Dadiangas University Integrated Basic Education Department in General Santos City collapses

 A building in the Notre Dame of Dadiangas University Integrated Basic Education Department in General Santos City collapses on Monday, June 8, after a 7.8 magnitude earthquake rocked Mindanao at 7:37 am.

Public schools in the Philippines opened a new academic year the same morning. Photos by Edwin Espejo

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Insurance for all: Closing the protection gap

 

By Jaime Aristotle B. Alip, PhD

Published Jun 8, 2026 12:05 am | Updated Jun 7, 2026 04:03 pm

FROM THE MARGINS

The global movement for financial inclusion has achieved remarkable progress over the past decade. Millions of previously unbanked individuals now have access to savings accounts, digital payments, and other financial services. Yet amid these gains, one critical gap remains stubbornly wide: protection against life's uncertainties.

This reality was at the heart of the “Insurance 4 ALL” Day, a high-level forum on inclusive insurance convened by CGAP and AXA EssentiALL on May 27 at AXA's headquarters in Paris, France. Around 180 participants from across the world gathered to discuss how insurance can reach those who need it most, particularly low-income and vulnerable communities. The event featured prominent global leaders, including Her Majesty Queen Máxima of the Netherlands, the United Nations Secretary-General's Special Advocate for Financial Health, Sophie Sirtaine, CEO of CGAP, and Garance Wattez-Richard, CEO of AXA EssentiALL.

Throughout the day, one issue stood out: an estimated 3.5 billion people worldwide still lack access to insurance protection. While financial inclusion efforts have successfully expanded access to banking and payments, billions remain exposed to risks such as illness, natural disasters, crop failure, loss of livelihood, and death.

I was honored to participate in a panel discussion on "The Emergence and Consolidation of Dedicated Inclusive Insurance Organizations." Our conversation centered on a question that has long guided my work in microfinance and social development: How can we ensure that low-income families are protected from financial shocks that can erase years of hard-earned progress?

For many years, I have advocated that financial inclusion must go beyond access to credit and savings. True financial inclusion must include protection. A family may gradually build assets, strengthen a microenterprise, and improve its quality of life, but a single crisis can quickly reverse these gains. Without adequate protection, financial inclusion remains incomplete.

We discussed this in a recent episode of the Ka-Nayon podcast, which featured Junjay Perez of RIMANSI/Microinsurance MBAs Association of the Philippines and Me-an Ignacio of Kasagana-Ka Credit and Savings Cooperative. Both shared how microinsurance has become an important pillar of resilience among low-income Filipinos. Their experiences highlighted that insurance is more than a financial product – it is a practical tool that helps families recover from setbacks, preserve their livelihoods, and avoid falling deeper into poverty.

One of the key themes discussed in Paris was the importance of building trust at the last mile. Traditional insurance models often struggle to reach low-income communities because of high distribution costs, small premiums, and limited physical access. As a result, many marginalized households remain outside formal protection systems.

Dedicated inclusive insurance organizations have emerged to address this challenge. Across many countries, insurance is increasingly being delivered through community-based mechanisms such as cooperatives, microinsurance mutual benefit associations (MBAs), microfinance institutions, and even postal networks. These organizations possess something that large institutions often lack: close relationships with the communities they serve. Their local presence enables them to educate clients, simplify products, and build the trust necessary for insurance to take root.

The Philippine experience demonstrates the potential of this approach. Through strong partnerships among microfinance institutions, cooperatives, and mutual benefit associations, millions of Filipinos have gained access to affordable insurance products tailored to their needs. These efforts have shown that inclusive insurance can achieve both scale and meaningful impact when delivered through institutions that understand the realities of low-income households.

The forum also highlighted the growing role of technology in closing the protection gap. Artificial intelligence, digital platforms, and InsurTech solutions are helping insurers improve efficiency, reduce costs, strengthen fraud detection, and simplify claims processing. These innovations can make insurance more accessible and affordable, particularly for underserved populations that have traditionally been difficult to reach.

Technology alone, however, is not enough. The success of inclusive insurance depends on combining digital innovation with trusted local institutions that understand the needs and circumstances of the people they serve. Human relationships remain at the heart of financial protection.

Another recurring theme throughout the discussions was climate resilience. Around the world, low-income communities are increasingly vulnerable to climate-related shocks, from severe storms and floods to prolonged droughts and crop losses. For countries such as the Philippines, where natural disasters are a recurring reality, insurance plays an increasingly important role in helping families and communities recover and rebuild.

