Kevin Quiambao eyes spot in NBA Summer League

June 5, 2025 | 9:03 pm

ANOTHER Filipino baller is out to shoot his shot in the NBA.

Gilas Pilipinas forward Kevin Quiambao is flying to the United States next week for a personal training with hopes of landing a spot in the NBA Summer League — and ultimately the NBA down the road.

The two-time UAAP MVP will begin his journey with a training session in Sacramento, California, where he’s also hoping to meet Kings assistant coach and former Gilas captain Jimmy Alapag.

From there, Mr. Quiambao will seek full exposure and connection for a slot in the NBA Summer League set on July 10 to 20 in Las Vegas, following the footsteps of Gilas teammate Kai Sotto.

Mr. Sotto, the 7-foot-3 Filipino wunderkind, went undrafted in the 2022 NBA Rookie Draft but saw action in the 2023 NBA Summer League before finding his home in the Japan B.League.

Mr. Quiambao announced his decision during the launch of his own collaborative sneaker with adidas, making the most out of his availability while the Korean Basketball League (KBL) is in the offseason break.

The 24-year-old De La Salle University product is coming off an explosive debut year in his international pro league with the Goyang Sono Skygunners in the KBL as he averaged all-around numbers of 16.9 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.3 steals.

Mr. Quiambao only played 23 games after having to finish his La Salle stint first in the UAAP as Goyang finished with a 19-35 slate en route to an early exit at eighth place in the 10-team KBL.

He recently signed an extension with the Skygunners until 2027 but that doesn’t mean his ultimate NBA dream is already out of the picture.

Aside from trying his NBA luck, Mr. Quiambao’s US training is also part of his personal preparations for Gilas’ campaign in the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup on Aug. 5 to 17 in Saudi Arabia. — John Bryan Ulanday

Boisson lights up French Open; Sinner and Djokovic book semifinal showdown

June 5, 2025 | 9:02 pm

PARIS — Wild card Lois Boisson lit up the French Open on Wednesday when the home hope downed sixth-seeded Russian Mirra Andreeva to make the semi-finals before Novak Djokovic set up a blockbuster meeting with world number one Jannik Sinner.

While Sinner stretched his Grand Slam winning streak to 19 matches after back-to-back titles at the US Open last year and the Australian Open in January, Boisson, ranked 361st, thrilled the home crowd with a dazzling performance.

Three-time French Open winner Novak Djokovic stole the show in the evening by outlasting German third seed Alexander Zverev 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 to remain in the hunt for a record 25th Grand Slam title at the venue of his Olympic gold medal last year.

Victory after three hours and 17 minutes was the 38-year-old Serbian’s 101st win at Roland Garros but he had to draw from his seemingly endless reserves of energy and experience to prevail.

Sinner was barely troubled as he defeated Alexander Bublik 6-1, 7-5, 6-0 and became the first Italian man to reach six Grand Slam semi-finals.

BOISSON SPARKLES
Earlier Boisson became the toast of France after staging the tournament’s biggest upset with a 7-6(6), 6-3 win over Andreeva, who had been tipped as a title contender, in an electrifying match that had the home crowd on the edge of their seats.

The 22-year-old had stunned third seed Jessica Pegula in round four, but on Wednesday pulled off another major shock, beating Andreeva, who had not lost a set in the tournament.

“Every player dreams of winning a Slam — and for a French player, Roland Garros even more so. I’ll go for it because my dream is to win the final, not the semi-final,” Boisson said.

Andreeva, the 18-year-old sixth seed who was bidding to become the youngest female player to reach back-to-back French Open semi-finals in nearly three decades, quickly found herself chasing Boisson’s fierce forehand.

The underdog, who has been a breath of fresh air in the tournament with her no-nonsense power game and down-to-earth approach, looked to have run out of steam as Andreeva went 3-0 up but she proceeded to win the next six consecutive games.

Andreeva repeatedly lost her temper and was handed a warning when she fired a ball into the stands in frustration.

With the home crowd the loudest it had been since the start, chants of “Lois, Lois” echoed across the Philippe Chatrier court, with the decibel level lifted even further because the roof was closed due to rain.

Boisson, who will jump almost 300 places in the rankings next week, will face 2023 US Open champion Coco Gauff, who came out on top in an error-ridden quarterfinal against Australian Open champion Madison Keys with the pair littering the court with 101 unforced errors.

