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When Malian center Mo Diassana went down with an ACL injury in NU’s first game, it became difficult for the Bulldogs to stay competitive the rest of the last UAAP season. NU battled without a Foreign Student Athlete (FSA) until the end and finished seventh of eight.

To address a similar situation handicapping any team in the future, the UAAP Board of Trustees asked for a solution from the Board of Managing Directors and the proposal that was made is to allow two alternating FSAs so that in case one goes down, the other can still hold the fort. Unfortunately, the proposal is the wrong solution to the problem. If the idea is to keep a level playing field, the right solution is to eliminate FSAs all together because they undermine the integrity of college sport. The NCAA saw the light, bit the bullet and did it in 2021.

The reality is FSAs are simply imports who are peddled from school to school with agents bowing to the highest bidder. They come with signing bonuses, big salaries and fat bonuses, turning UAAP into a virtual commercial league. This leads to local players demanding more from their schools and the spiraling effect is dangerously inimical to the purity of college sport.

Is it discriminatory or racist to ban FSAs? Of course not. Foreigners are free to enroll as students but it’s a school’s prerogative whether or not to allow them to join varsity sport. UAAP bans FSAs to vie for MVP honors. Is it discriminatory? The PBA excludes imports in the Philippine Cup. Is it discriminatory? Dissenters argue that schools abroad don’t ban Filipinos or foreigners from joining varsity teams. But how many schools are there in UAAP? Eight. How many schools are there in the US NCAA D-1? More than 350. Then, there are about 300 D-2 and some 450 D-3 schools. If a Filipino player is good enough to play D-1 basketball, the door will always be open for him. US schools couldn’t care less if UAAP bans FSAs.

In UAAP, a dominant FSA can tilt the balance of competition so the challenge is to recruit the best possible import. That comes with a price. Schools with big budgets will bring in the best talents while schools with lean budgets will suffer. That’s not levelling the playing field. The standard of competition becomes a function of how much a school can afford to pay an import. With the proposal of two FSAs, imagine at what cost they’ll come.

Varsity sport is supposed to engender loyalty to the school. But except for Ange Kouame, no FSA has shown identity with his school. Not even Ben Mbala who ended up playing as an import in Mexico, Korea, Spain, Turkey and France. After finishing their UAAP eligibility, FSAs are gone with the wind. It›s not a good example to local players and surely, not something UAAP would like to foster.

Some self-minded local players – who must be reminded to think league first, not think me – contend that FSAs make them better and prepare them for international competition. But FSAs also take away opportunities for coaches and players to improve. With a dominant FSA, the easiest thing to create a winning program is to focus the offense and defense on him, leaving the locals to play second fiddle. The place to learn from imports is the pro league not UAAP and the recipe is certainly not to make UAAP a de facto commercial league.

UAAP has to put a stop to turning players into pros with some earning allowances bigger than the average PBA player. The first step is to eliminate FSAs or imports who provide imbalance, not balance, to the league and are mostly a poor example of players who enroll not to study but to play for pay.

It’s not enough for Bongbong Marcos to return our PhilHealth’s P60 billion.

The Supreme Court must outlaw the siphoning of our PhilHealth money to begin with. BBM’s admin took our P60 billion in 2024 for non-health insurance projects.

A clear ruling will stop future admins from dipping their hands in members’ funds, petitioners at the SC say.

To which I add: make the culprits pay interest on the P60 billion. Also interest on the P242.28 billion that two admins have withheld from our PhilHealth since 2019. And indict them for breaking the Universal Health Care, Sin Tax and Corporation Laws.

BBM is trying to appease us PhilHealth members. His Finance Sec. Ralph Recto misspent half of our P60 billion on the Panay-Guimaras-Negros Islands Bridges. Korea already lent money for that construction. BBM’s Health Sec. Ted Herbosa misused the other half for pandemic emergency pay of health workers. The Dept. of Health, not PhilHealth, should’ve paid for that. Herbosa is facing three ombudsman cases for fund anomalies.

Recto was deputy speaker in December 2023 when the House allotted multibillions for Charter change to parliamentary form. Congress also inserted pork barrels, mostly for fake and shoddy flood works.

In January 2024 Recto assumed as Finance chief to enforce the dirty budget. BBM signed both the 2024 budget and Recto’s appointment.

Malacañang, the Cabinet and Congress did worse in 2025. They zeroed out funds that should’ve gone to PhilHealth: 50 percent of PAGCOR and PCSO remittances to the Office of the President and 40 percent of taxes on tobacco and sweetened beverages. By keeping mum, Budget Sec. Amenah Pangandaman was complicit.

