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THERE is an interesting take on European history happening onscreen and this is the story of Empress Elisabeth of Austria and her love affair and adventure with Franz Joseph of Austria. Bearing the title The Empress (its German title is Die Kaiserin), the tale is a push-and-pull between the grand and the intimate, with the depiction of the empire startling us with how miniscule sometimes the historical antecedents involving these grand personalities that once ruled the narratives of power and conquest in that part of the world.

The tale begins with a very young girl, an impulsive Sisi-the Bavarian Duchess, Elisabeth von Wittellsbach. She is pictured as tomboyish, a lover of horses, in contrast to her sister, the Duchess Helene, who is not only being groomed as the next Empress but is much willing to go through the challenge of being introduced to Franz Joseph of Austria.

As fate would have it, the young Sisi who much prefers to be addressed as Elisabeth sees Franz and is smitten and falls in love with the young man. Franz at this point has taken over the empire.

Ludovika travels with Helene and Elisabeth to Austria for the engagement. That day also happens to be the birthday of Franz and it is during this moment that he will announce his engagement with Helene. Without the knowledge of both their mother and Helene, Sisi and Franz have, more or less, found themselves liking each other. Indeed, during the birthday celebration, Franz announces who he will marry and it is Elisabeth, not Helene.

The wonder of it all is that there is no remorse on the part of Elisabeth; for the family of Elisabeth also, the complication did not last long-it just felt natural that, if the other daughter is not marrying the emperor, then the other one, if she is willing, can always be the empress.

What follows then is how Elisabeth tries to negotiate the court-its affairs and complexities. Along the way, characters like Johann Strauss, the great composer, make an appearance and in the soiree-which is more like a stag party before the wedding-even the mighty Franz Liszt regales the bacchanalia with his piano-playing.

I still have to complete viewing this spectacle of a drama. Handsomely photographed, The Empress is the kind of film that suffuses the screen with the splendor that we associate with desire and conquest. Emotions seem to run high and hot among these characters. Outside of Franz, the emperor, there is his brother Maximilian who, while wholly trusted by the brother, appears to teeter on the edge always of infidelity.

Empress Elisabeth herself is both a tough and a delicate character. Around her, there is the mother-in-law and other ladies-in-waiting who are, I am afraid, merely waiting for their chance to trick the young empress or, at least, expose her own frailties.

At certain points of the film, one gets this notion that only Elisabeth and Franz are the real human characters in this caper; the rest are cardboard characters straight out of illustrated comic magazines.

The Empress is created by Katharina Eyssen; it is written by Katharina Eyssen, Bernd Lange, and Janna Maria Nandzik. It is directed by Katrin Gebbe and Florian Cossen.

Devrin Lingnau, a German actress of Turkish descent, plays Elisabeth; Philip Froissant is Franz of Austria.

Which brings me to another film-Wayward. It is a strange story about young people, which while on the surface it feels like it is reaching out to them, in the end it manages to alienate the very depiction of the said population.

The film centers on two good friends-one a dyslexic and another, for lack of a newer term, a juvenile delinquent. Abbie belongs to a rather comfortable family but a father who demands a lot from her; Leila finds comfort in being with Abbie. In Abbie’s home, Leila is sent away by her friend’s father who does not hide his discomfort about this friend’s wayward habits.

Many things are happening in this film. For one, the film opens with a runaway, a boy who escapes from what would turn out to be the very institution that Abbie’s parents would later bring their daughter to. As this daring escape was taking place, a couple was moving into a countryside home. As this couple is gradually introduced to us, we realized that the ‘man’ of the house is a transgender – a transman. It looks like they are moving back to the hometown of the wife-we describe her as, pardon the term, a real woman-to lead a ‘normal’ life, to start anew. Later in the scene, Leila herself would bring up the modifier ‘queer’ to address Alex, the husband of the young, pregnant woman.

In the town, Alex notices an odd behaviour in many of the residents of the town. One day, upon returning from running an errand for his wife, Alex finds Evelyn, the head of the Tall Pines Academy, an institution that keeps troubled young men and women, in their home.

Leila would soon find Abbie in Tall Pines and with the help of Alex, they would try to uncover the dark secrets of the town.

Mae Martin who plays the transgender policeman, created the series, which made Wayward a gripping if not messy mystery thriller about abandonment, isolation and identity.

Toni Colette’s performance in the film is a tour de force, even if in most part she was stealing the scene from what would have been quiet depictions of events. Her character has been described as committed. The two young actors are a find: Alyvia Alyn Lind as Leila and Sydney Topfliffe as Abbie.