UNFORCED ERRORS
With a total of 49 unforced errors in the first set alone they both struggled to hold serve and Gauff, a semi-finalist in Paris last year, wasted a set point before Keys, who reached the French Open last four in 2018, edged ahead with a tiebreak win.

Gauff, who reached the final in 2022 and is the youngest woman to claim 25 main-draw wins at Roland Garros since Martina Hingis (1995-2000), bounced back to win the next two sets.

“So many unforced errors,” Gauff, who also had 10 double faults, said to herself after sinking another easy baseline shot into the net.

“I was just trying to be aggressive,” the 21-year-old Gauff said. “Usually if you’re playing too passive, in the end the more aggressive player is going to win. I knew in the second and the third that I had to try my best.” — Reuters

Dismissing Thibodeau

June 5, 2025 | 9:01 pm

It took the Knicks exactly three days to move on from Tom Thibodeau, never mind that the bench tactician led them to their first conference finals appearance in a quarter of a century. Evidently, they believed the roster they constructed following a number of splashy moves deserved to claim the Larry O’Brien Trophy — and that he was the single biggest reason they proved unable to even compete for it. Per the grapevine, the decision of the front office was made after a series of meetings with key players. At this point, though, how they came up with it is irrelevant; the bottom line is that they were so moved as to absorb the remaining $33 million of his salary following an extension last year.

That said, Thibodeau’s dismissal has rightly polarized National Basketball Association circles. After all, it can be argued that the Knicks’ absolutism effectively disregards the success with and to which he steered them since occupying the hot seat at the turn of the decade. He took them to the playoffs four times in five seasons, and progressively — from the first round to the East semifinals twice to the just-concluded best-of-seven affair against the Pacers. And it’s not as if he had an ideal lineup at his disposal. In fact, it was uneven at best; such notables as All-NBA selections Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns are veritable offensive greats, but likewise sieves on the other end of the court. At the same time, the likes of Josh Hart and Mitchell Robinson thrived on defense, but are far from dependable in producing points.

No doubt, the dichotomy handicapped the Knicks under pressure. They may have had a top-five offense in terms of points per 100 possessions, but they relied strongly on isolation sets that became predictable and less efficient against elite defenses that had time to formulate countermeasures in the postseason. Meanwhile, they encountered difficulty improving on their middling coverage. And as evidenced by their losses to the Pacers, their lack of versatility and creativity both ways did them in.

So, yes, Thibodeau is hardly perfect. As even casual observers of the pro scene know, he has a predilection for giving his First Five heavy minutes — all but running them to the ground by the time they go deep in the playoffs. Not for nothing did Hart lead the league in minutes played per contest, with Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby also ranking in the top five. Including Brunson and Towns, every single Knicks starter finished in the Top 20 out of a cohort of 150. Considering his obvious penchant for keeping his rotations tight, management did have cause to wonder whether he was fit to keep steering the blue and orange in the pace-and-space era.

There is also Thibodeau’s no-nonsense approach to his craft, which can come off as grating to his charges. Reports have cited his fractured relationships with both those he presided over and those to whom he reported. The manner in which Knicks President Leon Rose announced his exit and cited the need for a leadership change to achieve the franchise’s championship aspirations indicated that internal dynamics played a role in the decision. They have the right to shape their future as they see fit, of course, but it remains to be seen if their latest move will enable them to keep forging ahead and ultimately fulfill their championship aspirations.

Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and human resources management, corporate communications,
and business development.

PSE index slips as shares mostly move sideways

June 5, 2025 | 9:00 pm

THE MAIN INDEX inched lower on Thursday, with trading mostly range-bound before the long weekend and as players sold index stocks.

The benchmark Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) slipped by 0.02% or 1.77 points to close at 6,376.79, while the broader all shares index rose by 0.28% or 10.64 points to 3,779.22.

Philippine markets are closed on Friday (June 6) in observance of Eid al-Adha or the Feast of Sacrifice.

“This Thursday, the PSEi saw sideways movement and closed in the negative territory… The market’s marginal decline is attributed mainly to the selling of index heavyweights such as SM Investments Corp., Manila Electric Co., and BDO Unibank, Inc.,” Philstocks Financial Inc. Research Manager Japhet Louis O. Tantiangco said in a Viber message.

