The Market Monitor Minding the Nation's Business

By Robert Andaya There is no sweep but Blacklist International proved it is better than Bren Esports right now. With Johnmar “OhmyV33nus” Villaluna, Edward “Edward” Dapadap and Southeast Asian Games gold medalist Lee “Owl” Gonzales leading the way, Blacklist stunned top seed Bren Esports, 3-1 in the playoffs of the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Professional League (MPL) Season 11 at the SMX Convention …

The Pasig City King Pirates have always been one of the best teams in the Professional Chess Association of the Philippines (PCAP) since 2021. Winning a third straight PCAP championship is not a surprise anymore, especially to the team’s No. 1 supporter, Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto. Now,  Sotto hopes the success of the Pasig Pirates will continue all year …

By Robert Andaya The future of Philippine  volleyball is here. Sixteen teams, led by NU-Nazareth School, will see action in the inaugural Shakey’s Girls Volleyball Invitational League (GVIL)  starting May 7 at the San Andres Sports Complex in Malate, Manila. The event is being organized by the Athletic Events and Sports Management, Inc., (ACES)  in cooperation with the popular pizza …

Fruitas Holdings Inc., leading food and beverage store operator traded on the Philippine Stock Exchange under symbol FRUIT, registered Php1,799 million in revenue, a 63% increase from Php1,102 million in 2021.  The revenue increase was driven by strong same-store sales growth.  Despite having just over 770 stores as of end-2022, compared to more than 1,000 stores as of end-2019, FRUIT …

It takes action-drama director Francis “Jun” Posadas to shine actor Richard Quan’s star to shine brightest and acting career to move fastest. After a series of supporting roles mostly marked commendable performances, Richard has finally clinched a solo titular starrer in one biopic he, according to Francis, could only give justice. Posadas never left any stone unturned just to give …

After spending sometime in the US and trying his luck in foreign art, actor Jericho Rosales is back to grind in the local show business. Jericho is slated to appear in an important stage musical billed “Contra Mundum, Ang Larawan The Concert” collaborated by three National Artists, namely posthumous participation by Nick Joaquin, for Literature, whose literary play, “Portrait of …

The 1000-Piso polymer banknote of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) won the International Banknote Society’s (IBNS) “Banknote of the Year Award” for 2022. The 1000-Piso polymer is the first Philippine banknote to win the award. It won over banknote finalists from Algeria, Barbados, Egypt, Northern Ireland, and Scotland. In announcing the award, the IBNS said: “The Philippines’ successful design …

Manila Water is on par with water utilities in developed countries when it comes to the level of water losses, or non-revenue water (NRW). In 2022, Manila Water averaged 12.69% NRW, which is one of the lowest in Asia. Non-revenue water is defined as water that is not billed and is lost through leaks or illegal connections. This means that …

After a year-long leadership transition period, Lucio Tan III has officially taken over as president of the Lucio Tan Group (LTG). During the transition, he shared decision making responsibilities for business and operational matters with his uncle, Michael Tan, who had been president of LTG since 2010. The group ended 2022 with a PhP25.1 billion attributable net income, which is …

Contecon Guayaquil (CGSA), International Container Terminal Services, Inc.’s (ICTSI) Ecuadorian business unit operating at the Port of Guayaquil, achieved a milestone in April by handling the largest vessel to call the terminal. On 4 April, CGSA received the maiden call of the Maersk Camden – a Liberian-flagged vessel with a capacity of 15,413 TEUs. The 365.9-meter-long ship operates Maersk’s AC2 …