The House of Representatives on Friday wrapped up plenary deliberations on the proposed ?6.793-trillion General Appropriations Bill (GAB) for 2026, hailing it as the ‘best and cleanest’ national budget that prioritizes programs aimed at directly uplifting the lives of Filipinos.

House Committee on Appropriations Chairperson Rep. Mikaela Angela B. Suansing assured the public that the chamber is committed to ensuring that the 2026 national budget remains people-centered, transparent, and accountable.

‘We will make sure-in the House of Representatives-that the 2026 budget will be responsive to the needs of the Filipino people, transparent, and clean,’ Suansing said.

The House concluded plenary deliberations on the 2026 budgets of government agencies just past midnight on Friday.

The House Minority Leader is expected to deliver the traditional turno en contra on the proposed 2026 national budget this Monday.

She stressed that the budget priorities reflect the urgent needs of the population, highlighting investments in education, agriculture, health, job creation, and livelihood programs.

‘Our goal is to make it a human-centered budget. That is why our priority is education, agriculture, health, job creation, and livelihood. We want to improve the quality of life of every Filipino. That is what we pray will be the result of the budget we will pass,’ she added.

Suansing also expressed confidence that the measure will gain full support from the chamber.

‘With the help of the whole House and the collective wisdom of all its members, I am confident that we will be able to pass the best budget for 2026-one that truly responds to the needs of our people,’ she said.

Suansing stressed that the budget is not merely a policy document but a ‘backbone of fiscal policy’ and a reflection of government priorities.

Despite these challenges, she said the 2026 spending plan is anchored on a sound macroeconomic framework crafted by the Development Budget Coordination Committee (DBCC), projecting 6.0 to 7.0 percent GDP growth, inflation of 2.0 to 4.0 percent, a fiscal deficit of 5.3 percent of GDP, and a sustainable debt-to-GDP ratio of 61.8 percent by end-2026.

Suansing highlighted the redirection of ?255 billion initially earmarked for flood control projects under the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to essential services such as education, healthcare, agriculture, and social welfare. The DPWH’s allocation was reduced from ?881.3 billion to ?625.7 billion, while education received ?1.17 trillion, the largest in Philippine history. Healthcare will get ?409.8 billion plus an additional ?89.3 billion from realignments, and social welfare programs, including the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS), will receive ?59.1 billion to help about 5.9 million Filipinos.

Agriculture is allocated ?284.13 billion, including ?41.09 billion for farm-to-market roads, irrigation, post-harvest facilities, and crop insurance. Under the Presidential Assistance to Farmers and Fisherfolk program, one million beneficiaries will receive ?7,000 each. Meanwhile, the Department of Labor and Employment’s TUPAD program will be doubled to ?26.96 billion to assist 4.9 million displaced or disadvantaged workers.

The period of amendments and second reading approval will be on October 10.

In pushing for amendments, Batangas 1st District Rep. Leandro Legarda Leviste, vice chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, wants the DPWH to cancel or re-price ?1.6 trillion worth of ongoing and planned projects. Leviste said this could save the government ?400 billion, which could be redirected to health and education programs next year. He cited the recent termination of a ?95.99-million flood control project in Lemery, Batangas, as an example of how DPWH can enforce cost efficiency under existing procurement laws.

Under the Government Procurement Reform Act (RA 9184) and DPWH contract rules, projects can be terminated ‘for convenience’ if they become economically, financially, or technically impractical-or unnecessary-due to changes in law or government policy, without penalty to the government. Contracts may also be terminated for unlawful acts, such as corruption, fraud, use of substandard materials, or collusive practices.

Leviste noted that the Lemery case demonstrates how DPWH can use these provisions.

‘After all the hearings and protests against corruption in DPWH, there are still over P1 trillion in ongoing projects and another P600 billion in upcoming projects that DPWH can act on,’ Leviste said.

Meanwhile, the House is expected to approve the 2026 General Appropriations Bill on third and final reading by Monday, October 13. Once passed, it will be transmitted to the Senate, after which a bicameral conference committee will reconcile differences between the House and Senate versions.

Sunasing said bicameral sessions will be public.

The 2026 national budget is 7.4 percent higher than the enacted FY 2025 budget of ?6.326 trillion and carries the theme ‘Agenda for Prosperity: Nurturing Future-Ready Generations to Achieve the Full Potential of the Nation.’ Anchored on the Philippine Development Plan (PDP) 2023-2028, it aims to prioritize education, healthcare, social protection, and food security.

Speaking just past midnight on Friday, Speaker Faustino ‘Bojie’ Dy III lauded the collective effort that ensured the budget deliberations were both open and comprehensive.

