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The sale of the P36.266-billion Caliraya-Botocan-Kalayaan (CBK) Hydroelectric Power Plants (HEPPs) is now being reviewed by the Philippine Competition Commission (PCC) in preparation for the turnover of the asset to the winning bidder.

‘The turnover is February 2026. We are hoping for full payment in December 2025,’ said PSALM President Dennis Dela Serna, who added that there is an ‘ongoing’ evaluation of the transaction ‘with the PCC.’

Thunder Consortium-composed of Aboitiz Renewables, Inc., Sumitomo Corp. and Electric Power Development Co.-submitted the highest bid offer for the 796.64-megawatt (MW) power plant at P36.266 billion.

This was way higher than the P19.616-billion offer of its sole competitor, FWKG Consortium, comprised of First Gen Prime Energy Corp. and Korea Water Resources Corp.

Thunder Consortium is currently undergoing a rigorous post-qualification process to verify the accuracy and authenticity of the eligibility documents submitted.

As part of the process, PCC approval is required for large asset sales to ensure that the parties do not create a monopoly or stifle competition.

Located in the municipalities of Lumban, Majayjay, and Kalayaan in the province of Laguna, the CBK HEPPs are currently operated under a 25-year Build-Rehabilitate-Operate-Transfer Agreement with CBK Power Company Ltd., which is set to expire in February 2026.

These facilities are composed of the 39.37-MW Caliraya HEPP in Lumban, 22.91-MW Botocan HEPP in Majayjay, and 366-MW Kalayaan I and 368.36-MW Kalayaan II pump storage power plants in Laguna.

PSALM was created under Republic Act 9136, or the Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001, to lead the privatization of generation and transmission assets of the National Power Corporation and the National Transmission Corp.

As of end-August this year, PSALM’s financial obligations stood at P259.38 billion. The state firm refinanced its 2025 shortfall through a P100-billion syndicated loan with Land Bank of the Philippines and Development Bank of the Philippines last May. The fourth drawdown amounting to P4.9 billion was made on August 13, 2025.

THE disbursement of state funds slowed as the government tightened scrutiny over congressional insertions, resulting in the release of 96.7 percent of the P6.326-trillion national budget as of September.

Latest data from the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) showed that the budget releases from January to September this year hit P6.120 trillion, which is higher than the P5.832 trillion disbursed during the same period last year.

However, the pace of releasing this year’s budget is slower compared to last year’s, when the government already freed up 100 percent of the P5.832-trillion allotment as of the end of September 2024.

Budget Assistant Secretary Romeo Matthew T. Balanquit explained that the slowdown in this year’s budget release was due to the implementation of a new safeguard over congressional insertions aimed at preventing the misuse of public funds.

Balanquit cited Section 6 of the veto message by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., which requires the issuance of Special Allotment Release Orders (Saro) for all congressional insertions amounting to P757 billion.

These Saros, he added, will only be released once agencies meet the necessary requirements and secure approvals from the Executive Secretary and the Office of the President.

Despite the lag in disbursements, Balanquit said they expect the negative impact on overall economic growth to be limited as government spending contributes less than 20 percent to the gross domestic product (GDP).

‘Even if public spending slows in the third quarter due to reduced infrastructure disbursements, we expect a rebound in the fourth quarter, allowing us to still reach the full-year [disbursement] target of P6.082 trillion,’ he said.

‘Consequently, we expect to hit our target contribution to GDP growth by year-end. But again, much of the growth outcome depends on the performance of the private sector and how it reacted amid corruption issues,’ Balanquit added.

Based on the DBM data, P3.988 trillion of the 2025 General Appropriations Act has been disbursed, accounting for 94.7 percent of the total P4.221 trillion funding.

Of the amount, P3.545 trillion went to departments, including the Executive branch, Congress, the Judiciary and other constitutional offices.

Another P443.295 billion covered special purpose funds, such as budgetary support to government corporations, allocation to local government units and calamity fund, among others.

Meanwhile, releases for automatic appropriations reached P1.904 trillion or about 90 percent of the P2.115-trillion aggregate funding.