“Philippine and US equities delivered a mixed performance, weighed down by the weakest private sector hiring in two years, tepid payroll gains, and a slipping dollar, all fueling investor caution,” Regina Capital Development Corp. Head of Sales Luis A. Limlingan said in a Viber message. “Price action was fairly muted given that the May consumer price index (CPI) came in within many analysts’ expectations.”

Philippine headline inflation eased to 1.3% in May from 1.4% in April and 3.9% in the same month last year due to lower utilities and transport costs. This marked the lowest CPI in over five years or since the 1.2% logged in November 2019.

This matched the median estimate in a BusinessWorld poll of 17 analysts conducted last week.

Almost all sectoral indices closed higher on Thursday. Property increased by 1.1% or 25.09 points to 2,289.40; services rose by 0.63% or 13.86 points to 2,203.86; holding firms went up by 0.42% or 22.88 points to 5,438.94; mining and oil climbed by 0.18% or 18.70 points to 9,889.52; and industrials inched up by 0.06% or 5.79 points to 8,953.75.

Meanwhile, financials declined by 1.11% or 26.53 points to 2,349.74.

“Sector indices were mostly up with the property taking the lead. Banks were the only losers. The move of both sectors can be attributed to expectations of an aggressive policy easing by the BSP (Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas) following our slow inflation print in May,” Mr. Tantiangco said. “Lower interest rates may boost property demand but may also put pressure on banks’ margins.”

“Of the index members, Alliance Global Group, Inc. closed on top, jumping 11.22% to P9.32. China Banking Corp. was at the tail end, plunging 9.13% to P65.70,” he added.

Value turnover inched up to P6.31 billion on Thursday with 912.52 million shares exchanged from the P6.3 billion with 739.87 million issues traded on Wednesday.

Decliners edged out advancers, 101 versus 100, while 48 names were unchanged.

Net foreign buying was at P85.99 million on Thursday versus the P129.6 million in net selling recorded on Wednesday. — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave

Chinese Navy ship spotted as PHL’s newest frigate launches 1^st mission

June 5, 2025 | 7:29 pm

By Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio, Reporter

SUBIC FREEPORT, ZAMBALES — A Chinese Navy ship was spotted during joint maritime drills between the Philippines and US on Wednesday, as Filipino sailors aboard the country’s newest warship sought to familiarize themselves with the vessel alongside their counterparts to enhance interoperability.

A People’s Liberation Army-Navy destroyer was seen monitoring the Philippine-US exercise in the South China Sea about 43 nautical miles (79 kilometers) west of the Zambales coast, Captain Paul Michael P. Hechanova, commander of BRP Miguel Malvar, said.

“We were able to detect it on our radar with a range of eight to 10 nautical miles [from the ship] using our sensors, our radar and our electro-optics system,” he told reporters aboard the ship after the sea drill on Wednesday evening. “They even launched their helicopter.”

“We were not hampered by their presence,” he added, noting that they wanted to maximize the opportunity to train alongside US forces.

The Philippines conducted a maritime patrol and exercise with the US in the South China Sea for the seventh time, deploying its newest warship — BRP Miguel Malvar — along with a Philippine Coast Guard vessel and helicopter.

The US sent a detachment of marines stationed in Zambales province and a sea reconnaissance plane as part of the drill’s targeting exercises.

“A part of our drill is to test the ranges of our sensor because our warship is new,” Mr. Hechanova said. “We also had a simulated firing activity with the aid of our US counterparts doing all the maritime surveillance activity.”

The Philippines and US, which are long-time treaty allies, are working together to bolster defense coordination amid increased Chinese assertiveness in the South China Sea, a key global trade route that is believed to be rich in minerals and oil deposits.

The two nations agreed to hold “maritime cooperative activities” in the contested waters to help bolster their forces’ interoperability at sea. The exercise on Wednesday was the third for the year and seventh overall since the drills began in 2023.

The BRP Miguel Malvar is armed with missiles and torpedo systems and fitted with sonar, radar and electronic warfare capabilities. It was built by South Korean shipbuilder HD Hyundai Heavy Industries Co.

The namesake of its class ship, the Philippine frigate left South Korea in late March and was commissioned in late May.

