The Market Monitor Minding the Nation's Business

2016 may be remembered by many as one of the best years Philippine cinema has enjoyed, but it’s also a particularly cruel one for the industry, as it saw several entertainers pass on. The latest is retired actress Lolita Rodriguez, who died in Hemet, California, on November 28, two months after she suffered a stroke. She was 81. 

By Jesse C. Ong  In a bid to lure more basketball fans to the league, Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Chairman Michael “Mikee” Romero proposed recently that the games be brought to schools. 

Rookie forward Mac Belo underscored his readiness in the pro level after leading Blackwater to a franchise-best 2-0 start in the season-opening PBA Philippine Cup. 

The Football For A Better Life (FFABL), the 10-leg nationwide grassroots football development and talent identification program sponsored by Pru Life UK, will partner with Gawad Kalinga in the culminating leg of the series with the Gawad Kalinga Cup slated on December 3 at the ULTRA Football Field in Pasig City. 

Karen Andrea Manayon of Cebu province won the gold medal in the girls 13-15 category of the triathlon competition in the ongoing 2016 Batang Pinoy National Finals at the Davao del Norte Sports and Tourism Complex (DNSTC) in Barangay Mankilam, Tagum City. 

Philippine light flyweight champion, Lester “Lighting Strike” Abutan, will challenge reigning Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation (OPBF) light flyweight champion, Ken Shiro of Japan, on Dec. 8 at the Korakuen Hall in Tokyo. 

Last year, they won through countback and this time, it was by a single stroke. 

The next World Chess Championship will be held in an Asian country, President of the World Chess Federation (FIDE) Kirsan Ilyumzhinov told TASS on Thursday. 

Filipinos Francis Casey Alcantara and Ruben Gonzales downed separate rivals on Thursday to reach the quarterfinals of the 2017 Australian Open Asia-Pacific Wildcard Play-off tournament at the Zhuhai Hengqin International Tennis Center in Guangdong, China. 

SM Supermalls has partnered with BDO and SM Store for the biggest annual OFW Christmas party via the “5th Pamaskong Handog Para sa Global Pinoys” that is set to happen in ten SM malls nationwide.