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How is your mommy doing? ‘She is okay and settled back in her own home. Thankfully, we finally got a caregiver after several months of hitting and missing.’ Her mom is 92 and was recently diagnosed with dementia.

‘One of the earliest signs that Daddy had dementia was when he couldn’t figure out his way back home.’

‘I visited after he suffered a stroke, but I was so sad that he didn’t recognize me.’

‘I have learned to live with his condition, but it is never easy. One thing that helped was the establishment of a routine and providing a familiar and safe environment.’

‘Mommy was a little irritated that we were entertaining the thought of her having dementia. Her doctor put our fears to rest.’

Globally, according to the World Health Organization, dementia is ‘the seventh leading cause of death and one of the major causes of disability and dependency among older people,’ with affected individuals living mostly in low- to middle-income countries. In the news lately, the Department of Health stated that there are around 1 million Filipinos living with dementia.

While most of us are aware of the condition, how familiar are we with identifying early signs and symptoms? How much of being forgetful is worrisome? Isn’t it expected as part of aging? Is there a genetic predisposition? What are the risk factors? Can it be prevented? Is there a cure?

Accepting my limitations, as it is beyond my field of expertise, I went through literature in an effort to gain more knowledge and hopefully succeed in helping promote improved public awareness. All of us need to equip ourselves with basic information, and one does not necessarily have to be a health-care professional. Available data show that self-reporting is hardly the case, and it is usually the spouse or those who take care of the affected individual who notice a decline in cognitive function.

I was fortunate to talk with a good friend and colleague, whose special interest was in dementia, and who was involved in the validation of a screening tool, which he said was designed specifically for general practitioners and caregivers. It can be downloaded from the website of the Dementia Society of the Philippines.

Dementia is defined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-5 (DSM-5) as an ‘acquired disorder characterized by a decline in cognition involving one or more cognitive domains (learning and memory, language, executive function, complex attention, perceptual-motor, social cognition).’ Of the neurodegenerative disorders that cause dementia and include Parkinson’s disease, frontotemporal dementia and dementia with Lewy bodies, the most common is Alzheimer’s disease.

While memory loss is a common finding, the signs and symptoms of dementia may overlap or mimic other conditions. What makes it significant is the presence of a considerable decline from baseline, which impairs daily activity. Examples include difficulty remembering where things are placed or completing routine daily tasks; getting lost in familiar places; being disoriented to place, date, and time; or exhibiting unexpected changes in behavior such as extreme depression, frequent irritability, or becoming highly suspicious.

How do we prevent the disease? While there is no foolproof plan or prophylaxis, there might be modifiable lifestyle changes that may be employed to reduce the risk. Obesity, hypertension, diabetes, and smoking have been implicated as predisposing factors, and while control is not specific to avoiding dementia, it may serve to improve overall health. Among the nonmodifiable ones, age remains the biggest risk factor. Studies have shown that individuals above 60 are more affected, and the condition is more common among those 80 years old and above. A family history can be a risk for some disorders. With Alzheimer’s in particular, having a first-degree family member, especially if diagnosed at a younger age, has been reported to place an individual at higher risk. But even with the discovery of a gene called APOE epsilon 4, which increases the chance of Alzheimer’s, available findings show that approximately only half of those with this gene develop the disorder by age 90, which suggests that there might be other contributory factors. Therefore, testing for this gene is not routinely recommended, nor is routine screening in general done for asymptomatic individuals. In the likelihood of having a high index of suspicion, seek consult with the experts who can prescribe a workup to confirm the diagnosis and institute management, including caregiver education.

A mentor keeps me grounded whenever the subject of aging and dementia comes up, and I relay my fear of being part of the numbers. He never fails to remind me not to dwell on things that are not in the present and to be accepting of the natural course of events. Wise words.

The magnitude 6.9 earthquake that hit northeastern Cebu last September 30 should prompt Congress to immediately address proposals for a new building code, Surigao del Sur 1st District Rep. Romeo Momo Sr. said on Sunday.

