The Market Monitor Minding the Nation's Business

The Chery Group of Companies, the umbrella conglomerate of which Omoda & Jaecoo exists, held a very successful 5-day Chery International User Summit 2025 in Wuhu, China. With the theme “CO-CREATE · CO-DEFINE,” the parent company of Omoda & Jaecoo, the said Summit was attended by more than 3,000 participants from more than 100 countries who not only witnessed the debut of Aimoga’s strategic roadmap, an introduction into robotics, but also illustrated the parent company’s systematic transformation from an …

Make way for the Jetour T1 Lightning i-DM, a testament to advanced engineering, that was officially launched in a grand celebration last week at The Cove Manila in Okada Manila in Paranaque City. The president of the Jetour Auto International Ke Chuandeng, planed in from China to grace the blue-ribbon event that was also led by Jetour Auto Philippines chairman Rommel Sytinand Jetour Auto Philippines managing director Miguelito Jose. The sophisticated hybrid powertrain of the all-new Jetour T1 Lightning i-DM combines a 1.5-liter gasoline engine generating …

PASSERBYBy Nestor Cuartero Throughout dinner and long after, we kept chanting, like a mantra in a transcendental meditation class, “Gin is in.”  While our gin-tonic days have long subsided, leaving no more trace of a hangover, together with our dizzying 20s and 30s, the message of gin being a well-loved drink among Filipinos has remained afloat in our hearts and minds. We saw that …

Energy, excitement, and star power filled URBN QC October 15 as ZeenMedia officially revealed the nominees for the ZEENfluential Awards 2025 during a media conference. The ZEENfluential Awards celebrates the most influential voices shaping pop culture today—from rising stars to changemakers across music, film, fashion, digital content, and the arts. More than just a night of recognition, it’s a platform for hearing the voices of the youth …

More Filipinos are now seeking hospital care without fear of medical debt, thanks to the Department of Health’s (DOH) Zero Balance Billing (ZBB) program, which guarantees that patients in government hospitals pay nothing out of pocket for covered services. In an interview on Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon Friday, DOH Assistant Secretary Albert Domingo reported a 10 to 15 percent increase in hospital access …

The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) is stepping up its campaign for the early detection of breast cancer this October, in observance of Breast Cancer Awareness Month and in line with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s directive to strengthen healthcare access across the country. PhilHealth President and Chief Executive Officer Edwin Mercado urged women to take advantage of the agency’s …

Pneumonia, a disease that can be easily prevented through vaccination, has emerged as the Philippines’ fourth leading cause of death, claiming more than 46,000 lives from January to July this year, health experts warned on Thursday. “As a highly preventable disease, pneumonia should not be claiming this many lives anymore,” said Dr. Rontgene Solante, an infectious disease specialist at San …

Rivals on the basketball court but allies in nation-building, the University of the Philippines Manila (UPM), Ateneo de Manila University (AdMU), and De La Salle University (DLSU) have joined forces to strengthen healthcare and health education across Southeast Asia. In a news release on Thursday, UPM said the three universities—each holding identical 4-3 standings in the first round of UAAP …

The Department of Health (DOH) reported a 25-percent decline in influenza-like illness (ILI) cases nationwide over the past two weeks, even as the country continues to experience its seasonal rise in flu infections. In an advisory posted Monday, the DOH said its latest surveillance data recorded 6,457 ILI cases from September 28 to October 11, 2025—significantly lower than the 8,628 …

Simple dietary changes—such as adding kiwis, rye bread, and mineral-rich water to one’s diet—may help relieve chronic constipation, according to new international guidelines published in the Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics and Neurogastroenterology & Motility. The study noted that about one in every six to seven people worldwide suffers from chronic constipation. In the United States alone, an estimated 9 to 20 …