AVANT GARDENER Department of Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu-Laurel Jr., through the efforts of the Agribusiness and Countryside Development Foundation (ABCDF), recently met with some members of the youth to discuss the state of Philippine agriculture. ABCDF is a non-profit...
LT Group Inc., the holding company of taipan Lucio Tan, reported a 14 percent improvement in attributable net income to a record high of ₱28.92 billion last year from the ₱25.42 billion reported in 2023 on the back of strong growth in its tobacco, banking, liquor, and beer businesses. In its...
Double Dragon Corporation has appointed Rodolfo Ma. Ponferrada as its new president, replacing founder Edgar J. Sia II’s brother Ferdinand J. Sia, effective March 1, 2025. In a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange, the firm said its Board of Directors has also approved the promotion of...
MREIT, Inc., the real estate investment trust of township developer Megaworld Corporation, reported a 12 percent improvement in distributable income to P3.2 billion for full-year 2024. In a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exhcange, the firm said this growth was primarily driven by the...
AVANT GARDENER The Philippine cacao industry has been growing but still remains underdeveloped. Some local chocolatiers are trying to change this by offering tree to bar artisanal chocolates. One of them is Anitu Food Forest, a Bukidnon-based chocolate brand who sources its cacao beans from...
By Jemimah Mapa Dr. Tan delivering his acceptance speech at the 2025 Manila Bulletin Newsmakers of the Year Awards With the rising levels of different plastic waste, air, and water contamination, as well as various human activities, environmental pollution has been a growing concern. This...
AVANT GARDENER Last week, I wrote about Anitu Forest Food Processing, a small chocolate brand from New Kidapawan City, Bukidnon. Now, I’m writing about the Anitu Forest Farm, the syntropic farm that produces the cacao that goes into the handcrafted chocolates. Anitu Forest Farm is run by...
MB NEWSMAKERS Top row, from left: Mylo Speech Buddy Founder Vincent Rocha, President of Bingo Plus Rafael Jasper Vicencio, President & CEO of HSBC Philippines Sandeep Uppal, Dr. Victor Erwin Jocson, Head of Star Magic PR (representing Bini) Thess Gubi, Co-Chairperson of Kawayan Collective...
For Tajara Leisure and Hospitality Group President and CEO Cyndy Jarabata, it is high time for more luxury brands to enter the real estate sector in the country to attract foreign market. She also discussed the importance of brands for luxury residences, buyer’s profile and their motivation to...
AVANT GARDENER A lot of farms in the Philippines are made up of small plots of land, which is why the government encourages the formation of cooperatives, to take advantage of economies of scale. The Philippine Chamber of Cooperatives was created to further increase the opportunities that...
Almost everything we buy today comes packaged in plastic. It’s no news it’s ubiquitous and erodes our environment. The lack of sustainable packaging choices only worsens the crisis—a situation leaving consumers in limbo. After all, how can we choose better when such options barely...
Ayala Corporation and San Miguel Corporation led 29 Philippine conglomerates and businesses that made it to Time magazine and Statista’s inaugural 500 Best Companies in Asia-Pacific for 2025. The ranking of 500 of the Asia-Pacific’s best companies by Time and Statista is based on a formula of...
