MOA Signing for Miss Universe Philippines - Iligan 2027

MOA Signing by and between Miss Universe Ph - Iligan 2027

 

BY JUN ENRIQUEZ

ILIGAN CITY - A contract signing of a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) for Miss Universe Philippines - Iligan 2027, by and between the Miss Universe Philippines and the Iligan City Government, was conducted on August  18, 2026, held at the Go Hotel Robinsons mall in Iligan City. The proceedings highlighted the City's commitment to supporting the beauty pageant as a significant driver for tourism and economic development.

Guests during the event were Mr. Verne Padilla, Chief of Staff of City Mayor Frederick W. Siao; Mags Cue, Vice President for Global National Search for Miss Universe Philippines; Angel Ngo Local Director for Miss Universe Philippines Iligan; Mitchie Murphy Diaz, Local Tourism Consultant; Miss Trexy Roxas, Miss Iligan 2025, Miss Universe  Philippines 2026 , and Miss Eco Teen International 2026. On the sideline, Miss Faith Izzy Bengil, Mutya ng Pilipinas - Iligan 2026.

 

Key Features of the MOA signing during the event are the Tourism Promotion: The Local government views pageant as a powerful engine to showcase the city's natural beauty, considered to be the city of waterfalls in the Philippines.

Economic Impact: Beyond the competition, the event is expected to boost local business opportunities, including hotels, transportation, and small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs).

 

Advocacy and Inspiration: The pageant serves as a platform to empower the youth and inspire aspiring candidates to represent the city at the national level.

Representation: Representatives from the city have already achieved success at the national level, such as competing in Miss Eco Teen International and Mutya ng Pilipinas. (Written and Edited by Jun Enriquez, Digital-Mobile Journalist; Photos by Jenifer Bagonbon, Digital-Mobile Journalist, SocMed Specialist)

ICRC President: At 77, the Geneva Conventions remain indispensable to humanity and global stability

 

Statement by Mirjana Spoljaric, President of the ICRC, to mark the 77th anniversary of the four Geneva Conventions of 1949 on August 12th.

On 12 August 1949, states came together in the wake of the unprecedented death and destruction of the Second World War to adopt the Geneva Conventions. In doing so, they committed to universal redlines for how wars can be fought.

 Seventy-seven years later, the promise made by states to preserve humanity in war is eroding at an alarming pace. The world is counting more conflicts each year. Technologies like drones and cyber capabilities are reshaping the battlefield and erasing the notion of a clearly defined frontline. Atrocities are becoming dangerously normalised and the victims of war dehumanized.

In today’s interconnected world, no one is immune to the effects of war. As parties to the Geneva Conventions, states bear a unique responsibility to uphold these lifesaving rules. Doing so is a moral and strategic imperative that protects people both near and far the frontlines. It is also foundational to global peace and prosperity.

Changing course is still possible, but only if exceptional efforts are made now to strengthen respect for and commitment to international humanitarian law. More than 115 states have officially joined a global initiative to renew political will for international humanitarian law. I call on all states who have not yet joined to do so. The world future generations will inherit depends on the decisions world leaders make today to commit to preserving these lifesaving rules. (ICRC Press Release; Edited by Jun Enriquez, Digital-Mobile Journalist)

PSA of Iligan City and Lanao del Norte reveals information on Inflation statistics

Ms. Brenda Lynn M. Castro, OIC, PSA Iligan City and Lanao del Norte

 

 By Jun Enriquez

ILIGAN CITY - The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) based in Iligan City conducted a press conference dated August 13, 2026, Thursday, headed by Brenda Lynn M. Castro, Officer-in-charge, PSA of Iligan City and Lanao del Norte area.

Ms. Castro said that the highest inflation in Region 10 is Lanao del Norte with 8.3 percentage rate. Second is Iligan City with 7.9 percent inflation rate. 

  

The Inflation rate in Lanao del Norte accelerated to 8.3 percent in July 2026, higher than the 7.9 percent recorded in June 2026. This also marked an increase from the -1.8 inflation rate recorded in July 2025, indicating that prices of goods and services in the province were higher compared with the same period last year.

The Purchasing Power of Peso (PPP) was recorded at 0.75. This means that a set of goods and services bought at P75.00 in July 2018 is worth P100.00 in July 2026.

The Consumer price index (CPI) is a measure of change in the average retail prices of a fixed basket of commodities or goods and services commonly purchased by the households relative to a based year or based period. The CPI in Lanao del Norte was recorded at 133.8 in July 2026, indicating that the average price level of a fixed basket of goods and services increased by 33.8 percent compared with the 2018 based year.

There are top 3 contributors on goods and services for the month of July 2026 inflation rate for all income households in the province of Lanao del Norte. First, are the food and non-alcoholic beverages recorded at 45.4 percent; second, are housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels at 22.0 percent; and third is transport at 17.2 percent.

Another top 3 contributors to the food inflation for July 2026 for all income households of the province. First is cereals and cereal products recorded at 75.4 percent; vegetables, tubers, plantains, cooking bananas and pulses at 8.5 percent; thirdly is fish and other seafood recorded inflation at 8.0 percent. 

The Inflation rate in Iligan City slowed to 7.9 percent in July 2026 from 8.0 petcent in June 2026. However, this remained higher than the 0.1 percent inflation rate recorded in July 2025, indicating an acceleration in the pace of price increases compared with the same period of the previous year. 

