Just in

Top News

BSP delivers 50-basis-point rate hike to 5.50% to tame stubborn inflation

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas elevated its benchmark interest rate by 50 basis points to 5.50 percent during its October 2026 monetary policy meeting, stepping up its fight against persistent price pressures.

News Dispatch

Agriculture

DA readies P2.9B farm competitiveness fund, initially targets 12 applicants 

The Department of Agriculture (DA) is preparing to roll out a P2.9-billion fund intended to help agricultural cooperatives expand production and improve their competitiveness, with the agency initially targeting about 12 applicants.

DA, Nestlé partner to boost Bukidnon coffee yields, farmers

A better cup of coffee begins long before the beans reach the roaster. In Northern Mindanao, it starts with better planting materials, improved farming practices, and a partnership aimed at turning higher yields into better livelihoods for coffee farmers.

US awards $34.1M to expand Philippine ube industry

The US has awarded USD34.1 million to strengthen the Philippines’ ube industry, with more than 12,500 Filipino farmers expected to benefit over five years as international demand grows for the purple yam used in food and beverage products.

Budget watchdog participation welcomed in gov’t road projects

The Department of Agriculture (DA) has formally welcomed the support of budget monitoring group People’s Budget Coalition (PBC) in overseeing the implementation of the government’s farm-to-market road (FMR) projects, citing enhanced accountability, proper use of public funds, and stronger rural development as key benefits.

Corporate

Jollibee Group chief highlights global potential of ASEAN brands at business summit 

The Jollibee Foods Corporation continues to leverage international store expansion to drive business growth, as its top executive emphasized the capacity of Southeast Asian brands to establish a strong presence in the global market during a regional summit in Pasay City.

JG Summit to buy 37B OPMC shares from unit

JG Summit Holdings Inc., the listed investment holding company of the Gokongwei Group, plans to acquire nearly 37.1 billion common shares in listed Oriental Petroleum and Minerals Corp. (OPMC) from its wholly owned subsidiary, consolidating its investment in the oil and gas company at the parent level.

GMA Network principal shareholders approve merger

GMA Network Inc.’s principal shareholders, Television International Corporation (TIC) and M.A. Jimenez Enterprises Inc. (MAJEI), have approved a merger that will consolidate the two entities into a single corporation, with TIC as the surviving company.

DICT, SSS team up to support Filipino digital workers 

The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) and the Social Security System (SSS) have partnered to boost skills training and social security access for Filipino freelancers and online professionals.

Banking & Insurance

spot_img

Corporate Bulletins

DICT, SSS team up to support Filipino digital workers 

The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) and the Social Security System (SSS) have partnered to boost skills training and social security access for Filipino freelancers and online professionals.

BPI bolsters cybersecurity for customers and shareholders

The Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) is ramping up its cybersecurity framework and advancing responsible digital banking at a time when digital services have become central to daily financial life.

New water systems bring clean water and relief to remote Sarangani barangay

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources has completed three community water supply systems in Barangay Datal Anggas, providing over 1,000 households across three sitios with direct access to clean, potable water.

JPMorganChase earns two awards for workplace inclusion

JPMorganChase has received two major distinctions at the 2026 Bahaghari Awards organized by Philippine Financial and Inter-Industry PRIDE (PFIP), highlighting its efforts to advance LGBTQ+ inclusion, employee engagement and workplace diversity in the Philippines.

Social Responsibility & Sustainability

Vivant Foundation upgrades La Union schools, expands library

Vivant Foundation Inc. (VFI), together with Vivant Energy Corporation and its subsidiary 1590 Energy Corporation, has upgraded electrical systems in three public elementary schools and provided library packages to 14 schools in Bauang South District, La Union, as part of efforts to improve learning environments and support literacy.

Coco Mama, partners pledge 2-M coconut seedlings for farmers

Coco Mama, under Century Pacific Food Inc. (CNPF), is set to donate one million quality coconut seedlings over the next five years through its Save Our Coconuts program, joining forces with global brand Vita Coco for a combined total of two million seedlings nationwide.

Telco equips Tagbanua community in El Nido with disaster skills alongside Palawan cable project

More than 30 members of the Tagbanua Tandulanen Indigenous Cultural Community from 11 El Nido barangays recently took part in disaster preparedness training organized by PLDT Inc. and Smart Communications. Held alongside work on the Palawan Resiliency Submarine Cable Project, the effort underscores that stronger connectivity goes hand in hand with stronger communities.

CHP cement plants recycle 50 million liters of water annually

Concreat Holdings Philippines (CHP) is recovering and reusing 50 million liters of water annually across its cement plants in Cebu and Rizal, bolstering efforts to conserve freshwater as climate extremes put pressure on water resources.

Markets

Landmark GCash debut ignites mass retail stock market participation

In a historic milestone for the Philippine financial sector, Mynt, the operating entity behind the country's leading fintech platform GCash, successfully staged the nation's largest initial public offering to date, raising 60.9 billion pesos. The maiden share sale marked a defining moment for domestic capital markets, demonstrating how digital ecosystems can democratize investing and activate a new generation of retail investors.

BSP rate call, GCash IPO set tone for volatile market

Philippine stocks enter Monday caught between the promise of...

Stocks face cautious trading as inflation, rate risks mount

Philippine equities are likely to remain volatile this week as accelerating inflation, peso weakness and mounting expectations of monetary tightening weigh on sentiment, tempering optimism over corporate earnings and potential new stock market listings.

