A Magnificent And Highly Important Imperial Winter Egg by Fabergé, designed by Alma Theresia Pihl, workmaster Albert Holmström, St. Petersburg, 1913. — CHRISTIES.COM
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A Magnificent And Highly Important Imperial Winter Egg by Fabergé, designed by Alma Theresia Pihl, workmaster Albert Holmström, St. Petersburg, 1913. — CHRISTIES.COM
A Magnificent And Highly Important Imperial Winter Egg by Fabergé, designed by Alma Theresia Pihl, workmaster Albert Holmström, St. Petersburg, 1913. — CHRISTIES.COM
LONDON — A Fabergé Imperial Winter Egg, commissioned by Tsar Nicholas II as an Easter gift to his mother, heads to auction this week where it could set a record for the third time with a price estimate of more than $26 million.
Carved in rock crystal and adorned with rose-cut diamond-set platinum snowflake decorations, the Winter Egg is considered one of Fabergé’s finest creations for the Imperial family, according to Christie’s.
Sitting on a crystal base made to look like melting ice, the egg is engraved inside with a frost design. It was designed to open up to reveal a surprise — an intricately made bouquet of flowers.
The egg is on offer at the Dec. 2 “The Winter Egg and Important Works by Fabergé from a Princely Collection” sale during Christie’s “Classic Week” of auctions. It is listed with a “price estimate on request; in excess of £20 million” ($26.45 million).
“This is one of (the) Imperial Easter Eggs created by Fabergé for the Romanovs. And the Winter Egg is arguably the best of them all,” Margo Oganesian, Christie’s head of department, Fabergé and Russian works of art, told Reuters.
“It was commissioned in 1913 as a present from Nicholas II to his mother, Maria Feodorovna. And it’s amazing in its design, in its craftsmanship, the technique that Fabergé used, the history behind it.”
Christie’s previously sold the Winter Egg in Geneva in 1994 and New York in 2002. Both times, it set a world record price for a Fabergé item sold at auction. In New York, it went for $9.6 million.
In 2007, the Rothschild Fabergé Egg sold for $18.5 million at a Christie’s auction.
The sale is one of several Christie’s is hosting during its “Classic Week,” running Dec. 2-11.
Among the highlights of its “Old Masters Evening Sale,” also on Dec. 2, is Dutch artist Gerrit Dou’s first depiction of a musician, The Flute Player. It has an estimate of 2 million to £3 million. — Reuters
JPMORGAN Chase & Co. has ceased the global operations of its investment analytics arm Aumni that it acquired in 2023, which will affect some of its employees in the Philippines.
“JPMorgan regularly reviews its products and client offerings and we have taken the decision to discontinue Aumni’s services globally, which includes its operations in the US, UK, India and the Philippines,” a JPMorgan spokesperson said in a statement.
“JPMorgan remains committed to the Philippines and the country continues to be a critical hub for our operations globally.”
The shutdown is expected to affect about 250 of the bank’s over 25,000 employees in the Philippines.
JPMorgan acquired Aumni, a provider of investment analytics software to the venture capital industry, in March 2023 to strengthen its position as a leading private markets platform for companies, its employees, and investors. — KKC
MORE micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSME) in Southeast Asia are turning to e-commerce to scale their businesses, Shopee, Inc. said, as smaller firms play an increasingly significant role in the region’s digital economy.
In a report, Shopee said MSMEs on its platform generated $270 billion in sales, with 99% of its sellers classified as MSMEs. The company said these sellers now move P5.5 billion more items annually compared with previous years.
Shopee noted that 80% of its affiliated MSMEs operate outside capital cities, highlighting how e-commerce enables sellers to reach broader markets. Through the platform, merchants have expanded into over 400 cities across Southeast Asia and Taiwan.
“The past decade has been a time of tremendous change as the digital economy opened new opportunities for people and businesses everywhere,” Shopee Chief Operating Officer Terence Pang said in a statement.
The company also cited the importance of upskilling, noting that sellers are increasingly using its educational tools.
In the Philippines, Shopee has hosted workshops in 19 cities, with local MSMEs spending 110,000 hours on Shopee University courses in the past four years. Sellers have also adopted digital advertising, chatbots and e-commerce marketing through Shopee’s suite of tools.
Shopee plans to enhance seller visibility through customer service automation, product listing and ad optimization and intelligent insights, it said.
“As artificial intelligence transforms the way people work and live, Shopee is eager to continue working with sellers and communities to ride this digital wave,” it added. — Beatriz Marie D. Cruz
HUMANITY’s future lies in some of the most vulnerable spots on the planet.
We’ve seen that in stark relief of late. A United Nations report last month concluded that the world’s population is increasingly crowded into a group of often low-lying, middle-income megacities in Asia and Africa.
Jakarta and Dhaka dethroned Tokyo’s long-held status as the world’s biggest city, with 42 million, 37 million, and 33 million people respectively.* Mexico City and Sao Paulo were overtaken by Shanghai and Cairo among the global top 10. Bangkok, Delhi, Karachi, Lagos, Luanda, and Manila were some of the fastest growing among metropolises of more than 10 million.
Many of these very regions have been hit by a devastating run of floods in recent weeks. The monsoon belt from Southeast Asia to West Africa is at the same time the swath of the globe that is urbanizing fastest, and the one where catastrophic rainfall is set to increase most dramatically. Nearly 1,000 people have been killed in a wave of storms that have stretched from Sri Lanka to Vietnam, with more than 442 dead in the north of Indonesia’s Sumatra island and at least 160 fatalities in southern Thailand.
