Agriculture
DA tightens food watch as price pressures build
The Department of Agriculture (DA) has stepped up monitoring of food prices and supply as early signs of rising inflation appear, particularly among the country’s poorest households.
P4M food hub upgrade boosts women’s livelihood in Muntinlupa
The Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Muntinlupa city government have invested P4 million to upgrade a local food hub that supports women-led enterprises and community food production.
DA orders nationwide survey to check issues in farm aid distribution
The Department of Agriculture (DA) has ordered a nationwide ground survey of farmer-beneficiaries to verify complaints about allegedly substandard seeds, questionable fertilizer quality, and unreliable farm machinery distributed through government programs.
DA readies P150-M fuel subsidy as oil nears $80 per barrel; says food supply steady
The Department of Agriculture (DA) said it has set aside P150 million for fuel subsidies if global oil prices average more than $80 per barrel for a month, a trigger meant to cushion farmers, fishers and public transport drivers from rising costs.
Corporate
Aboitiz Foods’ HERstory: Women who lead
In the world of food and agribusiness, the journey from mill to meal is rarely simple. It demands sharp strategy, scientific precision, and the kind of resilience that thrives under pressure.
Globe Business achieves ISO milestone for customer experience
Globe Business has achieved full International Organization for Standardization (ISO) certification for its customer experience and service operations, setting a new benchmark for reliability, security, and quality in the country’s business-to-business (B2B) sector.
Nestlé leads push toward plastic circularity
Nestlé Philippines has been recognized for its leadership in advancing the country’s plastic waste management agenda, earning two honors at the 2026 Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Recognition Program for its role in strengthening recycling systems and industry collaboration.
Etiqa Philippines pays P4B in claims, signals strength
Insurance provider Etiqa Philippines paid out nearly P4 billion in claims in 2025, underscoring both its capacity to meet policyholder obligations and the resilience of its balance sheet amid rising demand for protection products.
Corporate Bulletins
Aboitiz Foods’ HERstory: Women who lead
In the world of food and agribusiness, the journey from mill to meal is rarely simple. It demands sharp strategy, scientific precision, and the kind of resilience that thrives under pressure.
Globe Business achieves ISO milestone for customer experience
Globe Business has achieved full International Organization for Standardization (ISO) certification for its customer experience and service operations, setting a new benchmark for reliability, security, and quality in the country’s business-to-business (B2B) sector.
Etiqa Philippines pays P4B in claims, signals strength
Insurance provider Etiqa Philippines paid out nearly P4 billion in claims in 2025, underscoring both its capacity to meet policyholder obligations and the resilience of its balance sheet amid rising demand for protection products.
FINEX shapes future finance leaders nationwide
The Financial Executives Institute of the Philippines (FINEX) is doubling down on its mission to strengthen the country’s financial talent pipeline as it celebrates the 25th anniversary of the Intercollegiate Finance Competition (ICFC), a nationwide contest designed to test how well students apply classroom finance concepts to real-world challenges.
Social Responsibility & Sustainability
Nestlé leads push toward plastic circularity
Nestlé Philippines has been recognized for its leadership in advancing the country’s plastic waste management agenda, earning two honors at the 2026 Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Recognition Program for its role in strengthening recycling systems and industry collaboration.
NLEX wades into flood fight early
Tollway operator NLEX Corp. has begun clearing major waterways in the capital, aligning with the government’s Oplan Kontra Baha program as authorities rush to reduce urban flooding before the rainy season.
PLDT blocks 83,000 attempts to access child exploitation content in January
The PLDT Group blocked 83,000 attempts to access illegal child sexual abuse and exploitation materials (CSAEM) in January 2026, a 50 percent drop from the same period in 2025.
Ayala Foundation calls for skilled volunteers to help communities
The foundation said it wants to move beyond traditional volunteer activities such as relief goods repacking and cleanup drives. Instead, it is encouraging experts and specialists to share their knowledge directly with communities that need support.
