ICTSI, SMC warn against deepfakes

March 27, 2025 | 9:11 pm

THE COUNTRY’S biggest conglomerates have fallen victim to deepfakes with International Container Terminal Services, Inc. (ICTSI) and San Miguel Corp. (SMC) issuing warnings against scams.

In a media release on Thursday, ICTSI cautioned the public over deepfake videos and audio recordings of ICTSI Chairman Enrique K. Razon, Jr. and other ICTSI executives trying to lure the public to pursue investment opportunities.

The company has denied the claims and reiterated that Mr. Razon and ICTSI have not endorsed such investments.

“The scam content is designed to appear convincing and may include offers that seem legitimate. ICTSI emphasizes that these are not authorized and are intended to mislead viewers,” ICTSI said.

With this, the listed port operator has also encouraged the public to be vigilant and verify content that references that company.

Deepfakes are artificially generated images, videos, or audio meant to deceive consumers of media. Earlier this month, the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) said it is drafting guidelines regulating deepfakes.

The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), through CICC, has established a national deepfake task force to help develop industry standards for content creation, distribution, and labeling of manipulated media like deepfakes.

Separately, SMC has issued a warning against fake investment advertisements.

The company urged the public to be cautious of the spread of fake videos and online advertisements falsely using its chairman and chief executive officer Ramon S. Ang.

“Many of these videos appear as paid ads on Facebook, Instagram, and other social media platforms. Some are made to look like real news reports… These scams use advanced technology like deep fakes to mislead people,” SMC said in a media release.

Meanwhile, SMC said it is collaborating with the authorities to trace down the people behind these scams and is looking to pursue legal actions against those responsible for these fake investments. — Ashley Erika O. Jose

BI uncovers fake identity scheme

March 27, 2025 | 9:11 pm

BI-Bureau-of-Immigration — PHILSTAR FILE PHOTO

AUTHORITIES have uncovered a scheme that involves the use of fake Filipino identities to operate businesses employing illegal foreign workers in Mindanao, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) reported on Thursday.

The BI crackdown led to the arrest of a 50-year-old Chinese national on March 20 in Digos City.

She was managing a hardware store registered under a Filipino identity now under investigation.

Investigators found she held a work visa issued by a company in Pasig City but was engaged in unauthorized employment in Davao del Sur.

Filipino employees at the hardware store admitted that the registered owner was nonexistent, and the business permits were based on falsified documents.

In a related operation on March 24, BI operatives apprehended four other Chinese nationals working illegally at a chemical manufacturing plant in M’lang, North Cotabato.

Further investigation revealed that one of them had obtained Philippine birth certificates and other documents under a false identity.

Employees at the plant claimed that the registered Filipina owner had been absent since the business opened and that the real owner was a Chinese national based in Manila.

BI Commissioner Joel Anthony M. Viado expressed deep concern about the increasing trend of foreign nationals acquiring Philippine identities to set up businesses, warning that these fraudulent identities could be exploited for nefarious purposes.

“These documents and new identities may be used by foreigners with mal-intent and could be exploited by possible spies embedding themselves in society by pretending to be Filipinos,” he said in a statement.

He called for stricter regulations governing the issuance of Filipino documents and identification cards to prevent further abuse.

All five Chinese nationals now face deportation proceedings. The arrests were conducted in cooperation with intelligence agencies in Region 12, the National Bureau of Investigation, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, and the Mlang Municipal Police Station. — Chloe Mari A. Hufana

Filipinos still struggling to attain basic human rights, group says

March 27, 2025 | 9:10 pm

Luneta Park-crowd — PHILIPPINE STAR/WALTER BOLLOZOS

A PHILIPPINE-BASED human rights organization on Thursday said Filipinos struggle to attain basic human rights due to low wages, inaccessible healthcare, lack of proper education, high housing prices, and rising utility costs in the country.

“Filipinos constantly need to leap over multiple obstacles stacked against each other just to survive. However, in the first place, we are already entitled to the rights we are struggling to attain,” Philippine Human Rights Information Center (PhilRights) Executive Director Nymia Pimentel-Simbulan said in a virtual briefing.