Such disastrous events are hardly unprecedented. Most of our earliest civilizations grew up along inundation-prone river valleys, as evidenced by the near-universality of deluge myths. In the same rural areas of Southeast Asia that have been among the worst-hit by the rains of recent weeks, homes were traditionally built on stilts under steeply pitched roofs to allow water to run away without doing harm. Local traditions often warn against building near wild rivers prone to bursting their banks.
The sophistication of this vernacular technology is under-appreciated, but — as with the more technical modelling that’s done to mitigate flash flooding in the modern urban environment — it’s inadequate to the challenges we’ll face as our planet warms.
With each degree that the local temperature rises, the atmosphere’s ability to hold moisture goes up by about 7%. That’s an immense amount when you consider that a cyclone can easily hold half a billion tons of water. Indigenous knowledge, like modern flood maps, is grounded in a historical understanding of how rainwater behaves — but the heating of our planet is making all those old predictions irrelevant.
The risks of this are greatest in the expanding megacities. The current rural population of about 1.5 billion will barely grow before heading into permanent decline in the 2040s, according to the UN, but two-thirds of population growth between now and 2050 will be in cities. About half of the billion new urbanites will be in just seven countries, most of them in the Asian and African monsoon belts: India, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Bangladesh, and Ethiopia.
Unlike rural-dwellers who can often site their settlements in more stable locations, city migrants rarely have much choice about where to live. That’s why so many shantytowns are built on land previously neglected as too risky, from the landslide-prone hillsides of Brazil’s favelas and Venezuela’s barrios to the swamps that gave rise to slums in Mumbai’s Dharavi, Bangkok’s Khlong Toei, and Lagos’s Makoko.
Precious few of these places have the sort of wealth to handle the engineering challenges of weather-proofing their built environment. Out of 1.8 billion flood-threatened people worldwide, just 11% are in high-income countries.
Unlike famine and infectious disease, tragic urban floods are rarely the result of absolute poverty. Instead, they’re most often the outcome of development that’s failing to keep pace with the problems it brings in its wake — cities whose allure is drawing people in so fast that infrastructure is incapable of moving at the same speed. The most damaging flooding over the past week in Thailand was in Hat Yai, a bustling tourist and shopping destination close to the Malaysian border that’s home to a special economic zone and one of the country’s busiest airports. In Sri Lanka, the fast-growing capital Colombo was worst-hit.
That puts a grave responsibility on municipal and national governments. All are counting on cities as the engines of growth over coming decades, but they’ll need to work hard in the face of natural disasters that will perpetually threaten to tear apart the urban fabric. The great centers of India, straining under water shortages and choking urban pollution, show what can happen to a country when urbanization starts to fail.
Bringing fresh water and global connections with them, rivers and coastlines have long been the lifeblood of the world’s great cities. As rising seas and devastating floods now make those same places increasingly unlivable, we must confront the possibility that these life-giving attributes could be their doom as well.
BLOOMBERG OPINION
*The shift was largely thanks to a change in methodology that more accurately reflects the true size of these conurbations.
Forecast 2026 host Dr. Danie Laurel (right) moderated the fireside chat. — Photos by The Philippine Star/Jesse Bustos
Across the globe, a profound shift is under way — one that seeks not only to preserve the planet but to reform the very systems that fuel economies, shape industries, and dictate the distribution of power and resources. Sustainability is now being positioned not as a cost or constraint, but as an engine of growth. When economies move toward low-carbon and climate-conscious models, innovation is unlocked, new markets are created, and human development becomes more equitable and resilient.
The ways in which businesses can proceed further into the green transition were initially explored in the second fireside chat of BusinessWorld Forecast 2026 forum, which gleaned insights from Jose Victor Emmanuel “Jocot” A. de Dios, currently the chief executive officer (CEO) of Manila Water Co., Inc. and also the incoming president and CEO of Prime CoreGen, the gas unit of Prime Infrastructure Capital, Inc. (Prime Infra).
Rethinking growth
Among the points discussed, it was noted that the green transition presents an alternative paradigm. It posits that development can be regenerative rather than exploitative, with renewable energy, circular production, green finance, sustainable infrastructure, and nature-based solutions redefining how value is built.
As the country accelerates this shift toward regenerative model or development, the success of the green transition hinges not only individual sustainability initiatives but on systems that enable them to scale.
Renewable energy projects, for instance, can only deliver their full economic and environmental value if the country possesses the capacity to transmit clean power efficiently from production sites.
Green growth is inseparable from the readiness of national infrastructure — especially in the energy sector, where stability, connectivity, and resilience determine long-term viability.
Sustainability in the local context
The fireside chat also tackled how the green transition should take the local context, especially the country’s current standing as a developing economy, in contrast to other countries which have seen gains from investing aggressively in renewable capacity, such as strengthened energy independence and increased job generation.
“You also have to grapple with the fact that we are a developing country,” Mr. de Dios noted.
He underscores inherent tension between ambitious sustainability goals and the constraints faced by emerging economies, such as limited public resources, competing social priorities, and the need to maintain affordable energy for households and industries.
While developed nations can transition rapidly because of infrastructure and abundant capital, other nations must balance environmental imperatives with economic inclusivity and growth.
The Philippine transition, therefore, cannot simply replicate global models. It must be designed around local contexts, calibrated investments, and phased implementation that protects both competitiveness and social welfare.