Momo, in a statement, stressed that failure to pass and enact the proposed Philippine Building Act may result in catastrophic damage during disasters, which could be prevented if safety measures and standards were in place.

‘The Cebu earthquake is a wake-up call, again. It shows the cracks not only in our buildings but in our outdated building regulations. We need a building code that reflects the current and updated engineering standards, hazard maps, and climate realities-not one that was written decades ago,’ Momo said.

‘The time to pass this measure is not today, not tomorrow, not even yesterday. I have been pushing for the bill since the last two Congresses. This is long delayed, and our kababayans are paying the price for our failure to act,’ he added.

Last Tuesday night, a magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck waters northeast of Bogo, Cebu, damaging heritage churches and other structures and knocking out power in parts of the central Philippines.

Latest reports from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) showed that the death toll from the Cebu earthquake has risen to 71.

‘We cannot keep playing catch-up every time disaster strikes. We owe it to the people of Cebu-and every Filipino-to make sure that the buildings they live, work, and study in are safe,’ Momo noted.

This is not the first time Momo has stressed the need for a new Philippine Building Act. Last March 31, he said that the impact of the magnitude 7.7 earthquake that hit Myanmar should serve as a reminder to prepare for possible scenarios-particularly the feared ‘Big One’ quake that seismologists expect to hit Metro Manila in the future.

Several experts fear that at least 52,000 may die, with at least 500,000 others injured, should the West Valley Fault – a segment of the Marikina Valley Fault System that cuts from Bulacan down to Metro Manila and then Laguna-cause a magnitude 7.2 earthquake.

A special report by PSA Philippines Consultancy Inc. in 2019 showed that the possible quake, dubbed the ‘Big One,’ indicated that at least two major earthquakes had originated from the West Valley Fault in the last 1,400 years.

Momo said the Philippine Building Act can help mitigate damage from earthquakes as strong as magnitude 7.2.

During the 19th Congress, the proposed Philippine Building Act, contained in House Bill No. 8500, was approved by the House in August 2023. If it had been approved and signed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., it would have replaced the country’s more than four-decade-old National Building Code.

The country’s existing building code was created through Presidential Decree No. 1096, signed in 1977 by the Chief Executive’s father and namesake, then-President Ferdinand Marcos Sr.

The bill seeks to update the country’s standards regarding the ‘planning, design, construction, occupancy, maintenance, and demolition of buildings’ and streamline the building permit process.

In addition, the consolidated version of the bill would create a new system for the classification of buildings and new requirements for zoning, fire prevention, environmental protection, and design.

The bill also includes a provision requiring a structural review of buildings every 15 years.

However, the 19th Congress ended its term without the bill being forwarded to the President’s desk.

Opening with a mixed martial arts tournament in the late ’90s, a hulking figure emerges from the ring. It’s the first time we see Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson in A24’s ‘The Smashing Machine,’ but not the version we picture in the action-packed blockbusters he thrives in.

Beyond the prosthetics that render him unrecognizable, there are no cheesy lines, forced grins, or exaggerated furrowed brows. There’s no money shot of flexed muscles or forced male-gaze scenes. Instead, we glimpse the man behind the fighter-and I dare say, the man behind ‘The Rock.’

‘The Smashing Machine’ retells the life of UFC and PRIDE Fighting Championships legend Mark Kerr, played by Johnson. Kerr reigned in the late 1990s, earning the nickname that lends the film its title. But behind the ring and locker room, his championships are shadowed by addiction, personal struggles, and the crushing weight of fame.

His partner-and at times, his emotional anchor-is Dawn Staples, portrayed by Emily Blunt. Their relationship is the antithesis of the usual hero-and-damsel trope. Here, love and career don’t align, instability brews on both sides, and if anything, Kerr becomes the damsel in distress.

