedicated to crops for local consumption.

Adonis Torres of the City Agriculture Office told the Inquirer on Thursday that the dry spell had severely impacted both rainfed and downstream agricultural areas.

At Sitio Bantal in Barangay Banlag, which covers over 300 ha of rainfed rice fields, about 80 percent of crops have struggled to transition from the vegetative to the reproductive stage due to a severe lack of water.

Torres noted that farmers had exhausted all options, including water pumps, as local water sources had dried up.

Farms near rivers still have some water supply, but officials warn that crops in these areas are not guaranteed to survive if the rivers dry up amid continuous below-normal rainfall

After four postponements, the first parliamentary elections in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) will be held on Sept. 14.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said last month that the elections are crucial to the development of the region, which he described as a product of a decades-long peace process that began in 1968.

For Marcos, the participation of former secessionists in the elections, including through campaigning, shows they have chosen the political process over armed struggle to pursue peace and progress in the region.

Under the Bangsamoro Organic Law, or Republic Act (RA) No. 11054, which established the BARMM in 2019, the first parliamentary elections were initially scheduled for May 2022, when the mandate of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) was expected to end.

The elections were later moved to May 2025, then to Oct. 13 of the same year under RA No. 12123. RA No. 12317 eventually set the elections for the second Monday of September.

Under the Bangsamoro Organic Law, signed by then-President Rodrigo Duterte, voters in the region will elect 80 members of Parliament: 40 party representatives, 32 district representatives and eight sectoral representatives.

The sectoral seats are reserved for women, youth, traditional leaders, ulama or Islamic scholars, settler communities and other sectors.

RELATED STORY: Zubiri launches book on Bangsamoro Organic Law creation

Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri, the principal author of the law that created the BARMM, earlier said the latest postponement was necessary to give the region more time for institution-building, address governance limitations and ensure a smoother transition.

New districting law

In January, the BTA passed Parliament Bill No. 415, a measure providing for the apportionment of parliamentary district representative seats in the BARMM, clearing the final legal requirement for the region to proceed with its first parliamentary elections.

Last year, the BTA failed to pass the redistricting bill despite an earlier commitment to do so by Dec. 31. The measure was needed to comply with a Supreme Court decision that, without an approved districting framework, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) could not proceed with election preparations.

The measure established the 32 parliamentary districts of the BARMM. It was approved on third and final reading before dawn on Jan. 13, following a special session that began on Jan. 12. The measure received 48 votes in favor, 19 against and four abstentions.

Two weeks later, Comelec postponed the March 30, 2026, Bangsamoro Parliamentary Election.

‘Legally and operationally, we can no longer hold the BPE on March 30,’ Comelec Chairman George Garcia said. ‘Operationally, we can no longer afford the one month and two weeks to hold the BPE.’

Marcos eventually signed into law the bill resetting the first regular elections in the BARMM to the second Monday of September, which falls on Sept. 14 this year.

RA No. 12317 states that ‘to synchronize the BARMM parliamentary elections with the national and local polls, the regular elections for the Bangsamoro Government shall be held on the second Monday of May 2031 and every three years thereafter.’

Significant step

The Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation, and Unity commended the BTA for passing the new districting law, congratulating its members for heeding the call of the Bangsamoro people to hold the region’s first regular parliamentary elections.

‘The passage of Parliament Bill No. 415 in a special session on January 12 is seen as a major step by the BTA towards establishing a fully functioning, representative, and democratic government in the Bangsamoro, anchored on the provisions of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB),’ it said.

Then-Presidential Peace Adviser Carlito G. Galvez Jr. said the approval of a legally compliant redistricting law reflected the BTA’s resolve to uphold democratic principles, ensure inclusive representation and realize the aspirations of Bangsamoro communities for self-governance.

‘The law’s passage aligns with the peace, reconciliation and unity agenda of the Marcos administration, and its commitment to uphold its deliverables under all signed Bangsamoro peace agreements,’ he said.

Government never lost hope

Despite the postponements, Marcos said that ‘the government never lost hope and remains fully committed to supporting this democratic exercise,’ adding that ‘we are prepared for the first parliamentary elections in the BARMM.’

He made the statement during the opening ceremony of the 2026 National Peace Consciousness Month at the Ceremonial Hall of Malacañan Palace.

