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Good morning. Happy Hump Day! Who else thinks the Philippines should decrease the number of humps out here and start slowing down for Pedestrian Lane-crossers. 🛣🛣
Local News
💰 Marcos’ Mega Budget: P6.352 Trillion for a Thriving 2025
By Tobias Bautista
Nino Orbeta
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has given the green light to a hefty P6.352 trillion National Expenditure Program (NEP) for 2025. The announcement came from the Palace on Tuesday after a Cabinet meeting at Malacañang Palace, where Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman laid out the proposed budget.
Marcos emphasized priorities like food security, social protection, healthcare, housing, disaster resilience, infrastructure, digital connectivity, and energy. Marcos remarked that it’s a solid plan, highlighting the balanced allocation of funds to these key areas — hopefully our government officials put good work into this plan.
The biggest budget slices will go to education, public works, health, interior and local government, and defense. Social welfare, agriculture, transportation, the judiciary, and justice are also high on the list.
On the expense side, the bulk of the budget is earmarked for maintenance and operating expenses, followed by personnel services, capital outlays, and financial expenses.
With Marcos’ approval, the NEP now heads to Congress for deliberation by the Senate and House of Representatives.
Google Translate Got all Filipinos Covered
by Tobias Bautista
Google just added a whopping 110 new languages to Google Translate, all thanks to some wizardry from its PaLM 2 large language model. Announced last Thursday, June 27, this update means Google Translate now supports a total of 133 languages. It's like adding new flavors to an already diverse language buffet!
Among the newbies, five are from the Philippines: Bikol, Hiligaynon, Kapampangan, Pangasinan, and Waray. These join the existing Tagalog (labeled as Filipino), Cebuano, and Ilocano. Africa also got a language boost, with about a quarter of the new additions coming from there.
Isaac Caswell, Google’s senior software engineer, praised PaLM 2 in a blog post, calling it “a key piece to the puzzle” for efficiently learning closely related languages. He hinted that this is just the beginning, with more language varieties and spelling conventions to come as technology and partnerships with linguists and native speakers advance.
Business
✈ Cebu Pacific’s Sky-High Spending Spree
By Tobias Bautista
Cebu Pacific is soaring to new heights with a major shopping spree, snapping up over 100 shiny new planes. The Philippines’ largest airline inked a $24 billion (₱1.4 trillion) deal with Airbus (they probably know about competitor Boeing’s scandals) for a fleet of up to 152 A321neo aircraft, marking the biggest order in Philippine aviation history. Talk about a sky-high purchase!
This massive order includes firm bookings for 102 A321neo planes and an option for 50 A320neo units. Think of it as Cebu Pacific’s version of choosing between regular and large fries, ensuring they can adapt to any market hunger pangs.
Cebu Pacific CEO Michael Szucs noted that this move is not just about expanding their fleet but also about fueling the Philippine growth story. The deal is set to be finalized by Q3, so keep your tray tables in the upright position.
The airline bounced back from a ₱14 billion loss in 2022 to a sweet ₱7.9 billion profit in 2023, thanks to a surge in air travel. They carried over 20 million passengers on 140,000 flights last year—up 41% and 31%, respectively, from 2022.
Not stopping there, Cebu Pacific also launched a cadet pilot training program as part of their expansion plan. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) predicts nearly five billion passengers will take to the skies in 2024, though rising costs and climate challenges loom on the horizon.
In other words, fasten your seatbelts and prepare for takeoff—Cebu Pacific is flying high!
Jollibee Perks Up with Compose Coffee
by Tobias Bautista
Jollibee Foods Corporation is brewing up something special by snapping up South Korean coffee brand Compose Coffee. The fast-food giant announced on Tuesday that it’s getting a 70% stake in Compose Coffee, a brand that boasts over 2,000 franchised stores in South Korea and tops the charts in brand satisfaction.
