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    BSP cuts key rate to 4.5%, signals end of easing cycle

    The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) today decided to lower its key interest rate, the target reverse repurchase (RRP) rate, by 0.25 percentage points to 4.5 percent.

    News Dispatch

    Agriculture

    Navotas cold storage raided for unsafe, expired food

    The Department of Agriculture (DA) and the CIDG–PNP raided two Solid Sea Products cold storage warehouses in Navotas City on Thursday after finding frozen meat and fish allegedly stored in unsafe and unsanitary conditions.

    DA targets major road projects to unlock Mindanao farmland potential

    Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. is pushing an aggressive farm-to-market road (FMR) buildout in Mindanao, betting that hundreds of billions of pesos in untapped agricultural value can finally be unlocked once long-isolated farmlands are connected to commercial hubs.

    DA completes nationwide rollout of P20 rice

    The Department of Agriculture (DA) has officially completed bringing the P20-per-kilo rice program to all 82 provinces, marking a key milestone in the Marcos administration’s push for more affordable and stable food supplies.

     ADB commits USD500M to Philippines’ Blue Economy

    The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a USD500 million policy-based loan to boost the Philippines’ blue economy, marking its first major cross-sector initiative focused on national marine development. 

    Corporate

    Maya empowers OFWs with financial literacy in Hong Kong

    Maya, the country's top fintech platform, joined the Financial Literacy and Digital Adoption Program for OFWs in Hong Kong, helping Filipinos manage savings, credit, remittances, and avoid scams through its FinFit Program.

    Eldest of Sy siblings steady nerves amid political ructions

    Teresita Sy-Coson has never been one to flinch at a little turbulence.

    Charging Baguio’s Future: Ayala sparks EV momentum

    Ayala’s ACMobility is spurring northern travel as it plugs Camp John Hay into the country’s fast-growing electric vehicle network. 

    ACEN injects P859M into affiliate to settle loan, boost solar project

    ACEN Corp. has subscribed to additional shares of affiliate Greencore Power Solutions 3 Inc. for a total of P859.12 million, the company told the Philippine Stock Exchange.

    Banking & Insurance

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    Corporate Bulletins

    Maya empowers OFWs with financial literacy in Hong Kong

    Maya, the country's top fintech platform, joined the Financial Literacy and Digital Adoption Program for OFWs in Hong Kong, helping Filipinos manage savings, credit, remittances, and avoid scams through its FinFit Program.

    MVP Group chiefs explore AI to drive growth

    Leaders of the MVP Group gathered at the 2025 Annual Corporate Governance Enhancement Session (ACGES) at the Meralco Theater to explore how artificial intelligence (AI) can drive business growth and improve decision-making across their companies.

    PLDT Enterprise turns public wi-fi into smart advertising tool

    PLDT Enterprise has teamed up with AWING and NTT e-Asia to launch “Wi-Fi Ads,” a platform that delivers location-based, non-intrusive brand messages to customers on public Wi-Fi. 

    ING Hubs PH accelerates growth, innovation and impact in landmark 2025 

    ING Hubs Philippines marked significant growth in 2025, strengthening its position as one of ING’s key global capability centers.

    Social Responsibility & Sustainability

    Honda shines with solar, cuts factory power cost

    Honda Parts Manufacturing Corp. (HPMC) has switched on the...

    L’Oreal, DTI development of beauty skills spark career, commerce

    L’Oréal Philippines is widening its push to develop the next generation of beauty and social commerce entrepreneurs, expanding its Beauty for a Better Life (BFBL) E-Beauty Advisor (e-BA) Program across Luzon in partnership with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), local governments, and academic institutions.

    McDonald’s opens Green & Good store in Cebu

    World famous fast food chain, McDonald’s, marked its 44th year in the Philippines with the opening of a new Green and Good store at Il Corso Cebu recently, reinforcing the food company’s twin push for sustainability and inclusive employment.

    Water Relief Flows to Struggling Families

    Low-income households in socialized housing communities are set to receive long-awaited relief on their monthly water bills on account of a new partnership forged under the Expanded Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino (4PH) Program.

    Markets

    SEC orders XM operator to halt unlicensed securities 

    The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has issued a cease-and-desist order against Trading Point Holdings Inc., operator of XM Group/XM.com, for offering securities in the Philippines without the required licenses.

    PNB returns to bond market with P15.7-B ASEAN offering

    Philippine National Bank (PNB) has made its first domestic bond market return since 2019, raising P15.7 billion through a dual-tranche ASEAN Sustainability bond issuance.

    Fed rate cut sparks rally on Wall Street

    Wall Street roared higher Wednesday after the Federal Reserve cut interest rates by a quarter-percentage point and Chairman Jerome Powell all but shut the door on any future hikes.

