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President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has appointed Dr. Edwin Mercado as the country’s new health secretary, replacing Dr. Jose Brittanio Pujalte Jr., who resigned for health reasons, Palace spokesperson Claire Castro said. Mercado, who has served as acting president and chief executive officer of Philippine Health Insurance Corp. since February 2025, is a University of the Philippines medical graduate with master’s degrees from Harvard Medical School and the University of North Carolina. Pujalte, appointed health chief on July 13, now faces an anonymous ethics and graft complaint before the Ombudsman. Dr. Beverly Lorraine Ho, former health undersecretary, assistant secretary, and spokesperson, will replace Mercado at PhilHealth.

Borromeo Motoring Group is taking greater control of its electricity costs, tapping COREnergy as its retail electricity supplier for 20 facilities across Luzon as the automotive group seeks to make energy management a more strategic part of its operations.

SM Prime Holdings Inc. is aiming to match last year’s profit as resilient malls, offices, hotels, and other recurring businesses help cushion continued caution in the residential property market.

Mobile attacks targeting consumers in the Philippines went up by 28 percent in the first quarter of 2026 compared with the same period last year, according to global cybersecurity firm Kaspersky.

Following President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s State of the Nation Address on July 27, Globe reaffirmed its support for the goal of making internet affordable and dependable across the country. The company noted that healthy competition among telecom providers drives continued investment, encourages responsible business practices, and ensures efficient use of vital communications resources—all key to better service and faster national digital progress.