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The Philippine cacao queen is Charita Puentespina. She provided a legacy for us to follow. Sadly, she passed away last Aug. 16 at 86. In 2024, Puentespina was recognized as one of the Inquirer ‘Women of Power’ awardees for her contribution to Philippine agriculture and the cacao/chocolate industry.

She was a farmer, agripreneur and founder of the Puentespina Farms and Malagos Chocolate. Her first farm was established in Davao in 1963. She started with orchid cultivation and propagation and helped save the Philippine waling-waling orchid from extinction.

In 2003, Puentespina ventured into cacao production. In 2017, her cacao beans were feted among the world’s 50 best in the Cocoa Excellence (COEX) competition in Paris, France. This is where more than 400 entries from at least 30 cacao-producing countries compete.

In 2021, Puentespina won the coveted Gold Award for ‘Best Drinking Chocolate in the World’ from the International Chocolate Meals in Hanover, Germany.

Learnings

Puentespina traveled all over Mindanao to share her learnings so that others would benefit. Her objective was ‘not only to make better products, but also to employ more farmers.’ She was the founder and first president of the Cacao Industry and Development Association of Mindanao. This formed the core of the current Philippine Cacao Industry Association, now headed by Armi Lopez-Garcia.

In partnership with Mars Inc., Puentespina put up the Mars Cocoa Development Center, teaching good agricultural practices. She was so successful that, since she won the international COEX award in 2017, a Philippine representative using her learnings has consistently won the same award in every single year.

When we asked Dante Muyco Jr., a 2021 COEX awardee, what impressed him most about Puentespina, he said: ‘She was very generous sharing all she knew about the cacao value chain, including giving us her export contacts in the United States and Asean. She truly inspired us, specially when we had difficulties. She said we should unite and help each other, so that people would know the Philippines has the best cacao and chocolate in the world.’

Cacao credit model

Puentespina’s legacy is a model for agriculture credit. Today, many small farmers have productive capacity, but are not bankable because of insufficient collateral. Puentespina emphasized that loan decisions should instead be made mainly on a cash flow-based value chain with consolidated farmers, supported by an anchor agribusiness, cooperative or processor.

The farmer retains land ownership. Consolidation is in production, technical services, financing and market. The model combines an anchor agriculture enterprise, farmer training and technology, organized smallholder suppliers, quality control, processing/value addition and access to markets. The commercial relationship between an anchor enterprise and small farmers is the main basis for the credit decision, not collateral.

How to do this? An anchor must first be identified. Individual farmers would then be organized into a production cluster or cooperative, with the unifying anchor.

The farmer should then submit a production plan with the following components: crop, area, inputs, yield, production cost, selling price and cash flow. Insurance should be provided, where our extremely limited crop insurance today is recommended to be leveraged with the massive resources of our Government Service Insurance System.

Anchor agribusiness

This anchor is critical. It can help in technology, inputs, training, aggregation, quality control, market and records for credit assessment. The bank will now lend to an agriculture production system, not to an isolated farmer. This approach is similar to Thailand’s Bank of Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives (BAAC). Of BAAC’s lending, 88-90 percent goes to agriculture, compared to the Land Bank of the Philippines’ 15-20 percent. However, BAAC’s 8-percent return on equity (ROE) and 5.6-percent non-performing loans (NPL) are inferior to Landbank’s 16-percent ROE and 2-percent NPL.

It is acknowledged that Landbank is also a universal bank with commercial lending responsibilities. Though agriculture credit access should be improved, the main problem today is that there are not enough qualified agriculture borrowers with financially feasible loan proposals. The Government should now devote much more attention and resources to reach out to farmers and fisherfolk. It should implement this Puentespina model for credit to grow and the agriculture sector to significantly develop. Puentespina will then become not just the queen of cacao, but also a queen for our current ailing agriculture.

Lea Salonga has defended her decision to unfollow BTS members RM and J-Hope following their attendance at a Chris Brown concert, saying the move was made for her own well-being and not as a punishment against the K-pop stars.

Salonga, who has been long vocal about her admiration for BTS, addressed the issue during her ‘Ask Miss Lea’ session on Threads on Tuesday, Aug. 25, after a netizen asked whether her views had changed about RM and J-Hope’s appearance at Brown’s concert.

‘First off, my being a fan can be equated to a single grain of sand on a massive beach,’ Salonga said. ‘Whatever my actions are won’t affect anyone, except maybe cause consternation in the minds of other fans, which I do expect and accept responsibility for.’

