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The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Monday warned against dealing with a Facebook (FB) group operating under the name Tekcash Online Loan Victims.

The SEC said the group is using the corporate name of Tekwang Lending Corp. without any authorization, permission or affiliation.

‘Unknown individuals associated with the said unauthorized Facebook group are also circulating and using the fake email address tekcashloanmanagement@gmail.com,’ the SEC said.

It said the email address is being presented in testimonials within the group as allegedly having assisted victims or borrowers.

Such representations are false and create the misleading impression that the email address and the group are connected to or endorsed by Tekwang Lending Corp., the SEC said.

‘Any claim that the said group or email address is assisting borrowers on behalf of, or in coordination with, Tekwang Lending Corp. is false and may constitute an attempt to deceive the public that could lead to scam activities,’ the commission said in its advisory.

It advised that any person who may have been contacted by, solicited by, or transacted with the said Facebook group, associated account, or fake email address is encouraged to immediately report the matter to the SEC and other appropriate authorities and to preserve all available evidence, including screenshots, receipts, transaction records and communications.

Semirara Mining and Power Corp. (SMPC) on Monday questioned the Department of Energy’s (DOE) industrial policy, saying the ongoing coal bidding process could discourage potential investors from venturing into the Philippine energy sector.

The company asked the agency why a ‘highly successful’ industry is being shut down with zero benefit to the government, the public, or the local community.

The Consunji-led firm said it had paid P70.5 billion over 29 years and contributes P600 million annually to Caluya in Antique, transforming it into the country’s ‘wealthiest and most progressive municipality.’

The company also said it provides low-cost baseload electricity, with coal-fired power plants recording an average price of P4.05 per kWh in the Luzon-Visayas grid in September.

‘Why kill the golden goose for zero gain?’ SMPC’s statement read.

The National Association of Electricity Consumers for Reforms Inc. (Nasecore) said, however, that SMPC is facing sharp operational and financial declines in 2026, driven by a 68 percent cut in capital expenditures, from P1.9 billion down from P5.9 billion in 2025, while it awaits coal contract auction results.

The consumer group also noted that its coal-specific spending plummeted by 83 percent to P800 million, leading to severe production drops and mass layoffs.

‘We observe only that, taken together, they paint a picture of an operation that is contracting, not expanding; withdrawing, not investing; and preparing to exit, not to perform. Can we reasonably expect if it remains to be the operator of the Semirara mine?’ Nasecore President Pete Ilagan said in a statement.

SMPC has argued publicly that its nearly five decades of operating experience make it uniquely qualified to continue as concessionaire. Nasecore said it ‘respects that argument in principle.’

‘Experience matters but SMPC’s coal production, which are mostly exported or used by contracted power plants, has barely made a difference in electricity prices,’ Ilagan said.

‘But experience is not the same as current or future performance. And the publicly available evidence suggests that the current performance of this concession is deteriorating on every measurable dimension: production volume, capital investment, workforce size, and operational reliability.’

SMPC’s coal operating contract (COC) will expire on July 14, 2027. Nasecore said that until that date, the concessionaire has obligations to the government that granted the concession, to the workers who depend on it, to restore mined out pits and return the cost-recovered equipment to the government, as well as to the communities that host it, and to the electricity consumers who ultimately pay for its output.

Nasecore did not say which entity should win the next Semirara coal contract.

‘That is the DOE’s decision to make. But we insist that the decision be based on what a bidder commits to delivering going forward, in tangible and guaranteed economic benefits to the government and to the Filipino consumers – not on how long it held a contract whose performance is visibly declining,’ Ilagan said.

SMPC has argued that the bidding rules require it to surrender to the government its assets like trucks and heavy equipment as a condition to submit a bid. ‘It is likely that the highest bidder with no mining experience will produce zero coal, resulting in zero royalty payments to the government, a complete defeat of the DOE’s objective of raising the most revenues.’

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‘The bidding rules discourage industrialization. We hope the DOE realizes that its bidding rules directly contradict the sales pitch of our top officials when they go abroad to invite investors.’

