ROBUST household consumption and the upcoming midterm elections are expected to fuel the country’s economic growth this year, according to an economist.

THE Department of Agriculture (DA) will declare a food security emergency to allow the National Food Authority (NFA) to sell rice buffer stock to agencies.

WHILE the IT and Business Process Management (IT-BPM) industry is seen to grow in 2025,  the industry will have to recalibrate revenue and employment targets of its roadmap by mid-2025 in order to factor in the “macro environment” impacting global dema...

TOTAL resources of the financial sector grew 8.82 percent in November 2024, according to the latest data from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP).

MY younger brother describes my son, a car and motorcycle enthusiast, as a tinkerer of all things mechanical. So when I encountered the expression “having a tinkering mind” in one of my recent readings, I thought I’d write about it in the context of as...

WILL it finally happen?

ISUZU Philippines Corporation (IPC), in partnership with AC Motors Automobile Group (AC Motors), has inaugurated two new Isuzu Outlet Standard (IOS) dealerships in Rizal and Taytay. These latest IOS dealerships are part of IPC’s commitment to bring hig...

Image credits: Jimbo Albano

The recent Senate hearing on the motorcycle taxi bill has reignited calls for immediate legislative action, and rightly so. For far too long, the sector has been stuck in neutral, leaving riders and commuters in limbo. The data from the pilot program h...

AN alarming rate of 58.8 percent of Filipino children aged 1 to 14 years have experienced violent discipline. This highlights the prevalence of child abuse in the Philippines, where physical punishment is supported by almost 12 percent of adults.

Last Monday, the 13th of January, the Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) collected a million plus of its believers to stage a peace rally. Days before the said event, there were statements made by other religious groups—we would like to assume that they did not b...

Since the assumption of President Rodrigo Duterte into office in 2016, the opposition has lost every major election. As the 2025 elections draw near, the same story will likely happen again.

Lack of a final medical assessment from the company-designated physician (CDP) negates the need to comply with the third doctor referral provision on seafarer’s disability claims.

IN film education, do we educate the film or does the film educate us?

IT certainly wasn’t a “dry January” at the Fort San Antonio Abad last Friday, with the top bankers in the country, glasses of red wine in hand, schmoozed with key officials of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) and some high-level government officia...

MAYOR’S PROBLEM

The Philippine real estate sector is facing a significant challenge of a persistent mismatch between developer inventories and buyer demands. Founder of Filipino Homes, Anthony Leuterio, recently shed light on this issue, highlighting critical gaps in ...

THE shares of local government units (LGUs) in the national tax allotment (NTA) will equate to about 35 percent in 2026, according to the Department of Finance (DOF).

MALACAÑANG credited the wins of a Filipino athlete and singer in international competitions for boosting the image of the Philippines abroad.

THE Department of Finance (DOF) announced last Thursday it tapped the unrestricted P107.3-billion excess funds of the Philippine Deposit Insurance Corp. (PDIC) so government could generate additional cash without inflicting new taxes.

DIPLOMATIC officials of the Philippines and China met Thursday in Xiamen, Fujian and had “frank and constructive discussions” on the South China Sea bilateral dispute.

SEN. Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go aired his concern Thursday over the rising medical cost in the country, and urged relevant agencies and policy makers to act quickly to blunt this hike and its impact on the public.

NOTING the positive effect on traffic flow, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) will recommend to President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.,  the 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. new work schedule for local government units (LGUs) as an option for all...

THE chairman of the Senate blue-ribbon committee warned on Thursday that continuing the sorry state of miscoordination among government agencies will worsen the public-health problems caused by smoking and vaping, and waste huge public funds despite th...

LONG-TIME Ilocos Sur governor Luis “Chavit” Singson formally withdrew his senatorial bid on Thursday, emphasizing that he can still provide assistance even without holding public office.

THE Coast Guard (PCG) on Wednesday said that the offshore patrol vessel BRP Gabriela Silang (OPV-8301) is now keeping watch on the China Coast Guard (CCG) vessel 5901, which is illegally operating off the Zambales coast which is part of the West Philip...

The Philippines’ military continues to strengthen ties the country’s allies.

BOTH houses of Congress have recognized the heroism of Melchora Aquino, more popularly known as Tandang Sora, by passing the measure declaring January 6 of every year a special working holiday in Quezon City in commemoration of her birth anniversary.

NEGOTIATIONS for a free trade agreement between the 27-member European Union and the Philippines are expected to deliver “well and fast” as talks are set to resume on February 10 in Manila, according to the EU ambassador to the Philippines. 

THE coming Asia and the Pacific Regional Meeting (APRM) will serve as a platform for citizens to participate and engage in the budget preparation process, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) said.

SUSTAINED domestic political conflicts may not only impact next year’s polls but also the country’s economic and fiscal performance, according to Fitch Ratings.

THE scheduled signing of the proposed P6.35-trillion 2025 General Appropriations Act (GAA) is now facing delay and line veto as it undergoes more “rigorous and exhaustive” review from President Ferdinand Marcos and his Cabinet, according to Malacañang....

THE Department of Agriculture (DA) said it is finalizing agreements with envoys from Pakistan and India to secure commitments for the supply of a combined 2 million metric tons (MMT) of rice.

FINANCE Secretary Ralph G. Recto believes another 25-basis-point (bps) reduction in the country’s policy rate this week would be beneficial to spur economic investments next year.

WHILE many leave their homes for the promise of better opportunities abroad, migrant workers often face higher unemployment than their local counterparts, reflecting systemic barriers that hinder their integration into labor markets.

THE Toyota Group expects receipts from the exports of auto parts to reach $1.21 billion by the end of 2024, a 3-percent decline from the $1.26 billion recorded in 2023 due to the slowdown in demand in the United States and Japan.