BY ALEX ALAGON
Michelle Buenaventura, tournament support director Duterte First Kadayawan Pickleball Tournament (with mic) briefs the local sports media on Thursday’s 13 August DSA Forum. With her are tournament director Januar Htun and Jessa Rondez, spokesperson from the Office of Vice Mayor Rigo Duterte. (LPP/DSA)
Davao City – Some 400 entries are to compete in the First District Representative Paolo Duterte-Vice Mayor Rigo Duterte First Pickleball tournament on 22-23 August at the Crisron Pickleball Courts in Ma-a, “All our entries are from Davao City and registration is free on a first come, first serve basis,” said tournament director January Htun on Thursday’s 13 August Davao Sportswriters Association (DSA) Forum. Htun also added that for now they are now in the pairing stage in the various categories to be contested.
“Since pickleball is a fast-rising sport in the city, we will be giving away paddles as raffle prizes for the participants,” added Jessa Rondez, spokesperson from the Office of Vice Mayor Rigo Duterte. Participants will be playing in the Novice and Beginners categories with the awarding ceremonies to be held after the games at the said venue.
By Jon Develos
Philippine Ten-pin Bowling icon Paeng Nepomuceno (with mic) along with DATBA President Rameses Tancontian at the weekly DSA Forum. (DSA)
Davao City – Rafael “Paeng” Nepomuceno, the country’s ten-pin bowling icon announced Thursday, 13 August that Philippine bowling is right on track in their direction to bring back the sport to its glory days. “We have numerous young players in the national pool that are quite promising.
We also have programs for coaches in different regional clubs under the Philippine Bowling Federation (PBF), said 69 year-old Nepomuceno at the weekly Davao Sportswriters Association (DSA) Forum.
Nepomuceno is in town to see action in the 18th Davao Ten-pin Bowling Association (DATBA) Kadayawan 2026 at the SM Bowling Center in SM Lanang Premier participating in the Open Senior category. “It is still fun to compete with today’s players who are much younger than me.
However, I still enjoy a good challenge,” Nepomuceno said after being asked if he can still have a good run for the overall title. He also said that these younger players can bring back the glory days of bowling and from the trained and licensed coaches in each region, they can discover new talents which will be potential in future national and international competitions.
On the other hand, Rameses Tancontian, President of the organizing DATBA Kadayawan 2026 said that some 100 players or more are seeing action in the tournament which wraps up on Sunday, 16 August. “So far, this is the biggest tournament for ten-pin here in the region. Bigger cash prizes will be at stake for the winners,” Tancontian said.
By Jon Develos
FILIPINOS are increasingly finding connection through gaming, technology, and creator culture. In its drive to be at the forefront of this, Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) continues to support events that inspire innovation, digital engagement, and meaningful connections across the country, including SM Supermalls’ Tech & Play Month 2026.
SM’s nationwide campaign brings together gamers, creators, collectors, and tech enthusiasts through immersive events that celebrate innovation, creativity, and community.
“Smart and SM Supermalls share a common vision of creating meaningful experiences that connect people through technology, innovation, and community,” said Christian So, assistant vice president and head of modern trade key accounts at Smart. “Our continued support for SM Tech & Play Month underscores our commitment to empowering Filipinos to pursue their passions and enjoy enriching digital experiences.”
Smart subscribers can level up their digital experiences powered by Smart 5G, which offers seamless streaming, gaming, and video to support their lifestyle.
This year’s lineup features marquee attractions including SM Geek Fest, which showcases cosplay, collectibles, trading card games, merchandise, and fan communities, as well as SM Super Play Con, a gaming convention featuring esports tournaments, gaming demos, creator engagements, and technology exhibits. The campaign also includes gadget discovery zones, creator-focused activities, and technology showcases that bring the latest innovations closer to consumers.
The partnership also highlights both organizations’ commitment to fostering engagement among passion-driven audiences, particularly Gen Z and millennials who increasingly seek experiential and community-centered activities. By supporting platforms that encourage discovery, creativity, and connection through its reliable 4G LTE and 5G mobile network, Smart continues to create memorable experiences for SM’s customers nationwide.
DAVAO CITY — As Davao City comes alive for the annual Kadayawan Festival, Universal Robina Corporation (URC) Flour is bringing a unique celebration of local craftsmanship to the region by steering its state-of-the-art Sugod Bakery Van to Mindanao for the very first time.
