Philippines Business News

Gatchalian eyes year-end removal of power system-loss charges

MANILA, Philippines — Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian said Sunday he will push for the removal of system-loss charges from consumers’ electricity bills before the end of the year, even as the Senate faces a crowded schedule dominated by the 2027 national budget. Gatchalian said the measure is in plenary and has undergone hearings and technical working group discussions on its potential impact on distribution utilities and electric cooperatives. “We will try our best before

Silva unanimously outpoints Cong to claim the UFC women’s flyweight championship

SALT LAKE CITY — Natalia Silva unanimously outpointed Wang Cong to claim the vacant UFC women’s flyweight championship Saturday night at UFC 332. Silva (21-5-1) extended her winning streak to 15 bouts after largely dominating Wang (10-2) over five rounds. “This is incredible for me,” Silva said. “I have worked hard for this moment and now I am the new (champion) and I am so so so happy.” Silva went from challenger to favorite in the title bout after Valentina

vivo V80 Lite launches in PH with 10000mAh battery at P24,999

GLOBAL technology company vivo has officially launched the vivo V80 Lite in the Philippines, bringing its 10000mAh BlueVolt Battery, IP68 and IP69 dust and water resistance, and high-brightness display to consumers looking for a smartphone that can keep up with demanding workdays and everything that comes after. The V80 Lite starts at P24,999 and available for pre-order from Oct. 4 to 16, 2026. The Guinness World Record holder vivo V80 Lite is designed for young Filipino professionals whose days

Rybakina loses in China Open second round while Zverev wins to face Djokovic

BEIJING — No. 1-ranked Elena Rybakina was ousted from the China Open by No. 118 Alina Charaeva of Armenia in the second round on Saturday. Charaeva held her head in her hands in disbelief after winning 3-6, 6-4, 6-3. "I was just trying to stay really hard mentally and keep believing that at some point I could turn it around again to my side. And I guess I just never stopped believing,” said Charaeva, only the ninth woman outside the top 100 to beat a No. 1. Rybakina had seven double

Work and live life to the fullest with the newest vivo V80 Lite

HAVING a phone run out of power in the middle of a busy workday or while running errands can be one of the nightmares a young professional could have. The hassle of carrying a power bank or searching for an available outlet can disrupt your routine. This is exactly the kind of challenge the new vivo V80 Lite is made to address. This latest model comes with a 10,000-milliampere-hour (mAh) BlueVolt Battery — an upgrade over its predecessor, the vivo V60 Lite, which typically holds a battery

20th Asian Games Final medal tally

Govt eyes nationwide expansion of solar-powered irrigation

MANILA, Philippines — The govt plans to expand solar-powered irrigation systems as part of efforts to cut farming costs, strengthen food security and modernize the country’s irrigation network, acting Executive Secretary Ralph Recto said Sunday. Recto said the Solar-Powered Pump Irrigation Program (SPIP), administered by the National Irrigation Administration (NIA), is being expanded to 10,000 sites nationwide by 2030. NIA operates 4,036 SPIP sites in 43 provinces, including 2,147 in

Ejercito seeks to double social pension for indigent seniors to P2,000

MANILA, Philippines — Sen. JV Ejercito is seeking to double the monthly social pension for indigent senior citizens from P1,000 to P2,000, citing rising costs of food, medicines, health care and other basic necessities. Ejercito filed Senate Bill 2522, which seeks to amend Republic Act 11916, the law governing the social pension program for indigent senior citizens. “With the continuing rise in the prices of food, medicines, utilities, transportation, and health care, P1,000 a month

Bartunkova stuns Sabalenka in China Open

BEIJING — Aryna Sabalenka was swatted aside in straight sets by 34th-ranked Nikola Bartunkova in the third round of the China Open on Sunday, leaving the event without its top two seeds. Czech player Bartunkova, 20, sent down four aces to beat the former world number one 6-4, 6-3 in one hour and 35 minutes. "I focused on myself, to be calm," Bartunkova said. "She's a legend... so I'm really happy that I won the match," she said of the four-time Grand Slam champion. Bartunkova next faces Au

June Announces Pet Grooming Software to Simplify Booking and Client Communication

June is announcing its pet grooming software with a focus on easier daily operations, easier-to-reach support, and a subscription price that stays the same for as long as a shop stays subscribed. Burlington, Ontario, Canada, October 4, 2026 -- June, software for independent grooming shops in the United States and Canada, is committing to keep each shop's subscription price the same for as long as the shop stays subscribed. The commitment applies to the price a shop starts with, and June is month

WentRogue Announces Public Experiment On Rogue AI Claims

A digital tree and public record will document agent activity alongside self-reported permission statements. The November 15 experiment introduces a format for following those declarations over time, against a background of recent disclosures about AI agent oversight. Sheridan, Wyoming, United States, October 4, 2026 -- WentRogue has announced November 15, 2026, at 00:00 UTC as the scheduled start of its public experiment on AI agent spending and permission. The project will pair a digital tree

Blokees Debuts 90+ New Products at Wonder Festival Shanghai 2026

SHANGHAI, Oct. 4, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- From October 3 to 4, Assembly Character Toys Brand Blokees exhibited at Wonder Festival Shanghai 2026, featuring nearly 500 products across its two core categories, Blokees Model Kits and BLOKEES WHEELS. More than 90 new products made their debut, highlighting Blokees' continued expansion across product categories, IPs and consumer segments. The Blokees Model Kits portfolio covers hero collecting, model kit collecting, animal-themed products and fashion-ori