‘Yes I did unfollow, but I did it for my own sake,’ she added. ‘It’s not meant to be punitive to either of them, at all.’

Salonga explained that she decided to distance herself from the BTS members after realizing that the controversy was affecting her emotionally.

‘But I recognized that I was waking up sad and/or upset, or find myself way too affected. This was unhealthy so I took a step back, for me,’ she expressed.

The Broadway star also acknowledged that RM and J-Hope are autonomous individuals who can make their own decisions, just as she has the right to make her own.

‘As many fans have rightly pointed out, we are owed nothing really. They are autonomous human beings, but so am I, and whatever decisions I make are mine alone,’ Salonga explained.

‘If I hurt anyone in the aftermath, that isn’t my intention but I’m sorry if I hurt you nonetheless,’ she continued.

Despite unfollowing the two BTS members, Salonga made it clear that her affection for the group and the role their music played in her life remain.

‘I am still so grateful for the typhoon they created in my life when they arrived in 2020. I was navigating my marriage ending, raising a teenager, and a global pandemic (not to mention the occasional death threat due to politics). They saved my sanity when I needed saving. I’ll never forget that,’ she said.

Salonga was also asked how difficult it was for her to ‘give Joon and Hobi grace,’ referring to RM’s real name, Kim Nam-joon, and J-Hope’s real name, Jung Ho-seok.

‘Right now, it’s not about giving them grace or not, but rather giving myself the space to stop being upset,’ she replied.

‘I’m giving them as much grace as I can. As I’ve said, this isn’t punitive, I’m not doing this to punish them. This is a step to take in order for me to be able to enjoy the music again, and I will get there eventually. I hope you understand,’ concluded the Filipina actress-singer.

RM and J-Hope have faced criticism from some fans since attending Brown’s co-headlining concert with Usher at Rogers Stadium in Toronto on Aug. 12.

J-Hope later shared photos and videos from the concert on social media, while Brown posted a backstage photo of himself with RM and J-Hope.

The images prompted backlash from fans who questioned the BTS members’ decision to publicly associate with Brown, whose career has been marred by legal controversies and allegations involving violence.

Brown pleaded guilty in 2009 to assaulting his then-girlfriend, singer Rihanna, and has faced other allegations and legal cases involving violence.

The controversy also prompted The Pixel Project, a nonprofit organization focused on ending violence against women, to indefinitely suspend RM from its list of ’16 Male Role Models Helping to Stop Violence Against Women.’

The organization said it had waited for RM to publicly address the controversy before taking action, while noting that being a role model does not require perfection.

‘We have never expected any male role model (including RM) to be perfect. Everyone is human after all,’ The Pixel Project said in a public statement.

‘But being a decent human being also means being accountable when your choices hurt other people,’ it added.

The organization said RM and J-Hope’s decision to pose with Brown was ‘at best, careless about the wider damaging impact’ of publicly associating with him.

Some fans have defended the BTS members, arguing that attending a concert or taking a photograph with another artist does not necessarily mean endorsing that person’s past behavior. Others suggested that RM and J-Hope may have attended as fellow musicians.

Vice President Sara Duterte was aware and authorized all the processes and activities in relation to her office’s confidential funds (CFs) worth P500 million in total, Duterte’s assistant chief of staff Lemuel Ortonio testified on Tuesday.

The movements cover the last quarter of 2022 to the third quarter of 2023.

The testimony was given after prosecution counsel Mae Divinagracia asked Ortonio whether or not Duterte is the ‘mastermind’ or ‘architect’ of the Office of the Vice President’s alleged misuse of confidential funds.

‘You will agree with me that this whole confidential funds matter, ang arkitekto at mastermind nito ay si Sara Duterte?’ Divinagracia said.

(You will agree with me that this whole confidential funds matter, the architect and mastermind of it is Sara Duterte?)

The question was opposed by the defense, and was stricken off the record, but when Divinagracia attempted to rephrase, she argued harder on the use of the word ‘architect’ in characterizing the vice president.

Senate impeachment court presiding officer Francis ‘Chiz’ Escudero, at this point, asked Ortonio himself:

‘Lahat ng bagay kaugnay ng confidential fund, mula sa pagrequest, sa pagrelease, sa pagencash, sa paggastos, sa pagliquidate, sa pagsagot sa mga AOMs, notice of suspension, at notice of disallowance ay una, nalalaman ng ikalawang pangulo; pangalawa, inawtorisa niya base sa mga pirma niya sa iba’t ibang mga dokyumento; at pangatlo, ay nasa ilalim ng kaniyang superbisyon bilang head of agency?’