These include the full transfer of the national tax allotment (P1.034 trillion), block grant (P83.421 billion), pension of ex-president/ex-president widows (P480,000), special account in the general fund (P37.352 billion) and tax expenditures fund/customs duties and taxes (P14.5 billion).

About 75 percent or P21.525 billion was disbursed for net lending, while P636.023 billion covered interest payments.

The DBM also allotted an additional P8.393 billion for retirement and life insurance premiums of government employees, bringing the total to P76.943 billion as of end-September.

In terms of other releases, the DBM released a total of P226.777 billion. Of the amount, P20.807 billion in continuing appropriations from the previous year and P62.582 billion in other automatic appropriations were released.

Roughly P143.387 billion worth of unprogrammed appropriations was earmarked as assistance for government infrastructure programs amounting to P25.514 billion, support to foreign-assisted projects (P101.603 billion), budgetary support to state-run firms (P6.269 billion) and for the government counterpart of foreign-assisted projects (P10 billion).

Unprogrammed appropriations are those that provide standby authority to incur additional agency obligations for priority programs or projects when revenue collection exceeds targets, and when additional grants or foreign funds are generated.

The DBM has yet to release the remaining P206.331 billion of this year’s budget allocation.

THE Goethe-Institut proudly presents the fourth edition of its annual German film festival KinoFest, which will take place across Southeast Asia and the Pacific from October to November 2025.

KinoFest 2025 will offer a diverse lineup spanning documentary, adventure, drama, comedy, animation, and thrillers. In Manila, screenings will be held from October 16 to 19 at the Shangri-La Plaza Red Carpet’s Cinema 3 and Premiere Cinema.

This year’s festival will showcase eight contemporary German films and five Filipino short films, fostering a vibrant exchange between two dynamic cinema cultures. The selections revolve around themes of memory, reimagining, and the confrontation of perspectives, while also exploring family, belonging, and care. Together, they invite audiences to reflect on personal ties, collective histories, and the power of cinema to connect communities across borders.

The Manila opening night on October 16 at 6 p.m. presents the 2024 release Riefenstahl-a provocative documentary that revisits the controversial life and enduring legacy of filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl. Blending rare archival material with contemporary perspectives, the film confronts tensions between artistic brilliance and political propaganda, asking how cinema can both shape and distort history.

The screening will be followed by a hybrid Q and A with renowned producer Sandra Maischberger which will offer audiences the chance to reflect on one of the most debated figures in film history. Riefenstahl is presented in German with English subtitles.

The Manila screenings will conclude with another international exchange on October 19 at 5 p.m., as producer Svenja Vanhoeffer of the German film Vena joins audiences for an in-person talkback session. She will share her insights on the making of the movie and on contemporary German cinema.

KinoFest 2025 is jointly organized by eight Goethe-Instituts in Southeast Asia and New Zealand. It is made possible in Manila through the partnership with Shangri-La Plaza Red Carpet Cinemas under the Culture in Focus program, with support from the Film Development Council of the Philippines. For full program details, visit http://www.goethe.de/manila/kinofest.

The Goethe-Institut is the Federal Republic of Germany’s cultural institute, promoting the study of the German language abroad, and encouraging international cultural exchange.

Dito Telecommunity Corp. is entertaining interest from new investors as the telco hits key business milestones, including surpassing 15 million subscribers and posting projected revenue growth of up to 27 percent for 2025, company CEO Eric Alberto said on Wednesday.

In an interview on the sidelines of the launch of Dito BizBayan, the company’s dedicated platform for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), Alberto said Dito’s strong performance is drawing increased attention from potential investors.

‘With all these positive milestones, I think we’re getting a lot more visibility and interest from investment quarters,’ Alberto said, citing the company’s growing subscriber base, robust fixed wireless access (FWA) business, and recognition as the country’s best network for four consecutive quarters by Opensignal and Ookla.

He said Dito expects to close 2025 with 16 million mobile subscribers and approximately 500,000 fixed wireless access (FWA) subscribers. The company’s enterprise and carrier business, which started from zero just two years ago, is projected to contribute over P1.5 billion in revenue.