SEVERAL infrastructure projects that can lift the tourism and travel sector are slowly being completed.

Speaking at the EJAP Infrastructure Forum 2026, Acting Transportation Secretary Giovanni Z. Lopez said the San Miguel Group, for one, has ‘committed to finish the Caticlan [International] Airport by the second quarter of 2027.’

With the completion of a new passenger terminal, he said the airport will be able to handle 7 million passengers a year, from the current 3.8 million. The new passenger terminal being constructed by Megawide Construction Corp., will have a total floor area of close to 37,000 square meters, occupying two stories.

Awarded in November 2024, the project was delayed due to right-of-way (ROW) issues that faced TransAire Development Holdings Corp., a unit of the San Miguel Group handling the airport project.

A new passenger terminal at the Sayak Airport on Siargao Island will also be completed this month, raising passenger capacity to 750 seats from the current 200.

Challenging topography

However, Lopez noted that the ‘topography’ of said airport has made it a challenge for government to extend its runway. ‘There are mangroves, there are mountains, there are wetlands,’ he noted, underscoring environmental considerations that are in play in the project.

Local carriers have said domestic air fares to Siargao from Manila are expensive as they can only use turbo-prop planes to fly passengers, limiting their economies of scale. Also, increased land travel costs are now incurred by passengers as turboprops have been moved to the Clark International Airport in Pampanga from the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Parañaque City.

Government has planned to extend the Siargao airport runway by 1,200 meters from its current 1,347 meters and widen to 100 meters from the current 30 meters to support larger jets like the Airbus A320 that can carry more passengers.

As an alternative, Lopez pointed to the opening of the new cruise terminal at Jubang, also on Siargao Island, that can already accommodate international cruise ships to the popular surfing destination. (See, ‘PHL welcomes 75K cruise passengers in 1H as new ports rise,’ in the BusinessMirror, Aug. 24, 2026.)

‘You can ride 2Go and travel to Siargao for just P3,000,’ he said-a steal, compared to the current one-way airfare that starts at P6,000 per person, with a layover in Cebu. The sea voyage takes about 29 hours. 2Go Travel, a unit of SM Investments Corp., is the only local shipping company that travels directly from Manila to Siargao, and vice versa.

Expanding Bicol, Bohol capacities

The DOTr chief said there are ongoing ROW lot acquisitions at the Bicol International Airport (BIA) ‘for operational needs and future expansion.’ Planned since 1996, the airport finally opened for commercial operations in October 2021. Its current passenger capacity is 2.2 million passengers.

It is slated to undergo major capacity upgrades to finally transition it to an international facility via the P21.64-billion regional airport public-private partnership (PPP) proposal won by the Philippine Regional Airports Consortium (PRAC). The proposal, which also includes the Siargao Airport, is slated for a Swiss challenge next year.

The PRAC, composed of JG Summit Infrastructure Holdings Corp., Filinvest Infra-Solutions Ventures Inc., and the Asian Infrastructure and Management Corp. secured original proponent status for the bundled PPP project.

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Lastly, the Bohol-Panglao International Airport is currently being upgraded to improve its operations and enhance passenger experience.

Operated by Aboitiz InfraCapital Inc., the company will invest some P4.5 billion to expand the passenger terminal capacity to 3.9 million by 2030 from the current 2 million, install modern aviation systems, and improve airside and landside facilities.

The Department of Tourism has targeted visitor arrivals to reach 6.7 million this year, but Acting Tourism Secretary Ma. Bernadita Angara-Mathay has said she will be satisfied if this can match the 6.4 million arrivals in 2025.

THE GoTyme Bank Corp. is targeting to grow its customer base to nearly 12.5 million by the end of the year, which its president and CEO said would be accomplished by growing product offering.

On the sidelines of a forum organized by the Economic Journalists Association of the Philippines, GoTyme President and CEO Nathaniel D. Clarke said the lender onboards more than 450,000 customers per month.

