The Market Monitor Minding the Nation's Business

Twelve films from nine countries, including an Academy Award winner and two short comedies by one of Japan’s finest filmmakers, will be screened for free at the Ninth International Silent Film Festival in Manila, to be held at Shangri-La Plaza’s Shang Cineplex in Mandaluyong City from August 27 to 30.

By Ma. Cristina C. Arayata /  Philippines News Agency Why do some people say August is “Ghost Month”? How come Ghost Month falls on August, and not October or November, when Halloween and All Souls’ Day are celebrated, respectively? A lot of Filipinos, myself included, sometimes ask these questions.

Review by Rasha Madkour / The Associated Press A new book written by a schoolteacher has a simple, yet compelling message for parents: Back off. 

By Lito U. Gagni There is a looming water crisis in the country whose breadth and scope is unprecedented and yet the government and populace remains clueless to the worst El Niño phenomenon to hit the globe. 

Globe Telecom continues to set a world-standard in retail with the opening of its 4th GEN3 store in Greenbelt 4, Makati. As the number 1 mobile brand in the country and leader in the digital space, Globe continues its major transformation efforts to give more customers an outstanding digital retail experience. 

As a resident of Pangasinan, I usually take the NLEx-SCTEx combo, whereby I take advantage of the speedier route provided by the two expressways. Travel time has been cut by at least an hour, providing a senior citizen like me a more enjoyable public bus ride. 

By Luis Leoncio GMA Network Inc. President and CEO Felipe Gozon sought a truce in the raging word war with San Miguel Corp. (SMC) CEO Ramon Ang through a “reasonable settlement,” which Gozon said he will be willing to consider.

By Riza Lozada The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is increasing its concessional loans to the country to $3 billion between 2016 and 2018, or about a 66-percent hike from $1.8 billion from 2015 to 2017, but the government’s low loan absorption is a major concern in the country benefiting from the hiked funding.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), which, last Saturday, marked 48 years since its establishment, aims to establish a common market known as the Asean Economic Community (AEC) that included the Philippines by the end of this year.

By Riza Lozada Former senator and Presidential Assistant for Rehabilitation and Recovery Panfilo Lacson Jr. is petitioning the Supreme Court (SC) on August 10 to restrain the Aquino administration, primarily Budget Secretary Florencio “Butch” Abad, from using portions of the budget, which, he said, is part of what he termed as the resurrected pork-barrel system in this year’s budget.