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Flag carrier Philippine Air lines (PAL) is putting on a mas ter class in bringing passengers to their destinations on time, taking the crown of being the most punctual airline in Asia Pacific for the second consecutive month.

Based on Cirium’s On-Time Performance Monthly Report, PAL outpaced all of its competi tors in the region by recording an on-time rate of 90.47 percent in September.

This marks the second straight month and third time this year that

PAL rose as the most punc tual airline in Asia-Pacific, placing it well ahead of rivals. PAL’s on-time rate dusted the regional average of 81.63 percent among the most punctual. It also completed 98.3 percent of its 8,727 flights in September, delivering almost every flight it slated for the month.

PAL was far ahead of the second most punctual in the region, Thai AirAsia, which reg istered an on-time score of 85.79 percent. IndiGo came third with 83.69 percent, while Singapore Airlines landed next with 81.06 percent.

Low-cost carrier T’way Air, full-service airline Thai Airways and luxury operator EVA Air took up the middle slots with 80.03 percent, 79.74 percent and 79.71 percent, respectively.

Meanwhile, Scoot, Qantas and All Nippon Airways rounded up the list, clocking in 78.92 percent, 78.61 percent and 78.29 percent, in that order. Globally, flag carrier Aero mexico topped the rankings of the most on-time airlines in Septem ber, turning in a punctuality rate of 91.8 percent, followed by Azul Brazilian Airlines, Delta Air Lines and Saudia. Cirium evaluates the on-time performance of a flight based on how early an aircraft arrives at the gate against its schedule. For short, making it to the on-time list means passengers reached their destinations promptly and airlines complied with airport slots.

SM Prime Holdings Inc., the integrated property development arm of the SM Group, is opening its 89th mall in the country tomorrow.

SM City La Union, which spans more than 51,000 square meters of leasable area, is SM’s ninth mall in Northern Luzon.

SM Prime said that over 80 percent of the new mall located along Diversion Road in San Fernando City has already been taken up.

‘We designed it to serve as a landmark for both residents and tourists. As the surfing capital of the region, La Union deserves a retail center that reflects its vibrant lifestyle and rich culture,’ SM Prime president Jeffrey Lim.

SM Prime said a highlight of SM City La Union is the Sandbox, a 1,348-square meter outdoor venue designed for sports tournaments, mini-concerts, yoga, Zumba and other community activities.

SM City La Union will be anchored by major tenants such as SM Store, SM Markets, Ace Hardware, Toy Kingdom, Levi’s, Watsons, Surplus, Pet Express, Adidas, Miniso, Sports Central, SM Appliance Center, Puma, UNIQLO, National Bookstore and BDO.

For dining and leisure, SM City La Union will feature a food hall offering Ilocano, Filipino and international dishes, while SM Cinema will showcase the first Director’s Club in the province.

‘With our diverse and unique offerings, we hope to strengthen La Union’s position as both a tourism and economic hub in Northern Luzon,’ Lim said.

As the country’s largest mall developer, SM Supermalls has set an aggressive expansion and redevelopment program in its pipeline over the next five years.

Its expansion initiative will entail the opening of four to five malls every year. Also included in the plan is the delivery of one flagship mall annually over the next five years.

SM is investing over P150 billion in 16 major redevelopments and 12 new lifestyle malls to ensure that its entire portfolio evolves into greener, smarter and more people-centered destinations by 2030.

A Mandaluyong court has ordered the Department of Foreign Affairs to cancel the passports of former Philippine Sweepstakes general manager Royina Garma and former police commissioner Edilberto Leonardo in connection with the 2020 killing of Wesley Barayuga.

In an order dated October 15, the Regional Trial Court also directed the cancellation of the passports of Santie Mendoza, Nelson Mariano and Jeremy Causapin, all facing murder and frustrated murder charges.

‘As holders of valid Philippine Passports, there exists serious risk that they will flee from the jurisdiction of the court to evade trial and punishment,’ the court’s order read.

The court granted the prosecutors’ request two take two preventive legal steps, namely a hold departure order that prohibits the accused to leaving the country without permission, and a passport cancelation.

It also noted that all accused except Mendoza and Mariano remain fugitives from justice.

Arrested suspects in NBI custody. Garma and Leonardo’s bid to halt proceedings was also rejected, as the court directed that Mendoza and Mariano to remain in the custody of the National Bureau of Investigation.

Both Mendoza and Mariano had entered not guilty pleas, and the court set a pre-trial conference on November 12.

Alleged masterminds. Garma and Leonardo were previously tagged as alleged masterminds in Barayuga’s killing during House Quad Committee hearings. Barayuga, who served as Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office board secretary, was shot dead in Mandaluyong City in 2020.

