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Manila Water Co., which supplies water to the eastern part of Metro Manila and nearby provinces, has transitioned 56 additional facilities to the Energy Regulatory Commission’s enhanced Retail Aggregation Program (RAP), further expanding its use of renewable energy.

The firm said the move includes 10 facilities under the non-East Zone operating unit Laguna Water, 45 facilities under Estate Water covering Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna and Metro Manila, and Manila Water Foundation’s La Mesa Ecopark, the first and largest ecopark fully powered by renewable energy under RAP.

It said the transition represents a total demand of 1,682 kilowatts and marks Manila Water’s fourth RAP switch this year.

‘Manila Water’s participation in RAP demonstrates its commitment to innovation and consumer empowerment. By aggregating demand and leveraging competitive supply options, Manila Water is helping pave the way for a more inclusive and resilient energy sector,’ ERC director Sharon Montaner said.

With the latest switch, Manila Water now sources electricity for over 210 facilities, representing a total demand of 11 megawatts supplied by PrimeRES Energy through Meralco’s distribution network.

‘This is all about the power of choice. We have 214 facilities switched now to RAP and that’s very powerful because at the end of the day we are held as a utility accountable to the costs that we charge our customers,’ Manila Water president and CEO Jocot de Dios said.

‘We’ve tried to rethink our approach toward tariff and our customer base and really be as sufficient as possible,’ De Dios added.

The company said earlier transitions this year include Laguna Aquatech’s 25 facilities in April, Laguna Water’s 67 facilities, and Boracay Water’s 11 facilities in May, making it the first Visayas utility to adopt RAP.

The move to shift more facilities to renewable energy follows Manila Water’s recent quarterly adjustment that reduced water rates for its customers.

The Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System Regulatory Office approved a slight decrease of 15 centavos per cubic meter for the East Zone, which includes Mandaluyong, Marikina, Pasig, Pateros, Taguig, San Juan, most of Quezon City and several towns in Rizal.

A UK-based firm has launched a new rice straw biogas hub in Laguna, establishing a two-hectare facility designed to process 10,000 metric tons (MT) of the plant material annually into methane, biochar and fertilizer.

Straw Innovations Ltd. built the P235 million facility in the municipality of Pila in collaboration with the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), Ashton University in Birmingham and the UK government’s innovation agency Innovate UK.

‘The rice straw biogas hub is a testament to what we can achieve when science and community come together,’ Straw Innovations founder Craig Jamieson said in his speech during the launch ceremony.

In an interview on the sidelines of the event, Jamieson said the Philippine market presents an annual revenue potential of about half a million pounds for their business model.

He added that with few players in the sector, their business model is among the first to show how rice straw can be profitably and sustainably collected and reused rather than burned or left to decay in the fields.

‘We’re breaking new ground here,’ Jamieson said, adding that there are plans to further scale up operations in the future.

Jamieson said the company is in talks with banks and investors to expand to other rice-producing provinces such as Nueva Ecija and Isabela.

Despite this, he acknowledged the challenges of operating in a typhoon-prone area and navigating local regulations.

For her part, SEARCA program specialist Lichelle Carlos emphasized the importance of collecting rice straw from farms instead of burning it, noting that proper management can reduce emissions and create value-added products for farmers.

Based on the center’s studies, around 24 to 38 percent of greenhouse gas emissions from rice cultivation can be reduced if farmers adopt technologies that collect and repurpose rice straw into bioenergy or organic fertilizer instead of setting it on fire after harvest.

‘Rice straw is also hard to collect for farmers because it is scattered across the fields and produced in large volumes,’ Carlos said, illustrating the logistical and cost challenges that make many farmers resort to burning the residue after harvest.

According to data from SEARCA, the Philippines produces 14 million to 28 million MT of rice straw annually, presenting both a waste management challenge and an opportunity to develop cleaner, more sustainable uses for agricultural by-products.

The Department of the Interior and Local Government has activated the DILG chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear preparedness and response cluster as it prepares for the repatriation of 23 radioactive shipping containers from Indonesia.

Indonesian authorities have prohibited the entry of the shipment after its Nuclear Energy Regulatory Agency detected elevated radiation levels of Cesium-137 or Cs-137 ‘beyond established safety thresholds’ on Sept. 16.

The agency recommended the shipment’s immediate repatriation to the Philippines.

Initial investigation showed that the containers originated from Zannwann International Trading Corp., a Chinese trading firm based in Meycauayan, Bulacan.

