5 'fake lawyers acting as notary public' arrested in Davao City -- NBI

 

By Jeffrey Damicog

Published Jul 29, 2025 09:43 am

Five persons, who are not lawyers but who engaged in notarization of documents in Davao City, have been arrested by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).

The NBI did not identify those arrested but it said criminal charges will be filed against them for falsification of public documents, usurpation of authority, and violation of the Notarial Act.

Not all lawyers can notarize documents. A lawyer has to apply and secure a commission from the Supreme Court (SC) to act as notary public.

In a statement on Tuesday, July 29, the NBI said the five suspects were arrested by the operatives of the NBI’s Southeastern Mindanao Regional Office (NBI-SEMRO) during operations conducted on Monday, July 28, in Bolton, Magallanes, and C.M. Recto.

It said the operations were conducted on request of Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) Davao Chapter President Ferdinand Taglucop and Davao Executive Judge Rowena Apao-Adlawan.

Taglucop and Apao-Adlawan asked the NBI “to arrest and prosecute individuals who falsely present themselves as lawyers or notaries public and illegally offer notarization services for a fee.”

NBI Director Jaime B. Santiago advised the public “to exercise vigilance and to verify the identities and authority of individuals claiming to be lawyers or notaries, warning that these unscrupulous acts are illegal and will not be tolerated by the NBI, the IBP, and the Supreme Court.”

Santiago urged the public to report similar activities to the NBI or the IBP.

Inside HoYoFEST 2025

 

By Manila Bulletin Newsroom

Published Jul 28, 2025 01:41 pm

By Jared John K Cheng, 16

Grade 11

Xavier School San Juan

HoYo Fest is MiHoYo’s official fan convention, bringing together fans of its biggest gacha games—”Genshin Impact,” “Honkai: Star Rail,” “Zenless Zone Zero,” and “Honkai Impact 3rd”. It’s all about the community, with offline events like Artist Alley, exclusive merchandise drops, cosplayers, and game-themed activities. This year, it’s focused on Southeast Asia and is only happening in six countries, which include Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, and the Philippines.

This year’s HoYo Fest was held at SMX Convention Center Manila, Hall 3 in Pasay City, and from what I saw, the venue had about twice the space compared to last year’s location at SM Megamall’s Mega Fashion Hall. The additional space was definitely appreciated—it felt less crowded overall and made it easier to move around and enjoy the event.

Nearby the entrance/exit was the HoYoverse Experience Zone where you jump in and play using the laptop, phone, tablet, or a portable gaming console provided. There were open-stage performances where attendees competed against each other. Acrylic standees were awarded to the winners.

Official merchandise for “Genshin Impact,” “Honkai: Star Rail,” and “Zenless Zone Zero” with limited stocks per day. Each purchase, depending on the amount, included freebies such as a HoYo Fest postcard or a 2025 Badge Blind Box containing one of four badges.

The game booths had quest-style missions in either offline or online activities. These tasks included showing your UID (user identification number) in exchange for a hologram ticket that came with in-game rewards.“Genshin Impact,” “Honkai: Star Rail,” “Zenless Zone Zero,” and “Honkai Impact 3rd” had their own booths. Collecting all four tickets lets you get a free photo at the HoYoverse photo booth.

The Artist Alley was a great addition this year. It’s a dedicated area for fan artists and creators to showcase and sell their HoYoverse-themed art prints, keychains, pins, and stickers.

With the bigger venues, more activities, and the addition of the artist alley, HoYo Fest keeps on getting bigger and better. I am definitely looking forward to what they will bring to us next year.

Jared John K. Cheng, 16, is a Grade 11 student at Xavier School San Juan. He covers school events as a photographer, with a growing passion for visual storytelling. His interests span sports—especially basketball, badminton, and go-karting—as well as motorsports, where he is particularly drawn to the engineering behind Formula 1. Outside the lens, Jared is immersed in gaming, anime, and Japanese pop culture. He is also exploring mechanical engineering and 3D printing as creative and technical outlets.

‘Voices’ is Manila Bulletin Lifestyle’s dedicated space for young writers and future journalists as they talk about the topics that matter to their generation—from pop culture and social trends to mental health, education, and everything in between.

If you have an article you want to publish, send your submissions to lifestyle@mb.com.ph with the subject line—Voices: (Article Title)—or send us a DM @manilabulletinlifestyle on Instagram. We can’t wait to read your stories!

PSEi drops ahead of BBM's SONA, US tariff deadline

 

The PSEi dropped for the third-consecutive day as investors wait for President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s State of the Nation Address (SONA) and also due to the weaker peso.