(Everything related to the confidential fund, from requesting, to releasing, to encashing, to spending, to liquidating, to responding to AOMs, notices of suspension, and notices of disallowance, is first, known to the second president; second, authorized by him based on his signatures on various documents; and third, is under his supervision as head of agency?)

‘Based on my understanding and based on what I know – yes. The vice president knows about the confidential activities and how it is being implemented,’ Ortonio answered.

Escudero continued: ‘May ginawa ka ba na hindi alam o hindi in-authorize ni Vice President Sara kaugnay sa confidential funds, kasabay na ang pagsagot mo sa AOMS, notice of suspension, at notice of disallowance?’

(Did you do anything that Vice President Sara did not know about or did not authorize in relation to confidential funds, at the same time as you responded to the AOMS, notice of suspension, and notice of disallowance?)

‘None, Your Honor,’ Ortonio replied.

Escudero then asked, ‘Lahat alam nya at inauthorize niya?’

(She knows everything and she authorized it?)

To this, Ortonio responded in the affirmative.

During Divinagracia’s direct examination, Ortonio testified to drafting the OVP’s request for CFs from the Department of Budget and Management, signing the disbursement vouchers, encashing the P125 million funds per quarter, and preparing a reply to the Commission on Audit’s AOM.

All of these actions, Ortonio testified, were under the orders of Duterte herself.

The witness also identified the vice president’s signatures in authorizing and certifying all other documents and requirements needed to process CFs. /

The Department of Agriculture (DA) is strengthening an early-warning system that would track upcoming harvests, weather disturbances and market conditions in hopes of preventing vegetable gluts from leaving farmers with spoiled or unsold produce.

In a statement on Monday, the DA said it plans to use regular harvest projections and farm-gate price monitoring to identify potential supply disruptions and connect farmers with buyers before markets become saturated.

‘We want to move from reacting to problems to anticipating them,’ Agriculture Assistant Secretary Genevieve Velicaria-Guevarra said.

‘The monitoring system will give us alerts on upcoming harvests, weather disturbances and other developments that could affect the supply chain to help us trigger assistance earlier,’ Guevarra added.

According to the DA, the system could trigger logistics and other government assistance when potential disruptions are detected, while complementing regional help desks that respond to farmers facing difficulties moving their produce.

It also plans to strengthen coordination with other government agencies that could serve as institutional buyers.

This renewed early-warning initiative would build on emergency procurement measures used during the Middle East conflict, when a surge in logistics costs threatened the movement of agricultural products to markets.

It also comes after about 5.8 metric tons of Chinese cabbage and carrots were dumped in Benguet earlier this month after continuous rains, congested trading centers and poor road conditions prevented farmers from selling the produce before it deteriorated.

In one case, a truck carrying 2.5 tons of Chinese cabbage spent two days and two nights waiting to enter a La Trinidad trading center. Another farmer sold only 700 kilograms of a four-ton carrot harvest, eventually dumping about 3.1 tons along a road.

The DA said better monitoring could also help address recurring oversupply, which can drive farm-gate prices low enough that farmers opt to discard vegetables rather than incur additional transport costs.

But the agency stressed that the early-warning system is only an interim measure that will remain in place while the government pursues longer-term infrastructure to absorb excess harvests.

Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said the DA is seeking funding in 2027 for mega cold storage and vegetable processing facilities beside the Benguet Agri-Pinoy Trading Center.

‘Our long-term solution is mega cold storage and vegetable processing facilities,’ Tiu Laurel said.

The Mimaropa (Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon, Palawan) police is boosting its operational capabilities through drone technology by training personnel to deploy unmanned aerial systems in law enforcement, disaster response, search and rescue, and other public safety missions across the region.

In a statement on Tuesday, the Mimaropa police said a three-day Drone Equipment Training and Familiarization forum officially opened on August 25 where participants will be given lectures and hands-on instructions on the use of DJI Matrice 4T drone and its associated systems, marking a significant step in the region’s modernization efforts.

‘The technology is especially critical for Mimaropa – a region composed of islands, coastal communities, and mountainous terrain where ground access can become extremely difficult during emergencies, police operations, or calamities,’ the regional police said.

‘Drones provide responders with a vital aerial perspective, enabling real-time situational awareness, disaster assessment, area monitoring, and faster search-and-rescue operations before personnel are deployed,’ the regional police force added.