There are top 3 contributors on goods and services for the month of July 2026 inflation rate for all income households in Iligan City. First, are housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels at 42.8 percent; second, are the food and non-alcoholic beverages recorded at 25.7 percent; and third is transport at 16.4 percent.

Another top 3 contributors to the food inflation for July 2026 for all income households of the City. Firstly, is cereals and cereal products recorded at 92.6 percent; secondly, is fish and other seafood recorded inflation at 17.0 percent; thirdly, are ready made food and other food products recorded at 5.5 percent inflation rate.

The PPP in Iligan City was recorded at 0.74. This means that a set of goods and services bought at P74.00 in July 2018 is worth P100.00 in July 2026.

The CPI in Iligan City was defined same as in Lanao del Norte. The CPI status in Iligan City for July 2026 was recorded at 134.6. This implies that, on average, the prices of goods and services commonly purchased by consumers were 34.6 percent higher compared with their price levels in the 2018 base year. There will be changes of CPI on month-on-month change and year-on-year change in Lanao del Norte same with Iligan City.   

In general, the Inflation rate refers to the annual rate of change or the year-on-year change of the CPI expressed in percentage. The CPI is an indicator that measures changes over time in the average retail prices of a representative basket of goods and services commonly purchased by consumers. The presents of CPI in Iligan City and Lanao del Norte for July 2025 and July 2026, with 2018 will be as the base year.

In another development, Iligan City is considered as the Industrial City of the south in the Philippines. In Labor economics situation, the industries in Iligan City produces chemical products, cement, flour, coconut oil and power generation. As the inflation rate increases, the prices of Industrial products will also increases due to the increase of raw materials locally and abroad. Therefore, the basket of goods based on the consumers price index will increase and the peso purchasing power becomes lower. In general, due to these issues, the wages of workers will demand wage increase to compensate the prevailing increases of commodities, goods and services, among others. (Written and Edited by Jun Enriquez, Digital-Moblile Journalist;  Photos by Jenifer Bagonbon, Digital-Mobile Journalist, SocMed specialist)  

Russia: ICRC president arrives in Moscow to discuss critical humanitarian issues

 

Geneva (ICRC, 01 July 2026) – The president of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Mirjana Spoljaric, arrived in Moscow for a two-day high-level visit to discuss critical humanitarian issues relating to the international armed conflict between the Russian Federation and Ukraine. The visit is also an opportunity to discuss humanitarian concerns arising from armed conflicts globally.

Meetings planned with senior Russian officials will address issues related to international humanitarian law, including the importance of protecting civilians and the infrastructure they depend on, upholding the rights of prisoners of war and other protected persons as well as clarifying the fate of missing people. 

The visit by President Spoljaric to Moscow is part of ICRC’s ongoing humanitarian dialogue with Russian authorities. The ICRC engages in such conversations with parties to conflicts to discuss their obligations under the Geneva Conventions to limit suffering in war.

By maintaining a neutral, operational presence on both sides of the front line, the ICRC delivers life-saving aid to vulnerable populations, whoever they are and wherever they are. In addition to its work in Russia and Ukraine, ICRC’s Central Tracing Agency Bureau in Geneva collects, maintains and transmits vital information regarding the fate of military personnel and civilians who have gone missing or have been separated from their families. (ICRC News Release; Posted and Edited by Jun Enriquez, Digital-Mobile Journalist)

ICRC and Asian Development Bank formalize their first institutional partnership

LOI signing between ICRC and ADB, June 10, 2026

 

Geneva (ICRC, June 11, 2026) – The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) have forged an institutional partnership to pursue joint initiatives aimed at strengthening resilience in fragile and conflict-affected areas.

A letter of intent signifying the start of this formal collaboration was signed on 10 June 2026 by Fatima Yasmin, ADB vice president for sectors and themes, and Pierre Krähenbühl, director-general of the ICRC. It includes an approach to a) coordinate programmes; b) promote innovation through knowledge exchange on emerging challenges and evolving humanitarian needs; and c) share best practices through joint events, meetings and publications, among others.

With the signing of the letter of intent, ADB and the ICRC have forged a strategic, high-level cooperation that will draw on their complementary mandates to support vulnerable people living in ADB’s member countries where the ICRC operates.

“Addressing interconnected challenges requires us to work beyond traditional development approaches. This is where ICRC brings something distinctive – field presence, trusted access to affected communities and credibility in environments that ADB alone cannot reach,” said Ms Yasmin in her remarks during the signing ceremony.

ADB is a leading multilateral development bank supporting sustainable, inclusive and resilient growth across Asia and the Pacific. Working with its members and partners to solve complex challenges together, ADB harnesses innovative financial tools and strategic partnerships to transform lives, build quality infrastructure and safeguard our planet. Founded in 1966, ADB is owned by 69 members – 50 from the region.

This formal cooperation between the ICRC and ADB is a significant step in the humanitarian-development nexus, which bridges humanitarian aid with longer-term development for affected people, and may open possibilities for joint operational responses in fragile and conflict-affected settings.

“We look forward to this strategic partnership with ADB as it will allow both organizations to learn from one another, and to complement and reinforce the broader work of development actors for people affected by conflict and violence. As a neutral and independent humanitarian organization, the ICRC offers unique access, perspective and depth of experience in many conflict-affected areas around the world, including in Asia,” said Mr. Krähenbühl. (ICRC Press Release; Posted and Edited by Jun Enriquez, Digital-Mobile Journalist)