She added that most of the available jobs in the Philippines are in low-paying and insecure sectors such as domestic work or wholesale and retail trades.

“Informal workers have to endure long working hours to receive a small amount without any access to government-mandated benefits,” Ms. Pimentel-Simbulan said.

She added that neglecting health remains common among the urban poor due to high healthcare and hospital expenses.

“With limited means and a lack of accessible healthcare services, they prioritize other basic needs that will ensure their and their families’ daily survival,” she said.

Ms. Pimentel-Simbulan added that Filipinos continue to face the lack of proper education due to the neglect of adequate budget allocation for education.

“The belief that education is the only path out of poverty is deeply embedded in the minds of many people,” she said.

Housing prices remain a luxury rather than a right in the country, according to Ms. Pimentel-Simbulan.

She added that informal settlers continue to face constant threats of demolition without the government providing prior relocation or aid.

She said that rising utility costs also worsen living conditions for the urban poor.

“The price of electricity in the country remains one of the highest in Asia, mainly due to a highly privatized and deregulated energy production and distribution, as well as insufficient state subsidies and efforts to enhance energy sufficiency,” The PhilRights official added. — Adrian H. Halili

DBM OKs more than 1,200 new positions for PGH

March 27, 2025 | 9:09 pm

PhlGeneralHospital-PGH-FACEBOOK-PAGE — PHILIPPINE GENERAL HOSPITAL FACEBOOK PAGE

THE Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has approved another 1,224 positions for the University of the Philippines’ (UP) Philippine General Hospital (PGH) in Manila.

In a statement on Thursday, the DBM said this will allow UP-PGH to boost its organizational and manpower capacity to improve quality healthcare services to its patients.

“UP-PGH showcases a remarkable pool of highly skilled medical professionals who are dedicated to providing exceptional healthcare services. With additional manpower, UP-PGH will continue to stand as a beacon of medical excellence in the country,” Budget Secretary Amenah “Mina” F. Pangandaman said.

The DBM said the creation of posts will be conducted in four tranches, starting the first quarter of 2025, fourth quarter of 2025, in 2026, and in 2027.

“Currently, the UP-PGH operates as a Level III general hospital with 1,334 bed capacity. Hence, the existing organization and staffing standards for a 1,300-bed Level III government hospital were considered in the approval of the request for additional positions,” it said. — Aubrey Rose A. Inosante

Aptos Foundation launches community hub in PHL

March 27, 2025 | 9:09 pm

APTOS FOUNDATION, led by independent blockchain platform Aptos, has launched a community hub in the Philippines aiming to support local talent and projects through its global ecosystem.

“What you might see in the next three to six months is a continuation of the bootcamps and hackathons that we’ve been doing, but with more focus on the projects,” The Blockchain Lead Organization and Knowledge Center (The BLOKC) Co-Founder and Managing Director Eli Becislao told BusinessWorld at the sidelines of the launch of the Hiraya Network on Thursday.

“Most bootcamps or hackathons stop at the teaching part, but for us, we don’t want to stop there because our end goal is for these projects to secure small grants. That will help motivate our founders to continue building,”

He added they expect projects in the Philippines to utilize Aptos and its ecosystem in the next three to six months.

The Hiraya Network is supported by the Department of Science and Technology – Advanced Science and Technology Institute (DoST-ASTI) and the BLOKC.

Its programs will focus on events and workshops, university partnerships, hackathons and open-source research and development projects on Aptos; and collaborations with startups, academic institutions, and venture capital firms.

The programs aim to boost education, awareness, and fundraising for Filipino projects building on Aptos.

The network will give Filipino blockchain enthusiasts, builders, and founders access to the Aptos Foundation’s global programs and resources, including grants and accelerators, as well as the Aptos LFM which supports Aptos-native projects in their Token Generation Event preparations.

“Ultimately what we’re trying to achieve really is to help builders, startup founders, so that they can have access through the Hiraya Network with mentoring, access to funds, and distribution,” Hiraya Network Mark Hugh Neri said in a speech.

