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BOP swings to $5.7-B deficit in 2025 amid weaker capital inflows

The Philippines posted a US$5.7-billion balance of payments (BOP) deficit in 2025, equivalent to 1.2 percent of gross domestic product (GDP). This marked a reversal from the US$609-million surplus recorded in 2024.

News Dispatch

Agriculture

DA-FTI assures sufficient P20 rice supply, urges responsible purchasing

The Department of Agriculture (DA) and state-owned Food Terminal Inc. (FTI) on Friday urged Filipinos not to abuse the government’s subsidized rice program, warning that unusually large crowds at distribution sites are creating the false impression of a supply shortage.

Gravity drips lift rice yields, slash water use

An unlikely partnership between Google and Israeli agri-tech firm N-Drip suggests rice fields do not have to stay underwater to thrive.

DA rolls out P65M interventions for Albay farmers, fisherfolk

The Department of Agriculture (DA) launched a major regional development initiative on Thursday, with Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. personally overseeing the distribution of over P65 million in agricultural interventions to local farmers and fisherfolk in this town widely recognized as the “rice granary of Albay.”

Philippines halts poultry importation from Indiana amid bird flu

The Department of Agriculture has imposed a temporary ban on the importation of domestic and wild birds—and their products—from Indiana following confirmed outbreaks of the highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza strain.

Corporate

Meralco holds animal welfare event for anniversary

The Manila Electric Company (Meralco) marked its 123rd founding anniversary by hosting an animal welfare event aimed at promoting responsible pet ownership, public health, and safer communities.

MWSS approves Manila Water tariff adjustment

Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) has approved a slight tariff adjustment for Manila Water Co., following the implementation of a Foreign Currency Differential Adjustment (FCDA) under the utility’s concession agreement.

URC cedes noodle JV control to Nissin

Universal Robina Corp., the listed food arm of the Gokongwei group, is giving up majority control of its cup noodles joint venture to Nissin Food Asia Co. Ltd. (NFA), the Thai subsidiary of Japan’s Nissin Foods Holdings Co. Ltd., in a move that reshapes a decades-long partnership in the instant noodle market.

Coffee costs clip Universal Robina profits

Universal Robina Corp., the listed food unit of the Gokongwei Group, posted modest revenue growth last year but saw profits ease as unusually high coffee input costs squeezed margins, highlighting how volatile commodity prices continue to challenge food manufacturers.

Banking & Insurance

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Corporate Bulletins

Meralco holds animal welfare event for anniversary

The Manila Electric Company (Meralco) marked its 123rd founding anniversary by hosting an animal welfare event aimed at promoting responsible pet ownership, public health, and safer communities.

Rum giant Tanduay Distillers takes spotlight at WOFEX Drinks+Bake 2026

World Food Expo (WOFEX) Drinks+Bakes 2026 at the World Trade Center Metro Manila showcased major players in the food and beverage industry, with Tanduay Distillers, Inc. drawing attention for an immersive brand presentation that highlighted its premium ambitions.

Scam Watch welcomes a sharp legal mind to fight investment scams

When it comes to spotting investment scams, Atty. Joanne L. Ranada has spent much of her career reading between the lines — and occasionally between the loopholes.

Pasig mayor Vico Sotto inducts PRSP board 2026-2027 term

The Public Relations Society of the Philippines (PRSP) inducted its 2026–2027 Board of Trustees before Vico Sotto, mayor of Pasig City, during a ceremony at the Temporary Pasig City Hall on March 9.

Social Responsibility & Sustainability

San Miguel Foods, GSIS partner to expand livelihood opportunities for members

San Miguel Foods (SMF) has signed a memorandum of agreement with the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) to make its livelihood and small business programs more accessible to GSIS members, pensioners, dependents, and qualified public sector cooperatives and unions.

Mapúa links classrooms to mines, power

At the storied Intramuros campus of Mapúa University, the chalkboard is increasingly sharing space with the real world.

FFCCCII turn classroom legacy into TikTok challenge

The Federation of Filipino Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Inc. is bringing its decades-long classroom donation program to TikTok in a bid to engage younger audiences. 

Women leadership shapes talent recruitment choices

Gender diversity in senior management is becoming a decisive factor in where professionals choose to work, as job seekers increasingly scrutinize companies for the presence of women in leadership roles.

Markets

DTI warns online marketplaces over unsafe goods

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has sounded the alarm over a surge of uncertified and substandard products being sold across major e-commerce platforms, warning that the trend threatens consumer safety and erodes confidence in the country’s rapidly expanding digital marketplace.