Following highly successful legs across Luzon in Sariaya and Lucban, Quezon, the Sugod Bakery Caravan is making its official sea crossing to land in Davao. Positioned as a major highlight of this year’s Kadayawan festivities, the initiative transforms festival celebrations into a practical platform for community development, giving local bakers and micro-entrepreneurs an interactive, hands-on opportunity to experience mobile bakery firsthand.
Through this initiative, URC Flour is actively investing in countryside micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) by bringing high-level technical training, baking equipment, and practical business strategies directly to neighborhood bakeries. “Our agreement with the Davao City LGU goes well beyond traditional festival sponsorship. True growth happens when we invest in people,” said Naida Dalisay-Ebora, Commercial Director of URC Flour. “Through the Sugod Bakery Caravan, we are bringing our technical expertise directly to Davao’s local bakers, giving them the tools, knowledge, and high-quality flour solutions, they need to grow profitable, sustainable bakeshops right in their home city.”
The partnership has received strong support from the local government, recognizing the caravan’s potential to generate sustainable economic opportunities for local baking communities.
“We welcome URC Flour not just as a partner for Kadayawan, but as a genuine champion for our local micro-entrepreneurs,” Ms. Charlotte B. Parba, Administrative Officer, City Tourism Operations Officer, Davao City. “This partnership aligns directly with our goal to upskill our local workforce and elevate our neighborhood small businesses. Equipped with baking techniques and reliable local supply, our Dabawenyo bakers can take their crafts to greater heights.”
The URC Flour Sugod Bakery Van will feature live baking demonstrations, interactive skill-building sessions, and expert-led technical consultations throughout its run in Davao City on August 14 and 15.
Local bakers, neighborhood bakeshop owners, commercial operators, and aspiring micro-entrepreneurs are invited to participate in this free, educational event during the Kadayawan Festival to explore baking solutions and elevate their commercial operations.
MAKATI CITY, Philippines – Security Bank Corporation (PSE: SECB) reported PHP6.1 billion in net income for the first half of 2026 (H1-2026), up 4% year-on-year (YoY), as stronger revenues, better operating efficiency, and prudent credit management supported the Bank’s performance. Second-quarter momentum strengthened, with Q2-2026 net income rising 25% quarter-on-quarter (QoQ) and 11% year-on-year to PHP3.4 billion.
Pre-provision operating profit rose 21% year-on-year to PHP15.4 billion, reflecting the Bank’s core earnings expansion and continued focus on disciplined, quality growth. Total revenues increased 11% to PHP34.9 billion.
Net interest income grew to PHP32.4 billion, with net interest margin at 5.78%. Service charges, fees, and commissions reached PHP4.2 billion. Operating expenses increased 3% year-on-year, well below revenue growth, bringing the cost-to-income ratio down to 55.7% from 59.6% in H1-2025.
The Bank sustained a prudent and proactive approach to credit. Provisions for credit losses were PHP7.6 billion for the first half. Asset quality indicators improved, with the gross non-performing loan ratio declining to 3.04% from 3.16% a year ago and 3.08% in the previous quarter. NPL reserve cover also improved to 85% from 79% a year ago and 81% in the previous quarter.
Q2 momentum strengthened
In the second quarter, total revenues rose to PHP17.9 billion, up 5% quarter-on-quarter and 11% year-on-year. Pre-provision operating profit reached PHP7.9 billion, up 6% from the previous quarter and 19% from the same period last year. Provisions for credit losses were PHP3.7 billion, lower than the PHP3.9 billion recorded in the first quarter.
Strong liquidity and capital position
Total deposits stood at PHP891 billion, with CASA deposits up 8% year-on-year. CASA accounted for 52% of total deposits, higher than 49% a year ago and 51% in the previous quarter. Net loans stood at PHP675 billion, up 1% year-on-year, as the Bank continued to rebalance its portfolio toward higher-quality segments. Total investment securities were PHP362 billion.
Security Bank continues to maintain strong liquidity and capital ratios. As of June 30, 2026, Liquidity Coverage Ratio was 206% and Net Stable Funding Ratio was 145%, both well above regulatory minimums. Common Equity Tier 1 Ratio improved to 12.6% from 12.2% in the previous quarter and 12.3% a year ago. Total Capital Adequacy Ratio improved to 13.5%, compared with 13.1% in the previous quarter and 13.2% a year ago.
Shareholders’ capital increased to PHP155.7 billion, up 5% year-on-year and 1% quarter-on-quarter. Total assets stood at PHP1.19 trillion, up 3% year-on-year.
