Category: Philippines Daily Inquirer

The Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) has refunded P19 billion in loan payments to more than 700,000 members as of end-August, putting it on track to breach the P20-billion mark ahead of the program’s deadline next month.

In a statement on Tuesday, GSIS said the refunds under the Balik Ginhawa programs covered nearly 1.3 million loan contracts.

The initiative released P19 billion in total, with P8.9 billion from Balik Ginhawa 1 and P10.1 billion from Balik Ginhawa 2.

The latest figure came nearly a month after GSIS said it had returned more than P18 billion in loan amortizations to qualified members and pensioners under the two programs.

GSIS first launched the program in April covering December 2025 to February 2026 payments, then expanded it in July to include March to May 2026. The program allows qualified members and pensioners to receive refunds for up to six months of eligible loan amortizations.

The enhanced program will remain open for applications until Oct. 31.

Unlike a traditional loan moratorium, regular loan deductions continued under the program, with qualified borrowers receiving refunds for eligible payments instead.

For instance, a government employee paying P20,000 a month in loan amortizations could receive the equivalent of up to P120,000 in refunds for six months of covered payments.

‘Balik Ginhawa is about putting money back into the hands of our members and letting them decide where their families need it most. That can make a real difference in a family’s life,’ GSIS President and General Manager Wick Veloso said.

‘We want every qualified member to benefit. There is still time to apply for Balik Ginhawa 2, and we encourage our members not to wait until the last minute,’ Veloso added

POCO, a leading technology brand among young tech enthusiasts, today unveiled POCO F9 Ultra and POCO F9 Pro, continuing the F Series’ legacy in the premium flagship market. Built for ultimate performance, POCO F9 Series delivers a major technological leap in gaming and brings all-round upgrades in display, imaging, and battery life, showcasing flagship excellence on every front. During the launch, POCO also announced the next chapter of its partnership with Bose, a global leader in audio, to deliver clear, immersive, and high-quality mobile audio experiences to users worldwide.

‘As POCO continues to strengthen its position in the premium flagship segment, we remain focused on challenging conventions through technologies and innovations,’ said Kang Lou, Senior Product Marketing Manager and Spokesperson at POCO Global. ‘With POCO F9 Ultra, we’re delivering ultimate performance through cutting-edge technologies and gaming innovations, while POCO F9 Pro brings together flagship gaming power and a well-balanced, versatile experience for more users. Together, POCO F9 Series is designed to meet the expectations of a more demanding and diverse audience, delivering peak performance and exceptional value.’

Ultra Performance Unleashes 185FPS Gaming Dominance

Performance stands at the core of POCO F9 Series, with its flagship dual-chip architecture raising the performance bar for all-round flagships. Both devices are built on Qualcomm’s latest flagship mobile platforms, delivering unmatched performance and speed across intensive multitasking, demanding workloads, and gaming. Leading the lineup, POCO F9 Ultra is powered by the Snapdragon® 8 Elite Gen 5 Mobile Platform and delivers an impressive AnTuTu score of 4,165,108-the highest ever recorded on a POCO smartphone. Taking charge of visual processing, for the first time in F Series, both models pair their flagship processors with the dedicated VisionBoost D8 chipset, enabling Smart frame rate at up to an industry-leading 185FPS. Moreover, Smart frame rate and AI Super resolution can run simultaneously, delivering smoother motion and sharper detail for a more lifelike gaming experience. POCO F9 Ultra also features ultra storage up to 1TB, providing ample space for all the games, apps, and media content without compromise.

Beyond hardware, POCO F9 Series integrates WildBoost Engine to further elevate the gaming experience. A standout capability is support for gaming at an ultra-high 185FPS. Compared with 120FPS, it delivers 65 more frames per second, and a refresh interval shortened by 3ms, allowing users to spot enemies earlier and react faster. This extreme fluidity is available natively across over 20 titles, while 5 additional games can reach 185FPS³ through Smart frame rate. Complementing this, Game Color Enhancement further enables precise tuning of game visuals for vivid graphics and enhanced scene details. Matching these visuals, a 4,800Hz instant touch sampling rate, 480Hz 10-point touch sampling rate, and an ultra-high 200Hz gyro sampling rate translate every tap, swipe, and tilt into fast, precise control.