Dwayne Johnson as UFC and PRIDE Fighting Championships legend Mark Kerr

The machine breaks down

Benny Safdie’s solo directorial debut, one-half of the critically acclaimed Safdie Brothers (Good Time, 2017; Uncut Gems, 2019), reminds us that Kerr’s fighting alter ego doesn’t reflect an indestructible machine-but a fragility that breaks down when all is said and done.

Between stitched wounds and bloodshot eyes, winners in Kerr’s world return to holding rooms bloodied, bruised, and congratulated, their cauliflower ears swelling even more.

For the MMA audience, it ends there. For the fighters-the ‘machines’-life continues bruised and broken. In Kerr’s case, his gears fail outside the ring. His effort to uphold the same public image at home collapses into painkiller addiction. His fight doesn’t end in the cage; his opponent is himself. Safdie and Johnson ask us, humbly and painfully: ‘Have you seen a grown man cry?’-an image they offer while still withholding its full weight.

‘The Smashing Machine’ shows just how vast a fighter’s world really is. Bringing to mind the likes of classics such as Jake Gyllenhaal’s ‘Southpaw’ and Tom Hardy’s ‘Warrior’-for these fighters, the familiar grit, anger, and rivalry of the sport feels trivial compared to everything else that happens outside the ring.

Emily Blunt and Dwayne Johnson

The rock hits its mark

Early reactions to ‘The Smashing Machine’ have been overwhelmingly positive. At its Venice Film Festival premiere, the film received a 15-minute standing ovation, leaving the audience-including Johnson, Blunt, Safdie, and Kerr himself-visibly emotional.

Between stellar performances from his WWE peers, as well as a rumored contractual obligation that prevents him from ever losing on-screen, Johnson has received his fair share of criticism-particularly when compared to the likes of Dave Bautista and John Cena. But as critics and reviewers have praised him for delivering his rawest performance yet, perhaps Johnson has been listening to the noise after all and has promptly guided ‘The Rock’ off the stage.

Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson on Sunday said he would step down as chair of the Senate blue ribbon committee after some of his colleagues expressed disappointment over the course of the panel’s inquiry into anomalous flood control projects.

His resignation followed widespread speculation of another Senate shake-up, only less than a month after Sen. Francis Escudero was replaced by Senate President Vicente Sotto III.

Also on Sunday, Lacson denied there was another looming change in the Senate leadership. But he noted the sentiments expressed by some of his colleagues as the main reason for his resignation, naming in particular Senators JV Ejercito and Sherwin Gatchalian.

Ejercito earlier remarked that he, along with four other senators, planned to leave the majority bloc after several former and incumbent senators were tagged as being involved in anomalous flood control projects being investigated by the blue ribbon committee.

‘To be honest, I seriously thought about leaving the majority. Because if this is the direction we’re headed, it’s like we’re burning down our own house. We’re neglecting our colleagues, and we’re forgetting who the real culprits are,’ he said.

But he quickly clarified that he would not join the minority.

‘I didn’t say I am moving to the minority. More of being independent, along with some senators,’ Ejercito said.

Sen. Imee Marcos also said she left the group chat of the 20th Congress senators after Lacson took a swipe at her.

Lacson had called on Marcos to attend hearings on the flood control controversy after she said there was confusion if the blue ribbon committee’s probe would continue.

‘Due to the comments I’ve been hearing from my colleagues, one of the options I’m considering is to move on or submit my resignation as chairperson and let them find someone else who can lead the blue ribbon committee,’ he said.

‘Rightly or wrongly, when quite a number of them have expressed disappointment over how I’m handling the flood control project anomalies, I thought it’s time for me to step aside in favor of another member who they think can handle the committee better,’ he added.

‘Pleasure of our peers’

Lacson emphasized that all chairpersons of the committees in the Senate and House of Representatives ‘serve at the pleasure of our peers’ since they were elected particularly by the members of the majority bloc.

‘I’m not serving as chair of the blue ribbon committee at the pleasure of the President of the Philippines, at the pleasure of netizens, at the pleasure of bashers, not even at the pleasure of the public. I serve at the pleasure of my peers,’ Lacson noted.

