Category: Hot News

THE PHILIPPINES improved its investor relations (IR) score this year to third-best, according to a ranking compiled by the Institute of International Finance (IIF). In its 2023 IR and Debt Transparency Report, the IIF said the Philippines has been strongly communicating developments in its economy to investors and other interested parties. The Philippines’ IR country […]

SUBSIDIES provided to government-owned and -controlled corporations (GOCCs) fell by over 7% in May, the Bureau of the Treasury (BTr) said. Budgetary support to GOCCs fell 7.3% to P7.388 billion in May from P7.968 billion a year earlier, the BTr said. Month on month, subsidies declined 17.5% from the P8.958 billion in April. The government […]

After several years of abundant and cheap liquidity, banks are facing new liquidity risk management challenges in today’s rapidly changing environment. Between June 2022 and May 2023, the Philippine benchmark interest rate moved from 2.5% to 6.25%. Similar interest rate trends have been noted across the Asean markets, impacting bank balance sheets and creating tougher […]

THE GOVERNMENT of President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. should review the regional wage-setting system after the Metro Manila wage board approved a paltry P40 increase in the daily minimum pay, according to a labor group. “This only proves once again what we have been saying all these years — that the regional wage-setting mechanism is […]

By Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza, Reporter THE PHILIPPINES’ new tourism slogan has failed to capture some of the country’s best qualities and does not give tourists compelling reasons to come, according to brand analysts. “Love the Philippines,” which replaced “It’s More Fun in the Philippines,” sounds like a command and lacks flexibility in terms of […]

THE DEPARTMENT of Trade and Industry (DTI) seized more than P8 million worth of substandard and uncertified steel products after enforcement operations in Davao City on June 22 and 23, it said in a statement at the weekend. These products included black and galvanized iron steel pipes, deformed steel bars, low-carbon steel wires and polyethylene […]

DAVAO CITY — Motorists can now access the Bago Aplaya-Tulip Drive segment of the Davao City Coastal bypass road after its inauguration led by President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. on Saturday.   The president said the project aims to ease traffic congestion and boost economic growth that Davao City has been enjoying in the past years.  […]

QUEZON City Rep. Patrick Michael D. Vargas has filed a bill that seeks to exempt the poor from paying professional examination fees.  House Bill 8356 or the Free Professional Examinations Act will give poor Filipinos an opportunity to take licensure examinations for free.  “This measure aims to provide a mechanism to make these examinations available […]

Nongovernment group Angat Buhay Foundation, which was founded by former Vice-President Leonor “Leni” G. Robredo, has helped 20,131 families and 15,636 people from 176 communities since it was set up in July last year, it said in a statement at the weekend.  The foundation’s flagship telemedicine program helped 7,706 unique patients with the help of […]

WITH a stroke of luck and sustained shot-making magnificence by James Aranas and Johann Chua, the World Cup of Pool title could be back in the Philippines after a decade-long wait. Pouncing on a critical late miscue by their foes, the unheralded Filipino wonder duo of Mr. Aranas and Mr. Chua survived Taiwanese brothers Ko […]

GILAS Pilipinas chalked up its first win in its European training trip via a 70-61 verdict over Ukraine’s Under-20 (U-20) team Saturday at the Zalgiris Arena in Kaunas, Lithuania. But the Nationals’ overall performance in their third friendly of the trip, especially on defense, drew flak from coach Chot Reyes himself. “Although we won this […]

THERE is no way to go but up for Gilas Pilipinas women after proving that they belong in the same atmosphere with Asia’s best. Gilas showed improvement by leaps and bounds in the 2023 FIBA Women’s Asia Cup with a commendable sixth-place finish, paving the runway for its takeoff to newer heights sooner than later. […]

THE TNT Triple Giga approach Season 3 of the PBA 3×3 with the same always-hungry, not-resting-on-your-laurels mentality that has served them well in past battles. The Triple Giga have blazed a trail of excellence in the three-a-side league, scoring a historic grand slam in Season 2 after first reigning supreme in the Third Conference of […]

ONCE the NBA’s free agency negotiation period began Friday, plenty of reported deals — including Kyrie Irving staying with the Dallas Mavericks and Draymond Green remaining with the Golden State Warriors — made the headlines, but there were several other moves worth noting. The contract agreements with free agents become official July 6, per NBA […]

Heading into free agency, general manager Rob Pelinka made no secret of the Lakers’ plan for success: Fortify the gains they made at the end of the National Basketball Association’s 2022-23 season. After a roster makeover at the trade deadline, they scrambled to get a slot in the play-in tournament, and then built momentum for […]

MORE FOREIGN CAPITAL left the Philippines for a fourth straight month in May, although significantly lower than a year ago as investor sentiment improved. Data from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) showed transactions on foreign portfolio investments registered with the central bank through authorized agent banks posted a net outflow of $124.49 million in […]

By Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza, Reporter PHILIPPINE President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. failed to exploit his overwhelming mandate to pursue game-changing economic reforms during his first year in office, having used band-aid solutions to deal with persistent food shortages and spiraling prices, economists said on Thursday. Mr. Marcos is unlikely to undo decades of neglect […]

THE ASIAN Development Bank (ADB) on Thursday approved a $1-billion loan to modernize the public transportation system in Davao City through the procurement of over a thousand electric buses. “The Davao Public Transport Modernization Project, ADB’s largest road-based public transport project in the Philippines, is expected to serve as a pilot for overhauling the country’s […]

THE JOINT Foreign Chambers (JFC) urged the Philippine government to reconsider its plan to impose new taxes on “junk food” and higher taxes on sweetened beverages, saying this is “not the right time.” “We believe it is not the right time to introduce additional taxes on products primarily consumed by middle and lower middle-class households […]

HOLCIM Philippines, Inc. said on Thursday that its major shareholder plans to buy out minority investors in the company via a tender offer that could lead to its delisting from the stock exchange. In a regulatory filing, the company said Dutch firm Holderfin B.V. bought shares held by Sumitomo Osaka Cement Co., Ltd., bringing Holcim’s […]