Mr. de Dios also shared that sustainability has to be tightly linked to the purpose of a business.
“By nature of our business, our reason for being is to be sustainable, environmentally friendly, and responsible utility,” he said. “Otherwise, we have no product to supply to our customers… My position is whatever makes sense in terms of the abundance of resources that you have, you take advantage of.”
Manila Water CEO Jose Victor Emmanuel “Jocot” A. de Dios
Sustainability as a competitive advantage
The fireside chat also raised that firms that embrace sustainable models reduce long-term operational risk, build consumer trust, and tap into funding and market opportunities.
Circular economy models, for instance, demonstrate the strongest business case for sustainability: designing products for reuse, repair, and recycle reduces costs while capturing additional value from materials that would otherwise be discarded.
Green supply chains increase efficiency and transparency, lowering emissions and operational uncertainties. Companies that integrate environmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria have access not only to investors motivated by ethics, but to mainstream capital markets that recognize sustainability as a determinant of long-term financial stability.
The business advantage of sustainability is also supported by consumer preference. As awareness grows, customers — especially young demographics — demand environmentally responsible brands.
The market is shifting, and companies that align with sustainability do not simply survive change; they lead it.
Empowering people
The discussion also stressed how the green transition should be human-centered.
“We do have a lot of water, but at the core of it sometimes, people do not appreciate the value of water,” Mr. de Dios noted.
The Manila Water executive also stressed the need for productive conversations regarding the impact of climate change.
“We talk about [climate change] pretty much every day because if the rains don’t fall, then we don’t have water to supply,” he said.
Education and capacity-building enable communities to lead climate solutions rather than merely adapt to them. Indigenous knowledge, rooted in centuries of sustainable land and resource management, plays a vital role in conservation, biodiversity protection, and community-based adaption strategies.
Sustainability creates employment across a vast range of sectors. More importantly, many green jobs do not replace existing workers but reskill and transform them.
Financing the transition
The discussion also raised how economic stability hinges on strategic investment. The rise of green finance (e.g., sustainability-linked bonds, climate funds, carbon markets, and responsible investment portfolios) embodies the growing recognition that climate risk is financial risk.
“A balanced portfolio of generating assets is the way to go forward, given the economic situation that we face,” Mr. de Dios said.
Capital mobilization for green projects is not simply ethical; it safeguards the global economy from climate-driven supply chain disruptions, resource scarcity, and disaster costs.
The government also play an enabling role by offering tax incentives, subsidies, and regulatory frameworks that align private and public interests.
Mr. de Dios also suggested two significant tasks to financing improved water distribution.
“First thing, the regulatory environment should be looked at,” he said. “The second is creating the right incentive to compel the private sector to come in where the government is not successful.”
In addition, international cooperation ensures that developing nations have access to technology, funding, and capacity for sustainable transformation.
The path of sustainability demands courage and collaboration; but it carries something more powerful than risk — hope. Hope that is grounded in science, economics, and collective aspiration is what makes the green transition not only an imperative but the greatest opportunity of growth in our time. — Krystal Anjela H. Gamboa
CEBU-BASED fuel retailer Top Line Business Development Corp. (Top Line) has secured board approval to raise capital through the reclassification of 800 million common shares into preferred shares.
At a special stockholders’ meeting on Tuesday, the company’s board greenlighted the initiative, which may include private placements, follow-on offerings, or debt issuances.
“Our growth trajectory is clear and compelling. The issuance of preferred shares provides investors with steady returns through fixed dividends, while allowing us to strengthen our balance sheet and accelerate our supply chain integration strategy. We intend to undertake capital-raising activities, targeting next year, 2026,” Top Line Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer Eugene Erik C. Lim said.
While the company did not disclose the target amount, it said the proceeds are intended to optimize its supply chain as it prepares to start direct fuel importation through its subsidiary, Top Line Logistics and Development Corp.
The company said the initiative is expected “to provide better pricing, improve supply stability, capture better margins, and enhance efficiency across the company’s fuel businesses.”
Top Line added that it is planning to expand depot infrastructure and storage capacity to accommodate increased import volumes.
“These initiatives aim to enhance operational efficiency, reduce landed costs and overall operating expenses, improve our profitability, and ultimately create greater long-term value for our shareholders,” the company said.
The fundraising is also expected to support the growth of Top Line’s retail fuel arm, Light Fuels Corp., as it expands its network to increase market share across the rapidly growing Visayas region.
For the third quarter, Top Line reported a 21.1% year-on-year increase in net income to P109.57 million, while gross revenues rose 26.9% to P3.09 billion.
“We have already surpassed our full-year 2024 net income, and we remain optimistic heading into the final quarter. As we continue to renovate and integrate our newly acquired retail stations, we expect stronger and more diversified revenue,” Mr. Lim said.
On Tuesday, Top Line closed at P1.69 per share, down P0.19 or 10.11%. — Sheldeen Joy Talavera
LONDON — “What’s it about?” was a frequent response from bemused theatergoers to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, Tom Stoppard’s first stage triumph.
Tired of being asked, Mr. Stoppard is said to have replied to a woman outside a theater on Broadway: “It’s about to make me very rich.”
He later questioned whether he had said “very,” Hermione Lee writes in Mr. Stoppard’s authorized biography, but he had undoubtedly managed to transform his previously precarious finances.
For every puzzled spectator, there were many more ecstatic fans and critics, dazzled by the wit, brilliant wordplay, and sheer daring of a young playwright who had turned Shakespeare inside out and placed the spotlight, not on the eponymous Hamlet, but on two minor characters from the same play.
