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Harvey Weinstein’s accusers ‘all said no,’ prosecutor tells jury as rape retrial ends

COMMONS.WIKIMEDIA.ORG

NEW YORK — A prosecutor on Wednesday told jurors in Harvey Weinstein’s Manhattan retrial that the evidence clearly showed the former movie mogul raped three women, pushing back on a defense lawyer’s efforts to paint the accusers as liars.

Prosecutor Nicole Blumberg picked up where she left off during closing arguments the previous day, seeking to show that Mr. Weinstein forced himself on the women despite their pleading with him to stop.

The Academy Award-winning producer and Miramax studio co-founder is accused of raping aspiring actress Jessica Mann in 2013 and assaulting the two other women in 2006 and 2002. Mr. Weinstein, who has denied ever having non-consensual sex or assaulting anyone, has pleaded not guilty. The trial began in April.

“Members of the jury, he raped three women. They all said, ‘no,’” Ms. Blumberg said.

Mr. Weinstein, 73, is on trial for a second time after a New York state appeals court threw out his conviction in April 2024. Experiencing a litany of health problems, Mr. Weinstein was present in court on Wednesday in a wheelchair, wearing a dark suit and tie.

Before Ms. Blumberg’s pitch to jurors Wednesday, defense lawyer Arthur Aidala twice moved for a mistrial based on the prosecutor’s arguments the previous day, but the motions were swiftly denied by state Supreme Court Justice Curtis Farber.

The 12 jurors are due to begin deliberations after closing arguments are completed, and Mr. Farber instructs them on the law.

Ms. Blumberg on Tuesday called Mr. Weinstein a serial predator who promised career advancement in Hollywood to women, only to then coax them into private settings where he attacked them. She urged jurors Wednesday to disregard the defense’s claim that Mr. Weinstein was on trial because he was famous and that prosecutors were trying to criminalize consensual sex.

“We heard a lot about ‘policing the bedroom’ yesterday,” Ms. Blumberg said, referring to Mr. Aidala’s closing argument on Tuesday. “We don’t want to police bedrooms either — unless you’re forcibly raping someone inside them.”

Mr. Aidala on Tuesday accused the three alleged victims of lying on the witness stand out of spite after consensual sexual encounters with Mr. Weinstein failed to deliver them Hollywood stardom.

“They are lying about what happened. Not about everything, but about a small slice — just enough to turn their regret, their buyers’ remorse, into criminality,” Mr. Aidala said of the accusers.

The lawyer hoisted a dozen poster-sized placards showing e-mails from the accusers where they seek Mr. Weinstein’s company after the alleged attacks, saying they showed the women were lying.

Mr. Weinstein faces a maximum sentence of up to 29 years in prison if convicted on all charges. He already will likely spend the rest of his life in prison due to a 16-year prison sentence given to him after being found guilty in December 2022 of rape in California.

He was convicted of rape by a jury in the previous trial in Manhattan in February 2020, but the New York Court of Appeals threw out the conviction and ordered a new trial, citing errors by the trial judge. Mr. Weinstein had been serving a 23-year sentence in a prison in upstate Rome, New York, when the conviction was overturned.

That conviction was a milestone for the #MeToo movement, which encouraged women to come forward with allegations of sexual misconduct by powerful men. More than 100 women, including famous actresses, have accused Mr. Weinstein of misconduct.

Mr. Weinstein has been held at New York City’s Rikers Island jail since his conviction was overturned. He has experienced several health scares while being held at Rikers, and in September was rushed to a hospital for emergency heart surgery. — Reuters

An unhappy worker’s exit interview

I’m resigning due to my poor work relations with my boss. If the human resource (HR) department conducts the exit interview, how should I manage the difficult questions? Should I choose not to participate? Please advise. — Lonely Heart.

A resigning employee may not have an option, especially when the organization makes the exit interview a condition prior to the release of terminal pay, clearance, quit claim, and employment certificate, among other documents. You need to check management policies on that as different organizations have different approaches.