To map out a coordinated action plan for the safe handling of the containers, DILG undersecretaries Serafin Baretto Jr. and Nestor Sanares presided over an emergency meeting with representatives from the Philippine Ports Authority, Bureau of Customs (BOC), Department of Health-Bureau of Quarantine and the Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (DOST-PNRI).

The BOC does not have an operating ‘radiation portal monitor’ capability after its two RPM machines were found to be unserviceable and in need of repair.

After radiological survey by the Office of Civil Defense in Region 3 and Meycauayan Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office at the Zannwann premises, the DOST-PNRI confirmed Cs-137 contamination outside two warehouses of Xin Recycling, a sister company of Zannwann.

Although inspectors were not allowed to enter the warehouses, the affected areas were cordoned off for isolation.

The DOST warned that Cesium-137 poses serious public health risks through external exposure, inhalation or ingestion.

In every summit, panel, or fireside chat I have been privileged to join recently, one lesson has echoed louder than any keynote: dialogue is power. Dialogue builds trust between regulators and innovators. Dialogue bridges competition into collaboration. Dialogue turns policy papers into living roadmaps and technical systems into lifelines for real people.

Recently, three themes from these vibrant conversations – payments, APIs and financial health – have been embedded in my mind. They keep me up at night, not in a negative way, but in an inspired way. Philippine finance depends on keeping dialogue alive and continuously learning from these insightful discussions and fruitful chats.

At the World Trade Organization Committee on Trade in Financial Services (CTFS) Thematic Session on Payments Interoperability and Remittances held in Geneva, Switzerland, we saw how the Philippines’ rise in digital payments rests on three cornerstones: QR Ph, which brought cashless adoption to merchants; InstaPay, which made small transfers instant; and PESONet, which gave large-value transactions faster settlement cycles. Together, they enabled our country to move from coins and bills to clicks and scans.

This is not a local story alone. In Southeast Asia, digital payments are projected to surpass $1.1 trillion by 2025. By 2030, the Philippine digital economy is expected to reach $1 trillion, unlocking vast opportunities for businesses and households alike.

But here is what we have learned: building robust digital payment systems is not just a technical achievement. It is a national mission. Every Filipino deserves a financial lifeline that is safe, inclusive and trusted.

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) has long been at the forefront of digital finance innovation, pioneering Asia’s first Open Finance Framework in 2021 and rolling out the groundbreaking Digital Marketplace Guidelines this year. Through its Digital Payments Transformation Roadmap, the BSP has already surpassed its 2023 milestones: 50 percent of retail transactions are now digital, and 70 percent of Filipino adults are financially included.

Now, we’re raising the bar with the 80×80 vision: by 2028, 80 percent of Filipino adults will have digital accounts and 80 percent of retail payments will be digital. I articulated this bold industry commitment at the opening of the FinTech Alliance PH Manila Tech Summit, in the presence of President Marcos, BSP Governor Eli Remolona Jr., and DICT Secretary Henry Aguda, alongside industry leaders and members of the media.

Meanwhile, at the World Financial Innovation Series (WFIS), we discussed the role of APIs in accelerating fintech innovation. In the past decade, banks spent billions building apps, chatbots, and digital portals. But here is the uncomfortable truth: a banking app alone no longer defines digital leadership. What defines it today is the ability to embed banking where people live, work, shop, and play. That is the promise of API banking.

APIs are not just code; they are bridges. They let a sari-sari store in Mindanao act as a ‘kapitbahay ATM.’ They enable a farmer in Ilocos to receive government subsidies in real time. They enable credit decisions possible inside ride-hailing apps or allow savings products to appear on e-commerce platforms.

But APIs by themselves are not the finish line. The real value is in ecosystems. An API is a handshake; an ecosystem is the enduring partnership that follows. Banks must evolve from being service providers to orchestrators of networks, working with fintechs, telcos, retailers, government agencies and communities.

The payoff is immense: Reach multiplies as one innovation can scale across thousands of partners, inclusion accelerates as financial services embed into super apps, co-ops, and grassroots platforms, and resilience grows as ecosystems distribute value creation across multiple partners.

At RCBC, our Digital 2.0 Marketplace, built with APIwiz, integrates financial and non-financial services from loans and savings to telehealth and education. It allows real-time service creation, automates governance, and simplifies API delivery, turning banking into a contextual, human-centered, lifestyle companion.

