The Market Monitor Minding the Nation's Business

On December 6, Pasko in America 2025 filled American Dream in East Rutherford, NJ with the warmth and joy of a Filipino Christmas, welcoming around 6,000 families and holiday shoppers across three levels of the mall. Presented by Philippine Fiesta USA, Inc., the event transformed the venue into a festive Filipino village with parols, performances, community groups, and holiday traditions …

PASSERBYBy Nestor Cuartero Lipa City makes it among 60 dream vacation spots worldwide as listed in a heavy coffee table book, weighing over 1 kilogram, published recently. The 464-page book, 60 Dream Holidays Around the World by Philippine Star travel writer, Christine Dayrit, was launched December 15 at the Cultural Center of Lipa City downtown. The afternoon was a vibrant …

By Tracy Cabrera  MALACAÑAN, Manila — Filipinos are hoping for a better year this upcoming 2026 and at the same time they are expecting more personalities linked to the flood control scandal to be “thrown behind bars” while counting President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. (PBBM)’s efforts to hold to account all individuals involved in corruption-tainted infrastructure projects. According to presidential communications …

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has issued a revised regulatory framework shoring up its regulatory function and improving the accuracy, timeliness and truth about beneficial ownership (BO) disclosures of firms. In a statement released Tursday, the SEC said it issued Memorandum Circular No. 15, Series of 2025 on Dec. 22 that paves the way for the issuance of revised …

Vital public services are expected to be negatively affected with the government’s policy or propensity to scale down its subsidies to government-owned and -controlled corporations (GOCCs). Data from the Bureau of Treasury showed that these subsidies fell 38.91% year on year in November. Budgetary support to state-run firms totaled P7.47 billion in November. Month on month, GOCC subsidies fell 16.23%. In …

Starting on Sunday, January 4, 2026, foreign businessmen and corporations may henceforth lease land in the Philippines for 99 years, almost negating the stringent land ownership limits enshrined in the 1987 Constitution. Last Thursday, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Board of Investments (BOI) jointly announced the signing of the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) for Republic …

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) wants the public to know more about the foreign exchange market (FX), especially investors and financial business stakeholders. This is the rationale for the BSP’s current move to engage in a  nationwide information drive for a more investor-friendly FX environment. BSP Director Jodeth Niña R. Yeung has been conducting lectures in key regional centers including …

The Department of Finance (DOF) stressed that exercising fiscal discipline will be critical heading into 2026 as the Philippines continues to recover from the flood control corruption scandal. Finance Secretary Frederick Go said agencies should prioritize spending on projects with the highest economic returns. “The key to that fiscal discipline is that all the agencies take a very good look …

By Tracy Cabrera  ‌SENATE. Pasay City — With some sectoral representation being accused of involvement in corruption and irregularities in government’s infrastructure development initiatives embroiled, Senator Paolo Benigno ‘Bam’ Aquino IV is now seeking to reform the country’s party-list system by ensuring that it remains exclusively for marginalized and underrepresented sectors.  This came in the wake of growing concerns that the …

By Tracy Cabrera  ERMITA, Manila — Amidst initial findings that former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) undersecretary Maria Catalina ‘Cathy’ Cabral committed suicide, forensic pathologists disclosed that the ex-public works official has tested positive for the antidepressant citalopram.  Last week, Cabral was found unconscious near the Bued River on December 19, at the bottom of a 20-meter cliff along Kennon. …