Good morning. It’s Tuesday, Dec 16.

Hi PW readers. Before we dive in, a quick thought. Lately, it feels like everything is either under pressure or mid-pivot. Companies, governments, even entire systems. This Tuesday’s issue leans into that reality. From a Filipino factory that shut down and came back stronger, to AI bets that still haven’t paid off, to airports, budgets, and public systems being tested, these stories show what actually holds when things break: hard decisions, real infrastructure, and long-term thinking.

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Big picture: NAIA Terminal 3 is getting a long-overdue glow-up, with faster immigration, better food, and upgraded VIP facilities as the airport’s private operator pushes to improve passenger experience.

What’s new: New NAIA Infra Corp. is rolling out 78 biometric immigration e-gates across the airport, with Terminal 3 already live. Powered by Amadeus, the system cuts immigration processing to as fast as 20 seconds per passenger, easing long lines during peak travel hours.

Beyond immigration: Terminal 3 is also adding two large food halls. The all-Filipino Tambayan Food Hall features 17 local brands across 6,200 square meters, while the Mezzanine Food Hall adds 22 more dining options. A new Dignitaries Lounge will host visiting officials and foreign leaders.

Why it matters: Since taking over NAIA, NNIC has remitted over ₱57 billion to the government. Faster processing and better amenities signal how airport privatization is starting to show real, visible gains for travelers.

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Car sales in the Philippines could grow by 5% in 2026, according to CAMPI, driven by better supply, new models, and growing acceptance of electric vehicles. If the industry hits its 500,000-unit target this year, sales may reach about 525,000 next year. EVs are gaining ground, helped by hybrids and lower loan rates. Ride-hailing demand and easing interest rates could also give sales an extra push.

Business groups welcomed the proposed CADENA Act, a bill that would create a public digital portal showing how the government spends taxpayers’ money. The American Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines said the measure could boost investor confidence by tackling corruption concerns and strengthening accountability. Backed as a priority bill by President Marcos, the proposal would let citizens track government spending in detail, a move supporters say could attract more investment and improve trust in public institutions.

San Miguel Corp. said land development for the New Manila International Airport in Bulacan is ongoing, with Dutch contractor Boskalis still involved. SMC said the project follows global environmental and safety standards and has been cleared by international lenders like the IFC. The company also pushed back against online claims questioning the airport’s progress, calling them misleading, and said it remains fully committed to completing the project responsibly.

Congress hit a snag in talks over the 2026 national budget after the public works department asked to restore about ₱45 billion in cuts. Senators called it a deadlock but said negotiations are still moving and the budget could be finalized this week. Lawmakers pushed back on blame over cost errors. Meanwhile, the bicam panel approved a record ₱1.38 trillion education budget, including funds for free college, classrooms, and student support programs.

The transport department plans to award the long-delayed common station linking LRT-1, MRT-3, and MRT-7 to Light Rail Manila Corp. by the first quarter of 2026. LRMC is the only bidder so far under a public-private partnership setup. Once approved, officials say construction could finally move fast, with the station expected to open in 2027, giving Metro Manila commuters a long-awaited rail connection hub.

The setup:
In the 1970s, Cecilio Pedro ran Aluminum Containers Inc., a supplier of aluminum toothpaste tubes to multinationals. The business collapsed in the mid-1980s when global brands shifted to plastic packaging, wiping out demand almost overnight. The factory shut down.

The pivot:
Instead of scrapping idle machines, Pedro repurposed them. In 1988, he reopened as Lamoiyan Corporation and launched Hapee, moving from B2B supplier to consumer brand owner. It was a high-risk shift into a market dominated by foreign giants.

What worked:
Lamoiyan competed on “comparable quality, lower price,” targeted price-sensitive Filipino consumers, and used sachets and kids’ variants to match real buying behavior. Growth came before big advertising.

Why it matters: Hapee later became one of the few local brands to gain meaningful share in toothpaste. The lesson for founders: technology shifts kill businesses, but assets, know-how, and distribution can be reimagined into entirely new models.

Big picture: The next tech giants may not be AI model labs, but the companies rebuilding the internet itself. Today’s web was designed for humans clicking links one at a time. AI agents do the opposite: they run nonstop, in parallel, hitting thousands of APIs at machine speed. That difference is about to break the current system.

What’s breaking: Even light AI agent traffic can overwhelm modern websites. Infrastructure built for human behavior treats machine-scale activity like an attack. Cloud costs are already surging, forcing companies to pause or cut AI projects. Data centers, compute, and networking are now driving most U.S. growth, a sign the strain is real.

Where power shifts: Companies redesigning back-end infrastructure are quietly gaining an edge. Faster systems mean lower costs, smoother AI deployment, and more real-world value. Just like mobile-first companies beat desktop incumbents, AI-infrastructure-first firms may define the next decade.

