MANILA, Philippines — A Senate bill seeks to exempt common areas within residential subdivisions and condominiums from real property taxes (RPT) to ease the financial burden on millions of middle-class homeowners. Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero filed Senate Bill No. 2569, which proposes an amendment to Section 234 of Republic Act No. 7160 or the Local

MANILA, Philippines — Senators on Thursday sought the Department of Budget and Management’s (DBM) recommendations on how to adjust the proposed P7.2-trillion 2027 national budget following the Supreme Court’s ruling striking down key provisions of previous spending laws. At the House of Representatives, a dispute erupted over whether the chamber should recall its approved version

MANILA, Philippines — The Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) will challenge the Supreme Court’s ruling invalidating specific provisions of the 2024 and 2025 national budgets and restricting the release of unprogrammed funds under the 2026 budget, questioning whether the high court committed “judicial overreach” by imposing safeguards that encroach on the budgetary powers of

MANILA, Philippines — Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri challenged Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. to crack down on pork price manipulators, smugglers and excessive meat imports. He urged Tiu Laurel to demonstrate his strong leadership as thousands of backyard hog raisers struggle with falling farmgate prices while consumers continue paying considerably more

COTABATO CITY — Some 1,500 supporters of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) gathered at the city plaza here on Thursday to air their call for the elected Bangsamoro parties and district and sectoral representatives to unite in a “rainbow coalition” headed by the erstwhile revolutionary group’s leader, Ahod “Al Haj Murad” Ebrahim. The rally

MANILA, Philippines — Agricultural damage throughout the country due to the El Niño phenomenon has climbed to P8.57 billion, a 24.7-percent increase from the P6.87 billion recorded in September. According to the Oct. 21 bulletin of the Department of Agriculture (DA), the dry spell affected the livelihood of 288,058 farmers in different regions across the

BAGUIO CITY — A 1970s mulberry enterprise in Benguet province is getting a new lease on life, thanks to a government initiative to rebuild the country’s sericulture industry and ensure a local supply of silk. Science Secretary Renato Solidum said the old Benguet operation had been designated the north Luzon sericulture hub under the government’s

The southern province of An Giang, home to Phu Quoc Island, is moving early to lock down security for the 2027 APEC Economic Leaders' Week, a major diplomatic event of the country.

A Thai man says a food shop at a Bangkok hospital is seeking 1 million baht (US$29,770) in damages from him over a Facebook video complaining that its chicken basil rice cost 260 baht ($7.74).

Vietnam could face a super typhoon comparable in intensity to Typhoon Yagi, the strongest to strike the country in 70 years in 2024, on average once every seven years if global temperatures rise by four degrees Celsius, according to updated climate change scenarios.

Regulator decides to drop charge against Aqili.

'The law doesn't mean anything if it does not impact a life positively,' Supreme Court Associate Justice Benjamin Caguioa says in his Judicial and Bar Council interview

Undergraduate also pans panellists for not responding properly on issues of graft, among others.

The Philippines remains an attractive destination for British investments despite the challenges involving corruption, bureaucracy, and rising costs, according to the British Chamber of Commerce Philippines, which is calling for stronger legislation, improved infrastructure, and continued economic reforms.

Foreign investors need sector-specific approvals, licenses, and certifications based on activities, sector regulations, and product or facility requirements.

China's economy grew faster than expected in Q3, and September home prices declined at a slower rate.

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has moved up the deadline for agencies to seek additional budget authorities by nearly two weeks as it races to assess remaining funding requests, with nearly all of the 2026 national budget already released. Under Circular Letter No. 2026-13, the DBM said government agencies have

MANILA, Philippines — Expanding the country’s hydropower capability with an additional 25 gigawatts will require about P5 trillion in new investments, an energy official said Thursday. According to Ariel Fronda, division chief of the DOE’s Hydropower & Ocean Energy Management Division, activating one megawatt from hydropower would cost about P200 million. READ: The inverse relationship between

MANILA, Philippines — Lopez-led First Gen Corp. has clinched a new pact to energize a tertiary hospital in Pampanga with renewable energy. On Thursday, the company announced it closed the agreement with Mother Teresa of Calcutta Medical Center (MTCMC) under the government’s retail aggregation program (RAP), allowing local households to consolidate demand to meet the 100-kilowatt

The storm's forecast track shows it will pass just off northeastern Taiwan, turn north toward the Chinese coast and eventually move into southern Japan

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Bureau of Customs (BOC) have partnered to simplify the handling and inspection of shipments entering the country, including the disposal of confiscated farm goods. Both agencies signed a memorandum on the inspection and disposal of confiscated agricultural and fishery products. READ: Department of Agriculture opposes sale of

MANILA, Philippines — The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) raised its policy rate by half a percentage point to 5.5 percent on Thursday, delivering a bigger-than-expected increase as it stepped up its fight against stubbornly high inflation. The decision by the Monetary Board, the central bank’s top policymaking body, brought the overnight borrowing rate to

MANILA, Philippines — Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) saw its nine-month net income fall 3.2 percent to P48.9 billion as higher provisions and operating expenses outpaced revenue growth. January to September earnings declined from P50.5 billion a year earlier, despite increases in lending and fee income. READ: BPI’s H1 profit slipped on higher expenses

MANILA, Philippines — Philippine merchandise exports could breach the $100-billion mark for the first time this year, as booming global demand for semiconductors and electronics continues to drive the country’s shipments to record highs. Trade Undersecretary Ceferino Rodolfo expressed confidence that exports would sustain their momentum through the remaining months of 2026, and potentially push

MANILA, Philippines — A joint circular from the Department of Energy (DOE) and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) might undermine the government’s efforts to make the Philippine mining industry a major driver of economic growth, according to industry players. The Chamber of Mines of the Philippines and the Philippine Nickel Industry Association warned

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine peso sank to another record low on Thursday, extending its slide despite a larger-than-expected interest rate increase by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), as broad US dollar strength continued to weigh on the currency. The local currency weakened by 15.9 centavos to close at 63.52 per dollar, surpassing the

MANILA, Philippines — Investments at economic zones drew closer to reaching a record high in 2026 after the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (Peza) approved new projects that brought its year-to-date pipeline to P309.63 billion, surpassing the agency’s full-year target. According to Peza, the investment tally as of October marked a 76.56-percent increase from P175.365 billion

MANILA, Philippines — The Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp. (Psalm) failed to realize at least P11.09 billion from the planned sale of a portion of its Diliman property, after prospective buyers were no-shows on the bidding deadline. Psalm President and CEO Edward Dela Serna said the state-run company declared a “failed bidding” on

Authors’ Note: This is Step 2 of the six-step Strategy Logic Chain within the PILA Reasoning Stack (Problem, Insight, Logic, and Assumptions). Step 1, the Value Proposition, defines the value a company intends to create. This article asks whether customers will change their behavior to realize that value. MANILA, Philippines — Every year, companies launch products

MANILA, Philippines — Global payments firm Visa is exploring stablecoin use cases with Philippine banks and fintechs as it seeks to reduce the cost and friction of cross-border payments, amid still limited awareness and trust in the emerging digital currency among Filipino consumers. This comes as Visa’s Money Travels 2026 study found that roughly four