Mr. Hechanova said the exercise helped the crew to familiarize themselves with the ship’s combat management system. The drill was simulated, he said. “We didn’t use the ship’s actual equipment.”

“The mission provided a valuable opportunity to evaluate the ship’s performance in a multilateral environment and assess its readiness to operate,” the Armed Forces of the Philippines said in a separate statement on Thursday.

The Philippine Navy captain said they anticipated the presence of Chinese forces near the exercise area. “They’ve been there almost all the time in every activity at sea.”

“As regional dynamics evolve, the maritime cooperative activity underscores the importance of working together to safeguard peace, stability and a rule-based international order in the Indo-Pacific region,” the Philippine military said.

In a related development, the Chinese Embassy in Manila urged the Philippines not to “fantasize” about relying on outside forces to resolve the South China Sea dispute, and urged the European Union (EU) to stop “provoking trouble.”

An embassy spokesperson made the comments after EU Foreign Policy Chief Kaja Kallas visited the Philippine capital and voiced concern over China’s activities in the busy waterway, where its claims overlap those of some Southeast Asian nations.

“The EU is not a party to the South China Sea disputes and has no right to interfere in the South China Sea differences between China and the Philippines,” the spokesperson said in a statement posted on the embassy website.

The Philippine Embassy in Beijing did not immediately respond to an e-mailed request for comment. — with Reuters

Public health emergency edict over HIV pushed

June 5, 2025 | 7:24 pm

hiv-and-aids — PHILIPPINE STAR/ANDY ZAPATA

EFFORTS to declare a public health emergency over the Philippines’ rising human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) cases are under way, but Cabinet-level discussions have been repeatedly delayed, according to the country’s Health chief.

Health Secretary Teodoro J. Herbosa told a palace briefing on Thursday he had detailed the proposal in a memo to President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr., and Executive Secretary Lucas P. Bersamin.

“Our meetings with the Cabinet are already scheduled, but they’ve been delayed due to other pressing issues,” he said.

Mr. Herbosa said the President must issue a directive to strengthen all strategies under the government’s anti-HIV plan.

The Department of Health (DoH) has launched a patient appointment system at San Lazaro Hospital in Manila to make it easier for people, especially those living with HIV, to schedule consultations and access free antiretroviral (ARV) maintenance drugs.

The system ensures regular consultations and treatment, alongside counseling services to support long, healthy lives for people with HIV.

In addition to free ARV medication, the agency also provides free HIV screening and confirmatory tests at various HIV hubs. Knowing one’s HIV status is crucial for early treatment and preventing disease progression, Mr. Herbosa said.

He said HIV no longer has to be a death sentence since with proper testing and maintenance medication, it could be managed like chronic conditions such as hypertension or diabetes.

Earlier, the DoH reported that HIV cases in the country have multiplied six times, prompting the agency to call on the President to declare a national public health emergency.

It recorded 5,101 newly diagnosed HIV patients in the first quarter. The number of confirmed cases averaged 57 per day, the highest daily rate in the Western Pacific Region.

Mr. Herbosa said among the recorded cases was a 12-year-old from Palawan province who had been engaging in unprotected sex, making the child the youngest reported case.

In a separate statement on Thursday, nongovernmental group Oxfam Pilipinas urged the government to implement sexuality education as a long-term solution to the surge in HIV cases among people aged 15 to 25 years.

The group cited the need for urgent action as HIV infections continue to rise, particularly among young Filipinos.

Sex education provides age-appropriate and developmentally appropriate reproductive health education for adolescents aged 10 to 19, Oxfam said, citing the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health (RPRH) law.

“Young people need accurate and appropriate knowledge based on science to understand themselves and avoid the risk of contracting HIV and other sexually transmitted infections,” it said in Filipino.

Sex education provides essential knowledge, guided by parents or guardians and implemented in accordance with government agency guidelines, it added.

Oxfam also said the widespread implementation of sex education could help reduce teenage pregnancies. — Chloe Mari A. Hufana

Congressmen seek passage of bill versus fake news

June 5, 2025 | 7:22 pm

PHILIPPINE congressmen on Thursday sought the swift passage of a bill that seeks to curb disinformation on social media, noting that false narratives are being used to challenge the country’s claims in the South China Sea.

The government should crack down on the spread of these false narratives, which constitute foreign interference, Sta. Rosa City Rep. Dan S. Fernandez said in a statement.

