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The Bangsamoro Ministry of Labor and Employment (MOLE) distributed 20 ‘Set-A-Kart’ mobile vending carts to beneficiaries across Sulu in a new tact to promote sustainable livelihoods and economic self-sufficiency among residents of this province, which is transitioning into a local government unit under the regular regional grouping outside the Bangsamoro.

Distribution began on October 20 and for the next two days, the MOLE has given all its 20 pilot vending units to pre-identified vender beneficiaries, three carts to selected student-venders of Sulu State College. Each student received P5,000 from the college to jumpstart their small businesses.

Other beneficiaries were members of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and former local insurgents. The distribution was conducted in Camp Bud Datu in Tagbak, Indanan, Sulu.

‘These particular activities reflect the MOLE and the entire Bangsamoro government’s commitment of not leaving Bangsamoro people behind wherever they may be situated,’ the ministry said.

Fully equipped for small-scale business operations, each cart comes with a bike, solar light with panel, stove, weighing scale, and other essential tools.

Beneficiaries expressed gratitude for the assistance, emphasizing that the vending carts will help improve their livelihoods.

Similar distributions were earlier conducted in other provinces, including 20 carts for venders in Tawi-Tawi in mid-October and 55 carts for venders in Maguindanao del Sur and Cotabato City in late August.

In Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao del Norte, meanwhile, 260 Maguindanao farmers get farm inputs for rice production from the Department of Agriculture-Philippine Rice Research Institute (DA-PhilRice) in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Agrarian Reform (MAFAR).

The distribution was done on October 23 in Datu Odin Sinsuat under the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF), and included certified inbred seeds, fertilizers, and information, education, and communication (IEC) materials.

Of the beneficiaries, 200 came from Datu Odin Sinsuat, 10 from Mother Kabuntalan, and 10 from Talitay in Maguindanao del Norte, while 10 each were from the municipalities of Guindulungan, Talayan, Datu Anggal Midtimbang, and Datu Saudi Ampatuan in Maguindanao del Sur.

DA-PhilRice Midsayap Branch Director Sailila Abdula, said nearly 500,000 bags of certified seeds have been distributed to farmers in Maguindanao under the program between 2020 and 2025.

‘Why did RCEF exist? Because we want everyone [farmers] to be competitive-we need to use modern technologies,’ said Abdula. ‘For us to be competitive, we need unity, technology, and good governance working together-then there is no reason we cannot advance.’

SOLID loan growth, improving margin trend, healthy trading income alongside well-managed cost growth boosted the net earnings of Metropolitan Bank and Trust Co. (Metrobank) in the first nine months of 2025.

A statement issued by the lender last Tuesday read that Metrobank’s net earnings reached P37.3 billion in the first nine months of the year.

The bank’s pre-provision operating profit also rose 12.1 percent year-on-year to P59.2 billion in the nine-month period.

According to the bank, its net interest income reached P91.8 billion in the first nine months of the year due to ‘broad-based gains’ across business segments and ‘sustained’ quarterly margin improvement.

The bank’s gross loans expanded by 10.8 percent year-on-year to P1.9 trillion, with consumer loans growing by 15.8 percent. Institutional loans likewise rose by 9.5 percent.

Meanwhile, total deposits amounted to P2.5 trillion, up 7.6 percent year-on-year, of which P1.5 trillion are low-cost current and savings accounts (CASA).

Non-interest income grew 5.3 percent to P25.4 billion during the first nine months, propelled by ‘steady growth’ in service fees and trust income.

Trading and foreign exchange gains surged by 18 percent to P6.6 billion, driven by ‘continued growth in customer flows and effective management of the investment securities portfolio.’

Metrobank said operating cost growth was ‘well contained,’ rising by just 1.7 percent year-on-year.

Consequently, cost-to-income ratio fell to 49.8 percent in the first nine months this year from 52.2 percent in the same period in 2024.

Asset quality continued to ‘fare better’ than industry, with non-performing loans’ (NPL) ratio coming in at 1.7 percent, far lower than the industry’s reported 3.6 percent NPL ratio as of August 2025.

‘Year to date provisions stood at P8.7 billion, maintaining high NPL cover of 147.4 percent, a hefty buffer against rising uncertainties,’ Metrobank noted.