“As Security Bank marks its 75th year, we are building momentum with discipline,” said Victor Lee, president and CEO of Security Bank. “We grew revenues faster than expenses, improved efficiency, strengthened reserve cover, and maintained strong capital and liquidity. Our focus is to keep growing responsibly while making banking simpler, faster, and more responsive for the customers and businesses we serve.”
MANILA, Philippines – What does the future of food taste like? That’s what hundreds of guests got to explore for themselves at the Unilever Food Solutions (UFS) Future Menus 2026 Food Trends Adventure last weekend. Held in partnership with GCash for Business, Future Menus transformed the Foro de Intramuros into the home base of a one-of-a-kind food crawl.
The event showcased the culinary ideas shaping how people eat today, and how they may be eating tomorrow. With GCash for Business helping make payments simple and convenient, guests could move seamlessly through the experience and focus on discovering the flavors and trends shaping the future of food.
From Trend Report to Tasting Menu
Future Menus is Unilever Food Solutions’ annual global food trends platform, developed based on extensive research and insights from chefs around the world. This year’s report spotlighted four key trends shaping the future of dining: the resurgence of heritage cuisine, the elevation of street food through more refined techniques, the growing influence of borderless cuisine, and the emergence of more personalized dining experiences.
“Every year, Future Menus brings together insights from chefs, industry experts, consumer behavior, and global food trends to identify the movements that will shape the future of dining. […] what makes Future Menus truly valuable is […] translating those insights into practical, profitable solutions that chefs and operators can bring to life in their kitchens immediately,” said Kat Huang, country marketing head of Unilever Food Solutions.
Throughout the food crawl, guests discovered how these trends translated from concept to plate through dishes from 15 merchants, namely: Backyard BBQ, Bigby’s, Bun Run, Caerus, Chotto Matcha, Fiasfud, H Proper, Itamessy, Mezmars & Mau’s, OnlyPans, Poppy’s Halo Halo, Rebel Bakehouse, Sama Sama, Shawarma Ko, and Soriano’s.
Several dishes from the event that offered a glimpse of these trends included Sama Sama’s Filipino beef pares inside a tender bao – their interpretation of the Borderless Cuisine trend, where chefs borrow techniques and formats from around the world while staying true to the flavors of the dish itself.
Meanwhile, Soriano’s shone a light on a classic Filipino dish with its Beef Morcon, bringing back a traditional fiesta dish hardly found on menus today. It’s the kind of dish that captures the spirit of another trend, Culinary Roots, that celebrates ancestral recipes by making traditional Filipino flavors feel exciting and relevant for a new generation of diners.
For dessert, Poppy’s Halo Halo elevated two well-loved Filipino merienda classics – Halo Halo and Mais Con Yelo – without taking away their nostalgic charm but elevating them through craftsmanship, quality ingredients, and thoughtful presentation.
Together with the rest of the menus presented at the event, these dishes proved that the future of Filipino cuisine isn’t defined by a single look or style, but by the ways chefs and businesses continue to experiment with formats, reinterpret familiar flavours, and respond to consumer tastes.
Powering the Digital Future of Dining
Presented in partnership with GCash for Business, the event also marked the first-ever cashless Future Menus, offering a real-world look at how the dining experience is changing alongside the country’s shift toward digital payments. GCash for Business was selected as the event’s exclusive payment partner, powering the end-to-end payment experience from ticketing through transactions at participating merchant booths.
According to Kate Cruz, B2B Marketing head of GCash, 60% of food and beverage transactions in the Philippines are already digital. One in five diners pay directly using an e-wallet like GCash, adding, “The shift in consumer behavior is already happening. The opportunity now is to make sure businesses are equipped to keep up.”
For GCash, that means looking beyond the consumer side of digital payments. Every digital buyer, after all, needs a digital seller – and with MSMEs accounting for 90% of businesses in the Philippines, more than 56% of these merchants remain digitally underserved.
“Merchants don’t fear technology; they fear friction,” Cruz said. “Empowering consumers was only half the equation, and now that paying with GCash has become part of Filipinos’ everyday routines, we saw that we needed to shift our attention to bridging the gap for the businesses they’re paying, too.”
At the Food Trends Adventure, GCash for Business had a dedicated booth where restaurants and food business owners could register and apply for their own SoundPay Plus device, a payment solution that accepts multiple payment methods and provides instant audio confirmation for successful transactions.