BBM designated Herbosa as PhilHealth chairman. He appointed as directors Recto, Pangandaman, Social Welfare Sec. Rex Gatchalian and Labor Sec. Benny Laguesma.

PhilHealth is in financial crisis. Its budget for members’ benefits this year is P271 billion. But it has spent P195 billion as of August. The balance will run out by November, said Dr. Juan Antonio Perez of Action for Economic Reform.

PhilHealth will be forced to dip into its reserve funds. That’s a no-no in any insurance operation. In fact, when BBM’s admin took our P60 billion, it called the money ‘excess’ when it was in fact reserve. We members know who to blame if our PhilHealth collapses.

PhilHealth depends this year only on P200-billion direct contributions from us income earners. That’s because the admin turned to zero the original P74 billion from sin taxes in the 2025 budget. That P74 billion too was used for fake and faulty flood works.

The SC petitioners are ex-senator Koko Pimentel, Ernesto Ofracio (now deceased), Junice Melgar, Profs. Cielo Magno and Dante Gatmaytan, Dr. Minguita Padilla, Ibarra Gutierrez, Sentro ng mga Nagkakaisa at Progresibong Manggagawa, Public Services Labor Independent Confederation Foundation Inc. and Philippine Medical Association.

BBM plans to return our P60 billion next year. He says he’ll include it in the 2026 budget – but it’s not there.

Had BBM’s admin not taken P60 billion from our PhilHealth reserve, it would’ve earned interest. The culprits should return the principal with interest.

Interest on such huge amount is five percent per annum. Since BBM will return it after two years, the principal and compounded interest should total P66.15 billion.

Two admins further owe PhilHealth P242.28 billion in PAGCOR-PCSO remittances and sin taxes. That money should’ve earned five percent yearly interest too. Charge it to the culprits.

For 2026, BBM and Pangandaman propose P53 billion for PhilHealth. But that’s only equal to the compounded interest on the P242.28 billion owed to PhilHealth since 2019.

Pangandaman was Budget undersecretary at that time.

The past and present Cabinet members in PhilHealth’s board broke the Universal Health Care and Sin Taxes Laws when they withheld P242.28 billion.

They also violated the Corporation Law. As directors they had fiduciary duty to us PhilHealth fund owners. They failed to fulfill such duty and instead obeyed wrongful orders from their appointer-President.

We PhilHealth members consist of:

66 million direct contributors from monthly incomes and our dependents;

37 million indigent members whose indirect contributions should come from PAGCOR/PCSO and sin taxes.

At present we members need to be hospitalized or undergo delicate procedures in order to benefit from our contributions. If admins remit all funds earmarked by law to PhilHealth, then we can enjoy other benefits like blood works, ultrasound, x-ray, CT scan, MRI. Even basic tooth filling.

There’s officially a new PBA team.

The Titan Ultra Giant Risers will be debuting in the PBA Season 50, after the league’s board of governors approved Pureblends Corporation’s purchase of the NorthPort Batang Pier franchise.

‘They will be entering the 50th season of the PBA, and their team will now be known as ‘Titan Ultra’ team,’ PBA board treasurer Raymond Zorrilla said during the pre-season press conference Wednesday at Shangri-La The Fort in Taguig.

Giant Risers team governor Emilio Tiu said they have a roster that can compete against stronger teams.

‘We waited for this event at mga taon, tinaymingan namin yung 50 years because ibang klase itong 50 years sa PBA. And we expected na when we join, we will learn so many things and we can also expand together with PBA,’ Tiu said.

‘For the composition of the team, I have to admit that we are still young, but we have a complete lineup. We will give the strong teams fight without saying ‘kuya.’ Kami, lalaban din kami,’ he added.

The Titan Ultra squad will be coached by Jhonedel Cardel. Former NorthPort head coach Bonnie Tan is a consultant, while Rensy Bajar, Raymund Tiongco, Lester Alvarez, Maverick Chua and Raymond Valenzona are the assistant coaches.

Veterans Calvin Abueva and Joshua Munzon will spearhead the Giant Risers, along with young guns Cade Flores, Fran Yu, Mario Barasi and Chris Koon.

Meanwhile, the PBA announced that former NorthPort team manager Pido Jarencio is the new governor of the Terrafirma Dyip.

A police lieutenant accused of raping a 14-year-old girl in Ginatilan town, Cebu, is now the subject of a manhunt by the Cebu Police Provincial Office (CPPO).