Yet, too many still see APIs as compliance boxes to tick or side projects to shelve. To truly champion API banking, leaders must shift perspective: seeing ecosystems not as rivals but as co-creators. This demands new governance models, bold revenue-sharing, and a radical rethink of ‘ownership.’ In ecosystems, customers are not owned. They are served, empowered and connected.

The Philippines cannot afford to lag behind. With 80 percent of Filipinos lacking formal credit histories, API-driven ecosystems can leapfrog bottlenecks and unlock inclusive prosperity. But APIs must not remain buried in technical manuals. They must be unlocked as national assets, co-invested in by banks, regulators, fintechs and enterprises.

Inclusion has always been the rallying cry. But inclusion alone is not the destination; it is the starting point. As I shared in my recent keynote at the Asian Development Banking Forum, the next frontier must be moving from access to resilience. That is financial health in a nutshell.

True progress comes when Filipinos can build buffers against shocks, access fair credit through inclusive scoring, secure themselves with embedded microinsurance, and participate in ecosystems where banks, fintechs, regulators, and enterprises co-create solutions. Access gets you through the door. Financial health builds the home. Resilience keeps the lights on.

This conviction was echoed in my dialogue with regional and global peers. Together, we emphasized the need for collaborative, cross-border approaches. Last year, welcoming Queen Maxima of the Netherlands at the Singapore FinTech Festival, the Philippines was recognized globally for pioneering financial health metrics.

Technology only matters if it empowers people, and empowerment only endures when it is built on trust. The true challenge is not code or regulation, but mindset: seeing rivals as partners, rules as catalysts, and progress as inclusion. The future of banking will not be about who has the flashiest app. It will be about who built the most trusted, inclusive, and resilient ecosystem.

The Senate Blue Ribbon committee’s hearings on the multibillion-peso flood control corruption scandal are set to conclude with two remaining sessions next month, acting chairman Sen. Erwin Tulfo said yesterday.

Tulfo said the next hearing has been tentatively scheduled for Nov. 10, after the Senate’s month-long break, to ensure the attendance of senators who are currently on official trips or attending public events.

The upcoming sessions will culminate in a partial committee report, which will be followed by a new round of inquiries – this time into the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH)’s spending on farm-to-market road (FMR) projects.

‘I’ll make sure the hearings proceed continuously, almost every week,’ Tulfo said over radio dwIZ.

Tulfo intends to continue the line of inquiry pursued by former chairman Sen. Panfilo Lacson, particularly in summoning former speaker Martin Romualdez and resigned Ako Bicol Rep. Zaldy Co, who are key figures linked to the alleged project corruption.

Senate President Vicente Sotto III backed this move so the two lawmakers can face their accuser, Co’s alleged security consultant Orly Guteza, who claimed to have delivered cash-filled suitcases containing kickbacks to their residences.

According to Sotto, Co may be compelled to appear before the Senate and could face arrest for contempt if he repeatedly ignores the summons, while Romualdez may be invited directly in accordance with inter-parliamentary courtesy.

Aside from the flood control project anomalies, Co is also expected to account for his connections to Hi-Tone Construction, the contractor allegedly tied to the Department of Agriculture’s FMR projects, which were earlier flagged as ‘overpriced by P10 billion.’

Due to this, the panel will also invite Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. to answer questions related to the matter.

‘I’ve already instructed the Senate Blue Ribbon secretariat to send invitations to Romualdez, the contractors and the DA secretary for the farm-to-market road hearings,’ Tulfo said.

Explaining the committee’s shift in focus, Tulfo emphasized that the Blue Ribbon’s role is not to prosecute but to craft laws that prevent lawmakers and their allies from manipulating the national budget for personal gain.

‘Our hearings are not for conviction. They are in aid of legislation,’ he said.

He added that the committee’s forthcoming recommendations may include penalties such as perpetual disqualification for public officials caught interfering in the National Expenditure Program or diverting unprogrammed funds for political purposes.

Where is Guteza?

Tulfo urged Guteza yesterday to resurface and stand by his allegations that Co and Romualdez received cash-filled suitcases in an alleged multibillion-peso flood control kickback scheme.

Tulfo said Guteza has not been seen since his appearance before the committee and that he would coordinate with the National Bureau of Investigation to locate him.

‘At this point, we have to find Guteza. I’ll coordinate with director Santiago of the NBI,’ Tulfo said. ‘If you’re listening, Mr. Guteza, it’s better for you to come forward. You testified under oath – now you’re missing. It looks like you’re hiding, or you made it up. You need to stand by your words.’

