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Over 200 nano, micro, small and medium enterprises (NMSMEs), including sari-sari store owners and vendors gathered at the Wais Tindera Caravan in Cebu to deepen their understanding of digitalization and responsible borrowing.

In celebration of MSME Month, GCash reinforces its commitment to being the trusted growth partner of Filipino NMSMEs, powering every stage of their entrepreneurial journey. GCash continues to champion local businesses by providing easier access to the integrated financial and digital tools they need to sustain their livelihoods, navigate uncertainty and drive the Philippine economy.

The Wais Tindera Caravan serves as the Financial Literacy x Business Literacy (FinLit x BizLit) of GCash and Fuse Financing designed for Filipino micro-entrepreneurs.

The program provides lessons on budgeting, pricing, inventory management, sales tracking and business growth. The caravan also tackled the risks of predatory lending as many micro-retailers still rely on informal lenders, including the ‘5-6′ system, which often carries high interest rates and can lead to cycles of debt.

Digital financial tools were also introduced, like GLoan Negosyo-a Fuse cash loan product designed to meet NMSMEs’ urgent funding needs-and GCash Pera Outlet Plus (GPO Plus), which enables store owners to earn extra income by offering cash-in, cash-out, bills payment, and other digital transactions to their communities.

“Through the Wais Tindera Caravan, we aim to equip NMSMEs with the practical financial and business skills needed to make informed decisions, manage their finances effectively, and adopt responsible borrowing practices to grow their businesses sustainably.” said Kevin Yu, head of B2B lending at Fuse Financing. Responsible borrowing for NMSMEs

A key focus of the Cebu leg was responsible borrowing. Participants learned how to assess whether a loan is necessary for business growth, borrow within their capacity to repay, and use credit for productive purposes such as inventory expansion.

Sessions also covered how to understand loan terms, interest rates and repayment obligations before borrowing. The program highlighted how formal lending solutions can support business growth when used with proper planning.

Through this campaign, entrepreneurs learned about excessive interest rates, lack of transparency, and unsustainable repayment terms.

Partner in every stage of growthThe caravan underscores the commitment of GCash to empowering Filipino MSMEs at every stage of growth. By introducing innovations like GCash SoundPay Plus and GCash EasyPOS, the platform helps small businesses seamlessly adopt digital QR and card payments, driving operational efficiency.

Beyond accessible payment solutions, GCash fosters grassroots, community-wide economic growth. Through GCash Pera Outlet Plus, neighborhood merchants can earn extra income by providing vital Cash In and Cash Out services to their localities, while accessible insurance offerings protect these grassroots businesses from unexpected financial shocks.

The caravan, in addition, addressed the digital trust gap as well among small business owners who may be hesitant to adopt digital financial services. Sessions explained how digital payments work, how to use GCash safely and securely, how responsible use of digital tools can help build a financial track record, and gain access to formal financial products and services.

The Wais Tindera Caravan supports the ‘Finance for All’ mission of GCash. Financial literacy remains central to the program, with participants learning skills they can apply immediately and tools they can integrate easily.

For Filipino gamers, every victory is sweeter when shared, and every challenge more exciting with friends cheering you on.

That spirit was front and center at the Philippine Game Development Expo (PGDX) 2026, where Converge ICT Solutions Inc. transformed its presence into a playground of connection, competition and celebration through “The Power of X.”

‘Converge came to PGDX not just to showcase speed, but to bring people together. This year’s presence in PGDX was a celebration of our deep roots in the local gaming scene. For eight years, we’ve championed gaming communities, creators and esports across the country, inspired by the passion and energy of Filipino gamers,” Sandra Tubale-Dingal, AVP and head of Consumer Segment Marketing of Converge ICT Solutions, said.

“We believe that real connections and strong connectivity unlock new opportunities, and we’re excited to keep building this journey together with the gaming community,’ she added.

This comes after Converge’s fourth consecutive Ookla® recognition as the Philippines’ fastest internet while also earning Best Internet and Best Internet Latency Performance for the first half of 2026.

The booth buzzed as gamers mingled, joined interactive activities, and dove into the product, all designed to spark new connections and unforgettable experiences.

The Sandiganbayan has ordered the arrest of Uswag Ilonggo party-list Rep. James Ang Jr. on charges of retaining an interest in a construction firm that won P214 million in contracts with the Department of Public Works and Highways and received P199 million in payments while serving in Congress.

Critics call such lawmakers ‘cong-tractors.’

In a resolution dated July 27, the anti-graft court’s Third Division found probable cause to proceed with the trial of Ang for violating Section 3(h) of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act (Republic Act 3019).

The court also directed the issuance of a hold-departure order against Ang.

The court’s action stems from a recent indictment by the Office of the Ombudsman dated July 23.

