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Agriculture
DAR frees Bicol farmers from ₱418M debts, grants full land ownership
Over 9,900 agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) across the Bicol Region now fully own their farmland and are relieved from more than ₱418 million in unpaid debts, the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) announced Thursday.
DA weighs import pause, price cap to protect local rice farmers
The Department of Agriculture (DA) is exploring multiple measures to support local rice growers amid rising imports.
BFAR scales up climate-smart, energy-efficient projects to boost fisheries sustainability
The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) is prioritizing climate-resilient and energy-efficient initiatives this year to secure the long-term future of the country’s fisheries sector and support local fisherfolk.
DA, DILG launch tax break rules for eligible farm warehouses
The Department of Agriculture (DA) and Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) have issued joint guidelines granting real property tax exemptions to qualified farm storage facilities, to cut operational costs and draw more investments in post-harvest infrastructure.
Corporate
PLDT, Smart deploy AI tool helping employee, family emergency preparedness
PLDT Group and its wireless arm Smart Communications have launched an AI-powered platform called EVE (Emergency Vital Essentials) to help employees and their families prepare for disasters and crises long before they occur.
Globe powers reliable connectivity for 2026 Sangyaw Festival in Tacloban
Globe delivered steady digital access for residents, visitors, organizers and local businesses during this year’s Sangyaw Festival, supporting seamless communication across the city’s key cultural and religious events honoring Señor Santo Niño de Tacloban.
Security Bank Capital named PH’s Best DCM House by FinanceAsia
Security Bank Capital Investment Corporation, the investment banking arm of Security Bank Corp., has won the Best Debt Capital Markets (DCM) House – Domestic award at the FinanceAsia Awards 2026 held in Hong Kong last June 25.
Taiwan sends P12M quake aid to Mindanao communities
Taiwan has extended USD200,000 (about P12 million) in humanitarian assistance to support relief and recovery efforts for communities devastated by the magnitude 7.8 earthquake that struck Mindanao on June 8, reinforcing its long-standing partnership with the Philippines in disaster response.
Corporate Bulletins
PLDT, Smart deploy AI tool helping employee, family emergency preparedness
PLDT Group and its wireless arm Smart Communications have launched an AI-powered platform called EVE (Emergency Vital Essentials) to help employees and their families prepare for disasters and crises long before they occur.
Globe powers reliable connectivity for 2026 Sangyaw Festival in Tacloban
Globe delivered steady digital access for residents, visitors, organizers and local businesses during this year’s Sangyaw Festival, supporting seamless communication across the city’s key cultural and religious events honoring Señor Santo Niño de Tacloban.
Security Bank Capital named PH’s Best DCM House by FinanceAsia
Security Bank Capital Investment Corporation, the investment banking arm of Security Bank Corp., has won the Best Debt Capital Markets (DCM) House – Domestic award at the FinanceAsia Awards 2026 held in Hong Kong last June 25.
Study finds silent customer loss top threat to APAC brands, launches AI tools to measure “believability”
Ogilvy has released its first APAC 2026 Believability Index, a new study looking at how consumers across Asia-Pacific decide which brands and organizations they trust. The research, done with YouGov, surveyed 7,176 people in Australia, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Hong Kong SAR, and Mainland China.
Social Responsibility & Sustainability
Taiwan sends P12M quake aid to Mindanao communities
Taiwan has extended USD200,000 (about P12 million) in humanitarian assistance to support relief and recovery efforts for communities devastated by the magnitude 7.8 earthquake that struck Mindanao on June 8, reinforcing its long-standing partnership with the Philippines in disaster response.
BPI BanKo, Jollibee Foundation expand financing pact supporting onion farmers
BPI Direct BanKo, Inc. (BanKo), the microfinance arm of the Bank of the Philippine Islands, and the Jollibee Group Foundation (JGF) are boosting their partnership to improve livelihoods and build sustainable futures for local onion farmers under the foundation’s Farmer Entrepreneurship Program (FEP).
Unified 911 expands Mindanao emergency response network
The government's Unified 911 Emergency Response System is expanding into Mindanao with the opening of satellite command centers in Cagayan de Oro and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), strengthening efforts to build a faster and more localized nationwide emergency network.
LWUA emerges as water crisis first responder
The Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA) is quietly becoming one of the government’s most important players in water security, stepping beyond its traditional role as a lender to local water districts and into a more visible role as crisis coordinator and sector stabilizer.
Markets
Lazada deepens MSME drive via digital skills partnership
Lazada Philippines is stepping up its support for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), expanding partnerships with government agencies and relaunching its LazGrow Together program to help more Filipino entrepreneurs compete in the country's fast-growing digital economy.
Calmer oil, cheaper fuel buoy local equities
Philippine shares could finally catch their breath this week.
Tanduay retains World’s Top Rum spot for 9th straight year
Tanduay, the Philippine rum brand owned by tycoon Lucio Tan, has kept its title as the world’s best-selling rum for nine consecutive years, according to Drinks International Magazine.
Hormuz risk keeps peso, PSEi on edge
Philippine financial markets are heading into the week on a cautious footing as renewed threats by Iran to potentially close the Strait of Hormuz inject fresh volatility into global oil supply expectations and inflation outlooks, according to Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. chief economist Michael Ricafort.
