TACLOBAN CITY — A member of the New People’s Army (NPA) was killed while government troops recovered several high-powered firearms in a follow-up operation in the hinterlands of Gandara and San Jorge, Samar on Sunday, November 23, 2025, the 8th Infantry Division based in Catbalogan City, said in a report.

Soldiers from the 46th Infantry Battalion, which is based in Calbiga, Samar, engaged remnants of the Sub-Regional Committee (SRC) Browser in what the Army described as intensified security operations against insurgents in the area.

The 9:10 a.m. encounter resulted in the death of one communist rebel and the seizure of three high-powered firearms — two M16 rifles and one M14 rifle — along with assorted war materiel left behind as the armed group fled.

The follow-up operation came a day after troops clashed with members of Squad 2, Yakal Platoon of SRC Browser in Barangay Geraganan, Gandara, on November 22, where one M16 rifle, one M4 rifle, and personal belongings of fleeing rebels were recovered after residents reported the presence of armed men allegedly threatening civilians and conducting extortion.

Pursuit operations continue as soldiers discovered bloodstains at the previous encounter site, indicating the possibility of wounded rebels escaping.

Maj. Gen. Adonis Ariel Orio, commander of the 8th Infantry Division, credited community cooperation in helping locate armed groups.

“I am grateful and I appreciate all the efforts of our troops on the ground. Let us continue to work hand-in-hand in our pursuit of achieving long and lasting peace. I assure you that your Army in Eastern Visayas will never relent until we neutralize the remaining communist terrorists group,” Orio said.

The Army said operations will persist to secure communities and dismantle remaining insurgent networks in Samar.

(JOEY A. GABIETA)

ORMOC CITY– A habal-habal driver listed on the local drug watchlist was arrested after authorities seized 10 sachets of suspected shabu during a buy-bust operation in Barangay Monte Alegre, Isabel, Leyte on November 9.

PLt. Ian Jay Fabrero, officer-in-charge of the Isabel Municipal Police Station, identified the suspect as alias “Wentz,” 36, single, and a resident of the same barangay. He is classified as a street-level individual in the police drug watchlist.

One sachet of suspected shabu amounting to P500 was purchased by an operative during the entrapment. A subsequent body search — conducted in the presence of law-mandated witnesses — yielded an orange plastic container marked “Tiktak” that contained nine more sachets of suspected shabu.

Police also recovered the P500 marked money (serial number AA7075368) used in the operation and the suspect’s service motorcycle, a black Skygo motorcycle with plate number 695HMQ.

Authorities said the seized illegal drugs weighed approximately 0.67 grams, with an estimated Dangerous Drugs Board value of P4,556.

The suspect was informed of the nature of his arrest and his constitutional rights in a language he understood, police added.

Charges for violation of Republic Act 9165 (Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002) have been filed before the Provincial Prosecutor’s Office in Ormoc City, while the suspect remains detained at the Isabel police lock-up cell.

(ROBERT DEJON)

ORMOC CITY– A woman considered as a high-value-individual drug personality as listed in the Regional Priority Target List of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency and the Philippine National Police(PNP) was apprehended during a buy-bust operation at about 2:30 p. m. on Tuesday, November 18, in Brgy. Poblacion, Kananga, Leyte.

PDEA identified the suspect as alias “Sarah,” 59, married, jobless, a resident of said village.
She was already arrested and imprisoned for the same offense, but was freed after her plea-bargaining agreement was approved by the court.

Recovered from her possession was one sachet containing a white crystalline substance suspected to be shabu, procured by an agent in the amount of P500.

During the conduct of a body search done in the presence of insulating witnesses, the searching agent recovered a black coin purse that contained 17 sachets containing white crystalline substances, also suspected to be shabu weighing an estimated 20 grams with an estimated Dangerous Drugs Board value of P136,000.

Further search resulted in the recovery of cash amounting to P18,768.

Charges of violation of RA 9165, the Comprehensive Law against Illegal Drugs of 2002, were already filed at the Provincial Prosecutors’ Office in Ormoc City, against the suspect, who is temporarily detained at the locked-up cell of Kananga municipal police station.

