Agriculture
Government ramps up super El Niño safeguards
The government is stepping up preparations for the expected impact of Super El Niño, rolling out measures to protect farms, water supplies, power systems and communities from extreme heat and prolonged drought.
NFA adds Tarlac palay storage to aid farmers, boost supply
The National Food Authority (NFA) is leasing extra warehouse space in Victoria, Tarlac to buy more palay directly from local farmers and strengthen the government’s rice supply program.
Gov’t building ₱430 million FMRs in Mimaropa
The Department of Agriculture and Department of Public Works and Highways have partnered to build 29 farm-to-market roads across Mimaropa worth P430 million, marking a major step to cut costs and boost earnings for thousands of rural families.
Unregistered agri warehouses not allowed after Dec. 31, 2026
The Department of Agriculture (DA) makes December 31, 2026 the final cutoff for all agricultural and fishery storage facilities to register. Any facility unlisted after this date will be considered non-compliant and face legal limits.
Corporate
SEC unifies foundation rules to ease compliance, boost oversight
The Securities and Exchange Commission is bringing all existing rules for foundations together into one complete set of guidelines, designed to make compliance simpler and strengthen supervision across the sector. Issued as a draft memorandum circular, this omnibus framework addresses longstanding challenges where requirements were scattered across separate laws, orders, and agency issuances, making them hard to track and follow. The new unified set will serve as one up-to-date reference covering everything from organization setup to regular reporting and ongoing compliance, including all necessary forms, templates, instructions, and procedures.
Century Properties simplifies housing business via PHirst merger
Century Properties Group Inc. (CPGI) is consolidating its first-home housing business under its listed parent company after securing regulatory approval to absorb PHirst Park Homes Inc., a move aimed at simplifying operations and tightening capital allocation.
ABS-CBN shareholders approve P6-billion fresh capital to fuel rebuild
Shareholders of ABS-CBN Corp. on Wednesday gave the green light to a P6-billion new investment infusion, alongside the issuance of additional shares first announced in August.
EastWest widens EasyMobility, donates vehicles to boost community impact
EastWest has expanded its EasyMobility for Community Program, turning over vehicles to Our Lady of Guadalupe Minor Seminary and Jubilee Christian Academy to help both institutions reach more people and extend their vital work. This latest milestone follows earlier donations to groups in Cebu, Negros Occidental, and Davao.
Corporate Bulletins
Ayala Land Legal Team Earns Top Real Estate In-House Honor
Ayala Land Inc. (ALI) has secured a major industry recognition for its legal function, with AyalaLand Legal named Best Construction and Real Estate In-House Team at the ALB Philippine Law Awards 2026.
MWIS bags ‘B’ ESG Rating from Synesgy
Manila Water Infratech Solutions (MWIS) has earned a ‘B’ 2026 ESG Rating from global assessment platform Synesgy, marking a key milestone in its sustainability journey.
iBPI VYBE partners with Noodlerama for better cashless dining
BPI expands VYBE’s network via Noodlerama, giving customers exclusive deals and wider payment access.
E3 2026 gains strong industry backing ahead of October WTCMM Expo
E3 2026 gains strong industry backing ahead of October WTCMM Expo
Corporate bulletin
Event Experience Expo (E3) 2026 is drawing wide support across the MICE sector, with leading firms signing on as partners and sponsors for the October 28–29 event at World Trade Center Metro Manila. The growing roster covers event tech, production, AV, staging, build, logistics, creative services, F&B and more, representing every part of bringing events from plan to reality.
WTCMM Chairman and CEO Pamela D. Pascual said modern events must build meaningful connections, drive business, and keep pace with changing tech and expectations. This broad participation shows the value of one shared platform, making E3 a marketplace where buyers find solutions and suppliers showcase expertise, share ideas, and create new opportunities.
Official partners are Jublia AI, Geyme, Philippine Daily Inquirer, and Inquirer Business and Inquirer.net. Gold Sponsors include Tourism Promotions Board, Sound Check, Stage Riggers, Video Sonic, Maxione Production, PMX, Go Live Asia, Cityneon, Event Solutions, Ovation Productions, and Westlines Design Technologies. Silver Sponsors are Xstatic, Creativents, Wildsfire, Projection X Events, Starxpo, Confetti Effects, Chamber of Furniture Industries of the Philippines, Precision, IMMRVS Asia, and Straight Up Advertising.
Beyond exhibits, E3 offers business matching, buyer engagements, and masterclasses on new tech, trends, and planning best practices. It aims to become the Philippine events sector’s regular hub while expanding regional links.
Hosted and organized by WTCMM, the expo runs October 28–29, 2026. WTCMM brings over 26 years of experience, is the country’s first UFI-recognized venue, ISO-certified, DOT- and TPB-accredited, and a member of TCP and PACEOS.
Social Responsibility & Sustainability
EastWest widens EasyMobility, donates vehicles to boost community impact
EastWest has expanded its EasyMobility for Community Program, turning over vehicles to Our Lady of Guadalupe Minor Seminary and Jubilee Christian Academy to help both institutions reach more people and extend their vital work. This latest milestone follows earlier donations to groups in Cebu, Negros Occidental, and Davao.
Anne Curtis’ Dream Machine turns small dreams into big hope
In Puerto Princesa, the road to school can come with two very different kinds of baggage: a child’s dreams and, during the rainy season, a puddle—or several—that seems determined to get in the way.
Aboitiz Foods, PH Army renew LAMP livelihood partnership
Aboitiz Foods via Pilmico Foods Corp. and the Philippine Army have renewed their joint Livelihood Assistance and Management Program (LAMP) for another five years.
