Category: Philippines Daily Inquirer

Due to the southwest monsoon, or ‘habagat,’ state meteorologists warned of heavy rainfall of up to 200 millimeters in 23 Luzon provinces on Sunday.

In its 5 a.m. outlook, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said an orange rainfall warning was in effect over Ilocos Sur, Pangasinan, La Union, Benguet, Bataan, Zambales, Tarlac and Pampanga.

Under an orange rainfall warning, these areas are expected to experience 100 to 200 millimeters of rain in the next 24 hours.

Meanwhile, a yellow rainfall warning was hoisted over Metro Manila, Ilocos Norte, Abra, Apayao, Kalinga, Ifugao, Mountain Province, Nueva Vizcaya, Nueva Ecija, Bulacan, Rizal, Cavite, Laguna, Batangas and Occidental Mindoro.

These areas are anticipated to receive 50 to 100 millimeters of rain within the day.

According to Pagasa, three weather systems are being observed inside the Philippine area of responsibility.

These are Tropical Depression Sauder, formerly Obet, which is not directly affecting the country; a low-pressure area east of extreme northern Luzon; and the monsoon.

‘Right now, the southwest monsoon or habagat is still the main weather system affecting the country, particularly parts of Luzon. A large part of the western section of Luzon has been affected by the cloudiness brought by the southwest monsoon,’ Pagasa weather specialist Obet Badrina reported

The Human Organ Preservation Effort of the National Kidney and Transplant Institute (HOPE-NKTI) is encouraging the public to become organ donors for the more than 500 individuals in the country currently in need of a transplant.

According to Dr. Anthony Russel Villanueva, head of HOPE-NKTI, the average number of deceased organ donors in the hospital is ‘not increasing,’ with only around 10 to 12 per year.

On the other hand, he said, there are now more than 500 patients in need of an organ transplant, based on the NKTI data from 2025.

Villanueva also reported that there were 64,000 new dialysis patients in the country in 2024.

The number of dialysis patients tend to increase by around 10 percent to 15 percent each year, with most of them qualifying for a kidney transplant, he added.

Culture factor

‘The demand is high but the number of our organ donors is low, so we really need the help of everyone for advocacy. So that it would be in our culture to donate,’ Villanueva told reporters on Friday.

‘In other countries, it’s a great honor for them to donate. When you become an organ donor, you are a hero to the community. Hopefully we can have that same mindset,’ he added.

To become an organ donor, the public can sign up by scanning the QR code that can be accessed through the HOPE-NKTI’s official Facebook page.

Villanueva explained that HOPE-NKTI deals with deceased organ donations, which involves patients who have already been declared as ‘brain dead.’ Aside from organs, he said, bones and tissues, including corneas, can also be donated to help not just those with illnesses but also persons with disabilities.

One challenge

But before any organ can be donated, consent must be secured first from the family of the potential donor, he stressed, adding:

‘By our experience, even if it’s in your license that you are an organ donor, we still need the consent of the legal next of kin.’

Villanueva acknowledged that obtaining such consent can be challenging. ‘Because we are (usually) an extended family, sometimes a sibling has already agreed but they want to wait for their sister’s or mother’s [agreement].’

‘When it takes time, that is a challenge because of the viability of the organ. From brain death, there will come a time where the heart stops, and by then [the organ] is no longer viable for donation,’ he explained.

To prevent this problem, Villanueva urged those who are planning to become organ donors to speak with their family regarding their decision.

‘They are really the ones who decide. Maybe you consented in your personal [capacity], but of course, the family’s [consent] is still needed,’ he said.

Floods and landslides triggered by monsoon rains and enhanced by four weather disturbances so far this month have left more than 30 people dead, mostly in Luzon, authorities said.

Nine Aetas in Zambales and Pampanga and two workers at Subic Bay Freeport were among the latest fatalities confirmed on Saturday.

A lahar warning was also issued on Saturday for communities in Pampanga, where the devastation of the 1991 Mt. Pinatubo eruption remains indelible in local memory. This time, however, the threat of ‘noneruption lahar’ is not due to volcanic activity but to heavy rains letting deposits of pyroclastic material loose on local rivers.

A section of the decades-old Aquino Bridge in Tarlac province collapsed Friday night. Public works officials traced the cause of the structural damage to the strong currents of Tarlac River.

This month alone saw four tropical cyclones entering the Philippine area of responsibility, with the latest, Typhoon Obet,(international name: Saudel), being the 15th for the year.