In a separate resolution, the Third Division also ordered the arrest of former Sultan Kudarat representative Arnulfo Go and three former local officials over separate graft charges, also moving to bar them from leaving the country.

Go was charged along with former Lebak municipal mayor Dionesio Begas Besana, municipal accountant Allan Gayosa Bayani and municipal treasurer Mario Abasolo Labrador.

They are facing charges for Malversation of Public Funds under Article 217 of the Revised Penal Code.

After reviewing the supporting documents, the court found probable cause to hold them for trial based on an earlier ombudsman resolution on Nov. 27, 2025.

More double billing cases in Taguig infrastructure

Meanwhile, Sen. Panfilo Lacson’s office has uncovered more cases of alleged ‘double billing and collection’ involving infrastructure projects in Taguig City and will soon submit the evidence, including a supposed money trail, to the Office of the Ombudsman.

In a post on X, Lacson said his team documented additional projects that allegedly used the same photographs for billing purposes despite involving different appropriations, locations and contractors.

‘Before some preacher dismisses ‘sharing photographs’ to bill and collect in Taguig’s anomalous infrastructure projects as an isolated case, there are more of the same in our files. All these and more, including proof of the money trail, will find their way to the ombudsman soon,’ Lacson said.

The senator’s latest disclosure followed his posts over the weekend of alleged irregularities in infrastructure projects in Taguig, the political bailiwick of Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano.

He also released documents showing a slope protection project had been funded through two separate appropriations.

Lacson said the latest findings add to the documentary evidence earlier gathered by his team in what he described as questionable infrastructure projects in Taguig, adding in an earlier post that the volume of evidence had reached a point where it could be described as ‘shooting fish in a barrel.’

Cayetano has dismissed the accusations and challenged Lacson to present complete details.

‘I don’t know where today’s allegations came from. I’m not the secretary of the Department of Public Works and Highways, I’m not a regional director and I’m not an engineer,’ Cayetano told reporters before the opening of the Senate’s second regular session.

The Senate minority leader said he has consistently exposed irregularities involving contractors, including during Senate inquiries into the collapse of a bridge in Isabela, and maintained that allegations should be properly verified.

Cayetano also rejected allegations linking him to supposed budget insertions for Taguig projects, saying he could not respond to claims that lacked specific details.

‘Tell me exactly what project, how much, where it is and what the allegation is so I can answer it,’ he said.

He denied knowledge of any ghost projects in Taguig

The growth of digital banking in Southeast Asia has transformed how financial institutions connect with customers. As interactions continue to take place across different channels, banks are increasingly looking for ways to maintain service consistency while gaining a better understanding of customer needs.

As the first digital-only bank in the Philippines licensed by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), Tonik continues to evolve alongside the changing expectations of digital banking users. With customer engagement activities becoming increasingly diverse, the bank recognized the importance of having a more effective approach to review customer interactions and support continuous improvements in its operations.

To support its evolving customer engagement strategy, Tonik partnered with AI Rudder, a Singapore-based conversational AI company, to deploy AI-powered solutions across its customer communication operations. AI Rudder’s technology enables the bank to better understand, analyze and optimize customer interactions, providing valuable insights that help improve operational efficiency, maintain service quality, and support more consistent customer engagement. Built for enterprise-scale customer engagement, AI Rudder provides an AI platform that enables Tonik to manage and optimize customer interactions across multiple communication channels.

With this approach, Tonik can establish a more structured way to evaluate customer interactions and support teams in maintaining consistency across different customer-facing activities.The solution also supports teams in identifying opportunities to improve operational processes over time.

The partnership reflects Tonik ‘s continued focus on adopting technology that supports its digital banking development. By working with AI Rudder, the bank continues to explore opportunities to strengthen its capabilities and build a more responsive approach to customer engagement.

‘Delivering a seamless and responsive customer experience is a key priority for Tonik. By working with AI Rudder, we’re leveraging AI-powered technology to enhance customer engagement, improve operational efficiency, and provide more consistent, high-quality service across our customer interactions. We look forward to continuing this collaboration as we further strengthen our customer experience capabilities,’ said Tomasz Borowski, COO of Tonik.

‘We’re pleased to collaborate with Tonik in supporting its efforts to enhance customer engagement through AI-powered technology. This partnership reflects our shared commitment to helping financial institutions improve operational efficiency, better manage customer interactions, and deliver more consistent experiences through the use of conversational AI,’ said Kevin, COO of AI Rudder.

The collaboration between Tonik and AI Rudder reflects the continued evolution of digital banking, where technology is becoming an important part of how financial institutions adapt to changing customer expectations and develop more effective ways of engaging with customers.

Education reforms have been sustained during President Marcos’ term, the Department of Education (DepEd) said yesterday.

