Latest news with #Filipinos
GMA Network
2 hours ago
- Sport
- GMA Network
Cone targets FIBA Asia Cup gold for Gilas, but keeps sights set on Chinese Taipei clash
While a championship remains the ultimate goal, Gilas Pilipinas head coach Tim Cone insisted the path to the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup glory starts with full focus on the first game. The seasoned tactician emphasized the importance of passing an early test against an ever-improving Chinese Taipei on August 6—a matchup that could set the tone for the rest of Gilas Pilipinas' Asia Cup campaign. "I'll say it again, our goal is to win the gold medal. That's our goal. We're gonna go out there and try to win the gold medal. Will we? I'm not sure," Cone said on the heels of Gilas' 103-98 win over the Macau Black Bears in a friendly game last Monday. "That's certainly our goal, but that's not what we're focused on though. We're focused on everyday, on what we do everyday." Gilas fell to Chinese Taipei the last time they faced each other during the third and final window of the Asia Cup qualifiers last February, where the Filipinos absorbed a 91-84 beating. That win served as Chinese Taipei's first over the Philippines since 2013. Chinese Taipei is also being bolstered by American-Taiwanese brothers Adam and Robert Hinton, who both play in the US NCAA Division 1. With this, head coach Tim Cone believes clearing this early hurdle would be a significant statement for Gilas, especially with tougher matchups against New Zealand and Iraq looming. "Taiwan beat us the last time we played them and they have two young Division 1 players in the Hinton brothers and those guys are making an impact on that team," Cone added. "They definitely have the personnel, it wasn't a fluke that they beat us. So we have to be prepared for them." When it comes to personnel, however, veteran Justin Brownlee is confident that Gilas has the tools to dominate Asia—backed by a new generation of talent led by AJ Edu, Kevin Quiambao, Carl Tamayo, and Dwight Ramos. "Man, it's an incredible challenge you know. You got some really good teams out there," the resident import said. "I think that's very possible to do. It's just going to take us an extreme amount of hardwork and dedication from everybody to buy into that. With everybody doing that, I think it's a bright future to be honest for Gilas program." —JKC, GMA Integrated News
GMA Network
2 hours ago
- Business
- GMA Network
DOLE says 'convergence' key to addressing unemployment
Jobseekers, most of them fresh college graduates, line up at a job fair organized by the Public Employment Service Office of Manila and the Department of Labor and Employment at a shopping mall in Ermita, Manila, during the 454th Manila Day on Tuesday, June 24, 2025. DANNY PATA The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) on Wednesday underscored the importance of coordination among all government agencies in creating high-quality jobs for Filipinos. DOLE Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma made the statement during the second day of the post-State of the Nation Address (SONA) discussions in San Juan City, where he also stressed the role of employers and the private sector in job creation. 'Ang pagbanggit ng ating Pangulo sa mga specific na departamento at mga ahensya kaugnay sa usapin ng hanapbuhay at larangan ng paggawa ay sumasalamin sa mahalagang hallmark o characteristic ng pangkasalukuyang administration. Ang aking tinutukoy ay ang katagang convergence — pagsasama-sama, pagtatagpo, pagkakaisa, pagsasanib ng pwersa ng mga departamento dahil halos lahat naman ng mga departments ay may kaugnayan sa usapin ng paggawa at hanapbuhay,' said Laguesma. (The President's mentioning of the specific departments and agencies related to workers and livelihood reflects the hallmark or characteristics of the present administration. I am talking about convergence—the coming together of all departments because almost all departments are related to livelihood.) 'Sa bahagi ng DOLE at aking kasamahan sa gabinete ng Pangulo, mahalaga samin ang collaboration, cooperation ng private sector. Nabanggit ko nga — ang napakahalagang bahagi ng manggagawa at namumuhunan — 'yun ang matibay na pundasyon ng mga gawain ng DOLE,' he said. (For DOLE and other Cabinet members, our collaboration with the private sector is also important. Like I mentioned before, our foundation for our work in DOLE is the employees and employers.) During his fourth SONA on Monday, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said the DOLE, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), and other related agencies will persevere to create more employment opportunities and fill the unemployment gaps for Filipino workers. Laguesma said the DOLE is implementing various 'employment facilitation activities' to promote jobs, including holding monthly job fairs. He also said the DOLE is strengthening its labor market information system and information dissemination by coordinating with the media, as well as through its website, The DOLE is also collaborating with local government units (LGUs) through the Public Employment Service Office (PESO) program. 'Napakahalaga rin ng coordination sa LGUs dahil nakikita na sa kanilang matapat at maayos na pakikipag-ugnayan sa DOLE, nahihikayat natin ang mga negosyante na existing na palakasin pa at magdagdag ng puhunan,' Laguesma said. (Our coordination with LGUs is also important. We saw that their cooperation with DOLE strengthens existing employers.) The number of unemployed Filipinos went down to 2.03 million in May from 2.06 million in April this year, the Philippine Statistics Authority said earlier this month. This means the unemployment rate dropped to 3.9% in May 2025 from the 4.1% recorded in both April 2025 and May 2024. —VBL, GMA Integrated News
South China Morning Post
4 hours ago
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Will Marcos' costly SONA promises bust Philippines' budget?
