The Market Monitor Minding the Nation's Business

A total of 299 Filipinos, including children, returned home from the Middle East on Thursday, receiving government assistance upon arrival at Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3. Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac led a whole-of-government team in welcoming the repatriates and assured them of full support. “Sa ngalan ng ating Pangulong Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr, welcome home po. We …

As headlines swirl around the ICC trial of former President Rodrigo Duterte, the impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte, and the dragging investigations into flood control anomalies, a far more urgent concern looms over the Filipino public. The raging conflict in the Middle East has placed President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. at a defining crossroads. At stake are not only diplomatic balancing acts, but the safety of …

Laws  have categories and a hierarcy. Divine, natural or moral law has pre-eminence among God-fearing humans if they wish to be humane.  Downstream,  we have Civil Law  for citizens for civic life, Military Laws for men of arms, and during the pre-Modern times, there was priority to Canon Law when men of the cloth lorded it over during the age …

We are told the Philippines has ample petroleum reserves to weather a protracted war in the Middle East. Not true. We are assured that emergency rescue mechanisms are firmly in place for Filipinos seeking to flee a widening conflict. Not true. We are promised that suspending the fuel excise tax will stabilize pump prices. Not true. These declarations may calm …

REALPOLITIKBy Benjie Alejandro In my recent interview with Herman Tiu Laurel—better known as Ka Mentong—on Walang Atrasan over DWAR Abante Radyo, the veteran broadcaster and geopolitical analyst offered a sobering view of the Philippines’ place in today’s turbulent world. His insights cut to the heart of our national dilemma: are we destined to be a pawn in “forever wars,” or can we chart a …

LOVE FOR ALL​By: Virginia Rodriguez Seventy-seven years ago, the Philippines and the Republic of Korea established diplomatic relations rooted in shared ideals and sacrifice. That bond was not merely symbolic; it was tested in the fires of the Korean War, when Filipino soldiers stood shoulder to shoulder with Koreans in defense of freedom. Today, that same spirit of solidarity continues …

The Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) was recently recognized as the “OFW Bank of the Year” at the Gintong Ani Awards in Dubai, reaffirming its position as the most trusted partner of Filipinos in the UAE. The award highlights BPI’s strong commitment to overseas Filipinos and their families, offering reliable and accessible banking solutions that support their financial needs. …

BEYOND ELLIPTICALBy Rose Marie de la Cruz WITH THE worsening geopolitical tensions in the Middle East affecting the global supply chain and leading to rising oil prices and its byproducts– fertilizers and pesticides– the already dismal performance of agriculture is expected to worsen further. Philippine agriculture has been suffering, but the government planners desperately try to hide the structural causes …

THE Fertilizer and Pesticides Authority, an agency under the Department of Agriculture, has stopped the delivery of 11,000 bags of fertilizers for Oriental and Occidental Mindoro provinces after discovering violations of FPA regulations that could trigger sanctions and possible blacklisting for Agri-Victorious Trading Corp. based in Cagayan. The company secured a contract to supply fertilizer under the DA’s program in …

THE GOVERNMENT’S proposed five-minute X-ray inspection of imported agricultural containers in the first border facilities does not sit well with local pork producers as this might cause the entry of transboundary diseases. The Xray inspections are supposed to begin in 2027. Vice chairman Alfred Ng of the National Federation of Hog Farmers Inc. (NatFed) said the Philippine Council for Agriculture …