In August 2025, the country by then had experienced only the ninth cyclone of the year, Isang (Kajiki). Benguet landslides

The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) on Saturday placed the death toll due to weather-induced calamities at 32, starting the count from ‘Luis’ (Peilou) which made landfall on Aug. 3. After Luis was ‘Maymay’ (Kujiri) on Aug. 5 and ‘Neneng’ (Gaenari) on Aug. 18 but no landfall and ‘Obet’ on Aug 24, also no landfall.

At least 8 million people, or 2.3 million families, have been affected across 10 regions, the OCD said.

Among provinces, Benguet recorded the highest number of deaths with 15, all from landslides. Ten of them were in Baguio City, three in Atok town and two in La Trinidad.

Four deaths were recorded in Rizal province, with two of them due to a rockslide in Rodriguez town. One person was pinned to death by a fallen tree in Antipolo, while another drowned in Binangonan.

Batangas province recorded four deaths: one drowned in Batangas City and another in Mabini, one was electrocuted in Lipa, and another was killed in a landslide in Santa Teresita.

The other fatalities were recorded in the provinces of La Union, Quezon, Oriental Mindoro, Occidental Mindoro, and Negros Occidental, and in Caloocan City.

At least 19 people have been injured, including 12 in Benguet province.

Three people remained missing: one each in Quezon City, Manila and Batangas City.

Infra, agri damage

The affected regions as of Saturday were Regions 1, 2, 3, 5, 6 and 9, as well as the Cordillera Administrative Region, Calabarzon, the National Capital Region and Mimaropa (Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon, and Palawan).

Some 25,800 people from 7,500 families were staying in 297 evacuation centers.

The OCD said about 2,900 houses had been damaged, including 349 classified as totally damaged.

Damage to infrastructure was estimated at P6.11 billion, while agricultural losses were placed at P2.32 billion.

At least 117 local government units have declared a state of calamity, with the government releasing P1.65 billion worth of relief assistance, the OCD added.

Communities along the river systems draining Mt. Pinatubo were placed on heightened alert around 11 a.m. on Saturday, after the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) warned that heavy rains could generate noneruption lahars.

Aeta passengers

Major rivers on the western side of Mt. Pinatubo still hold significant deposits from the volcano’s 1991 pyroclastic density currents, mainly mixtures of ash and rock fragments.

The potential lahar flow is likely to be confined to the upper to middle reaches of the Sto. Tomas-Marella and Bucao river systems, but could turn into muddy streamflows and flooding downstream, affecting communities in San Marcelino, San Narciso, San Felipe and Botolan.

They are among the river systems covered by a government dredging project that has been going on for the last six years.

Nine members of Aeta communities, including five children, have died in two separate incidents in Zambales and Pampanga.

In Zambales, recovered on Saturday were the bodies of two children, age 3 and 8, who went missing after a boat carrying 13 Aeta passengers capsized on Wednesday in Mapanuepe Lake in San Marcelino town.

The search was still ongoing at press time for the last missing passenger, a 26-year-old pregnant woman.

In Pampanga, a 73-year-old Aeta man died in a landslide at Barangay Pidpid in Porac town on Friday, according to Vice Gov. Dennis Pineda.

The landslide occurred about 20 kilometers south of Mt. Pinatubo amid persistent rains.

Pineda said at least 30 Aeta families had been relocated to the Pio evacuation center near the Porac town proper as a precaution.

Subic incident

At the Subic Bay Freeport, two people died and two others were injured after being buried in a landslide at Tipo High-Tech Park on Saturday.

Initial reports from the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Law Enforcement Department identified the dead as Peng Jiahan, 26, a Chinese national and a sales and marketing supervisor at Fubong Environmental Technology; and Ernesto Ramos, a Filipino dump truck driver.

Details regarding the two injured victims were still being verified as of press time.

Earlier, the SBMA reported that a ‘soil erosion incident’ occurred at Tipo due to nonstop heavy rains

Four people were missing and another was rescued after a sport utility vehicle (SUV) plunged into a river when the Agana Bridge in Tarlac City collapsed Saturday night, Aug. 29, authorities said.

Nathaniel Dion, 20, was rescued shortly after the incident as authorities launched a search for the four other passengers.

The missing passengers were identified as Shanen Tuhao, 26; Paul Harvey Collado, 30, the SUV owner; James Harvey Taborlupa, 35; and Shiel Mae Taborlupa.

The Agana Bridge had been serving as an alternative route after the middle portion of the Aquino Bridge in Tarlac City collapsed shortly before midnight Friday, Aug. 28, amid heavy rains brought by the southwest monsoon.

