Saturday, 20 December 2025, 5:24 am

    Top News

    BSP surveys show mixed but policy-relevant signals of wary consumers but upbeat business sector

    Filipino as consumers turned more cautious in the fourth quarter of 2025 while businesses became more optimistic, underscoring a mixed economic outlook that remains important for macroeconomic policy, according to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP).

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    Context Dispatch

    Exclusive

    Boeing deepens strategy cuts as operations take center-stage – sources

    Boeing Co has embarked on deeper-than-expected cuts in its strategy ranks, halving the number of planners working within key divisions as it refocuses energies on tackling industrial pressures, people familiar with the matter said.
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    Agriculture

    Budget boost paves way for more farm-to-market roads in 2026 

    Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. welcomed Congress’ decision to more than double funding for farm-to-market roads (FMRs), calling it a “game-changing investment” for farmers, food supply chains, and rural economies as lawmakers finalize the 2026 national budget.

    Corporate

    Ayala Corp. ends 2025 with expansion push, backs long-term PH growth

    Ayala Corp. rounded 2025 after a year of expansion, new partnerships, and fresh investments, saying it remains confident in the country’s long-term growth prospects.

    Banking & Insurance

    BSP eyes stronger capital markets, market-based operations

    The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) is stepping up efforts to deepen the money market, expand capital market development, and improve cross-border payments to support economic growth and financial stability, BSP deputy governor Zeno Ronald R. Abenoja said at the 4th ASEAN+3 Economic Cooperation and Financial Stability Forum held in November in Hong Kong.
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    Markets

    US inflation surprise spurs Wall Street rally

    U.S. stocks jumped Thursday after a long-delayed inflation report delivered a clear upside surprise, snapping Wall Street out of a four-session slide and reigniting hopes for interest-rate cuts.

    Travel

    Maya adds easy in-app travel insurance for itinerant Filipinos

    Maya has tapped M Pioneer Insurance Inc. In offering SafeTrip travel insurance directly in the Maya app, giving Filipino travelers simple, affordable, and easy access to protection before they go abroad.
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    Energy

    Prime Energy notes importance of homegrown natural gas

    Prime Energy turned up the volume on the case for indigenous natural gas as the Philippines locked in a new, coordinated push on energy security, sealing a rare public-private pact to power the country through the energy transition.

    Transport & Communications

    PLDT, Smart step up fight vs cable theft with barangay partnerships

    PLDT Inc. and its wireless unit Smart Communications are strengthening efforts to stop cable and equipment theft by working more closely with barangays, local governments, police, and communities across the country.
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    Property

    MREIT bulked up with prime offices

    MREIT, Inc., the real estate investment trust of Megaworld Corp., is expanding its footprint after its board approved the infusion of nine Grade A office buildings through a property-for-share swap valued at P16.22 billion.

    Environment

    Used battery recycling plant proposed in Tarlac

    Green Ecosphere Industries Inc. is proposing a lead recycling plant that can process about 2,040 metric tons of used batteries every month. The facility is expected to produce around 1,000 metric tons of recycled lead ingots monthly, or about 12,000 metric tons a year.
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    Technology

    Couchbase launches AI services to help enterprises deploy agentic AI at scale

    Couchbase, Inc. has announced the general availability of Couchbase AI Services, a new set of tools designed to help enterprises build, deploy and manage agentic AI applications in production environments.

    Health & Science

    BPI launches leave donation program for employees with serious illnesses

    The Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) has launched a Leave Donation Program that allows employees to donate unused vacation leave to co-workers dealing with serious or life-threatening illnesses.
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    Opinion

    All revved up, nowhere to go

    There is a familiar sound in Philippine policymaking: an engine idling in neutral. It is neither progress nor collapse, just the quiet waste of momentum. This is where the government’s automotive incentive programs now stand. RACE and CARS were meant to strengthen local vehicle assembly, yet both remain stalled by delays, budget constraints, and unpaid commitments.

    Thousands lose jobs in brutal anti-graft war

    President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s anti-corruption blitz in flood-control and public-works agencies was meant to clean house. Instead, it is triggering political, economic, and social tremors that now overshadow its stated purpose. The irony is hard to ignore: a campaign launched to restore trust is increasingly viewed as deepening uncertainty.

    Airbus A320 recall shakes global travel

    The sudden global recall of nearly 6,000 Airbus A320-family aircraft has sent shockwaves through aviation, tourism, and trade.

    Valuation shock shatters an industry titan

    November 13, 2025 will not fade easily from the memory of Manuel Villar. For the Filipino property magnate—ranked the country’s third wealthiest by Forbes—that date marked a reckoning. His flagship investment holding firm, Villar Land Holdings Corp., formerly Golden M.V. Holdings, finally submitted its long-delayed 2024 audited annual report to the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE). The filing arrived seven months past deadline—and detonated like a financial depth charge.