AVANT GARDENER I’ve been writing interviewing folks from different areas of the agriculture industry on their thoughts on RA12215, also known as the Philippine Agriculturists Act. So far, the folks who are willing to voice their thoughts and those of their colleagues are those who will not be...
ABS-CBN Corp. Board Director Federico R. Lopez is seeking a regulatory investigation into the media company’s top leadership, alleging the “squandering” of corporate assets and a “conscious and intentional design” to siphon funds through exorbitant executive pay despite spiraling losses....
LT Group Inc., the conglomerate controlled by tycoon Lucio Tan, expects its banking division to drive earnings to another record this year, offsetting the impact of elevated commodity costs and strained consumer spending fueled by geopolitical conflicts in the Middle East. In a briefing, Lucio Tan...
AVANT GARDENER We’ve all come across the rescue buy, where a vendor will post about how folks can help farmers in need by buying overproduced harvests that would have gone to waste at a fraction of the price. While the concept started as a sincere desire to help struggling farmers, some entities...
SM Prime Holdings Inc., the integrated property developer led by the Sy family, plans to open its flagship SM Nuvali mall in Santa Rosa, Laguna, in October 2026, marking the start of a multi-year expansion strategy targeting high-growth regional hubs outside Metro Manila. Jeffrey Lim, SM Prime...
SM Prime Holdings Inc., the Philippines’ largest integrated property developer, is signaling a more cautious approach to its expansion plans as geopolitical volatility in the Middle East threatens to disrupt the domestic economy. In a briefing, Jeffrey C. Lim, SM Prime president and chief...
Sy-led top lender BDO Unibank Inc. said the escalating Middle East war is weighing on its outlook, though its chief maintained that the Philippine economy would remain relatively resilient compared with past global crises like the Covid-19 pandemic. BDO President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO)...
AVANT GARDENER I just attended the Dumaguete Literary Festival, where I sat in the panels for fiction and horror writing. I also read an excerpt from Edilberto Tiempo’s short story “Mr. McLure” as part of a literary tour of the city and did a small book signing with a few other authors. I...
Known as “The City of Gentle People,” the City of Dumaguete is recognized for its tourist attractions, lively music scene, and as the home of Silliman University. It also has a deep and longstanding literary history, which came to the fore this April 17-20, 2026. Not only was it the third...
Alliance Global Group Inc. (AGI), the investment vehicle of billionaire Andrew Tan, reported a record net income last year, as gains from its real estate and leisure units helped offset the decline in consolidated revenue following the deconsolidation of its McDonald’s local franchise. In a...
AVANT GARDENER A few weeks ago, I wrote about Republic Act (RA) 12215, also known as the Philippine Agriculturists Act, which, in very simple terms, requires anyone engaged in agriculture to be a licensed agriculturist. One of my interviewees was Samantha Geraldine De los Santos, an assistant...
Four companies under the SM Group were recognized for corporate excellence and governance in the FinanceAsia Asia’s Best Companies 2026 poll. SM Investments Corp., the holding company for the Sy family’s business empire, secured the Gold award for Best Large Cap Company and was named Most...