He said he is preparing his resignation letter to Senate President Sotto and may formally manifest it in the plenary.

But Lacson also emphasized that his stepping down will not stop his continuing fight against corruption.

‘No amount of criticisms from misinformed netizens and partisan sectors can distract or pressure me from doing my job right, but when my own peers start expressing their group or individual sentiments, maybe it is best to vacate.’ ‘Nevertheless, I will continue to fight a corrupt and rotten system in the misuse and abuse of public funds as I have consistently done in the course of my long years in public service,’ he said.

Lacson initially announced in an interview on radio dzBB on Sunday morning that he was considering stepping down from his panel post, but released a statement in the afternoon that he was already pushing through with his plan.

‘If my colleagues are no longer trusting me enough, especially if the majority of them are not happy anymore with my handling of the blue ribbon committee, maybe it’s time for me to consider stepping down as an option,’ Lacson said.

‘Hearings handled well’

Regarding another change in the Senate leadership already widely speculated on Sunday, Lacson told the Inquirer: ‘Not true. It’s the same old rehashed psywar tactic all over again, intended to confuse and sow intrigue among members of the majority.’

There had been speculations, particularly on social media, that senators are eyeing to switch sides and support Senate Minority Leader Alan Cayetano to become the next Senate president.

Lacson said it also had nothing to do with his decision to resign as chair of the blue ribbon committee.

‘All I can say is – I can handle all the pressure. It’s the frustration that’s hard to bear,’ he said.

‘Rest assured that there’s no wavering in my advocacy against the corrupt and rotten system, particularly the misuse and abuse of public funds,’ he said.

Lacson said he continues to support the leadership of Sotto.

‘But if you will ask me, I’ve already experienced his being a Senate President for the longest time, in the past Congress. His system of management is good; he has good leadership. He always goes for consensus, he doesn’t dictate and he doesn’t decide alone. So if you ask me, I’ll continue to support him,’ he said.

But if his colleagues in the Senate think otherwise and believe that Sotto lacks leadership skills, then they can push for another Senate leadership change.

‘That’s how it goes in the Senate, whoever has the majority, whoever has at least 13. whoever is sitting can be replaced by whoever has at least 13 (votes),’ Lacson added.

On Saturday, Senator Gatchalian also said he believes Sotto’s leadership is ‘very stable.’

Lacson also scored the fake news and false narratives that some sectors insisted on circulating-that he is targeting some fellow senators while allegedly protecting members of the House of Representatives perceived to be the ‘masterminds’ of the flood control mess, including former Speaker Martin Romualdez and ex-Representative Elizaldy Co.

‘If you ask me, I would say I handled the hearings well. But there are those trying to disrupt the hearings. In one instance, the hearing had barely started when someone tried to make a distraction. That is why there is a perception that the hearings were not handled well,’ he said.

‘If majority of my peers do not trust me, I am not so numb, I’m not that insensitive not to feel that. They’ve already expressed their sentiments. if that is how my colleagues think, who am I to insist to stay as chair? If in their opinion someone else can handle it, I’ll leave it to them,’ he added.

‘Colleagues’ sentiments’

Lacson disclosed at a caucus on Monday last week that some of his peers also expressed concerns that his remarks about budget insertions could affect the whole institution.

Lacson earlier said that almost all senators of the 19th Congress inserted at least P100 billion worth of items in the 2025 General Appropriations Act (GAA), mostly in favor of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), for infrastructure projects, including flood control. He cited documents he had gathered showing these were individual insertions, although they were eventually held ‘for later release.’

He also said that members of the House of Representatives likewise made their own amendments or insertions in the 2025 national budget, with the total exceeding by ‘much, much more’ those made by the Senate.

Citing information he accessed, Lacson said the list of the House members who made insertions in the DPWH’s favor in last year’s GAA was several pages long, with the names in alphabetical order. ‘It was like a roll call,’ he said.

