The Market Monitor Minding the Nation's Business

Vehicle sales in the Philippines grew by 1.4% year-on-year in July 2025, with industry leaders confident of meeting full-year growth targets despite weather-related disruptions. Data from the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines, Inc. (CAMPI) and the Truck Manufacturers Association (TMA) showed 269,207 units sold from January to July, up from 265,610 in the same period last year. However, …

A P4-billion waste-to-energy facility will soon rise in New Clark City, Capas, Tarlac, under a deal between the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) and Indian engineering firm Uttamenergy Limited. The 12-megawatt plant, set for completion within two years, will process 600 metric tons of waste daily—including bottom and fly ash—generating electricity for about 10,000 households. It is also expected …

Ayala Land Hospitality is teaming up with global hotel giant Hilton to open the Philippines’ first Canopy by Hilton in Makati City by 2026. Rising above the new One Ayala development, the 24-story hotel will offer 400 rooms and suites designed to blend sleek urban escapes with spacious accommodations. Ayala Land Hospitality president and CEO George Aquino said the collaboration …

The National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) has raised its transmission rate for the July billing period following the Energy Regulatory Commission’s (ERC) approval of under-recoveries and its maximum allowable revenue (MAR). The transmission charge rose to P0.5923 per kilowatt hour (kWh) from P0.4611 in June. While ancillary services rates dipped to P0.5872/kWh from P0.6182, the overall average transmission …

Berong Nickel Corporation (BNC), a subsidiary of DMCI Mining, has signed a mineral production sharing agreement (MPSA) with the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) for its Long Point property in Aborlan, Palawan. The deal, inked on August 8, covers 2,177.34 hectares and grants BNC exclusive rights to explore, develop, and utilize mineral resources in the area for an initial 25-year …

HOUSE OF FINANCIALFREEDOMBy Chinkee Tan Hi, there! I’m Chinkee Tan. For over 15 years, I’ve been helping Filipinos get out of debt, manage money wisely, and build a better future. If you’re new here, welcome! This is our first issue, and we’re starting strong. Let’s talk about something real: Financial stress. You know that feeling? You lie awake at night. …

President  Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has instructed the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to explore the possibility of constructing additional containment structures for watersheds in the Sierra Madre area to mitigate flooding and minimize environmental damage. DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan said the President has tasked him to study the project. Bonoan explained that the DPWH will conduct feasibility …

The Department of Transportation (DOTr) has partnered with the city government of Manila to fast-track the construction of the Solis and Blumentritt Stations of the North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) project. During clearing operations at the Old Antipolo Road on Tuesday, DOTr Secretary Vince Dizon said the partnership is in response to President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s order to accelerate the …

In a bid to invest in eco-friendly practices as well as to undertake minimizing its carbon footprint, Light Rail Transit Line 2-Systems signed a Memorandum of Agreement with Alpha Distinct Development Solutions, Inc. LRT Line-2 System Administration Hernando Cabrera and Alpha DDSI President Michelle Bautista-Tanada commit widen their support to adapt to global climate change by ensuring most, if not …

Citing being blindsided and excluded from the process, concerned government employees and private citizens petition the Supreme Court (SC) to stop the agreement between the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) and the San Miguel Corporation’s New NAIA  Infrastructure Corp (NNIC). Petitioners also want to void the public-private partnership between the two. Last week, present and former airport employees, together with …