A command center that would manage the country’s food supply chain– ereging all commodities data from different agencies–  would soon be up and operating in November, as promised by Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. As envisioned, the command center will consolidate critical data, including production, imports, stock levels, different types of the same products, movements, wholesale and retail prices, …

The  declaration by the President of a rice import ban, beginning September 1, would put heavy pressure on rice prices even with the increased local rice output. The US Department of Agriculture said the Philippines imported over 750,000 metric tons from mid-September to mid November in the last two years and that import demand during the import ban is pegged …

Aware of the huge cost in storing imported rice and buying new harvests of the local farmers, the Department of Agriculture has devised a scheme to compel accredited rice traders to hold part of the national rice reserves in their storage facilities as well as save part of their rice imports for government’s rice sufficiency program. It envisions a 50-50 …

The country’s trade deficit narrowed in July 2025 as exports posted double-digit growth, data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showed. The balance of trade in goods declined by 17 percent to USD 4.05 billion in July from USD 4.8 billion in the same month last year. Export sales jumped 17.3 percent to USD 7.3 billion from USD 6.2 billion …

The Federation of Philippine Industries (FPI) on Friday expressed support for President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s directive to investigate alleged anomalies in flood control projects, saying the move will strengthen accountability and safeguard the public. “Corruption and negligence in flood control projects are not just wastes of taxpayer money—they endanger lives and undermine confidence in government programs,” FPI said in …

The Social Security System (SSS) expects its net income to exceed P100 billion this year on the back of higher investment earnings and improved collection efficiency. “So definitely, we’ll reach the P100 billion mark in net income for 2025. We estimate that in terms of percentage growth of net income, it will range from about 38 to about 43 percent …

Total healthcare benefits and claims paid out by health maintenance organizations (HMOs) rose by 19 percent to P36.29 billion in the first half of the year, the Insurance Commission (IC) reported last week. The figure was higher than the P30.33 billion in benefits and claims paid in the same period last year. Total expenses, including income tax, also grew by …

Philippine Rating Services (PhilRatings) has assigned its highest rating of PRS Aaa to the planned bond issuance of up to P10.9 billion by DoubleDragon Corp. In a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) on Tuesday, DoubleDragon said the bonds will carry a fixed interest rate of 7.7 percent with tenors of 3.5 years and 5.5 years. The offering is …

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) last week reminded publicly listed companies of their obligation to disclose material information to investors following the arrest of Global Ferronickel Holdings Inc. chairman Joseph Sy at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport on Aug. 21 over alleged misrepresentation of citizenship. “Given Mr. Sy’s role as chairman of a publicly listed company, the SEC is …

Tanduay Distillers, Inc. (TDI), the liquor and spirits arm of LT Group, Inc. (LTG), posted its strongest first-half performance on record, with net income nearly doubling on higher revenues, improved margins, and market share gains. TDI reported a net income of P1.36 billion in the first half of 2025, up 91 percent from P712 million a year ago, according to …