When asked if the amount was larger than the insertions made by senators, Lacson replied: ‘Much, much more.’

He explained that the DPWH received such massive insertions because many lawmakers were likely in collusion with the department’s corrupt officials to get their share of huge kickbacks from projects-even if it meant giving the DPWH a bigger budget than the education sector, which was in violation of the 1987 Constitution.

No offense meant

‘I can actually feel and understand completely the sentiments expressed by my colleagues, at least the members of the majority bloc during our majority caucus, so I explained to them that the mention of ‘almost all senators’ was not intended to put them or the whole Senate on the spot, nor did I have the intention of calling them out particularly,’ he said in a previous interview.

‘The overarching reason for my disclosure or revelation was to point out that we must accept the fact that we are all in crisis owing to the recent anomalies involving the substandard and even ghost flood control projects unearthed in the course of the blue ribbon committee hearings and other similar investigations,’ the senator added.

Lacson reiterated in the radio interview that he was able to explain to his colleagues that it was not his intention to target them.

‘I did not intend to offend them or to bring them down. I just want us all to wake up to the reality that people are mad and we should refrain from making humongous budget insertions,’ he said.

He explained that insertions are not illegal or improper.

‘Insertions are amendments. There is nothing wrong with it. The only time it becomes illegal is when you make an amendment for infrastructure projects, whether flood control related or not, then you meddle in its implementation, and you collect a commission, that’s illegal,’ Lacson said.

Transparency in hearings

Also on Sunday, Bicol Saro Rep. Terry Ridon said Lacson’s departure from the blue ribbon panel ‘should now compel the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) to conduct a broad, unrelenting and open sweep of all individuals named in both Senate and House hearings, to determine with precision their respective liabilities, and to recommend the filing of appropriate charges.’

Ridon said Lacson’s leadership of the committee ‘yielded the most consequential testimonies and [pieces of] evidence’ compared to all the subsequent hearings on the alleged flood control anomalies, particularly from the affidavits of former DPWH officials.

‘Senator Lacson’s blue ribbon committee hearings exposed not only members of Congress as principal participants in the capture of the national budget at every stage of the budget process but also the involvement of executive officials, particularly in the capture of unprogrammed appropriations, which fall solely within the authority of the executive branch,’ Ridon said.

He also urged the ICI to open its proceedings to the public and establish rules on when proceedings may be held in executive session. -With a report from Keith Clores

Ejae – a Korean-American singer-songwriter best known for taking on the singing voice of Rumi in ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ – announced that she will release her new single ‘In Another World’ on Oct. 24.

The singer-songwriter took to her Instagram account on Saturday, Oct. 4, to announce her new single, saying it will ‘give life’ to all of the songs she had written since then.

‘I’ve decided I want my artist project to give life to those songs, so people can laugh, dance, or cry with me and the amazing collaborators who helped create them. There’s one song that feels like the perfect place to start,’ she said.

‘Writing this song helped me through a hard time, and I hope that sharing it can help others too. It’s called ‘In Another World’ and is releasing on 10/24/25,’ she continued.

Ejae also opened up about how the past few months have been a ‘crazy ride’ since ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ was propelled into the limelight, while thanking those who sent love along her way.

‘The past few months have been a crazy ride. I mean, I was just on SNL!!! I’m so humbled and grateful for the love I’ve received as a songwriter and the singing voice of Rumi from ‘KPop Demon Hunters,” she said. ‘Getting so much exposure so quickly has been strange, exciting, and truthfully a little scary.’

Ejae added that while she is grateful to be acknowledged as an artist, she ‘became comfortable behind the scenes’ through the years. Along the way, she eventually realized that she didn’t want to define herself with the ‘traditional view of an artist.’

‘People keep referring to me as an ‘artist’ or a ‘star’ – which is everything 11-year-old EJAE dreamed of, but over the years, I became comfortable behind the scenes, and I didn’t think I was meant to be an artist. Recently, though, I realized I don’t need to box myself into being the traditional view of an artist,’ she said.