The deal is set to cost Jollibee around $340 million, pending some final details. Think of it as Jollibee’s golden ticket to the international value coffee market in Seoul, opening doors faster than a barista’s espresso machine.
Compose Coffee isn’t just a pretty face; it has a debt-free balance sheet and impressive cash returns. Jollibee’s Chairman Tony Tan Caktiong believes the brand is on the fast track to becoming South Korea’s largest and fastest-growing value coffee player.
Founded in Busan in 2014, Compose Coffee has over 2,600 stores and was crowned South Korea’s favorite coffee shop at the 2023 Korea’s Most Loved Brand Awards. They even roped in BTS’s V (Kim Taehyung) as their brand ambassador for their 10th anniversary. Talk about star power!
Jollibee’s caffeine ambitions don’t stop here. They also own Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, have stakes in Vietnam’s Highlands Coffee, and brought Tiong Bahru Bakery and Common Man Coffee Roasters to the Philippines. Looks like Jollibee is on a mission to caffeinate the world, one cup at a time!
Sports
🏀2024 NBA free agency has been wild to say the least, let’s highlight the biggest moves
By Koby del Rosario
Gif by laclippers on Giphy
As it does every year, the opening of NBA free agency has put the basketball world on a blitz as move after move is being made between all 30 NBA teams.
The 2024 off-season has been no different as two of the biggest signings have been made as of writing: Klay Thompson to the Mavs and Paul George to the Sixers.
Klay’s move to the Dallas Mavericks might be the most heartbreaking one so far, as it officially puts an end to the Warriors dynasty and the Splash Brothers tandem. Meanwhile, PG’s move to the Sixers virtually creates a big 3 between him, former MVP Joel Embiid, and MIP Tyrese Maxey (worth mentioning as well the moves Philadelphia has been making).
After he was waived by the Warriors, veteran point guard Chris Paul is headed to San Antonio to pair with ROTY Victor Wembanyama. Look for the out-of-this-world stalwart to catch lobs from the star floor general.
For the surging OKC Thunder, they’ve been solidifying their squad by trading Josh Giddey for 3-and-D guard Alex Caruso and signing center Isaiah Hartenstein as backup big for the up-and-coming Chet Holmgren.
On the East side, the also surging Orlando Magic has picked up the sharpshooting Kentavious Caldwell-Pope as he will look to bring a championship mindset to the young squad.
With the non-stop signings and trades happening, keep yourself updated by following Adrian Wojnarowski and Shams Charania on X.
In other news, Knicks’ Jalen Brunson and Pacers’ Tyrese Haliburton almost settled the score in the latest edition of WWE Smackdown.
🇵🇭 Hold up, PH collegiate basketball has something to say with its own crazy free agency
By Koby del Rosario
UAAP
In a move that came out of literally nowhere, rising star big man Mason Amos has decided to take his talents from the Katipunan side to the Taft side in a shocker to basically all enthusiasts.
The transfer has sparked the Ateneo community to band together and call out the young standout for allegedly leaving behind the Blue Eagles in not so good terms.
Whether or not he did leave the Blue and White in a shady way, the Green and White are thrilled as La Salle continues to bolster their team with blue chip players.
It’s not yet clear on how many playing years Amos will have left and when he’ll be eligible to play as the UAAP is still continuing its efforts of enhancing the transfer rule.
This was just the cherry on top of a collegiate basketball season that has seen blockbuster moves from both the UAAP and NCAA. Nevertheless, we have a great year of college hoops in store.
Moreover, the UP Fighting Maroons seemed to have found the final piece to their puzzle while a rising wing from UST is now going to the other side of Taft.
News Roundup
Tortured Chinese POGO Employees lead to criminal complaints against Chinese supervisors
Dave Ildefonso to declare for the PBA Draft — following his brother and dad’s footsteps
Deadly fake drugs swirling around — disguised as Unilab products including Alaxan, Bioflu, Biogesic. Be careful with over the counter drugs!
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