Across the food crawl experience, GCash for Business also launched a Scan-to-Order feature allowing guests to order and pay directly from where they were instead of waiting in line, further showing how digital tools are streamlining the dining journey and easing the experience for everyone.
As food businesses continue to evolve in response to changing tastes, formats, and consumer expectations, the digital infrastructure supporting them is evolving as well. Through GCash for Business, the Future Menus Food Trends Adventure showed that dining is not only about what ends up on a plate, but also how businesses and consumers connect around it.
The Future Menus 4 report is now available to download for free through the UFS website. To learn how food businesses can streamline operations, simplify payments, and focus on delivering exceptional dining experiences with GCash, visit GCash for Business.
FILINVEST Land Inc. (FLI) officially marked a significant milestone as amenity construction for Maldives Oasis officially commenced, reinforcing the developer’s steadfast dedication to building sustainable, lifestyle-rich communities across the region.
Built on a bedrock of international excellence, Maldives Oasis stands as a distinguished FIABCI Gold Awardee for Residential Mid-Rise Development, earned for its world-class urban design, sustainability, and structural integrity.
The amenity milestone reflects a broader vision of Filinvest Land in driving regional progress, energizing the local economy, and bringing work, life, and community together. As Davao City experiences a fast-rising condo market demand, FLI continues to deliver its commitment to lifestyle-driven spaces that fulfill the dream of a resort community within the city.
FLI has already turned over Bldg. A to its unit owners. Turnover for Building B remains firmly on track to commence within the year, accelerating the growth of this vibrant neighborhood.
With decades of credibility in residential development throughout Mindanao, Filinvest Land remains committed to strengthening the local community and enriching the lives of its homeowners. At Maldives Oasis, Filinvest is doing more than laying foundations—we are empowering lives, connecting communities, and building a resilient Davao for generations to come.
IF YOU’VE ever shared a pizza feast with family or friends, you’re probably familiar with how the meal usually ends. Long after the last slice is gone, someone starts browsing the menu again in search of something sweet. But Pizza Hut’s newest offering proves that dessert doesn’t always have to come after a meal!
Satisfy your sweet tooth with the new Sweet Golden Collection, a limited-time lineup that transforms two well-loved favorites, mango cheesecake and turon, into indulgent pizzas served on Pizza Hut’s signature Mega Crunch Pizza crust! Whether you’re capping off a feast or simply satisfying that sweet craving on a random Tuesday afternoon, the new collection offers a fun new way to enjoy familiar flavors!
Mango Cheesecake Bliss
Mango cheesecake has long been a crowd favorite, but have you ever imagined it in pizza form?
The Mango Cheesecake Bliss brings together a smooth, velvety base made with sour cream and cream cheese, complemented by mozzarella for added richness. Fresh mangoes add bursts of fruity sweetness, while marshmallows and cheesecake cubes create layers of creamy indulgence in every bite. Finished with a sweet cream drizzle, it delivers the tangy, sweet, and creamy flavors people love about mango cheesecake, now reinvented in an unexpected format.
What makes it even more enjoyable is the contrast in textures. The rich toppings rest on Pizza Hut’s Mega Crunch Pizza crust, creating a satisfying combination of creamy, fruity, and crispy elements that keeps you reaching for another slice!
Golden Turon Pizza
Turon is already a beloved Filipino snack, but Pizza Hut gives it a surprising twist with the Golden Turon Pizza!
Here, the deep sweetness of caramelized banana meets fragrant strips of langka, instantly recalling the flavors of freshly made turon. Marshmallows and mozzarella melt into a rich layer across the pizza, while crispy thin-crust strips add an extra crunch to every bite. A light dusting of powdered sugar completes the experience with just the right touch of sweetness.
Served on Pizza Hut’s Mega Crunch Pizza crust, the Golden Turon Pizza delivers the familiar flavors of a classic merienda in a format that is playful and unexpected. It’s the kind of creation that sparks curiosity from the first glance and keeps everyone reaching for a taste!
Think pizza is only for savory cravings? The Sweet Golden Collection might just change your mind! Priced at ₱299 each and available for a limited time only, these dessert-inspired creations offer a delicious reason to gather, share, and discover how two well-loved favorites can be enjoyed in a whole new way!
