The Market Monitor Minding the Nation's Business

Dusit International plans to tap the burgeoning economic activity in Davao City with the entry of dusitD2 Davao, an upscale hotel that will cater to Filipino and foreign business travelers. It will be built adjacent to the Dusit Thani Residences, a luxury apartment complex with 168 full-service residence units. In partnership with Makati City-based Torre Lorenzo Development Corp., Dusit International is set …

By Alvin I. Dacanay By the time this piece sees print, the four Filipino finalists in the just-concluded first edition of Asia’s Got Talent—10-year-old pop singer Gwyneth Dorado of Antipolo City, Rizal province; dance crew Junior New System of Sampaloc, Manila; 24-year-old classical singer Gerphil-Geraldine Flores of Parañaque City; and the winner, shadow-play group El Gamma Penumbra of Tanauan City, …

Story and photos by Riza Lozada Heritage tours these days draw people who can spend on a tour package that involves, among other things, visiting centuries-old structures.

By Riza Lozada Three tax experts, including Internal Revenue Commissioner Kim Jacinto-Henares, for different reasons, agree that the tax system in the Philippines is not ideal and needs to be reformed.

By Luis Leoncio “Immediately upon being advised of my appointment as commissioner of the Bureau of Customs, I met with the directors and officers of all my companies and announced my resignation from the chairmanship and vacated my seat as director of all the companies comprising the Lina Group,” Customs Commissioner Alberto Lina said in a statement to The Market …

By Jerry Maglunog Lack of paved roads is turning off investors, despite the Philippines’s steady economic growth, an official of a Malaysian conglomerate said. Luzon may have seven expressways, but this is not the case in the Visayas and Mindanao, said the civil engineering expert who has taken part in building ambitious and expensive projects in different parts of the …

By Riza Lozada The government unveiled a bold program which it claims will bring down the poverty level to 18 to 20 percent by next year from the current 24 percent of the population through a poverty alleviation scheme in nine select provinces with the poorest families.

The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) is speeding up the release of funds for climate change by allowing the online submission of the budget. The Unified Accounts Code of Structure (UACS) that will expedite reportorial of expenditures was also introduced in government offices with an information campaign launched last week.

Asia-Pacific nations, including the Philippines, can no longer pursue growth at any cost without embracing better governance to build economies that are socially inclusive and environmentally sustainable, according to the Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) Independent Evaluation Department.

By Riza Lozada Service to the community will be highlighted through The Blessed Teresa of Calcutta Awards (BTCA), which returns for its 28th year. Coming from their successful run last year, the BTCA is once again in search for selfless leaders who have given back to the community through their own social causes that benefit the marginalized members of society.