The victim, a Grade 9 student from Barangay Poblacion II, Malabuyoc, accused Police Lt. Jephte D. Bariga, officer-in-charge of Malabuyoc Police Station, of sexual assault. The incident allegedly happened in Barangay San Roque, Ginatilan, around 12:20 a.m. on September 28.

Later that day, at around 10:30 p.m., the victim and her family reported the incident to the Ginatilan Municipal Police Station. Authorities immediately launched a hot pursuit operation until 8 a.m. the following day but failed to locate the suspect at his police station.

On September 30, CPPO confirmed that manhunt operations are ongoing after initial follow-up efforts yielded no results. The case was already elevated to Police Brigadier General Redrico Maranan, regional director of Police Regional Office (PRO)-7, who immediately ordered Bariga’s relief effective September 28.

The suspect was also directed to surrender his service firearm and Philippine National Police (PNP) identification card.

Meanwhile, the Provincial Headquarters and the Women and Children Protection Desk assisted the victim in her medical examination and provided her and her family with security detail.

To prevent Bariga’s escape, lookout bulletins were issued to all seaports and airports across Cebu. CPPO has also coordinated with local officials and the suspect’s family for his surrender.

CPPO officer-in-charge Police Colonel Abubakar Mangelen Jr. assured the public of accountability in handling the case.

‘The Cebu Police Provincial Office remains committed to upholding justice, accountability, and integrity. We assure the public that justice will be served,’ said Mangelen.

Bariga is set to face administrative and criminal charges for violations of Republic Act 8353, or the Anti-Rape Law of 1997, as amended by Republic Act 11648 on statutory rape.

About P75 million in ‘ghost’ farm-to-market road projects in Mindanao have been uncovered by the Department of Agriculture.

The DA earlier flagged two projects in the Davao Region and Zamboanga City dated 2021 and 2023.

‘We are talking about five kilometers of road. That’s what we have seen so far,’ Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. yesterday told dzBB.

‘We have identified the contractors. But these are small-time contractors,’ he added.

The contractors are not included in President Marcos’ list of 15 contractors who cornered 20 percent of the P545-billion budget for flood control projects, he noted.

Tiu Laurel maintained that the suspicious road projects are isolated cases and do not reflect widespread issues in the state agency.

‘Technically, these are very small contracts. I think there’s one worth P30 million and then the others had P15 million each,’ he said.

Funds came from the DA’s budget and the projects were implemented by the Department of Public Works and Highways, he noted.

The Philippines, he said, is lacking 62,000 kilometers of farm-to-market roads.

Auditing the projects is challenging since these are located in far-flung and hard-to-reach areas, Tiu Laurel stressed.

The ongoing Senate inquiry into anomalous flood control projects nationwide has prompted the DA to initiate an audit of farm road projects.

A powerful earthquake struck Cebu last night, sending residents rushing out of their homes, damaging heritage churches and prompting the evacuation of a hospital in Cebu City.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said the magnitude 6.9 tectonic earthquake struck at 9:59 p.m., with its epicenter located east of Bogo City in Cebu and its depth at 10 kilometers. Phivolcs warned that aftershocks were expected.

Residents reported that the centuries-old Archdiocesan Shrine of Santa Rosa de Lima in Daanbantayan town partially collapsed. On Bantayan Island, residents posted videos showing another heritage church, the Parroquia de San Pedro Apostol Bantayan, swaying during the quake and parts of its façade falling apart.

Intensity 6 was recorded in Cebu City and Villaba, Leyte; Intensity 3 in San Fernando, Cebu and Intensity 2 in Laoang, Northern Samar, Phivolcs said.

It advised residents in Biliran, Cebu and Leyte to stay away from coastal areas, and for residents to move farther inland amid threats of a tsunami.

Patients and staff of the Cebu City Medical Center were evacuated outside the building, according to Mayor Nestor Archival.

The 50th season of the PBA will be kicking off with a bang.

Manila Clasico will come early, as Barangay Ginebra takes on the Magnolia Hotshots in the season opener this Sunday, September 5.

Magnolia, now coached by former Ginebra point guard LA Tenorio, will take on his former team at 7:30 p.m. at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Their matchup will follow the Leo Awards, wherein last season’s awardees will be crowned. It will be the lone game on opening day.

Tenorio, who played 12 seasons with the Gin Kings, is listed as a playing coach for the Hotshots. Now, he will be facing off against his longtime mentor Tim Cone.

Magnolia will be led by Zav Lucero, Mark Barroca and Paul Lee, while Ginebra will continue to be spearheaded by Scottie Thompson and Japeth Aguilar.