The country’s fourth-largest lender said its total consolidated assets increased by 8.9 percent to P3.6 trillion, maintaining its position as the second largest private universal bank in the country.

Moreover, total equity climbed by 7.2 percent to P407.6 billion.

St. Luke’s Medical Center Inc. has established a Center for Comprehensive Breast Care in its hospitals in Bonifacio Global City in Taguig and in Quezon City.

The center mainly houses all of St. Luke’s experts and services on breast health, from early detection of cancer, diagnosis to treatment, rehabilitation and long-term recovery.

It has a multidisciplinary team of specialists-from surgeons to radiologists-working in harmony to provide seamless, coordinated care.

Maria Cecilia M. Pagdanganan, head of St. Luke’s breast center in Quezon City said they hope to cut the delays in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer, both of which causes anxiety to the patient.

‘What we want to do is when the patient comes, the doctor is there, they can do the readings of the tests, among others. If the patient needs biopsy, we’ll do the biopsy. And then once it’s cancer.it should be managed by different specialists,’ Pagdanganan said.

She said once a patient comes in for consultation, a multi-disciplinary team will come up with a plan what they think is best for the patient.

‘Of course, not all recommendations will be followed, but included in the multidisciplinary team is the patient herself. She would want to decide on what needs to be done to go. Our concept is to shorten all of these things, such as laboratories, to prevent the patient from waiting for too long on the result, which is causing anxiety.’

Pagdanganan said the hospital took three years to launch the center as they have to gather institutional evidence on what’s best for the patient.

‘We also have a way of auditing the doctors. All doctors who will join us are willing to answer questions regarding on (his actions on) why did you not do this (process).’

The service could be more expensive compared to the other centers, but Pagdanganan said they will do what is best and provide the right treatment, which ‘at the end of the day is more economical for the patient.’

She said St. Luke’s is pushing for this type of patient treatment to be included in the packages of health maintenance organizations, as there are numerous medical studies that indicated that such strategy helps patients.

Recognizing that every canceled school day carries long-term effects on children’s learning, the Department of Education (DepEd) is working with other government agencies to establish a unified and timely guideline for class suspension announcements.

At a recent inter-agency meeting joined by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), the Commission on Higher Education (Ched), the Philippine Science High School (PSHS), and the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM II), DepEd moved to develop uniform national protocol on class suspensions to rationalize class suspension guidelines and minimize learning loss.

‘Gaya ng sabi ni Pangulong Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., kailangan nating harapin at paghandaan ang mga hamon ng kalamidad sa edukasyon.Hindi natin kayang pigilan ang bagyo, pero kaya nating paghusayin ang ating paghahanda para maging mabilis, malinaw, at maayos ang mga desisyon kapag kaligtasan at kinabukasan na ng mga bata ang nakataya,’ Education Secretary Juan Edgardo ‘Sonny’ Angara said.

Worsening impact of the climate crisis on education

Findings from the 2019 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) show that every additional day of school closure lowers a Grade 4 student’s achievement by up to 12.4 points in mathematics and 13.9 points in science.

The data further suggest that losing just 10 learning days can drop a child’s science score from 500 to below 380.

Meanwhile, EDCOM II data also revealedl that during School Year 2023-2024, the country lost more than 20 school days due to climate-related events, disrupting classes for over 11 million learners-or about 42 percent of the public school population.

DepEd said this pattern reflects the worsening impact of the climate crisis on education.

Angara said that the challenge now is to ‘adapt.’

‘Disasters will keep coming, but learning should not stop. We need clear, coordinated, and science-based decisions that keep our students both safe and learning,’ Angara said.

Advisory template

During the meeting, the agencies agreed to develop a DILG advisory template to help local governments issue timely and consistent suspension announcements, require regional and division offices to report the frequency and impact of suspensions, and publish official data on lost school days to inform national and local policy decisions.

DepEd also plans to strengthen its make-up class policy and Alternative Delivery Modes (ADM) to keep learners engaged when in-person classes are canceled. While modular and online learning options have helped sustain instruction during disruptions, DepEd noted that these cannot fully replace face-to-face learning, especially for younger students who still depend on close teacher guidance.

‘We understand that safety must always come first, but we also need to be ready to help students recover from lost time. Our goal is to make every day of learning count, rain or shine,’ he concluded.

PRICES of key commodities such as food, fuel and raw materials rose faster in September, driving up wholesale trade costs nationwide, data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showed.

