Asianet Pakistan Private Limited

Seven years since the collapse of Hanjin Heavy Industries and Construction-Philippines in 2019, the country’s shipbuilding industry took a major step towards revival with the launch of Orion Jade, the first vessel built by HD Hyundai Heavy Industries Philippines (HHIP) at the Agila Subic Shipyard.

The 115,000-ton crude oil tanker was formally inaugurated on Tuesday, July 28. Officials said the project reflects renewed investments in the country’s shipbuilding sector and positions Subic as Hyundai’s primary manufacturing hub in Southeast Asia.

‘Orion Jade’ is the first vessel to be fully constructed at the facility by HD Hyundai, one of the world’s largest shipbuilders, since it began operating in Subic.

The tanker measures 250 meters long, 42 meters wide, and 21 meters deep, underscoring the shipyard’s capability to produce large ocean-going vessels

Among those who attended were Republic of Korea Ambassador Lee Sang-hwa, Special Assistant to the President for Investment and Economic Affairs Frederick D. Go, Customs Commissioner Ariel F. Nepomuceno, Botolan Mayor Jun Omar Ebdane, and Olongapo City Mayor Rolen Paulino Jr.

Go said the vessel’s completion demonstrates the Marcos administration’s success in attracting strategic investments.

‘The Orion Jade launch is a testament to our commitment to delivering projects that create quality jobs, enhance industrial capacity, and generate meaningful economic opportunities for Filipinos,’ he said.

During the ceremony, Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Chairman and Administrator Eduardo Jose Aliño said the project demonstrates growing investor confidence in the country.

Aliño attributed the investment to the CREATE MORE Law (Republic Act No. 12066), which reduced the corporate income tax rate to 20 percent, streamlined local business taxes, and expedited value-added tax refunds, to make the country more attractive to investors.

Korean Ambassador Lee said the launch of a Filipino-built vessel symbolizes the growing partnership between the Philippines and South Korea and supports President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s goal of restoring the country’s position as a major global shipbuilding player.

‘Maritime cooperation between our countries continues to grow, further strengthening mutual trust and sharing a promising future,’ Lee said.

HD Hyundai currently employs about 4,000 workers at the Agila Subic Shipyard and plans to increase its workforce to 7,000 as operations expand.

The company provides free on-site accommodation, shuttle services, complimentary meals, and health coverage beginning on employees’ first work anniversary.

The launch took place at the shipyard’s 550-meter dry dock-the largest in the Philippines- which will enable HD Hyundai to build at least 10 vessels annually beginning next year.

Hanjin Heavy Industries and Construction-Philippines began operations in Subic in 2006, making the Philippines the world’s fifth-largest shipbuilding nation, and delivering at least 94 ships while employing around 30,000 workers at its peak, mostly from Olongapo City and the neighboring provinces of Zambales and Bataan.

Its bankruptcy in 2019, following years of declining global shipbuilding demand, resulted in the country’s biggest corporate default and displaced thousands of workers.

The future of the 310-hectare shipyard remained uncertain until 2022, when New York-based Cerberus Capital Management acquired the distressed property, now known as Agila Subic Shipyard, investing an initial $40 million to restore operations.

Today, the multi-use facility hosts four major tenants, including HD Hyundai, which occupies about 100 hectares for shipbuilding, ship repair, and offshore wind platform construction.

Other tenants include the Philippine Navy, subsea communications company SubCom, and logistics firm V2X.

Agila Subic officials earlier said that the facility is expected to employ up to 10,000 workers by 2027, with total investments projected to approach $1 billion, signaling a broader revitalization of one of the country’s most strategically important industrial sites.

Ten months after the deadly riots in Manila during the anti-corruption protests last Sept. 21, Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla revealed that a slain bystander was killed by a ‘stray bullet coming from a loose firearm.’

‘I was there. We made sure that, during our operations, the president made it clear that no guns were to be used. To support, the SWAT (Special Weapons and Tactics) was there on the side,’ Remulla said at a La Salle Institute of Governance forum in Manila on Thursday.