POCO 3D IceLoop cooling system rounds out the performance experience, helping the entire lineup remain smooth and stable for longer-even during demanding gaming sessions.

Immersive Visuals, Refined by Design

POCO F9 Series features ultra-high 185Hz POCO HyperRGB AMOLED displays, delivering exceptionally fluid visuals across various scenarios. POCO F9 Ultra opens up the experience on an expansive 6.9-inch screen, while POCO F9 Pro packs the same flagship display technology into a more compact 6.59-inch form factor for comfortable handling. At the heart of both displays is POCO HyperRGB technology. Its full RGB subpixel structure makes full use of every red, green, and blue subpixel to deliver crisp, vibrant visuals comparable to a 2K display, while consuming less power. The lineup also marks the global debut of the new M11 luminescent material, enabling up to 4,500 nits of peak brightness across multiple scenarios and 10,000 nits for HDR content, bringing dazzling highlights, deeper contrast, and finer detail to every scene.

Comfort matters as much as clarity. POCO F9 Series introduces Xiaomi Vision Care, POCO’s first comprehensive eye care solution, achieving TÜV Rheinland Quadruple Eye Care certification. Whether it’s a long reading session, back-to-back videos, or a late-night scroll, POCO F9 Series helps to ease eye fatigue.

Both models embrace a refined, premium design language with a sophisticated look and feel. POCO F9 Ultra introduces a dynamic light on the back, offering personalized effects for incoming calls, notifications, gaming, and music, while giving the device a distinctive visual signature. POCO F9 Pro brings POCO’s first full-panel luminous design to the Aurora Green variant, producing a soft, even glow in darkness after exposure to sunlight or indoor lighting, and allowing users to create their own luminous patterns with a blue-violet laser pointer.

Sound by Bose Technology: Deepening the Partnership for Premium Mobile Acoustics

POCO F9 Series takes the premium audio experience further through state-of-the-art hardware and software, as well as joint acoustic tuning powered by Sound by Bose technology. POCO F9 Ultra combines dual symmetrical 1115D master-grade stereo speakers with an ultra-large 1620 independent subwoofer to create a true 2.1-channel audio experience, delivering a more stable sound image, deeper bass, and a wider soundstage. Alternatively, POCO F9 Pro features dual symmetrical 1115F super-linear stereo speakers paired with a Sealed Cavity Design, producing rich midrange, crisp high frequencies, and finely rendered detail across the full frequency range.

Beyond hardware, two professionally tuned sound profiles are available across the lineup, offering distinct listening experiences: ‘Dynamic’ for authentic and full bass character, and ‘Balanced’ for overall balanced and pure vocals. Furthermore, Sound by Bose powered tuning delivers detailed sound at low volumes and distortion-free sound at high volumes, restoring an authentic listening experience at every volume level.

This collaboration also brings a new mobile gaming experience to both devices with the all-new Game audio mode. It increases footstep loudness for clearer directional awareness, while retaining the layered detail of gunfire, voices, and other in-game effects. As a result, players can identify critical audio cues more easily, pinpoint their direction more accurately, and stay fully immersed in the game.

Ultra Battery Capacity Meets Full-Speed HyperCharge

POCO F9 Series delivers exceptional real-world endurance engineered for power users. POCO F9 Ultra features the largest battery ever in the POCO F Series-a class-leading 8,050mAh (typ) battery with 16% silicon-carbon content that ensures high energy density in a streamlined form factor, providing reliable 2-day battery life. POCO F9 Pro houses a substantial 6,330mAh (typ) battery, ensuring all-day battery life while maintaining a compact profile.