‘I think we’re finishing the year with 26 percent to 27 percent growth in revenue. The market in total is flat or slightly negative even.’

He attributed the projected strong performance to subscriber acquisition across consumer and enterprise segments, backed by an improved network.

Aside from entertaining new investors, Dito’s parent Dito CME Holdings Corp. is pushing with the capital infusion from Summit Telco Corp. Pte. Ltd. of Singapore.

Alberto confirmed the investor remains ‘committed,’ though the full investment is still ‘pending fulfillment of certain conditions’ from the original agreement.

In another development, Dito launched a new business unit called Dito BizBayan, which targets the micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs).

‘We are unveiling a new brand conceived to meet the dynamic and evolving demands of Filipino MSMEs – delivering scalable, cost-efficient, and high-performance digital services and solutions.’

The platform offers connectivity bundles with unlimited 5G with speeds of up to 100 Mbps, along with security solutions and managed IT services tailored for small businesses.

Alberto said the MSME sector represents a significant growth opportunity for Dito, particularly as more Filipinos turn to digital entrepreneurship through platforms like Shopee, Lazada, and TikTok.

‘Having a strong entrepreneurial base for our country is the founding and fortifying cornerstone of economic development,’ he said, citing examples of mature economies such as Spain and Italy.

THE government is racing to recover insurance claims tied to flood control projects found to be ‘ghosts’ before the year ends.

The Insurance Commission (IC) and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) have begun coordinating to expedite the processing of surety bond claims from contractors and insurance firms involved in unfinished projects now under investigation.

‘We are fast-tracking the process and have instructed the involved contractors and companies to file their claims ahead,’ IC Commissioner Reynaldo Regalado said in a press briefing at the agency’s main office in Manila on October 15.

Up to 30 percent of a project’s contract value may be reclaimed by the government.

Regalado clarified that a court order would only be needed if an insurance company refuses to pay. In such cases, proceedings would be filed before the Regional Trial Court.

‘We are studying what specific cases may be filed,’ he added.

For his part, DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon said the filing of criminal cases before the Ombudsman or Sandiganbayan would not delay the recovery of the insurance claims.

‘Once we have filed the cases before the Ombudsman and the IC, we can already start the process of collecting the government’s claims,’ Dizon said in Filipino during the same event.

The DPWH chief added that the agency is still consolidating the total number of contracts to be covered by the claims, given the volume of projects under probe.

The IC and DPWH have also begun contacting insurance firms linked to the first batch of cases filed before the Ombudsman.

In Bulacan, Dizon said, the DPWH has written to Liberty Insurance Corp., Travelers Insurance, and Sterling Insurance Company Inc. to claim 30 percent of the contract value for all flood control projects included in the first Ombudsman case from the province’s first district.

The documents have already been submitted to the IC.

According to a Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism report, Bulacan ranks sixth among the country’s most flood-prone areas, with 668 projects amounting to about P43.75 billion.

Meanwhile, the IC is also looking into the possibility of ‘ghost insurance’ policies issued for non-existent or unimplemented projects.

‘We are checking this daily, but so far, there are no claims without corresponding contracts filed with us. Still, we are not discounting that possibility,’ Regalado said.

Insurance firms found to have issued irregular policies or failed to pay valid claims could face sanctions ranging from fines and suspension to revocation of license, Regalado added.

For insurance providers, Dizon hopes that they will cooperate without the need for litigation.

‘We hope they return what is due to the people without prolonging the legal process,’ he said.

The DPWH and IC formalized their partnership through a signed agreement at the IC’s main office, committing to jointly fast-track the recovery of insurance claims and strengthen their probe into irregularities in public works projects.

LVMH shares rose the most in almost a quarter century after the owner of Louis Vuitton and Christian Dior unexpectedly returned to sales growth, suggesting a slump in luxury demand is easing.

The stock surged as much as 14 percent in Paris, the biggest intraday gain since September 2001. LVMH, widely considered a bellwether, gave a lift to luxury stocks across Europe and beyond.