Authorities continued search and rescue operations for the missing passengers as heavy rains persisted in the province.

The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) and Ateneo de Manila University have urged banks and other financial institutions to use the country’s National ID Authentication Services (Nidas) to verify customers during a forum earlier this month.

The National ID Forum: Utilizing the National ID for Financial Services gathered 45 representatives from banks and other BSP-supervised financial institutions.

Meanwhile, the forum took place as the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) considers asking banks and other regulated financial institutions to link their customer verification systems to the National ID database and use NIDAS for identity checks.

Additionally, Nidas enables financial institutions to verify customer identities using National ID records. It supports Know Your Customer (KYC) requirements for account opening and other financial services.

For his part, PSA Officer-in-Charge Assistant National Statistician Atty. Henedine P. Palabras said the National ID can improve access to financial services by giving Filipinos a reliable way to prove their identity.

‘For many Filipinos, access to financial services starts with one essential need: a trusted way to prove their identity,’ Palabras said.

At the same time, the forum featured discussions on how NIDAS works and how banks can integrate their systems with it. In addition, representatives from the BSP Financial Inclusion Office joined a panel discussion.

Meanwhile, Ateneo faculty member Gerald G. Divinagracia presented a KYC process map. Technical Resource Lab Director Richard P. Lozada also showed an AI-assisted National ID validation application.

Additionally, the push comes as more banks adopt the National ID in their services. On August 27, the PSA announced a partnership with Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) letting customers verify their identity and open accounts using a selfie matched against National ID records.

PSA said it will continue working with financial institutions and government agencies to expand NIDAS use and support safer digital transactions and wider access to financial services.

The Philippines is poised to record the highest rate of people experiencing food insecurity in Southeast Asia this year despite a better forecast a decade from now, according to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).

The Global Food Assessment (GFA) report of the USDA’s Economic Research Service released Aug. 26 shows the Philippines having an estimated 15.4 million food-insecure people, equivalent to 12.6 percent of its population.

But Indonesia topped the list with 32.1 million food-insecure individuals, representing 11.2 percent of its total population.

The USDA publishes its GFA report annually to assess food demand in 83 low and middle-income countries, including the Philippines. It also monitors each country’s ability to meet this demand from its own production and local sources.

‘The resulting gap between local food availability and food demand helps identify potential markets for US agricultural products,’ the report said.

The US agency said the Philippines’ per-capita food gap-or the difference between the 2,100 kilocalorie (kcal) threshold and the average calorie availability for food insecure people-is also the most critical at 294 kcal per day. The threshold is the kcal needed for a healthy diet.

Yet despite its continued population growth, the Philippines is expected to reduce its overall rate of food insecurity over the next 10 years due to rising incomes and economic growth, the USDA said.

PH population, GDP forecast

According to the report, the projected number of food-insecure individuals in the country will decline to 5.7 million by 2036 or 4.1 percent of the population.

The Philippine population is anticipated to reach 138.7 million by 2036, a 13.8-percent increase from 121.9 million in 2026. This reflects an annual growth rate of 1.3 percent.

Still, the country’s food gap is seen to narrow to 243 kcal per day over the decade.

The USDA also estimated the Philippines’ gross domestic product (GDP) to reach $789.49 billion, surging by 85.5 percent from $425.63 billion in 2026.

Moreover, the report noted that the per-capita GDP is projected to reach $5,691 in 2036 from $3,899 in 2026.

On a regional basis, USDA said Southeast Asia will exhibit the most significant improvement in food security within Asia, expecting a reduction of 72.4 percent in the number of food-insecure individuals between 2026 and 2036.

‘By 2036, only 2.5 percent of the population in this subregion is projected to be food insecure, compared to 9.9 percent in 2026,’ the report said.

In a social media-crazed country such as the Philippines, e-commerce has grown by leaps and bounds, overcoming even the constraints of an archipelagic market where distance and logistics have long complicated the movement of goods.

But for one homegrown e-commerce giant, that growth, driven largely by the emergence of platforms such as Shopee, Lazada and TikTok Shop, may pale in comparison with what could come next when artificial intelligence (AI) enters the picture.

And that does not mean simply automating responses on shopping apps.

Great Deals E-Commerce Corp., a homegrown e-commerce enabler that helps brands sell their products online, believes the next big opportunity lies in ‘AI commerce’-where AI agents do the selling and, eventually, even help consumers do the buying.

‘As of now, humans are still better sellers than AI. But that does not mean AI cannot sell. It can sell. It can produce revenue,’ Great Deals founder and CEO Steve Sy says as he scrolls through an e-commerce feed populated by both human livestreamers and AI agents modeled after the looks and voices of actual employees.