Despite having more competition in the market, Clarke said last Monday their customer growth is driven by ‘a combination of things.’

‘Just as the brand continues to mature, people know us more. We’re seeing most, the majority, of our customers are all organic,’ Clarke said.

‘Before we didn’t have any consumer credit; now we have ‘MoreTyme.’ We have investments. We have, through a partnership with Wise [Group Plc.], we have send-and-receive [money from] overseas [services],’ he added.

The adoption of xPay mobile wallets-Apple Pay, Google Pay and Garmin Pay-has also attracted more customers, particularly younger Filipinos, including students and young professionals, according to Clarke.

With xPays in its suite, he said he does not see the pace of customer growth slowing down.

‘Next year, [or the next] 18 months, we think we’ll probably sustain over 400,000 [customers] a month,’ Clarke said.

As its customer base expands, GoTyme is also looking to broaden its physical presence through partnerships with retailers and other establishments.

The lender currently has 680 kiosks in Robinsons-brand and SM-brand malls and expects to add around 100 more over the next 12 months to 16 months, Clarke said.

GoTyme is also exploring partnerships that would bring banking services closer to customers in their everyday activities, including through office buildings, transport hubs and airports.

Clarke added they are preparing to widen access to their credit line (‘MoreTyme’), which is currently available only by invitation.

He said invitations, which they extended to 1.2 million customers, would increase to 2 million by the end of the year. This means the lender would extend an average of 12,000 to 13,000 invitations every day until December 31, 2026.

By the end of the first quarter of 2027, all GoTyme customers can apply for the credit line, although approval will remain subject to qualification, Clarke said.

Loan disbursements, mostly driven by MoreTyme, is expected to reach P2 billion by the end of the year, a 100 percent year-on-year increase, he added.

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Digital banks like GoTyme posted the fastest growth in resources across all bank types as of end-July, surging by 50.74 percent to P213.6 billion, compared to the P141.7 billion as of end July 2025.

FOR allegedly using the powers of the police to enforce a party’s interest in a purely private property dispute, the police chief of Calatagan, Batangas, has been haled before the Office of the Ombudsman, along with several of his officer, an architect-contractor whom he assisted in retrieving multimillion-peso equipment, and several others.

In a joint complaint-affidavit with prayer for preventive suspension of PMAJ Julius B. Almeda, the complainants denounced his alleged acts in two incidents on Sept 28 and Oct 4, 2026, both in Sandari Calatagan in Barangay Bagong Silang. In both occasions, local police under Almeda’s command swooped down on the premises being developed by Sandari Calatagan in order to assist the group of Architect Rafael Dalmacio B. Tecson and his RDBT Construction Corporation in seizing construction equipment being used for Sandari. Tecson’s group has been engaged with Sandari in a legal dispute over their contract.

The controversy centers on the use of police authority by the Chief of Police of Calatagan, PMAJ Julius B. Almeda, and several police officers to aid Arch. Rafael Dalmacio B. Tecson, a private contractor, in a contractual and property dispute at the Sandari Calatagan project in Barangay Bagong Silang in the seaside town.

The complainants were Engr. John Louel S. Pelaez, SG Mark Angncaya, SG Lester Galac, SG John Michael Andino, SG Jerome Cabali, Marvin Tambaoan, SG Ferdinan C. Diano, and SG Christopher B. Mendoza.

Besides Almeda, they charged ‘Police Officers Sison, Caras, Dano, and Hernandez, and the other unidentified participating police officers, Arch. Rafael Dalmacio B. Tecson, Atty. Victor Angelo F. Tantoco II, Junard Cabillan, Dionecio Hernandez, Jomar Calbo, and Rex Manzano, and the John Doe private participants whose identities remain to be determined, with violation of Section 3(e) of Republic Act No. 3019, as amended, or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, for allegedly acting in conspiracy to give Arch. Tecson and RDBT Construction Corporation unwarranted benefits, advantage, or preference through manifest partiality and evident bad faith in the exercise of police functions.’