He added that Guteza should be ready to face those he accused, saying both Co and Romualdez may appear in upcoming hearings.

SSI Group Inc. and Rustan Commercial Corp. president and CEO Anthony Tantoco Huang has been named among The Business of Fashion (BoF) 500 Class of 2025, becoming the first Filipino to be included in its executive category.

Huang joins a distinguished group of creatives, executives, designers and innovators as part of The BoF 500 Class of 2025.

The BoF 500 is regarded as the definitive index of the people shaping the global fashion industry.

Underscoring the industry’s increasingly diverse and global character, this year’s honorees come from 30 countries, representing 40 nationalities.

‘This recognition by The Business of Fashion is a profound honor that I share with the entire SSI Group and Rustan Commercial Corp. teams,’ Huang said.

‘It underscores the passion and commitment of the Filipino retail community and validates the strategy we have pursued in bringing the world’s best retail concepts to the Philippines, while championing our heritage and vision for the future of Filipino consumption. We are proud to represent the Philippines on this global stage,’ he said.

Under Huang’s leadership, SSI Group – the Philippines’ largest specialty retailer – has built one of Asia’s most dynamic lifestyle retail portfolios.

Huang’s inclusion in The BoF 500 reflects the continued growth of the SSI Group, further enhancing the family’s legacy retail businesses under his leadership.

The city government of Las Piñas, led by Mayor April Aguilar, formally launched the Dredging and Desilting Project along the Las Piñas and Zapote Rivers near C5 Extension, Barangay Pulanglupa Uno, in partnership with San Miguel Corp. (SMC)’s Better Rivers PH initiative.

The project aims to mitigate flooding, restore ecological balance and ensure long-term river rehabilitation – a crucial step in protecting the city’s communities and environment.

These operations also help enhance water quality, restore natural river flow and complement Las Piñas’ long-term solid waste management and rehabilitation programs.

Mayor Aguilar expressed her gratitude to San Miguel for supporting the city’s flood mitigation and environmental rehabilitation efforts.

‘This partnership with SMC reflects our shared commitment to protect our waterways, reduce flooding and safeguard the welfare of our residents,’ Mayor Aguilar said. ‘This is a proactive step toward a cleaner, safer and more resilient Las Piñas.’

Las Piñas Rep. Mark Anthony Santos, who joined the site inspection, lauded the collaboration as a strong example of how government and private sector partnerships can deliver lasting impact.

‘Flooding has long been a concern for our communities. Through this initiative, we are addressing not just the symptoms but the root causes of the problem,’ Rep. Santos said. ‘We thank SMC for being a steadfast partner in our shared goal of building a better, flood-free Las Piñas.’

Representing San Miguel Corp. were Jimmy Lu, vice president and overall project manager of SMC Better Rivers PH, and Cynthia de Castro, government affairs and advocacy group manager.

The Better Rivers PH program is part of SMC’s nationwide initiative to rehabilitate major rivers, improve water flow and help prevent flooding in key areas across the country.

‘With this partnership, we are not just dredging rivers, we are rebuilding communities and protecting lives,’ Rep. Santos added.

Various multi-sectoral organizations are planning to file a multibillion-peso civil class suit over alleged anomalies in flood control projects in the country.

In an interview with radio dzBB yesterday, Ariel Inton, president of Lawyers for Commuters Safety and Protection, said they will start with the filing of a civil case for damages in Quezon City, where hundreds of flood control projects were discovered to have been implemented without proper coordination with the city government.

He projected that the civil case would amount to between P1 billion to P5 billion.

Among the respondents, he said, were the four lawmakers from Quezon City who were tagged by the Discayas as allegedly involved in the corruption scheme – Representatives Arjo Atayde (district 1), PM Vargas (district 5) and Marivic Co-Pilar (district 6), and former district 4 representative Marvin Rillo. The four have denied the allegations.

Inton said the class suit will also include the Discaya couple and their companies, former public works secretary Manuel Bonoan, local Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) officials, resigned Ako-Bicol representative Zaldy Co and former speaker Martin Romualdez.

‘We can’t interfere with the plans of the government’s prosecutorial bodies to file criminal cases (against these individuals),’ he said in Filipino.

‘But the disruptions and hardships that people experienced. who will compensate them? Will the filing of a criminal case compensate these people, those directly affected? No,’ he added.

Inton said they will start with Quezon City as they already have data on the extent of the anomalies. He cited the city government’s report showing that over 300 projects worth around P16 billion were not coordinated by the DPWH.