The General Wholesale Price Index (GWPI) report showed that faster annual increments were recorded in food at 2 percent from 1.8 percent; beverages and tobacco at 4.2 percent from 4.1 percent; crude materials, inedible except fuels, at 54.8 percent from 40.2 percent; and mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials at 4.5 percent from 0.2 percent.

These increases contributed to the overall 2.9 percent year-on-year growth in the national GWPI in September 2025, higher than August’s 2.4 percent and September 2024’s 2 percent.

The PSA said the surge in wholesale prices was largely fueled by rising costs of chemicals, including animal and vegetable oils and fats, which climbed 9.7 percent from 8.1 percent the month prior.

Other sectors, however, registered slower increases. Prices of manufactured goods classified chiefly by materials eased to 0.2 percent from 0.6 percent, machinery and transport equipment slipped to 0.8 percent from 0.9 percent, and miscellaneous manufactured articles slowed to 0.1 percent from 0.4 percent.

Across regions, Luzon mirrored the national trend with a higher annual growth rate of 2.8 percent from 2.4 percent in August, mainly due to steeper price hikes in chemicals, animal and vegetable oils, and fats at 10.2 percent from 8.4 percent.

In contrast, the Visayas saw a slight deceleration, with wholesale prices growing 3.1 percent from 3.2 percent in August. The PSA attributed this to the slower increase in food prices at 4.5 percent from 4.8 percent.

Mindanao, meanwhile, posted an uptick in wholesale price growth, accelerating to 3 percent from 2 percent, as food prices rose sharply to 4.2 percent from just 1.1 percent a month earlier.

The GWPI measures changes in the price levels of commodities sold in bulk to intermediaries. It serves as an important gauge of price movements in the wholesale trade sector and is used as a deflator in national accounts to express real value by stripping out the effects of inflation.

IN the coming weeks, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is set to implement an unprecedented ‘major reform measure’ that could save the government around P60 billion in the 2026 national budget, Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon said.

In a press conference on Monday, Dizon presented what he called ‘the biggest single piece of reform,’ following the directive of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to suppress corruption in the agency.

‘Today, I’m going to announce the major reform measure that, in my opinion, will be the biggest, or one of the biggest if not, the single biggest piece of reform that we will do in the DPWH [Department of Public Works and Highways],’ Dizon said, referring to the massive discrepancy in the cost of materials in government infrastructure projects against market prices.

The directive to peg DPWH costings to market prices was a firm order from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who began the sweeping reforms in his last State of the Nation Address (Sona) by calling attention to overpriced, substandard and even nonexistent infrastructure projects, mostly in flood control.

The message of the President, Dizon said, was clear: There should be real change, lasting change.

‘Baguhin ang DPWH. At yun ang gagawin natin.Ngayon lang ginawa ito sa DPWH. Dekada na malalaki ang diperensya ng presyo pero kailangan na nating gawin ito. Kapag naibaba na natin ito, mami-minimize na natin ang corruption. Saan napupunta ang pera? Obviously, in all likelihood, napupunta sa pagnanakaw. Gagawin natin ang masinsinan at tunay na pagbabago,’ he said.

[Let’s overhaul the DPWH. That’s what we will do. It’s only being done now. For decades, there have been wide gaps in pricing, and that must change now. If we can bring this down, we can minimize corruption. Where does the money go? Obviously, in all likelihood, to thieves. We will carry out genuine and thorough reforms]

Their initial initial move, he said, is to bring down the cost of construction materials used in government projects, like cement, asphalt, steel, reinforced steel bars, sheet piles, gravel and sand, which are priced higher by as much as 75 percent.

‘I know it’s been decades; I said so in Senate hearings, many DPWH Secretaries have come and gone. So much DPWH budget has come and gone, but the overpriced materials are still there,’ Dizon said, speaking partly in Filipino.

He lamented that no matter the government’s efforts to put those accountable behind bars and return the stolen funds, all these will still be put to waste if the DPWH will not undergo major reform.

‘We won’t stop until those liable are charged. While we are running after the liable parties, and seeking to jail them, we will also run after their assets,’ he repeatedly vowed.

Meanwhile, even if there is a change in administration, the setup started by President Marcos won’t change. ‘I signed this last Thursday, before the [Undas] holiday. Now, this just needs to adjust to market level,’ he said.