The monthlong observance commemorates the 30th anniversary of the signing of the 1996 Final Peace Agreement with the Moro National Liberation Front, the 40th anniversary of the 1986 Mount Data Peace Accord and the signing of the Agreement on the Fulfillment of the Mount Data Peace Accord with the Cordillera Bodong Administration-Cordillera People’s Liberation Army.

‘Be assured that this Administration will do everything within our mandate to ensure that the elections are safe, peaceful, and credible. We will protect the right of every Bangsamoro voter to cast a ballot freely and without fear,’ Marcos said.

He urged BARMM voters to show that the region’s future is shaped by their voices, choices and hopes for their communities.

Officials elected in the BARMM parliamentary elections will serve from noon on Oct. 30, 2026, to June 30, 2031. Beginning in 2031, elected officials will assume office at noon on June 30 following their election

Moody’s Analytics said Philippine economic growth was losing momentum as the country misses out on the gains from the global boom in artificial intelligence (AI) that have helped some of its Southeast Asian neighbors weather global headwinds.

In a webinar on Aug. 31, economists at Moody’s Analytics said Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand had avoided a sharper slowdown despite an oil shock stemming from the Middle East crisis.

Growth in those economies has held up better than expected at the start of the year, they said.

The countries share a common advantage: They are plugged into the global AI boom. Singapore and Malaysia have benefited from strong demand for semiconductors and data centers, while Thailand is beginning to see similar gains, according to Moody’s Analytics.

The Philippines, by contrast, has been weighed down by weak domestic demand, sluggish investment and political uncertainty, leaving its economy to lose momentum.

‘The Philippines is telling quite a different story,’ said Sarah Tan, an economist at Moody’s Analytics. ‘It is no doubt part of the tech supply chain, but its role is more concentrated in the backend assembly and testing.’

The Philippines is seeing some investment in AI and data centers, Tan said, ‘but it hasn’t really received the kind of boost that regional peers are getting.’

‘Naturally, economies that are more plugged into this AI boom have captured more of the upside,’ she added.

Moody’s Analytics recently trimmed its 2026 growth forecast for the Philippines to 3 percent from the prior estimate of 4 percent, warning that domestic economic activity may remain subdued for the rest of the year as stubbornly high inflation weighs on consumer spending.

The firm’s revised estimate falls short of the Marcos administration’s downwardly revised growth target of 3.5 percent to 4.5 percent.

The slowdown was already evident in the first half, when the economy expanded just 2.6 percent. Growth was weighed down by the fallout from the Middle East conflict, which hit an economy still recovering from a confidence shock linked to a major corruption scandal.

To combat inflation, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) has delivered three quarter-point rate hikes since April, bringing the policy rate to 5 percent.

BSP Gov. Eli Remolona Jr. said the August rate hike was a ‘preemptive’ response to emerging risks from a severe El Niño episode and possible wage hikes. On the growth side, Remolona said the economy’s fundamentals ‘appear to be intact over the medium term,’ adding that a recovery in government spending could help stimulate activity in the second half of the year.

On foreign exchange, the peso has also failed to benefit from the AI-driven gains seen elsewhere in the region, Jeemin Bang, an associate economist at Moody’s Analytics, said.

‘Weak investor confidence and a net energy importer status have weighed significantly on the currency since the start of the year,’ Bang said, adding that the country remains at the ‘lower end’ of the electronics value chain.

Fifty families have been evacuated to designated centers in Ilocos Norte as continuous heavy rains brought by the southwest monsoon and Tropical Cyclone Pilandok affected several towns in the province.

Data from the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office on Thursday showed that nearly 3,600 families, or more than 12,000 individuals, in 118 barangays have been affected by the weather disturbance.

The province remained under a Yellow Rainfall Warning issued by the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration, per the latest report.

Gov. Cecilia Araneta-Marcos led relief operations on Sept. 1, distributing family food packs to residents of Laoag City, Batac City, and the towns of Paoay, San Nicolas, and Vintar.

Initial assessments placed agricultural damage at nearly P800,000, while infrastructure losses had exceeded P68 million, mainly from erosion, landslides, and flooding affecting slope protection structures.

