As of Thursday morning, July 9, parts of Cebu are experiencing volcanic haze or ashfall.

DOST-PHIVOLCS confirmed a moderately explosive eruption of Mt. Kanlaon today. The volcano remains under Alert Level 2 (Moderate Unrest).

Residents are advised to wear face masks and stay indoors as much as possible. Classes in some private and public schools have also been postponed.

Cancelled flights due to Mt. Kanlaon eruption

Cebu Pacific has cancelled at least 14 flights scheduled on July 9 due to the eruption of Mt. Kanlaon and the resulting ashfall affecting Cebu.

Heritage advocates Lucky Ian Solomon and Jodel Sarmiento are members of the Santa Rosa Studies Center, an NGO dedicated to preserving and promoting the City of Santa Rosa's cultural heritage. Their efforts range from protecting ancestral houses to raising awareness about the city's deep-rooted history.

I interviewed the group last night in a conversation that lasted more than three hours. We discussed their work as heritage advocates, the importance of preserving Santa Rosa's historical legacy, and the challenges they face in safeguarding the city's history and its structures for future generations.

Progressive groups in Laguna have begun preparations for the 2026 State of the Nation Address (SONA) protests at the University of the Philippines Los Baños through a prop-making workshop that includes the painting of a mural and the construction of effigies.

The mural depicts an eye of the storm, portraying various sectors in Southern Luzon united in opposition to what organizers describe as state repression.

The organizers are also constructing effigies depicting political figures, including Donald Trump, Benjamin Netanyahu, President Bongbong Marcos, and Vice President Sara Duterte.

According to the organizers, the effigies carry messages criticizing foreign intervention, corruption, and other issues they plan to highlight during the SONA 2026 mobilization.

Furniture carpenters Dante Acain and Edward Marupo have been in the furniture industry most of their lives. But despite this, they said the local government of Caloocan has not given any support to promote or mainstream their craft within the city. Now, furniture resellers along A. Mabini Street in Maypajo, Caloocan bear the brunt of declining sales due to online competition.

IBON Foundation holds its Birdtalk Midyear 2026 today, July 23, at the School of Economics Auditorium, UP Diliman, Quezon City.

The forum will feature insights from IBON Foundation speakers Sonny Africa, Executive Director, and Rosario Guzman, Research Head.

Key discussions include navigating global instability for national development, unraveling vested interests in policymaking, and other analyses on the country's most urgent socioeconomic and political issues ahead of the 2026 State of the Nation Address under the Marcos Jr. administration.

Executive Director Sonny Africa presents a table of major foreign investors in the Philippines that have invested in and profited from the country for decades without developing domestic industries for Filipinos.

Citing the recent visit of U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and discussions on the development of Pax Silica in the country, Africa says the project would continue this pattern of major foreign investors entering the Philippines without contributing to the development of domestic industries.

IBON Foundation Executive Director Sonny Africa said the Philippines’ upper-middle-income classification by the World Bank is “merely a statistical measure” of economic growth that does not reflect the realities faced by Filipinos.

He argued that the Philippines’ faster economic growth has failed to translate into better living conditions for Filipinos, as the country remains among the poorest third of countries globally, with the majority of families still earning below ₱22,000 a month.

Africa argued that the Philippines must move away from its “growth obsession” and instead pursue development centered on the people, including state-driven agrarian development and Filipino industrialization.

Rosario Guzman, Research Head of IBON Foundation, begins her presentation, “The Politics of Dodging,” by describing President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s silence as a political strategy and public outrage over corruption as feigned, arguing that politicians implicated in the flood control scandal have yet to be held accountable.

Points of Guzman's discussion will revolve around how policymaking favors foreign capital and oligarchs, elite trapo conflict, how U.S. strategic priorities shape the Philippine economy and politics, and how the Philippines is founded on political repression.

IBON Foundation Research Head Rosario Guzman described US investments in the Philippines as “one-sided,” saying initiatives such as Pax Silica and the Luzon Economic Corridor (LEC) prioritize US economic and military interests while narrowing the country’s policy autonomy.

Guzman said these initiatives position the Philippines to provide critical minerals, labor, and semiconductor manufacturing as the US seeks to strengthen its supply chains and maintain its lead over China in semiconductors and artificial intelligence.

Research Head Rosario Guzman emphasized how the Marcos Jr. administration’s failure to secure a seat on the United Nations Security Council exposed the limits of its dependence on U.S. foreign policy, as well as the record of human rights violations under Bongbong Marcos’ presidency.

In concluding her presentation, Guzman called for a politics of accountability, one that confronts social ills, rejects self-serving politicians, upholds the people’s democratic rights and welfare, advances a progressive economy, and defends national sovereignty.

IBON Foundation Executive Director Sonny Africa urged the government to move away from economic growth as a measure of development, following the Philippines’ recent classification as an upper-middle-income economy by the World Bank.

Responding on an inquiry about the supposed “economic milestone” during the open forum, Africa called for a shift toward an economic development framework that prioritizes Filipinos’ access to basic needs, rather than relying heavily on GDP and GNI figures, which he said could distract the public from more important measures of well-being.

Research Head Rosario Guzman echoed Africa’s remarks, calling for economic planning rooted in human rights and welfare instead of prioritizing foreign investments and importation.

Heavy rain brought by the southwest monsoon triggered widespread flooding in several villages in Davao City on Friday, July 24, where residents said floodwaters rose to nearly rooftop level in some communities within hours, forcing families to flee.