‘The one fatality was by a stray bullet, but we traced it. It did not belong to the Philippine National Police. We have serial numbers. It was a loose firearm that killed him, and it did not come from the PNP,’ he detailed.

The fatality was identified by the human rights group Karapatan as a 35-year-old construction worker named Eric Saber, believed to have been caught in the crossfire during the riots.

Saber was found to have sustained a gunshot wound in the neck, according to Karapatan, citing an autopsy conducted by forensic pathologist Raquel Fortun.

Karapatan called for an investigation into Saber’s death.

Although Remulla did not identify the fatality as Saber, he stressed, ‘I assure you, it was not the PNP… That was a kilometer away from our engagement line, and there were no policemen there.’

Remulla estimated that 98 percent of gun-related criminal activities involved unregistered or loose firearms, half of which belonged to dismissed PNP or Armed Forces of the Philippines personnel

Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said law enforcers were now tracking down individuals and groups allegedly involved in supposed plans to disrupt the State of the Nation Address (Sona).

‘We respect every Filipino’s right to free expression, but we will take appropriate legal action against individuals who use digital platforms to incite violence, spread credible threats, or facilitate criminal activities,’ Nartatez maintained in a statement on Thursday.

‘The PNP, through our Anti-Cybercrime Group and in close coordination with the CICC (Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center) and other partner agencies, is actively pursuing all available leads to identify those behind these online accounts,’ he noted.

The CICC previously flagged at least nine individuals and groups allegedly involved in online efforts to gather and create disturbances in President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s fifth Sona.

The individuals and groups were detected through the CICC’s cyber monitoring operations as part of security measures during the Sona, according to the agency’s chief, Undersecretary Aboy Paraiso.

‘We urge the public to remain vigilant, avoid sharing unverified or malicious content, and immediately report suspicious online posts to the authorities,’ Nartatez stressed.

The Sona proceeded last Monday without any untoward incidents, despite the recovery of two improvised explosive devices (IEDs) outside the Department of Justice and the Senate as well as the arrest of 51 individuals at a rally along Commonwealth Avenue, according to the PNP.

On Wednesday, Nartatez said the PNP already had leads into the origin of the recovered IEDs.

Further, nine of the 51 individuals arrested at the Sona rally were charged with malicious mischief, disobedience to a person in authority and obstruction of justice, while the rest were released from custody

Actor Kim Soo-hyun has been cleared of allegations of violating South Korea’s Child Welfare Act after police decided not to refer the case for prosecution.

The Seoul Seongdong Police Station concluded its investigation into allegations that Soo-hyun had violated the Child Welfare Act and committed false accusation, deciding not to forward the case to prosecutors.

The case stemmed from a criminal complaint filed in May 2025 by the family of the late actor Kim Sae-ron. They alleged that Soo-hyun had been in a relationship with her when she was a minor, dating back to her second year of middle school and accused him of violating the Child Welfare Act, among other offenses.

Soo-hyun’s side has since acknowledged that the two had dated but consistently denied that the relationship began while Sae-ron was underage. The actor’s representatives also maintained that an audio recording released by her family – in which a speaker, purportedly Sae-ron, claimed she had been in a relationship with Soo-hyun since middle school – had been fabricated using artificial intelligence.

Police ultimately decided not to pursue the case, rejecting the allegations brought against the actor.

Meanwhile, Soo-hyun resumed his public activities in July after a yearlong hiatus following the controversy surrounding the late actor.

Soo-hyun filmed a commercial for a Philippine fashion brand on July 14, marking his first official activity since March 2025.

Sae-ron was found dead at her home in Seoul’s Seongdong District in February, 2025. Her acting career had largely come to a halt following a drunk driving incident in May 2022.

President Marcos’ 2026 State of the Nation Address (Sona) placed the proposed Pax Silica Industrial Hub at the center of the country’s industrial ambitions.