Sections of national, provincial and municipal roads, particularly those along spillways, were also damaged.

A red rainfall warning was raised over three provinces in Luzon on Friday due to the continuous effect of the southwest monsoon, locally known as ‘habagat,’ according to the state weather bureau.

Based on the 11 a.m. advisory of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa), a red warning level-which could take over 30 millimeters (mm) of rainfall within the next two hours-is expected in the following areas:

Zambales (San Felipe, San Marcelino, San Narciso, Castillejos, San Antonio, Subic, Olongapo)

Bataan (Dinalupihan, Hermosa, Orani, Morong, Samal, Abucay, Balanga, Pilar, Orion, Bagac)

Pampanga (Lubao, Sasmuan, Macabebe, Masantol, Floridablanca).

Pagasa warned residents of ‘serious flooding in flood-prone areas.’

Meanwhile, an orange rainfall warning level, indicating 15 to 30 mm of rain, is in effect over the following areas:

Tarlac

Zambales (Botolan, Cabangan, Candelaria, Iba, Masinloc, Palauig, Santa Cruz)

Bataan (Mariveles, Limay)

Pampanga (Apalit, Arayat, Bacolor, Candaba, San Fernando, Magalang, Mexico, Minalin, San Luis, San Simon, Santa Ana, Santo Tomas, Angeles, Mabalacat, Guagua, Porac, Santa Rita)

Bulacan (Baliuag, Bustos, Pandi, Bulakan, Balagtas, Guiguinto, Plaridel, Pulilan, Malolos, Paombong, Calumpit, Hagonoy).

Under the orange rainfall warning level, flooding remains ‘threatening,’ especially in flood-prone areas.

Metro Manila and the following areas are placed under the yellow warning level, which could cause 7.5 to 15 mm of rainfall:

Cavite

Rizal

Nueva Ecija (San Antonio, Zaragoza, Licab, Aliaga, Jaen, Santa Rosa, San Leonardo, Penaranda, Gapan, San Isidro, Cabiao, Cabanatuan, Quezon, Guimba, Nampicuan, Cuyapo, General Tinio, Palayan)

Bulacan (Angat, Bocaue, Meycauayan, San Jose del Monte, Dona Remedios Trinidad, Marilao, Norzagaray, Obando, San Ildefonso, San Miguel, San Rafael, Santa Maria)

Batangas (Nasugbu, Lian, Calatagan, Balayan, Tuy, Talisay, Laurel, Calaca, Lemery, Tanauan, Santo Tomas)

Laguna (Cabuyao, Santa Rosa, Binan, San Pedro, Calamba, Los Banos).

Flooding in flood-prone areas is still possible in those under the yellow rainfall warning level.

Pagasa also reported that light to moderate rain is forecast to persist over the following areas within the next three hours:

Batangas (Agoncillo, Alitagtag, Balete, Batangas City, Bauan, Cuenca, Ibaan, Lipa, Lobo, Mabini, Malvar, Mataasnakahoy, Padre Garcia, Rosario, San Jose, San Juan, San Luis, San Nicolas, San Pascual, Santa Teresita, Taal, Taysan, Tingloy)

Quezon (Candelaria, Dolores, San Antonio, Sariaya, Tiaong, General Nakar, Tayabas, Infanta, Lucban, Lucena, Mauban, Pagbilao, Real, Sampaloc, Alabat, Burdeos, Jomalig, Padre Burgos, Panukulan, Patnanungan, Perez, Polillo, Quezon, Atimonan, Plaridel, Agdangan, Unisan)

Laguna (Alaminos, Bay, Calauan, Liliw, Luisiana, Magdalena, Majayjay, Nagcarlan, Pagsanjan, Pila, Rizal, San Pablo, Santa Cruz, Victoria, Cavinti, Famy, Kalayaan, Lumban, Mabitac, Paete, Pakil, Pangil, Santa Maria, Siniloan)

The weather bureau also noted that light to moderate rains are currently affecting areas in Nueva Ecija-such as Gabaldon, Laur, General Mamerto Natividad, Talavera, Santo Domingo, and Talugtug-rain may persist within three hours and may affect nearby areas

The pest infestation ravaging sugarcane farms in the country had worsened, with over 130,000 hectares (ha) now affected by the sap-sucking red striped soft-scale insect (RSSI), an increase of some 40,000 ha from a month ago.

The Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) is worried that the onset of the dry spell could increase the rate of infestation across farms.

As of Sept. 1, the SRA said that a total of 134,386.10 ha had been reported to be affected by RSSI, representing some 32 percent of the country’s sugarcane plantations.

Worst hit is Negros Occidental province, the country’s sugar bowl, with 95,140.92 ha affected, accounting for 71 percent of the nationwide total. With 19,444 ha affected in Negros Oriental province, the entire Negros Island accounts for 85 percent, or 114,584.92 ha, of RSSI-infested farms.

The SRA said 16,890.74 ha of sugarcane farms in other parts of Western Visayas were also infested with RSSI.

A month ago, the Department of Agriculture had estimated that the infestation had spread to some 93,898 ha-at least 22 percent-of 421,606 ha planted to sugarcane this crop year. Of this, 92,295 ha were in the Visayas, particularly Negros Island and Western Visayas.

Only some 2,274.51 ha of sugarcane farms in Mindanao, mainly in Bukidnon province, were hit by RSSI infestation and 753.93 ha in Luzon.

Of the total affected area reported as of Aug. 14, the SRA has validated 67,443.76 ha across 1,093 barangays, affecting 39,281 farmers.

The total RSSI-infested farms on Negros Island represent some 48 percent of the region’s sugarcane fields. So far, 58,374 ha of the infested farms on Negros Island have been validated across 896 barangays, affecting 34,130 farmers.

Controlling surge

The SRA said that while RSSI remains a significant threat to the sugar industry, coordinated government interventions have controlled its spread.

First detected in Pampanga province, RSSI damages sugarcane and aids the growth of black sooty mold. If left uncontrolled, the pest could reduce sugar content in infested sugarcane by as much as 50 percent.

The stabilization observed following the initial outbreak in 2025 indicates that surveillance, monitoring and integrated pest management strategies successfully slowed the progression of the infestation across affected areas.

The sharp increase in infestation recorded in June 2026 reflects both a resurgence of the pest and the result of intensified validation efforts, the SRA noted.

Rather than indicating a failure of previous interventions, this surge underscores the dynamic nature of RSSI outbreaks and the need for sustained vigilance, it added.

The SRA said that with the dry spell and heavy traffic of planting materials, among other factors, there can be ‘a very high exponential increase in RSSI cases.’

In response, the SRA has intensified field monitoring, validation, technical assistance and coordinated pest management operations to contain the renewed spread, protect unaffected plantations and minimize production losses.

Overall, the data emphasizes that continuous monitoring, early detection, rapid intervention and strong inter-agency collaboration remain essential to preventing widespread infestation and safeguarding sugarcane production, especially in the Visayas, it said.

Gov’t assistance

The SRA said that it has provided P9.2 million in insecticide assistance, P8 million of which was allocated to Negros Occidental.

Many local governments in Negros had shunned proposals for aggressive aerial spraying efforts due to environmental concerns. But ground-based chemical spraying as well as application of biocontrol have been undertaken.

Areas hardest hit by RSSI in Negros Occidental are the cities of Kabankalan, Cadiz, Sagay and Talisay and the town of La Castellana.

In Negros Oriental, worst hit are the cities of Bayawan, Bais and Canlaon and the towns of Mabinay and Manjuyod.

Earlier, SRA Administrator Pablo Luis Azcona estimated that if Negros Occidental lost 33,000 ha of sugarcane to the infestation, it could drag down national sugar output by up to 8 percent or a drop of some 150,000 metric tons of raw sugar

Three men linked to the March 2023 Pamplona massacre, which claimed the lives of former Negros Oriental Gov. Roel Degamo and nine others, have been convicted of illegal possession of firearms and explosives, Negros Oriental 3rd District Rep. Janice Degamo announced Thursday evening, Sept. 3.

In a statement posted on her official Facebook page, Degamo – the widow of the late governor – revealed that two of the convicted individuals were sentenced to reclusion perpetua, the maximum prison term under Philippine law.

‘Today, my heart carries both pain and hope,’ Degamo wrote. ‘For others, this may simply be another court decision. But for me, as Roel’s wife, it means so much more.’

