The Market Monitor Minding the Nation's Business

By Alvin I. Dacanay The Philippine entertainment industry is mourning the death of showbiz luminary and Movie and Television Review and Classification Board member Liezl Martinez, the only daughter of veteran stars Amalia Fuentes and Romeo Vasquez and wife of actor-director Albert Martinez, who lost her eight-year battle with cancer—first, Stage 3 breast cancer; later, Stage 4 lung cancer—last Saturday.

Story and photos by Alvin I. Dacanay For many denim-lovers, the mere mention of the name “Wrangler” suggests ideas of independence, freedom and adventure, as well as images of wide, open spaces. It also suggests style, durability and comfort—just three of the many qualities that have endeared the enduring American clothing brand to Filipinos for more than four decades now.

The Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) reported its 2014 net income grew by 2.7 percent to P867.55 million from P844.77 million a year ago.

Lito U. Gagni Banco de Oro (BDO) Unibank breached the trillion-peso mark in its loan base last year registering a huge 31.5-percent surge to P1.2 trillion, as it pursued an aggressive lending strategy that netted low-margin corporate accounts.

Luis Leoncio President Aquino’s private-public partnership (PPP) program, once touted as the centerpiece of his administration, appears to have become nothing but a butt of jokes as his administration winds down a little more than a year from today. The reason: Only 19 percent of the 29 flagship projects that were assigned with costs have been completed during the four …

A bigger proportion of the population or about one in every four Filipinos were considered poor in the first half of 2014 due to government restrictions on rice imports and the lingering effects of a killer typhoon, state data released last Friday showed.

Riza Lozada The Philippines is being groomed as a model country for mobilizing funds to address climate risks. A World Bank (WB) report stated that the country is home to 16 provinces considered among the top 50 places in Southeast Asia that are vulnerable to sea level changes.

Riza Lozada Trade chambers led by the American Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines have sought  a  long  term  roadmap  that  will  enable  the  Philippines  to  move  up  the  global  business  and  competitiveness  ladder particularly  with  the  advent  of  ASEAN  integration  and  forthcoming  foreign trade agreements (FTAs)  such  as  the  Trans  Pacific  Partnership  (TPP).

Riza Recio Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) member countries can emulate the Philippines initiative on credit surety fund that allows cooperatives to borrow 10 times of their minimum P100,000 contribution, Bangko Sentral Ng Pilipinas (BSP) Deputy Governor Diwa Guinigundo said last Friday during the culminating event of the APEC Finance and Central Bank Deputies’ Meeting after the two-day discussion held in …

Dean dela Paz / The Next Page Overwhelmed by compelling issues of national importance and thus, tucked in unobtrusive corners of the major broadsheets, disturbing questions have been festering on our national electricity transmission grid. These range from questions of regulation, basically the province of the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC), to controversial internal procurement practices, surrendered to the independent management …