The Market Monitor Minding the Nation's Business

The Aquino administration is shortchanging Filipinos in terms of services rendered as compared to taxes collected, according to a study conducted by Prof. Benjamin Diokno of the University of the Philippines School of Economics (UPSE).

By Riza Lozada Foreign trade groups are seeking a serious government review of the Omnibus Investment Code, particularly on ways to relax foreign-ownership rules outside of the Constitution; and the policy to limit tax incentives granted to new projects.

By Lito U. Gagni and Riza Lozada The country’s energy scenario has dimmed further as a result of the April 5 blackout in Mindanao that resulted in a collateral damage to AboitizPower’s 150-megawatt (MW) Unit 2 coal plant that would mean a 10-month delay in its commissioning.

By Jerry Maglunog Accolades about the Philippines are being peddled by government drumbeaters to convince the public that the economy is growing and investors are investing their money in the country.

By Riza Lozada Education and competitiveness enhancement projects are among those being considered for official development assistance (ODA) financing, National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) data showed.

The seven month-long truck ban last year in Metro Manila cost the national economy around P43.85 billion, but while the country’s leaders insist that the operation has normalized in the ports since last February, complex problems with port congestion and underutilization remains, a recent policy note released by state think tank Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) said.

Stock market stakeholders call it as almost “a jinx.” The stock index in the days after the visit of President Aquino to the bourse had refused to rise back to the 8,000 point level, ending the week at 7,946.89 down by 0.02 percent or 1.31 points.

By Riza Lozada Twelve power consortia, led by the Lopez group and San Miguel Corp. (SMC), expressed interest to bid for the contract to become the independent power producer administrator (Ippa) of the 200-megawatt (MW) Mindanao coal-fired thermal power plant.

The Philippine National Bank (PNB) posted a net income of P5.5 billion in 2014, reflecting a 5-percent increase from its previous year’s level-despite the challenging conditions in the local financial markets that caused the bank’s trading gains to decline substantially by 72 percent to P1.3 billion.

By Jerry Maglunog When the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) removed restrictions in opening branches of banks in Metro Manila in July 2014, it changed the competition in unibanking in the country’s main district.