While expressing gratitude to the courts, prosecutors and law enforcement agencies involved, the lawmaker emphasized that the ruling marks a crucial step toward broader accountability.

‘No court decision can bring Roel back. No sentence can undo the suffering that our families have endured,’ she said. ‘But today’s convictions are an important reminder that justice does not forget … Every conviction is a step forward.’

The March 4, 2023, attack in Pamplona, Negros Oriental, shocked the nation when armed men stormed the Degamo compound during an aid distribution event. The assault left the governor and nine others dead, with dozens of people wounded.

‘Roel was taken from us in an act of violence that also claimed the lives of many Negrenses and left many more wounded, grieving and traumatized,’ Degamo said. ‘For Roel, for all the victims and for all the families who continue to live with this loss, we will keep fighting. We owe it to them to never forget.’

She added: ‘We will never stop fighting for justice.’

The massacre also led to murder charges against former Negros Oriental congressman Arnolfo ‘Arnie’ Teves Jr., whom prosecutors have accused of being behind the assassination plot. Teves has denied involvement in the killing of Degamo and the other victims. The charges against him are separate from Thursday’s convictions for illegal possession of firearms and explosives

Globe Telecom company m360 was named the winner of a Gold Stevie® Award in the Most Innovative Tech Company of the Year category in The 23rd Annual International Business Awards® (IBAs).

A Communications Platform as a Service (CPaaS) provider under Brave Connective Holdings, Inc., m360’s innovation – a wallet-based, omnichannel Customer Engagement Platform – was recognized globally, positioning the Filipino-built CPaaS provider among the most innovative tech companies in the world in just five years since its founding in 2021.

The International Business Awards are the world’s premier business awards program. All individuals and organizations worldwide – public and private, for-profit and non-profit, large and small – are eligible to submit nominations. The 2026 IBAs received entries from organizations in 82 nations and territories.

Winners will be celebrated during a gala event at the Pullman Paris Montparnasse on Wednesday, 28 October.

‘This Gold win is a recognition of what our team has built – a platform designed to solve real problems for Filipino businesses. It’s proof that innovation doesn’t have to come from Silicon Valley to compete on the world stage. This belongs to every person at m360 who worked to get us here,’ said m360 President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Ramon Hirang.

m360 also brought home a Silver award at the 2025 International Stevie Awards under the Achievement in Product Innovation category.

World class innovation, made in the Philippines

In 2025, m360 launched two market-first products that addressed an infrastructure gap on how Philippine businesses can automate and monitor engagement in digital marketing campaigns.

Flows enables businesses to design and execute multi-step, multi-channel outbound messaging sequences entirely within m360, with zero third-party integration required – a capability previously accessible only through enterprise marketing automation suites that cost multiples of what m360 offers, and that require months of implementation.

Click Tracking delivers recipient-level engagement intelligence natively within the m360 broadcast dashboard – giving businesses real-time visibility into CTR, unique clicks per campaign, peak click timing by hourly intervals, device type breakdown, and geographic engagement down to the city level. What was once a one-way broadcast channel is now a measurable performance tool.

‘The CPaaS industry in the Philippines has historically been dominated by aggregators offering transmission – not intelligence. Businesses could send messages, but couldn’t measure engagement, automate follow-up, or optimize campaigns without layering on expensive external tools. m360’s 2024-2025 innovations directly address these gaps. Each product was built because the market needed it and no local provider had built it yet,’ said Mr. Hirang.

With clients spanning clinics, cooperatives, government agencies, banks, and retailers, m360 is bringing digital communication intelligence to every corner of the Philippine economy.

The 2026 International Business Awards

More than 3,400 nominations from organizations of all sizes and in virtually every industry were submitted this year for consideration in a wide range of categories, including Company of the Year, Marketing Campaign of the Year, Best New Product or Service of the Year, Startup of the Year, Corporate Social Responsibility Program of the Year, and Executive of the Year, among others.

Stevie Award nominations were evaluated by more than 200 business professionals worldwide serving as judges on 9 specialized committees. Stevie Award winners were determined based on judges’ average scores during the independent judging process in June and July.

‘The 2026 International Business Awards winners represent the very best in business achievement from organizations of all sizes and across virtually every industry,’ said Stevie Awards President Maggie Miller.