The president described it as an artificial intelligence (AI) ecosystem that would create quality jobs, strengthen industrial competitiveness, revitalize the economy and position the Philippines as an advanced manufacturing and logistics hub within the global AI value chain.

Criticisms that focus primarily on environmental risks or fears of bloc fragmentation are, in important respects, counterproductive. As a latecomer in technology and industrial development, the Philippines cannot afford an avoidance-based approach to emerging industries. Environmental concerns can be addressed through regulation and compliance, while geopolitical fragmentation, while real, can be strategically navigated. The key challenge is not fragmentation itself, but whether the Philippines can achieve structural transformation within it.

Participation is not transformation

For a country that has long struggled to industrialize, this membership to a Global Production Network (GPN) deserves serious consideration. The Philippines cannot remain on the sidelines while global production reorganizes around artificial intelligence, semiconductors, advanced manufacturing and digital technologies. Participating in these industries is no longer optional if we hope to remain competitive.

Yet the success of Pax Silica should not be measured solely by the volume of foreign investment or the number of jobs it creates. The more important question is whether these investments strengthen the country’s productive capabilities or simply integrate the Philippines into another low-value stage of global production.

This distinction is often overlooked.

Industrialization has always involved fragmented production. Countries no longer manufacture entire products from beginning to end. Instead, production is divided into specialized tasks distributed across many countries. Pax Silica seeks initially to position the Philippines within this new geography of production, making it an attractive location for AI-enabled manufacturing, logistics, semiconductor activities and related industries.

Transitional upgrading and its limits

Many late-industrializing economies initially experience what may be called transitional upgrading. They enter technologically sophisticated industries and generate higher incomes through new investments, but much of the work performed locally remains concentrated in standardized production, operations, testing, logistics and support activities. The higher value generated by these industries often reflects the ownership of technology, intellectual property, capital and global production networks rather than the nature of work undertaken domestically.

This stage is a natural point of entry for countries seeking to industrialize. Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, China, Malaysia and Vietnam all began by integrating into fragmented global production systems before developing their own technological capabilities.

But the danger lies not in engaging with foreign interest. The question is in learning to move to a higher stage of production.

From investment promotion to capability building

The President’s Sona correctly emphasized the importance of joining the global AI economy. But the speech did not explain how the Philippines intends to move beyond participation toward ownership of productive capabilities. It highlighted AI, advanced manufacturing and quality jobs, but did not categorically indicate that these investments must generate and form domestic technology, stronger local suppliers, research partnerships, engineering capabilities, or innovation ecosystems.

That is the difference between transitional and functional upgrading.

Functional upgrading occurs when domestic firms, workers, universities and research institutions progressively undertake higher-value activities such as engineering, product development, systems integration, software, design, research and innovation. On top of hosting advanced industries, the objective is to shape them.

Fiscal incentives should reward firms not only for locating in the Philippines but also for creating measurable domestic capabilities. Companies benefiting from public incentives should be encouraged to develop local supplier networks, collaborate with universities and technical institutions, strengthen micro, small and medium enterprises, support community enterprises, expand research partnerships and gradually transfer technology to Philippine firms. Investment should leave behind knowledge, not merely infrastructure.

This approach is consistent with the broader aspirations of the Tatak Pinoy strategy. Beyond investment, the ultimate objective is to strengthen Philippine productive capabilities so that local enterprises increasingly create, adapt, commercialize and own the technology rather than simply utilize it.

The real economic question

The debate over Pax Silica has largely been framed around geopolitics. Supporters see it as an opportunity to join strategic supply chains, while critics fear environmental risks, foreign dependence, or entanglement in great-power rivalry. While deserving of careful consideration, these issues should not obscure the more fundamental economic question. This is whether the Philippines develops the domestic capabilities needed to benefit from participation in these GPNs.

Pax Silica should, therefore, be judged not simply by the investments it attracts or the factories it builds, but by the productive capabilities it leaves behind. If it strengthens local enterprises, develops Filipino engineers and innovators, deepens supplier networks, and creates institutions capable of generating new technologies, it can become the foundation of long-term industrial transformation.