The main index lost 33.43 points, or 0.52 percent, to close at 6,379.75. Miners led the retreat, while the services sector managed to advance. A total of 1.11 billion shares worth ₱6.61 billion changed hands, as losers outnumbered gainers—108 to 90, with 48 unchanged.

By James A. Loyola

Published Jul 28, 2025 04:42 pm

“Right now, investors are going to pay close attention to the SONA, particularly regarding which industries might receive more support from the government, face stricter regulation, and the overall direction of the local economy,” said Regina Capital Development Corp. Managing Director Luis Limlingan.

He added that, “Moreover, investors are still waiting on the PSEi rebalancing that might also affect price reactions on the market.”

Philstocks Financial Research Manager Japhet Tantiangco said, “The local market dropped as investors took a cautious stance while waiting for [the SONA]. The peso's pull back for the day also weighed on the local bourse.”

Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. (RCBC) Chief Economist Michael Ricafort said the PSEi declined as the Aug. 1, 2025, deadline for United States (US) President Donald Trump’s tariffs and trade negotiations draw closer, and also before the US Federal Reserve’s (Fed) rate-setting meeting and the latest US jobs data later this week.

BREAKING NEWS: CEBUANA PERSONALITY AIDA PATANA DEAD AT 51

 BREAKING NEWS: CEBUANA PERSONALITY AIDA PATANA DEAD AT 51

Cebuana beauty queen, talent manager, and entrepreneur Aida Patana passed away on Tuesday, July 29, 2025, her family announced in a Facebook post.

“With heavy hearts, we share that our beloved mom has peacefully joined our Creator,” they wrote in the caption.

The family did not disclose the cause of her untimely passing.

“This is an incredibly difficult time for our family, and we kindly ask for your understanding and privacy as we grieve and process this deep loss. Thank you for your love, thoughts, and prayers,” they added.

Patana had joined several beauty pageants, including Mrs. Philippines World 2019, where she represented the Visayas, and Mrs. Tourism Ambassador Philippines 2022, which she won. She was set to compete in the Mrs. Tourism Ambassador Universe pageant in Malaysia.

She also owned MTalents Events and Promotions, a talent agency showcasing her expertise in event management and production. | via HBL

Complexities, opportunities, dangers

 

By Fr. Roy Cimagala

Chaplain

Center for Industrial Technology and Enterprise (CITE)

Talamban, Cebu City

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com

THAT’S what we are facing these days. We actually have been having them for quite a while now, but these days, with the advent of AI—and we can expect more advanced technologies in the coming years—things have become exponentially more complicated.

How should we handle this condition such that we can manage not to be trapped by them and diverted from our true goal in life? Perhaps, we can get some ideas from these words of Christ in the gospel.

“The kingdom of heaven is like unto a treasure hidden in a field, which a man having found, hid it, and for joy thereof goes and sells all that he has, and buys that field.” (Mt 13,44) Reiterating the same point, he said: “Again the kingdom of heaven like a merchant seeking good pearls. When he had found one pearl of great price, he went his way, and sold all that he had, and bought it.” (Mt 13,45-46)

In other words, to successfully navigate in these complicated times, we need to see to it that while we immerse ourselves in these powerful things of today’s world, we have to practice a certain kind of detachment from them so that our pursuit for the kingdom of heaven is not undermined, much less, compromised.

But let’s remember that detachment here does not mean that we run away from the things of the world. We have to take advantage of the good opportunities these new and very powerful technologies offer. I am happy, for example, that many young people today are going into start-ups that are helping them and the economy on the whole.

The detachment we are speaking of here simply means that we are clear and strong about the goal we are supposed to pursue. The things of this world are simply means, occasions and reasons for us to go on with that pursuit. We should not allow them to entangle us along the way.

This certainly means that we should have a working and healthy spiritual life, a constant and intimate relation with God and with everybody else that is always nourished by the appropriate practices of piety, like regular periods of prayer and meditation, recourse to the sacraments, undergoing continuing formation and spiritual guidance, etc.

These practices of piety are much more needed now than before. They should be taught and popularized as widely as possible, focusing more on the young ones who are very vulnerable to be confused and lost in these complicated times. We cannot deny that nowadays we are witnessing a massive leap of juvenile cases of vices and perversions, addictions, mental and psychological illnesses, suicides, etc.

We need to remind everyone of the need to have the proper intentions in this life. To put it bluntly, the ultimate intention that is proper to us is that of doing everything for the glory of God. If that intention is not clear, we surely would be treading on a dangerous path that most likely would lead us to a bad end.

If there is such a thing as upskilling, that is, acquiring additional skills and capabilities, we should first of all “upskill” our spiritual life and the virtues involved, like prudence, detachment, etc. in order to face the complexities, opportunities and dangers of our times.

The challenge of our times actually invites us to grow more in our spiritual life, in our love for God and for others.