The Market Monitor Minding the Nation's Business

The 73rd Foundation Day and Grand Alumni Homecoming of the Eulogio Rodriguez Jr. High School (ERJHS) was made happier and more memorable last February 22, 2025 by a set of musicians who gave the celebration a blast. The fabulous Cool Rhythm Band set the whole ERJHS campus in Mayon Avenue in Quezon City on fire with its cool and fiery …

A literary caravan billed “PANITIKaravan” is coming your way starting February 24, 2025 to kick off at the Araullo High School in Manila from 2 to 4 in the afternoon. The touring group, led by the NCLA of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), will make the rounds in Metro Manila and the provinces to present the …

The modernization of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) was hailed as “Transport Deal of the Year” during the Project Finance International’s (PFI) annual awards in London, United Kingdom (UK). Accepting the award on behalf of the Department of Transportation (DOTr) was Secretary Jaime J. Bautista. Sec. Bautista boasted that the NAIA modernization deal was one of the fastest and …

Cashless/contactless toll collection on major toll expressways will be re-implemented beginning March 15, 2025, months after the dry-run of contactless transactions program, the Toll Regulatory Board (TRB) announced. According to TRB, toll expressway users are required to have valid Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) device or Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) sticker installed on their vehicles. Implementation of cashless/contactless toll payments will …

The Philippines’ commitment to global road safety took center stage when it joined other countries in the 4th Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety in Marrakech, Morocco last February 18-20, 2025. Transportation Secretary Jaime J. Bautista said the Department of Transportation’s (DOTr) Active Transport, EDSA Busway, and Public Transport Modernization Program (PTMP) are integral programs promoting road safety. The transport …

Efforts to modernize the country’s maritime sector are currently in progress as the Department of Transportation (DOTr) will construct at least 200 social and farm-to-market port projects to promote inclusive and sustainable growth in far-flung areas. “Under the Build, Better, More Program of the Marcos Jr. Administration, the DOTr-Maritime Sector is working on the completion of approximately 200 social port …

The men and women of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) thanked President Ferdinand Marcos Jr for approving the three-year fixed term of the PCG Commandant through the signing of Republic Act (RA) No. 12122 (Act Fixing the Term of Office of the PCG Commandant and for Other Purposes) amending Section 5 of RA No. 9993 or the PCG Law last …

Key maritime industry leaders, government officials, and stakeholders gathered for the Bangsamoro Maritime Transportation Summit 2025, a pivotal event aimed at strengthening maritime safety and sustainability in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM). Held from 11-12 February, the summit served as a crucial platform for addressing pressing issues in the maritime sector. With the theme “Ensuring Safe and …

by Boy Villasanta There are dream models and there are dream models. There are also your regular professional mannequins. In this equation, young fashion designer Erick Valena shuttles between two poles. Assistant to veteran fashion artist Albert Figueras, Erick has had numerous celebrity models like Pilita Corrales, Kuh Ledesma, Eugene Domingo, Karylle, among many others. “Meron din po ako mga …

ABS-CBN’s hit series “FPJ’s Batang Quiapo” broke its own live online viewership record on back-to-back nights that featured two highly anticipated confrontation scenes. The February 19 episode soared to a new all-time high of 852,417 peak concurrent views on Kapamilya Online Live on YouTube. Last night’s pivotal episode was a continuation of David (McCoy De Leon), one of today’s most-hated villains, getting …