Teachers have been promoted, their administrative workload has been reduced and allowances increased, the DepEd said.

Up to 21,441 classrooms have been constructed since July 2022 and 12,487 classrooms are in the procurement stage, the agency added.

The private sector will build its initial share of more than 16,000 classrooms in Luzon, with higher production targets in the Visayas and Mindanao, the DepEd said.

‘Every classroom completed, every teacher supported and every child who stays safe in school is another step toward the future,’ Education Secretary Sonny Angara said

A significant chunk of Filipino online users rely heavily on personal beliefs and virality of posts in assessing information they see on the internet, a new survey conducted by Pulse Asia showed.

Although a large majority consider disinformation a big problem in the country, the survey found that only 35 percent would use news sources to determine what online information to believe.

Thirty-three percent said they would use personal beliefs, while nine percent cited numbers of likes or share and opinion of family or friends.

The survey also asked how likely they are to believe information that are shared by many people online.

Forty-one percent said they would believe the information, while 15 percent said they would not believe information shared by many people online.

The remaining 44 percent said they cannot say if they would believe it or not.

The results were part of Pulse Asia’s survey on internet and social media use, which was conducted from June 28 to July 6.

It found that 72 percent of the 2,400 respondents see disinformation as a big problem in the Philippines, while four percent said it is small. Twenty-four percent were undecided.

Asked if they encounter two different versions of information, more than half or 56 percent said they would find another trustworthy choice.

Nineteen percent said they would believe in the information more people agree with, while 14 percent said they would believe the first information they encountered.

The remaining 11 percent said they would just accept that there are two versions of the stories.

Vice President Sara Duterte’s performance and trust ratings have significantly declined in the first survey conducted since the start of her impeachment trial on July 6.

The OCTA Research survey, conducted from July 4 to 11, also showed that President Marcos now enjoys higher performance and trust ratings than Duterte despite similar declines.

Marcos obtained a performance rating of 47 percent, down eight points from 55 percent in March, and a trust rating of 49 percent, down five points from 54 percent.

Those who were not satisfied with his performance increased from 26 percent to 33 percent, while his distrust rating increased from 30 percent to 32 percent.

OCTA’s second quarter survey had 1,200 respondents and a margin of error of plus/minus three percent.

The survey found that 45 percent of the respondents were satisfied with the performance of the Vice President, down five points from 50 percent in March 2026.

Those who were dissatisfied with her performance increased from 28 percent to 36 percent, while undecided respondents fell from 22 percent to 19 percent. OCTA said Duterte’s performance rating was her lowest since assuming the vice presidency in 2022. It surpassed her previous record-low 29 percent in November 2024.

Malacañang said the poll results reflect perception that Duterte is not contributing anything to efforts to address the country’s problems and is only engaging in mudslinging.

‘Filipinos should see who is really working and who is not doing anything but discredit. The lower rating of VP Sara is a reflection of the truth that she is not helping the government solve issues like inflation and higher fuel prices. She only discredits but does not offer solutions,’ Palace press officer Claire Castro said in a statement.

The drop was significant among respondents in Metro Manila (from 40 percent to 28 percent) and rest of Luzon (from 40 percent to 27 percent).

It went down by four points among respondents in the Visayas (from 62 percent to 58 percent), while it hardly moved in her bailiwick Mindanao (from 90 percent to 89 percent).

The Vice President’s trust ratings also suffered significantly, dropping by eight points from 55 percent in March to 47 percent this July.

Her distrust rating increased from 26 percent to 33 percent, while undecided respondents hardly moved from 19 percent to 20 percent.

‘The Vice President’s decline warrants closer scrutiny than the topline numbers alone suggest. Her trust and performance ratings have fallen below majority level together for only the second time in the available series – the first being November 2024, when both stood at 49 percent,’ OCTA said.

‘The most direct explanation for this record decline is the impeachment trial itself… That her ratings crossed below majority in precisely the quarter this trial began, and by a wider margin than the previous such crossing in November 2024, makes the trial and its surrounding media environment the most direct and best-supported explanation among the factors considered here,’ it added.

Olympic bronze medalist Henri Schoeman returns to the IRONMAN 70.3 Lapu-Lapu presented by Megaworld next month determined to prove that his breakthrough victory was no one-off.

After capturing the title in his race debut in 2024, the South African sat out last year’s edition but is back, seeking a second championship against what is arguably the strongest international professional field ever assembled for the country’s premier middle-distance triathlon.

Schoeman’s commanding wire-to-wire triumph in 2024 established him as one of the event’s standout champions. This year, however, the 34-year-old faces an even sterner challenge on a course renowned not only for its world-class setting but also for its punishing heat, humidity and demanding terrain.