To future DPWH secretaries, Dizon has this to say: ‘That can no longer be changed. Shame on those who try to reverse it. If the private sector can build roads with those prices, why can’t the government? What could be the reason? Corruption. We will not sacrifice the quality, but we will curb corruption.’

Dizon also revealed that they are studying thoroughly the potential liabilities of those behind the overpricing.

MORE banks expect no change in lending standards for both business and household loans in the fourth quarter of 2025, according to the latest survey of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP).

According to the BSP’s third quarter 2025 Senior Bank Loan Officers’ Survey (SLOS), 86 percent of 58 bank respondents expect to maintain their lending standards for businesses, while 87.5 percent expect to keep standards for household loans unchanged.

For business loans, this was up from 78.9 percent in the third quarter, while the rest are split between easing at 3.5 percent and tightening at 10.5 percent.

Similarly, for household loans, this is higher than 77.5 percent in the previous quarter, with around 10.0 percent expecting tighter standards and 2.5 percent possibly easing.

The BSP defined lending standards as the rules banks use when giving loans, such as interest rates, loan size, collateral, loan conditions and repayment terms.

Based on the SLOS, a net 7.0 percent expect to tighten, rather than loosen, standards for business loans, and a net 7.5 percent for household loans in the fourth quarter.

‘This indicates that any future change in credit standards is more likely to reflect tightening than easing,’ the BSP said.

Compared to the third quarter, net tightening is higher at 17.5 percent for business loans and 7.5 percent for household loans.

In terms of demand for business loans, 73.7 percent of banks anticipate that demand will remain steady, slightly lower than 75.4 percent.

Only 1.8 percent of banks anticipate a decline in loan demand, while 24.6 percent see an increase, up from 19.3 percent in the third quarter.

Household loans also showed a similar pattern, with 65 percent of banks expecting demand to stay the same, down from 75 percent in the third quarter.

Meanwhile, 25 percent of banks anticipate a rise in household loan demand, up from 17.5 percent previously, while 10 percent foresee a decline, slightly higher than the 7.5 percent in the third quarter.

The SLOS consists of questions on loan officers’ perceptions relating to the overall credit standards of their respective banks, as well as to factors affecting the supply of and demand for loans to both enterprises and households.

The analysis of the results of the SLOS focuses on the quarter-on-quarter changes in the perception of respondent banks.

The responses for the third quarter 2025 SLOS were gathered from September 11, 2025 to October 21, 2025, with a total of 58 respondent banks out of 60 surveyed banks or a 96.7 percent response rate.

Defending champion University of the Philippines takes on struggling University of Santo Tomas on Wednesday in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines Season 88 basketball tournament at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.

The Fighting Maroons are a far different team from the squad that dropped the first-round match against the Growling Tigers, 67-87.

After starting the season 0-2, UP won six of its last seven games to seize solo second behind league-leading National University (8-2).

UST, which won five of their first six games, have dropped three straight and are looking to stay in the fight for a semifinal spot.

The Tigers suffered a 96-97 overtime loss to Adamson last week, blowing an eight-point lead late in regulation.

Still, UP coach Goldwin Monteverde remains wary of UST.

‘They’re a very competitive team. For us, we always focus on ourselves first, on what we need to improve. Of course, we prepare for every team the same way, and UST is no different. What’s important for us right now is to concentrate on our own game first, then slowly work our way toward preparing for UST.’

At 5-4, the Growling Tigers hold a half-game lead over the Falcons in the race for the last spot in the semifinals.

Ateneo, running sixth with a 4-5 record and just a game behind UST, will aim to snap a five-game skid when it takes on winless University of the East at 2 p.m.

International leaders in industry, technology, education, and culture will explore actionable solutions to pressing worldwide challenges during the Brother Andrew Gonzalez FSC Academia-Industry Conference (BagCon) 2025, a two-day convention at the Space, One Ayala, on November 12 and 13, 2025.

Themed ‘New Imaginings: Designing Future Societies,’ the event aims to promote active participation in shaping inclusive and values-driven communities. It serves as a platform where policymakers, creatives, educators, and students engage in dialogue as they unravel solutions which empower them to drive meaningful change.

This year’s BagCon is presented by the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB) through its School of New Media Arts (SNMA), School of Arts, Culture, and Performance, and School of Environment and Design, in partnership with the School of Management and Information Technology Game Design and Development Program.