DoST-ASTI Senior Science Research Specialist Roxanne S. Aviñante said that they have partnered with the BLOKC before for blockchain campus conferences.

“We co-market these events and we highly support these initiatives to connect with students, universities, industries, government centers across the country to raise awareness and inspire the next generation of blockchain innovators,” she said.

“We want to see this community grow, not just in size but in impact. And we want to see more developers pushing the limits of what blockchain technology can do,” she added. — Aaron Michael C. Sy

Abra police seek community cooperation amid killings

March 27, 2025 | 9:09 pm

BAGUIO CITY — Abra policemen are seeking support and cooperation from the community amid the recent spate of killings in the province.

From Feb. 28 to March 26, there have been at least eight victims of killings, most of whom were connected to electoral candidates in the municipal and provincial governments.

The latest fatalities include a teacher and a dentist shot by a gunman late afternoon Wednesday in Bangued, the provincial capital.

The Abra provincial police said steps are being undertaken to solve the killings and gun-related attacks and bring the perpetrators to justice.

Abra police provincial director Col. Gilbert Fati-ig stressed they are committed to maintain peace and order in the province.

He also urged citizens to report or provide any information that may lead to the identification of the suspects including masterminds behind these attacks and killings. — Artemio A. Dumlao

Drug den operator, 3 cohorts busted in Cotabato City operation

March 27, 2025 | 9:09 pm

COTABATO CITY — Agents of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) arrested a drug den operator and his three accomplices in an entrapment operation in a barangay Cotabato City on Wednesday afternoon.

Gil Cesario P. Castro, director of PDEA-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), told reporters on Thursday that the suspects were immediately detained after selling to their agents and policemen P102,000 worth of crystal meth (shabu) in a tradeoff in Purok Siyete in Barangay Rosary Heights 9.

Mr. Castro said the operation that resulted in their arrest was assisted by policemen under units led by Col. Jibin M. Bongcayao, director of the Cotabato City police, and members of the 5^th Marine Battalion and local executives.

Mr. Castro said will use the shabu seized from the four suspects as evidence in prosecuting them for violation of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.

PDEA-BARMM agents and policemen found drug sniffing paraphernalia in their drug den, now closed and guarded by barangay officials and volunteer community watchmen. — John Felix M. Unson

Peso rebounds amid tariff talk

March 27, 2025 | 9:00 pm

THE PESO recovered against the dollar on Thursday even as US President Donald J. Trump announced a fresh wave of tariffs overnight.

The local unit closed at P57.37 per dollar on Thursday, strengthening by 32 centavos from its P57.69 finish on Wednesday, Bankers Association of the Philippines data showed.

The peso opened the session nearly flat at P57.68 against the dollar, which was already its worst showing. Its intraday best was its closing level of P57.37 versus the greenback.

Dollars traded rose to $1.8 billion from $1.34 billion on Wednesday.

“The peso appreciated from US economic growth worries after the latest announcement of tariffs on imported cars into the US by President Trump,” a trader said in an e-mail.

The local unit rose as Mr. Trump signaled that his planned reciprocal tariffs could be “lower than expected,”Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. Chief Economist Michael L. Ricafort added in a Viber message

The dollar hovered near a three-week high after Mr. Trump announced new tariffs on all auto imports, ratcheting up a global trade war that risks fueling inflation, Reuters reported.

Mr. Trump late on Wednesday announced plans for long-promised 25% tariffs on automotive imports that are set to go into effect on April 2. However, he said planned reciprocal tariffs on all countries will be “lenient.”

On China, he said he may give Beijing some reduction in tariffs to get a deal done to sell TikTok.

Analysts have warned Mr. Trump’s tariff plans could stoke US inflation, with the Federal Reserve already pausing its policy easing cycle.

The dollar index, which measures the greenback against six major peers, rose 0.5% overnight to 104.71, the highest in three weeks, before settling at 104.46 on Thursday.

The euro touched a three-week low of $1.0731, but bounced off the 200-day moving average and was last up 0.1% at $1.0762. The yen, on the other hand, recovered some of the overnight losses and bounced 0.2% to 150.24 per dollar on Thursday.

