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More than half of the 36 mayors in Maguindanao del Sur and Maguindanao del Norte have joined a new political party as the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao gears up for the first BARMM parliamentary elections in September.

In a caucus on Sunday in Talayan town and Cotabato City, the mayors, vice mayors, councilors and traditional Muslim leaders in both provinces took oath and pledged to push the peace and development agenda of the Bangsamoro Federalist Party.

Naguib Sinarimbo, a member of the 80-seat BARMM parliament, said the party supports the efforts of the Commission on Elections (Comelec), police and military to ensure a peaceful and honest parliamentary poll on Sept. 14.

‘We shall be reaching out to leaders in other provinces and cities in the autonomous region that had signified intention to join the Bangsamoro Federalist Party,’ Sinarimbo told reporters at the sideline of their caucus in Cotabato City.

The party is one of more than 10 political blocs the Comelec had permitted to participate in the upcoming parliamentary polls in Maguindanao del Sur, Maguindanao del Norte, Lanao del Sur, Basilan and Tawi-Tawi as well as the cities of Lamitan, Marawi and Cotabato.

During the caucuses, Bangsamoro Federalist leaders Tomanda Antok and Sinarimbo briefed the new members of the party’s peace and development initiatives for Muslim, Christian and indigenous communities in the Maguindanao provinces.

Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. has warned that global agriculture is facing overlapping crises affecting production and trade.

Tiu Laurel said the world is facing an unusually severe convergence of risks, as climate change, geopolitical tensions and recurring disease outbreaks reshape food systems and strain government capacity to respond.

‘I guess we started on a negative note. In a sense, we are in the wild, wild west at this moment. I think it’s also the worst time to be the secretary of agriculture,’ he said.

The department head said the increasingly unstable weather patterns driven by climate change, including repeated El Niño and La Niña cycles, have disrupted planting and harvest schedules.

‘These climate shocks are compounded by persistent animal diseases such as African swine fever (ASF) and bird flu, which continue to affect livestock supply and prices,’ he said.

Tiu Laurel also cited geopolitical disruptions, including the Ukraine war and pandemic aftershocks, which have contributed to supply chain instability and periodic export restrictions across key commodities.

He said these factors are no longer isolated events, but part of a broader pattern of global volatility.

‘As a businessman before, this is kind of normal. Sometimes exports are cut, there is ASF here, bird flu there, supply chains are disrupted. So, I kind of see this as normal, but a little bit extreme this time,’ Tiu Laurel said.

He said governments must respond with greater agility and a more commercially minded approach to managing risk.

For the Philippines, Tiu Laurel identified persistent weaknesses in production efficiency as the biggest challenge, particularly high costs driven by infrastructure and logistics gaps.

‘What we have to tackle is the low cost of producing products, which would involve infrastructure and logistics,’ he said.

While the country performs relatively better in product quality and marketing, Tiu Laurel said the cost competitiveness remains the key constraint in strengthening both domestic supply stability and export potential.

Despite mounting pressures, he underscored the continued importance of global coordination, saying the World Trade Organization remains a critical venue for dialogue amid fragmented and uncertain global trade conditions.

We join celebrations for Earth Day, World Environment Day, others that remind us to continue to take best care and protect our planet, our partner for life and survival. But how much do we really know of our own world, that part of the Earth that we call our own, especially where we reside/study/work?

Coastal clean-ups are regular events for Earth/Environment celebrations. Millions of people live, are dependent on coastal/marine/fishery resources. But how much do these coastal residents and those who join coastal clean-up know of their wide/marine world (beyond the collected/uncollected garbage)?

How many of our adults/children, including us, can identify various types of shells/fish/ and other marine resources? How many of us know their life cycles, their benefits for people, how people can best protect/sustain these marine resources across generations?

Do we even have any simple coastal barangay-level sea museum/display area so our youth/fisherfolks/all those who live by and depend on the sea/its resources can maximize their knowledge/partnership for common sustainable survival through the years?

We can best protect those that we know about.

Knowledge is power – Our Power/Our Planet – our 2026 Earth Day theme.

Tree-planting/tree-growing are also favorite events for Earth/World Environment Days.

Again, we ask this serious question: how much does an ordinary Filipino student/adult know about trees, plants, and our forests?