The message from the Insurance 4 ALL Forum was clear: closing the global protection gap will require collaboration among regulators, insurers, technology providers, development organizations, and community-based institutions. More importantly, it will require a shared commitment to ensuring that financial health includes not only opportunities to build wealth, but also mechanisms to protect it.

Insurance for all is more than an industry aspiration. It is an essential component of financial inclusion, economic resilience, and human dignity. If we are serious about creating a world where no one is left behind, then ensuring access to meaningful financial protection must become a global priority.

* * *

“Life is unpredictable; insurance makes it manageable.” — Unknown

(Dr. Jaime Aristotle B. Alip is a poverty eradication advocate. He is the founder of the Center for Agriculture and Rural Development Mutually-Reinforcing Institutions (CARD MRI), a group of 23 organizations that provide social development services to 8 million economically-disadvantaged Filipinos and insure more than 27 million nationwide.)

Four more mild quakes hit Sarangani; Phivolcs releases updated intensities

 

By Aaron Recuenco

Published Jun 8, 2026 09:23 am

At least four more earthquakes jolted Sarangani shortly after a 7.8 magnitude quake hit the coast of the province on Monday morning, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs).

The epicenter of the strong tremor that shook the province at 7:37 a.m. was located near Maasim town and triggered a tsunami warning for residents in the coastal areas of western and central parts of Mindanao.

The second quake, which is believed to be an aftershock, was felt at 8:18 a.m. with a magnitude of 3.7, the epicenter located near Balut Island of Saragani.

At 8:35 a.m., a 1.9 magnitude quake struck anew and its epicenter was located in Malapatan of the same province. Intensity II was felt in General Santos City and Intensity 1 in Kiamba town.

A few minutes later or at 8:44 a.m., another tremor measuring 2.5 in the Richter scale was recorded in Gian town, also in Sarangani. This was followed by another quake measuring 1.9 magnitude, with the epicenter located near the same town of the province.

Reported intensities

Shortly after releasing a report of the earthquake, Phivolcs reported an updated advisory on the reported intensities felt during the 7.8 magnitude quake that hit Sarangani.

Reported intensities refers to the measures of the specific strength and effects of an earthquake at a particular geographic location.

It is based on human observations and structural damage rather than the total energy released at its source

According to Phivolcs, the strongest ground shake was felt in General Santos City with Intensity VII followed by Palimbang and Senator Ninyo Aquino towns in Sultan Kudarat with Intensity VI.

Intensity V was felt in Davao City; Kidapawan City and Carmen town of Cotabato; Bagumbayan, Kalamansig and President Quirino in Sultan Kudarat; and Sibuco, and Siocon in Zamboanga del Norte.

Intensity IV, on the other hand, was felt in Mati City in Davao Oriental; Buug in Zamboanga Sibugay; and Caraga, Manay and Tarragano in Davao Oriental; Kumalarang and Vincenzo Sagun in Zamboanga del Sur, felt Intensity III tremor.

Intensity II was recorded in Dipolog City, Labason, Liloy, President Manuel A. Roxas, and Salug, in Zamboanga del Norte; Alicia, Ipil, Mabuhay, Olutanga, and Siay, in Zamboanga Sibugay; Molave in Zamboanga del Sur.

Intensity II was also felt in Abuyog, and Dulag in Leyte and San Francisco in Southern Leyte.

Instrumental intensities

Instrumental intensity refers to the measured physical strength of an earthquake at a specific location. It is calculated objectively using data from scientific instruments like seismometers or accelerometers.

And according to Phivolcs, Intensity VIII was felt in Malapatan, Sarangani and Intensity VII in Koronadal City and Santa Maria in Davao Occidental.

Intensity VI was felt in General Santos City and T'boli, South Cotabato.

Intensity V in Maasim,Sarangani; Santo Niño, and Surallah, South Cotabato; Isulan,

Lebak, and President Quirino in Sultan Kudarat; Davao City; Digos City and Magsaysay in Davao del Sur.

Intensity IV in Kiamba, Malungon, in Sarangani; Banga, and Tupi in South Cotabato; Magpet and M'lang in Cotabato; Bagumbayan, and Kalamansig in Sultan Kudarat; Nabunturan in Davao de Oro; and. Zamboanga City.

Intensity III in Tantangan, South Cotabato; Columbio, Esperanza, Sultan Kudarat; Alamada, Banisilan, Carmen, President Roxas in Cotabato; Kalilangan in Bukidnon; City of Gingoog in Misamis Oriental.