He won the grueling 1.9-km swim, 90-km bike and 21-km run in four hours, two minutes and 31 seconds, besting New Zealand’s Sam Osborne (4:06:40), and Britain’s Tom Bishop (4:11:01).

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s fifth State of the Nation Address stretched to nearly 90 minutes. We distilled the speech into a brisk rundown of the promises, policy pitches and pronouncements that mattered most.

Today, our motorists will be met with sharply higher prices at the pumps. Life becomes a little more miserable.

The recent jump in oil prices is a consequence of two weeks of heavy US bombardment of Iran. We have not been benefitted by a proper briefing on what those attacks were all about and what strategic gains were hoped. There has been no proper declaration about the state of the ceasefire signed with much fanfare only last June.

These attacks are a measure of American arrogance. Washington thinks it is entitled to bomb any country that annoys it. They have done that many times – and the whole world pays for the consequences.

In response to the US attacks, Iran waged a strong counteroffensive targeting US military facilities throughout most of the Middle East. A significant number of US aircraft were destroyed in their Jordan bases. Casualties were reported.

Iran closed down traffic at the Strait of Hormuz once more, limiting the outflow of oil supplies. In addition, the Houthis decided to close down the Bab al-Mandeb strait at the mouth of the Red Sea. This further limits the flow of oil supplies to the global economy.

Reflecting the shutdown of two strategic passageways, crude prices rose sharply. Brent crude traded around $100 per barrel the past week. Higher oil prices will echo down the line, including in the US where gasoline is now back to $4 per gallon.

If it was Trump’s idea to bomb his way towards forcing open the Strait of Hormuz and reducing oil prices in time for the crucial US midterm elections, the opposite happened. Oil prices spiked and will likely remain elevated for months to come. Trump’s Republican Party will likely be punished by the voters next November.

Meanwhile, the world will have to suffer from the chain of bad news more expensive oil brings. Inflation will continue to pester all the world’s economies. There will be more breakages in the supply chains. There will be lower economic growth everywhere.

The Philippines remains most vulnerable to the price uncertainties. Because of the inefficiencies in our logistics, oil products are more expensive for Filipino consumers. In addition to paying more for oil, Filipino consumers now pay the highest power rates in all of Southeast Asia.

Instability in the Middle East will be a continuing scourge for Filipino consumers. Our inflation rate will remain high. Our currency will remain weak. Poverty incidence will continue to increase.

Over the weekend, the US inexplicably halted their bombing campaign against Iran. The campaign started without warning and then ended without any perceptible strategic gain. Donald Trump did not consider it his responsibility to appraise the world about what was happening.

The word in Washington is that some of Trump’s most senior advisers warned him continued escalation of the conflict was unsustainable. America’s overpriced armaments have been seriously depleted in the course of the capital-intensive military action against Iran. In the event another war breaks out elsewhere in the world, the US military will not have enough weapons to effectively respond.

It might seem strange that what has been touted as the world’s most powerful military organization would suffer weapons shortages. But the US has a strange, inefficient way of arming its military. It contracts out weapons production to private suppliers on a weapon-to-weapon basis.

In the course of the military campaign against Iran, American military planners realized they were expending weapons faster than they could replace them. In the current set-up, it will take years to bring back US strategic weapons stockpile to the pre-Iran war level.

America’s weapons shortage was aggravated by Iran’s asymmetrical war strategy. A Patriot missile, for instance, costs about $3 million apiece. When a $20,000 drone strays into protected airspace, three missiles are usually fired to stop it. The cost equation does not make sense. Each time US forces shoot down an Iranian drone, America spends disproportionately more than Iran.

In addition, the US has lost the industrial base to sustain weapons production at scale. Iran, by contrast, produces thousands of cheap weapons each week. This enabled Iran to quickly restore its weapons stockpile to what it was before Feb. 28.

In a word, the US does not have what it takes to sustain a shooting war in the Middle East. The global gunslinger is short of ammunition. It is embarrassing but true.

America’s weapons predicament disables the declining superpower’s capacity to decisively resolve the conflict it initiated. The stage is set of another ‘forever war.’

A stalemate between the US and Iran, however, will be harmful for the rest of the world. The prolonged uncertainty will keep oil prices high. Expensive oil will tax global economic performance. This will bring even more misery to the poor countries.

Donald Trump created this problem. Now he finds he has no means to solve it.

And what does he do? He imposes new tariffs on every nation the US trades with. That impoverishes poor developing economies like the Philippines.

The Philippines is among the worst impacted by the mindless geopolitics Trump pursues. We are almost totally dependent on imported energy. We have failed to make our economy more efficient and future-ready. We have installed irresponsible political leaders whose looting made us all the more vulnerable.

We are trapped between a clown in Washington and a kleptocracy at home.