Asianet Pakistan Private Limited

Global tourism leaders and policymakers convened in Melaka, Malaysia, from September 27 to 29 for the 7th World Tourism Conference, establishing a new agenda on ‘Sustainable Transformation’ to address growing environmental and social pressures in the tourism industry.

The conference, held in tandem with the official World Tourism Day celebrations, brought together more than 700 delegates to tackle the challenges of overtourism, climate change and economic inequality facing the sector.

The event took place as the industry marked a strong post-pandemic recovery, with 1.4 billion international tourist arrivals recorded in 2024.

In his opening address, Malaysia’s Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, H.E. Dato Sri Tiong King Sing, set a tone of urgency, urging delegates to ensure the conference was not “merely ceremonial” and to “avoid producing statements that remain unresolved.”

Focus on ‘sustainable,’ ‘people-centered’ tourism

Global tourism leaders and policymakers convened in Melaka, Malaysia, from September 27 to 29 for the 7th World Tourism Conference, establishing a new agenda on ‘Sustainable Transformation’ to address growing environmental and social pressures in the tourism industry.

The conference, held in tandem with the official World Tourism Day celebrations, brought together more than 700 delegates to tackle the challenges of overtourism, climate change and economic inequality facing the sector.

The event took place as the industry marked a strong post-pandemic recovery, with 1.4 billion international tourist arrivals recorded in 2024.

In his opening address, Malaysia’s Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, H.E. Dato Sri Tiong King Sing, set a tone of urgency, urging delegates to ensure the conference was not “merely ceremonial” and to “avoid producing statements that remain unresolved.”

Focus on ‘sustainable,’ ‘people-centered’ tourism

Melaka’s selection as host of the World Tourism Conference positioned the Unesco World Heritage city as a ‘living laboratory’ for sustainable tourism.

Inscribed in 2008 for its entire historic urban landscape, Melaka was presented as a case study in balancing heritage conservation with modern economic pressures and rising visitor flows.

Conference sessions and curated tours highlighted the city’s inclusive approach, from women’s empowerment and community-based initiatives to eco-friendly practices.

Delegates joined experiences such as the Sungai Linggi Eco Cruise and the Dutch and Heritage Trail, illustrating how cultural assets can fuel the visitor economy without compromising integrity.

Organizers noted that Melaka’s layered history-shaped by Malay, Chinese, Indian, Portuguese, Dutch and British influences-mirrors the global tourism industry’s dynamics of cultural exchange and power imbalances.

By convening in Melaka, UN Tourism and the Malaysian government underscored Melaka’s role as both model and metaphor for a more inclusive, resilient and culturally grounded tourism future.

Visit Malaysia 2026 launched

Another major highlight of the week was the official launch of the Visit Malaysia 2026 (VM2026), the nation’s tourism push, officiated by Prime Minister YAB Dato’ Sri Anwar Ibrahim.

The Prime Minister stressed that the campaign’s success would be measured not just by visitor numbers but by its contribution to “cultural vitality and shared prosperity.”

The principles discussed were also demonstrated through a series of public events. The Melaka Entrepreneurs’ Carnival 2025 provided a platform for over 60 local business owners, with business matching sessions projected to generate RM10 million in transactions

Other festivities included an International Kite Festival, a 3,000-strong traditional zapin dance and a special exhibition honoring Enrique de Malacca, the 16th-century Melakan sailor who was part of Ferdinand Magellan’s fleet.

The conference concluded with Malaysia officially handing over hosting duties for World Tourism Day 2026 to El Salvador.

The theme for the 2026 event was announced as the ‘Digital Agenda and Artificial Intelligence to Redesign Tourism,’ signaling the future of the industry.

Superstar rookie Bella Belen will make her much-awaited debut as Capital1 clashes with Choco Mucho in Tuesday’s start of the Premier Volleyball League Reinforced Conference at the Ynares Center Montalban in Rodriguez, Rizal.