Intensity II in Kumalarang, Zamboanga del Sur; Tubod in Lanao del Norte; City of Malaybalay, and Libona in Bukidnon; Molave, Zamboanga del Sur; Cagayan de Oro City; Sindangan in Zamboanga del Norte; and, Balingasag in Misamis Oriental.

Intensity I in Malitbog Bukidnon and Magsaysay in Misamis Oriental.

Earthquake Hits Gensan

 Mindanao Daily News

Our need for a daily reset

 

By Fr. Roy Cimagala

Chaplain

Center for Industrial Technology and Enterprise (CITE)

Talamban, Cebu City

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com

GIVEN the obvious fact that we are easily trapped in our worldly condition, practically unmindful of the ultimate spiritual and supernatural dimensions of our life, we should feel the need for a daily reset so as to be properly anchored and directed to the ultimate goal of our life.

Yes, we are meant for keep a spiritual and supernatural bearing in our life here on earth. This is not only for some people. It is for everyone. We just have to help one another to develop this spiritual and supernatural bearing, since this is what is proper to us.

As persons with intelligence and will, we cannot help but have a spiritual character in our life. With these natural endowments, we are meant to enter into the spiritual world of ideas and rationality, of cognition and love that goes beyond the material and sensible aspects of our life.

And as children of God, created in God’s image and likeness, we are meant to enter into an intimate relation with him, which cannot be other than supernatural, since God is beyond our nature. 

This is always possible since God gives us his grace, and we, on our part, with our spiritual endowment of intelligence and will, are enabled to be elevated to the supernatural order of God when we, with the proper disposition of humility, faith and charity, correspond to God’s grace. That’s when we enter into the supernatural world of God.

This basic truth of our life should always be on our mind, and should animate all our thoughts, words and deeds. We need to pause from time to time to allow this truth to take hold of our mind and heart, and of our life, in general, using the appropriate means.

We really have to learn how to deal with our spiritual and supernatural world because that is where the real action is and where our ultimate goal is. That’s where we are truly defined, where our radical dignity is established. That’s where we can have our encounter with God.

For us, the material and natural world is nothing if not related to the spiritual and the supernatural world. Our material and natural world can only have meaning and purpose if related to the spiritual and the supernatural, that is, if related ultimately to God.

In this regard, we should have some working plan and strategy, consisting of some practices of piety, like prayer, presence of God, recourse to the sacraments, etc., so that we can keep that spiritual and supernatural bearing even as we immerse ourselves in the things of this world, as we should.

To be sure, there is some kind of awkwardness involved at the beginning of this effort. In this, we should not be surprised, since what is involved requires us to go beyond, but not against, our natural self. We have to train our natural powers to align themselves or to correspond properly to the spiritual and supernatural means that are needed.

Again, a lot of humility is needed here so that the powers of the divine gifts of faith, hope and charity can operate and lead us to where God himself wants us to go. Let’s remember that as creatures of God, let alone, adopted children of his, meant to share his life and nature, we are supposed to follow the guidance of God through his providence.

This daily reset can be done right at the beginning of the day, as we wake up, when we remind ourselves of who we really are, what our ultimate goal in life is, what means we can use, and always reminding ourselves that God is constantly guiding us.

What makes people charming?

 

Chris Freyler

 · 

Studied Criminal Justice & Psychology at University of CincinnatiUpdated

1. Good Listener: It seems rare these days. Someone who doesn’t interrupt and shows a genuine interest in what you are saying. They will respond and not “react” mid-story or mid-sentence. Good thing is, one can practice listening skills and improve over time.
2. Humor: Not the center of attention humor, the off the cuff humor. The quirky, quick witted humor that is rare these days.
3. Caring: They treat everyone as equal. They hold the door for the next person, offer assistance when they see someone struggling, easily approachable, etc.
4. Smile: Nothing more charming than a nice smile. A smile can go a long way with someone that is having a bad day. Smile often.
5. Adventurous: Someone who has their own life. They are the person that is doing a lot of exciting things and share their experiences.
6. Humble: They take nothing for grant it and are appreciative for what they have. They don’t compare themselves to others. And off little to no judgement of others. They are self-aware and open to constructive criticism when needed.
7. Authentic: They are themselves, whoever that may be. They aren’t trying to keep up with the Jones, they are who they are. They are aware not everyone will like them and they will be Ok with that.
8. Confidence: Don’t confuse it with arrogance. Arrogance isn’t charming but someone who is comfortable with who they are is.
9. Passion: Someone that has a passion. A passion they are good at and not blowing smoke trying to gain acceptance and approval from others. Their passion will radiate naturally when they talk about it.

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per May 8, 2026.