The versatile HyperCharge system combines 100W wired and 50W wireless HyperCharge across the entire lineup, delivering rapid power recovery. Both models also support industry-leading 27W wired and 22.5W wireless reverse charging, turning the phone into a convenient power source for other devices.

POCO’s First 200MP Ultra-Clear Imaging with Flagship Versatility

Taking a major step forward in imaging, POCO F9 Series introduces POCO’s first-ever 200MP ultra-clear camera system, equipped with OIS across both models. A dedicated 200MP mode captures exceptional detail, unlocking greater creative freedom in cropping, reframing, and post-capture editing. Complementing the rear setup, a crisp 32MP front camera ensures every self-portrait remains sharp and refined.

For long-range shooting, POCO F9 Ultra features a flagship 5x periscope telephoto camera that brings distant subjects into sharp, effortless focus. Together with 10x lossless zoom and 20x AI Ultra Zoom, it captures sharp, jitter-free detail across every scenario. Alternatively, POCO F9 Pro features a 50MP 2.5x floating telephoto camera that focuses from as close as 10cm, moving effortlessly from super macro close-ups to faraway landscapes. Across the entire lineup, Live cinematography brings a cinematic touch to video with 4K ultra HD capture, automated focal transitions, and fluid lens shifts that turn everyday moments into compelling visual stories.

Product availability

The POCO F9 Series is available through Shopee, with the Early Bird promo running from September 1-16, 2026, which comes with a FREE REDMI Buds 8 Active, 1+1 Years Warranty and up to 6 months screen replacement when you go to any Xiaomi Service Center. On top of the Early Bird Promo, users may avail of the Shopee Rebate and get save even more.

POCO F9 Ultra is available in two colors: Dark Cherry and Black, and comes in three variants:

12GB+256GB: Php 55,999 SRP | Php 45,999 Early Bird Price | Php 41,920 with Shopee Rebate

16GB+512GB: Php 59,999 SRP | Php 48,999 Early Bird Price | Php 44,600 with Shopee Rebate

16GB+1024GB: Php 89,999 SRP | Php 79,999 Early Bird Price | Php 73,600 with Shopee Rebate

POCO F9 Pro is available in three colors: White, Aurora Green, and Black, and comes in two variants:

12GB+256GB: Php 49,999 SRP | Php 33,999 Early Bird Price | Php 30,600 with Shopee Rebate | Php 29,300 with Lazada Rebate

12GB+512GB: Php 54,999 SRP | Php 35,999 Early Bird Price | Php 32,400 with Shopee Rebate | Php 31,500 with Lazada Rebate

*Availability may vary by countries/regions, you may consult third-party shopping websites for more purchasing options.

*Available storage and RAM are less than the total memory due to storage of the operating system and software pre-installed on the device.

Price and availability vary between markets and sales channels. Please refer to mi.com for product availability and detailed regional sales information.

House Speaker Faustino ‘Bojie’ G. Dy III rallied members and employees of the lower chamber on Tuesday to continue working together to build a ‘Bagong Kongreso,’ a better Congress that would restore public trust in the institution.

Dy made the statement during a surprise birthday activity organized by House leaders, officials, and employees.

‘Mapalad po ako sapagkat ang mga naging kasama ko ay hindi tayo sumuko – lumaban tayo. Lumaban tayo ibangon ang Kongreso. Salamat sa tiwala,’ Dy said.

(‘I’m lucky for having you with me, and we did not surrender – we fought. We fought to lift Congress. Thank you for your trust.’)

The speaker, who turned 65 on Aug. 31, stressed that much work remained to be done and urged everyone in the House to remain committed to doing what is right and rebuilding confidence in Congress.

‘Mahaba pa ang laban natin. Nakakapag-umpisa pa lang tayo. Pero dapat lalo nating ipaglaban ang tama at ipaglaban natin na ibangon ang Kongreso sa tulong ng bawat isa,’ said the House chief.

(‘We have a long battle ahead. We have just started. But we have to fight more for what is right, and we have to help each other fight to raise Congress.’)