‘Our people can be assured that our process will remain open and transparent,’ Dy assured. ‘When I was elected Speaker, I said we would ensure that every centavo allocated in the budget to every agency would match the needs of our people. We will continue to work together to pass an open, orderly, and clean budget.’

The ADB’s latest Asian Development Outlook is a useful reality check. Slowing global growth, trade tensions and domestic governance problems have combined to nudge the Philippines’ GDP forecast down-modestly for now, but with risks that could turn a small downgrade into a meaningful derailment.

First, the external shock is palpable. The ADB highlights higher US tariffs and broader trade uncertainty as a drag on advanced-economy demand that, in turn, bleeds into the Philippines’ export and investment prospects. The imposition of a 19 percent tariff on Philippine exports to the US raises costs for exporters, and make long-run planning harder for businesses. For an economy that relies on both merchandise exports and foreign investment, the new tariff environment elevates downside risk. It is therefore appropriate that forecasts were trimmed-and that the government treats the change as urgency to diversify markets, upgrade product competitiveness, and support exporters adjusting to higher trade costs.

Second, domestic vulnerabilities matter just as much-if not more. ADB singled out the controversy around flood-control projects as a ‘heightened risk.’ Corruption, contract mismanagement and politicized public works do more than erode public trust; they destroy capital, delay critical infrastructure, and raise the cost of borrowing and doing business. Infrastructure built poorly or stalled by scandal becomes a recurring liability: vulnerable communities remain exposed to flooding, budgetary resources are wasted, and the private sector loses confidence.

Third, the apparent resilience of domestic consumption is a double-edged sword. The ADB and other analysts note that household spending has supported growth amid benign inflation. That is welcome. But deeper inspection shows this consumption is increasingly credit-fueled: higher credit-card use and salary-based loans have helped maintain demand, yet ANZ Research’s warning that some of these practices are ‘unhealthy’ should not be dismissed. Consumption driven by increasing household debt-without significant investment in assets or productive ventures-can obscure fundamental weaknesses. When interest rates or employment conditions shift, the weak link will show up in defaults. Policymakers and regulators should allow domestic demand to support growth while promoting responsible lending, improving financial literacy, and incentivizing savings and productive investment.

Fourth, the inflation outlook allows for policy flexibility, enabling further monetary easing as ADB expects inflation to remain within the BSP target. The BSP has already reduced rates to support growth. However, given global volatility, rate cuts must be data-driven, and temporary support should be linked to structural reforms that ensure financial stability.

The recent ADB downgrade should sharpen political will across the executive, the legislature and watchdog institutions. The Philippines has the demand fundamentals and demographic tailwinds to achieve stronger, inclusive growth. But that path requires greater transparency, fiscal discipline, responsible credit expansion and a proactive diversification of trade and investment ties.

The forecast downgrade serves as a warning, not a verdict. Policymakers need to act swiftly and decisively-addressing corruption that harms infrastructure, safeguarding household finances, and preparing the economy to withstand external shocks. By taking these steps, the Philippines can maintain and enhance its growth potential. Failing to act could turn today’s modest downgrades into more significant losses in the future.

Vientiane, Laos – Hinatuan Mining Corporation – Taganaan (HMC), a subsidiary of Nickel Asia Corporation (NAC), has won the Best Practices in Distribution award at the 4th ASEAN Mineral Awards (AMA), held recently in Vientiane, Laos.

The AMA is a biennial event that recognizes excellence in mineral development across ASEAN, with a focus on sustainable practices, technological innovation, and responsible industry leadership.

This is the second recognition for HMC at the AMA. In 2023, the company was named 2nd runner-up in the same category during the ceremony in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

‘HMC’s continuous pursuit of excellence in distribution practices has solidified its position as a leader in the mining industry, further enhancing its reputation for corporate responsibility, efficiency, and sustainability,’ said NAC Senior Vice President and HMC Resident Mine Manager Francisco Aranes Jr.

HMC’s victory is the fourth AMA award earned by the NAC Group since the program’s launch in 2017. That year, Rio Tuba Nickel Mining Corporation (RTN), another NAC subsidiary, won the top prize in the Best Practices in Minerals Mining category, and later secured runner-up honors at the 2nd AMA in Bangkok under the Metallic Mining category.

HMC – Taganaan is one of six mining subsidiaries of the NAC Group. It is situated on the Hinatuan Island in Barangay Talavera within the municipality of Taganaan, Surigao del Norte. It operates within the Surigal Mineral Reservation, focusing on the export of saprolite and limonite ore.