The Market Monitor Minding the Nation's Business

By Rose de la Cruz Beginning with imported rice, the departments of agriculture and trade and industry are studying setting a maximum suggested retail price (MSRP) or price caps that would strike a balance between the cost of landing imported rice here and the interests of consumers. The DA said on Wednesday from rice, it would also study possible MSRP’s …

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) recently announced that approved investments under the administration of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. have exceeded the target set for 2024. According to the DTI, the Board of Investments (BOI) approved P1.62 trillion worth of investments, surpassing the P1.5 trillion target and marking a significant increase from the P1.26 trillion recorded in 2023. …

Government workers are set to receive their medical allowance in 2025 following the approval of guidelines by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) for the grant of a P7,000 medical allowance. The DBM announced that Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman has approved Budget Circular 2024-6, detailing the rules and regulations for the allowance. The initiative is in accordance with Executive …

Over 19 million inbound and outbound travelers were recorded in 2024. Based on the figures from the Bureau of Immigration (BI), a total of 14,540,533 passengers arrived in the country last year. Of the number, 7,922,052 are Filipinos while 6,618,481 are foreign nationals. It also recorded a total of 15,050,136 individuals who have departed from the country, majority of them …

State lawyers will conduct a comprehensive inventory of assets belonging to shuttered Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs) following the expiration of the ban on the industry at the end of 2024, the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) announced recently. “The OSG’s massive post-POGO tasks will consist of cancelling all certificates of birth fraudulently acquired by aliens/foreign nationals and forfeiting …

The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) expressed gratitude to President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. for signing the P6.32-trillion national budget as it assured responsible use of its allocation under the 2025 General Appropriations Act. Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla acknowledged the DILG’s substantial budget of P279.1 billion, the fourth-largest allocation among government agencies. “As the Department with the …

Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac assured last week that the Philippine government is committed to pursuing justice for the slain overseas Filipino worker (OFW) in Kuwait. Cacdac said the case is under close monitoring, with Kuwaiti authorities having the prime suspect in custody. Legal support is being provided by a lawyer on the ground to ensure …

The government’s subsidy programs for private schools will prioritize the poorest learners in selecting beneficiaries for fiscal year 2025, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian announced on Thursday. The 2025 national budget includes Gatchalian’s proposed amendments to the special provisions on Government Assistance and Subsidies within the Department of Education’s (DepEd) budget. These amendments emphasize prioritizing learners from low-income households in the Senior …

In an age where information spreads at lightning speed, social media posts about a supposed new health crisis in China have sparked global attention and anxiety.  Claims of a surge in respiratory illnesses, including human metapneumovirus (HMPV), Influenza A, Mycoplasma pneumoniae, and Covid-19, have made their rounds online. Allegations that hospitals and crematoriums in China are overwhelmed and that a …

By Rose de la Cruz First, the Marcos administration clinched a five-year rice supply deal with Vietnam, now our top supplier of the staple, last January Next the Department of Agriculture negotiated for a rice deal with India and Cambodia and now with Pakistan, which it hopes to finalize by June next year. The message is clear:  the DA is …