Jollibee Group expands inclusive hiring to Visayas, opens doors for seniors and PWDs in Cebu
The Jollibee Group is bringing its inclusive employment initiative for qualified senior citizens and persons with disabilities to the Visayas region for the first time, through a new partnership with the Cebu City Government. Under this collaboration, eligible seniors and PWDs will take on customer relations roles across 36 participating branches of Jollibee, Chowking, Greenwich, and Burger King, marking a key milestone in the program’s national reach.
Markets
Peso, stocks brace for volatile week ahead
The peso and Philippine equities enter Monday facing another potentially volatile week as investors weigh persistent inflation pressures, softer growth prospects and expectations of further monetary tightening.
Philippine stocks brace for oil, peso headwinds
Philippine equities enter Monday trading with volatility likely to remain elevated as investors weigh three competing forces: higher oil prices, renewed peso weakness and tightening domestic liquidity ahead of sizeable equity offerings.
Hawkish Fed, $100 oil keep peso, PSEi under pressure
The Philippine peso and stocks could remain volatile this week as a hawkish US Federal Reserve, crude oil prices above USD100 a barrel and heightened Middle East tensions keep investors cautious.
PSEi tests 6,100 as peso volatility clouds momentum
The PSEi is knocking on 6,100—but whether it can break higher may depend on how the peso holds up as geopolitical tensions, dollar demand and shifting rate expectations add to market uncertainty.
Energy
Yuchengco’s PetroWind signs TransCo deal securing 20-year tariff for Aklan wind project
Yuchengco-led PetroWind Energy Inc. has signed a Renewable Energy Payment Agreement (REPA) with state-run National Transmission Corp. (TransCo), locking in guaranteed pricing for its 13.56-megawatt Nabas Wind Power Project Phase 2 in Aklan. This follows the project securing its Green Energy Auction tariff in 2022, plus a provisional operating permit from the Energy Regulatory Commission in May 2026 and a formal tariff endorsement from the Department of Energy in July 2026.
DOE advances nuclear energy framework; lays out rules, timelines and roles
The Department of Energy is moving forward with the proposed framework that will govern the Philippines’ first-ever nuclear power procurement, following the completion of initial consultations with stakeholders.
ERC issues new policies protecting power consumers
The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) has rolled out three new policies to boost transparency, fairness, and savings for Filipino electricity consumers.
Alternergy raises P2B in maiden notes issue
Alternergy Holdings Corp. has raised P2 billion from its maiden fixed-rate notes issuance, tapping the Philippine debt capital market to fund the next phase of its renewable energy expansion.
Property
Cavite economic zone expands to accommodate more locators
The government is expanding an existing economic zone in Cavite, opening an additional 1.46 hectares for companies seeking sites to establish or expand operations in the province.
Colliers flags property slowdown as developers turn selective
The Philippine property market is slowing, but developers are not exactly heading for the exits. Instead, a weak economy, higher borrowing costs, and geopolitical uncertainty are prompting a more deliberate approach to launches, leasing, and expansion, according to Colliers Philippines.
Metro Retail expands Eastern Visayas footprint with Ormoc hub
Metro Retail Stores Group Inc. (MRSGI) is expanding in Eastern Visayas with a new retail hub in Ormoc City, aiming to deepen its regional presence while opening a new commercial channel for local businesses and producers.
Housing market softens as regional divergence hits record slowdown
Residential property prices across the country experienced a significant cooling period in the second quarter of 2026, registering their slowest year-on-year growth rate since tracking began in 2019, according to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP). While property values in the National Capital Region continued to expand, this upward momentum was dragged down by a widespread price drop in regions outside the capital. The downturn, the BSP noted, was most pronounced in regions beyond Greater Manila, marking the first time overall prices outside the capital region have contracted on an annual basis and signaling a clear shift in the country's housing dynamics.
Technology
Philippines turns leaner innovation inputs into gains
The Philippines is punching above its weight in innovation, delivering relatively strong results despite weaker underlying inputs, according to the 2026 Global Innovation Index (GII).
MGen, VITRO seal deal to explore joint data center projects
Meralco PowerGen Corp. (MGen) and PLDT Group’s VITRO REIT Inc. have signed a memorandum of understanding to jointly study and build sustainable, power-integrated digital infrastructure across the Philippines, the firms announced Wednesday.
PCTO raises due process, transparency concerns over NTC sanctions on telcos
The Philippine Chamber of Telecommunication Operators (PCTO) has expressed serious concerns over recent sanctions handed down by the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) against major telecommunications firms, citing issues with fairness, clarity of standards, and potential impact on service improvements.
PEZA targets robotics boom with new export cluster
The Philippines is positioning itself for a bigger role in the global robotics industry as the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) assembles an export ecosystem spanning robot components, finished machines and the data powering physical artificial intelligence.
Opinion
When guns become evidence of ill-gotten wealth
A gun is not ill-gotten wealth simply because it is a gun. But a P900,000 gun is not invisible money either.
Everybody is a scout
There is a particular moment in every Filipino basketball game when somebody on the sidelines becomes a coach. It does not matter if the game is in the PBA, UAAP, NBA, or a barangay court with one hoop, a cracked backboard, and a dog wandering underneath it. Somebody always knows what the team should be doing. “Pass!” “Box out!” “Take the shot!” “Why is he still playing?” It is not necessarily criticism. It is participation.
Policies, not promises, build economies
In 1986, the Philippines stood at a historic crossroads. Fresh from the People Power Revolution, the country embraced a vibrant democratic morning with a distinct economic head start in Southeast Asia. Across the South China Sea, Vietnam was in dire straits—reeling from decades of war, international isolation, and hyperinflation. Yet that very year, Hanoi launched Doi Moi, an ambitious series of economic reforms meant to transition from a rigid command economy toward a more market-driven system.
Giving Context a Voice
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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.
