House leader orders committee probe, charges vs onion ‘hoarders’

THE HOUSE Speaker on Sunday directed the agriculture and food committee to conduct a probe and possibly recommend the filing of charges against alleged “unscrupulous traders and hoarders of onion and garlic.”   “Your days are numbered,” Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez said in a statement, calling the suspected hoarding activities an act of economic sabotage.   […]

Bantayan growers raise egg prices

POULTRY owners in Bantayan Island have increased the prices of their eggs due to the increase in prices of feeds they purchased from Cebu City. Alan Pastoril, president of the Bantayan Island Layer and Hog Raiser Association Inc. (BILHRA), told SunStar Cebu Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2023, that this is the main reason they imposed another […]

Senators say onion prices disproportionate to size of domestic shortfall

THE high price of onions is disproportionate to the small shortfall in domestic production, which could have easily been addressed by well-timed imports, Senators said. Senator Cynthia A. Villar, who chairs the Senate committee on Agriculture and Food, cited data from the Philippine Statistics Authority pointing to a 2021 onion surplus if domestic production and […]

REITs seen saddled by hybrid work, POGO exit

By Justine Irish D. Tabile, Reporter REAL estate investment trusts (REITs) are expected to benefit from the further reopening of the economy, but their growth could be tempered by flexible work arrangements and the departure of Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGO), analysts said. “The economic reopening narrative would still be the important consideration for the […]

Housing prices jump in Q3

By Luisa Maria Jacinta C. Jocson, Reporter HOUSING PRICES nationwide posted a faster annual growth in the third quarter, driven by sustained demand for condominium units, particularly in the Philippine capital region. The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) said the Residential Real Estate Price Index (RREPI) rose 6.5% year on year in the third quarter. […]