In September, former Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said Garma had been deported from the United States after her asylum application was denied and was reportedly set to testify before the International Criminal Court against detained former President Rodrigo Duterte.

A drug suspect and his companion were killed while two police officers and a Marine soldier were wounded in an alleged shootout in Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao del Norte on Wednesday.

Police identified the fatalities as Samsudin Usman and his aide Piong Mindo.

Reports said that members of the Datu Odin Sinsuat police were serving an arrest warrant on Usman in Barangay Semba when the suspect and his companions allegedly fired at the officers, triggering a shootout.

Capt. Samy Paning, municipal police deputy chief, and his companions Cpl. Marson Quijano and Marine Pvt. Alex Bajoyo were wounded in the shootout.

Usman’s other companions fled, but one of them, identified as Barry Usman surrendered to the police.

In the Philippines, almost everyone believes that there is widespread corruption in the government.

This is among the findings of the latest Pulse Asia survey on corruption, which was conducted amid the ongoing investigation into anomalies involving flood control and other infrastructure projects.

The survey, conducted from Sept. 27 to 30, found that 97 percent of the respondents believe that corruption is prevalent in the Philippine government (78 percent ‘very widespread,’ 20 percent ‘somewhat widespread,’ correctly rounded).

Less than one percent said corruption is not widespread, while two percent said they cannot say if it was widespread or not.

Based on the survey, 85 percent said corruption in the government increased in the past 12 months, while 12 percent said it stayed the same. Only three percent said it decreased.

More than half or 59 percent agreed that corruption is a normal part of politics in the Philippines, while 30 percent disagreed. Eleven percent said they cannot say if they agree or disagree with the statement.

Asked which actions they consider as corrupt, whether in the public or private sector, a majority selected accepting or giving bribes (75 percent), misuse of public funds or company resources (67 percent) and offering or receiving kickbacks (64 percent).

Other ‘corrupt’ practices included insider trading or financial fraud (49 percent), evading taxes or regulatory requirements (41 percent), nepotism or favoritism in hiring or promotions (38 percent) and non-disclosure of conflicts of interest (27 percent).

Specific to the alleged anomalies on flood control projects, nine in 10 believed that there was collusion among executive officials, legislators and private contractors in the misuse of public funds.

Sixty-one percent said they ‘strongly agree’ with the statement, while 29 percent said they ‘somewhat agree.’

Only four percent said they do not believe that there was collusion, while six percent said they cannot agree or disagree.

RJ Abarrientos was not supposed to suit up for Barangay Ginebra against the TNT Tropang 5G in their PBA Philippine Cup match on Wednesday evening.

The guard was not exempted from flu, which has affected Filipinos across the country.

Still, Abarrientos suited up and powered Ginebra with 14 points in 22 minutes of play off the bench to help the Gin Kings tally their first win of the conference with a dominant 92-77 win over the Tropang 5G.

After the game, Abarrientos said that the team’s nurses and doctors told him he had Influenza A.

‘Actually nagsabi na ako sa mga nurse namin na doctor na hindi ako makakalaro, madaling araw. Sabi na rin ng misis ko na wag ko na nga raw pilit, pero sabi ni Coach Tim [Cone] na tignan sa warmup, baka pag napawisan, maging better. Pero yun naman, medyo naging better,’ the guard, who was wearing a mask, told reporters.

‘Pero ang hirap. Ang hirap maglaro ng may sakit. Yun lang,’ he added.

He said he had fever and was not feeling well even during the game, but he was able to muster strength to suit up.

‘Pag pinawisan ka na, parang wala. Ganun lang. Tapos pag medyo natuyo ka, parang nanlalamig ulit. Yun yung pakiramdam,’ Abarrientos bared.

‘Happy naman kasi nakuha yung panalo. Siguro, mabibinat ako na to pag natalo kami eh. Yun lang naman.’

Cone, during the post-game press conference, admitted that he ‘kind of forced’ his shifty guard to play.

‘RJ Abarrientos was, in the beginning, not supposed to play at all tonight. And I kind of forced him to come to the game and warm up and see if he could go through it. And lo and behold, he came out and played an awesome game,’ he said.

‘But he was running a 41 temperature. Was it 41? And a high temperature and he’d been vomiting. And he still came out and played. I hope he didn’t get everybody sick on the court though. But it was a really good flu game. Really good mental strength by RJ tonight,’ he added.

Abarrientos’ 14 backstopped Japeth Aguilar’s 17 point-10 rebound performance.

Troy Rosario had 13 markers, while Scottie Thompson, Stephen Holt and Norbert Torres added 10 apiece.