“They use false information to deceive our minds, distort history and undermine our legitimate rights to our own seas,” he said in Filipino. “This propaganda aims to weaken our resolve, divide public opinion and normalize [China’s] illegal presence in our waters.”

The Chinese Embassy in Manila did not immediately reply to a Viber message seeking comment.

The Philippine Coast Guard in April said it had seen an uptick in disinformation campaigns targeting the country’s claims in the South China Sea.

China claims nearly all of the potentially mineral- and oil-rich South China Sea based on a 1940s nine-dash line map that overlaps with the exclusive waters of the Philippines and neighbors like Vietnam and Malaysia.

A United Nations-backed tribunal in 2016 voided China’s sweeping claims for being illegal, a ruling that Beijing does not recognize.

“There is an urgent need for legislation to steer the wheel towards a lasting and responsive solution to this problem,” Agusan del Norte Rep. Jose S. Aquino II said in the same statement.

Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus B. Rodriguez last week filed a bill criminalizing the deliberate sharing of false information, including claims that are meant to undermine public order and national security.

Anyone caught maliciously publishing false information and operating troll farms could face up to 12 years in prison and a P500,000 to P2 -million fine under House Bill No. 11506.

“We also have to ensure that those who deliberately spread falsehoods are held accountable under the law,” Mr. Aquino said.

National Security Council Assistant Director-General Jonathan E. Malaya in April said “Chinese state-sponsored” might be spreading false information to help the campaign of some pro-China political candidates.

“We are now in the midst of an active cognitive war — an insidious battle for the hearts and minds of the Filipino people,” Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace S. Barbers said in a separate statement. “This war is not fought with weapons, but with misinformation, manipulation and psychological influence.”

“The just concluded elections were a big part of this battlefield, with efforts deliberately intended to sway voters into supporting candidates aligned with foreign interests, particularly China,” he added. — Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio

MNLF wants return of Sulu to BARMM territory

June 5, 2025 | 7:19 pm

COTABATO CITY — Officials of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) have called on national lawmakers to work out the return of Sulu to the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

MNLF officials, including Bangsamoro Labor and Employment Minister Muslimin G. Sema, told reporters on Thursday that removing Sulu from the core territory of BARMM by the Supreme Court has serious implications on the government’s separate peace compacts with the MNLF and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

The High Tribunal’s action was based on a petition by Sulu Gov. Hadji Abdusakur M. Tan, who was against the fusion of their province with the Bangsamoro region.

“Sulu is an integral component of the collective aspiration of the Moro people in Southern Philippines for progress and peace via self-governance,” Mr. Sema, who is chairman of the MNLF’s central committee, said.

Mr. Sema said Sulu is the virtual birthplace of the Moro uprising for self-rule, in the context of Philippine sovereignty.

“We must not forget that what the MNLF fought for, first, was independence but agreed to autonomy. Now Sulu, which was the main flashpoint of the Mindanao secessionist conflict, was taken out from the Bangsamoro region,” he said.

Mr. Sema, BARMM Trade Minister Abuamri A. Taddik, MNLF officials, and leaders of the front’s Lupah-Sug State Revolutionary Committee in Sulu agreed to call on members of the House of Representatives and the Senate to cooperate in returning Sulu to the Bangsamoro region. Among the MNLF officials were: Uttoh Salem D. Cutan, Faizal G. Karon and Adzfar H. Usman, who are members of the 80-seat Bangsamoro parliament.

The consensus was reached during their dialogue on Monday in Patikul town in Sulu.

“It is hurting for us to see Sulu taken out from the Bangsamoro region’s area of coverage,” Mr. Usman said.

Mr. Karon said he is optimistic that members of the national legislature will focus attention on their sentiments.

“This is all for peace and justice to all of those who perished in our struggle for self-rule during the early 1970s until the 1980s,” said Mr. Karon, who joined the MNLF as an adolescent and figured in deadly gunfights with government troops in seaside towns in what is now Sultan Kudarat province in region 12. — John Felix M. Unson

SEC Chairman Aquino ends term

June 5, 2025 | 7:16 pm

OUTGOING Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chairperson Emilio B. Aquino is ending his term with a seven-year streak of unmodified opinions from the Commission on Audit (CoA) for the commission’s financial state-ments.