First performed at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 1966, the following year, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead made Mr. Stoppard, at the age of 29, the youngest playwright to be staged at the National Theater in London.
From there, the play went to Broadway and had more than 250 productions worldwide over its first decade.
Mr. Stoppard’s career flourished for decades more, embracing stage, screen, and radio, and demonstrating his thirst to tackle any subject — from mathematics to Dadaist art to landscape gardening.
His final play, Leopoldstadt, first performed in 2020, follows the story of a Jewish family in Vienna inspired by his own history.
Mr. Stoppard’s many other successes included The Real Inspector Hound, which parodied stage whodunnits and sent up theater critics, Jumpers, a 1.5-million-word epic that delighted and confused its public, and Night and Day, a satire on the British media.
His densely packed, intricately constructed plays were based on extensive research. Arcadia, in 1993, considered by many critics to be his masterpiece, blended chaos theory, Isaac Newton, and the poet Lord Byron’s love life.
The word Stoppardian, first recorded in 1978, meanwhile entered the Oxford English Dictionary. It refers to the use of verbal gymnastics while addressing philosophical concepts.
The honors he won at home and abroad included an Oscar for co-authoring the screenplay of the 1998 hit film Shakespeare in Love, and a record five Tony awards for Best Play. In 1997, he was knighted for his contributions to theater.
He died at home in Dorset, surrounded by his family, his agent United Agents said on Saturday. The cause was not immediately known.
‘INCREDIBLY LUCKY’ Mr. Stoppard was born Tomas Straussler on July 3, 1937 in what was then Czechoslovakia, the son of Eugen Straussler, a doctor, and Marta (or Martha), née Beckova, who had trained as a nurse.
The Jewish family fled the Nazis and moved to Singapore when he was an infant.
Singapore in turn became unsafe. With his mother and elder brother Peter, he escaped to India. His father stayed behind and died while fleeing after Singapore fell to the Japanese.
In India, Marta Straussler married a British army major, Kenneth Stoppard, and the family moved to England.
Boarding school followed at Pocklington in Yorkshire, northern England, where Tom Stoppard loved cricket more than drama and learned how to be British, which Major Stoppard considered the ultimate nationality.
The adult Mr. Stoppard, who rediscovered decades later the Jewish roots that he explored in his final play, would accuse his stepfather of “an innate antisemitism.”
He eventually learnt from Czech relatives that all four of his grandparents had been Jewish, and that they had died in Nazi concentration camps.
“I feel incredibly lucky not to have had to survive or die. It’s a conspicuous part of what might be termed a charmed life,” he wrote in Talk, a US magazine, in 1999, reflecting on returning with his brother to their birthplace Zlin in what is now the Czech Republic.
‘INTELLECT AND EMOTION ARE BEDFELLOWS’ Despite showing academic prowess at school, Mr. Stoppard decided not to go to university. Instead, he went straight to work as a reporter on a local newspaper in Bristol, western England.
“I wanted to be a great journalist,” Mr. Stoppard later said. “My first ambition was to be lying on the floor of an African airport while machine-gun bullets zoomed over my typewriter. But I wasn’t much use as a reporter. I felt I didn’t have the right to ask people questions.
“I always thought they’d throw the teapot at me or call the police.”
While he found reporting daunting, he threw himself into working as a theater and cinema critic, and his love of drama took hold.
He began making the influential friendships with actors and other writers that would shape his career. He made up his mind to move to London and start writing plays.
Success only ensued after dogged persistence and sleepless nights spent chain-smoking and wrestling with writer’s block.
One of Britain’s most established critics, Michael Billington, who reported on every Stoppard first night for half a century, sought to pin down the playwright’s status in a piece in Britain’s Guardian newspaper in 2015.
Mr. Stoppard, Mr. Billington found, was “a writer capable of inciting admiration, awe and astonishment as well as a baffled bewilderment, sometimes all in the same evening.”
Addressing the frequent criticism that Mr. Stoppard could be overly cerebral, Mr. Billington wrote that, at his finest, he demonstrated that “intellect and emotion are bedfellows rather than opposites.” He showed the world that a scientific or philosophical concept could be dramatic subject matter.
HOPES OF POSTERITY The self-deprecating dramatist rejected classification and resisted requests to explain himself.
“Whenever I talk to intelligent students about my work, I feel nervous, as if I were going through customs,” he told the New Yorker magazine in 1977.
“‘Let’s have a look in your suitcase, if you don’t mind, sir,’” Mr. Stoppard continued. “And, sure enough, under the first layer of shirts there’s a pound of hash and 50 watches and all kinds of exotic contraband. ‘How do you explain this, sir?’ ‘I’m sorry, Officer, I admit it’s there, but I honestly can’t remember packing it.’”
For all Mr. Stoppard’s dismissal of academic interpretation, he had hopes his name would live on.
“Quite frankly, it has always meant a lot to me, the idea that one is writing for the future as well,” he said on receiving a lifetime achievement award in 2017. “I’m never convinced it will work out that way.”
‘THEATER IS RECREATION’ For Mr. Stoppard, theater, first of all, was for fun.
“Theater is recreation, it must entertain. But does the audience have to understand everything they see? If you or I go into an art gallery, we don’t understand what the artist is trying to tell us, though we may enjoy the painting,” he said in a 1995 interview.
Mr. Stoppard’s ventures into film led to his taking the top award at the Venice Film festival in 1990 for his screen adaptation of Rosencratz and Guildenstern Are Dead.