Indeed, when an employee decides to leave, the exit interview often feels like a test — just another company requirement before handing in the ID, laptop, and other documents. But for a resigning worker who is unhappy with their employer, the exit interview presents both a challenge and an opportunity:

My advice would raise some eyebrows. Don’t attempt to burn the bridge with anyone, with HR or management, including your boss. Handle the exit interview professionally without besmirching the reputation of your boss even if they’re the reason for your departure. This is for your own good.

Badmouthing your boss could cause delay or stop the release of your accrued salary and benefits. Even after your resignation, your boss could attempt to destroy your reputation with prospective employers, assuming that you use the organization as a reference.

Conversely, when handled well, an exit interview can be a platform for meaningful feedback and a dignified conclusion to a difficult chapter. Handled poorly, it can reinforce the very issues that drove your resignation in the first place.

CONSTRUCTIVE MOVES

It’s tempting to let it all out with a vengeance. You’re already leaving, so what’s there to lose? But the goal of an exit interview isn’t to unload frustrations; it’s to provide useful insights professionally. Sharing your experiences can be valuable, but only if done with clarity and composure using the following approach:

One, reframe positively and reasonably. Instead of saying, “My boss was a micromanager” give it a positive twist: “I felt I was over-directed, which limited my ability to take the initiative or solve problems independently.” Hold back; such a statement could boomerang due to your poor performance.

If your silence could be interpreted as a threat, then tell a white lie. Pretend that you’re planning to attend graduate school or attend to an ailing child, spouse, or parent. Of course, your white lie must not contradict the letter and spirit of your resignation letter.

Two, focus on systemic problems. Exit interviews are better appreciated when you help an organization understand its widespread systemic and procedural issues. It’s better than emphasizing the boss’s negative style. It’s better than focusing on isolated incidents like an interpersonal conflict with your boss, which can end up being ignored.

If you want to zero in on the toxic style of your boss, paint a picture that points to a broader trend involving other workers within the same department. Rather than recounting a one-time disagreement, highlight a recurring challenge: “I observed the boss’s indecisive action in many of standard decisions and special projects.”

Three, offer suggestions, not just criticism. It’s easy to point out what’s broken. It’s difficult, but more valuable if you focus on how, it might be fixed. Constructive suggestions demonstrate goodwill and signal that, despite your frustrations, you want to see the organization succeed.

For example: If you’re seeing lack of coordination among departments, suggest weekly, brief, 15-minute departmental standup meetings following an e-mail to all concerned. It could create better alignment. Even if your suggestions aren’t implemented, you will have successfully shown maturity and professionalism.

Four, define the long-term perspectives. Framing your feedback in terms of what could help the organization or your colleagues in the future makes it easier for HR or top management to listen without becoming defensive. Try saying, “Looking ahead, I believe investing in clearer career progression paths could help retain top talent.”

This shift in tone can make a major difference. It moves the conversation from personal dissatisfaction to constructive foresight — something decision-makers tend to respect.

CONTINUE TO HOLD BACK

As I said earlier, there are times when giving feedback may not feel safe, productive, or worth the emotional effort. If your trust in your boss is very low, then don’t expect HR to support your concerns. It’s better to limit what you can share. Even a simple, “I prefer not to go into detail,” can raise eyebrows.

Anyway, you are not obligated to share more than you’re comfortable with. An exit interview is not your final judgment of a work relationship. Your priority is securing an honorable discharge and early release of your terminal pay and important documents.

By being tactful and keeping the conversation forward-looking, you maximize your impact while preserving your professional integrity. That’s the best way to close a chapter — with clarity, not regret.

Share your workplace story with REY ELBO for his insights. E-mail elbonomics@gmail.com or DM him on Facebook, LinkedIn, X, or via https://reyelbo.com. Anonymity is guaranteed.

Whose side is the US on? Doubts strain alliances

USS Mobile (LCS-26), HMAS Warramunga (FFH-152), JS Akebono (DD-108), BRP Gregorio Del Pilar (PS-15), BRP Antonio Luna (FF-151) and BRP Valentin Diaz (PS-177) sail in formation off the coast within the Philippine Exclusive Economic Zone on April 7, 2024.

