The Market Monitor Minding the Nation's Business

The United Nations (UN) Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in the Philippines, Ambassador Gustavo Gonzalez, has commended the country’s efforts in advancing the UN’s human rights agenda. He highlighted the initiatives of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s administration and the Department of Justice (DOJ) under Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla. As he prepares to conclude his mission in the Philippines at the …

The Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) reported a record-breaking revenue of PHP27.3 billion in 2024, exceeding its target by over PHP1 billion. In a statement on Friday, PPA General Manager Jay Santiago highlighted that this is the highest annual revenue since the agency was established in 1974, marking a 7.29 percent increase from P25.45 billion in 2023. Santiago credited the achievement …

The Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) has helped over 5,000 beneficiaries move closer to owning their own homes through its Pabahay sa Bagong Bayaning Manggagawa (PBBM) initiative. This achievement is supported by two key programs: the Lease with Option to Buy (LWOB) and the Housing Accounts Restructuring and Condonation Program (HARCP), which align with the Marcos administration’s Pambansang Pabahay Para …

Two South African nationals were arrested for attempting to smuggle approximately P97.8 million worth of shabu into the country at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 in Pasay City early Friday morning. The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) reported that the suspects were apprehended by the NAIA Inter-Agency Drug Interdiction Task Group around 1 a.m. at the international arrivals …

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. recently highlighted the urgent need for a declaration of a food security emergency to address the ongoing crisis in the Philippine rice market.  With retail prices of rice continuing to soar, despite global rice costs declining and tariff reductions already in place, the market is simply not functioning as it should.  President Marcos candidly stated …

The Philippines has officially lost the 3rd spot in the global banana export market to Colombia in 2024, which shipped out 29,000 metric tons more than the Philippines. Colombia exported 2.31 million metric tons to the world while the Philippines ssent only 2.28 MMT, said the UN Food and Agriculture Organization. Ecuador remained the world’s top exporter of bananas, with …

Last January 10, the Department of Agriculture reported a thin supply of red onions, causing spikes in its local retail prices, ranging from P100 to P180 per kg in Manila markets, or an increase from P70 to P150/kg a month ago. DA Undersecretary for high value crops  Cheryl Marie Natividad-Caballero said this could be due to factors like high demand, …

By Rose de la Cruz With  a record importation of 4.78 million metric tons of rice last year, it would not be surprising that P34 -billion tariff was collected from the  legitimate arrivals of the grains.  The Bureau of Customs said total rice tariff collected in 2024 rose by 13.11 percent year-on-year to P34 billion from just P30 billion in …

Climate  change and declining productivity due to high production costs and the impact of smuggling of agricultural products made farming and fishing jobs the top job decliners, local economists said. The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said that while unemployment and underemployment improved, the number of employed Filipinos declined leading to joblessness in farming and fishing subsectors. The decline in jobs …

Ateneo  de Manila University researchers have discovered that milkfish (bangus) skin– a product of aquaculture– could provide a low-cost option  for treating patients with major burns and other serious injuries.  With bangus being widely farmed across the country, the team, led by Janice Alano Ragaza and Bianca Patrice Go from the Ateneo Department of Biology’s Aquatic and Fisheries Resources Laboratory, …