Inton said they are now compiling the necessary documents for exemption from paying docket fees, which he said could reach millions, given the amount of damages that they intend to claim.

‘Retribution plus restitution’

Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson urged the government to adopt a ‘retribution plus restitution’ approach in holding accountable those behind the multibillion-peso flood control and infrastructure anomalies, saying taxpayers could potentially recover at least P26 billion from the ongoing investigations.

Lacson said that of the P629 billion worth of flood control projects contracted between 2023 and 2025, at least 421 have been identified as ‘ghost’ projects based on inspections by the Armed Forces of the Philippines, Philippine National Police and Department of Economy, Planning and Development composite team.

That accounts for 5.26 percent of the total, he noted, suggesting that a similar pattern across the remaining projects could yield billions in recovered funds.

‘If all those responsible – contractors, politicians and DPWH officials – will return just 80 percent of their loot after a plea bargaining agreement in exchange for shortened jail terms, easily the Filipino people can recover at least P26 billion,’ Lacson told radio dzMM.

‘Imagine the hundreds of billions in taxpayers’ money that we may be able to recover out of all the other similarly corrupted infrastructure projects,’ he added.

He emphasized that recovery efforts would depend heavily on the political will of agencies leading the investigations, including the Independent Commission for Infrastructure, the Office of the Ombudsman, the Department of Justice and the judiciary.

‘The government may direct its investigation toward this formula. For instance, you cannot expect those involved to cooperate without plea bargaining. Although plea bargaining is not common in the Philippines, the lawyers of the government and those involved can pursue that,’ he said.

‘But there should be no compromise because we are talking about restitution plus retribution. No one should go free just because they returned their loot. That is very unfair,’ he added.

Lacson stressed that the government could also recover more funds by going after the insurance companies of the anomalous projects, saying the same framework could apply to other sectors such as farm-to-market roads, school buildings and multipurpose structures.

Following his resignation as chair of the Senate Blue Ribbon committee, Lacson said he would now focus on the deliberations for the 2026 national budget while continuing his duties as Senate President Pro Tempore and chair of the committees on accounts and on electoral reforms and people’s participation.

A bill has been filed in Congress to create an Agricultural Pension Program for farmers and fishermen in the country.

Rep. Nathaniel Oducado of 1Tahanan party-list has filed House Bill 5009, also known as Pensyonadong Magsasaka at Mangingisda, which seeks to create an agricultural pension program to provide long-overdue social security and pension benefits to the country’s farmers and fisherfolk.

The lawmaker pointed out that despite being the backbone of national food security, farmers and fishermen remain among the poorest in the country.

He said that in 2023, poverty incidence was recorded at 27 percent among farmers and 27.4 percent among fisherfolk, placing them among the top three poorest sectors in the country. Unlike workers in the formal sector, they are largely excluded from the national social security system, leaving them vulnerable in times of old age, illness or disability.

Oducado pointed out that the proposed measure would establish a comprehensive pension and social security program, while also offering an educational scholarship to the legitimate and legally adopted children of registered farmer and fisherfolk beneficiaries – with reasonable allowances for supplies and other academic needs.

‘This aims not only to secure their present welfare but also to break the cycle of poverty by ensuring access to quality education,’ Oducado said.

Santo Tomas needed three overtimes to earn a 98-89 against Ateneo and gain a piece of the lead in the UAAP Season 88 men’s basketball yesterday at the refurbished Blue Eagle Gym in Katipunan.

The Growling Tigers saved their best for last, forcing the Blue Eagles to just four points in the third extension to share the UAAP leadership with National U at 4-1 nearing the end of the first round.

Included in the killer finisher was a 9-0 blast capped by Collins Akowe’s layup to turn an 85-85 count after two extra sessions to a sudden 94-85 cushion heading home.

Akowe collared 20 points and 19 rebounds laced by three steals and three blocks, none bigger than the game-tying free throws in the last 31.6 seconds of the second OT to keep Santo Tomas afloat.

‘It was a triple overtime game so throw away all the numbers. It was all heart for both teams,’ said assistant coach Juno Sauler on the UAAP’s first triple extension since women’s basketball in 2018.

Earlier, Adamson needed a strong closeout after wasting a 20-point lead to keep University of the East winless, 76-62.

Adamson climbed to 2-4 for solo sixth place ahead of another tough assignment against red-hot Santo Tomas next Saturday.