For 2026 Earth Day celebration last April 22, with our UP Communications students in our Basic Japanese class, we took time to do a short Earth Walk from the UP Cebu Undergraduate building to the Main Admin Building and back. This was an activity that I used to do with our UP Cebu students when I taught STS (Science, Technology, Society) from the early 1990s.

The Earth Walk goal: to share with the students about the abundance of plants/trees in the UP Campus and their benefits such as food, medicine, housing, others, for people and other living creatures.

Professor Geofe Cadiz researched and catalogued about 208 flowering plants throughout the UP Cebu Main Campus.

This April’s Earth Walk was more precious/significant knowing that a number of our own UP students go without food on certain days. If they are more observant and knowledgeable, there are plants and trees that can provide them with their food right within the UP Cebu Main Campus.

The short Earth Walk was a revelation.

Some students born and raised in urban areas were pleasantly surprised to see, for the first time, the kaimito tree and the tamarind/sampalok/sambag with so much vitamin/mineral-rich fruit ready for harvest!

Now is the season for tambis (or the closely related makopa fruit or in English, the ‘Watery Apple Fruit’, ‘Java Fruit’ or ‘Java Rose Apple’).

So much health benefits from these fruits if effectively, safely harvested for the UP Cebu community to enjoy!

Other fruits to enjoy include santol, mabolo, nangka, banana, papaya, coconut, among others. For sugar source, students can look for the santan flowers as candy substitutes!

It was the first time, too, for many students to see, touch, and smell ilang-ilang which in Tagalog means ‘flower of flowers.’ Also referred to as the perfume tree, ilang-ilang’s scent is much sought after worldwide.

Various references noted that the essential oil obtained from ilang-ilang flowers are ‘anti-pruritic, anti-fungal, antiseptic, and sedative, relieving tension, lowering blood pressure, and reducing fever, and in traditional medicine, this tree is used against fever/blood pressure/ malaria/asthma/various skin conditions/conjunctivitis/hypertension/stomach pains/indigestion/ colic/toothache/others, and, wood used locally for general construction/turnery/making canoes/ boxes/tea chests/plywood.’

If only Earth Walk can be conducted throughout our country, among our students as early as elementary, if only all our trees/plants were publicly marked with their common names/benefits for all to know, can you imagine how knowledge, protected/sustainable accessibility/supply of our rich biodiversity can be beneficial for all, people and planet!

Nestlé Philippines has launched a biomass boiler facility at its manufacturing facility in Cabuyao, Laguna in line with its push for sustainability initiatives.

The biomass boiler facility, inaugurated yesterday, runs on local agricultural waste to power the spray drying process for milk production.

The firm described the spray drying process as one of its most energy-intensive production processes.

By using agricultural by-products for energy use, Nestlé Philippines is also able to lower its carbon footprint.

Apart from the Cabuyao facility, Nestlé Philippines has a biomass boiler facility at its Cagayan de Oro plant for coffee production.

Nestlé Philippines sustainability head Meg Anne Santos said that the company is looking to establish similar facilities at its other plants.

Aside from transitioning to biomass energy to power its spray drying process, Nestlé Philippines is using renewable energy sourced from hydroelectric and geothermal energy to power its manufacturing sites, administrative office and distribution centers.

The company also collects the plastic packaging volumes it released in the market.

In addition, the company is procuring responsibly sourced green coffee beans for its products.

‘Treating sustainability as a core business imperative enables us to sharpen our competitive edge while advancing our net zero targets,’ Nestlé Philippines chairman and CEO Mauricio Alarcón said.

‘This milestone further demonstrates our shift from ambition to operational reality, reflecting a sustainable industrial strategy that is scalable, self-reinforcing and essential to long-term value creation,’ he said further.

Under its roadmap, Nestlé aims to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

It was good while it lasted.

Just fresh from its runner-up finish in the PVL All-Filipino Conference, Cignal has stepped away after a five-year journey in the league that resulted into three runner-up performances and five third-place efforts.

‘This is to officially announce that the Cignal Super Spikers, women’s volleyball team has filed a leave of absence in the Premier Volleyball League,’ said the team in a statement.

‘This difficult decision was taken after careful review of Cignal’s strategic direction,’ it added.

The recent news left the league with just nine teams, including the Creamline Cool Smashers, who denied the Super Spikers their breakthrough crown in the most recent conference.

It also came on the heels of Chery Tiggo’s disbandment in December last year and Petro Gazz’s leave in January this year.

Cignal’s men’s team in the Spiker’s Turf also went on a leave.

