Category: Hot News

By John Victor D. Ordoñez, Reporter THE struggle to make minimum wages liveable points to the need for more trade unions, not just to negotiate for better pay but also to help workers seek better working conditions, the Federation of Free Workers said. “We need to organize more workers (into) labor unions to negotiate collective […]

The Metaverse has been positioned as the next phase of the internet. It makes use of several innovations in technology, from extended reality (XR) to artificial intelligence (AI), to enable new digital experiences. With the increasing focus on how to appropriately regulate data and the use of AI, digital governance is becoming even more crucial. […]

By Keisha B. Ta-asan, Reporter WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Philippine central bank may cut the key policy rate this year if inflation continues to ease in the next six months, according to its chief. “We already have two very low month-on-month [inflation],” BSP Governor Felipe M. Medalla told reporters on the sidelines of an economic […]

THE PHILIPPINE GOVERNMENT may launch next month a retail dollar bond offering that targets Filipino workers overseas, according to the national treasurer. The decision to sell the bonds would be subject to market conditions, National Treasurer Rosalia V. de Leon told reporters on the sidelines of an economic briefing in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday evening […]

By Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza, Reporter THE PHILIPPINE GOVERNMENT should ensure that foreign investments spurred by the liberalization of key public services benefit the countryside, economists said on Thursday. “The amended Public Service Act is expected to push infrastructure further,” Leonardo A. Lanzona, who teaches economics at the Ateneo de Manila University, said in a […]

LISTED Visayas-Mindanao property developer Cebu Landmasters, Inc. (CLI) has set its capital expenditures (capex) for the year at P13.5 billion, a 23% increase from last year’s P10.98 billion. As per the company’s statement on Thursday, the majority of the capex (83%) will be used for project development, while a smaller proportion (11%) will be used […]

YUCHENGCO-led EEI Corp. (EEI) said the construction sector is expected to benefit from the opening of the industry to full foreign ownership. “The structural reforms that promote foreign direct investment such as the Public Services Act (PSA) and the EO (Executive Order) to adopt the Philippine Development Plan, that the government is trying to institute, […]

TAN-LED Alliance Global Group, Inc. (AGI) on Thursday reported a 6% rise in net income to P25.2 billion for 2022, up from P23.8 billion previously, boosted by the recovery of its business segments following the country’s sustained recovery. “However, increased inflationary pressures, higher cost of raw material, and ongoing distribution bottlenecks pushed overall costs and […]

THE Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) on Thursday said it had invested P1.46 billion in listed mining company Nickel Asia Corp. (NAC). “GSIS continues to look for ways to lengthen its fund life through viable investment opportunities such as successful vertically integrated mining ore production and processing business of NAC,” GSIS President and General Manager Jose Arnulfo “Wick” A. […]

By Lourdes O. Pilar, Researcher THE RETAIL price growth of construction materials in Metro Manila slowed to 4.1% year on year in March, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported on Friday. This marks the slowest rate of growth in over a year, according to PSA data. Based on preliminary PSA data, the rise in March […]

AROUND 10% of registered taxpayers still have to file their 2022 annual income tax returns by the April 17 deadline, according to the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR). “As of now, what we know is less than 10% (are still expected to file their taxes), [but] the turnout of filing has been okay,”  BIR Commissioner […]

THE BOARD of Investments (BoI) has seen a 155% rise in approved investments for the first quarter (Q1) to P463.3 billion, with 68 approved projects, mainly in the renewable energy sector.  Local investment approvals for the period showed a significant increase of 68%, amounting to P297.9 billion, compared to the P177.3 billion recorded in the […]

Consumers were less pessimistic in the first quarter due to their positive outlook on the availability of more jobs and permanent employment, higher income, and continued recovery from the public health crisis, according to the Philippine central bank. The consumer confidence index (CI) fell 10.4% in the first three months of the year, better than […]

LONDON – Fashion designer Mary Quant, often credited with popularizing the miniskirt that helped define Britain’s “Swinging Sixties” era, has died aged 93. Born and brought up in Blackheath, south east London, Quant helped pioneer bold new styles during the 1960s – a decade in which fashion, music and art subculture challenged and forever changed Britain’s post-war national identity. “It’s impossible […]

By Brontë H. Lacsamana, Reporter  Movie Review About Us But Not About Us Directed by Jun Robles Lana MTRCB Rating: R13 It’s exciting to witness a Filipino film pulling off the challenge of having a few characters in a single location immersed in deep conversation. Given this minimalistic approach, the fact that About Us But Not About Us […]

MEXICO CITY – Mexico and the United States on Thursday agreed to ramp up the fight against fentanyl trafficking, as well as Mexico‘s Sinaloa and CJNG drug cartels and their supply chains, in joint bid to reduce consumption of the powerful opioid. The deal came after a meeting of officials from both countries in Washington. Both countries have in recent weeks asked China to help curb the shipment of precursor chemicals coming from […]

WASHINGTON – France’s development minister said on Thursday she will tell the World Bank’s expected next president, Ajay Banga, to maintain the bank’s anti-poverty mission while forging ahead with next steps by October in its evolution to fight climate change and other global crises. Chrysoula Zacharopoulou told Reuters in an interview that she wants Banga, the former CEO of Mastercard, to use an international finance summit in Paris to […]