‘I love the new challenges in whatever league and whose players I play against,’ said this year’s No. 1 overall draft pick, a three-time UAAP MVP and champion from National University.

‘But for me I have to prepare for this conference because the level of play in the collegiate and the PVL are different,’ she added.

Belen also said she’s expecting nothing less than a finals appearance for the Solar Spikers, who tackle the Flying Titans at 6:30 p.m., this conference.

‘I have high expectations for the team and have that mentality that we can make the finals, we’re aiming high,’ said the Alas Pilipinas standout.

Interestingly, she will face off against a familiar face, fellow neophyte and national team mainstay Tia Andaya, who will partner with Deanna Wong at the setter position.

‘She’s ready to play,’ said Choco Mucho mentor Dante Alinsunurin of his prized setter from Ellensburg, Washington who suited up for US NCAA Division I Gonzaga University.

Also taking center stage at 4 p.m. are ZUS Coffee and Akari.

The Thunderbelles parade 5-11 American outside spiker Anna DeBeer from University of Louisville, who along with the return of Thea Gagate from national team duty, should bolster their chances in this compressed and ultra-competitive two-month tournament.

For the Chargers, they will brandish a veteran American in Annie Mitchem, who had stops in Jakarta, Italy, Turkey and Brazil after a standout effort at University of Hawaii.

She will have at her disposal a strong core in Ivy Lacsina, Grethcel Soltones, Fifi Sharma, Faith Nisperos, Eli Soyud and Ced Domingo.

Pope Leo XIV has appointed seminary rector Fr. Edwin Panergo as the new bishop of the Diocese of Boac in Marinduque.

According to the CBCPNews, the Diocese of Boac has not had a bishop since November last year. During the vacancy, Fr. Elino Esplana administered the diocese.

Panergo, 57, is the rector of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Seminary in Sariaya, Quezon and Commission on Vocation director of the Diocese of Lucena.

He will succeed Bishop Marcelino Antonio Maralit Jr., who led Boac for nine years before he was transferred to the Diocese of San Pablo in Laguna last year.

Malacañang dismissed Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano’s call for snap elections as ‘wishful thinking,’ saying President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is focused on governance, not politics.

Cayetano earlier suggested that all elected officials – from the president to lawmakers – should resign to pave the way for a snap election. He later walked back his remarks after criticism who questioned both the legality and sincerity of his proposal.

While some senators have remarked that Cayetano’s call can be dangerous, the Palace downright called it politicking. Palace Press Officer Claire Castro, for one, said the administration sees no value in entertaining Cayetano’s idea.

‘It is just his wishful thinking. We do not have time to talk about one’s personal desires,’ Castro told reporters.

She added that Marcos is preoccupied with response efforts following a string of natural disasters, including recent cyclones and the 6.9-magnitude earthquake that struck Cebu.

‘Wala po siyang oras sa mga ganitong klaseng pamumulitika. Mag-focus po tayong lahat sa pangangailangan ng mamamayan, hindi sa mga pansariling interes lang,’ Castro said.

(He has no time for this kind of politicking. We should all focus on the needs of the people, not personal interests.)

Accountability over resignation. Cayetano’s proposal stemmed from the ongoing corruption investigations into flood control projects – a controversy first spotlighted by Marcos during his State of the Nation Address in July.

The president has repeatedly said the probes must continue even at the cost of his own allies, stressing that resignation alone cannot substitute for accountability.

In a pre-recorded interview aired before Cayetano’s statements, Marcos said resignation is not enough, since people still need to be held accountable for any anomalies.

Following the backlash, Cayetano softened his position.

‘It’s not my job nor my intention to tell anyone what to do, to tell anyone to resign,’ he wrote on Facebook.

The Philippine economy may have matched or expanded in the third quarter at a slightly faster pace than the previous quarter amid lower inflation, according to the Department of Economy, Planning and Development (DEPDev).

