Philippines Business News

Focus on ancillary!

After all the brouhaha over systems losses being blamed for rising electricity bills, the best that our government can do is to offer to remove the 12 percent VAT on systems losses. That’s peanuts. Our government can certainly do more.

Government borrowings surge to P291 billion

The Marcos administration’s gross borrowings jumped by more than 75 percent in July from the previous year, driven by a surge in domestic borrowing as the government moved to plug the budget gap.

Hawkish Warsh in Jackson Hole

Last Friday, Fed Chair Kevin Warsh delivered his first Jackson Hole speech.

Poll: Inflation likely eased slightly in August

Inflation may have stayed above six percent in August as higher food and fuel prices, weather-related supply disruptions and the peso’s weakness kept price pressures elevated, economists said.

Prince Retail partners with Capillary to scale AI-driven loyalty

Prince Retail, which operates 79 Prince Hypermart stores nationwide, has partnered with Capillary Technologies to strengthen its customer loyalty and engagement program, Prince Royalty.

PSE eyes relaxed rules for SME listing sponsors

The Philippine Stock Exchange Inc. (PSE) plans to relax its rules for listing sponsors of companies eyeing the small, medium and emerging (SME) board in line with its efforts to attract more small and medium companies to go public.

Share offering applications can now be made online – SEC

All applications for public offerings to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) will now be submitted online as part of the agency’s continuing initiatives to improve the ease of doing business in the county.

Stocks expected to recover this week

The local stock market is expected to bounce back this shortened trading week after taking heavy losses last week.

When it rains, it pours

Sad to say, but I finally have to agree that the flood-control projects being undertaken — that I had high hopes for would finally address our flooding problem — are now proving to be still woefully inadequate.

Bataan-Cavite interlink bridge package set for Sept. award

THE Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) said it hopes to award the first phase of the $3.91-bil-lion Bataan-Cavite Inter-link bridge project by September. “The two approaches of the Bataan-Cavite (interlink project) are now under construction and we will be awarding the major span of the project within September,” Public Works Secretary Vivencio B. […]

PEZA targets more shipbuilding locators as global demand grows

THE Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) said it is looking to attract more shipbuilders to its economic zones, with South Korean yards farming out many of their orders as their own facilities approach capacity.

Major provincial runway expansions expected to be completed by 2027

THE Department of Transportation (DoTr) said it hopes to complete runway expansions at major provincial airports by 2027. In a statement on Sunday, the DoTr said it is expediting the rehabilitation of major airports to meet a minimum 2,100-meter runway length standard. “As a policy for our new airports, the minimum runway should be 2,100 […]

NCR retail price growth accelerates in July

RETAIL PRICE growth of general goods in Metro Manila hit a three-month high in July, driven by the machinery and transport equipment segments, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said. Citing preliminary data, the PSA reported that the general retail price index (GRPI) in the National Capital Region (NCR) grew 4% in July from 0.8% a […]

Agri dep’t shifts production to areas less affected by El Niño

AGRICULTURE SECRETARY Francisco P. Tiu Laurel, Jr. said he ordered revisions to his agencies’ El Niño response plans to emphasize front-loading aid to farmers and shifting production to less-affected areas. The Department of Agriculture (DA) is working on providing immediate assistance to producers and implementing preemptive measures to bring in as much of the harvest […]

Delays in land-use legislation eroding food security — DEPDev

CONGRESS must pass long-delayed national land use legislation to help address elevated food inflation as agricultural land shrinks and rice production fails to keep pace with population growth, the Department of Economy, Planning, and Development (DEPDev) said.

Coal transition policy assumes up to 5 GW of new capacity from coal plants

THE Department of Energy (DoE) said it is set to introduce a coal transition policy that will accommodate up to 5 gigawatts (GW) of new capacity from coal-fired power plants not covered by the moratorium currently in force. Energy Undersecretary Rowena Cristina L. Guevara said the new capacity will help fill the gap left by […]

Why trust is the new competitive advantage

In an era defined by rapid technological change, rising uncertainty, and shifting stakeholder expectations, trust has become one of the most valuable assets an organization can possess.

[Finterest] Meet the young Filipina teaching AI to read crumpled payslips for loans

Built to help lenders make sense of messy financial records, Carmel Limcaoco and Rhea Malhotra's Kita has processed over $130 million in loan volume and raised $4.5 million in seed funding

How will U.S.-Iran conflict reshape the world?

SpaceX launches NASA’s $4.3 billion Roman space telescope

Full transparency in 2027 budget sought

The Management Association of the Philippines is urging all government agencies and branches involved in the 2027 budget process and implementation to ensure transparency and accountability in the use of public funds.

JuanHand rolls out top-up loans for existing borrowers

Digital lending platform JuanHand has introduced a top-up loan facility that allows qualified users to borrow additional funds even before fully repaying an existing loan.

Philippines pursuing first coal-blending terminal

The Philippines is looking to establish its first coal terminal where domestic coal can be processed and blended for power generation, helping reduce its reliance on imports from Indonesia.

Sending the wrong signal

We have a law that penalizes pilferage, or stealing electricity, but the practice largely remains unchecked.