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By Luis Leoncio Export receipts have declined heightening fears the country would not be able to achieve its target growth rate of between 7 percent and 8 percent this year. The government reported that exports remained weak, with the April figures showing that export receipts shrank 4.1 percent following a modest rebound of 2.1 percent the month before.

Hundreds of business leaders and investors gathered in Manila in a recent public consultation on Mindanao and urged President Aquino to be “pragmatic” and stop insisting on the approval of the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) in its present form.

The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor), the country’s state-gaming operator and regulator, has won the prestigious Excellence Award at the 2015 International Gold Quill competition.

By Lito U. Gagni The Philippines risks becoming an Asian pariah insofar as foreign direct investments (FDI) are concerned because of frequent changes in its investment rules that have bedeviled the entry of foreign investors.

By Luis Leoncio THE Philippines should reconsider its Bank Secrecy Law to enable it to tackle tax evasion and other financial crimes, such as money laundering and corruption, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) said.

A study by the Asian Institute of Management (AIM) has practically validated the widespread cynicism over the benefits to ordinary Filipinos of the investment-grade ratings the country has been receiving from various credit watchdogs.

By Riza Lozada The Department of Energy (DOE) has sounded off the alarm on possible tax leaks in the importation of ethanol, with the demand for gasoline blended with biofuels increasing to its current level of 400 million tons.

The House of Representatives has ratified Fair Competition Act, otherwise known as Cojuangco Law before Congress adjourned last week.

By Luis Leoncio Another multimillion-peso conflict-of-interest case has surfaced against Customs Commissioner Alberto Lina. The case, which involves the cancellation of a vital contract, could reportedly delay the Philippines’s integration into the single Asean (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) market.

By Lito U. Gagni Indeed, there is something unique about Tzu Chi volunteers around the globe: It is their sense of duty to serve their fellow men. And they all point to the teachings of Master Cheng, whose thoughts were immortalized as Jing Si aphorisms.