Why it matters: AI’s future isn’t limited by intelligence. It’s limited by the internet beneath it. Rebuild the foundation, and everything else can scale.

Do Kwon, the founder of Terraform Labs, was sentenced to 15 years in U.S. prison for crypto fraud tied to the 2022 collapse of TerraUSD and Luna, which wiped out about $40 billion. A judge called it an “epic, generational-scale” fraud that hurt everyday investors. Kwon admitted misleading users about how the so-called stablecoin held its value. He apologized in court and now also faces charges in South Korea.

Most CEOs aren’t hitting the AI jackpot yet, but they’re doubling down anyway. A Teneo survey found 68% of chief executives plan to boost AI spending in 2026, even though fewer than half say their projects have paid off so far. AI works best in marketing and customer service, less so in legal and security. Still, many CEOs expect results eventually and even believe AI will increase hiring, not cut jobs.

The Louvre closed Monday after staff went on strike, warning the world’s most famous museum is “the last bastion before collapse.” Workers say years of staff cuts, underfunding, and weak security came to light after a €88m jewel heist, water damage, and safety scares. They’re also protesting a 45% ticket price hike for non-EU visitors. More closures could follow during peak tourist season.

Police say a father and son used legally licensed firearms in a terror attack at a Hanukkah celebration in Sydney, killing 15 people in Australia’s deadliest mass shooting in nearly 30 years. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the suspects acted alone and described the attack as antisemitic terrorism. The shooting has renewed calls to tighten gun laws, including limits on firearm licenses and regular reviews, despite Australia’s already strict gun controls.

China’s economic momentum weakened in November, with consumer spending, investment, and real estate all losing steam. Retail sales growth fell to 1.3%, its slowest pace since 2022, while property investment slid nearly 16% for the year so far. Growth is still being propped up by strong exports, but domestic demand remains fragile. The slowdown adds pressure on Beijing to revive household spending and stabilize investment.

Negros Occidental has opened a new ₱100-million infectious disease hub to strengthen its healthcare system after lessons from the pandemic. The new center at a provincial hospital in Silay City is equipped with emergency, operating, delivery, and ICU facilities, plus advanced infection-control systems. Officials say it will improve the province’s ability to handle future health threats and support hospital operations while older facilities undergo repairs and upgrades.

Cebu Gov. Pamela Baricuatro is facing another complaint after a former governor’s brother filed administrative and criminal cases over the alleged late submission of the 2026 provincial budget. The filing claims the delay violated the Local Government Code and caused harm to public service. This marks the fourth case lodged against Baricuatro this year. The provincial government has said the delay was due to careful budget review. The governor has yet to respond.

The Mindanao Development Authority and Davao del Norte are exploring investments in data centers and small modular nuclear reactors after talks with Hyundai Engineering in South Korea. Officials said the push supports national goals on energy security and digital infrastructure. Hyundai showed interest in possible projects in Mindanao, which leaders say is increasingly ready for major investments. The initiatives aim to boost jobs, strengthen regional growth, and support Mindanao’s shift to cleaner, more reliable energy.

Big picture: Learning music might do more than make you interesting at parties. Two recent studies suggest playing a musical instrument can slow brain ageing and may even protect against dementia, even if you start late in life.

What researchers found: In one study, scientists scanned the brains of older adults who had played music for decades and compared them with non-musicians. When asked to understand speech in noisy settings, older musicians’ brains behaved more like young adults’. Non-musicians showed signs of age-related strain, forcing their brains to work harder to keep up.

Late starters matter too: A second study tracked older adults who learned an instrument for four months. Four years later, those who kept playing had better memory and no brain shrinkage. Those who quit showed measurable decline in memory-related brain areas.

Why it matters: Cognitive reserve helps the brain handle ageing and damage. Music may strengthen that reserve through mental challenge, coordination, and social interaction. Translation: it’s never too late to pick up a guitar, piano, or violin, and your brain might thank you for it.

A new study found that only adult female bark spiders make the super-tough silk scientists obsess over. Their dragline silk is stronger and stiffer than anything made by males or juveniles, letting their massive webs stop high-speed prey. The catch? That silk is expensive to make. Smaller spiders skip it to save energy. Once females grow big enough, they flip the switch and start spinning the strongest silk in nature.

A mouse study found that tirzepatide, the popular weight loss drug sold as Mounjaro and Zepbound, slowed obesity-related breast cancer growth. Obese mice given the drug lost about 20% of their body weight and had smaller tumors than untreated mice. Tumor size closely tracked body fat and liver fat levels. Researchers say the results are early and only in animals, but they hint that powerful anti-obesity drugs could one day help improve breast cancer outcomes linked to obesity.