Mimaropa police regional director Brigadier General Christopher R. Dela Cruz emphasized that technology must directly translate to better public service.

‘Every new capability should have a clear purpose: to make our operations more responsive, our personnel more capable, and our communities safer. I want our modernization efforts to be measured not by how much equipment we acquire, but by how much better we are able to serve the public because of that equipment,’ he said

The National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) on Tuesday denied claims circulating on social media that it was implementing a ‘one-week duty, two-weeks off’ work arrangement for police officers.

In a statement, the NCRPO said the claim originated from a Facebook post supposedly showing an altered image of newly installed officer in charge Brig. Gen. Christopher Abrahano.

‘These reports are entirely false and do not reflect any officially implemented policy,’ the regional police said.

‘Existing programs and policies concerning personnel welfare and work arrangements remain fully in place,’ it added.

The NCRPO also assured the public that the proper police deployment and prompt incident response throughout Metro Manila remained in place.

It also reminded the public and its personnel to refer to official NCRPO channels for accurate announcements and reject unverified claims.

Abrahano was appointed NCRPO officer in charge last Sunday, replacing Maj. Gen. Anthony Aberin, who reached the mandatory retirement age of 56.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has urged more private hospitals to implement the no balance billing and no-copayment policies of the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth), saying financial hardship should not prevent Filipinos from getting specialized medical care.

Marcos made the call on Tuesday following the signing of a memorandum of agreement (MOA) between PhilHealth and St. Luke’s Medical Center (SLMC)-Global City to expand access to private hospital services for qualified PhilHealth members.

‘This is so that people who get sick will no longer be afraid to go to private hospitals because they cannot afford to pay,’ Marcos said.

According to Marcos, the MOA between PhilHealth and SLMC ‘reflects a shared commitment to strengthen the implementation of the no co-payment policy and to support the government’s Universal Health Care agenda.’

‘By joining this effort, St. Luke’s also sends an important message: that quality care in leading private hospitals can be made more accessible to qualified PhilHealth members, and that both government and the private sector have a role in making Universal Health Care work,’ he added.

No out-of-pocket expenses

Under PhilHealth’s no co-payment policy, eligible PhilHealth members admitted to basic or ward accommodations in private hospitals do not have to pay additional charges or out-of-pocket expenses for medical services covered by PhilHealth.

The policy was initially limited to indigent patients but was expanded under Republic Act No. 11223, or the Universal Health Care (UHC) Act of 2019, covering all Filipinos regardless of their financial or employment status.

The initiative complements the Marcos administration’s zero balance billing program, which provides free hospital services to ward patients and is currently being implemented in 79 Department of Health (DOH) hospitals and the government’s four specialty centers, as well as the University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital.

According to PhilHealth president and chief executive officer Beverly Lorraine Ho, SLMC initially allocated 53 beds for eligible patients requiring specialized treatment, 50 of which are already occupied.

PhilHealth spokesperson Dr. Alfred Philip de Dios, meanwhile, said the agreement covers all PhilHealth benefit packages and is not limited to any specific health case.

The MOA also establishes a joint mechanism between PhilHealth and SLMC Global City to monitor the implementation of the policy, improve processes, and gather evidence that could support future reforms to PhilHealth’s payment system.

The agreement forms part of the administration’s efforts to expand Filipinos’ access to quality and affordable healthcare by strengthening cooperation between the government and private hospitals.

‘We started with St. Luke’s, and we will expand this to more hospitals. We encourage more hospitals across the country to support PhilHealth in advancing Universal Health Care by embracing the no co-payment policy,’ Marcos said.

‘Together, let us ensure that no Filipino is denied the care they need simply because of financial hardship,’ he added. Aside from SLMC Global City in Taguig, three other top-tier private hospitals have expressed support for the policy. These are Cardinal Santos Medical Center in San Juan City, Asian Hospital and Medical Center in Muntinlupa City, and The Medical City Ortigas in Pasig City

Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro, Jr. on Tuesday urged lifting a finance cap that limits the amount the Philippines could borrow from foreign lenders, as the country seeks to modernize its forces amid tensions with China.

At the House hearing on the Department of National Defense’s (DND) budget for 2027, Teodoro told lawmakers that the finance and budget departments set the loan limit, so it would be better to scrap the $300 million cap imposed under a 1974 presidential decree.

Presidential Decree No. 415 authorizes the president ‘to contract such loans, credits or indebtedness including supplier’s credit, deferred payment arrangements upon such terms and conditions as maybe agreed upon with any local or foreign source or lender not exceeding Three hundred million United States dollars, or its equivalent in other foreign currencies at the exchange rate prevailing at the time of the contracting of the loans.’

