The Market Monitor Minding the Nation's Business

Review by Jake Coyle / The Associated Press Sidekicks rarely shine when thrust into the spotlight, but what about a few hundred of them?

Silliman University’s (SU) Cultural Affairs Committee’s Ampalaya: The Musical is set to be staged at the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ (CCP) Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo on July 15.

People’s Television network (PTV-4) is gearing up for the digital broadcast revolution with a reorganization that will create an organizational structure capable of responding “to the changing realities and challenges in public communication and broadcasting,” a Malacañang official said recently.

Pies, no matter how rustic they may be, are slowly coming back to the mainstream nowadays. Years ago, one would find it hard to find pies in bake- shops, and even on the product list of in-demand home bakers. Thanks to the “farm-to-table” concept that’s sprouting all over the metropolis, bakeshops and home bakers are now putting pies on their …

By Candice Choi / The Associated Press New York—Oreos are getting a skinny new look, and its maker says the new cookie is a “sophisticated” snack for grown-ups that isn’t meant to be twisted or dunked.

New York—Chips made out of broccoli, chickpeas and kale. Wine-spiked ice cream. Popcorn that didn’t quite fulfill its destiny.

Customs Commissioner Alberto Lina, former Customs Commissioner Guillermo Parayno Jr. and former Customs Deputy Commissioner Primo Aguas are facing plunder and graft charges before the Office of the Ombudsman in connection with an “unceremoniously cancelled” P650-million contract for a modern integrated customs processing system at the Bureau of Customs (BOC).

The 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), the United Kingdom and other industrialized nations were among the 50 countries that signed last Monday the Articles of Agreement of the China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB).

The budgetary innovations of the Aquino administration, which had already earned a rebuke from the Supreme Court (SC), are the subject of a probing article by the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

The Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) is expected to close the year between the 8,000 and 8,300 level on the back of the country’s strong macroeconomic fundamentals, even amid its roller-coaster ride.