If not, the country may once again participate in the industries of the future while leaving ownership of that future to others

Two political science professors criticized Sen. Rodante Marcoleta’s statement that the truth about corruption in the country’s controversial flood control projects had also been ‘imprisoned’ since his arrest on plunder charges.

‘No senator or government official or faction in government has the monopoly over the truth,’ Maria Ela Atienza, a professor at the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman, told the Inquirer.

A day after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. delivered his fifth State of the Nation Address, Marcoleta expressed dismay over his continued detention, saying that not only he but also the Filipino people had been deprived of freedom.

Marcoleta was arrested July 6 on plunder charges stemming from campaign donations he received before the official campaign period began, when he was still a representative of Sagip.

‘It is truly saddening. I am saddened because I am not the only one imprisoned. The Filipino people are imprisoned as well,’ Marcoleta said. ‘What is imprisoned here? The truth that they have been searching for. Until now, it has not been given to them.’

But Jorge Tigno, also a professor at UP Diliman, reminded the senator that he ‘can still do the ‘exposing’ even in detention,’ noting Marcoleta’s claim that those allegedly responsible for the corruption scandal had yet to be held accountable.

Same ‘Duterte’ narrative

Atienza said the senator’s statement was ‘in the same narrative line of the Duterte family and their supporters who claim that they are ‘victims’ being targeted by the Marcos-led administration and majority.’

‘They are trying to paint themselves as the representatives of the people. However, no one is above the law and every government official needs to be accountable,’ she said. ‘If there is evidence of wrongdoing, the one needs to be subjected to trial.’

The nonbailable plunder case against Marcoleta stemmed from allegations surrounding P75 million in campaign donations. In a television interview, he acknowledged receiving the money for his candidacy but failed to declare it in his Statement of Contributions and Expenditures.

A complaint filed before the Ombudsman stated that the donation exceeded the P50 million threshold for plunder and that the senator should also be charged with indirect bribery because the money was given to him based on his position or potential influence as a public officer.

Marcoleta, however, maintained that the case against him was politically motivated and said he ‘vehemently and categorically denies’ committing any of the acts that formed the basis of the criminal charges against him.

Only open to ‘his truth’

Atienza said Marcoleta’s statement should be viewed in the context of how he responded to findings from investigations led by other lawmakers, such as Sens. Panfilo Lacson and Erwin Tulfo, rather than by him or his allies.

Lacson succeeded Marcoleta as chair of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee when Sen. Francis ‘Chiz’ Escudero was ousted as Senate president by Sen. Vicente ‘Tito’ Sotto III last year.

When Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano replaced Sotto, Sen. Pia Cayetano, not Marcoleta, was elected to head the committee. Marcoleta was instead named one of its vice chairs, along with Sen. Jinggoy Estrada.

During Marcoleta’s few months as chair, Lacson raised concerns about his move to have contractors Pacifico and Sarah Discaya placed in the Witness Protection Program. Marcoleta’s wife, Edna, serves as an independent nonexecutive director of two companies reported to have issued surety bonds to contracting firms owned by the Discayas.

Marcoleta said this did not constitute a conflict of interest.

‘It must be remembered that some of Marcoleta’s claims and witnesses are also questionable. He also did not support the partial findings of the Blue Ribbon Committee on the flood control scandals then led by Lacson,’ Atienza said.

Atienza said the senator was not open to other possible evidence or suspects: ‘He is only targeting certain individuals while shielding others from scrutiny.’

Since he is facing plunder and other cases, it would be better for him to subject himself to the Sandiganbayan and try to prove his innocence. He has other allies who can present their evidence to the proper channels, but these should also be subject to rigorous scrutiny,’ she said.

Government forces arrested a fugitive who is an alleged communist rebel, and apprehended a Filipino-American woman allegedly linked to armed insurgents during a joint operation in Cabuyao City, Laguna on Thursday (July 30).

