More airlines join NAIA’s self check-in and automated gates

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Self check-in kiosks at NAIA are now accessible to more passengers as more airlines join the new automated passenger processing program introduced by NNIC.

More passengers can now use NAIA’s Self Check-in kiosks, automated Pre-Security screening gates, and Self-Boarding gates at Terminals 1, 2, and 3, as additional airlines complete system integration and join the airport’s automated passenger processing program.

 

The system, which has been progressively implemented across the airport, allows eligible passengers to check in, print boarding passes, tag their bags, clear initial security, and board flights through automated lanes, helping reduce queuing times and ease congestion at traditional counters. A phased activation of automated Bag Drop features is also ongoing.

 

The services are currently enabled for the following airlines and passenger categories:

 

TERMINAL 1

-Philippine Airlines: International destinations, excluding Middle East and Japan routes

-Asiana Airlines: Korean nationals and foreign passengers with no visa requirements

 

TERMINAL 2

-Philippine Airlines: All domestic destinations

-Cebu Pacific: All domestic destinations

-AirAsia: All domestic destinations

 

TERMINAL 3

-Cebu Pacific: All domestic and international destinations

-AirAsia: All international destinations

-United Airlines: Foreign passengers with no visa requirements

-Qatar Airways: All passengers

-Air Canada: All passengers

 

“These systems are already operational, and we are seeing more airlines come on board as integration is completed,” New NAIA Infra Corp. (NNIC), the airport’s private operator, said. “As participation expands, more passengers will be able to move through check-in, security, and boarding more efficiently.”

 

The automated processing systems form part of NAIA’s broader efforts to improve passenger flow and align airport operations with biometric-enabled standards used at major international hubs across Asia, the Middle East, and North America.

 

Passengers on eligible flights are encouraged to use the Self Check-in kiosks located near the check-in areas of each terminal. After printing boarding passes and bag tags, they may proceed to Bag Drop counters or automated lanes before continuing through the Pre-Security and Self-Boarding gates. Additional airlines and routes will be enabled in the coming months as integration work continues.

The Bitter Aftertaste: How Climate Change is Scorching Your Daily Brew

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For billions, the day doesn't truly begin until the first sip of coffee. But that cherished morning ritual is under a growing, invisible threat. New research reveals that carbon pollution is fundamentally altering the "Bean Belt," turning up the heat to levels that coffee plants simply weren't built to survive.

A Global Crisis in a Cup

Coffee is a global powerhouse, with 2.2 billion cups consumed daily—two-thirds of adults in the U.S. alone are daily drinkers. Yet, the very supply of this beloved beverage is tightening. A comprehensive new analysis from Climate Central reveals a startling reality: between 2021 and 2025, climate change added an average of 47 extra days of "coffee-harming heat" annually across the 25 primary coffee-producing nations. These countries represent a staggering 97% of the world's total coffee production.

Scorching the Top Five

The impact is most severe in the nations we rely on most. The top five producers—Brazil, Vietnam, Colombia, Ethiopia, and Indonesia—supply 75% of the world’s coffee. On average, these five nations now face 57 additional days of harmful heat every year specifically due to climate change.

Brazil: The world’s leading producer faced an extra 70 coffee-harming days annually. In its premier growing state, Minas Gerais, heat stress was present for an additional 67 days per year.

Vietnam: The second-largest producer saw 59 extra days of damaging heat.

Indonesia: Experienced 73 additional harmful days due to a warming climate.

Colombia: Faced 48 extra days of heat stress.

Ethiopia: The birthplace of Arabica coffee saw 34 additional days of harmful temperatures.

The Science of Stress

Coffee plants are notoriously finicky, thriving only within narrow temperature and rainfall windows. The "danger zone" begins at 30°C (86°F). Once temperatures cross this threshold, the plants suffer from heat stress that reduces yields, degrades bean quality, and leaves them wide open to devastating diseases and pests like coffee leaf rust and the coffee berry borer.

