China Banking Corp. announced Thursday it has received the Excellence in Innovation in the Philippines 2026 award from Global Banking and Finance Review, recognizing its Easy Tax Filing and Payment Solution.

McDonald’s Philippines has activated its Kindness Kitchen program to provide no less than 10,000 hot meals to communities severely affected by the recent earthquake in Southern Mindanao. Working hand-in-hand with local government units, the company aims to deliver nourishing food to families in impacted areas as part of its immediate relief efforts.

Success, it seems, runs in the family—and in the mountains of Ifugao.

East West Banking Corp. has appointed Kristine A. Romano as independent director, effective April 23, 2026.

The Philippine cement industry is laying the foundation for a greener future, betting that lower emissions and industrial growth do not have to be poured from separate molds.

The National Power Corp. (NPC) has activated 5 megawatts of leased generator sets at the Marinawa Substation to address ongoing power shortages in Catanduanes.

ACEN Corp., the energy arm of the Ayala Group, has signed a subscription agreement worth P1.15 billion with fully owned subsidiary Giga Ace 8 Inc. The investment covers common and preferred shares issued from Giga Ace 8’s unissued capital stock.

Competition watchdogs are stepping up scrutiny of the Philippines’ retail electricity market after a new study found that market concentration, customer inertia, and structural barriers continue to limit competition despite ongoing power sector reforms.

Central Luzon could soon add another major investment magnet to its growing economic landscape as the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) explores collaboration opportunities with Leonio Land Holdings, Inc. (LLHI) for a proposed Dual-Zone Eco-Innovation Estate that aims to blend industrial development, technological innovation, and sustainable tourism.

Hotel101-Madrid has hit full occupancy again, underscoring the growing appeal of DoubleDragon Corp.’s ambitious bid to export a homegrown Filipino hotel brand to the world.

Ayala Malls is deepening its presence in the Visayas with the launch of Ayala Malls Gatewalk in Mandaue City, a major retail and lifestyle development that will host the first IKEA store in Cebu and the wider Visayas region.

Italpinas Development Corp. (IDC) is accelerating its Luzon expansion after its flagship Batangas project, Miramonti Green Residences, neared a sellout just weeks after its formal launch, validating the developer’s strategy of investing early in fast-rising provincial growth centers.

The internet has become an essential part of daily life for Filipinos, shaping how people connect, learn, earn, and engage with society. But greater digital reliance also brings growing risks: misinformation, scams, identity theft, and fraud that put all users, especially the most vulnerable, in danger. On Independence Day, the meaning of freedom is being redefined for the connected era — it is no longer just about access, but about having the confidence to go online without fear of harm or exploitation.

The Philippine customer experience industry is placing a high-stakes wager on artificial intelligence and expecting it to pay off.

The Philippine IT-BPM industry used its biggest awards night to spotlight a changing growth strategy, with artificial intelligence, workforce upskilling, sustainability, and innovation emerging as key priorities for the sector’s next stage of expansion.

Following the recent magnitude 7.8 earthquake, the country’s two largest telecommunications firms have ramped up efforts to restore services and deliver support across southern Mindanao. Globe Telecom Inc. reports that services are back in 31 out of 32 affected municipalities. Full restoration has been achieved in Zamboanga Sibugay, Zamboanga del Norte, South Cotabato, Maguindanao del Norte, Maguindanao del Sur, Sultan Kudarat, and Sarangani. Teams remain on standby in areas with intermittent signal, mostly where ongoing power outages continue to disrupt telecom facilities. The company has also activated special connectivity and emergency support offers in South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, and Sarangani. Meanwhile, PLDT Group’s business unit PLDT Enterprise has teamed up with the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) and local governments to set up Starlink internet in key hospitals. These links are now working at Malungon Sarangani Provincial Hospital and Alabel Sarangani Provincial Hospital, part of the group’s commitment to using communications for disaster response. Through its social outreach arm PLDT-Smart Foundation, the group has started distributing relief goods including food packs, drinking water, and hot meals. Free calls, charging stations, and Wi-Fi are available in General Santos City; Glan, Sarangani; and Jose Abad Santos, Davao Occidental. Smart and TNT users in affected zones have also received emergency load to stay connected. Both companies are coordinating closely with the National Telecommunications Commission, disaster response agencies, local governments, and other partners. Staff are working around the clock to restore services and provide aid, while also ensuring the safety of their personnel and equipment.

The Philippine Senate has a remarkable talent for proving that history never really leaves the chamber. It merely changes surnames.

The Senate has been regarded as the last bastion of democratic dissent—a chamber where statesmen stood their ground, challenged power, and refused to let their voices be drowned out by political pressure or executive overreach. It was where difficult questions were asked, unpopular truths were spoken, and silence was treated not as a virtue but as a surrender.

If anyone still believed the Philippine Senate had reached rock bottom, the May 25 session suggested there was, in fact, a trapdoor beneath the floor.

The sudden leadership shake-up in the Senate ahead of the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Dutertel may yet prove a poisoned chalice—a glittering prize that offers control today but threatens political liability tomorrow.