While LVMH’s third-quarter revenue rose just 1 percent on an organic basis, the increase snapped two quarters of declines and stirred optimism that demand from China, long a driver of growth, might at last be returning. All the company’s divisions topped analysts’ estimates, and the region that includes China contributed to growth for the first time this year.

‘The pace of recovery, stemming from all regions, is encouraging and bodes well for a return to growth next year and beyond,’ JPMorgan analyst Chiara Battistini said in a note.

The results spurred share gains in companies ranging from Gucci-owner Kering SA, which rose as much as 8.8 percent in Paris, to Hermes International and Hong Kong-listed Prada SpA.

Investors will get more evidence on the state of demand, including in China, when Kering and Hermes report sales next week.

LVMH’s sales in the region that includes China rose 2 percent last quarter, after dropping by 9% in the first half, the company said late Tuesday. The group is seeing encouraging demand in the country, Chief Financial Officer Cecile Cabanis, told analysts on a call Tuesday.

Morningstar analyst Jelena Sokolova said in an email that she sees further potential for a pickup in China, where consumers are ‘still sitting on a big chunk of savings post-Covid.’

In the US, LVMH sales increased by 3 percent in the quarter, while revenue from Europe slipped 2 percent as American tourists spent less on pricey goods because of the weaker dollar.

Champagne recovery

LVMH’s struggling wines and spirits division, which suffered two-and-a-half years of slumping revenue, posted growth, helped by a restocking of Champagne in the US and sales of rosé wine.

Cabanis cautioned that the comparable basis for its performance will be tougher in the fourth quarter than in the third. In 2026, those comparables will be easier, she added.

In spite of the recent downturn, the world’s largest luxury group-led by billionaire Bernard Arnault-has kept investing. Earlier this year, Louis Vuitton began offering makeup, selling pound 140 lipstick that helped drive store traffic, Cabanis said. In Shanghai, the group’s biggest brand opened a flagship store, The Louis, in the shape of a ship, which has drawn crowds and garnered attention, the CFO added.

LVMH has also carried out changes at top brands, including Christian Dior Couture. Earlier this year, it named Jonathan Anderson as the new designer, overseeing womenswear, haute couture and menswear. The former Loewe creative director unveiled his first women’s fashion show this month in Paris. His new men’s designs should hit stores in January, with women’s arriving from the second quarter.

LVMH’s Fendi brand, meantime, appointed former Dior womenswear designer Maria Grazia Chiuri as its new chief creative officer, the label said Tuesday. Chiuri will unveil her first collection in Milan in February.

SCAM calls in the Philippines jumped by nearly 80 percent in the third quarter of 2025, even as text-based scams continued their dramatic decline, according to new data released Tuesday by anti-scam app Whoscall.

The global scam prevention platform recorded 62,390 scam calls from July to September 2025, representing a 78.44-percent increase from the 34,964 calls logged in the previous quarter.

Mel Migriño, Country Head and General Manager of Gogolook Philippines, the company behind Whoscall, said the spike signals a tactical shift by fraudsters who are increasingly impersonating banks, collection agencies, and telemarketing firms to target unsuspecting Filipinos.

‘We see abuse on third-party brands-meaning those that are pretending to be a business identity, a bank, a collection agency, or even telemarketers,’ she said in a press briefing on Tuesday. ‘That will continue to surge until we finish off this year.’

Filipinos, Migriño explained, love rewards and promos. Hence, scammers are mimicking legitimate promotional calls like credit card limit upgrades and rewards, following a spiel and ‘operating like a call center’ to make their scams sound more believable to unsuspecting consumers.

Looking ahead to the final quarter of 2025, she expects scam calls to continue rising through the holiday season, driven by Filipinos’ appetite for rewards and loans during the ‘ber months.’

However, she does not anticipate figures reaching the levels seen in 2024.

‘Maybe not the same figure as last year, when we were at six digits. It could breach potentially, but not to the point that it’s going to be like half a million-not as significant,’ Migriño said.