Winston Churchill told a story of an 1895 encounter, as a young cavalry officer, with the statesman William Harcourt. After some discussion of great issues, Churchill asked eagerly: “What will happen then?” Harcourt replied, with Victorian complacency: “My dear Winston, the experiences of a long life have convinced me that nothing ever happens.”

Few people 130 years later could succumb to any similar delusion in a world that seems to have consigned itself to perpetual turmoil. Most recently, Poland has frightened European capitals by electing a right-wing, anti-European Union president. The British government published a long-awaited strategic defense review, which proposes rearmament to bring about “war-fighting readiness,” according to Prime Minister Keir Starmer, as Ukraine launched stunning drone strikes against five bomber bases deep inside Russia.

There is more. At a conference in Singapore last weekend, France’s president warned of dire consequences for democracies if Russia prevails in Ukraine. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth urged Asian nations to stand tall against Chinese aggression as Australia’s defense minister challenged China to justify its huge military and naval buildup. His Philippine counterpart said China has been “absolutely irresponsible and reckless in appropriating most, if not all of the South China Sea, and the world cannot tolerate this.”

These various words were uttered, those events took place, many thousands of miles apart. But the common strand is fear that the threat of major conflict among nations is growing, that the international rules-based order has collapsed.

Let us first review some of the stuff said in Singapore. Washington sought to message Asian nations that it is time to pick a side — to fall in behind the US to confront the rising menace from China not only against Taiwan, but against national sovereignties across the region. Unfortunately, it’s hard for Donald Trump to rally Asian nations to military solidarity, while waging a trade war against most.

“By assailing interdependence,” Joseph Nye and Robert Keohane write in the current issue of Foreign Affairs, “he undercuts the very foundation of American power.” Moreover, there are concerns that Trump might suddenly spring a deal with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un involving a major US withdrawal from South Korea. For the purposes of this essay, it is unimportant whether Washington really is close to offering Kim an olive branch. What matters is that the fear of such a traumatic upheaval exists, in Seoul and elsewhere. There is little incentive to join an Asian-Pacific security pact, as some strategic gurus propose, when the US administration is capable of tearing up any deal a week after signing.

Among the few countries willing to hang in with Trump is Australia. Although outraged by his lunges into tariffs, the Australians remain more clearly aligned than any other country in the region, chiefly because of aggressive Chinese initiatives against themselves. Canberra has invested big political capital in the Aukus pact with Britain and the US. Aukus calls for the three countries to build and deploy a fleet of nuclear submarines Down Under. While it will be years before this comes to reality, the Australians know that, even if they go to sleep for a decade, China will still be there when they wake up.

Meanwhile in Europe the same uncertainties about American intentions loom large. In every capital, the question hangs in the air: will Trump withdraw America from NATO, and US forces from Europe?

Some politicians draw comfort from the fact that, five months into this tumultuous presidency, Trump has given no sign that he intends to pull the plug. But suffusing the British strategic defense review, though nowhere articulated, is the same doubt pervading discussion in Singapore, about whether an American partnership can continue to be relied upon.

The UK’s intended message, supposedly to Moscow but really to Washington, is that the British are stepping up: that we are getting serious about rearmament, as Trump has long demanded. Unfortunately, Starmer has no plans to spend remotely the sort of money necessary to restore credibility to our shrunken armed forces.

A back-of-an-envelope guesstimate — informed by conversations with senior military — suggests that an immediate $30 billion would be needed. Nothing like that amount is on offer from a Treasury under desperate pressure for health and welfare funding. After years of profligacy — and rising interest rates — Britain now spends almost twice as much on debt interest as on defense.

Nonetheless, driven by fears both about what Russia could do next and about what the US may stop doing, Britain is participating in defense conversations with France, Germany, and the Nordic states. These are hampered by the fact that the southern Europeans and Hungary aren’t interested. They refuse to find money for more weapons. The Greeks, for instance, partly inspired by a shared commitment to the Orthodox Church, display notable sympathy for the Russian cause in Ukraine.

Thus there is disunity among NATO members. The Northerners know that, in forging realistic operational plans, they’ll have to go it alone. There can no longer be a solid front, such as existed in the Cold War. They also have a mountain to climb in rationalizing European arms procurement — with 29 different classes of warship, 17 types of tank, 20 different combat aircraft, and 17 artillery systems.

