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President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Friday signed amendments to the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act, expanding government assistance beyond free tuition to help poor and disadvantaged students stay in college or technical-vocational training and build a larger skilled workforce.

The Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) is backing the electronics industry’s push to raise exports to USD110 billion by 2030, but said achieving the target will depend on how quickly the government and industry can turn the new roadmap into investments, skills, and higher-value semiconductor capabilities.

Ayala Land Inc. (ALI) is moving into a more earnings-focused phase of its mall strategy, seeking to extract stronger returns from flagship properties after a major reinvestment cycle while selectively expanding its retail footprint.

Business owners have grown increasingly worried about the country’s economic path, with corporate confidence plunging sharply into negative territory this July. According to the latest Business Expectations Survey by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), the overall confidence index dropped to -20.3 percent from a neutral standing in June. This sudden shift marks a significant downturn in how local companies view their immediate operations, driven largely by rising global oil prices, escalating tensions in the Middle East, and stubbornly high domestic inflation.