He wrote the screenplay for Steven Spielberg’s Empire of the Sun and earned an Oscar nomination for his work on Terry Gilliam’s cult 1985 hit Brazil before winning with Shakespeare in Love.
Mr. Stoppard had four sons, two from each of his first two marriages. He married his third wife, television producer Sabrina Guinness, in 2014.
His son Ed Stoppard is an actor, who performed in Leopoldstadt.
Critics hailed Mr. Stoppard for confronting his own family history in the play. It marked the end of a theatrical journey that was willing to take on almost any subject matter.
In his thirties, he said: “I would like ultimately, before being carried out feet first, to have done a bit of absolutely everything.” — Reuters
MORE THAN 20% of Filipinos said building their emergency funds is their top savings priority over home improvement, personal purchases, and leisure spending, according to a survey by Metropolitan Bank & Trust Co. (Metrobank).
The bank’s survey of over 1,200 respondents conducted in October showed 21% said they save to build an emergency fund or set aside money for future needs when asked what they are saving for.
“For many Filipinos, saving is a way to feel prepared for the future. Elders often remind the younger generation to ‘mag-ipon (to save),’ advice that continues to resonate,” Metrobank said in a statement on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, 16% of respondents said they are saving to buy or improve a home, while 14% said they set aside money for leisure activities, such as travel, concerts, or their hobbies.
Metrobank added that savings behavior also varies by age, though financial security and peace of mind remained top priorities.
The survey showed that most young adults aged 18 to 24 years old primarily save for financial security, while 21% of them said they save for personal purchases, and 18% do so for education‑related expenses.
“For young Filipinos living outside Metro Manila, about 1 in 4 save specifically for schooling,” it said.
Working adults aged 25 to 44 years old said home ownership and financial stability were their top priorities (23%) as well as travel and leisure (18%).
Meanwhile, middle-aged respondents, or those aged 45 to 64 years old, prioritized retirement (23%), children’s education and future needs (20%), and travel or leisure (14%).
“Nationwide, these patterns remain consistent, showing that long-term planning and family considerations are top of mind for older savers,” Metrobank said.
Location also plays a role in savings priorities, it added.
The survey showed that 23% of Metro Manila respondents picked financial stability as their main goal, followed by home-related expenses at 19%, and travel or leisure at 17%.
Outside the capital, respondents said education is their top priority, with 20% saving for tuition or other school-related costs for themselves or family members.
“Residents in Metro Manila generally earn more and have easier access to schools and financial services, while those in other regions prioritize education as a path to a better future,” the bank said.
It added that Metrobank’s eSavings digital account, which is designed for first-time deposit clients, offers Filipinos a way to save, manage and grow funds while providing access to products like credit cards, loans, and investments.
Accountholders who keep a minimum balance of P2,000 can also qualify for benefits including AXA life insurance coverage of up to P1 million and terminal illness protection, up to four InstaPay rebates monthly, and access to an online time deposit with rates of up to 4.5% per annum.
Customers can open an eSavings account via the Metrobank app. — A.R.A. Inosante
TIKTOK SHOP blocked more than 70 million noncompliant items globally before they reached the platform in the first half of 2025, part of expanded measures to protect buyers, the company said in its latest Global Safety Report.
From January to June, the e-commerce arm of the social media platform also removed over 200,000 restricted or prohibited products after listing, deactivated more than 700,000 seller accounts for policy violations, and disabled e-commerce features for two million creators who failed to meet its standards.
“Ensuring a safe and reliable shopping experience is at the heart of everything we do,” Yves Randolph I. Gonzalez, TikTok Shop Philippines head of public policy, said in a statement.
“Our Safety Report demonstrates our continued investment in tools, technologies and policies that protect our community, and reflects our dedication to building a platform where Filipino sellers and buyers can confidently thrive,” he added.
TikTok Shop said these efforts rely on a combination of human oversight, advanced technology and strict adherence to its policies and community guidelines. Prohibited items include hazardous materials and weapons, while restricted products require prior approval.
The platform advised creators and sellers to comply with local laws and TikTok policies, including meeting safety and labeling standards, submitting required business and tax documents and avoiding restricted or prohibited items.
Proper documentation, product verification and attention to intellectual property rights are also recommended to prevent operational interruptions and copyright strikes.
To enhance understanding of its rules, TikTok Shop has launched educational campaigns, such as the TikTok Shop Academy accessible on its website. — Edg Adrian A. Eva
On Nov. 15, the Supreme Court (SC) announced that it was designating an initial batch of 21 Regional Trial Courts (RTCs) as special courts to handle anti-graft cases that arise from infrastructure projects.1
This initiative aligns with the Strategic Plan for Judicial Innovations of the SC which aims to introduce reforms to the judiciary to promote efficiency, transparency, and accountability.
Specifically, the SC has designated five RTCs in the National Capital Judicial Region and Region III, and four RTCs in Regions IV-A, V, VII, and XI. For areas without designated RTCs, cases shall be referred to the nearest judicial regions with designated RTCs. However, the SC has professed that it aims for all judicial regions to eventually have these designated RTCs.
Under Republic Act (RA) No. 10660, the RTCs possess exclusive original jurisdiction over graft cases under RA No. 3019 that do not allege any damage to the government or any bribery, or when it involves damage to the government or any bribery that does not exceed P1 million. Additionally, for graft cases, RTCs possess jurisdiction over public officers provided that their position is lower than Salary Grade 27.