The overall uptrend in the US dollar has been aided by higher Treasury yields. The benchmark 10-year Treasury yields held steady at 4.3422%, having gained 5 basis points overnight.

For Friday, the trader said the peso could strengthen further ahead of the release of the latest US gross domestic product and personal consumption expenditures price index data.

The trader expects the peso to move between P57.20 and P57.45 per dollar on Friday, while Mr. Ricafort sees it ranging from P57.20 to P57.80. — Aaron Michael C. Sy with Reuters

PHL stocks drop as Trump announces auto tariffs

March 27, 2025 | 9:00 pm

PSE-720p-2 — PHILIPPINE STAR/KRIZ JOHN ROSALES

PHILIPPINE SHARES declined anew on Thursday due to negative spillovers from Wall Street after US President Donald J. Trump announced a fresh round of tariffs.

The benchmark Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) dropped by 0.43% or 26.54 points to end at 6,139.51, while the broader all shares index went down by 0.39% or 14.35 points to close at 3,662.36.

“The local market resumed its decline after a one-day rebound amid the negative spillovers from Wall Street driven by US President Donald Trump’s recently announced auto tariffs,” Philstocks Financial, Inc. Senior Research Analyst Japhet Louis O. Tantiangco said in a Viber message.

“Philippine shares fell once again as tariff concerns weighed on sentiment,” Regina Capital Development Corp. Head of Sales Luis A. Limlingan likewise said in a Viber message.

Overnight, the S&P 500 declined by 1.12% to end at 5,712.20 points; the Nasdaq went down by 2.04% to 17,899.02 points; and the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped by 0.31% to 42,454.79 points.

Asian auto stocks led markets lower on Thursday after Mr. Trump unveiled a 25% tariff on imported vehicles, expanding a global trade war and prompting criticism and threats of retaliation from affected US allies, Reuters reported.

The new levies on cars and light trucks will take effect on April 3, the day after Mr. Trump plans to announce reciprocal tariffs aimed at the countries responsible for the bulk of the US trade deficit. They come on top of duties already introduced on steel and aluminum, and on goods from Mexico, Canada and China.

Mr. Trump sees tariffs as a tool to raise revenue to offset his promised tax cuts and to revive a long-declining US industrial base.

Many trade experts, however, expect prices to initially rise and demand to fall, hurting a global auto industry that is already reeling from uncertainty caused by Mr. Trump’s rapid-fire tariff threats and occasional reversals.

Sectoral indices closed mixed on Thursday. Industrials declined by 1.27% or 111.45 points to 8,641.25; services went down by 1.10% or 22.52 points to 2,009.51; and holding firms retreated by 0.28% or 14.43 points to 5,017.28.

Meanwhile, mining and oil rose by 0.80% or 74.99 points to 9,366.42; property went up by 0.13% or 2.81 points to 2,165.36; and financials inched up by 0.05% or 1.39 points to 2,398.81.

“JG Summit Holdings, Inc. was the top index gainer, climbing 2.33% to P16.68. Bloomberry Resorts Corp. was the worst index performer, plunging 5.21% to P2.91,” Mr. Tantiangco said.

Value turnover went down to P4.5 billion on Thursday with 828.47 million shares traded from the P4.91 billion with 1.06 billion issues exchanged on Wednesday.

Decliners outnumbered advancers, 127 versus 63, while 48 names were unchanged.

Net foreign selling went down to P187.81 million in Thursday from P1 billion on Wednesday. — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave with Reuters

Grand Slam champion-slayer

March 27, 2025 | 7:47 pm

Philippine wildcard Alex Eala stuns Świątek to reach Miami semis

NOT ONCE, not twice but thrice in a row for “Alex The Great.”

Alexandra “Alex” Eala’s legend reached a new high, conquering a third straight Grand Slam champion foe in Polish superstar Iga Świątek with a world-shaking sweep, 6-2, 7-5, on her way to a historic semifinal seat in the 2025 Miami Open on Thursday at the Hard Rock Stadium in Florida.