‘To me, an artist is someone who uses their art to express themselves, and songwriting is my art. For years, writing has been my therapy, my way of coping, celebrating, making sense of the noise in my head. Along the way, I wrote some songs that never found the right home. Thank you to everyone who has supported me so far. I know my journey is still being written, and I am so grateful to anyone willing to tune in,’ she further explained.

Born Kim Eun-jae, Ejae was a former SM Entertainment trainee for almost 10 years before leaving the agency sometime in 2011. She then moved to the US and transitioned to songwriting.

Before ‘KPop Demon Hunters,’ she had written several hit K-pop songs including Red Velvet’s ‘Psycho’ and ‘Birthday,’ aespa’s ‘Drama’ and ‘Armageddon,’ and Twice’s ‘Last Waltz,’ to name a few. She also wrote the majority of the soundtrack of ‘KPop Demon Hunters.’

Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano’s call for the mass resignation of elected officials is a ‘typical’ example of ‘obfuscating’ the issue of corruption, according to lawmakers from the Makabayan bloc.

The lawmakers issued a joint statement on Monday after Cayetano suggested holding snap elections for officials in the executive and legislative branches, saying Filipinos ‘have lost trust in the government and government officials’ amid the flood control controversies.

‘This is typical obfuscation of the issue of corruption. Cateyano is trying to divert the focus from corruption accountability to snap elections, giving the illusion that corruption can be addressed simply through the electoral process that is still dominated by political dynasties and corrupt politicians,’ the Makabayan bloc lawmaker said.

‘How will holding snap elections address the issue of accountability? The proposal is a distraction and a way to douse cold water on the people’s protests. A snap election and just a change of personalities without changing the system will not address the roots of corruption,’ they added.

In a Facebook post Sunday, Cayetano stressed that public officials should not be afraid to step down, saying that ‘real change starts with radical honesty – and the courage to admit when it’s time to step aside.’

‘National government has its bureaucracy and will continue to run. Governors, mayors, and barangay chairpersons are generally trusted and will be in place,’ Cayetano wrote.

‘No drama, no excuses, no recycling. Just a clean slate for the Filipino people. A turning point leading to renewal and revival, instead of People Power. Sacrifice from People’s Servants!’ he said.

The senator made his call following allegations of massive corruption in flood control projects involving government officials.

In response, Cayetano’s brother, former Taguig City Mayor Lino Cayetano, challenged him to lead by example and resign from his post.

‘I support this proposal. I agree with my brother Alan and ask that we start with ourselves,’ Cayetano said in a Facebook post on Sunday. ‘Give up power.’

‘If you truly believe what you say, then trust and have faith that if some of the old guard step down now, it will inspire others to follow,’ he added.

Among the public officials who stepped down from their posts so far were former House Speaker Martin Romualdez and former Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Elizaldy ‘Zaldy’ Co.

Romualdez resigned as House Speaker after being linked to the flood-control controversies, saying he did not want to tarnish the President’s name. He was shortly replaced by Isabela 6th District Rep. Faustino ‘Bojie’ De Guzman Dy III.

Co also resigned from Congress after being tagged as the alleged ‘mastermind’ behind the substandard or ‘ghost’ flood-control projects.

Four individuals – whom police did not name – were subpoenaed by the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) over their alleged roles in violence amid the anti-corruption rallies last Sept. 21.

‘Of those four, only one has son far appeared,’ CIDG public information chief Maj. Helen dela Cruz said in a press briefing in Camp Crame on Monday.

‘They are invited to appear to shed light on the facts and circumstances surrounding the violent incidents that occurred,’ she added.

Dela Cruz declined to name the individuals subpoenaed, only saying that they are male ‘leaders with large followings’ and referring to them as ‘resource persons.’

‘We arrested some people who really were players in the incident. We associated them with who their leaders were. In the course of the investigation, it was determined,’ dela Cruz said.

She stressed that Republic Act No. 10973 gave the CIDG the power to issue subpoenas in relation to its investigations.