‘They have total control over the financial agreement that will be made,’ Teodoro said.

The Philippines is seeking to modernize its forces amid tensions with China in the West Philippine Sea, part of the South China Sea within the Philippine exclusive economic zone. It has earmarked about $35 billion, or P2 trillion, over the next decade for military upgrades, including warships, aircraft and auxiliary systems.

Funding limitations have hobbled efforts to expand Manila’s military capabilities. The DND was allotted P40 billion for its modernization efforts this year, with an additional P50 billion in standby funding.

Teodoro said the P50 billion it proposed for upgrades next year is earmarked for multiyear contract payments.

‘As the days go on, things get more expensive,’ he added.

Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. on Tuesday said he is supporting the proposed hazard pay for civilian government personnel assigned in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).

Teodoro made this remark during the House committee of appropriations’ hearing for the 2027 proposed budget of the Department of National Defense.

‘Yes, because they are subjected to risk also and this includes civilian personnel to be deployed in highly critical areas,’ Teodoro replied when asked by Akbayan party-list Rep. Dadah Ismula if he supports measures to pay civilian government personnel deployed in the WPS a hazard pay.

Teodoro pointed out that the hazard pay can also apply to personnel assigned to highly critical areas, such as teachers serving as electoral board members in election hotspot locations.

He acknowledged and raised a concern on how a hazard pay should be applied to the qualified civilian personnel when they also have the welfare of their family to think of.

He cited as an example a first responder deployed in flooded areas where he said that the concerned family may be given housing benefits so the personnel can fulfill their responsibilities to their job.

The House Special Committee on the West Philippine Sea earlier approved House Bill No. 8673, filed by the Akbayan Party-list, which seeks to grant hazard pay to personnel deployed in the WPS, along with provision of insurance, medical and psychological services, and maritime safety training

Assistant Secretary and chief of staff Lemuel Ortonio confirmed Tuesday that he provided P150,000 out of his own pocket to cover the excess expenses under the Office of the Vice President’s (OVP) confidential funds (CF).

During the 18th day of the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, Ortonio said he paid for the amount due to an urgent request from Col. Raymund Dante Lachica, the security officer who was said to ‘implement’ the OVP’s confidential funds.

‘This was raised to me by Miss Gina Acosta, our [special disbursing officer], and then she mentioned that there was a request,’ Ortonio said.

This statement echoes Acosta’s testimony on Monday saying that it was indeed Ortonio who provided the difference, but Acosta clarified that she has no personal knowledge regarding where Ortonio got the money.

Flagged by COA

The P150,000 discrepancy was the amount flagged in the Commission on Audit (COA)’s Notice of Suspension (NS) on the OVP’s confidential fund utilization.

While the accomplishment report reflected expenses totaling P125 million which is equal to the cash advance of the OVP, the documents evidencing payments submitted to COA showed actual expenses amounting to P125,150,000.

When the NS was issued to the OVP, Ortonio initially told COA that acknowledgement receipts sent to liquidate the confidential funds may have been ‘inadvertently mixed with other documents.’

Nine days later, however, he submitted a supplemental reply clarifying that the P150,000 difference had been covered using his personal funds.

‘The reconciliation shows that an amount of P50,000.00 under Payment of Reward, and an amount of P100,000.00 under Purchase of Supplies, were provided by Assistant Secretary Lemuel Ortonio out of his personal funds, due to the urgency of the expenses,’ his supplemental response read.

Ortonio’s salary

Meanwhile, Divinagracia pointed out that the P150,000 that Ortonio shouldered was just P40,000 shy of the OVP assistant chief of staff’s monthly salary of P180,000 to 190,000 as he worked under the Salary Grade 29.

Asked during trial whether it was common for the OVP to ask employees to shoulder expenses from their own pocket, Ortonio replied, ‘No, it’s not common.’

Divinagracia then questioned why he appeared to have forgotten the personal cash outlay when he replied to the NS.

WATCH: Sara Duterte impeachment trial | August 25, 2026

Ortonio said he initially responded because they needed to submit a reply, but later provided a supplemental response after verifying the details to ensure that the information submitted was accurate.

‘At the time, because of the urgency and because Miss Gina asked for help, I provided her with the request,’ Ortonio said.

Divinagracia asked whether the OVP has records for Ortonio paying for the amount himself but Ortonio answered in the negative. He was also asked if it was ever paid back to him.