Furthermore, scammers are now using AI in voice scams. According to Migriño, ‘less than 10 percent of total scam calls’ were powered by AI.

Despite the quarterly surge, scam calls remain 62.24 percent lower year-on-year compared to 165,236 calls recorded in the third quarter of 2024, largely due to law enforcement raids on major scam hubs last year.

Text scams decline

Meanwhile, SMS scams continued their downward trajectory. Whoscall detected 37,609 text scams in the third quarter of 2025, a 42.17 percent drop from 65,035 in the previous quarter and a staggering 97.71 percent decline year-on-year from the 1.6 million SMS scams recorded in the third quarter of 2024.

Migriño attributed the sharp decline in SMS scams to increased public awareness driven by a ‘whole-of-society approach’ involving government agencies, law enforcement, and private sector partners.

‘Filipinos now recognize that any SMS from an unknown number with a link is a text scam,’ she said. ‘These collaborations are working.’

Risky URLs, online gambling

Whoscall also detected a 31.65-percent increase in risky URLs, rising from 18,735 in the second quarter to 27,510 in the third quarter. Most of these malicious links imitated loan offers or rewards from banks, jumping from 14,421 to 25,309 cases.

However, online gambling URLs plummeted by 93.61 percent following a massive crackdown led by the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC).

CICC Executive Director Undersecretary Renato Paraiso said that while the numbers are encouraging, maintaining them will be the challenge.

‘What’s important for me is not really the numbers-that 93 percent of online gambling has gone down. My joke is it’s easier to get an A than to maintain an A. So the pressure is on us,’ Paraiso said.

He also announced that CICC together with Scam Watch Pilipinas will launch educational campaigns about the ’12 scams of Christmas’ to help Filipinos navigate various fraud schemes expected to proliferate during the holiday season.

‘We continue to urge the public to report scam incidents, as these serve as leads for further investigation and as the foundation for various initiatives that raise public awareness against online scams,’ Paraiso said.

A LAWMAKER is pushing for the passage of the proposed Magna Carta for Public Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) Workers, which seeks to improve the working conditions and grant additional benefits to government personnel who risk their lives to save others during calamities.

Parañaque City Rep. Brian Raymund Yamsuan said his proposed House Bill 5239 aims to recognize the heroism of DRRM workers who dedicate their lives to protect communities and help disaster victims recover.

‘DRRM workers, while exposing themselves to significant risks, including physical danger, psychological stress, and occupational health gaps, especially during disaster response operations, face the challenge of insufficient benefits. Our proposed measure seeks to address these inadequacies by institutionalizing measures that will promote their welfare,’ Yamsuan said.

He emphasized that DRRM personnel serve as the country’s frontline defenders against disasters and deserve both recognition and protection.

‘DRRM workers have a very important job as disaster response and risk reduction frontliners, which is why we should also give importance to, and safeguard, their welfare. Providing them the benefits that they should be entitled to will serve as incentive and inspiration for them to continue with their profession as protectors of our communities from calamities,’ he added.

Among the benefits proposed under HB 5239 are hazard allowances, access to protective equipment, free vaccinations, prophylactic medicines, and compensation for work-related injuries or illnesses.

A key provision of the bill is the creation of a Public DRRM Workers’ Education Trust Fund, which will provide educational assistance to the children and dependents of DRRM workers who die in the line of duty. The scholarship covers primary, secondary, and tertiary education for up to four years of undergraduate studies in accredited institutions.

The bill also grants DRRM workers continuing training and scholarships, mandatory insurance coverage, medical and psychosocial support, and retirement benefits.

It defines a public DRRM worker as a government employee engaged in any of the four thematic areas of disaster management-prevention and mitigation, preparedness, response, and rehabilitation and recovery.

For those with permanent appointments, HB 5239 provides security of tenure, ensuring that they cannot be dismissed from service except for cause and after due process.

Other entitlements include overtime pay, night-shift differential, leave benefits, transportation, communication, and subsistence allowances, laundry allowance, and legal assistance related to official duties.