As early as October in A.M. No. 25-10-24-SC, the SC already expressed its interest in establishing special courts to hear and decide corruption-related cases that are connected to infrastructure projects. Hence, it directed the Office of the Court Administrator to monitor the corruption cases filed in the RTCs.2
The judges of these RTCs will receive training from the Philippine Judicial Academy and lectures from the Associate Justices of the Sandiganbayan. Pertinent topics of these lectures will revolve around RA No. 3019 and RA No. 7080, and the nuances of these laws. Moreover, the scope of these lectures shall include topics such as the rules on bail in plunder cases, rules on cyber warrants, and the like.
The designation of these RTCs is a welcome development in promoting institutional transparency as these cases may help reveal gaps in existing legislation with respect to public infrastructure projects — from their bidding to implementation. This measure may likewise improve the competitiveness of public infrastructure procurement systems as the looming threat of prosecution and conviction for violation of prevailing laws may encourage more qualified stakeholders to participate and repel less capable entities. Consequently, the exclusion of these less capable entities may lead to better quality public infrastructure works and may even optimize public fiscal allocation.
Further, the selection of these courts may aid in de-incentivizing rent-seeking actions by public officials, thereby creating a more stable regulatory environment. In turn, this regulatory predictability may attract foreign investment as the country’s risk profile will be significantly parried. This belief may be bolstered by the desire of the SC in establishing more of these kinds of RTCs as it may signal the country’s resolute commitment to structural reform and good governance.
The designation of these courts may also prove to be a significant effort in decongesting existing court dockets due to the fact that these cases on public infrastructure anomalies will now be heard by these specialized courts and judges who are equipped with the subject-matter expertise to dispose of these cases in a forthwith manner. Relatedly, the assignment of these courts may work synergistically with the existing mandate of the Sandiganbayan (the country’s premiere anti-graft and corruption court) in the speedy disposition of anti-graft and corruption cases.
After all, these RTCs will possess exclusive original jurisdiction over graft cases that do not allege any damage to the government or any bribery, or when it involves damage to the government or any bribery that does not exceed P1 million. Hence, these RTCs will have the first opportunity to examine the factual milieu of these cases and scrutinize the often-voluminous evidence — thereby reducing existing constraints on the Sandiganbayan.
In all, these judicial reforms must be celebrated as significant and timely milestones that advance accountability, efficiency, and responsiveness — critical goals in the legal field and overall socio-economic landscape.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author. This article is for general informational and educational purposes only and not offered as and does not constitute legal advice or legal opinion.
1 Office of the Spokesperson, SC Designates RTCs as Anti-Graft Courts under RA 10660, Supreme Court of the Philippines, Nov. 15, 2025, at https://sc.judiciary.gov.ph/sc-designates-rtcs-as-anti-graft-courts-under-ra-10660/ (last accessed Nov. 21, 2025).
2 Office of the Spokesperson, Press Brief, Supreme Court of Philippines, Oct. 29, 2025, https://sc.judiciary.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/PRESS-BRIEFER-October-29-2025.pdf (last accessed Nov. 21, 2025).
Louise Michiko B. Lokin is an associate of the Litigation and Dispute Resolution department of the Angara Abello Concepcion Regala & Cruz Law Offices (ACCRALAW).
During her presentation, Pauline Fermin of Acumen Strategy Consultants highlighted that while salary remains the top factor for attraction and retention, expectations now vary widely. — Photos by The Philippine Star/Jesse Bustos
By Jomarc Angelo M. Corpuz, Special Features and Content Writer
Work could, perhaps, be the second most important aspect of life for adult Filipinos, right after their families or their individual pursuits. After all, employees spend a large part of their day commuting to work, completing tasks, collaborating with colleagues, and navigating the rhythms of their workplaces.
Yet, not all employees experience work the same way. Key factors, including differences in age, background, and expectations, mean that today’s workforce is more diverse and even isolated from each other, more than ever. Understanding these varying needs, motivations, and perspectives is therefore needed for companies seeking to boost engagement, productivity, and instill a positive work culture.
Shedding light on how to deal with this diversity and other issues around the work environment was a key area in this year’s BusinessWorld Forecast 2026 forum.
Decoding generational dynamics in the workplace
One of the forum’s highlights was a presentation that examined how generational differences shape work styles, expectations, and leadership approaches in Filipino organizations. Providing insights on this topic, Acumen Strategy Consultants President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Pauline Fermin gave a presentation surrounding the theme “Project Alphabet: Decoding Filipinos Across Generations” during the forum.
Project Alphabet is a study by Acumen that takes a critical look at the generational divide in the workplace, complete with in-depth interviews with employees from benchmark companies representing a variety of industries, local and multinational companies.
Citing the study, Ms. Fermin revealed that 75% of today’s Filipino workplace is composed of Gen Zs and Gen Ys, considered the digital generations, while 25% are Gen Xers and Boomers, who comprise the majority of the senior leadership.
She also mentioned that over 75% of business leaders viewed differences in management and leadership styles as a major issue in the company. But despite recognizing these challenges, many companies actually do not have plans yet in place to address this.
Acumen Strategy Consultants President and CEO Pauline Fermin
Ms. Fermin also distinguished the distinct values that generations in the workforce bring based on their upbringing. Boomers, she said, were raised in militaristic environments, prioritize independence, security, loyalty, and stability, serving as legacy keepers in the workplace. On the other hand, Gen X, shaped by structure and self-sufficiency, now leads with resilience and reliability. Millennials, raised during the digital boom, seek purposeful work, flexibility, and balance, acting as connectors across generations; while Gen Zs, the first true digital natives, value freedom, empathy, and innovation, preferring direct communication and healthy work cultures.
