By Diego C. Cagahastian The Monetary Board, the policy-making body of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), decided to prune the nation’s interest rates by 25 basis points at its meeting last December 11. It was the MB’s last meeting for the year, and marked the fifth consecutive time that the rate was decreased. This time around, the Board lowered …

The government, specifically the Senate and the House of Representatives, passes financial laws mandating banks to support  agriculture, small businesses and rural cooperatives by giving them loans. In the case of the agriculture sector, a certain percentage of the banks’ loan allocations should be given to the farmers. But this is seldom observed, with banks giving priority to condominium developers …

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has taken up the cudgels for small borrowers, especially those who have been victimized by predatory lenders online. The SEC issued an order putting a cap of 6 percent per month or 0.2 percent a day as nominal interest rate that lending firms can charge on loans worth P10,000 and below. The corporate regulatory …

The country is paying more for interest on debts, specifically P723.2 billion from January to October this year, accounting for 37.4 percent of debt service. The  Bureau of the Treasury (BTr) said  debt payments increased during the first ten months of the year, driven by a double-digit jump in interest payments to domestic and foreign lenders. The government’s debt payments …

Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson, chairman of the Senate Committee on Accountability Of Public Officers and Investigation (Blue Ribbon) together with Sen. Erwin Tulfo conducted an investigation into the alleged misuse and weaponization of Letters of Authority (LOAs) by personnel of the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) as a money-making scheme, and other systematic abuses. Photo shows  the two …

The Philippine motorcycle industry continued posted 183,502 units sold nationwide in October 2025 according to the Motorcycle Development Program Participants Association, Inc., reflecting a 19 percent increase from the 154,168 units sold in October 2024. The October sales bring the industry’s year-to-date total to 1,581,817 units, up 13.5 percent from the 1,393,426 units recorded over the same 10-month period last …

Hariphil Asia Resources, Inc., the official distributor of Volvo Cars Philippines, proudly supported the 3rd Battig Golf Cup “Swing for Music,” strengthening its commitment to community upliftment and music education through the Sister Baptista Battig Music Foundation Inc. last Nov. 19, at the Tagaytay Midlands Golf Club. The annual fundraising event provides music scholarships for deserving students from local communities …

Ford Philippines welcomes the most wonderful time of the year with its final Ford Island Conquest for the year, as well as the extension of its Year End Sale program until Dec. 31, giving customers the best deals when purchasing a Ford especially during the Christmas season. The last Ford Island Conquest of the year takes place at the Bonifacio …

Sojitz Fuso Philippines Corporation, Centro Manufacturing Corporation, and Tadano Ltd. Japan strengthened their industry collaboration through the introduction of the Fuso F-lift, a truck-mounted crane solution developed to meet the rising demands of the Philippine construction and infrastructure sectors. While the F-lift was recently showcased at a simple launch at the Fuso Head Office, the bigger story is the uniting …

The MG Gateway Mantrade Corp., one of the largest automotive dealership groups in the country, sees a strong future for Changan as it recently inaugurated its newest dealership—Changan Bacoor—in Molino, Bacoor City, Cavite. Situated along the busy and fast-growing Daang Hari Road, the new Changan Bacoor dealership is now ready to serve customers with its elegant façade and spacious showroom …