Get them together with your other Pizza Hut favorites by visiting your nearest store for dine-in and take-out. You can also order for delivery by calling the (02) 8911-1111 hotline, by logging on to www.pizzahut.com, with a few taps via the Pizza Hut mobile app, available for Android and iOS devices, or through Pizza Hut’s official delivery partners GrabFood and foodpanda (prices may vary)!
Make sure to follow and like Pizza Hut on Facebook, Instagram, and X so you won’t miss out on the latest news, updates, and offers!
VILNIUS, Lithuania –- The U.S. labor market has recently posted its worst monthly numbers in over a year. But for tech professionals wondering where to invest their time, the skills employers want haven’t changed.
A new analysis by Oxylabs, a web intelligence company, examined roughly 850,000 U.S. tech job postings published between January 2025 and March 2026. The finding: cloud platforms and foundational infrastructure tools – not the buzziest skills on social media – dominate hiring requirements.
Amazon Web Services (AWS) appears in 30% of all postings. It is followed by Microsoft Azure (24%), Git (21%), Excel (15%), Google Cloud Platform or GCP (14%), Kubernetes (14%), Docker (13%), Power BI (9%), Terraform (8%), and Tableau (7%).
Nearly 42% of all analyzed postings required knowledge of at least one major cloud platform. AWS and Azure also emerged as the most co-mentioned duo, appearing together in 15% of job descriptions.
The report highlights a market heavily weighted toward infrastructure, with cloud platforms accounting for 47% of all tool mentions, followed by DevOps tooling at 30% and business intelligence at 18%.
“The picture we saw after analyzing close to a million job postings largely confirms what experienced developers would guess – cloud, infrastructure, and data skills are in high demand. Where it gets more interesting is in the proportions: cloud platforms and DevOps tooling dominate job ads even more heavily than survey-based rankings suggest, while some high-visibility skills (the ones trending on X or headlining conference talks) appear less often than you might think,” said Andrius Kūkšta, tech lead at Oxylabs.
Data Infrastructure Beats Online Hype
Despite ongoing tech layoffs, hiring activity rose sharply earlier this year, with the first quarter of 2026 accounting for 39% of all listings in the dataset – 3.7 times more activity than the same period a year earlier.
Software engineering roles represented the largest share of posting volume at 38%, followed by Data Science and AI/ML at 14%, Tech and Engineering Management at 14%, and DevOps and Cloud roles at 12%.
The distribution of tool requirements across function categories reveals a market that is heavily weighted toward infrastructure and deployment, with more specialized data and analytics skills concentrated in narrower segments of the workforce.
Looking at the five broad tool categories analyzed, Data Storage and Infrastructure tools – primarily cloud platforms like AWS, Azure, and GCP – account for 47% of all tool mentions across tech job postings. DevOps and Developer Experience tools, led by Git and including Docker, Kubernetes, and Terraform, represent 30%.
Business Intelligence and Analytics tools – Power BI, Tableau, and Looker – account for 18%. Data Ingestion and Transformation tools such as dbt, Fivetran, Kafka, and Airbyte make up just 4%, while Orchestration and Observability tools like Airflow represent 1%.
“Chasing the most ‘advanced’ or talked-about tools without building cloud fundamentals first is a risky strategy. The data suggests professionals should first identify their target role category, then master the toolset specific to that path,” said Kūkšta.
Regional Patterns and Industry Demand
Geographically, California led total posting volume at 13%, followed by Texas at 8% and New York at 5%. However, Virginia stood out by posting nearly three times as many tech jobs per capita as the national average, driven by its massive concentration of data centers serving major cloud providers.
While AWS was the top-requested cloud platform across the majority of states, Azure took the lead across a specific cluster of Upper Midwest and Southern states, including Minnesota, Indiana, and Tennessee, reflecting regional enterprise ties in manufacturing and healthcare.
Outside of the core tech sector, which generated 45% of all listings, professional services accounted for 17% of hiring demand, followed by finance and manufacturing at 8% each. Media and entertainment also emerged as an active recruiter for cloud-native talent, relying heavily on AWS and Git for digital production pipelines.
The full research report is available here.
About the Expert
Andrius Kūkšta is a Tech Lead in the R&D team at Oxylabs. Over more than eight years there, he has progressed through roles including Analyst, Software Engineer, ML Engineer, Data Engineer, and R&D Engineer. He has contributed to several core products and is the author or co-author of five patents based on Oxylabs technologies. His work focuses on the latest AI and emerging technologies, translating trends into practical solutions. Outside of work, he is involved in sports analytics for the basketball club Žalgiris Kaunas.
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