Manila Water ramps up water sampling

MANILA Water Co. is ramping up its water sampling to ensure potability, the Metro Manila’s east zone water concessionaire announced on Wednesday.    “The strict and regular testing of water samples from the source to the distribution system will guarantee that our 7.4 million customers get clean and potable water 24/7,” Nestor Jeric T. Sevilla, Jr., […]

San Diego dominates PHL National Women’s Chess Championship

MARIE Antoinette San Diego came through with an effort to remember as she crowned herself winner of the Philippine National Women’s Chess Championship present presented by Nova Wellness Store for the first time at the PACE yesterday. It was a dream come true for the 23-year-old Woman International Master (WIM) from Dasmariñas City bet as […]

Stocks climb on positive sentiment, Fed bets

STOCKS climbed on Tuesday, snapping a three-day losing streak, as investors remained bullish on the Philippines’ prospects, even with inflation hitting a 14-year high last month and on expectations of smaller US Federal Reserve rate hikes. The Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) added 232.25 points or 3.6% to close at 6,674.38 on Tuesday, while the […]

Peso rebounds on rate hike expectations

THE PESO strengthened versus the dollar on Tuesday despite profit taking after the release of November inflation data that cemented expectations of another rate hike from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) this month. The local unit closed at P55.975 per dollar on Tuesday, gaining 4.5 centavos from its P56.02 finish on Monday, data from […]

Omicron subvariant BQ.1 cases rose to 17 — DoH

THE PHILIPPINES has detected one more infection involving the highly contagious Omicron subvariant BQ.1, bringing the total to 17, the Health department said on Tuesday. The patient came from the Western Visayas region, it said in a bulletin. The European Center for Disease Control considers BQ.1, a sublineage of Omicron BA.5, a variant of interest. […]

Rights group asks government to help families of drug war victims

THE GOVERNMENT of President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. should do more to protect the families of victims of extralegal killings and prosecute officials for the wrongful deaths, according to a human rights group. In a statement sent on Monday evening, the Initiatives for Dialogue and Empowerment through Alternative Legal Services said the government should also […]

Congressman: P3-B wifi budget illegally moved to MMDA

AT LEAST P3 billion in public funds was illegally transferred to the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) to finance its free wifi project without congressional consent, according to a lawmaker. MMDA later bid out a P1.1-billion project for the capital region’s fiber optic backbone development, Northern Samar Rep. Paul R. Daza told a House of […]

Senator seeks mandatory insurance coverage for construction workers

A SENATOR has filed a bill requiring the provision of insurance coverage to all construction workers, with adequate indemnification for any accident that causes disability or death.  “I believe that providing our construction workers with insurance coverage will compel their employers to adopt better safety mechanisms that will ensure the safety and security of their […]

Teleperformance opens GenSan City office, Cloud Campus microsite

OUTSOURCING firm Teleperformance Philippines (TP) has launched an office in General Santos City, its 24th in the country, with a Cloud Campus microsite which supports work-from-home employees.    TP, in a statement on Tuesday, said the new site will open more jobs for residents in the city and in the neighboring province of South Cotabato.    “Teleperformance […]

SEC expands partnership with LANDBANK for more payment options

THE SECURITIES and Exchange Commission (SEC) has expanded its partnership with state-run Land Bank of the Philippines (LANDBANK) to provide more payment options for the transacting public.   In a press release on Tuesday, the regulator said that it signed on Nov. 28 a memorandum of agreement with LANDBANK, which will allow payments for SEC-related transactions […]

Marcos to sign administrative order on farm-to-market roads

PRESIDENT Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. is set to sign a joint administrative order this month outlining a timetable for establishing a farm-to-market road (FMR) network, the Palace said in a statement on Tuesday. “The FMR order has been approved,” he was quoted as saying in the statement. “We already have a national timetable.” The order […]

Japan’s MinebeaMitsumi in P4-B Cebu expansion

JAPANESE electronics manufacturer MinebeaMitsumi, Inc. is undertaking a P4-billion expansion project in Naga City, Cebu, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said. In a statement on Tuesday, the DTI said that Philippine Trade and Investment Center-Tokyo Commercial Counselor Dita Angara-Mathay reported the company’s expansion proposal. According to Ms. Angara-Mathay, the Japanese firm plans to […]

Japan’s TDK hard drive equipment project worth P2.5B approved by FIRB

THE Fiscal Incentives Review Board (FIRB) on Tuesday approved the tax incentives application of TDK Philippines Corp. for a P2.5-billion manufacturing project, the Department of Finance (DoF) said. TDK proposes to make microwave-assisted magnetic recording sliders, industrial equipment used in hard drive manufacturing. The approval of the application for fiscal incentives “is a boost to […]

LGUs apply to borrow P20.2 billion in first half

THE Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) said local government units (LGUs) proposed to borrow P20.2 billion in the first half, mostly for infrastructure projects. The totals were tallied from applications to the Monetary Board (MB), which must review all LGU borrowing proposals, the BSP said in a statement on Tuesday. The MB received 107 proposals […]