Common ground among all the European governments, however, is that we are living in a new world: The US no longer represents a rock such as anchored the West for so many decades, but more like sand, shifting underfoot.

In their essay, Nye and Keohane deplore the fact that Trump seems to understand only coercion as a tool to bend allies to his will. He ignores persuasion and the huge past importance of common beliefs and purposes — soft power.

In Singapore, the US defense secretary sought to brush aside discussion of tariffs, instead focusing exclusively on the need for increased arms spending. His audience wasn’t having this. The Malaysian prime minister savaged what he called “the onslaught of arbitrary imposition of trade restrictions.” In other words, America cannot credibly be a military friend and a trade enemy.

The equation is different in Europe. So desperate are governments to keep American forces on the continent that they are willing to endure barrages of insults, and indeed of tariffs, without risking an absolute breach with Washington. But it is hard to sustain alliances amid doubts about which side America is on, save its own.

Perhaps the most significant fact about Ukraine’s drone strike on Russian bomber bases is that Kyiv’s claim that it gave Washington no prior warnings seems plausible. The Administration simply couldn’t be relied upon to withhold this vital operational secret from Moscow. Many other nations feel the same way. The Trump administration’s conduct has destroyed trust, the most precious commodity among friends. This won’t readily be restored. — Bloomberg Opinion

America’s doors to global leaders

In an era defined by complex global challenges — climate change, migration, democratic backsliding, and technological upheaval — the world needs visionary leadership more than ever. Yet at the very moment when international cooperation and skilled public leadership are most needed, America is turning its back on one of its greatest soft power assets: higher education. Nowhere is this more evident — or more troubling — than in the Trump-era immigration restrictions targeting international students.

For decades, the United States has cultivated global leadership through elite programs such as the Edward S. Mason Fellowship at Harvard Kennedy School (HKS). Designed for mid-career public servants from the Global South, the Mason Program is a crown jewel in America’s public diplomacy. It has quietly trained presidents, ministers, diplomats, and change-makers from over 130 countries — leaders who return home not only better equipped to serve, but with a deep understanding and appreciation of American values.

As a disclosure, this writer had the privilege of joining this program in the late 1990s and modesty aside, the learnings from the program mattered a lot in my public service career in small business assistance and development banking. I had the opportunity to take courses at both the Harvard Business School and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. But my case is a minor one compared to other illustrious graduates.

I had as a classmate former Tourism and Interior and Local Government Secretary Rafael Alunan who continues his advocacies beyond government service. Another DILG secretary was former Naga Mayor Jesse Robredo who enriched his approach to governance and was a Ramon Magsaysay Awardee for Government Service. Patricia Sto. Tomas was Secretary of Labor and Civil Service Commission Chair who championed labor rights and strengthening of the bureaucracy. Former DSWD Secretary Corazon Dinky Soliman spearheaded significant programs aimed at poverty reduction and social protection. Comebacking senator Francis Pangilinan is an advocate for food security and education. I can go on about active Filipino HKS Alumni today but space will not be sufficient. Let me add from Asia, Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Singapore’s ninth President and past deputy prime minister and finance minister.

The Mason Fellowship exemplifies the transformative power of international education. Take Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, the first female president of Liberia and a Nobel Peace Prize laureate. A Mason Fellow in the 1970s, she returned to lead her country out of civil war and rebuild democratic institutions. Or Felipe Calderón, who as president of Mexico launched healthcare reforms and championed environmental sustainability. Or Luis Alberto Moreno, who as head of the Inter-American Development Bank helped steer billions in infrastructure investment across Latin America. These are not just alumni — they are living proof of what a year at Harvard, surrounded by peers from every corner of the globe, can unleash.

The genius of the Mason Program lies not just in the curriculum — although that is world-class — but in the connections it fosters. Fellows learn from each other, forge cross-border alliances, and share best practices that often become blueprints for reform back home. In the Philippines, institutional reform and inclusive growth remain perennial challenges for which the Mason Program can provide academic insights and exposure to policy innovation. It’s a win-win proposition: countries benefit from more capable leadership, and the US earns decades of goodwill, influence, and moral leadership.