The military, together with the Philippine National Police, and the Bureau of Immigration, served a warrant of arrest against Binay Serrano, also known by the alias ‘Samay’.

Serrano is the alleged medical and logistics officer of the NPA’s Southern Regional Military Area 4D, is facing a murder charge under Criminal Case No. R25-12586, said Col. Michael T. Aquino, public information officer of the Army’s 2nd Infantry Division (2ID).

According to the military, Serrano had been operating in Mindoro Island. No further details about the murder case were disclosed.

During the same operation, authorities also apprehended Cristina Pasion, an American citizen, whom security officials identified as having alleged links to the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and its armed wing, the New Peoples Army. She was found with Serrano when the arrest warrant was served in Barangay San Isidro.

The military report identified Pasion as a member of Migrante International and alleged that she had been with fellow Filipino-American Chantal Anicoche and NPA members in Mindoro as early as December 2025.

The Army also claimed that Pasion was among those who wrote entries in a notebook recovered from the site of an armed encounter in Occidental Mindoro in January.

According to the military, the notebook contained notes detailing the group’s activities, internal discussions and experiences while staying with the armed movement.

Anicoche later returned to the United States on Jan. 30 after reuniting with her family.

The military said Pasion was scheduled to leave for the United States on March 14 but failed to depart as planned. It further alleged that she remained with communist rebels following armed encounters in San Jose, Occidental Mindoro, on March 24 and 29, 2026.

Following her apprehension, Pasion was turned over to the Bureau of Immigration for appropriate action over her alleged immigration violations

Major General Ramon Zagala, 2ID commander, said, ‘This development shows how elaborate the CPP-NPA-NDF’s international solidarity work has become. Through front organizations, personal networks, and deceptive narratives, they attempt to reach young people even beyond the Philippines and draw them into a violent and futile cause.’

The Philippine Fisheries Development Authority (PFDA) has opened the upgraded Sual Fish Port in Pangasinan to enhance fish distribution and reduce losses.

‘These improvements strengthen the fisheries cold chain by allowing fish to be handled, preserved, processed, and transported under better conditions, helping maintain product quality while reducing spoilage and post-harvest losses,’ the PFDA said on Thursday.

The upgraded port can now handle larger vessels and speed up seafood deliveries from landing sites to markets. It has 200 metric tons of cold storage, blast freezers, chiller rooms, flake ice machines and fish processing facilities.

The facility can process up to 8 metric tons daily. It also has a wastewater treatment plant and solar power system.

Still, Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said the project would strengthen the food supply chain, cut losses and improve fisherfolk livelihoods.

‘By providing better post-harvest facilities, cold chain infrastructure, and more efficient trading systems, we reduce losses, preserve the quality of our catch, improve incomes for our fisherfolk, and ensure that more affordable and nutritious fish reach Filipino families,’ Tiu Laurel said.

For his part, PFDA Acting General Manager Glen Pangapalan said the upgraded port would create more opportunities for fishing communities. ‘This facility will serve fishing communities for many years, providing them with better services, modern post-harvest facilities, and greater opportunities to grow their livelihoods,’ he said.

Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showed Pangasinan produced 172,090 metric tons of fish in 2025, or 4.3 percent of national output

President Marcos will certify as urgent the bills he identified in his fifth State of the Nation Address (Sona) once these are formally submitted for his review, according to Malacañang.

‘The President only needs to see the bills. Once he has reviewed them, then definitely, they will be certified as urgent,’ Palace press officer Claire Castro said on Wednesday.

Certifying a bill as urgent allows the House and the Senate to approve a bill on second and third reading on the same day, bypassing the usual three-day waiting period.

Agenda toppers

Among the key pieces of legislation the President announced in his Sona were the Amendments to the National Building Code, the Progress Bill to exempt employees earning up to P350,000 annually from paying income tax, the General Tax Amnesty, and the ‘Sariling Kuryente’ Act.