DTI warns vs hoarding, profiteering amid crisis

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) on Saturday warned retailers against hoarding essential goods and engaging in profiteering, saying such illegal practices will not be tolerated as global tensions threaten to drive up oil prices and logistics costs.

US-Iran conflict sends oil prices soaring

Global oil markets swung violently Monday as the escalating conflict between the US and Iran disrupted one of the world’s most important energy corridors, briefly sending crude prices soaring before easing on hints the conflict might end soon.

Oil shock, war risks rattle Philippine markets

Philippine financial markets enter the week on fragile footing as surging oil prices and escalating Middle East tensions complicate the outlook for equities, the peso, and monetary policy. 

Travel

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Energy

SN Aboitiz targets 56-MW battery storage expansion in 2026

Renewable energy developer SN Aboitiz Power (SNAP) expects to complete 56 megawatts (MW) of new battery energy storage system (BESS) capacity in 2026, increasing its total capacity to 729 MW from the current 673 MW.

DOE opens P624.7M bid for geothermal survey

The Department of Energy (DOE) has opened bidding for a service provider to conduct gradiometry and seismic surveys to identify potential geothermal energy resources in the country.

Biofuels pushed as buffer vs oil supply risks

Stakeholders in the local biofuels industry are urging the government to maximize the use of locally produced biofuels to help protect the country from possible fuel supply disruptions caused by the continuing conflict in the Middle East.

Salceda sees crude oil above $80/barrel, volatility easing

Crude oil prices are likely to remain above USD80 per barrel in the coming weeks, but the era of massive pump price surges may already be fading, according to economist and former Albay congressman Joey Salceda.

Transport & Communications

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Property

DA exemption accelerates Marcos social housing rollout

The Philippine government has carved out a crucial exemption for socialized housing projects, allowing them to proceed with land-use reclassification despite an existing moratorium designed to protect agricultural land. 

PDIC auctions prime assets via e-bidding

The Philippine Deposit Insurance Corporation (PDIC) will conduct an electronic public bidding for prime corporate and closed-bank properties on April 22–23, offering investors a diverse portfolio of real estate assets across the country through its online bidding platform.

Housing compliance deadline extended until November

The Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) has granted private developers more time to meet their socialized housing obligations, extending the compliance deadline to Nov. 30, 2026, as global economic pressures ripple into the Philippine property sector.

D.M. Wenceslao profit rises on Aseana momentum

D.M. Wenceslao and Associates Inc., a listed integrated property developer, posted stronger earnings in 2025 as stable rental income and improving residential sales lifted results, underscoring the growing maturity of its flagship Aseana City estate.

Environment

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Technology

DTI teams up with game developers

The Philippine government is pressing start on a deeper push into the global video game economy.

Globe, GCash bring free Wi-Fi and cashless payments to Lucena Public Market

Globe Telecom and GCash have launched a pilot program providing free public Wi-Fi at Lucena Public Market to support cashless transactions among vendors and shoppers.

Scam Watch welcomes a sharp legal mind to fight investment scams

When it comes to spotting investment scams, Atty. Joanne L. Ranada has spent much of her career reading between the lines — and occasionally between the loopholes.

DITO offers free calls for Filipinos in Middle East amid conflict

DITO Telecommunity is offering free incoming calls to help Overseas Filipinos and their families stay connected during the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

Health & Science

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Opinion

Eala storms toward WTA’s elite circle

The desert—both in Dubai and Indian Wells—has been kind to Alex Eala.

Luzviminda’s daughters: Steel, silk, sovereignty, spotlight

If you want to understand the Philippines, resist the temptation to start with its strongmen and their statues. Begin instead with its women, the quiet architects of its revolutions, the steady hands at the tiller when storms arrive.

NAIA Terminal shakeup tests airlines nerves

At Ninoy Aquino International Airport, the runway is not the only thing shifting. Airlines are now studying a government proposal to redraw the airport map itself, clustering carriers by business model in a sweeping terminal realignment. 

When safety grounds flights, bills soar

Gilbert had barely settled into his seat on a Friday evening flight bound for Manila, pleased to be heading home after several days of meetings in Mindanao. An hour later, the single-aisle jet remained parked on the tarmac at Francisco Bangoy International Airport, engines silent, cabin restless.

Sports & Entertainment

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Exclusive

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.

Aboitiz focus on industry, townships follow jobs

For three decades, the Aboitiz Group has been quietly building a real estate portfolio that spans homes, offices, and commercial spaces. But in recent years, it has made a deliberate pivot away from crowded residential battlegrounds toward a less glamorous, far more strategic corner of the market: industrial development. The bet is simple but bold—build where factories, logistics, and infrastructure go first, and let communities grow organically around them.