It felt like Christmas in July in the Philippines this week, as President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr delivered his State of the Nation Address on Monday with a veritable haul of gifts: cheap rice, free laptops, free bus rides and expanded healthcare. Advertisement Yet for all the gift-giving flourish and parade of populist promises, one question remained – who will foot the bill? The annual State of the Nation Address (SONA) has long served as a platform for Philippine presidents to trumpet their achievements and outline policy ambitions. But this year, Marcos conspicuously bypassed substantive discussion of foreign affairs and economic reform, instead opting for a speech that many analysts saw as an unabashed attempt to curry favour with the public. Filipinos were 'dismayed' by the state of basic services, the president opined, listing off the core anxieties of daily life: food, education, health, public transport. He urged local governments to revitalise parks and plazas and decreed that three major track-and-field ovals would be opened to the public to encourage exercise. A family plays with a ball at a pocket park on private land in Makati, south of Manila, in 2019. Marcos urged local governments to revitalise public parks and plazas. Photo: EPA-EFE The timing of the president's pledges was no accident. His address came in the wake of May's bruising midterm election , when administration-backed Senate candidates fell far short of expectations, capturing only half the available seats.
GMA Network
4 hours ago
- Sport
- GMA Network
PSC officially opens track and field facilities to public
The Philippine Sports Commission officially opened its track and field facilities to the public on Tuesday. This came a day after President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos, Jr.'s State of the Nation Address where he encouraged Filipinos to engage in a healthier lifestyle. In a social media post, the PSC said it has opened its facilities at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex in Manila, the Philsports Arena Complex in Pasig, and the PSC Teachers' Camp site in Baguio City. The said track and field facilities are open from 3:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. "Kindly note that we are still fine-tuning our operations, but we are happy to welcome you all back to the tracks," it added. —JKC, GMA Integrated News
The Star
5 hours ago
- Business
- The Star
Philippines sees US$1.7bil in retirement fund with new push
MANILA: The Philippine central bank sees around 100 billion pesos (US$1.7 billion) being poured into a voluntary retirement investment programme that could help boost the domestic capital market, according to an official. Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas on Tuesday (July 29) signed an agreement with banks and financial firms to pilot an initiative that will allow them to share financial data, provided the customer agrees. The goal is to make the Personal Equity and Retirement Account, or PERA, more accessible by allowing clients to open a PERA account using their existing personal data from participating financial institutions. "Economically, if just one million Filipinos take full advantage of the programme, we could see 100 billion pesos annually channelled into long-term local investments,' said Eugene Teves, BSP managing director and chief information officer. "That means deeper capital markets and increased financial resilience,' he said. In an interview, ATRAM Group Chief Executive Officer Michael Ferrer said the asset manager, which acts as an administrator of the PERA fund, isn't targeting a particular level of returns as the investment mix is typically based on clients' risk profile. For instance, a balanced portfolio, where stocks and bonds will have a 50-50 sharing, will be a good mix for clients in their mid-30s, he said. "The bonds now offer good rates,' Ferrer said. The Philippine Stock Exchange index also "definitely has an upside from here, maybe 10% to 15%, over the next 12 to 18 months,' he added. - Bloomberg
