Manila, Philippines — Global Compact Network Philippines (GCNP), the country network of the United Nations Global Compact, has elected a new set of officers for 2026–2027. GCNP’s new officers include: PLDT’s Chief Sustainability Officer Melissa Vergel de Dios as Chairman, Globe Telecom Head of Sustainability and Social Responsibility Apple Evangelista as Vice Chair, PTC Holdings Corp. Executive Director for Corporate …

Mega Prime Foods Inc. (MPFI), the company behind the Philippines’ leading sardines brand Mega Sardines, marks a significant milestone in its growth journey as it expands beyond seafood and into agriculture through a landmark partnership with global agro-industrial leader Charoen Pokphand Foods (CPF). The two companies recently broke ground on the Mega CP Layer Complex in Zamboanga City, positioning the region …

The Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) will release more than P19 billion under its Balik Ginhawa (Loan Moratorium Through Refund) program, benefiting 1.37 million members and pensioners with active loan accounts. GSIS data show that monthly loan amortizations range from ₱4,000 to ₱39,000, depending on the loan amount, equivalent to roughly ₱12,000 to ₱117,000 over three months. The program covers …

BEYOND ELLIPTICALBy Rose Marie de la Cruz THE FUEL crisis triggered by the ongoing war in Iran is definitely affecting the food supply chain and energy programs of the world. Its  negative impact in the Philippines is on food and energy supply which all depend on petrochemicals. Prices of urea—the most used chemical fertilizer in our farms– have skyrocketed to …

DAIRY imports in 2025 declined by 3 percent as a result of 3.388 million metric tons in liquid milk equivalent (MMT-LME) down from 3.5 MMT-LME in 2024 because of better milk production, according to the National Dairy Authority (NDA). This is because the country’s milk production surged to a record-high of 43.3 million liters in 2025, according to the Philippine …

RECEIPTS from coconut-based exports declined by 2.1 percent in February because of  lower revenues from coconut oil—the country’s top farm export, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported.  PSA figures showed the value of coconut-based exports declined to $569.25 million from the previous year’s $581.43 million. Coconut oil accounted for the bulk of shipments at $442.97 million, down by 11.6 percent …

MEAT imports in 2025 gave a record-high of over P22 billion in tariffs and taxes, driven by higher volume as the country continued to depend on foreign supplies to meet its growing animal protein requirement. In a report, the House of Representatives’ Congressional Policy and Budget Research Department (CPBRD) computed the government’s tariff and value added tax (VAT) revenues from …

The country’s external financial position remains stable even after a month-on-month decline in foreign reserves, according to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP). Latest preliminary data released last week showed that gross international reserves (GIR) stood at $107.5 billion in March, down from $113.3 billion in February. The GIR is composed of foreign-denominated securities, foreign exchange holdings, gold assets, and …

The national government posted a slightly narrower budget deficit in February, supported by stronger revenue collections that outpaced spending growth, according to the Bureau of the Treasury (BTr). Latest cash operations data showed the deficit eased to ₱171.2 billion in February, marginally lower than the ₱171.4 billion recorded in the same month last year. This brought the year-to-date fiscal gap …

The Philippines has secured a $600-million financing package from the World Bank to strengthen foundational skills in reading, literacy, and mathematics among public school students. The program, known as the Project for Learning Upgrade Support and Decentralization (PLUS-D), will be implemented by the Department of Education and is expected to benefit around 21 million learners from kindergarten to Grade 10, …