Arabica beans—which make up 60-70% of the global supply—are particularly vulnerable. Suboptimal growth for Arabica actually begins at even lower temperatures (25-30°C), meaning these findings likely represent a conservative estimate of the true damage.

The Human Cost: From Farm to Counter

While the data is cold and clinical, the human reality is anything but. Smallholder farmers, who manage about 80% of global coffee production, are on the front lines.

"Coffee farmers in Ethiopia are already seeing the impact of extreme heat," says Dejene Dadi, General Manager of the Oromia Coffee Farmers Cooperatives Union. "Without sufficient shade, coffee trees produce fewer beans and become more vulnerable to disease."

These farmers are being squeezed from both sides: rising production costs and shrinking yields. Despite providing 60% of the global supply, smallholders received a mere 0.36% of the climate adaptation financing needed in 2021. Ironically, the cost to help a 1-hectare farm adapt is roughly $2.19 a day—often less than the price of a single cup of coffee in a high-income country.

Why Your Latte Costs More

This environmental pressure isn't just a distant problem for farmers; it’s hitting consumers directly at the cash register. Volatile weather and extreme events in the "Bean Belt" have already contributed to price spikes, with record highs reached in December 2024 and February 2025. Combined with shifting rainfall patterns and severe droughts, such as the one seen in Brazil in 2023, the cost of your daily brew is likely to continue its upward climb as the planet warms.

As Dr. Kristina Dahl of Climate Central warns, "Climate change is coming for our coffee... these impacts may ripple outward from farms to consumers, right into the quality and cost of your daily brew".

DepEd grants all teachers, staff 5-day wellness leave to boost employee well-being

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MAKATI CITY, 13 February 2026 — The Department of Education (DepEd) has granted up to five days of wellness leave annually to its teaching and non-teaching personnel, in a move aimed at supporting their mental health and overall well-being amid growing demands in the education sector.

Education Secretary Sonny Angara said the policy is a concrete expression of the department’s commitment to care for its workforce across all levels of the organization, and in line with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s directive to strengthen employee welfare and promote mental health across the public sector.

“Ito ay handog natin sa bawat kawani ng DepEd—mula sa central office hanggang sa mga rehiyon, division offices, paaralan, at community learning centers, at anuman ang kanilang employment status. Kinikilala natin na ang kanilang kalusugan, lalo na ang mental health, ay mahalaga sa patuloy nilang paglilingkod sa ating mga mag-aaral,” Angara said.

Under the guidelines aligned with the Civil Service Commission (CSC) Memorandum Circular (MC) No. 01, s. 2026, the wellness leave applies to all eligible DepEd officials and employees, including those in permanent, temporary, casual, contractual, coterminous, substitute, and provisional positions, as well as Contract of Service and Job Order personnel directly engaged by the department.

The wellness leave is separate from existing vacation and sick leave benefits and may be used for mental health care, physical wellness activities, or simply to take a restorative break from work.

Personnel may avail themselves of the leave for up to three consecutive days at a time or on non-consecutive days throughout the year, depending on their needs and subject to approval procedures.

To protect employees’ privacy, any mental health-related information disclosed in the application process will be treated as confidential and handled in accordance with the Data Privacy Act of 2012.

Applications for wellness leave must generally be filed at least five days in advance, except in emergency situations, and the benefit cannot be accumulated or converted into cash if unused within the year.

Angara said the initiative aligns with national policies promoting workplace mental health and aims to strengthen employee resilience while ensuring uninterrupted delivery of education services, adding supporting the well-being of DepEd personnel ultimately benefits learners and the education system as a whole.



“Kapag inaalagaan natin ang ating mga guro at kawani, mas nagiging matibay ang ating mga paaralan,” he said. “Ito ay pamumuhunan hindi lamang sa ating workforce, kundi sa kinabukasan ng ating mga mag-aaral.”