Eyes will also be on Ginebra rookie Sonny Estil, an unheralded player who boosted his draft stock after stellar showings in the PBA Draft combine.

According to the league, 27 game days will be played outside Metro Manila, including one in Dubai and two in Bahrain.

The season will also have almost a few weeks off, from November 17 to December 4, to make way for the FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers window.

The opening week of the season will also see the debut of the Titan Ultra Giant Risers, which were formerly the NorthPort Batang Pier. The Giant Risers will take on the Meralco Bolts on Wednesday, October 8, at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.

The same day, defending All-Filipino champions San Miguel Beermen will face off against the NLEX Road Warriors.

In the All-Filipino conference, the 12 participating teams will play a single elimination round, with each team having 11 games.

The eliminations are set to run until December 19, followed by the playoffs.

There is an interesting article published Sept. 29 on the IMF Blog, written by Mr. Jay Surti, that I wanted to highlight following Filipinos growing reliance on nonbank financing.

The article, titled ‘Explainer: Five Megatrends Shaping the Rise of Nonbank Finance,’ starts off with the observation that half of all financial assets worldwide are now held and intermediated by companies that are not classified and regulated.

The global financial crisis of 2008, he wrote, froze the financial system. Banks pulled back credit, families tightened their belts and companies laid off workers, leading to an extremely difficult moment for the financial services industry.

Today, he pointed out, the landscape of finance has changed, with different types of investors and firms providing businesses, consumers and governments with credit and liquidity.

More than a billion more people now have access to credit from new tech-based lenders. Families also have more options to finance purchases and to diversify retirement portfolios. Equity, fixed income and derivatives markets, he said, have all seen strong growth.

However, he noted, these developments have not been driven by banks, but by ‘nonbank’ financial institutions that have stepped up, increasing their share of global credit and finance from 43 percent during the 2008 crisis to nearly 50 percent by 2023, based on recent data.

Half of all financial services worldwide, Mr. Surti wrote, are now offered by companies that are not classified and regulated as banks.

Nonbank financial institutions, he said, encompass very different kinds of enterprises, and exact definitions vary. Broadly, the sector includes financial companies that provide credit, trading and investment services, but do not take deposits from the public or have accounts with the central bank.

That means, they are not covered by safety nets like deposit insurance and liquidity assistance which banks have access to in exchange for comprehensive prudential regulations.

Given the nonbanks’ size and importance, Mr. Surti warned, their growth also brings risks.

He cited the classic ‘run on a (non)bank’ scenario. Like banks, open-ended and money market funds make long-term investments, but promise customers the ability to withdraw at any time. During the early-COVID ‘dash for cash’ in 2020, Mr. Surti cited, some were running out of cash (a liquidity crisis) and needed help from central banks, including the Federal Reserve. While governments did not lose money, they did take on risk for these nonbanks.

Another scenario he cited is the ‘margin call plus contagion’ scenario. Borrowing on margin to make bigger bets enhances profits, but also raises risks. Some hedge funds and family offices (wealth managers focused on one or more wealthy families), he said, borrow large amounts of money with little collateral to bet on events like stocks or bond price swings.

In times of stress anywhere in the financial system, he said, the institutions the nonbanks borrow from often go from requiring too little collateral to requiring too much, amplifying risks for everyone.

If these bets go wrong, he warned, the nonbanks may collapse, triggering losses and illiquidity for their creditors and broader market stresses.

Thus, he highlights the need to protect the public by ensuring that the government gets more and better data. Nonbanks, he said, borrow heavily from banks and others in the financial system, yet their disclosure and reporting requirements are quite light.

Neither market participants nor financial regulators have a comprehensive view of the macro-financial stability risks arising from the sector.

Taxpayers, he said, are often called in to help out in times of stress, so they deserve to know more about the risks nonbanks take. When transaction information can’t be public for competitive reasons, it should be visible to regulators – and shared across borders.

The data gathered by government, he suggested, should be used to improve risk analysis. Regulators, he said, can also do more with the data they already have to map connections between banks and nonbanks, and among nonbanks. Using new models and technology can help them gain a better understanding of global financial risks.

Governments should also utilize risk analysis to strengthen supervision, Mr. Surti said, noting that as risks are better understood, national and international regulators can more quickly spot and intervene forcefully to make global finance less vulnerable to shocks.

Nonbanks, Mr. Surti explained, are a diverse group that needs to be better understood and to ensure that their riskiest activities are appropriately regulated to reduce potential risks to the financial system and economic activity while allowing space for dynamism and innovation in the provision of financial services.

