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Agriculture
New cold storage hub promises relief for Bicol farmers
PILI, Camarines Sur — A P500-million cold storage facility...
Palay prices rebound as import ban holds
Farmgate prices of palay improved in December from November, buoyed by the government’s decision to extend the rice import ban until the end of the year, offering temporary relief to local farmers after months of weak prices.
DA backs Mindoro deepwater port to cut food costs, boost trade
Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. on Monday expressed strong support for the proposed P2-billion Abra de Ilog Deep Water Port, saying it could lower food prices by reducing transport costs and easing farm-to-market bottlenecks.
DA greenlights raw sugar export amid falling local prices
The Department of Agriculture (DA) has approved a plan by the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) to export 100,000 metric tons of raw sugar to the United States, aiming to reduce excess local supply and support falling prices.
Corporate
Jollibee to stay focused on growth despite international spin-off
Jollibee Foods Corp. said Wednesday it will continue focusing on growing its business even as it moves forward with plans to spin off its international operations.
Megaworld raises stake on office future
Property giant Megaworld Corp. is expanding its office platform with the launch of a new leasing group, a move aimed at reinforcing its position as the Philippines’ largest office developer while advancing its goal of building a 2-million-square-meter leasable office portfolio.
Visa, GCash launch cross-border wallet funding for Filipinos
Visa has partnered with GCash and makes it easier and safer to send money from abroad directly to GCash wallets in the Philippines. Through Visa Direct, individuals and businesses worldwide can now transfer funds straight to GCash, benefiting more than 90 million users with faster and more convenient access to overseas money.
Coal Asia ditches mining, bets big on water
Coal Asia Holdings Inc. is abandoning its coal roots and reinventing itself as a water utilities holding firm in a sweeping corporate reset that has triggered backdoor listing scrutiny from the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE).
Corporate Bulletins
Visa, GCash launch cross-border wallet funding for Filipinos
Visa has partnered with GCash and makes it easier and safer to send money from abroad directly to GCash wallets in the Philippines. Through Visa Direct, individuals and businesses worldwide can now transfer funds straight to GCash, benefiting more than 90 million users with faster and more convenient access to overseas money.
Green packaging gets e-commerce reality check
Sustainability is no longer a niche concern in the packaging industry—it is a commercial imperative colliding head-on with the explosive growth of e-commerce.
Opening doors to careers at SM
SM Hotels & Conventions Corporation (SMHCC) sharpened its talent playbook as it joined SM Prime Holdings, Inc. in hosting Career Connect, an integrated career fair designed to funnel fresh talent into one of the country’s largest corporate ecosystems.
Young Filipino builds path to financial independence through smart borrowing
Many young Filipinos want to live independently and improve their lifestyle, but daily expenses such as rent and bills often slow progress toward bigger goals.
Social Responsibility & Sustainability
BCDA turns sports site into learning hub
The Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) is repurposing a planned sports complex in Taguig City into school and community facilities, signaling a strategic pivot from infrastructure to human capital development.
Aboitiz Foods ends year 2025 on a confident note
Aboitiz Foods didn’t close the year with grandstanding. Instead, the regional agribusiness player wrapped it up with steady, on-the-ground action—rolling out community initiatives across the Philippines and China that underscored a quieter point: sustainably feeding Asia’s growth also means investing in the people behind the food.
ICTSI’s Tecon Suape wins Ocean Friend seal
Tecon Suape S.A. (TSSA), the Pernambuco-based container terminal of International Container Terminal Services, Inc. (ICTSI), has reinforced its green credentials after earning the 2025 Ocean Friend seal, one of Brazil’s key recognitions for environmental responsibility in port operations.
SEC adopts new sustainability reporting rules
The Securities and Exchange Commission has adopted the Philippine Financial Reporting Standards (PFRS) on sustainability disclosures, aligning local reporting with international standards.
Markets
Powell pushes back to protect Fed independence
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell on Sunday delivered an unusually direct rebuke of the administration of President Donald Trump, accusing it of trying to intimidate the independent central bank in an effort to force him from office.
Filipino consumers value clear, transparent service—and brands that deliver stand to gain
Filipino consumers are among the most patient digital users in Asia Pacific, but new research shows that this patience depends heavily on clear communication, transparency, and trust—factors that now carry strong commercial importance for brands.
Markets flex muscles, test mental ceilings
The Philippine Stock Exchange index has kicked off 2026 with a swagger, finally muscling its way out of the long-suffocating 5,800–6,100 range.
Stockbroker cites low inflation, cheap stocks as reasons to stay invested in PH
COL Financial Group Inc. is advising investors to stay invested in the stock market, citing low inflation, easing interest rates, and cheap stock prices despite economic and global headwinds.