‘This year’s winners have demonstrated exceptional innovation, leadership, resilience, and results in a highly competitive global field. We congratulate every Stevie Award winner and look forward to celebrating their achievements together in Paris on October 28.’

The global pageant community was rocked by the sudden move of the 2026 Miss Grand International pageant to return to Thailand just two weeks before the delegates were set to arrive in India where the competition was supposed to take place.

And just hours after the surprise announcement was posted online, the organizers have already released the revised schedule of activities and events for the pageant’s staging in Thailand.

The delegates are expected to arrive on Sept. 18 and 19, and the customary special dinner with Miss Grand International President Nawat Itsaragrisil with the pre-arrival Top 10 will be on Sept. 19.

From Sept. 20 to 22, the delegates will have a tour of Bangkok to experience Thai food, attractions, and lifestyle, before the welcome ceremony and press conference scheduled on Sept. 23.

The ‘Grand Talent’ auditions will be conducted on Sept. 24, and then the delegates will have a tour of Nakhon Pathom on Sept. 25. On Sept. 26, the ladies will have their Phra Nakhon si Ayutthaya city tour.

The fan-favorite swimsuit competition will be on Sept. 29, while the closed-door interview will be conducted on Oct. 4. The much-awaited national costume competition and preliminary competition shows are scheduled on Oct. 7.

Reigning queen Emma Tiglao, the second Filipino woman to receive the pageant’s ‘golden crown,’ will relinquish her title to her successor who will be chosen at the ‘Grand Final’ on Oct. 10.

Reina Filipinas Angelica Lopez, a seasoned pageant contender who had already competed in two international contests, is representing the Philippines in this year’s competition. She is hoping to post a ‘three-peat’ for the country.

The Miss Grand International Organization said the decision to move the pageant back to Thailand was made following the Indian host committee’s failure to fulfill the commitments and standards they had agreed on.

‘Under the terms of the agreement, the host country is required to provide five-star hospitality and maintain five-star production standards throughout the competition,’ the organization said.

Amid the criticism he drew over his recent remarks on the peso, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Gov. Eli Remolona Jr. still found some allies.

One of them is veteran market analyst Jonathan Ravelas, senior adviser at Reyes Tacandong and Co.

In a social media post, Ravelas argued that ‘saving is not just a personal financial habit, it’s an economic strategy.’

Ravelas was weighing in on the backlash against Remolona’s Aug. 27 remarks before the Senate, where the central bank chief explained to Sen. Erwin Tulfo why the peso has been under pressure.

Remolona said raising the country’s savings rate could help strengthen the Philippines’ external position, particularly given Filipinos’ strong consumption culture.

Ravelas agreed that a nation that saves more would be better prepared to weather economic shocks.

But he added a caveat: ‘Saving alone is not enough.’

Households also need to spend wisely, invest in education and skills, support local businesses and hold institutions accountable, he said.

‘The path to a stronger economy starts not only in boardrooms and government offices, but around every Filipino family’s dining table,’ Ravelas said.

Perhaps, then, Remolona’s savings sermon has found a receptive audience after all. – Ian Nicolas P. Cigaral

AREIT brings in the big guns

AREIT Inc. is beefing up its capital markets expertise as the Ayala-backed real estate investment trust prepares for its next phase of expansion.

The company has appointed Eduardo Javier Carballo as chief operating officer effective Sept. 7. He will report directly to AREIT president and CEO Alberto de Larrazabal.

Carballo brings more than 25 years of experience in debt capital markets, treasury strategy, investment banking and large-scale financing across Asia-Pacific, the United States, Europe and emerging markets.

In previous regional leadership roles, he led about $20 billion in bond issuances and another $20 billion in loan financings.

Before joining AREIT, Carballo was managing director and head of debt capital markets for Southeast Asia and India at Credit Agricole Corporate and Investment Bank in Singapore from 2022 until June this year.

AREIT said the appointment would bolster its financing strategy, portfolio management, governance and organizational execution as it expands its portfolio and broadens its funding sources.

We need to build the capabilities to match our ambition and scale,’ De Larrazabal said, adding that Carballo’s capital markets experience would support AREIT’s long-term growth.