Abarrientos is expected to play anew for Ginebra as they return to action on Friday, taking on the Meralco Bolts at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

A low-pressure area spotted outside the Philippine area of responsibility may develop into Tropical Depression Ramil once it enters PAR today, the state weather bureau said yesterday.

By Saturday, the potential 18th cyclone this year could move closer to Northern and Central Luzon, bringing rains over large parts of the region, including Metro Manila.

If the system strengthens and moves inland, it may bring gusty winds and stormy conditions to parts of Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Quezon and the northern portion of Bicol over the weekend.

Ramil would be the third tropical cyclone to form this month.

The trough or extension of the LPA and easterlies are causing cloudy skies with scattered rainshowers and thunderstorms over Aurora, Nueva Ecija, Bulacan, Calabarzon, Bicol and Eastern Visayas, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration said yesterday.

The countdown has begun to one of the most anticipated events in Southeast Asia’s running calendar – the inaugural ASICS META: Time Trials (MTT) Philippines set to fire off on Sunday at the Ayala Vermosa Sports Hub in Imus, Cavite.

With 3,500 runners in the fold, the event not only marks a major milestone for ASICS in the region but also signals the Philippines’ growing importance as a hub for high-performance athletic events.

From elite athletes to passionate weekend warriors, the diverse lineup of participants reflects the expanding appeal of performance-focused road racing. For many local runners, the event offers a rare opportunity to test themselves on a world-class course, backed by innovative gear and support from one of the world’s most trusted athletic brands.

‘This is more than just a race – it’s about pushing your own boundaries,’ said Ishina Buxani, Marketing Director of SONAK Retail Group, the official ASICS distributor in the Philippines. ‘Whether you’re aiming to break into elite times or finish your first sub-hour 10K, the META: Time Trials is a platform to chase your personal best.’

K-pop girl group TWICE was part of the all-female line-up at this year’s Victoria’s Secret fashion show.

The K-pop girl group was represented by four of its members in the highly anticipated fashion show that returned to the runway last year after a six-year hiatus.

Jihyo, Nayeon, Momo and Tzuyu said it was amazing to be invited to the popular fashion show during its pre-show interview.

All four were dressed in micro mini skirts and matching baby pink fur boots as they sang and danced two of TWICE’s songs, ‘This Is For’ and ‘Strategy.’

Legendary rapper Missy Elliott, Karol G and Madison Beer were the other performers of the night.

The Victoria’s Secret 2025 runway show was full of surprises, with a pregnant Jasmine Tookes opening the show.

Popular and fan-favorite Angels Irina Shayk, Behati Prinsloo, Alessandra Ambrosio, Adriana Lima and Barbara Palvin again took the Victoria’s Secret stage.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) expects the Philippines to sustain moderate economic growth over the next two years while gradually narrowing its current account deficit, reflecting resilience despite external headwinds and weaker global trade.

In its October 2025 World Economic Outlook (WEO), the IMF projected the country’s current account deficit to narrow to 3.8 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2025 and 3.5 percent in 2026 from four percent in 2024.

The improvement signals easing pressures on the balance of payments as imports normalize and remittance inflows remain steady.

The IMF said global protectionist trade measures ‘have had a limited impact on economic activity and prices,’ adding that growth in many economies, including the Philippines, ‘held up in the first half.’

It noted that inflation in the Philippines, alongside India, Malaysia and Thailand, ‘surprised on the downside’ relative to earlier forecasts.

For 2025, the IMF kept its GDP growth projection for the Philippines at 5.4 percent, before rebounding to 5.7 percent in 2026. The multilateral lender’s forecast is below the government’s targets of at least 5.5 percent this year and six percent next year.

Inflation, meanwhile, is expected to fall to 1.6 percent in 2025 from 3.2 percent in 2024, settling well below the government’s two to four percent target range, before rising to 2.6 percent in 2026.

The unemployment rate is projected to hover at 3.9 percent in both 2025 and 2026, close to the government’s current estimate of 3.8 percent for 2024.

Among the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-5 economies, the Philippines is projected to remain one of the fastest-growing in the region in 2025 and 2026, outpacing its neighbors.

The IMF sees Indonesia expanding by 4.9 percent in both years, Malaysia by 4.5 percent in 2025 and 4 percent in 2026, Singapore by 2.2 percent and 1.8 percent as well as Thailand by two percent and 1.6 percent, respectively.

Based on the IMF WEO report, global growth is projected to slow to 3.2 percent in 2025 and 3.1 percent in 2026 from 3.3 percent in 2024, with advanced economies growing around 1.5 percent and emerging market and developing economies just above four percent.

‘Risks are tilted to the downside. Prolonged uncertainty, more protectionism and labor supply shocks could reduce growth. Fiscal vulnerabilities, potential financial market corrections and erosion of institutions could threaten stability,’ the IMF said.