“To turn this generational diversity into an organizational strength, it is very important to recognize and leverage what each one uniquely brings to the organization. We Gen Xers and boomers should appreciate the fresh ideas and energy of the younger generations. Gen Ys and Zs must respect the wisdom and experience that Gen Xers and Boomers have accumulated over the years,” she said.
To remain competitive in a multigenerational workforce, Ms. Fermin shared five mandates organizations must act on. First, rewards must modernize. While salary remains the top factor for attraction and retention, expectations now vary widely. Younger employees prefer cash-based or experiential rewards, while older generations value more traditional forms of recognition.
“Rewards must evolve beyond fairness to become transparent, inclusive, and multi-modal. This means dismantling one-size-fits-all models and building systems that flex by generation, by lifestyle, and contribution while restoring trust in how pay and recognition are managed,” she explained.
She also mentioned that careers must be redesigned. Growth motivates all generations, but employees now pursue multiple pathways such as technical mastery, project leadership, mobility, or better balance. Ms. Fermin concludes that career models must shift from linear progression to fluid, life-stage-responsive options.
The presentation also highlights the possibility of reimagining work. Ms. Fermin said that retention hinges on balance, communication, and supportive environments. Tensions around hybrid work, communication styles, and skill disparities require adaptable structures and stronger cross-generational collaboration, especially as AI transforms roles.
“All generations say work-life balance is a priority; but balance does not mean the same thing for everyone, and the difference plays out most visibly in how work is structured,” she added.
Ms. Fermin also gave emphasis on strengthening the work culture. She mentioned that toxic workplace norms remain a leading cause of resignations. Aligning expectations around boundaries, commitment, and purpose is critical to fostering healthier, more cohesive environments, according to the Acumen president.
“We have two main tensions that drive the perception of toxicity at work. First, boundaries versus commitment. Boomers and Gen Xers expect long hours as proof of commitment, but the younger generation sets very clear boundaries as to when work starts and when it should end. The other concern revolves around the divide between prioritizing purpose, fulfilment, and personal values over traditional metrics and KPIs (key performance indicators) on productivity and compensation,” she said.
Finally, Ms. Fermin shared that leadership must be redefined. Employees expect leaders who are inclusive, communicative, and development-focused. Building generational fluency and investing in mentorship will allow organizations to convert generational diversity into long-term strategic advantage.
“We need new leadership approaches, inspire and empower young leaders to flex their unique leadership styles, invest in cross-generational leadership development, and build people management skills that balance empathy, confidence, and clarity,” she concluded.
Making the multigenerational workforce work
Panel Discussion 3 (L-R): BusinessWorld reporter Beatriz Marie Cruz (moderator), Miguel Lim Lanuza of Mynt, Steph Naval of Empath, and Enrique Antonio Reyes of Converge ICT Solutions, Inc.
Building on insights from the Project Alphabet presentation, the forum then turned to a broader conversation about how organizations can practically apply these lessons to shape the future of work through the event’s third panel discussion.
Paneled by executives from telecommunications company Converge ICT Solutions, Inc., wellness platform Empath, and mobile finance services corporation Mynt, the conversation centered on the topic “The Future of Work: Managing a Multigenerational Workforce.” The discussion covered various themes, including understanding and bridging generational differences, the value of Gen Z in the workforce, technology adaptability, as well as feedback and communication.
BusinessWorld reporter Beatriz Marie Cruz moderated the panel discussion.
Empath Founder and Chief Executive Officer Stephanie Angelica “Steph” S. Naval emphasized that managing a multigenerational workforce is about policies, technology, and fostering effective communication and mutual understanding between generations.
“I think it’s really both generations adjusting to how to communicate with each other. Does it come off as too straightforward, too casual, or understanding? And, maybe, there should also be an element of a boundary — that’s your boss or your head, rather than your high school friend. It’s really educating each other. And, I think, the first thing you can think of [educating yourself with is] good communication styles,” she said.
Building on the importance of communication, Converge ICT Solutions Vice-President and Head of Strategic Business Partnering Enrique Antonio Reyes highlighted the broader challenge of leading multiple generations in today’s workplace, framing generational diversity as both an opportunity and a management test.
“I wanted to make a point that this is a unique point in critical management history, where we’re faced with several generations at a time — from three to four, maybe even up to five. Now, given that, in recent times we have embraced diversity as a strength, as a source of competitive advantage. But, of course, it will always have its challenges,” he added.
Ms. Naval added that despite the challenges of managing multiple generations, business leaders and companies have a unique opportunity to create workplaces that uplift and empower Filipinos.
Empath Founder and CEO Steph Naval
“This can go either way, but business leaders, HR (human resources) experts, and companies are in a very good position to really ensure that it uplifts Filipinos, empowers them, and guides them toward a more empowered future,” she explained.
Mr. Reyes added that beyond communication and leadership, fostering mutual learning between generations through mentoring and reverse-mentoring is key to making multigenerational workplaces thrive.
“We also take on things that we give to the younger ones and vice-versa. Learning from each other is important — the tenured ones mentoring the younger ones, and the younger ones reverse-mentoring the tenured ones,” he said.
In addition, Ms. Naval of Empath noted that this mutual learning goes both ways, as younger employees such as Gen Z bring technological skills, adaptability, and fresh perspectives that can become valuable assets for companies.