While they didn’t win the biggest trophy of them all, the Super Spikers still made the most out of their PVL stay by making the podium in eight of the 15 conferences they participated in.

The Manny V. Pangilinan franchise’s departure made orphans out of a number of talents, including reigning MVP Vanie Gandler and PVL on Tour MVP Erika Santos. Also left without a club are Gel Cayuna, Dawn Catindig, Rose Aquino, Jackie Acuña and Tine Tiamzon among others.

Now, expect the remaining squads to pounce on this bevy of great talents.

Fuel prices are shifting again as diesel, kerosene drop and gasoline edges higher this week.

Oil firms are implementing the price adjustments Tuesday, April 28 for the third consecutive week as the Middle East conflict has pesisted since March.

Here are the estimates for Tuesday:

Fugitive lawmaker Zaldy Co is no longer in the custody of Czech authorities, Justice Secretary Fredderick Vida said.

Speaking to reporters from Prague on Tuesday, April 28 (Manila time), Vida said the former lawmaker is no longer under Czech authorities, with his whereabouts remaining unclear.

“I have difficult news to share, mga kababayan. Czech authorities have informed us that Mr. Zaldy Co is no longer in their custody,” Vida said.

When asked where Co might be, Vida said he may be somewhere in the Schengen area.

The justice chief also said that in response to questions on Co’s departure from the Czech Republic, the authorities said they could not disclose further information.

“They (Czech authorities) are citing Schengen rules and data privacy,” Vida said.

The justice secretary shared that Marcos has been informed of the development.

Vida, who flew from Manila to Prague last week to facilitate Co’s return, said that they “surmised” that Co may have been apprehended due to alleged immigration violations.

When asked how Co traveled, Vida said they received information that the fugitive former lawmaker had traveled by land.

“We got information as to the registry of the vehicle, we also got information as to the driver,” Vida said.

However, Vida did not disclose further details, as it is an “active operation.”

Is Co free? With Co no longer in the custody of Czech authorities, reporters pressed Vida on whether Co is considered a free person.

The justice chief initially hesitated, reiterating that Co is no longer held by Czech authorities.

Reporters followed up on Co’s status, to which Vida replied: ‘he is not detained.’

Finally, when asked directly, ‘is he free?’ the justice secretary conceded, saying ‘yes.’

Multiple passports. Vida said Co has three passports, citing Bureau of Immigration records.

The justice chief explained that the passport Co is carrying is the one that expired in September 2022 – the same document he had when he was accosted by Czech authorities.

The other is his official passport, while the remaining one was declared no longer valid by the Sandiganbayan in December 2025.

However, Vida expressed confidence that Co could still be apprehended, saying that his passport had already been canceled by the Sandiganbayan. Accusations. Co has been in hiding since mid-2025, even before the probe into the alleged anomalous flood control projects started.

In November 2025, the Sandiganbayan issued a warrant of arrest against Co over the P289.5-million flood control project in Oriental Mindoro, specifically the construction of a road dike along the Mag-asawang Tubig River.

Five Saturdays. One iconic bayfront. The 13th Philippine International Pyromusical Competition (PIPC) wrapped up at SM Mall of Asia with crowds gathering early and staying late, turning each night into a shared experience of music, lights and city energy. The event delivered maxed out experiences week after week, with Seaside Boulevard filled with families, friends and visitors taking in the show.

This year’s lineup brought together some of the world’s top pyrotechnic teams, alongside exhibition performances from the Philippines. Competing countries included France, Italy, Portugal, the United Kingdom, China, Canada, Germany and Spain, each presenting their own style, pacing and musical interpretation. The Philippines, through Platinum Fireworks, mounted special and closing exhibition performances that bookended the competition and energized the crowd.

At the center of it all, Pyrotex Fireworx of the United Kingdom claimed the championship title, staging a performance that stood out for its precision, pacing and crowd impact.

Polaris Fireworks of China took first runner-up with a vibrant and fast-paced display, while Steffes-Ollig Feuerwerke of Germany secured second runner-up with a clean and tightly choreographed routine.

(From left) Perkin So, SAVP for Operations, SM Mall of Asia; Mike Welch of the British Embassy; Nathan Winter and Mark Kelsall of Pyrotex Fireworx and Joel Sta. Ana, president of Platinum Fireworks Inc.