Energy
Canada’s nuclear pitch powers Philippine energy goal
The Philippines is deepening talks with Canadian engineering and nuclear technology firm AtkinsRéalis as it explores civil nuclear power to bolster long-term energy security, support industrialization, and reduce dependence on imported fossil fuels.
Didipio expansion fuels mining, investor confidence, regional growth
A planned USD1.9-billion investment by OceanaGold to extend the life of the Didipio Gold-Copper Mine through 2037 is shaping up as more than a mining expansion—it is emerging as an early test of whether the Philippines' recent fiscal reforms can unlock a new wave of responsible resource investments.
PETValue, Republic Cement close plastics waste loop together
Two Aboitiz-backed companies are deepening the country's circular economy push by turning hard-to-recycle plastic waste into an industrial resource instead of landfill, highlighting how corporate partnerships can unlock both environmental and business value.
LPU Cavite joins First Gen clean energy pact, completing four-campus shift to geothermal power
Lyceum of the Philippines University (LPU) has expanded its partnership with leading local renewable energy firm First Gen, bringing its Cavite campus under clean power supply starting June 2026.
Property
VisMin is next real estate growth hot spot, says Colliers
The Philippines' next real estate growth story may no longer be written in Metro Manila.
PEZA finds greener home, strengthens investor advantage
The Philippine Economic Zone Authority has a new address, but the bigger story is how the move could sharpen its investment promotion efforts while trimming costs and modernizing public service.
DHSUD expands 4PH with UP rental housing pilot
The Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) and the University of the Philippines Diliman (UP Diliman) have unveiled the model unit for the Southern Diliman Gardens Rental Housing Project, a signal of the government's growing shift toward rental housing as a key pillar of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s Expanded Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino (Expanded 4PH) Program.
Arthaland sells portion of premium Sondris project
Arthaland Corporation has sold roughly 14 percent of its premium Sondris residential development in Makati, just one month after its official launch.
Technology
Maya cuts InstaPay transfer fees to P10 starting July 6
Maya will lower its InstaPay transfer fee to other banks and financial institutions from P15 to P10 beginning July 6, to make digital money transfers more affordable for users.
Newcomer Bitstar Telecom targets PH enterprise market with digital-first, low-cost fiber launch
Bitstar Telecom Inc., a new telecommunications firm, officially entered the Philippine market by launching its enterprise internet service on April 15, 2026.
Germany joins tech alliance, boosting Philippine AI ambitions
Germany's decision to join the Pax Silica Initiative strengthens the Philippines' push to become a strategic hub for semiconductors, artificial intelligence, and advanced manufacturing, adding one of Europe's industrial powerhouses to a growing coalition reshaping global technology supply chains.
Globe chief: AI future rests on people, trust, purpose – not just tech
At MWC Shanghai 2026, Globe president and CEO Carl Cruz stated during a keynote that AI’s true value lies in improving lives, not the technology itself. Speaking alongside global telecom leaders, Cruz noted the Philippines’ strong digital footprint makes it well-placed to benefit from AI.
Opinion
Upper-middle income, yet many Filipinos still feel left behind
The Philippines has earned an economic promotion. The World Bank now classifies it as an upper-middle-income economy, a milestone reached after years of growth and a steady post-pandemic recovery under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
The great fork heist and other national priorities
At long last, the public can sleep soundly. The National Capital Region Police Office has announced the arrest of a 43-year-old man accused of attempting to make off with 26 forks and seven silver spoons from a Manila hotel—the estimated value of the alleged loot is P12,658.14.
Reframing the South China Sea conversation
For more than a decade, the South China Sea has been ASEAN's diplomatic traffic jam. Everyone knows there is a problem. Everyone agrees it matters. Yet the moment the conversation turns to China, the convoy grinds to a halt.
Ghosts of 1949 haunt today’s Senate
The Philippine Senate has a remarkable talent for proving that history never really leaves the chamber. It merely changes surnames.
Exclusive
Visayas roots, Singapore routes: Top Line redraws its map
Singapore is no longer just a distant dot on Top Line Business Development Corp.’s growth chart. It has become a very literal marker of how far the company has travelled in 12 years, from a Visayas-based real estate developer to an emerging energy player now thinking in global supply routes.
Sunlight Air chooses precision over size aloft
In an aviation industry often driven by scale and speed, Sunlight Air is taking a more measured route. The boutique carrier is building its business around efficiency, discipline, and destination depth, convinced that smarter operations can deliver both commercial returns and environmental gains.
PSAC urges stronger funding for Philippines startups
The Private Sector Advisory Council is raising a clear warning. In a recent meeting with the Department of Trade and Industry, PSAC said the Philippine startup scene is slipping behind Southeast Asian peers, not for lack of ideas but for lack of capital that actually moves.
Tariffs rattle, AI thrives: Gruppo EMS builds ahead
Amid escalating US-China trade tensions and renewed tariff uncertainty from Washington, EMS Group of Companies is expanding production, accelerating its push into artificial intelligence hardware, and positioning the Philippines as an increasingly strategic alternative manufacturing base for global electronics firms.