When the Trump administration threatened to ban international students attending online classes during the COVID-19 pandemic, it sent shockwaves through the global academic community. Although the policy was reversed under pressure, the damage was done. The message was clear: international students, even the best and brightest, were not a priority. This retreat has dangerous implications for both America’s standing in the world and the future of global development.

But what happens when these pathways to better education are blocked and when promising young reformers in the Philippines, Nairobi, Islamabad, or La Paz are denied visas or discouraged from applying in the first place?

We get a world where the US is sidelined in global conversations. America loses its edge in development diplomacy. And worst of all, we leave a vacuum that authoritarian powers are all too eager to fill.

The restrictions of the earlier Trump years revealed just how fragile the bridge between American institutions and global talent can be. Though President Biden’s administration has taken steps to repair the damage, the uncertainty lingers. Enrollment from developing countries has not yet fully recovered, and many students are now looking to countries like Canada, the UK, or Germany — places that actively court global talent with clear, welcoming policies.

The lesson is simple: leadership is not born in isolation. It is cultivated, challenged, and sharpened in diverse, dynamic settings like Harvard Kennedy School. Programs like the Mason Fellowship are not acts of charity — they are investments in a more stable, prosperous, and democratic world.

If the US wants to lead that world, it must start by opening its doors again. As Yurong Jiang, MPA ’25, said in her graduation address, “we are bound by something deeper than belief: our shared humanity.”

The views expressed herein are his own and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of his office as well as FINEX.

Benel Dela Paz Lagua was previously EVP and chief development officer at the Development Bank of the Philippines. He is an active FINEX member and an advocate of risk-based lending for SMEs. Today, he is independent director in progressive banks and in some NGOs.

AC Health says free HIV testing to roll out in over 220 clinics

ACHEALTH.COM

THE AYALA GROUP’s healthcare subsidiary Ayala Healthcare Holdings, Inc. (AC Health) said it is mobilizing its integrated healthcare network to help address the surge in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) cases nationwide.

AC Health plans to roll out free HIV screening services across its network of more than 220 corporate clinics in the coming months, it said in an e-mail statement on Thursday.

The company currently offers HIV health literacy programs throughout its network, with HIV screening available at 16 Healthway multi-specialty clinics.

“Workplace-based screening provides a convenient way for employees to get tested,” AC Health Chief Health Officer Beverly Lorraine C. Ho said.

“Early detection and proper treatment allow people living with HIV to lead long, healthy, and productive lives. That is our vision for the Filipino workforce,” she added.

On Tuesday, Health Secretary Teodoro J. Herbosa reported a 500% increase in HIV cases among individuals aged 15 to 25.

He said the Department of Health now records between 40 and 57 new cases daily, significantly higher than the six daily cases reported in 2010.

AC Health also said it trained 40 frontline medical professionals in HIV counseling last May through a partnership with Pilipinas Shell Foundation, with another 40 professionals scheduled for training this June.

Last year, AC Health signed a memorandum of understanding with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to expand HIV care in the Philippines.

HIV treatment services are also offered through the Healthway Medical Network. Healthway QualiMed Hospital in San Jose del Monte, Bulacan provides both inpatient and outpatient HIV care.

The company ensures access to essential medicines and lifesaving technologies through its pharmaceutical distribution arms, IE Medica and MedEthix.

“The government and civil society organizations have made significant progress in addressing the HIV epidemic. But with this looming public health emergency, the private sector must step up to complement existing efforts and help scale proven interventions,” Ms. Ho said.

AC Health’s portfolio includes Generika Drugstore, IE Medica, MedEthix, Healthway Medical Network, and St. Joseph Drug. — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave

How much did each commodity group contribute to May inflation?

HEADLINE INFLATION eased to an over five-year low in May, as utility costs rose at a slower pace, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said on Thursday. Read the full story.

How PSEi member stocks performed — June 5, 2025

Here’s a quick glance at how PSEi stocks fared on ThursdayJune 5, 2025.


Inflation rates in the Philippines

HEADLINE INFLATION eased to an over five-year low in May, as utility costs rose at a slower pace, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said on Thursday. Read the full story.