“Despite the pains that I know business owners might feel when Gen Zs are in the workplace, I think there’s really a lot that [Gen Zs] can offer. Part of it is a competitive advantage when it comes to technology. We are also fast if guided properly and well. We could also be a really good asset for companies that want to be competitive, whether it comes with innovation and change from AI, we’re most open to learning,” she said.
Furthermore, Mr. Reyes mentions that when the experience of tenured employees is combined with the energy, adaptability, and innovative mindset of younger workers, companies can achieve faster execution and more effective outcomes.
Converge ICT Solutions, Inc. Vice-President and Head of Strategic Business Partnering Enrique Antonio Reyes
“We have the pattern recognition of the tenured people, and then the new information and new context brought by the younger ones. Apart from innovation — because the younger ones are more into testing — there is also faster execution. The focus of the tenured generation, combined with the energy and quickness of the younger generation, results in faster execution,” he maintained.
Mr. Reyes also explained that alongside leveraging generational strengths for faster execution, careful task allocation and clear communication are essential to ensure workers across generations contribute effectively.
“One observation I see when different generations work on a project is task ownership. Usually, the more labor-intensive tasks are given to the younger generation. If you’re a leader, task distribution is important. It’s important to talk to different individuals and ensure that we share the same ways of working,” he said.
As the discussion shifted from generational dynamics to the tools shaping the future workplace, Mynt Head of Leadership and Culture Miguel Lim Lanuza underscored how technology and artificial intelligence (AI) readiness now play a central role in building an inclusive and future-proof workforce.
Mynt Chief Head of Leadership and Culture Miguel Lim Lanuza
“Emerging technology is essential to our business and to financial inclusion. We don’t see it as a threat. We require company-wide AI training and have built AI adoption into performance ratings. Next year, we’re rolling out AI learning pathways tailored to roles,” he said.
Following the discussion on technology and AI readiness, Mr. Reyes stated that even with new tools transforming workplace processes, communication remains a core challenge that every generation must navigate carefully.
“Communication will always be a point of tension — whether the younger generation prefers more informal, more frequent communication, or the tenured generation will focus more on structured, scheduled, more formal types of interaction. Technology plays a part, but accuracy is very important,” he said.
“For me, feedback is paramount. Creating an environment that welcomes feedback and equipping everyone — leaders and employees — with the ability to ask for, receive, and give feedback is essential. Through feedback loops, we clarify issues, build momentum, and strengthen collaboration. Communication is key,” Mr. Lanuza added.
(L-R) Patrick Avila, director of A-FLOW, Vic Barrios, CEO and president of Digital Edge Philippines, Maricar Nepomuceno, country director of Digital Halo, Victor Genuino, president and CEO, VITRO, Inc., Carlo Malana, president and CEO of ST Telemedia Global Data Centres (Philippines), Nik de Ynchausti, president/co-founder of YCO Cloud.—Data Center Operators of the Philippines
PHILIPPINE DATA CENTER operators have formed the Data Center Operators of the Philippines (DCPH) to coordinate efforts in strengthening the country’s position as a digital hub in Southeast Asia.
“The Philippines can enhance its infrastructure resilience, attract greater cloud and AI investments, and establish itself as a leading digital hub in the region, enabling the free and seamless flow of data across borders to support the digital economy,” DCPH said in a media release on Tuesday.
The alliance, composed of VITRO Inc., ST Telemedia Global Data Centres (Philippines), YCO Cloud, Digital Edge Philippines, Digital Halo, and A-FLOW (a joint venture between FLOW Digital Infrastructure and AyalaLand Logistics Holdings Corp.), signed a memorandum of understanding to bolster the country’s regional standing in the global digital economy through robust data center infrastructure development and industry cooperation.
“Together, these companies share a common vision — to strengthen the Philippines’ regional competitiveness in the global digital economy through robust data center infrastructure development and industry collaboration,” the group said.
VITRO, the data center unit of the PLDT Group under ePLDT, Inc., is building its 12th data center in General Trias, Cavite, which will be its largest to date.
The facility will have a capacity of 100 megawatts (MW) — double that of its 50-MW VITRO Sta. Rosa campus in Laguna, currently the largest in the country.
STT GDC Philippines, a joint venture between Globe Telecom, Inc., Ayala Corp., and ST Telemedia Global Data Centres, operates seven data centers in the country with a combined IT load of 150 MW.
Members of DCPH have a combined 473 MW of IT power capacity, the group said, adding that it will serve as a unified voice for the country’s data center industry.
“Driving stronger collaboration across stakeholders and allied sectors. Its key goals include advancing infrastructure and innovation; working with the power sector to ensure competitive rates and renewable energy access; collaborating with telcos to enhance connectivity; and engaging with government agencies,” it said.
The group also seeks to work closely with the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) on supportive policies such as data localization, while also developing talent and manpower amid growing demand for hyperscalers and emerging technologies, particularly artificial intelligence.
“The alliance underscored that data localization is crucial for data processed and stored by the public sector. Keeping government data within the country safeguards national security and protects citizen data,” it added.
The DICT has projected that the Philippines’ data center capacity could reach 1.5 gigawatts (GW) by 2028 as more local and foreign operators establish facilities in the country.
“As digital transformation and AI adoption accelerate worldwide, this alliance marks a pivotal step toward building a future-ready and globally competitive digital economy for the Philippines — one powered by data centers, the backbone of digitalization,” DCPH said. — Ashley Erika O. Jose