Markets
PCC clears DoubleDragon’s MerryMart share purchase
The Philippine Competition Commission (PCC) has cleared the proposed acquisition by DoubleDragon Corporation of shares in MerryMart Consumer Corporation, allowing the transaction to proceed before the end of the regulator’s Phase 1 review period.
Jollibee weighs Vietnam IPO for Highlands
Jollibee Foods Corp., one of the largest fast food chain in Southeast Asia, is exploring a public listing for its fast-growing Vietnamese coffee arm, Highlands Coffee, in a move that could unlock fresh capital and sharpen the group’s regional expansion.
Oil, dollar surge as Middle East conflict sparks fears of energy shock
Global markets jolted into the new week after a dramatic escalation between the United States, Israel and Iran triggered fresh fears of an energy supply shock that could ripple through currencies, inflation and consumer prices worldwide.
Metro Manila real estate posts strong 2025 growth; steady expansion seen in 2026
Metro Manila’s real estate market recorded solid growth across offices, retail, residential, hospitality, and logistics in 2025, signaling sustained business and consumer activity, according to year-end data from Jones Lang LaSalle Philippines (JLL).
Energy
Aboitiz Power’s 2025 profit slips as one-off costs weigh on earnings
Aboitiz Power Corp. reported a slight decline in its core earnings for 2025 as one-off accounting costs tied to a major power project weighed on results, even as electricity sales grew.
Gov’t eyes standby diesel purchase via PNOC amid supply concerns
The Department of Energy (DOE) said the government is considering buying additional diesel fuel through the Philippine National Oil Company (PNOC) to build standby reserves in case of supply disruptions.
Philippines courts South Korea for strategic minerals alliance
A new push from the Chamber of Mines of the Philippines signals Manila’s growing urgency to turn mineral wealth into geopolitical leverage.
Power giant Meralco braces for oil shock
Manila Electric Co. chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan said the country’s largest power distributor is reviewing its fuel mix as tensions in the Middle East threaten to push electricity costs higher.
Property
Steel industry flags standards in infrastructure projects
The local steel industry is calling for stricter enforcement of material standards in infrastructure projects, warning that substandard and underweight steel products remain a persistent risk in the domestic market.
Megawide accelerates buildout under expanded 4PH
Megawide Construction Corp. has begun construction on two socialized housing projects under the expanded Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino (4PH) Program, marking a faster pace of private sector participation in the flagship housing initiative of Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.
Rockwell Land secures P7B bond approval, projects boosted
Rockwell Land Corp., the listed property development arm of the Lopez Group, has secured the green light from the Securities and Exchange Commission for a P7-billion fixed-rate bond offering, with an oversubscription option of up to P3 billion to meet strong investor demand.
Technology
Major repairs begin at Meycauayan River Bridge on NLEX
NLEX Corporation has started major improvement works on the Meycauayan River Bridge along the North Luzon Expressway to upgrade the road surface and fix potential potholes before the rainy season.
IMI rebounds after restructuring, swings to profit in 2025
Integrated Micro-Electronics, Inc. (IMI) swung back to profit in 2025, signaling that its multi-year restructuring drive is beginning to pay off despite softer demand in the global automotive sector.
LGUs pressed to accelerate digital collections
Local government units (LGUs) are being urged to fast-track the modernization of public collection systems as digital payments continue to dominate everyday transactions in the Philippines.
PLDT blocks 83,000 attempts to access child exploitation content in January
The PLDT Group blocked 83,000 attempts to access illegal child sexual abuse and exploitation materials (CSAEM) in January 2026, a 50 percent drop from the same period in 2025.
Opinion
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.
Smoke Without Fire, Markets Without Rules
When the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) discards its own scientific “endangerment finding,” it does more than revise a memo from 2009. It performs a kind of regulatory alchemy: turning greenhouse gases from legally recognized threats into political inconveniences.
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.