‘Overall, I think we should see, if not at the same pace, it’s slightly better,’ DEPDev Secretary Arsenio Balisacan told The STAR when asked how the economy likely performed in the third quarter compared to the previous quarter.

The economy grew by 5.5 percent in the second quarter, slightly faster than the 5.4 percent expansion in the first quarter, but slower than the 6.5 percent growth in the second quarter last year.

This brought average growth in the first half to 5.4 percent, lower than the government’s growth target of 5.5 to 6.5 percent for this year.

‘On the positive side, you have inflation coming down,’ Balisacan said.

While headline inflation quickened to 1.5 percent in August from 0.9 percent in July, it was slower than the 3.3 percent print in the same month last year.

Average inflation from January to August was also at 1.7 percent, below the government’s two to four percent target range for the year.

Despite the storms that hit the country, Balisacan said the agricultural damage is not extensive, except for some crops, such as vegetables.

He is also optimistic about seeing improvements in the labor market data in August.

Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showed that the country’s unemployment rate rose to 5.3 percent in July from 3.7 percent in June and 4.7 percent in the same month last year.

This also marked the highest jobless rate since it hit the same level in August 2022.

‘I believe the numbers for August should be better,’ Balisacan said.

He said the growth in the country’s exports, as exporters frontloaded shipments to the United States to avoid the 19 percent tariff that took effect on Aug. 7, should also be a positive factor.

Philippine export sales rose by 13 percent to $55.7 billion from January to August, compared to $49.45 billion in the same period last year.

‘I think the fourth quarter is what we need to work on harder,’ Balisacan said, noting that recently exposed flood control corruption issues are expected to have an impact on growth.

He said infrastructure spending, in particular, might be affected by the scandal.

‘We have to manage that from our end and ensure that those infrastructure projects and programs that are not tainted with corruption should be able to move,’ he said.

Given domestic challenges and risks from external developments, Balisacan said he ‘would be happy if we get 5.6, 5.7 (percent growth) for the whole year.’

The PSA is scheduled to report on the country’s third quarter economic performance on Nov. 7.

A highly motivated Cebu Greats hope to hurdle one final obstacle in their playoffs bid in the Manny Pacquiao presents Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) 2025 Season.

Again, the Greats will face a daunting challenge as they lock horns with host Mindoro Tamaraws in a knockout play-in match today (Monday, October 6) at the Pola Gymnasium in Oriental Mindoro.

Both sides brace for a dogfight as eighth and last spot in the South Division playoffs is at stake in their 6 p.m. encounter.

Cebu gained one more lifeline after booting out the Davao Occidental Tigers in its first play-in assignment last Saturday, October 4.

Now, they are aiming for another season-extending against the Tamaraws.

The winner of their sudden-death duel will next tackle the top seeded Quezon Huskers in a best-of-three series.-EBV

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines has warned public officials against using the Senate’s current leadership turmoil to weaken or redirect investigations into corruption in flood control projects, saying such a move would ‘heighten public suspicion of a cover-up.’

In a statement on Monday, October 6, CBCP President Pablo Virgilio Cardinal David said the public is watching closely amid several unanswered questions into the alleged multibillion-peso anomalies in Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) projects despite weeks of hearings.

‘After the revelations of massive anomalies in flood control projects, any move to change Senate leadership or redirect investigations now would only heighten public suspicion of a cover-up,’ the CBCP statement read.

The CBCP also called on all public officials to uphold the integrity of the ongoing inquiries and allow the newly formed Independent Commission on Infrastructure (ICI) to ‘investigate fully and freely, without political interference from any branch of government.’

Lacson’s resignation

The CBCP statement comes after Sen. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson said over the weekend that he would submit today his resignation as chair of the powerful Senate Blue Ribbon committee, which has been conducting an inquiry into irregularities in flood control allocations.