‘Palakasin pa natin yung ating paniniwala na kayang-kaya nating ibangon ang Bagong Kongreso,’ he said.

(‘Let’s strengthen our trust in each other that we can raise the New Congress.’)

Since assuming the speakership, Dy has pushed for a ‘Bagong Kongreso’ anchored on transparency, accountability, institutional reform, and concrete results for the Filipino people.

He has consistently stressed collective responsibility for strengthening Congress, calling for members and employees to put public service and the welfare of the people above political and personal differences.

Pampanga Gov. Lilia Pineda asserted that she is ‘focused on disaster response’ instead of minding criticisms over her wearing a branded raincoat while inspecting a damaged dike in Lubao town.

She made known her priority after apologizing in a television interview on Monday night.

‘Kung nagkamali kami sa ganoong attire namin, sorry,’ the governor said, referring to herself and her son, Vice Gov. Dennis Pineda.

(If we made a mistake in wearing such attire, sorry.)

She said she respected her critics’ opinions, adding that their comments were a ‘wake-up call to me.’ She added that she and her son do not wear branded clothes every day.

On social media, several netizens accused the Pinedas of being insensitive to the poverty around them. Some comments were disrespectful and below the belt.

Supporters of Pineda, called by locals ‘Governor Nanay,’ took to social media to defend her, citing her programs on health, education, agriculture and job creation.

‘It is my mandate to focus now on disaster response. I cannot be distracted. I need to prioritize the delivery of services to 296 flooded villages in 19 local towns and the capital and 1.2 million people,’ the governor told the Inquirer in a phone interview.

The Pampanga Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office reported P1.3 billion in losses to crops, fisheries, machinery and facilities.

Paul Pangilinan Corpus, an educator who finished his degree under the Capitol’s scholarship program, posted his observation that ‘trolls were at work’ against the Pinedas because they had ‘almost uniform content,’ referring to a common pubmat (card) and captions. ‘Some showed to be valid remarks,’ Corpus said.

Reached by phone in San Simon, where a flood retention wall was breached, Vice Gov. Pineda declined to comment on the criticisms.

‘Nagseserbisyo po kami ni Governor Nanay sa mga Kapampangan. Sana yun po ang makita nila,’ he said.

(Governor Nanay and I are serving our fellow Kapampanga. I hope that’s what they see.)

Pampanga was the ‘hardest hit’ province by the monsoon rains and recent typhoons, according to Office of Civil Defense Administrator Undersecretary Harold Cabreros, who conducted an aerial inspection on Monday.

The Senate finance committee may reassign the agencies currently under the watch of Sen. Loren Legarda to other vice chairpersons if she remains on extended medical leave for the remainder of the budget hearings, panel chairperson Sen. JV Ejercito said Tuesday.

According to Ejercito, Legarda was informed of her assigned agencies and departments, which primarily concern culture, history, and the environment.

‘I did get a response from her, but we will see. She’s on extended medical leave. But if it really can’t be managed, then we will just make the proper adjustments,’ he said in a press briefing.

Legarda is among the eight vice chairpersons of the finance committee, which is tasked with scrutinizing the proposed 2027 national budget.

Legarda first filed a medical leave on Aug. 3, days after Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla announced that she, her son, Batangas Rep. Leandro Leviste, and former Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi were being investigated for plunder and graft.

The investigation concerns projects that Leviste’s solar power company committed to undertake but allegedly failed to accomplish under the franchise awarded by the government.

Since then, Legarda has filed medical leaves on Aug. 3 to 5, Aug. 11 to 12, and Aug. 17 to 19, later extending the last one until Sept. 2.

She just said ‘Thank you’

When asked whether Legarda had communicated when she would return, Ejercito said he had no additional information.

‘When I last texted her, when I sent her the agencies and departments assigned to her, she just said thank you. She didn’t mention anything else for now. All I know is that she’s on extended medical leave,’ he said.