Almeda and the police officers were also charged administratively for Grave Misconduct, Oppression or Grave Abuse of Authority, and Conduct Prejudicial to the Best Interest of the Service, ‘together with the request to investigate Dishonesty relating to the blotter that their police station issued.’

The involvement of Almeda and the other police officers ‘made the coercion and threats immediate and frightening to those of us confronted by them,’ the complainants said.

During the September 28 incident, ‘the coercion and threats concerned detention and disarming’ of the security guards and on October 4, the coercion and threats included disarming, detention, criminal charges, a report to SOSIA, and action against Eastern Defender, including its closure.’

The first batch of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who were stranded at Riyadh airport in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) after operations were disrupted by attacks from Houthi forces earlier this month has finally returned home, according to the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA).

In a statement issued last Monday, OWWA said 34 OFWs from the Riyadh airport arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 via Qatar Airways flight QR934 from Doha, Qatar.

The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) announced during the weekend they are part of the 299 affected OFWs, who are scheduled to be repatriated from October 19 to 25.

‘Before their departure, the OWWA Riyadh team personally assisted them by providing a pre-flight orientation, transportation, meals, temporary accommodation, and guidance through the necessary processes,’ OWWA said.

Upon their arrival, the OWWA Repatriation and Assistance Division (RAD) provided the returnees with airport assistance, transportation, temporary accommodation, and domestic flight assistance for those returning to their respective provinces.

The second batch of 50 OFWs, left KSA last Monday and is set to arrive in the coming days.

DMW and other government agencies are also currently processing the repatriation of another 100 stranded OFWs from Hail, Al Qassim, and Dammam.

Following the deadliest attack by Houthi militants at the King Khalid International Airport, the operation of the said facility was suspended.

The incident killed 13 people, and injured more than 300 people, including four Filipinos: two airport workers, and two passengers.

THE P3.54 billion ($60-million) drug bust in Laos has blown the lid on a massive cross-border smuggling plot-and a notorious Asia-Pacific super-cartel is right at the center of it.

House of Representativees Committee on Dangerous Drugs Chairman Mark Anthony Santos is sounding the alarm after the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (Pdea) linked a foiled 521-kilogram methamphetamine hydrochloride or shabu shipment aboard a private jet in Luang Prabang International Airport in Laos to Sam Gor, the mega-syndicate often called Asia’s answer to the Sinaloa cartel.

The high-stakes Laos interdiction-where authorities seized P3.54 billion worth of methamphetamine bound directly for the Philippines-is not an isolated incident.

Pdea Director General Isagani Nerez pointed out that the signature tea-bag packaging with Chinese markings matches the P7-billion floating shabu haul pulled from waters off Zambales, Pangasinan, and Ilocos last year.

Sam Gor was described as a ruthless alliance of five major Asian triads-the 14K, Bamboo Union, Big Circle Gang, Sun Yee On, and Wo Shing Wo. Operating largely out of the Golden Triangle’s lawless border zones, the syndicate controls a multi-billion-dollar methamphetamine empire spanning from Australia and Japan to South Korea and the Philippines.

Though its alleged ringleader, Tse Chi Lop, was extradited to Australia in 2022, the syndicate’s tentacles clearly run deep.

‘International drug syndicates operate across borders, so our response must do the same,’ Santos, who represents Las Piñas said. ‘We need to follow the money, dismantle the syndicates behind these shipments, and hold those responsible accountable.’

To keep the country from turning into a cartel playground, Santos is officially backing Pdeas’s call for an executive order to establish a fully operational National Anti-Illegal Drug Task Force.

In a letter to Interior Secretary Juanito Victor Remulla, Santos urged the government to move beyond just arresting low-level couriers and start targeting the shadow financiers backing these massive operations.

The proposed task force aims to weld together the Pdea, National Police (PNP), Bureau of Customs, and National Bureau of Investigation into a unified front. By beefing up intelligence-sharing with international partners, law enforcement hopes to cut off drug networks long before they reach Philippine shores-aligning with President Marcos’ whole-of-government anti-drug strategy.