Among the megatrends driving the growth of nonbanks, he said, are governments turning to new lenders, enhancing liquidity and holding down rates – new nonbank buyers for bonds such as US Treasuries provide additional liquidity, helping markets operate efficiently, which can help hold down the interest on national debt that taxpayers ultimately pay.

Mid-sized businesses, he said, have gained more access to funding, supporting economic activity, employment and financial resilience.

Private credit funds can provide funding for businesses that may be too large or risky for banks to lend to, but too small to issue their own bonds. Many such funds are managed by private equity firms, which in turn get financing from banks and other nonbanks.

These nonbanks – typically insurers, pension funds, sovereign wealth funds and endowments – that provide funding to private credit funds tend to have lower leverage and funding that is more stable over longer terms compared to banks.

So, they don’t have to pull funds back as quickly during times of stress, increasing the financial system’s resilience.

Credit, he noted, is available in a wider variety of amounts and durations, from longer-term auto loans, to ‘buy now, pay later’ loans, and small mobile money loans. Fintech lenders have driven this trend by pioneering new sources of data for underwriting and making servicing cheaper through automation, enabling firms to make smaller loans to more people. In emerging and developing economies, they have made mobile payments available to more people, and with a broader set of financial services following behind.

The TNT Tropang 5G and the PLDT High Speed Hitters, who have recently won titles in the PBA and the PVL, are joining forces to treat fans to a day of celebration.

‘Champions Together’, a fan-focused event to be graced by both champion squads, is slated October 6 at the One Ayala Mall Activity Center in Makati City.

The whole-day event, which is open to everyone, will begin at 12 p.m. and will also feature activity booths, interactive challenges and exciting game zones

Those who complete all the stamps on their ‘Champions Together’ activity passport will also unlock a chance to snag exclusive merch, score autographs, and snap photos with their idol players and coaches from the two powerhouse teams when the program starts at 6 p.m.

For those who can’t attend in person, the event will also be livestreamed for free exclusively on PusoP.Com: Your Game, Your Community.

In a press statement, the PLDT Group said the activity underscores its broader mission to support Philippine sports and connect communities through meaningful and memorable on-ground and online experiences.

‘Sports have the unique power to connect and inspire communities. Through ‘Champions Together,’ we are not just celebrating the teams’ dedication and hard work but also honoring the unwavering support of the fans who fuel their success,’ said Jude Turcuato, first vice president and head of sports at PLDT and Smart.

‘We thank our management for this amazing opportunity to give back to our Ka-Tropas, who have always been our source of strength and inspiration in every game. We can’t wait to see them and thank them personally,’ said TNT team captain Roger Pogoy.

‘The fans are a huge part of our journey, and we can’t wait to share this special day with them. We hope to see everyone join the fun and cheer with us as we get ready for the new season,’ added High Speed Hitters skipper Kath Arado.

For updates, follow the official Puso Pilipinas and Smart Sports accounts on Facebook, Instagram, X and TikTok.

Skin concerns are getting on you lately? Whether you have a specific skin dilemma or in need of expert advice, Watsons brings back the DermSkin mall activation at the SM Mall of Asia Atrium from October 1 to 5 to help you achieve your healthy skin era.

The most-loved health and beauty retailer in the Philippines is taking its DermSkin category up a notch with a week-long spotlight on skin health awareness and help cater to different types of skin needs, from quenching skin hydration, combating acne and oiliness, or just wanting to simply ensure a tried and tested skincare routine.

In pursuit of making skin health more accessible, Watsons also joined forces with the Philippine Dermatological Society (PDS), the only specialty society recognized by the Philippine Medical Association and the Philippine College of Physicians that specializes in skin, hair and nails, to provide free skin consultations during the event and to share the latest insights on common skincare myths and misconceptions.

Head over to the DermSkin activation and look for the PDS booth to avail of the free consultation services from PDS doctors at the PDS booth in the mall animation. Drop by on October 1 and tune in to the panel discussion featuring skin experts to learn more about proper care for your skin.

The road to healthier skin doesn’t end there-Watsons also began offering free derma consultations every weekend from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. in select stores in the metro. Be sure to visit SM MOA 7, Robinsons Place Manila, SM North Edsa Grand, SM Grand Central, SM Megamall or SM City Tanza to get direct and accessible skin consultation with an expert.

The DermSkin Activation will also feature a wide range of derma-approved products from brands such as Cetaphil, Celeteque, Aveeno, Neutrogena, Cerave, Target Pro by Watsons, Avene, Physiogel, Bioderma, Uriage, Suu Balm and Dermaction Plus.