The Market Monitor Minding the Nation's Business

By Boy Villasanta Original Pilipino Music (OPM) stalwart Hajji Alejandro recently passed on due to stage 4 metastatic cancer and the local Tin Pan Alley shed its tears. Two of Hajji’s loved ones, one of them singer and daughter Rachel Alejandro was busy organizing his funeral wake, while the other, chanteuse Alynna was waiting for her fate to see for …

Not only is young fashion designer and musician Erick Valeña a townmate that he made the vestment of a saint and sang at a family reunion. Being a son of Lopez town in Quezon Province, Erick is the most versatile artist the community has ever produced. Erick, a graduate of the Conservatory of Music of the University of Santo Tomas …

Nora Aunor is alive. Her body had died but her soul lingers. In the Christian faith and tradition, where the majority of Filipinos thrive, it is believed that, in death and in the afterlife, the separation of the physical body from the spiritual soul is a divine intervention. In this context, Nora’s spirit, therefore, is around—mostly in layman’s or various …

By a stroke of fate, award-winning actress Janine Gutierrez had to manage her state of loss and shock when two of her loved ones kicked the bucket one after the other. First, it was her paternal grandmother Pilita Corrales who passed on peacefully. According to Jackie Lou Blanco, Janine’s aunt, Pilita died in her sleep. Being a daughter of Corrales’ …

Philippine Airlines (PAL) named British aviation expert Richard Nuttall as its next president, signaling the airline’s intent to accelerate international expansion and drive “sustainable growth.” “Appointing Richard Nuttall to Philippine Airlines is an important part of our medium-term and long-term strategy of building a robust management team and growing our business internationally,” said PAL Holdings President and Chief Operating Officer …

South Korea’s national railway operator Korea Railroad Corp. (KORAIL) recently signed with SMC MRT-7 Corp. an agreement to provide technical support for the operations and maintenance (O&M) of Metro Rail Transit Line 7 (MRT‑7) as the project targets 2026 for full operations. “This is a critical step as we move closer to delivering MRT-7 to the public,” said SMC Chairman …

Passengers traveling this summer will pay a bit more for their air tickets after an increase in the passenger service charge (PSC) or terminal fee for airports managed by the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP). Under Memorandum Circular No. 019-2025 signed on April 14, CAAP announced that the PSC for international flights will hike from ₱784 to ₱900 …

Following the series of aircraft issues experienced by local airlines, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) wants the next Congress to prioritize forming an independent body tasked to investigate mobility accidents. Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon said he would urge the 20th Congress to initiate the creation of an agency with functions similar to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) of the …

The Department of Transportation (DOTr) has formed a special task force to review road safety policies, following alarming data on reckless driving, road crashes, and drug use among drivers. Transportation Secretary Vivencio Dizon said the move comes as 671 drivers were suspended by the Land Transportation Office (LTO), including 97 who tested positive for illegal drug use in coordination with …

Holy Week marks a crucial time for Filipinos to reconnect with their spirituality. One practice is the Bisita Iglesia, wherein folks visit seven different places of worship to pray. Others take a pilgrimage to far-off places throughout the country, such as the Montemaria Shrine in Batangas. Montemaria Shrine in Batangas is home to the Mother of All Asia – Tower …