Lacson, in stepping down from his chairmanship, cited the ‘disappointment’ of several colleagues over his handling of the hearings.

His exit has fueled talks of another leadership shake-up, barely a month after Sen. Chiz Escudero was replaced by Senate President Tito Sotto III.

Sen. JV Ejercito earlier told reporters he and four other senators had considered leaving the majority bloc after the Lacson-led Blue Ribbon committee started to turn its focus on senators involved in the anomalies in flood control projects.

Lacson had earlier revealed that nearly all senators had inserted at least P100 billion worth of items in the 2025 budget, much of it for DPWH projects. That disclosure, according to some senators, risked damaging the Senate’s collective reputation.

Budget insertions themselves are not anomalous. However, the practice of doing so has drawn controversy as it has been abused to allegedly funnel billions of pesos into projects that are either non-existent (ghost projects) or subject to kickbacks.

Lacson’s resignation is now widely seen as an attempt to prevent instability in the upper chamber, appease the majority and, in effect, keep Sotto at the top.

Speculation over another leadership change has been growing as reports alleged some senators were considering backing Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano for the top post.

Within the Senate, however, senators have denied that Cayetano was poised to take over. Lacson has also dismissed the rumors as ‘rehashed psywar tactics intended to sow intrigue among members of the majority.’

‘Let the truth flow freely’

In its statement, the CBCP called on both Congress and Malacañang to demonstrate that they ‘serve the common good, not partisan power.’

‘We strongly oppose any attempt to pre-empt or derail the investigation through backroom deals, leadership takeovers, or selective justice,’ the statement added. ‘A nation cannot heal when its moral arteries are clogged by corruption and self-interest.’

They warned that attempts to sidestep the inquiry or silence investigators would only deepen public cynicism about corruption and erode confidence in the government’s anti-graft efforts.

The bishops also called for protection of whistleblowers and technical personnel ‘who come forward in good faith,’ noting that many such workers had been exposed to harassment or political pressure in past investigations.

‘No to a whitewash. Yes to full accountability,’ the statement declared. ‘Only through truth can our nation begin to rebuild trust and ensure that flood control no longer becomes another flood of corruption.’

The CBCP also expressed support for the Independent Commission for Infrastructure – the body the president created last month to investigate corruption in public works – but emphasized that its hearings must be open to the public.

The ICI was created precisely to restore public trust, the CBCP said, and its work must proceed ‘thoroughly, transparently, and without fear or favor.’

The CBCP earlier called for a National Day of Prayer and Public Repentance to be held tomorrow, October 7.

University of Perpetual Help drew strength from Mark Gojo Cruz and its rock-solid interior defense as it turned back Lyceum of the Philippines U, 73-61, yesterday and claimed a piece of the lead in NCAA Season 101 at the Filoil EcoOil Arena.

Gojo Cruz, a sophomore gunner who is a product of the school’s high school program, erupted for 18 points including 12 in the second quarter when the Altas turned a shaky one-point edge into a double-digit lead that they nursed until the end.

It was the second win in a row for the Las Piñas-based dribblers, who joined the back-to-back title-seeking Mapua Cardinals at the helm.

‘I’m conditioning my mind that even though I’m just a sophomore, I still have to lead,’ said Gojo Cruz, who spiked his strong scoring game with four rebounds, the same number of assists and three steals.

Later, San Beda also grabbed a share of top spot after blasting bitter rival Letran, 68-58.

The Knights slipped to 0-2.

OREO, the world’s beloved cookie brand, has dropped yet another jaw-dropping collab. Strap on your dancing shoes because OREO x Babymonster is here to hit you up with a taste so good, it makes you dance. The launch is a bold fandom-first collaboration designed to turn the taste of an OREO into a dance party.

This latest drop marks a continuation of OREO’s legacy of culture-defining partnerships, following high-profile collaborations that have captivated fans around the globe. With Babymonster’s signature charisma and OREO’s crave-worthy taste, the OREO x Babymonster collab is set to take over snack aisles and social feeds across Southeast Asia.

