The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) approved four new banking offices in the last quarter of 2020 compared to 67 new branch applications in the same period in pre-pandemic 2019. Based on a BSP circular letter, there was only one approved regular branch and three branch-lite units (BLUs) in the...
To avoid wastage, there should be a vaccine security and safety officer in every local government unit (LGU) who will ensure that the cold chain storage of a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine is preserved. Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., vaccine czar and chief implementer of the National Task...
Chinese President Xi Jinping has warned President Duterte early in his presidency that “there will be trouble” if the latter insisted on drilling for oil in the resource-rich West Philippine Sea (WPS) that the Philippines and China, along with four other nations, are claiming as their own....
BATANG MAYNILA Manila Mayor Isko Moreno As of this writing, the city government of Manila has already begun distributing its fourth batch of monthly food boxes as part of our Food Security Program (FSP) aimed at alleviating hunger in the city brought about by lost jobs during the pandemic. To date,...
Amid rising food prices, the ravages of African Swine Fever (ASF), and calls for Secretary William Dar to resign, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said it will launch the 2021 National Food Security Summit (NFSS) this Tuesday, May 18. DA Secretary William Dar (Photo from DA Facebook page) "We...
Senator Risa Hontiveros on Friday, May 14 reiterated her call for the National Security Council (NSC) to pursue a security audit against Dito Telecommunity, especially amid China’s increasing presence in the West Philippine Sea. Hontiveros said there is a great necessity for the NSC, as well as...
Security Bank Corporation reported that its net profit dipped 10 percent to P1.6 billion in the first quarter of 2021 from the P2.9 billion earned in the same period last year. In a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange, the bank said the decline was due to the passage of the CREATE law which...
Consumer lending company SB Finance Company Inc. (SBF) is tapping the P3 billion in fresh funds to be infused by its shareholders to reach the mass market and help reset economic growth in the new normal. SB Finance is a joint venture between Security Bank Corporation and Thailand’s Bank of...
Several groups have decided to boycott the government’s upcoming National Food Security Summit, which they believe will not be able to address the problems currently hounding the agriculture sector. At the same time, these groups are questioning the line-up of resource speakers in the summit, who...
Senator Risa Hontiveros on Thursday applauded the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) for bravely driving out Chinese maritime militia vessels at the Sabina Shoal in the West Philippine Sea. “I would like to applaud the PCG and BFAR for...
The Philippines on Monday welcomed the United Nations Security Council’s “strong support for the positive and constructive role” played by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in facilitating a peaceful solution to end the violence in Myanmar. United Nations (UN.org) In a...
Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque denied rumors that some employees from the Office of the President (OP) have already been vaccinated against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque (OPS / FILE PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN) In his press briefing this week, Roque said...
