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By Riza Lozada Business sentiment turned more upbeat for the fourth quarter, with the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) overall confidence index (CI) rising to 43.3 percent from 37.9 percent in he previous quarter indicating the number of optimists increased, the results of the BSP Business Expectations Survey released yesterday showed.

By Riza Lozada Metropolitan Bank and Trust Company (MBTC), one of the biggest banks in the country has been sanctioned including setting aside a P4.45 billion provision over alleged fraud by one of its executives.

By Riza Lozada The crucial Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion Act (Train) bill was approved 17-1 by the Senate that sent it to the bicameral conference committee before finally submitted to President Duterte for signing.

By Riza Lozada The local manufacturing industry’s growth is expected to exceed 10 percent next year.

By Luis Leoncio The government is poised to become the third major player in the local telecommunications industry once its newly launched broadband infrastructure, which would help improve Internet speed and accessibility in the country, becomes operational by 2019.

By Riza Lozada President Duterte stressed the need to immediately complete the setting up of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) to sustain the region’s new found role as the primary global growth engine.

Member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) need to improve their collaboration to successfully deal with the profound challenges of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, a new joint report launched today by the World Economic Forum and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) said.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) should establish macroeconomic and political stability to meet an estimated $60 billion a year to address the region’s infrastructure needs, a senior official of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) said.

By Luis Leoncio The targeted inclusive growth rate is now a reality for the Philippines after the 6.9 expansion in the gross domestic product in the third quarter as the Duterte administration further ramps up spending on infrastructure and human capital development to supercharge the economy and move closer to financial inclusion, Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III said.

Dubai, United Arab Emirates—Airbus signed a $49.5-billion deal to sell 430 airplanes to the Phoenix-based private equity firm that owns Frontier Airlines, striking the European aerospace company’s biggest deal ever at the Dubai Air Show.