Each weekend brought a different rhythm. From high-energy tracks to cinematic scores, fireworks moved in sync with music, creating moments people watched, recorded and shared in real time. The Manila Bay skyline became a live stage, with every burst drawing cheers from the crowd.

Now in its 13th year, the Philippine International Pyromusical Competition continues to draw a strong mix of audiences, from families and young professionals to tourists and enthusiasts. It remains one of the most anticipated outdoor events in the city, anchored at SM Mall of Asia.

The strong turnout highlights how people choose to spend their weekends. Out of home. With others. In places that offer more than just retail. Events like the PIPC position SM Supermalls as the most loved mall, where experiences are not just watched, but lived.

The Philippine Chamber of Pharmaceutical Industries Inc. (PCPI), the country’s largest association of Filipino-owned pharmaceutical companies, has called on the government to adopt policies that will strengthen and support the local pharmaceutical manufacturing sector, stressing that a robust domestic industry is vital to the country’s medical security.

The call was articulated by Robert Eugenio, PCPI vice president for the manufacturing sector and head of external affairs of Unilab Inc., during a recent Joint Congressional-ARTA-FDA Forum.

Eugenio urged lawmakers to pursue legislation that will incentivize local drug manufacturing, noting that such measures are critical to ensuring a stable and reliable supply of medicines for Filipinos.

‘Recent global developments have clearly shown how vulnerable international supply chains can be,’ Eugenio said.

‘The COVID-19 pandemic and ongoing geopolitical conflicts have underscored the risks of over-reliance on imported medicines and inputs. Strengthening local manufacturing is essential to safeguarding the country’s access to essential drugs.’

PCPI has earlier called on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to implement Green Lane windows for local manufacturers.

This measure would complement the Facilitated Registration Pathways (FRP) for imported products and help decongest regulatory backlogs while providing much-needed operational support to domestic pharmaceutical producers.

The industry’s appeal is aligned with the government’s stated policy direction to develop strong local industries capable of competing globally, including recent measures aimed at promoting Filipino enterprises and strengthening domestic value chains such as the recently enacted Tatak Pinoy Law.

PCPI reiterated its long-standing commitment to championing the growth of the local pharmaceutical industry, noting that several ASEAN neighbors have already made significant progress toward building self-reliant, high-value and investment-ready pharmaceutical sectors.

Several ASEAN countries have adopted coordinated industrial, fiscal and regulatory policies to accelerate the development of their domestic pharmaceutical sectors.

Thailand, for example, has long offered investment incentives through its Board of Investment, including tax holidays and duty exemptions for pharmaceutical manufacturing, while pairing these with government procurement preferences for locally produced essential medicines.

Indonesia has pursued a more protectionist but strategic approach by combining manufacturing incentives with local content requirements, particularly for government-funded health programs, thereby encouraging multinational and domestic firms alike to invest in local production capacity.

Vietnam has implemented a national pharmaceutical development strategy that prioritizes technology transfer, preferential credit, streamlined regulatory pathways and public procurement support for domestically manufactured medicines, enabling its industry to move up the value chain.

‘With the right policies, the Philippines can also build a resilient pharmaceutical manufacturing base that supports public health, generates quality jobs and attracts long-term investments,’ Eugenio emphasized.

The Pasig City government has ordered the immediate closure of Bleu Hotel, the establishment at the center of a human trafficking case being linked to the family of former congressman Mike Defensor.

The closure order, dated April 27 and made public Tuesday, directs Zerrin Dev’t Corp. to cease operations pending the resolution of criminal complaints before the Pasig City Prosecutor’s Office.

According to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), Julie Defensor, the former congressman’s wife, is listed as chairperson and president of Zerrin, while their child Miguel Gabriel is its treasurer.

Julie Defensor has denied any connection to the establishment or its operations. Former lawmaker Mike Defensor said they used to own the hotel and operate it but in 2019 turned over its ownership to another group, according to his interview with One News last week.

The Pasig City’s closure order cited the April 21 NBI raid on the hotel and the adjacent nightclub, where agents arrested 15 individuals linked to a scheme where women were allegedly recruited and exploited for sexual services.

The NBI filed trafficking and drug charges against the Defensors and several others.

In a separate statement Tuesday, the bureau defended the closure as grounded in evidence and not a political move – remarks that come after the Defensor family claimed the case was politically motivated.

“Owners, incorporators, and those with legal and beneficial control over establishments may be held liable when their businesses are used as instruments of trafficking,” the NBI said.