Petron Corp., the only remaining oil refinery in the country, is once again open to a government takeover, potentially through a partnership with the state-run Maharlika Investment Corp. (MIC). The move comes as the Ramon Ang-led company seeks to address volatile fuel costs, though economists...
The Philippine Exporters Confederation Inc. (Philexport) has expressed strong support for proposed amendments to the Magna Carta for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), while stressing that reforms must deliver concrete benefits such as improved access to financing and more favorable loan...
The China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) has greenlit a $300-million loan supporting capital expenditures (capex) for the improvement and expansion of three local ports operated by tycoon Enrique K. Razon Jr. ’s International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI). The latest...
Gen. Jose Melencio C. Nartatez, Jr., chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP), vowed to run after all those involved in the ambush in Maguindanao del Sur on Saturday night, March 28, that left five policemen dead and three others seriously injured. In a strongly worded statement, Nartatez said...
The resetting of the first parliamentary elections in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) is a strategic move to ensure a credible transition to self-governance. Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU) Secretary Carlito G. Galvez Jr....
Foreign lenders are backing the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ (BSP) increasingly hawkish stance as the local economy grapples with war-driven oil price volatility and supply disruptions. Nomura Holdings Inc., a Japanese investment and brokerage giant, raised its expectations for “significant”...
The Philippines and France have officially signed a Status of Visiting Forces Agreement (SOVFA), a landmark pact that provides a legal framework for large-scale military cooperation and joint exercises between the two countries. Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr....
While Philippine monetary authorities maintained the current policy rate at 4.25 percent in a rare off-cycle meeting, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) said it would hike key interest rates if second-round effects from war-driven oil supply shocks occur. “Once we see second-round effects from...
Gen. Jose Melencio C. Nartatez, Jr., chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP), ordered all police units to intensify the campaign against online sabong hubs as part of the efforts to dismantle all organized illegal gambling networks across the country. “We are intensifying...
The Philippine National Police (PNP) has begun security preparations for possible protests and rallies to mark former President Rodrigo Duterte’s 81st birthday on March 28. In a statement on Wednesday, PNP chief Police Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said he has already tasked chiefs of police...
President Marcos’ declaration of a state of national energy emergency was a timely preemptive strike against volatile global crude markets rather than a delayed reaction, according to private sector economists, who warned that Filipino consumers must still prepare for a prolonged period of...
Gen. Jose Melencio C. Nartatez, Jr., chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP), has ordered intensified security measures in key energy facilities after President Marcos declared a national energy emergency as a result of the Middle East tensions. “We in the Philippine National Police will...