A global first twist: The playful #TwistLickDance revolution

Consumers across the world are familiar with OREO’s beloved Twist, Lick, Dunk ritual. But OREO is switching up the track for this latest collaboration.

In a first for the brand, OREO x Babymonster grooves to a new beat, putting a playful twist to the classic dunk ritual: Introducing the #TwistLickDance moment. With a bespoke song released by OREO and original choreography performed by Babymonster, the #TwistLickDance challenge invites Monstiez across Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Philippines, Vietnam and Cambodia to rediscover their sense of rhythm with a bite of the all-new OREO taste.

Earlier in the month, K-Pop fandoms were buzzing with speculation after a leaked clip showed the band moving without their usual monster energy. In an official reveal on OREO’s brand pages on Facebook, Instagram and Tiktok, fans found out that all Babymonster needed to regain their signature electric moves was a bite of an OREO.

‘This collaboration puts us right on the pulse of culture,’ said Lucas Levy, Mondelez senior director of marketing, Southeast Asia.

‘By bringing together the playful spirit of OREO and the global energy of the new generation K-pop icons Babymonster, we’re creating a shared moment where music, movement and taste collide. With Babymonster, we’re reimagining OREO’s iconic ritual into a #TwistLickDance revolution that resonates with a new generation of fans.’

Taste the drop: New taste, bold colors and fan-favorite collectibles

For the first time in Southeast Asia, OREO has partnered with a global artist to co-create the cookie experience from the inside out.

Inspired by one of Korea’s hottest dessert trends, OREO reveals the limited-edition OREO Babymonster Marshmallow Flavored Crème, in celebration of Babymonster bold identity.

OREO will also debut custom cookies personally designed by Babymonster members.

Each OREO x Babymonster multipack comes with exclusive collectible photocards of the band members. Available in-stores in fan-favorite core flavors of Vanilla, Chocolate, Strawberry and the limited-edition Red Sandwich Cookies, MONSTIEZ can get ahold of these photocards with purchase of an OREO x Babymonster multipack. Collect all seven to complete the set and certify your place as a Babymonster superfan!

Stay playful with local activations

To celebrate the launch, OREO will roll out activities across Southeast Asia, starting with local activations and experiences curated specially for each market. In the Philippines, the grand launch event will happen on October 18 at Market! Market! in Taguig City.

RAGE, RAGE against the massive corruption that has been destroying our beloved country, depriving our citizenry of their basic needs, better schools, roads, hospitals, health services, much-needed infrastructure for the protection and safety of communities.

RAGE, RAGE against political dynasties that deprive patriotic men and women, willing to serve genuinely for our people’s welfare and interest, of valuable services to our country. as political dynasties are deeply-entrenched with vast resources, money, power, influence, connection.

RAGE, RAGE against the erosion of morality and humanity of politicians, elected to serve the people, of government employees appointed to provide services for the interest of the Filipinos.

RAGE, RAGE against the election of politicians unfit, unworthy of the positions they hold. wasting precious time and people’s taxes that pay for their salaries, perks, etc.

RAGE, RAGE against politicians, contractors, government employees, who shamelessly, mockingly and ostentatiously flaunt their ill-gotten wealth. amid the suffering of our kababayans dying, drowning in shocking, never-before-witnessed or experienced floods that befell us.

RAGE, RAGE against ghosts and substandard projects affecting our daily lives and survival. Maki-alam, mag-demand. these are our people’s money!

KEEP, KEEP UP THE RAGE. Until the stolen wealth is returned. Until all the perpetrators of the grandest raid on our government coffers are persecuted, brought to justice. Until they all are jailed. To ensure that massacre of our public funds, our people’s hard-earned taxes, will NEVER be hijacked/stolen ever again, FORTHWITH!

Peace, good health, abundance to us all!