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Agriculture
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.
DA opens 45-day summer internship for youth
The Department of Agriculture (DA) will launch its 2026 Summer Youth Internship Program on April 24, offering young Filipinos 45 days of paid government work until June 30.
Corporate
PNB expands ISO information security certification, includes Singapore branch
The Philippine National Bank has passed its surveillance audit for the ISO/IEC 27001:2022 information security standard and expanded the coverage of its certification, reinforcing its efforts to protect customer and business data.
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.
San Miguel opens Polo Brewery Museum to mark 135 years
San Miguel Corp. has unveiled a museum at its historic Polo Brewery in Valenzuela City, celebrating 135 years of brewing history and corporate legacy. The museum features antique brewing equipment, classic labels, archival documents, and the 1890 Royal Patent granting founder Don Enrique Maria Barretto de Ycaza exclusive rights to brew beer in Manila.
Bloomberry exits South Korea casino business after Jeju spin-off
Bloomberry Resorts Corp., the gaming firm controlled by billionaire Enrique K. Razon Jr., has completed its exit from the casino business in South Korea following the spin-off of its gaming operations in Jeju Island.
Corporate Bulletins
PNB expands ISO information security certification, includes Singapore branch
The Philippine National Bank has passed its surveillance audit for the ISO/IEC 27001:2022 information security standard and expanded the coverage of its certification, reinforcing its efforts to protect customer and business data.
San Miguel opens Polo Brewery Museum to mark 135 years
San Miguel Corp. has unveiled a museum at its historic Polo Brewery in Valenzuela City, celebrating 135 years of brewing history and corporate legacy. The museum features antique brewing equipment, classic labels, archival documents, and the 1890 Royal Patent granting founder Don Enrique Maria Barretto de Ycaza exclusive rights to brew beer in Manila.
Eastern Comms boosts renewable energy use to 10% with geothermal deal
Eastern Communications (Eastern Comms) has partnered with First Gen Corporation to raise its renewable energy use to 10 percent, up from just 2 percent.
Lender wins dual global honors at International Finance Awards 2025
Asialink Finance Corporation (AFC) has been recognized with two major honors at the International Finance Awards 2025 in Bangkok, Thailand, strengthening its position as a leading financial services provider in the Philippines.
Social Responsibility & Sustainability
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.
CAMPI drives sustainability agenda with DENR award
The Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines, Inc. (CAMPI) has been recognized as an Environmental Sustainability Partner during the 2026 Gawad Kabalikat sa Kapaligiran organized by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Environmental Management Bureau (DENR-EMB), highlighting the auto industry’s expanding role in the country’s environmental agenda.
Jollibee Group, DepEd launch SHS QSR program to boost youth employability
The Jollibee Group has partnered with the Department of Education (DepEd) to co-develop a new Senior High School (SHS) Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) Tech Pro elective under the country’s strengthened SHS curriculum.
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
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.
DLSU Laguna plugs into renewable power
De La Salle University has shifted its Laguna campus to 100 percent renewable energy, signing a supply deal with ACEN Renewable Energy Solutions, the retail electricity arm of the Ayala group.
Top Line posts record 2025 on retail push
Listed fuel distributor and retailer Top Line Business Development Corp. (TOP) delivered record financial results in 2025, underscoring the gains from its vertically integrated model and aggressive retail push.
Property
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.
EEI lands P1.6B project boost
Construction heavyweight EEI Corp. kicked off 2026 on solid footing after securing major real estate contracts worth a combined P1.6 billion in the first two months of the year.
Technology
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.
Globe pushes for recognition of internet access as basic right
Telecommunications company Globe Telecom said reliable internet connectivity should be recognized as a basic human right, stressing its growing importance to national development and everyday life.
Eastern Comms boosts renewable energy use to 10% with geothermal deal
Eastern Communications (Eastern Comms) has partnered with First Gen Corporation to raise its renewable energy use to 10 percent, up from just 2 percent.
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.