Banking on that potential, Great Deals is already positioning itself for what Sy describes as the ‘next frontier’ of Philippine e-commerce.

Inside the company’s otherwise unassuming headquarters in Quezon City, there is already a nook lined with computers and monitors churning out round-the-clock livestreams featuring AI-generated sellers hawking products on digital shopping platforms.

Automated live-selling

Great Deals currently has around 20 AI livestreamers, alongside about 50 human live-sellers. Sy says the company wants to increase the number of AI sellers to about 60 by the end of the year.

And that is not simply an attempt to ride the AI boom. Sy prides himself on being an early adopter of the technology and sees a practical use for it in a business where keeping products in front of shoppers for longer can translate into sales.

While he acknowledges that human sellers remain better at appealing to shoppers on a personal level, Sy says AI can do something people cannot: keep selling continuously.

On a single account on one platform, a Great Deals AI livestreamer generated P730,217 in sales over 241 hours.

But Sy also notes the apprehension about the technology, including among some of the brands that Great Deals serves. The company, therefore, makes it explicit when a livestreamer or piece of content is AI-generated rather than human-made.

Not humans vs AI

Within Great Deals itself, however, Sy takes pride in cultivating an AI-receptive workplace where people are not pitted against machines.

‘We have a blended culture,’ Sy says. ‘It’s human talent plus an AI-powered assistant. It’s not just a workflow; AI agents are teammates already.’

And while Great Deals’ AI live-selling push was introduced only this year, it is already adding another revenue stream to a business headed for what could be another banner year in 2026.

According to the company, it had already generated P10.6 billion in revenues in the first seven months of 2026, up 28 percent from a year earlier. Gross profit grew even faster at 34 percent, while operating expenses retreated by 11 percent.

With that performance, Great Deals is targeting P20 billion in revenues for the full year, which will surpass the record-high P15.4 billion recorded in 2025.

‘We had our best year last year. And then, this year is going to be better,’ Sy says.

That will continue the e-commerce company’s rapid expansion from P4.4 billion in revenues in 2020 and about P12.4 billion in 2024. Great Deals ultimately wants to grow revenues to P100 billion by 2030.

It sells products for more than 500 brands across e-commerce platforms such as Shopee, Lazada and TikTok Shop. Among its largest clients are Nestlé, PandG, NutriAsia, Del Monte, Unilever and Maybelline New York.

Regional expansion

Even with its rapid growth, Sy says another fundraising round remains on the table as Great Deals looks beyond the Philippines and aims to add more ‘firepower’ to acquire larger companies as it expands across the Asia-Pacific region.

Recall that in 2021, Great Deals secured $30 million in a Series B funding round led by local logistics major FAST Group of the Chiongbian family. Before that, in 2020, it secured $12 million in Series A funding from private equity firm Navegar.

Sy says the company could pursue a Series C round once it has acquired two to three companies, which he says would demonstrate that its acquisition and integration strategy works. The intent is to raise more than $100 million, he says.

An initial public offering (IPO) likewise remains part of its longer-term plans, although Sy stresses the timing and venue will depend on market conditions.

‘We do have ambitions to be listed. We want to have an IPO in the future, definitely,’ Sy says.

If and when Great Deals decides it is ready to brave the public market, Sy says his own ambition is to list on the Nasdaq. But he does not write off a listing on the Philippine Stock Exchange, which he says the company may reconsider if the GCash IPO planned for October does ‘very well.’

Even before then, Sy says Great Deals is already preparing itself to go public.

‘When the opportunity comes, we’re ready,’ he adds.

Residents across Bukidnon are enjoying a rare four-day long weekend that bridges the usual Saturday-Sunday-Monday rest period straight into Tuesday, diverting from the standard resumption of work and classes.

With Aug. 31 observed as a regular holiday in the Philippines for National Heroes Day, and the province observing a special non-working holiday known as ‘Araw ng Bukidnon’ on Sept. 1 in commemoration of its foundation anniversary, locals have taken full advantage of the extended pause to unwind.

Common activities filling the long weekend include sleeping in late, spending quality time with family, and diving into personal hobbies and recreational interests.

Republic Act No. 12039 permanently establishes Sept. 1 as a special non-working holiday across the province, celebrating the 112th founding anniversary of ‘Araw ng Bukidnon.’

The key activities for the anniversary celebrations include a night market open daily from 5 p.m. onwards, featuring local food trucks, street food, seafood stalls, and various other merchants.