The Filipina slayer added her idol Ms. Świątek, world No. 2 and five-time major winner, to her giant-killing list after dispatching 2017 French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko (world No. 25) of Latvia and 2025 Australian Open champion Madison Keys (world No. 5) of the United States.

A wildcard entry and unseeded player at that in the stacked 128-player field headlined by the sports’ brightest stars, Ms. Eala embraced the spotlight and the pressure with it to blaze a trail not only for Philippine tennis — but for the world.

“I don’t know what to say. I’m in complete disbelief right now. I’m on cloud nine,” said Ms. Eala, speechless and breathless for a moment after Ms. Świątek’s return from her own serve went out of bounds for her epic victory via sweep much to the standing ovation of the packed Miami crowd in awe of her stellar Cinderella run.

“It’s so surreal. My coach told me to run, to go for every ball, to take all the opportunities I can because a five-time Slam champion is not going to give you the win.”

Up next for Ms. Eala on Friday at 8:30 a.m. (Manila time) is home bet and world No. 4 Jessica Pegula, who scored a gutsy 6-4, 6(3)-7, 6-2 win over Great Britain’s Emma Raducanu in their own quarterfinal pairing.

Ms. Eala could soar to greater heights with a potential monumental ticket in the final albeit she had already etched a lot of feats as early as now with a win for the ages against Ms. Świątek, who just two years ago served as the keynote speaker in her graduation at the Rafael Nadal Academy in Spain.

Only 19 years of age and hundreds of ranks below her Goliath opponents at WTA No. 140, Ms. Eala was the first Filipino to beat three major champions and three Top-25 players in a single tournament.

She’s also the first Filipino WTA semifinalist and is on track to become the first Filipino player in history to barge into the Top 100 with a live ranking of No. 75 as of writing.

In the entire tennis world, the lefty wunderkind zoomed as only the second wild card to defeat three or more Grand Slam champions in a single tour-level event after Elina Svitolina at Wimbledon 2023.

The protégé of Spanish legend Rafael Nadal also replicated the feats of Justine Henin in 2010 and Victoria Azarenka in 2018 as the only wildcard semifinalist in women’s tour history.

And Ms. Eala did it all without yielding a single set, none bigger than a domination of Ms. Świątek in only 99 minutes to secure a guaranteed purse of $332,160 or over P19 million.

After a backbreaking stunner in the first set, Ms. Eala melted a 2-4 deficit behind a crisp groundstroke and return service game that caught Ms. Świątek off guard -— and out.

Overall, Ms. Eala broke Ms. Świątek’s serves eight times to prevail over her fellow Rafael Nadal Academy graduate in front of legendary coach Toni Nadal, uncle and mentor of Rafael, who witnessed the historic duel from Ms. Eala’s box.

“We are extremely proud of you, Alex (Eala). What an incredible tournament! Let’s keep dreaming,” said the “King of Clay” Mr. Nadal, a 22-time grand slam winner before retiring last year.

“She went all in. She made these returns in and pretty long, and so it wasn’t easy to hit it back. She was pretty loosened up and just went for it,” added Ms. Świątek on Ms. Eala, her training mate in the 2021 Miami Open that served as the Filipina teen’s WTA Tour debut.

Indeed, Ms. Eala’s dream continues and she’s out to realize it with a potential final seat in the biggest moment for her and the Philippine tennis just yet. — John Bryan Ulanday

TNT, Ginebra in Commissioner’s Cup finals sudden death playoff

March 27, 2025 | 7:47 pm

Game on Friday
(Smart Araneta Coliseum)
7:30 p.m. – TNT vs Ginebra (Series tied, 3-3)

THE THIRD CHAPTER of the thrilling TNT-Barangay Ginebra titular rivalry couldn’t have gotten a more epic conclusion.

Game 7, a death battle between two fierce combatants unwilling to give an inch and roll over in the face of tremendous adversity.

Tied after six highly charged matches, the Tropang Giga and the Gin Kings settle the score on Friday in the final showdown for the PBA Season 49 Commissioner’s Cup crown at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The rivals lock horns at 7:30 p.m. with TNT out to complete its steal from a 2-3 deficit and add the trophy in the mid-season conference to the Governors’ Cup plum it currently holds and Ginebra bent on making good on second try to end a two-year championship drought.