The SEC received confirmation on June 2 that the CoA issued an “unmodified opinion,” also known as an “unqualified opinion,” on the fairness of the presentation of the commission’s 2024 financial statements.

An unmodified opinion is awarded when auditors determine that the financial statements are free from material misstatements.

“As corporate registrar and capital market regulator, it is only fitting that the SEC uphold the highest standards of transparency and accountability in the management of public funds,” Mr. Aquino said in an emailed statement on Thursday.

“This affirms our steadfast commitment to transparency, accountability, and sound fiscal management in serving the public trust. We hope that by leading by example, the corporate sector is able to follow suit in exercising sound fund management in their overall operations,” he added.

The SEC also received unqualified opinions for its financial statements from 2018 to 2023, translating to the longest streak of unqualified opinions that the corporate regulator has received over the past decade.

On Tuesday, Malacañang announced that Mr. Aquino will be replaced by prominent lawyer Francisco Edralin Lim as the SEC chief.

Mr. Aquino, whose term expires today (June 6), was the first certified public accountant and lawyer to serve as SEC chairperson. The Securities Regulation Code mandates that the SEC chairperson must be a law-yer.

Mr. Lim was the president and chief executive officer of the Philippine Stock Exchange from 2004 to 2010 and is a senior partner at the Angara Abello Concepcion Regala & Cruz Law Offices.

He was also a former president of the Management Association of the Philippines and the Financial Executives Institute of the Philippines. — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave

Fix car volume on EDSA, gov’t told

June 5, 2025 | 7:14 pm

Traffic-vehicle-edsa09 — PHILIPPINE STAR/MIGUEL DE GUZMAN

A SENATOR on Thursday said that the government should address the volume of cars that passes along the Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA) before it pushes through with the planned rehabilitation of Metro Manila’s major highway.

“Our problem is the volume of cars, so no matter how smooth and well-maintained EDSA is, the vehicle volume will still be the same,” Senator Joseph Victor “JV” G. Ejercito told a news briefing.

He added that the government must first complete its major transportation projects to lessen the volume of cars before conducting the rehabilitation of EDSA.

“We need to look into mass transit because of our growing population… that’s why I’m pushing for the railway system, improvement of airports, infrastructure because it will spread out the development, it will develop the countryside,” Mr. Ejercito said.

He added that the government should have conducted an economic impact assessment before pushing through with the planned P5.8-billion project.

Last week, President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. announced a one-month postponement of the EDSA revamp project to find a “better way” in rehabilitating the capital’s major thoroughfare, where more than 400,000 cars pass dai-ly. — Adrian H. Halili

PDEA nabs Ilocos drug ‘lieutenant’

June 5, 2025 | 7:12 pm

BAGUIO CITY — A suspected “lieutenant” of a drug syndicate operating in Ilocos Norte was cornered on Wednesday afternoon in a barangay in Badoc town, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) in Region I reported.

A member of the “Ronfer Drug Group,”alias Ariz, 38, is a provincial target drug personality, PDEA-1 Director Joel B. Plaza said. He was caught with nine pieces of heat-sealed transparent plastic sachet containing crystal meth (shabu), weighing around seven grams. It was worth P47,600.

The operation, primarily led by PDEA-Ilocos Norte operatives, was a joint effort with Ilocos Norte police anti-drug operatives and police intelligence agents.

PDEA said Ariz will be charged with violation of Section 5 (Sale of Dangerous Drugs), Section 11 (Possession of Dangerous Drugs), and Section 12 (Possession of Drug Paraphernalia), Article II of RA 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Dugs Act of 2002. He was brought to the Badoc town police station jail.

The Ronfer Drug Group is reportedly operating around Ilocos Norte and could have been crossing borders with Ilocos Sur, Abra, Apayao and Cagayan provinces for its illicit trade. — Artemio A. Dumlao

When business meets science: creating products that people need

June 5, 2025 | 5:50 pm

“It’s all right to do something that produces knowledge, said Dr. Kenneth Y. Hartigan-Go, senior research fellow and program director for leadership and innovation of the Ateneo Policy Center School of Government.

You need, however, “to bring in a generalist perspective – like a sociologist, or a businessman with an acumen for looking at what the market needs – and then develop that product into something that people need,” he said.

Interview by Patricia Mirasol
Video editing by Jayson Mariñas