(ROBERT DEJON)

First IPO and follow-on offering on GStocks PH fully allocated by AB Capital Securities Inc., despite being over twice oversubscribed.

Filipinos are increasingly enthusiastic about online platforms that make investing in the stock market more accessible and convenient. During the first Initial Public Offering (IPO) and Follow-On Offering (FOO) to be made available within the GCash app, demand surged, as GStocks PH investors took up more than Php 50 million in shares across both offerings.

The inaugural offerings, launched in October through the e-wallet’s new IPO and FOO subscription feature on GStocks PH, offered by broker AB Capital Securities Inc., marked a milestone for Filipino investors. On GCash, the Maynilad (MYNLD) IPO was oversubscribed by over 200%, and Megawide’s (MWIDE) Series 7 Preferred Shares FOO nearly 300%. For MYNLD, the original tranche of the brokerage’s allocation for the e-wallet was fully taken up within the first 12 hours. Even with the heightened demand, all GStocks PH orders placed for the two offerings were fully allocated by AB Capital Securities.

“These recent milestones show Filipinos are increasingly enthusiastic about exploring investment opportunities when provided the proper tools and access,” said Winsley Bangit, Group Head of New Businesses at Mynt, the parent company of GCash. “The encouraging response to the Maynilad IPO and Megawide FOO on our platform demonstrates that being able to invest and plan for a brighter future is no longer limited to a few.”

“AB Capital Securities is proud to continue innovating with GCash to bring the stock market closer to more Filipinos,” said Hazel Tanedo Tan, President of AB Capital Securities Inc. “Together, we’re ensuring that opportunities like IPOs and FOOs become increasingly accessible to every investor who wants to be part of the local growth story.”

“By bringing share issuances to a digital platform like GStocks PH, we’re driving greater retail participation and expanding the online investment experience for more Filipinos,” she added. “This helps AB Capital connect more investors with opportunities to grow their wealth and engage with the capital markets.”

The introduction of IPOs and FOOs on GCash, the country’s leading finance superapp and largest cashless ecosystem, opens a new way for listed companies to scale growth while directly strengthening access for individual investors.

“The recently concluded MYNLD IPO and MWIDE FOO on GCash set a strong proof of concept for future offerings. It underscores the potential of bringing investment opportunities directly to a platform millions of Filipinos trust and use every day,” said John Garcia, Head of Market Education for Wealth Management at GCash. “By simplifying what was once a tedious and uncertain subscription process into just four taps on GCash, we’re directly supporting a traditionally underserved segment of investors—everyday Filipinos.”
As of June 2024, the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) reported 2.86 million stock market accounts, with 99% belonging to local investors. For context, this accounts for just around 4% of the country’s roughly 70 million adults, underscoring the considerable potential for growth in retail investing.

GCash continues to enable broader stock market access with innovations aimed at a more inclusive and transparent experience. The fully digital onboarding process on GStocks PH eliminates manual paperwork and the need to use multiple platforms, comprising an entirely seamless experience from opening a trading account and funding it via the e-wallet to placing stock orders.

GStocks PH aligns the minimum investment requirement for share issuances with the boardlot—effectively lowering the minimum investment amount and reducing high capital requirements for ordinary Filipinos.

In addition, the in-app IPO and FOO meter on GStocks PH gives investors real-time visibility into available shares within the guaranteed allocation and instantly confirms their orders. This ensures that investors are guaranteed their subscriptions as long as the broker’s initial allocation is still available—setting GStocks PH apart from other trading platforms. If an offering becomes oversubscribed and demand exceeds the initial allocation, investors can continue to place orders through the app and will receive a notification confirming their final status at the end of the offer period.

Maynilad opened its common shares to the public for the first time last October 23 to October 29, enabling Filipinos to invest in the country’s largest private water concessionaire. Meanwhile, Filipinos also gained access to Megawide’s Series 7 Preferred Shares from October 30 to November 10, offering stable and attractive returns from the engineering and infrastructure leader.

With its recent GStocks PH innovations, GCash is making the stock market more accessible, inclusive, and transparent for everyday users. By introducing world-class access to wealth management, the e-wallet continues its mission to democratize investing, empowering millions of Filipinos to build their financial future with greater ease. (PR)