State-owned Land Bank of the Philippines has temporarily closed several branches in South Cotabato and Sarangani following the magnitude 7.8 earthquake as part of precautionary safety measures. In an advisory issued last week, LandBank said the affected branches in South Cotabato include Calumping, General Santos Highway, General Santos-Pioneer, and Koronadal Highway. Also closed are the Alabel and Glan branches in …

Philippine National Bank (PSE: PNB) has strengthened its push for global-ready financial services through a new partnership with Japan’s JCB International, aimed at expanding access to secure, innovative payment solutions for Filipino customers. The agreement was formalized on May 19, 2026, at Okada Manila, bringing together PNB’s domestic banking network and JCB’s international payment expertise under a shared goal of …

TO help partner drivers further maximize their earning opportunities amid the current economic crisis, Lalamove, the leading on-demand delivery and ride-hailing platform, is extending its 0%  commission scheme for its ride-hailing service, Lalamove Ride, until the remainder of 2026—a model that has been in place for six months, beginning last December of 2025. Launched in February 2025, Lalamove Ride started …

Loans from universal and commercial banks (U/KBs) increased by 11.4 percent year-on-year in April, from 10.7 percent in March. After adjusting for seasonal fluctuations, outstanding U/KB loans were higher by 1.1 percent month-on-month, reflecting banks’ expectations of steady loan demand from businesses and households in Q2 2026. Outstanding loans to residents expanded by 11.8 percent year-on-year in April from 11.1 …

IN support of this year’s Brigada Eskwela and the reopening of schools for S.Y. 2026-2027, Manila Water Non-East Zone subsidiary Laguna Water donated refrigerated drinking fountains (RDFs) to six public schools in the municipality of Biñan, Laguna.  This is part of the Lingap Laguna project, which aims to provide access to clean and potable water in public spaces. In partnership …

REPRESENTATIVES from the Australia Philippines Business Council (APBC), the Philippines’ Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), IT and Business Process Association of the Philippines (IBPAP), and Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) visited Victoria International Container Terminal (VICT) – the Port of Melbourne terminal of International Container Terminal Services, Inc., as part of activities marking the 80 th  anniversary of diplomatic …

During the recent two-day state visit of Vietnam President To Lam, a three-year Tourism Cooperation Program was signed by Philippine Tourism Secretary Ma. Bernadita Angara-Mathay and Vietnam’s Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Lam Thi Phuong Thanh, aimed at boosting tourism traffic between the two countries. Pres. To Lam and Pres. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. witnessed the program signing, covering the …

Capt. Stanley K. Ng, past president and chief operating officer of flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) has reportedly been appointed Undersecretary at the Department of Tourism (DOT). Capt. Ng is a licensed PAL pilot and currently Vice President of PAL Holdings Inc., the flag carrier’s parent unit. Ng will replace Myra Paz Valderrosa-Abubakar, DOT Undersecretary of Halal Tourism and Muslim …

A new world-class passenger lounge at Terminal 3 of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) was recently opened, designed for shared use by different international carriers in order to optimize the airport’s limited space, according to airport operator New NAIA Infra Corp. (NNIC). The 2,600-square-meter First Meridian Lounge forms part of NNIC’s effort to repurpose offices and underutilized areas into …

The Department of Transportation (DOTr) clarified that the Metro Rail Transit Line-7 (MRT-7) will have 14 stations along its alignment, including a station at San Jose del Monte (SJDM) in Bulacan, in response to false claims that last station (SJDM) has been dropped. DOTr said MRT-7 – being built by San Miguel Corporation (SMC) – is still scheduled to begin …