“Best two words in sports (Game 7). It’s a players’ game so all out,” said Gin Kings star Scottie Thompson, whose team has not tasted triumph since beating Hong Kong’s Bay Area, 4-3, for the Season 48 Commissioner’s Cup diadem in January 2023.

The Justin Brownlee-led Gin Kings have been denied a followup twice by the Rondae Hollis-Jefferson-bannered TNT, which hacked out identical 4-2 conquest in the last two Governors’ Cup Last Dance.

“Looking forward to Game 7. I’ve never been in a Game 7 even in the NBA but at the end of the day, it’s basketball,” said Mr. Hollis-Jefferson.

“It’s do-a-die for both sides and time to give everything. I’m ready, I have that mindset to come in and give my all, fight like always and do whatever it takes to help us win.”

TNT forced the 3-3 deadlock with a huge 87-83 equalizer on Wednesday.

“Everybody’s feeling good for one another but the job for us will always stay the same — it’s not done until we win everything and I feel like everybody understands that,” said RHJ.

With the bungled clincher, there’s much pressure on Ginebra.

“Game 7s are never just another game. They’re tough games, tough to prepare for especially when you come off a loss,” said Ginebra coach Tim Cone.

“It’s a little bit harder going into Game 7 coming off a loss rather than coming off a win. It’s a tougher memory to get right in 24 hours and (be) ready to play so that’s going to be our challenge.”

TNT mentor Chot Reyes takes pressure off by reminding the Tropang Giga they got this far without ace playmaker Jayson Castro.

“We were not even expected to get to the finals when we lost Jayson in the semifinals. And then who would have thought that we would battle a team like that (Ginebra) without last year’s Finals MVP (Castro)? So I told the players don’t let the pressure get to you,” he said.

Notes: TNT big man Poy Erram, who has had game-time altercation with teammate Glen Khobuntin and coach Chot Reyes in this campaign, said he will be getting professional help to control his emotions better. “I’m not going to sugarcoat it, I’ve been a distraction to the team,” said Mr. Erram, who apologized to his teammates, coaches and the public for his recent behavior. “I’m seeking help to move forward.” He made up for it in Game 5 with a solid performance of 14 points, including 10 in the fourth, and six rebounds, four in the final canto. — Olmin Leyba

Van Sickle and Davison are among Alas Pilipinas wish list

March 27, 2025 | 7:44 pm

FIL-FOREIGNERS Brooke Van Sickle and Savi Davison, along with 15 Alas Pilipinas remnants, were among the 33-player wish list the Philippine National Volleyball Federation (PNVF) released on Thursday in preparation for several international tournaments including this December’s Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Thailand.

Mses. Van Sickle and Davison, who currently play for Petro Gazz and PLDT, respectively, in the Premier Volleyball League (PVL), are being eyed to beef up the Jorge Souza de Brito-mentored squad that is seeking to medal in the SEA Games after a long while.

The list was mostly from the PVL with some coming from the collegiate ranks and a few in the US and Filipinos playing abroad like Jia de Guzman and Maddie Madayag, who are plying their trades in Japan.

Among the prominent Alas standouts in the list were Bella Belen, Angel Canino, Thea Gagate, Eya Laure, Faith Nisperos and Fifi Sharma.

Some college players who haven’t played for Alas but were in the shortlist were Adamson’s dynamo rookie Shaina Nitura, National University’s Alyssa Solomon and Evangeline Alinsug, De La Salle University’s Shevana Laput and Amie Provido and Far Eastern University’s Clarisse Loresco.

“These are quality young players from the professional league PVL, abroad and schools,” said PNVF President Ramon Suzara. “This is a wish list of players for the national team that I fervently want to see competing for our flag and country.”

But first, they would have to attend the tryouts that de Brito will supervise for them to be called up for national team duties.

“We are very confident to tap the best players in every position,” said Mr. De Brito. “The Philippines has a lot of great talents from the collegiate ranks up to the pro ranks and we are improving ever since I arrived. We just need to work hard to let the players grow.” — Joey Villar