    Fed delivers a quarter-point rate cut, flags risks

    The Federal Reserve cut interest rates by a quarter percentage point on Wednesday after noting cooler labor-market momentum and persistent uncertainty surrounding the economic outlook.

    Travel

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    Energy

    Yellow alert briefly raised in Visayas grid

    The Visayas power grid was briefly placed under a yellow alert on Thursday, December 11, due to several power plants being unavailable. A yellow alert means power reserves are low, but rolling outages are not yet expected.

    DOE vows action on delayed GEA projects

    The Department of Energy (DOE) is taking steps to address renewable energy projects under the Green Energy Auction (GEA) program that have failed to meet their committed delivery timelines.

    Luzon, Mindanao power seen stable in 2026

    The Independent Electricity Market Operator of the Philippines (IEMOP) expects the Luzon and Mindanao power grids to remain generally stable in 2026 based on current supply levels, officials said Thursday in a briefing in Pasig City.

    Alternergy gets green light to advance up to 500 MW in new renewable projects

    Alternergy Holdings Corp. has secured system impact study (SIS) approval from the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) for all five renewable energy projects it won under the fourth Green Energy Auction (GEA 4).

    Transport & Communications

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    Property

    Aboitiz unifies real estate ambitions for scale

    The Aboitiz Group is tightening its grip on the Philippine real estate landscape as it moves to integrate Aboitiz Land and Aboitiz Economic Estates (AEE) into a single property arm.

    Megaworld to add malls to Mreit starting next year

    Megaworld Corp. will begin transferring about 70,000 sqm of mall space to its REIT unit, Mreit Inc., next year, with the infusion to be done in two batches that may include a property-for-share swap. 

    Bonds boosts Cebu Landmasters’ green momentum

    Cebu Landmasters, Inc. (CLI) has secured P4 billion from an oversubscribed sustainability-linked bond (SLB) sale, its second strong market showing this year. The bond sale highlights solid investor confidence in the Visayas-Mindanao developer’s growth and sustainability agenda.

    Insurer pushes estate planning as wealth transfer risks rise

    With property values increasing and many family-owned businesses expanding, more Filipino families are facing problems when transferring wealth to the next generation. Without proper estate planning, assets can end up frozen, tied up in legal disputes, or even sold off just to settle taxes.

    Environment

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    Technology

    MVP Group chiefs explore AI to drive growth

    Leaders of the MVP Group gathered at the 2025 Annual Corporate Governance Enhancement Session (ACGES) at the Meralco Theater to explore how artificial intelligence (AI) can drive business growth and improve decision-making across their companies.

    Apple power surge lifts smartphone outlook

    Worldwide smartphone makers are ending 2025 with renewed momentum, as global shipments are now forecast to rise 1.5 percent year-on-year to 1.25 billion units, according to the International Data Corp.’s (IDC) latest tracker. 

    Filipinos face relentless surge in daily scams 

    More than three in four Filipino adults encountered a scam in the past year, with attempts striking at a pace of nearly one every two days, according to the 2025 Philippine State of Scam Report from the Global Anti-Scam Alliance (GASA) and Gogolook.

    Kaspersky urges PH companies to adopt “cyber immunity” amid rising attacks

    Global cybersecurity firm Kaspersky is calling on public and private organizations in the Philippines to move beyond traditional defenses and adopt “cyber immunity” — a security-by-design approach meant to keep systems resilient even when attacked.

    Health & Science

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    Opinion

    Airbus A320 recall shakes global travel

    The sudden global recall of nearly 6,000 Airbus A320-family aircraft has sent shockwaves through aviation, tourism, and trade.

    Valuation shock shatters an industry titan

    November 13, 2025 will not fade easily from the memory of Manuel Villar. For the Filipino property magnate—ranked the country’s third wealthiest by Forbes—that date marked a reckoning. His flagship investment holding firm, Villar Land Holdings Corp., formerly Golden M.V. Holdings, finally submitted its long-delayed 2024 audited annual report to the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE). The filing arrived seven months past deadline—and detonated like a financial depth charge.

    Nets, nations, and the stingy sea

    It was an easy, sun-splashed Sunday morning on the shores of Bagac.

    Transparency on Trial: ICI to livestream hearings amid public outcry

    The Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) is opening its floodgates—digitally. Soon, the commission will livestream its proceedings, bowing to public pressure for transparency that has swelled louder than the floods the controversial infrastructure projects failed to contain.

    Sports & Entertainment

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    Exclusive

    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...

    Converge’s Dennis Anthony Uy Plans $1 Billion “Silicon Valley” Project In Pampanga

    Dennis Anthony Uy, co-founder of publicly listed Converge ICT,...