And if the three other subpoenaed individuals fail to appear before the police? Dela Cruz said RA 10973 also gives the CIDG the right to file a case for indirect contempt before the respective regional trial court.

The three other subpoenaed individuals may face a fine of P30,000 and six months of imprisonment if they do not comply with the CIDG subpoena, according to Philippine National Police (PNP) public information chief Brig. Gen. Randulf Tuaño in the briefing.

‘In the coming days. they will invite over 20 individuals,’ Tuaño added, citing information from CIDG Director Maj. Gen. Robert Alexander Morico II.

The violence erupted at the foot of Ayala Bridge and the Mendiola Peace Arch – which lead to Malacañang Palace – during the Baha Sa Luneta rally in Rizal Park last Sept. 21.

Police arrested over 200 rioters – including more than 80 minors – amid the chaos, prompting human rights groups to condemn law enforcement for supposedly not exercising maximum tolerance.

The Baha Sa Luneta rally, its subsequent program at Mendiola before the riot, and the Trillion Peso March were all part of a series of protests condemning corruption in the government amid investigations into alleged anomalies in flood control projects.

‘Candle lighting’

The subpoenaed individual who appeared before the CIDG on Monday identified himself as Park Alamada Pangawilan, also known as Kuya Park on social media.

In a phone interview with reporters in Camp Crame, Pangawilan denied involvement in the riot, saying the violence had already erupted at both the Ayala Bridge and the Mendiola Peace Arch when he and his group arrived there from another program at the Liwasang Bonifacio.

He also maintained that he and his group brought lighters to the rally for a candle-lighting vigil originally planned to be held at Mendiola.

‘There was no intention to burn anything. There was no intention to cause chaos. I was even scolding the youth who were causing trouble. I told them the police and the military weren’t our enemies,’ Pangawilan stressed in Filipino.

The Philippine National Police (PNP) has formed a task force composed of Area Police Commands (APCs) to dismantle private armed groups (PAGs).

‘They will coordinate the efforts of the regional offices, provincial offices, and tactical units,’ Acting PNP Chief Lt. Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said during a press briefing at Camp Crame on Monday.

He did not specify the number of existing PAGs in the Philippines, but said the PNP is monitoring both active and potential armed groups nationwide.

Nartatez added that PNP Deputy Chief for Operations Lt. Gen. Edgar Allan Okubo will lead the task force, overseeing sub-group commanders from the five APCs: Northern Luzon, Southern Luzon, Visayas, Western Mindanao, and Eastern Mindanao.

APCs are offices that coordinate operations across regions within their areas of responsibility.

They were deactivated following a National Police Commission resolution last January and an order by Nartatez last Wednesday, which cited that the units were merely duplicating the functions of other PNP offices.

The PNP previously stated that the deactivation of the APCs would occur over a transition period while affected personnel are reassigned to other posts./mcm

Flagship Robinsons malls are set to get a major facelift to keep pace with other developers that pursue renovations as consumer needs rapidly evolve.

Mybelle GoBio, president and CEO of Robinsons Land Corp. (RLC), confirmed to reporters last week that they would soon announce the developer’s mall reinvention program. First in line are the older flagship malls.

‘It will be a continuous [program], and it will be the first of such a scale that we will be announcing,’ GoBio said during a press conference.

She added that this would be part of the company’s ‘premiumization’ strategy.

RLC is currently aiming to double its net income to P25 billion by 2030.

The company is investing P125 billion in the upgrade of their projects across business units, including offices and hotels.

Mall reinvention has been a major undertaking of top developers in the Philippines. Companies like Ayala Land Inc. and SM Prime Holdings Inc. are investing billions in the renovation of their biggest malls.

Higher lease rates

In joining competitors in this pursuit, GoBio said modern facilities would justify the premium pricing of their lease rates. Thus, the effort would give RLC better margins.

‘Also, consumer preferences are evolving . they’re looking for more experiential offerings. That’s what we’re trying to address through premiumization,’ GoBio said.