ADB to fund four PHL RE, energy-efficiency projects

THE Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) clean energy pipeline for the Philippines covers four projects involving offshore wind, geothermal de-risking, and rural electrification.

“There’s a few investments that are still being prepared, designed, and discussed with the government. One is this de-risking investment that I spoke about,” ADB Country Director for the Philippines Pavit Ramachandran told reporters on June 3.

Mr. Ramachandran was referring to the multi-tranche Geothermal Resource De-Risking Facility, which is targeted for approval this year.

The facility will supply contingent convertibles up to 50% of total cost of drilling to reduce investment risk at the geothermal development exploration stage.

The Department of Energy said the project awaits the approval of the Investment Coordination Committee of the Department of Economy, Planning, and Development (DEPDev).

Some $190 million will be sourced from ADB’s ordinary capital resources. An additional $60 million will be funded by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Catalytic Green Finance facility.

“The Energy Efficiency of Public Buildings Program was the other one,” Mr. Ramachandran said.

This $500-million project will focus on the procurement and installation of energy efficient lighting, high efficiency air conditioning, distributed solar photovoltaic modules, smart metering and/or electric vehicle charging stations.

Additionally, the ADB said it will be supporting the preparation of offshore wind projects and the National Total Electrification Support Program.

The Supporting Offshore Wind Port Development Planning technical assistance worth $400,000 will help government agencies prepare pre-feasibility study reports on offshore wind ports.

Meanwhile, the National Total Electrification Support Program, which has an indicated 2026 approval year, will require a $461-million loan from the ADB.

Under the Philippine Energy Plan 2020-2040, the government hopes to increase the share of renewable energy in the generation mix to 35% by 2030. — Aubrey Rose A. Inosante

German startup keen on tackling e-waste in developing countries

Photo Credit: s2s

MADRID — S2S Dynamics, a German startup that tracks electronic waste (e-waste) through its artificial intelligence (AI)-powered platform, said developing countries have a worsening e-waste problem that can be addressed by connecting producers and recyclers.

“A lot of the waste that gets shipped from the developed world lands in the developing world, and that’s why we have these massive landfills full of waste,” Arjun Srihari, co-founder and chief commercial officer at S2S Dynamics, told BusinessWorld on the sidelines of the South Summit Madrid 2025 between June 4 and 6.

Founded in 2022, S2S Dynamics seeks to address the lack of data and transparency on e-waste, which is among the world’s fastest-growing waste streams.

“We started S2S Dynamics to create this data layer between the two most important stakeholders — the manufacturers who actually produce the devices, and the recyclers, where the devices end up,” Mr. Srihari said.

“These two stakeholders are very important in this recycling process, but they don’t speak to each other,” he added.

Less than 20% of electronic waste is documented and recycled, according to Mr. Srihari.

“That’s very troubling because that doesn’t mean that the waste disappears… and either in places like in India or even the Philippines, there are informal actors that are working with this waste and don’t have the benefits, tools, and the know-how that they should be getting,” he said.

The Philippines is among the top producers of e-waste in Southeast Asia, generating 537 million kilograms of e-waste in 2022, according to a joint report by the United Nations Institute for Training and Research and the International Telecommunication Union.

The Philippines was second only to Indonesia in the region. Indonesia had an estimated 1.886 billion kilograms of e-waste.

At end-of-life, e-waste is typically dumped in landfills, which generate greenhouse gas emissions and contribute to global warming.

“There’s a lot of valuable e-waste material that is lost and is not put back into the supply chain,” Mr. Srihari said, noting that $57 billion to $63 billion worth of e-waste is lost.

“I’m not saying that all of that money can be recovered through circular recycling, but a significant portion of it can,” Mr. Srihari said. “The main problem is that there’s no way to track the data.”

Mr. Srihari noted that the company’s learnings from the Indian market can provide insight in future expansions to developing markets.

Mr. Srihari said it has been in talks with potential investors from Europe, North America, India, and Southeast Asia.

S2S Dynamics is looking to scale its product across Europe before expanding globally, Mr. Srihari said. — Beatriz Marie D. Cruz

Solar, energy-efficiency program for schools, gov’t hospitals to get $300M

THE Department of Energy (DoE) said it is preparing an up to $300-million package to support rooftop solar and energy-efficient appliance use in public schools and government hospitals.

