AIRBNB said Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2023, it enjoyed a record 2022, including its first annual profit, and it continues to see strong demand for travel carryover into the new year despite economic uncertainty and high inflation. The San Francisco-based company said it earned US$319 million in the fourth quarter, up from $55 million a year […]
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Senate pledges adequate oversight as RCEP bill elevated to plenary
SENATORS sponsored out to the plenary the bill providing the chamber’s concurrence to the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), while pledging to exercise adequate oversight when the trade agreement is implemented. Senate President Pro Tempore Lorna Regina B. Legarda, who co-sponsored the legislation, said accession to RCEP comes with strengthened governance. “Attached to the resolution that […]
World Trade Center sees exhibition industry recovery this year
EXHIBITION venue operator World Trade Center Metro Manila (WTCMM) said it is expecting its industry to recover this year as demand surges with the return of onsite events. “The exhibition industry is well on its way to recovery in 2023. The year 2022 showed optimistic indicators that point to restored market confidence and renewed vigor […]
E-Governance bill hurdles House committee
A BILL seeking to digitalize the bureaucracy has been approved by the House committee on information and communications technology. On Wednesday the committee passed an unnumbered substitute bill seeking to effect a government transition to an electronic mode of delivering services and information. Rabindranath P. Quilala, director of the Anti-Red Tape Authority, said that the […]
Japan ministry agrees to broadband, 5G equipment sourcing collaboration with DICT
THE Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) said it signed a Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) with its counterpart Japanese ministry on broadband infrastructure development and fifth-generation (5G) cellular equipment sourcing. “The Philippines, through the DICT, has reinforced its cooperation in the field of ICT with Japan. The Philippine government and the government of Japan […]
Marcos urged to seek out more allies to deter China aggression
By Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza, Reporter SECURITY and foreign policy experts on Wednesday urged President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. to partner with as many countries as possible to deter China’s aggression in the South China Sea. “Multilateralism will counterbalance too much dependence in the United States,” Chester B. Cabalza, who studied national security and policymaking […]
Young Filipinos warned versus crypto scammers
THE PHILIPPINE Immigration bureau on Wednesday warned the public against cryptocurrency scammers who lure young professionals into working illegally in Southeast Asia. In a statement, Immigration Commissioner Norman G. Tansingco said scammers are luring urban professionals by promising them jobs only to be forced to work for potential cryptocurrency investors. “These highly educated professionals would […]
IEMOP backs review of secondary price cap amid high fuel prices
THE Independent Electricity Market Operator of the Philippines (IEMOP) said the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) needs to review the secondary price cap as market participants grapple with high fuel and power generation costs. “As the market operator we see the merit of the call to review the price cap especially now that fuel prices and […]
Onion farmers say millions worth of produce lost in cold storage
A FARMING cooperative from Bongabon, Nueva Ecija said it lost 128,000 bags of onions which were improperly stored, rendering the crop unsellable and possibly contributing to the onion shortage. Israel Reyugal, president of the Bonena Multi-Purpose Cooperative in Bongabon, told the House committee on agriculture and food that the onions, which he valued at P168 […]
ECCP backs water council to ease path for PPP investment
THE European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (ECCP) said it supports the establishment of an advisory panel to the Water Resource Management Office (WRMO), which it hopes will result in seamless cooperation with the private sector in developing water projects. “This interim structural reform will hopefully provide more synergy with public-private partnerships (PPPs) as […]
Philippines still not free of H5N1 bird flu
THE Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) said the Philippines is still subject to outbreaks of type H5N1 avian influenza, first detected in February 2022. The BAI said it has detected six cases overall since the first outbreak. The cases were reported in Candaba and Masantol, Pampanga; Sta. Maria, Bulacan; the Cagayan Valley; Sultan Kudarat, and […]
Japan investment pledges expected to materialize within 2-3 years
MOST OF THE investment pledges extracted from Japan are expected to materialize within the next two or three years, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said. Trade Assistant Secretary Glenn G. Peñaranda said in a televised briefing on Tuesday that 21 deals secured by the Philippines will materialize in the next three years, […]
Globe: Users need to register SIM asap
TELECOMMUNICATIONS giant, Globe, is calling on their subscribers to register their SIM cards especially now that spam messages and security attacks have become even more rampant. Globe regional corporate communications manager for Visayas-Mindanao Rofil Sheldon Magto said as of February 13, 2023 they have logged only 13.3 million registrations out of the 86.7 million users […]
Retired generals call on gov’t to curb corruption
By John Victor D. Ordoñez, Reporter FORMER senior military and police officers and government officials on Tuesday urged the government of President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. to boost its anti-corruption efforts. In a Philippine Star ad, the retired officials who called their group the Advocates for National Interest said they support the president’s call to […]
Pimentel says charter change should focus on political dynasties, party-list
THE SENATE minority leader on Tuesday said initiatives to change the 1987 Constitution should focus on political provisions that will enhance the country’s system of governance. Senator Aquilino Martin “Koko” D. Pimentel III recommended amendments in the party-list system and introducing safeguards against political dynasties. He also proposed a shift in the country’s form of […]
Marriages surged in 2021 with easing quarantine
REGISTERED MARRIAGES rose sharply in 2021 as quarantine measures eased, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said in a report on Monday. Citing preliminary data from its Vital Statistics report, the PSA said marriages in 2021 totaled 356,839, up 48.2%. On a per-thousand people basis — an indicator known as “crude marriages,” the marriage rate […]
Balisacan calls for economic model based on sustainable consumption
THE consumption-driven Philippine economy must be revamped to make it more sustainable, National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan said at a forum in support of the 2023-2028 Philippine Development Plan (PDP). “To achieve transformation, we must introduce systematic changes to our consumption and production patterns, as well as manage our natural […]
Charter change not a priority for Marcos but lawmakers to continue discussions
PRESIDENT Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. cast aside the urgency of changing the 1987 Constitution, saying it is not a priority of his administration as some lawmakers push for amendments to supposedly allow more foreign investments. “We can achieve what we want, but within the present constitutional [framework,] the way the Constitution is written,” the president […]
SC asked to void certification of Maharlika fund bill as urgent
By John Victor D. Ordoñez, Reporter OPPOSITION lawmakers have asked the Philippine High Court to void President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr.’s certification of the proposed Maharlika Investment Fund (MIF) as urgent as well as the approval of the bill in the House of Representatives. In a 22-page petition filed on Monday before the Supreme Court […]
Mayor Rama rejects revised property tax code
CEBU City Mayor Michael Rama has rejected the ordinance that approved the revised real property tax (RPT) rates, citing that it does not express the true values of properties and deprives the City Government of a proper source of funds. The revised RPT Code, which was approved by the Sangguniang Panlungsod on Dec. 30, 2022, […]