Ejercito said the committee would make the necessary adjustments if Legarda is unable to participate in the budget hearings.

‘Perhaps we will have to divide the agencies among the different vice chairmen just in case she is unable to attend because of her medical leave,’ he added. ‘If there really is no choice, and if I am not the one to handle them, I will ask the other vice chairpersons to take on some of the agencies because it really won’t be manageable.’

Schedule of budget hearings

The possible reassignment comes as the Senate prepares for the September-October budget season, with the finance committee set to hold hearings throughout the two months, possibly simultaneously with plenary sessions, Ejercito said.

For the duration of the hearings, Senate rooms will be largely reserved for the panel’s proceedings.Other Senate committees would hold their hearings at the Philippine International Convention Center.

By November, the finance panel aims to have begun drafting its committee reports, Ejercito said.

The Inquirer sought comment from Legarda’s camp regarding the matter but has yet to receive a response as of posting time.

The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) Revenue Region No. 6, which covers the City of Manila and Palawan, destroyed 240,550 illicit vape products with an estimated tax liability of P1.539 billion on Aug. 24 at the Digama Waste Management Facility in Porac, Pampanga.

‘Enforcement does not end with seizure. We must permanently remove illicit vape products from the market and hold accountable those behind their illegal manufacture, importation, distribution, and sale,’ BIR Commissioner Charlito Martin R. Mendoza said in a statement on Tuesday.

According to Revenue Region No. 6 Regional Director Remir Macatangay, BIR Manila has expanded its enforcement operations from individual retail establishments to warehouses.

‘We started with retail stores and expanded to warehouses. This led to our operation against Tap Fog Philippines, the largest single illicit vape enforcement operation conducted by the BIR to date. Some of the products seized in that operation were among those destroyed today,’ Macatangay said.

The destruction, the BIR statement said, should send a clear message: ‘Neither unlawful traders nor unfavorable weather conditions can hinder the BIR’s commitment to safeguarding government revenue, protecting compliant businesses, and keeping illicit vape products out of the market.’

Ahead of the peak holiday sales season, a leading group of Philippine retailers is renewing its push for the government to scrap the longstanding de minimis rule, which allows imported goods valued below P10,000 to enter the country free of duties and taxes.

Philippine Retailers Association (PRA) chair Roberto Claudio Sr. said the group had already raised its concerns with government agencies, including the Department of Finance (DOF) and Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), as well as Congress, but has yet to secure a firm commitment to review the rule.

Claudio, founder of sporting goods giant Toby’s Sports, warned that some traditional retailers have closed or lost sales amid what he described as an uneven playing field that favors foreign online merchants over their domestic counterparts.

Even the government stands to lose tax revenues under the de minimis rule, he added.

In its position paper submitted to the DOF in March, the PRA estimated that of Philippine e-commerce’s P287 billion value in 2023, about P57.4 billion worth of goods could be entering the country annually under the de minimis threshold.

‘For so long as this situation exists, we are losing business to the online foreign merchants. So in the coming years, the government will suffer reduced taxes and duties revenue from the traditional retail players for so long as the de minimis rule exists,’ Claudio said in a message to the Inquirer.

PRA president Alice Liu said the impact of the rule could become more pronounced during the holiday season, a crucial sales period for retailers that are already grappling with mounting cost pressures.

As such, Liu and Claudio said the PRA now wants the de minimis rule abolished for commercial shipments. This marks a shift from the group’s earlier position that the government should first lower the threshold because removing it completely would be ‘too aggressive of a step.’

‘Lowering the threshold amount will not solve the problem of fake and counterfeit products sold in almost all the marketplaces in the Philippines. We are proposing the complete abolition of the de minimis rule,’ Claudio said.

While Liu acknowledged that removing the exemption may be ‘unpopular’ with Filipino consumers because it could make some imported goods more expensive, she argued that the trade-off would be worth it if it helps protect jobs across the Philippine retail industry.

According to the PRA, the retail industry accounts for an estimated 16 percent to 18 percent of gross domestic product, employs 10 million to 12 million Filipinos and pays P780 billion in taxes.