Eala and her peers are in the ‘danger zone’

I was not at all surprised that Alex Eala lost to Tatiana Prozorova at Singapore, and to Wang Xiyu at the Asian Games 2026 in Japan. I simply applied “Murphy’s Law” that states: "Anything that can go wrong will go wrong." And it did. Twice. While Eala was basking in the limelight and made to carry a big weight of the game on her shoulders at the WTA loved it, Prozorova was getting ready to upset her. And the Russian’s preparation may have included studying the numerous re

Mountains and History Draw Holiday Tourists to Henan's Qi County

HEBI, China, Oct. 04, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Tourists to Qi County this National Day holiday are touring mountain scenery and sites tied to China's ancient past. The county, part of Hebi in central China's Henan province, has combined natural landscapes with performances at different attractions across the area. Qi County was known in ancient times as Zhaoge. It served as a capital during the late Shang Dynasty, which ruled more than 3,000 years ago, and later as the capital of the State of We

Warring States-Themed Events Draw Holiday Tourists to Henan's Yunmeng Mountain

HEBI, China, Oct. 04, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Battle flags, replica chariots and the sound of drums greeted tourists to Yunmeng Mountain during China's National Day holiday. The displays set the scene for a program inspired by the Warring States period, when rival states competed for power more than 2,000 years ago. The scenic area in Qi County, central China's Henan province, opened its holiday program with Entering the Camp: Guiguzi Troop Review, a performance depicting the legendary strategi

Casino Online USA: BetWhale Announces Real Money Online Casinos 2026 Games With 250% Welcome Offer and Fast Payout Focus For Casino Online USA Players.

Online Casino Real Money 2026 Exclusive From BetWhale features online casino games, live dealer tables, promotions, and mobile access for users exploring real money online casinos in the USA. New York, Oct. 04, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Online Casino Real Money USA announced by BetWhale has an updated focus on its online casino platform 2026, highlighting a selection of real-money casino games, a current welcome promotion, mobile browser access, account security features and a stated payout-proce

A gut punch in Ohio: Nearly 1,400 laid off at truck factory just days before Trump rally

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio — Sipping tea from beer mugs with his co-workers, Kyle Bos listed the ways his life is changing. Bos has two daughters, with a third due in January. At the grocery store, five items cost as much as a full cart once did. And on Wednesday, Bos and nearly 1,400 other people were laid off from their jobs at what had been the Navistar truck factory in southwestern Ohio. The layoffs — occurring just three days before President Donald Trump's rally on Saturday at a nearby

SIBIONICS and PharmaSens Explore New Horizons for Automated Insulin Delivery at EASD 2026

MILAN, Oct. 4, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- At the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) 2026, SiBionics presented "See More, Act Earlier," connecting continuous sensing with future diabetes care. Three exhibition chapters shaped this vision: "See More: Beyond Glucose," covering glucose, ketone and combined monitoring; "Act Earlier: From Insight to Intervention," exploring multimodal sensing and insulin delivery; and "Go Further: Realizing the Unimagined," looking toward broader biosensi

Asian port congestion may prolong shipping crunch into 2027

MANILA, Philippines — Congestion at major Asian container ports is tying up about 8.5 percent of the global containership fleet, raising the prospect of a prolonged shipping capacity crunch and higher freight rates that could extend into 2027, maritime analysts said. Sam Chambers, maritime analyst and editorial director of Asia Shipping Media, said the disruptions increasingly appeared to be more than a temporary problem as weather disturbances and operational bottlenecks continued to dela

AI needs safety layers like nuclear plants — ex-OpenAI engineer

NEW YORK — Another former OpenAI employee has added his voice to a chorus of frantic calls to make AI safe, saying the industry must mimic the aviation or nuclear power sectors with their layers of safeguards to avoid disaster. In an article published in The Atlantic Magazine, David Robinson echoed warnings from inside and outside the AI world that its agents are being developed so fast and becoming so smart they could soon elude control and conceivably wipe out humanity. Robinson said ala

Netanyahu invites 'true hero' Indian flydubai captain to Israel

JERUSALEM — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday invited to Israel as a guest of honor the Indian captain of a Tel Aviv-bound flydubai flight who offered a dramatic account of how he saved the plane after being attacked. Netanyahu said he wanted Captain Smit Machchhar and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, one of Israel's key international partners, to light a flame at a national ceremony for Israel's Independence Day next May, saying the role was usually reserved for Israeli ci

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Three Times, Elon Musk Entered an Industry and Took It Over. Top Tech Expert Says He's Doing It a Fourth Time Right Now.

One of America’s top tech experts lays out a pattern in Musk's career, payments, cars, and space, and explains artificial intelligence is next, following the same playbook almost nobody sees coming. Washington, D.C., Oct. 03, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Elon Musk's companies are usually treated as separate stories. tech analyst James Altucher says that when you line them up in order, they tell the same one, three times over. In a new presentation, Altucher argues Musk has a repeatable pattern of wa

Jostens Announces New Partnership with James Madison University

The Official Partnership will Revitalize the University's Ring Program James Madison University Official Rings Class rings offered in the James Madison University ring program. Designed in collaboration with JMU’s Campus History Committee and University Historian, the Official James Madison University Ring introduces the inaugural JMU Legacy panel, debuting with the Class of 2028. Anchoring the design is the historic Bluestone facade of Wilson Hall overlooking the iconic Quad sidewalks, set agai