Also among Marcos’ priority bills were the amendments to the Electric Power Industry Reform Act to stop system loss and value-added tax from being passed on to consumers, as well as amendments to the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act to support modern waste management practices, including waste-to-energy and waste treatment technologies.

Except for the Progress Bill and Sariling Kuryente Act, the four other pieces of legislation are part of the 52 priority measures approved by the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council under the current 20th Congress.

Marcos also remains committed to passing an antipolitical dynasty law before the end of his term in 2028, although he made no mention of it in his Sona, according to Castro.

She said the President’s position has not changed about his pet bill and he still wants the proposed law to be enacted under his administration.

House version filed

House Speaker Faustino ‘Bojie’ Dy III and Majority Leader Ferdinand Alexander Marcos, meanwhile, have filed a bill that seeks to increase the ceiling for taxable annual income from the previous P250,000 to P350,000.

In a statement on Wednesday, Rep. Marcos said that they filed House Bill No. 10345 in response to the call of his father, President Marcos, for greater relief for families and to strengthen their purchasing power.

‘President Marcos’ Sona placed tax relief where families will feel it, in the pay they bring home after every cutoff, and Speaker Bojie Dy has made sure the House responds with a bill rather than applause alone,’ Rep. Marcos said.

‘Raising the tax-free ceiling to P350,000 gives workers more room for food, tuition, medicine and the bills that do not wait,’ he added.

HB 10345 seeks to amend Section 24 of the National Internal Revenue Code, or the provisions regarding income taxes. The last time that the income tax exemption was adjusted was when the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion law was enacted, exempting those with annual salaries of P250,000

Fair weather is expected in Luzon on Friday as the low pressure area (LPA) inside the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR) has dissipated, the state weather bureau said on Thursday.

According to Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) weather specialist John Manalo, the LPA dissipated at 8 a.m. on Thursday.

He noted that the weather system brought rains over Metro Manila and other areas in Luzon the past few days.

Meanwhile, he said that then LPA outside the PAR was stationary and is forecast to evaporate during the weekend. It was last located 1,445 kilometers east of Eastern Visayas as of 3 p.m.

‘Sa Luzon, patuloy na makakaranas ng maaliwalas na kalangitan. Bawas na yung kaulapan pero posible pa rin naman yung localized thunderstorms,’ Manalo said in Pagasa’s 5 p.m. weather update.

(Luzon will continue to experience clear skies. There will be less cloudiness but localized thunderstorms are possible.)

He also said that partly cloudy to cloudy skies with low chances of rain will prevail in Palawan.

Meanwhile, the eastern sections of Visayas and Mindanao will experience cloudy skies due to the trough or extension of the LPA outside PAR.

Temperature forecast in key cities / areas

Metro Manila: 25°C to 33°C

Laoag: 25°C to 32°C

Baguio: 18°C to 23°C

Tagaytay: 21°C to 29°C

Tuguegarao: 25°C to 34°C

Legazpi: 24°C to 33°C

Kalayaan Islands: 26°C to 32°C

Puerto Princesa: 25°C to 32°C

Cebu: 26°C to 33°C

Iloilo: 24°C to 32°C

Tacloban: 25°C to 32°C

Cagayan de Oro: 24°C to 32°C

Davao: 24°C to 32°C

Zamboanga: 24°C to 32°C

August tropical cyclones forecast

Manalo also shared that two to four tropical cyclones may enter the PAR this August.

He said that this is based on the historical data of the bureau.

‘Hindi ibig sabihin na 100% na four lang, posibleng lumagpas pero yung number na binibigay natin na number ng bagyo in a given month ay based sa historical data at sa seasonal forecast. Ito yung most probable na bagyong papasok sa PAR o mamumuo sa susunod na buwan,’ he explained.

(It does not 100% mean that it will just be four, the forecast number may exceed in a given month as it is based on historical data and seasonal forecast. These are the most probable number that may enter the PAR next month.)

In a separate advisory, Pagasa said that as of 2 p.m., the LPA outside the PAR has an ‘unlikely’ chance of developing into a tropical depression within the next 24 hours