There will be a live concert featuring a popular Manila artist on Sept. 1, starting at 6 p.m. at the capitol grounds.

There are also sports events, including the Bukidnon Softball Baseball Confederation games, Bukidnon Moto Festival, and the Panagtigi Pickleball Tournament.

A socio-civic parade along the national highway in Malaybalay City and a flag-raising ceremony will be held on Sept. 1 at the capitol grounds to commemorate the milestone history of the province while showcasing and honoring its rich cultural heritage.

Bukidnon has a rich history rooted in its indigenous mountain tribes and the Spanish and American colonial eras.

The name ‘Bukidnon’ comes from ‘bukid,’ the Tagalog and Visayan word for mountain, meaning ‘mountain people’ or ‘highlanders.’

Its history showed that on Aug. 20, 1907, the Philippine Commission enacted Act No. 1693, organizing Bukidnon as a sub-province of Agusan, with Malaybalay designated as the capital

An international environmental group has stepped up calls for the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to suspend its guidelines on the earth-balling or relocation of mangroves, given that their protection is mandated by law.

Amid questions on the legal basis of that activity, the agency is conducting a review, which it said it would complete by early next year.

Oceana Philippines criticized the continued implementation of ‘Interim Operational Guidelines and Conditions on the Earth-balling and Relocation of Mangroves in Exceptional Circumstances’-a DENR memorandum issued in October last year, which the group said allowed the earth-balling or relocation of mature trees to give way to infrastructure projects.

The group warned further that this activity stripped coastal communities of their first line of defense against the catastrophic impact of flooding and typhoons.

‘By allowing earth-balling, the DENR is sacrificing proven nature-based solutions for short-term economic gain,’ Oceana vice president Von Hernandez said in a statement on Aug. 28, after Environment Secretary Juan Miguel Cuna appeared at a hearing by the House appropriations committee on Aug. 26.

Cuna explained at the hearing that the DENR, through its research arm Ecosystems Research and Development Bureau (ERDB), has undertaken a review of the earth-balling of mangroves.

He said the study-which is now on its second phase as of August-focuses on the survival rate of mangroves after that procedure.

The DENR will issue a policy report based on the ERDB study by early 2027, he said.

Last month, Mamamayang Liberal Rep. Leila de Lima filed a resolution calling for an inquiry into how the DENR’s interim guidelines would affect the country’s mangroves.

‘Legal validity’

De Lima also sought to establish the ‘legal validity’ of the guidelines, since there are laws mandating the protection of mangroves, as she pointed out-Republic Act No. 8550 (the Philippine Fisheries Code of 1998) as amended by RA 10654 and RA 8371 or the Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act.

Hernandez, in his group’s statement, had asked: ‘Shouldn’t the DENR be held accountable for reneging on its mandate to protect mangroves and uphold nature-based safeguards, especially at a time when every coastal community in the country is under siege from flooding and storm surges?’

Kevin Quiambao found himself on familiar ground Friday night and delivered when Gilas Pilipinas needed him most.

The former La Salle standout hit a crucial 3-pointer with 11.7 seconds left in overtime as the Philippines escaped Jordan, 82-81, in the second round of the 2027 Fiba World Cup Asian Qualifiers at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay.

With Gilas holding a slim lead late in overtime, CJ Perez drove into the lane and found an open Quiambao, who knocked down the triple for an 82-79 advantage.

Quiambao finished with 14 points, five rebounds and two assists despite shooting 5 of 12 from the field.

The big shot came at a venue where Quiambao has spent much of his basketball career.

‘Since high school, I’ve been here,’ Quiambao said. ‘When I was in NU, I got to play here in MOA. Since then, I just give my best here every single day, practice and game here in MOA.’

‘I can’t say much about the familiarity, but when I’m here, I just let it fly.’

Quiambao later starred for La Salle in the UAAP before moving to the Korean Basketball League, where he plays for the Goyang Sono Skygunners.

The victory was also significant for a Gilas squad playing without naturalized forward Justin Brownlee, who missed the qualifiers’ second window while recovering from nagging lower-body injuries.

‘Of course, it would’ve been better if JB were here, right?’ Quiambao said.

‘Still, we were all-Filipino. We wanted to prove that we can win with this team.’

Gilas faced another setback when Carl Tamayo suffered a high ankle sprain in the third quarter against Jordan.

With Brownlee unavailable and Tamayo sidelined, Quiambao helped fill the void.

And when Gilas needed a basket late, the former Green Archer delivered on a court he knows well.