The Market Monitor Minding the Nation's Business

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has named Angelito Magno as acting chief of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), replacing retired judge Jaime Santiago who recently resigned. In October, the President appointed Magno as NBI officer-in-charge. Magno served as NBI assistant director for legal service. He started working in the agency in April 1991 and became director in March 2010. Magno …

Akbayan party-list Representative Chel Diokno filed a bill allowing private citizens to directly initiate forfeiture cases against erring government officials. In the midst of high-profile government corruption investigations, Diokno filed House Bill 6619 that would empower private citizens to take an active role in recovering stolen money from corrupt officials. The bill also seeks to update a 65-year-old law, Republic …

The Supreme Court (SC) allowed the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) to continue representing the government in cases that challenged the legality of the arrest of former president Rodrigo Duterte who was turned over to the International Criminal Court (ICC) last March. The high tribunal granted OSG’s manifestation to re-enter its appearance as the government’s counsel after the institution …

In a political climate thick with anger, exhaustion and uncertainty, Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray’s words at the November 30 Trillion Peso March sliced through the din like a siren: “Many are starting to forget why we are angry… our leaders remain silent. Sobrang tahimik, nakakabingi.” It was a lament not merely about noise or its absence, but about a nation slowly surrendering …

Converge ICT Solutions Inc. is accelerating its transformation from pure connectivity provider to full-fledged technology company with the relocation of its corporate and large enterprise arm, the Converge Global Business Group (GBG), to a cutting-edge headquarters at the Asian Century Center in Bonifacio Global City (BGC), Taguig. The shift from the Reliance IT Center in Pasig marks a major milestone …

THE Philippine Competition Commission has approved the acquisition of the Caliraya-Botocan-Kalayaan (CBK) hydroelectric power plant complex by the Thunder Consortium, Aboitiz Power Corp. (AboitizPower) has announced. The company told the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) that it had been informed of the development by subsidiary Aboitiz Renewables Inc., which is a member of the consortium along with Sumitomo Corp. and Electric …

As mindful travel continues to shape the future of tourism, Megaworld Hotels & Resorts (MHR), the largest hotel operator in the Philippines, is embracing the movement with the launch of MEGreen Mindful Stays, which is a unified sustainability stay program designed for today’s rising breed of conscious travelers who seek meaning and positive impact in every journey. “At Megaworld Hotels …

MGEN, through its subsidiary Atimonan One Energy, Inc., plans to develop a 1,200-MW ultra-supercritical pulverized coal-fired power plant in Quezon. By next year, the power generation arm of Manila Electric Co. (Meralco), plans to secure offtake for the capacity of its planned 1,200-megawatt (MW) coal-fired power project in Quezon province. MGEN President and Chief Executive Officer Emmanuel V. Rubio said …

Airstream Renewables Corp., a subsidiary of listed NexGen Energy Corp., is allocating $2.5 billion (P146 billion) to develop onshore wind farms with a total capacity of 1.7 gigawatts (GW). The move follows the award of three wind energy service contracts from the Department of Energy (DoE), NexGen said. The wind projects include a 600-megawatt (MW) Pangasinan wind farm, a 600-MW …

LOVE FOR ALL​By: Virginia Rodriguez In a political climate where every move of the President is scrutinized and every policy is weaponized by critics, it has become far too easy to overlook one simple fact: President Marcos Jr. continues to do the work. While political attacks dominate social media feeds, the administration has quietly but steadily pushed forward with programs …