To protect learners from extreme heat and water shortages, the Department of Education (DepEd) is set to issue guidelines in anticipation of the effects of El Niño in School Year 2026-2027, allowing teachers and learners to wear light, breathable clothing.

The guidelines respond to the Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (DOST-PAGASA) advisory on potentially strong to very strong El Niño conditions that could peak before the end of 2026 and persist through the first half of 2027. It also aims to sustain learning and school-feeding services.

Key protective measures outlined in the policy include thermal safety and attire flexibility by monitoring classroom temperatures and humidity using calibrated devices, maintaining cross-ventilation, and authorizing teachers and learners to wear light, breathable clothing, including official DepEd collared shirts and PE uniforms.

Schools must also manage water security and sanitation by repairing water leaks immediately, establishing safe drinking stations, and coordinating closely with local water utility providers for rationing contingencies.

Under the new policy, which aligns with DepEd Order No. 014, s. 2026 or the Guidelines on Learning Continuity in Emergencies, schools and Community Learning Centers (CLCs) will implement the 4H framework comprising Hayo, Hinay, Hinga, and Hinto to manage localized adjustments during climate disruptions.

Under Hayo, representing manageable conditions, face-to-face classes continue on campus with thermal adaptations such as scheduled water breaks, shifting outdoor activities to early morning or shaded areas, and allowing flexible or PE attire. When conditions escalate to Hinay, indicating heat stress, schools may adopt modified class days paired with structured home-based or hybrid learning.

At the Hinga level, signifying extreme heat caution or a loss of water supply, academic demands are substantially reduced to prioritize well-being, relying on supplementary learning packets, short literacy and numeracy activities, and broadcast resources via DepEd TV and radio. Under Hinto, which denotes unsafe heat index conditions, academic activities are suspended while schools maintain essential communication, safety checks, and psychosocial support referrals.

‘Under the guidance of President Marcos, we are tightening our proactive, protective and anticipatory responses to ensure the adverse effect of El Niño is mitigated. We must prepare early to protect learners and keep education services going despite climate-related disruptions…We are giving our school heads and division superintendents the practical flexibility to exercise sound judgment based on actual ground conditions, classroom ventilation, and water availability. We trust our field managers to make the right call for their communities,’ said Education Secretary Juan Edgardo Angara.

The forthcoming memorandum also mandates integrated school-level risk assessments covering water supply reliability, classroom thermal safety, electricity resilience, and fire hazard prevention.

To sustain health and nutrition services during prolonged dry spells, DepEd has established strict protocols for the School-Based Feeding Program (SBFP).

Schools Division Offices (SDOs) and school heads must develop contingency menus, partner with local government units (LGUs) and agricultural cooperatives for local food sourcing, and maintain buffer stocks of shelf-stable commodities to ensure uninterrupted nutritional support for vulnerable learners.

Learning resources will also be proactively prepositioned by buffer-stocking physical Self-Learning Modules and Learning Activity Sheets prior to peak heat months to ensure immediate distribution.

Crucially, the guidelines enforce zero out-of-pocket costs for families by strictly prohibiting schools from charging parents or requiring them to purchase cooling equipment, connectivity, or specialized attire as a condition for flexible instruction.

DE LA SALLE University emerged as the lone undefeated team, while National University (NU) and the University of Santo Tomas (UST) also made their mark on the opening day of the 2026 eFIBA x UAAP eGilas Talent Discovery Tournament presented by the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas on Sunday evening at the MVP Studios in Mandaluyong City.

After winning the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang tournament last August and the VALORANT competition last September, NU is now eyeing a sweep of all three esports titles as it competes in the final discipline of this special event.

UST and NU are tied atop the Group A standings with four points each, while La Salle leads Group B with six points.

The Green Aces, however, stole the spotlight on Sunday, sweeping all four of their matches to finish the opening day unbeaten.