The milestone event was founded to honor the legacy of Br. Andrew Gonzalez FSC, an outstanding noteworthy visionary, institution builder, and prolific linguist.

The lineup of distinguished speakers will present future-oriented scenarios which inspire courage, creativity, and social responsibility.

It will highlight interdisciplinary strategies that are practical, actionable, and relevant to society’s evolving needs.

Day 1 comprises lectures by Professor Mona Nasser, director of Plymouth Institute of Health and Care Research (PIHR) Faculty of Health, and filmmaker and architect Liam Young, founder of Tomorrow’s Thoughts Today think tank.

Likewise included are video game technology expert Julien Merceron, worldwide chief technology officer of Bandai Namco Studios Inc., as well as writer, artist, and cultural theorist Ashok Mathur of the Ontario College of Art and Design (OCAD) University.

Completing the roster are Dr. Ching-Ju Cheng, supervisor of Taiwan Association of Cultural Policy Studies, and award-winning journalist Horacio ‘Howie’ Severino, co-founder of the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism and former vice president of GMA Network.

Day 2 will feature a talk by cultural policy expert, civil society advocate, and arts educator Audrey Wong. Also lined up is a plenary block with Jos Ortega, chairman and CEO of Havas Ortega Group and managing partner of HAVAS Red Philippines; arts and cultural manager and museum professional Rica Estrada Uson; Lilian G. Salonga, director of the Bureau of Competitive Development of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI); and Maria Rita ‘Rhea’ Matute, executive director of the DTI-Design Center of the Philippines.

‘BagCon offers a vital space for the academe to raise its collective voice, to challenge the status quo, and to imagine new possibilities for our communities,’ said Benilde SNMA Dean Sharon Mapa Arriola. ‘At the close of the gathering, we will not only have shared insights, but also craft a resolution-a living commitment from each participant to be part of the solution.’

BagCon 2025 is open to the public. Registration is P7,500 for professionals and P3,500 for students. Group packages are offered with a 10+1 deal.

Consunj-led Semirara Mining and Power Corp. (SMPC) reported Monday that its earnings fell 37-percent to P9.9 billion at end-September this year from P15.7 billion last year, mainly due to weaker coal and electricity prices and higher production-related costs.

‘This has been a more difficult year operationally, but we continue to adapt,’ said SMPC President, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Sustainability Officer Maria Cristina C. Gotianun. ‘Our priority is to strengthen reliability, manage costs, and preserve our financial flexibility to navigate changing market and operating conditions.’

From January to September, the average Newcastle Index (NEWC) fell 22 percent year-on-year to $104.5, while the Indonesian Coal Index 4 (ICI4) dropped by 16 percent to $45.90. Average spot electricity prices in the Luzon-Visayas grid likewise receded by 33 percent, from P5.59 per kilowatt hour (kWh) to P3.73/kWh.

For the third quarter alone, consolidated net income declined by 53 percent to P1.5 billion, from P3.1 billion last year, as lower energy prices continued to weigh on profitability.

From January to September, coal total shipments rose 5 percent to a record high of 12.9 million metric tons (MMT), from 12.3 MMT, driven by stronger exports and higher deliveries to own power plants.

Average selling price (ASP) for Semirara coal declined 19 percent to P2,325/MT from P2,864/MT, in line with market indices and a higher share of lower-grade shipments.

Coal production went up by 15 percent to 15.1 MMT from 13.1 MMT, also a record high, following improved access to coal seams at the Narra mine.

Total power sales grew 12 percent to a record 4,186 gigawatt hours (GWh), from 3,722 GWh, on the back of improved plant performance.

Of the total energy sold, 57 percent was sold to the spot market, while the remaining 43 percent was covered by bilateral contract quantities (BCQs).

Overall average selling price for electricity declined by 10 percent to P4.46/kWh from P4.93/kWh, reflecting wider supply margins, amid stable demand in the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM).

As of end-September, 40 percent of SMPC’s 860-megawatt (MW) total dependable capacity was contracted. After accounting for periodic station service, 429.60 MW was available for spot market sales.

SMPC’s two power units-Sem-Calaca Power Corp. and Southwest Luzon Power Generation Corp.-provide baseload power to the national grid through BCQ and the WESM.