‘We have to look beyond the immediate cost of an individual transaction and consider the broader economic impact,’ Liu told the Inquirer.

Looking ahead, Liu said she remained hopeful that the country’s economic managers would consider removing the rule to level the playing field between foreign and domestic retailers. ‘Government sometimes has to make policy decisions that balance immediate consumer benefits against the country’s longer-term economic interests,’ she said. ‘We believe this is one of those instances.’

Nxled swept defending champion PLDT, 25-19, 25-22, 25-20, to barge into the win column in the PVL Invitational Conference on Tuesday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Licking the wounds of their four-set loss to Creamline less than 24 hours ago, the Chameleons found a much-needed spark from MJ Phillips and Lyann De Guzman to tie their victims at 1-1.

Phillips, a two-time Finals MVP, fired four aces, eight spikes, and a block, while De Guzman came off the bench with 10 points and nine digs.

The Filipino-American middle blocker nailed three aces and connected with De Guzman’s clutch kills for an 8-0 run and a 22-16 lead.

De Guzman and Jovelyn Fernandez sent Nxled to match point, 24-19, before Leila Cruz’s attack error sealed their win.

‘I think that simply confirms that we are playing pretty good volleyball. Yesterday, I should say that we played another pretty good match. We’re getting better,’ said Nxled coach Ettore Guidetti. ‘Today, definitely, the block and defense has worked better compared to yesterday. We served really, really much better. And this is a connection that helps a lot if you want to win against a very good team.’

Myla Pablo also stepped up with 12 points, highlighted by three blocks, and tallied nine digs as they continued to miss Brooke Van Sickle due to a shoulder injury. Jonah Sabete-Escamillan had nine points and 15 excellent receptions, while setter Gel Cayuna made 15 excellent sets on top of three points.

Nxled has a day to recover before facing EST Cola of Thailand on Thursday, while PLDT seeks to bounce back against Ho Chi Minh City of Vietnam.

Savi Davison, coming off a 30-point performance in a victory over Thailand’s EST Cola on Monday, stayed hot with 20 points and 16 excellent receptions, but not enough to lift PLDT, which had 21 errors. Mika Reyes chipped in eight points.

Pump prices dropped in the first week of September, with Seaoil’s gasoline price reduced by 32 centavos per liter while its diesel and kerosene prices were cut by P3.83 and P3.84, respectively.

Shell Pilipinas said kerosene and diesel prices decreased by P3.80 while its gasoline prices fell by 30 centavos.

Jetti Petroleum’s diesel and gasoline prices went down by P3.90 and 40 centavos.

But prices of liquefied petroleum gas may increase by P3 per kilogram this month following the peso’s weakening and higher shipping costs, according to LPG Marketers Association founder Arnel Ty.

Leo Bellas, Jetti Petroleum president, said the lower prices could be attributed to renewed hopes for an end to the Middle East conflict.

Tropical depression Pilandok intensified into a tropical storm (international name: Krovanh) on Tuesday morning, according to the state weather bureau.

In its latest tropical cyclone formation outlook update issued at 10 a.m., the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said that Pilandok developed into a tropical storm as of 8 a.m. inside the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR).

Pilandok slightly gained strength with a maximum wind speed of 65 kilometers per hour (kph) and gustiness of up to 80 kph.

It was last located 1,060 kilometers east of extreme Northern Luzon as of 8 a.m.

3 weather disturbances

Meanwhile, three other weather disturbances are being monitored outside the PAR.

Tropical Storm Saudel was last spotted some 900 kilometers west of extreme Northern Luzon with a maximum wind speed of 65 kph and gustiness of up to 90 kph.

Pagasa also said that another tropical depression weakened into a low pressure area (LPA) and is unlikely to redevelop into a tropical cyclone within the next 24 hours.

Meantime, an LPA outside the country has a medium chance of developing into a tropical depression within the next 24 hours.