La Salle opened its campaign with a statement sweep of Season 87 champions Ateneo de Manila University, winning 62-41 and 81-49, before dispatching the University of the East, 74-43 and 88-69, later in the afternoon.

The Green Aces made quick work of the Blue Eagles in their opening match, with Jacob Asistio throwing down a reverse dunk to extend La Salle’s lead to 23 points, 57-34, with three minutes remaining and put the game out of reach.

La Salle carried its momentum into the second game, racing to a 41-18 halftime advantage behind Eidan Gammad’s 28-point first-half explosion.

The Green Aces sustained their offensive onslaught after the break, keeping Ateneo at bay to complete the sweep.

Against UE, Gammad continued his scoring barrage, pouring in 30 points to lead La Salle to a 31-point victory in their first meeting.

The Green Aces then leaned on their perimeter shooting in the rematch to secure an 88-69 win and preserve their unbeaten record.

‘We played really well today. I think [ang improvement] na lang is getting used to the environment, pero other than that, we really executed really well,’ Gammad said. ‘I know my teammates have my back, even if I don’t perform well. I know we still have a fighting chance because I’m not a one-man team; it is still a team game.’

UST also swept the University of the Philippines, 66-50 and 72-40, to open its campaign after settling for silver in Season 87.

eFIBA World Championship Season 4 MVP Miguel Hubillar made an impressive debut in the collegiate ranks, erupting for 45 of UST’s 66 points to lead the Teletigers to victory over the Fighting Maroons in their opening game.

Hubillar followed up with 32 points in their second meeting as UST pulled away for a 32-point victory to complete the sweep, 72-40.

The Teletigers, however, settled for a split against NU later in the day, falling 59-58 in their first meeting before bouncing back with a 64-58 victory in the rematch.

THE House prosecution panel has rejected allegations that the proposed 2027 national budget would reward senators for convicting Vice President Sara Z. Duterte, warning that prolonged impeachment proceedings could cause the public to lose sight of the evidence against her.

House trial spokesperson Zia-ur Rahman Alonto Adiong, who represents Lanao del Sur, said the impeachment proceedings stemmed from allegations involving Duterte’s conduct and Congress’ constitutional duty to examine them, not from any supposed budgetary arrangement to influence senator-judges.

Adiong cited questions surrounding confidential funds, alleged threats and asset disclosures as among the issues that prompted the impeachment trial.

‘This is the constitutional duty being performed by the House and the Senate,’ Adiong said, questioning why Duterte’s camp continued to use the budget-reward allegation to challenge the proceedings.

Adiong said the withdrawal of three impeachment articles did not preclude separate legal action over the questioned confidential funds Duterte handled as Vice President and Education secretary. He said the Office of the Ombudsman could file a case but stressed that no specific action or timetable had been announced.

‘I cannot give you a specific date, but there has already been contact between the Ombudsman and the prosecution,’ he said, clarifying that he was not preempting the agency’s decision.

On the possible inclusion of additional information about properties in the prosecution’s formal offer of evidence, Adiong said fairness required that the material be discussed in open court. Information not presented during the hearings, he added, could instead be examined in separate proceedings by the appropriate investigative agencies.

Adiong also called for closer scrutiny of corporate remittances discussed during the trial, including funds originating from China, saying investigators should establish their purpose and supporting documentation. He described the matter as a national security concern.

Meanwhile, House prosecutor Joel Chua of Manila said the prosecution’s decision to withdraw three of the four impeachment articles was partly intended to prevent the trial from dragging on and diminishing public attention to the evidence presented against Duterte.

Chua said the prosecution anticipated that the defense could prolong the proceedings into next year, potentially causing Filipinos to forget the witnesses and evidence presented during the hearings.

‘By that time, our fellow Filipinos might no longer remember the witnesses and evidence we presented,’ Chua said.

The prosecution has withdrawn three impeachment articles and is proceeding solely on Article II, which concerns allegations of unexplained wealth. The strategy aims to move the trial toward a resolution while maintaining its focus on the remaining charge.