Apart from RLC’s flagship Robinsons Malls across the country, it also has upscale malls like Opus in Quezon City and Nustar in Cebu City.

In its 2024 report, real estate broker Colliers Philippines said that developers were redesigning their existing retail spaces to introduce new concepts and become ‘more experiential [and] less transactional.’

Developers were taking advantage of the high demand for more immersive experiences inside malls. They are expanding their food halls, upgrading cinemas and putting up pop-up stores to gauge market sentiment.

Asked whether expanding their current malls was part of their redesign strategy, GoBio said they were open to increasing their gross leasable area ‘where there is an opportunity.’

Otherwise, she said they would focus first on redevelopment. -MEG J. ADONIS INQ

Initially established in Japan, Multibook is a provider of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems and outsourced services, offering smart software and back-office support for global businesses. They recently expanded to the Philippines having fully aligned with the Electronic Invoicing System (EIS) to help enhance tax compliance and streamline operational efficiency for local and international companies.

Given the integration of the current multibook system with the CAS and CBA requirements in the country, enhanced features are expected to be launched before the end of the year.

Understanding E-invoicing requirements

Large taxpayers, e-commerce businesses, and exporters have been mandated to issue electronic invoices and transmit sales data to the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) within five years since the enactment of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) Law in 2018.

In June 2022, the BIR mandated e-invoicing and real-time or near-real-time electronic reporting of sales data within three days of the transaction after issuing Revenue Regulation No. 8-2022 as a response.

Further expansion of these requirements came with Revenue Regulation No. 11-2025, which was issued in February 2025. It extends the mandatory e-invoicing to CAS and CBA users, Point of Sale system users, and tax-incentivized registered business enterprises. A one-year transition period has been granted from the effective date of the regulation.

The registration process for CAS and CBA simplified after Revenue Memorandum Circular No. 5-2021 was issued in January 2021. System registration is mandatory, and post-evaluation may be conducted, however prior system approval and pre-assessment are no longer required.

Regulatory-ready solutions for BIR compliance

multibook is a BIR-approved system with proven CAS and CBA compliance experience, support for standard accounting processes across various client companies. Other key components include displaying the business name and VAT-registered TIN number on invoice and ledger headers, as well as generating specialized journals (such as sales and purchases) in addition to the general journal and general ledger.The system offers the following core features to support compliance and operations:

Direct system connection with BIR EIS for sales data transmission: To meet BIR’s real-time or near-real-time requirement (within three days of the transaction), Multibook is developing a direct system link (API) to EIS, targeted for early November 2025.to-end billing support in the Philippines: The system already supports invoice email delivery to customers and is developing an extended solution for Form 2307 workflows, along with a direct connection to the EIS system, to streamline billing operations.

Multibook empowers all enterprises operating in the Philippines to meet BIR’s CAS and EIS requirements effectively with its comprehensive features. By adapting to these digital tax reforms, they remain committed to supporting the digital transformation of finance and accounting operations in the region.

Overview of the global cloud ERP multibook

It is built for speed with fast implementation and processing and rapid issue resolution.

The system supports 12 languages, including multi-currency and multiple ledgers, and integrates with global locations seamlessly.

Deployed in 35 countries by 600+ companies across manufacturing, trading, FandB, construction and more, it is also recognized as a BIR-approved ERP with CAS and CBA track records with companies based in the Philippines.

The system is prepared to meet Japan’s new lease accounting standard, effective for financial years beginning on or after 1 April 2027.

Key modules: Accounting, Logistics, Fixed Assets, IFRS Lease Accounting, New Lease Accounting Standard, Expense Reimbursement, Management Cockpit, BPO Cockpit, and External Integrations (e.g., Group Consolidation, Warehouse Management)

Service name: multibook

Supported languages (12): Japanese, English, Thai, Vietnamese, Korean, Burmese, German, French, Spanish, Chinese (Traditional/Simplified), Indonesian