Forensic accounting connects the dots

Forensic accounting is where spreadsheets lose their innocence, receipts acquire personalities, and money is asked to explain where it has been hiding.

Travel

spot_img

Energy

Citicore lands P35B for Batangas solar expansion

Citicore Renewable Energy Corporation (CREC) has secured P35.014 billion in syndicated financing from three Philippine banks to bankroll five solar projects in Batangas, expanding its renewable energy footprint as the country seeks to bolster power supply and accelerate the shift to cleaner energy.

Globe powers cell cites with renewable energy, boosting network resilience 

Globe Telecom Inc. announced Friday that more than 1,000 of its cell sites are now running on renewable energy as of August 2026, marking a key step in the company’s push toward cleaner and more reliable operations. The shift was made possible through the government’s Retail Aggregation Program, making Globe the first telecommunications provider in the country to reach this milestone.

Meralco’s smart grid vision puts customer at center

The electricity grid is getting busier. Rooftop solar panels are turning homes into power producers, batteries are storing energy for later, and electric vehicles are adding new demands to the system.

Japan financing eyed to ease Philippine energy, logistics costs

The Philippines is seeking Japanese financing and investment to reduce energy and logistics costs, with the Luzon Economic Corridor emerging as a priority under a renewed partnership between the Department of Finance (DOF) and Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC).

Transport & Communications

spot_img

Property

Hotel101 breaks into Africa with $102M Egypt deal

DoubleDragon Corp.’s Hotel101 Global Holdings Corp. is taking its Filipino hotel brand to Africa, signing a countrywide development agreement in Egypt anchored by a planned 750-room property in Cairo worth an estimated USD102.1 million.

Government agencies fuel Bay Area office market recovery

Government agencies are emerging as a significant driver of demand for quality office space in Metro Manila’s Bay Area, capitalizing on competitive rental rates and available properties as the district adjusts to the exit of Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs).

Pavia transforms from quiet town to thriving Iloilo growth hub

Pavia, long known as a simple, quiet town in Iloilo, has steadily evolved into a dynamic agro-industrial center, bringing noticeable changes to its community atmosphere that carry meaningful benefits for local property owners and business operators alike. Where once the area was defined by its slow-paced provincial charm, it now balances that familiar calm with growing vibrancy, serving as home to a rising number of manufacturing firms, commercial hubs, and carefully planned residential communities.

Philippine housing licenses set to reach 5-year high

The Philippine housing sector could record its highest number of residential units issued licenses to sell (LTS) in five years in 2026, as stronger developer activity and expanded government housing initiatives support prospective supply , growth, according to the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD).

Environment

spot_img

Technology

Meralco’s smart grid vision puts customer at center

The electricity grid is getting busier. Rooftop solar panels are turning homes into power producers, batteries are storing energy for later, and electric vehicles are adding new demands to the system.

EU, Philippines launch AI lab to draw investment, boost industry 

The European Union and the Philippines are setting up a joint artificial intelligence (AI) industry laboratory to help businesses adopt emerging technologies, improve productivity and attract investment, with micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) among the intended beneficiaries.

Transparency key to PH digital gains — Converge chief

Converge ICT CEO Dennis Anthony Uy is calling for stronger transparency and accountability, saying good governance is essential to turn the Philippines’ digital ambitions into real economic progress.

New DICT chief bares revamp plan; affordable internet for Filipinos

Newly installed Department of Information and Communications Technology Secretary Robert Joseph M. de Claro is pushing for an organizational restructuring to boost the department’s performance and deliver more effective digital public services to Filipinos.

Health & Science

spot_img

Opinion

Getting the electric car right

A Toyota is not a car that makes you want to write poetry. It is a car you get into, press the start button, select Drive, and take wherever you need to go. No drama, no complicated rituals, no need to call the children over to explain how to operate the touchscreen.

SC reminds Congress that budgeting has bounds

Congress has been reminded that the national budget is not a wish list, a political buffet, or an ATM where lawmakers can increase the withdrawal limit simply because the money looks lonely.

When the game becomes a bet

There was a time when watching a basketball game largely meant arguing about the referee, questioning the coach’s substitutions, and insisting that the player who missed three free throws should have been benched in the second quarter. These remain perfectly respectable ways to ruin a Sunday afternoon. Of late, however, there is increasingly another reason to get worked up over a game: money.

Haay naku! The fine art of being charged for breathing near your bank account

Quite a lot of us have had the experience. We open our banking app to send P500 to a godson for his birthday, and the screen politely informs us that this act of generosity will cost us P25. Nakagulat. Five percent of our kindness, gone—not to our godson, not to charity, but to a fee whose only visible purpose is to exist. Haay naku.

Sports & Entertainment

spot_img

Exclusive

iPeople targets 200,000 students with global expansion push

iPeople, the listed Yuchengco-Ayala education joint venture, is pursuing an expansion strategy built around international partnerships, new campuses and facilities, sustainability-focused programs, and deeper artificial intelligence integration as it aims to nearly triple its student population to 200,000.

Vivant Water sees 2026 as launchpad for bigger growth 

Vivant Water is treating 2026 as a pivotal year as it moves from building its presence across the water industry to scaling operations, investments, and its project pipeline.

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.