Public DRRM workers who render at least five years of continuous, efficient, and meritorious service will also receive monthly longevity pay equivalent to 5% of their basic salary.

Additionally, those deployed far from home will be entitled to free living quarters or housing allowance, and will be protected from discrimination and unjust workplace transfers. The measure likewise upholds their right to self-organization and mandates the creation of a Code of Conduct for Public DRRM Workers.

Violations of the Magna Carta’s provisions may be penalized with fines of up to P10,000, imprisonment of up to one year, or both. Government officials found liable will face disqualification from public service as an additional penalty.

THE Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) will slap a safeguard duty on imported cement amounting to P14 per 40-kg bag or P349 per metric ton of Ordinary Portland Cement Type 1 and Blended Cement for a period of three years.

Trade and Industry Secretary Cristina A. Roque announced on Tuesday the agency will adopt the Tariff Commission’s (TC) recommendation to impose the said amount.

With the tariff on imported cement, Roque said in a statement: ‘The imposition of the safeguard duty will be subjected to dynamic monitoring and review to ensure that prices remain stable and supply stays sufficient to cover demand at any given time.’

DTI, meanwhile, explained that the TC’s recommended safeguard duty rate represents only 3 to 4 percent of prevailing retail prices.

Moreover, the Trade department assured consumers that the added cost will not be passed on to them as the safeguard duty ‘applies solely to imported cement.’

Instead, the agency pointed out that the safeguard measure is intended to level the playing field between domestic manufacturers and importers.

In addition, DTI noted that the excess cash bond paid by importers or the difference between the provisional and final duty assessed will be refunded once the corresponding Department Order is issued.

Supply guarantee

Meanwhile, in light of the recent earthquakes that have severely affected several areas across the country, Roque underscored the importance of ensuring ‘adequate and affordable’ supply of cement nationwide.

‘The DTI will closely monitor the implementation and impact of the safeguard measure on cement prices to prevent any unwarranted price adjustments and to ensure that the duties remain at levels necessary to address the serious injury suffered by the domestic industry,’ the agency said in its statement.

Roque also noted that the agency will ‘actively regulate’ the effects of safeguard tariffs to maintain a ‘balanced’ environment where both local manufacturers and cement importers can adapt, compete, and thrive, particularly during period of calamities or supply disruptions.

The Trade department also reaffirmed that the safeguard measure is ‘temporary, designed to restore fair competition and ensure that consumer welfare is maintained.’

Last week, local cement manufacturers asked the government to raise the safeguard duty on imported cement to P600 per metric ton (MT) to make the local industry competitive.

‘We had been hoping for [safeguard duty] of P600 per ton. This is higher than the provisional [duty] of P400,’ Cement Manufacturers Association of the Philippines (CEMAP) Executive Director Renato Baja told reporters in an interview on Thursday.

As to the P349 per MT safeguard duty recommended by the Tariff Commission in its final report, Baja said this is ‘not enough.’

In its report published on September 30, the Tariff Commission recommended a specific duty of P349/MT as the definitive safeguard measure to be imposed on importations of Ordinary Portland Cement Type 1 and Blended Cement.

Two weeks ago, consumer group United Filipino Consumers and Commuters (UFCC) argued that extending the period of imposition of the P16 tariff per 40-kilo bag on imported blended cement will only jack up prices of local cement, which could undermine competition and burden Filipino consumers.

‘The Department Order 25-01 was signed by the Secretary on February 20, 2025. It will take effect for 200 days, so if we count the 200 days, any moment now the 6-7 months or 200 days period will end. So now, we hear that the cartels have an appeal to continue this,’ UFCC President Rodolfo B. Javellana Jr. told reporters in Filipino during the consumer group’s protest in front of the building of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in Makati City last September 29.

Global AI device ecosystem company HONOR Philippines today announced the launch of its all-new HONOR X7d, the latest addition to its acclaimed X Series line-up for as low as Php 7,299! Get it during pre-order period until October 24, 2025 and get a FREE HONOR Camping Light Speaker worth Php 4,999. Head on to your nearest HONOR Experience and Partner Stores.

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