Companies

Philippine shares rallied on Friday, recovering losses triggered by former U.S. President Donald Trump’s reciprocal tariff announcement earlier this month. The local currency also extended its gains against the U.S. dollar. The Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) surged by 1.79 percent to close at 6,268.75, while the broader All Shares index climbed 1.02 percent to 3,695.69. According to Rizal Commercial …

The Philippine franchising industry is expected to post an eight to 10 percent revenue growth this year, reaching approximately P800 billion, with the food segment continuing to lead the charge despite global market uncertainties. At the International Franchise Conference held at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City, Philippine Franchise Association (PFA) chairperson Christopher Lim shared the group’s latest outlook, …

Clean energy firm First Gen Corp. has entered into an agreement with Japanese multinational Sanyo Denki Co. Ltd. to supply 100-percent renewable energy to its facilities in the Philippines. In a statement issued last week, First Gen said it will provide electricity from its geothermal plant in Negros Oriental to power four Sanyo Denki Philippines factories operating within the Subic …

The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Board, led by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., has approved a new program aimed at addressing food insecurity and undernutrition across the country. In its final meeting before transitioning into the Economy and Development (ED) Council under Republic Act 12145, the NEDA Board gave the green light to the Reducing Food Insecurity and …

Tanduay Distillers, Inc. (TDI) achieved a milestone in 2024 by posting a record net income of P2.15 billion, marking a 37% increase from the previous year’s P1.57 billion. The impressive growth was powered by higher sales volumes—up 2% for liquor and 1% for bioethanol—as well as strategic pricing adjustments that pushed segment revenues to P33.85 billion, up by 13%. Despite …

The Department of Health and San Miguel Corporation, through its San Miguel Foundation, Inc., opened recently a second Bagong Urgent Care and Ambulatory Services (BUCAS) Center, further strengthening their pioneering partnership to bridge public healthcare gaps especially for the poor. The new BUCAS Center, which is located at the San Miguel Foundation’s Better World Smokey Mountain facility in Manila, is …

The SM Foundation has launched its Kabalikat sa Kabuhayan (KSK) program in Southern Luzon, with 100 farmers from San Juan, Batangas commencing a 14-week training on modern agricultural practices. The program provides practical instruction in organic farming, crop rotation, and climate- resilient techniques. In addition to agricultural training, participants will undergo learning sessions in financial literacy, bookkeeping, and marketing to …

Laguna Water and Laguna Aquatech (LARC), Manila Water Non-East Zone operating units in the Province of Laguna, have successfully transitioned to the electricity Retail Aggregation Program (RAP), marking the first-ever implementation of such initiative outside Metro Manila. The milestone highlights both the companies’ commitment to delivering clean, sustainable, and cost-efficient water services to the communities and businesses in Laguna. The …

Highlighting its growing contribution to advancing the Philippine capital market, LandBank was honored as one of the top-performing institutions at the 2025 Philippine Dealing System (PDS) Annual Awards Night. The state-run bank clinched third place in the Top 5 Corporate Issue Managers/Arrangers–Bank Category, in recognition of its vital role in facilitating the issuance of corporate fixed-income securities in 2024.  The …

Filipino scientists have discovered a simple, affordable way to make dynamically adjustable water-based lenses that have a wide variety of potential future applications — from classrooms and research labs to cameras and even wearable gadgets.  By coating an ordinary glass slide with specially-prepared polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic, the researchers were able to create a hydrophobic surface that could hold a …