Energy
SMC power unit to issue up to $300M in capital securities
San Miguel Corp.’s power generation arm, San Miguel Global Power Holdings Corp., has approved the issuance of up to $300 million worth of senior perpetual capital securities.
Transmission charges dip in January bills, helping homes and businesses
Electricity consumers will pay slightly lower transmission charges in their January 2026 power bills, the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) said.
Philippines courts UAE energy, data capital
The Philippines is courting fresh capital from the United Arab Emirates, sharpening its pitch around energy security and digital infrastructure as talks advance with two heavyweight Emirati groups.
DOE to collect up to P24B in bonds, penalties from Leviste-linked solar firm
The Department of Energy (DOE) said it will collect up to P24 billion in performance bonds and other financial and technical obligations from Solar Philippines Power Project Holdings Inc., a company founded by Batangas Rep. Leandro Leviste.
Property
Megaworld raises stake on office future
Property giant Megaworld Corp. is expanding its office platform with the launch of a new leasing group, a move aimed at reinforcing its position as the Philippines’ largest office developer while advancing its goal of building a 2-million-square-meter leasable office portfolio.
Gov’t reboots housing incentives amid cost surge
The government is considering a higher tax incentive ceiling for socialized and economic housing, a move seen as a bid to keep affordable homebuilding viable as construction costs continue to climb.
Robinsons Land channels stock sale proceeds to growth
Robinsons Land Corp. (RLC), the property arm of the Gokongwei Group, said that as of end-2025, the remaining balance from the proceeds of its block placement amounted to P562.1 million, to be utilized following disbursements made last year.
Cebu Landmasters revives histroic Visayan landmark
Cebu Landmasters Inc. (CLI), the leading property developer in the Visayas and Mindanao, has officially opened the newly redeveloped Patria de Cebu, a mixed-use complex that blends heritage preservation with modern commercial use in downtown Cebu City.
Technology
Philippines courts UAE energy, data capital
The Philippines is courting fresh capital from the United Arab Emirates, sharpening its pitch around energy security and digital infrastructure as talks advance with two heavyweight Emirati groups.
Starpago, Coins.ph Simplify Philippine Payments
Managing money in the Philippines has long been a pain point for international platforms and local marketplaces alike.
Innovation Leap: Philippines’ IP office shines
The Philippines has quietly pulled off a big leap on the global innovation stage — and the business world should take notice. The Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) has rocketed to third place in the World Trademark Review’s (WTR) 2026 IP Office Innovation Ranking, jumping from 13th in the previous edition and outperforming many far larger economies.
Entertainment industry faces rising AI-driven cyber threats
Antivirus technology firm Kaspersky has warned that artificial intelligence will be the dominant factor shaping cybersecurity risks for the global entertainment industry by 2026, with growing commercial implications for studios, streaming platforms, ticketing companies and rights holders.
Opinion
Preparing Philippine business and workers for the Age of AI
Artificial intelligence (AI) is here and is already transforming how businesses in the Philippines operate. Across industries such as manufacturing, finance, marketing, and education, AI is enhancing efficiency, enabling smarter decision-making, and unlocking insights from data like never before.
Trump’s credit card cap spooks bank bulls
US financial stocks stumbled Monday after President Donald Trump lobbed a populist grenade into Wall Street’s trading pits, suggesting he wants to cap credit card interest rates at 10 percent a year—roughly half today’s levels.
Farmers’ Almanac meets print’s harsh math
The Farmers’ Almanac did not so much die as it was politely forced into early retirement. After 208 years of forecasting frost and fortune, this venerable annual faced the same forces now battering legacy media everywhere: rising costs, collapsing print economics, and a digital world that rewards clicks over contemplation.
Metals mania signals rate cut, USD doubts
Metals are having a moment. And it is loud, shiny, and unapologetically macro.
Exclusive
SteelAsia bets big on green steel
In an exclusive interview with Context.PH, SteelAsia chairman and chief executive officer Benjamin Yao laid out a vision that goes beyond growth targets and capacity figures. At stake, he said, is nothing less than the country’s industrial future.
Boeing deepens strategy cuts as operations take center-stage – sources
Boeing Co has embarked on deeper-than-expected cuts in its strategy ranks, halving the number of planners working within key divisions as it refocuses energies on tackling industrial pressures, people familiar with the matter said.
Maynilad may consider sourcing water from Manila Bay if desalination cost eases to affordable levels
Maynilad Water Services Inc., the water utility of Metro Pacific Investment Corp., may consider Manila Bay as source of potable water for its concession area in Metropolitan Manila and nearby towns if the cost of desalination comes down or large consumers such as factories start extracting water from the salt-water bay for their needs.
Converge mulls sale-leaseback deal for fiber network, plans dividend payout
With the aggressive fiber network rollout behind it, Converge...