“The specifics are still for finalization and the loan itself is still for approval on the government side,” Patrick T. Aquino, director at the Energy Utilization Management Bureau, said via Viber.

Mr. Aquino said that the DoE obtained approval from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) for the facility.
However, it still needs the approval of the Department of Economy, Planning, and Development, formerly known as the National Economic and Development Authority, and the Department of Finance.

Once cleared, the program will be implemented by the DoE over five years.

“If it were to proceed, the capacities will contribute to the targets under the National Renewable Energy Program (NREP) and compliance with the Government Energy Management Program (GEMP),” Mr. Aquino said.

“We are grateful for the continued support of the ADB in our Government Energy Management Program,” Energy Undersecretary Rowena Cristina L. Guevara said at the ADB Asia Clean Energy Forum on Tuesday.

Ms. Guevara said green energy “can have a profound impact on public schools and government hospitals.” — Sheldeen Joy Talavera

Food and beverage tops list of leading FMCG products

BW FILE PHOTO

FOOD and beverage brands continued to dominate the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) segment, according to the 2025 Brand Footprint Report of Worldpanel by Kantar.

Laurice P. Obana, shopper insight director at Worldpanel by Kantar, said at a briefing on Thursday that the “economy is driven by a large socio-economic class D. Of course the preference is for the basics, which would be food and beverages,” she said.

Ms. Obana noted that mobility has improved with daily road traffic volume and Metro Rail Transit Line 3 ridership increasing.

She said this is reflected in household expenditures involving recreation, travel, and going out.

“We are seeing a bustling economy where Filipinos are more on-the-go and exposed to many options in the market. While shoppers are purchasing FMCG goods from multiple channels, they have become more discriminating with the brands they are buying,” she said.

“Filipinos look for packaged goods that are consistently available and accessible in the right format, at the right price, and for the right consumption occasion,” she added.

In 2024, she said shoppers visited more stores and shopped more frequently, with total shopping trips hitting 10.5 billion.

These frequent visits led to an increased number of occasions when shoppers were offered a choice to buy a brand. Such occasions rose 4% to approximately 16.9 billion in 2024.

“Competition in the marketplace is just so intense. So, there are more stores to cover, more buying occasions to win, but ultimately there are now fewer brands that are being purchased,” she said.

She said it is important for brands to carry products that consistently meet both customer and shopper needs, to put out the products in various channels, and maintain visibility and availability across these channels, and to deliver the right products.

“Based on data from Worldpanel by Kantar, FMCG brands that are bought by more homes and continue to increase penetration have a higher potential to drive growth,” Ms. Obana said.

“To reach more homes, accessibility is key. Brands which have presence in five or more channels set themselves up for success with more shopper touchpoints,” she added.

The 2025 Brand Footprint Report is based on a Worldpanel metric known as consumer reach points (CRP), which combines penetration and frequency. It represents a single instance of a shopper choosing a brand.

In the report, Lucky Me came out on top for most chosen FMCG brand, with a total of 903 million CRP.
It was followed by Nescafé with 785 million CRP, Kopiko (631 million), Coca-Cola (594 million), and Silver Swan (564 million).

The other most-chosen brands are Bear Brand, Surf, Maggi, Datu Puti, and Great Taste. — Justine Irish D. Tabile

Meanwhile, Nestea topped the fastest-rising list for FMCG brands in 2024, after posting 28% growth in CRP to 69 million.

It was followed by Mama Sita’s, with CRP growth of 26% at 69 million; Coca-Cola, up 24% at 594 million; Bioderm, up 24% at 161 million; and Energen, up 17% at 61 million.

The other fastest-rising brands were Lady’s Choice, Smart, Hapee, Datu Puti, and Tang.

“The market can get quite competitive with a slew of FMCG products to choose from,” Ms. Obana said.

“While short-term activations can be done to quickly win the attention of shoppers, strong brands that are able to evolve with consumer needs and prioritize accessibility will ultimately win the shopping baskets of Filipinos,” she added. — Justine Irish D. Tabile