The Market Monitor Minding the Nation's Business

I am deeply honored to accept the appointment as President and Chief Operating Officer. I thank the board of directors for entrusting me with this responsibility, and I am grateful to all of you for your support. In exercising the functions of my new role, rest assured that I will be guided by the values of integrity, diligence, excellence, and …

Leading insurtech advocate Etiqa Philippines has recently launched an always-on virtual assistant for its new and existing customers.  Etiqa’s latest venture into insurtech is named Eriqa, a chatbot which acts as a virtual assistant to help respond to questions and a multitude of requests including processing a Letter of Guarantee (LOG) for outpatient availments.     “The success of an insurance company …

The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) led the groundbreaking of a basketball court-type multi-purpose evacuation center (MPEC) in a calamity-prone town here. The groundbreaking activity, held on April 28, 2023, formally marked the construction of the P12.7 million emergency structure in Barangay Cabubuhan, which has long been suffering from the aftermath of natural calamities. The town lacks temporary shelters …

Throughout the years, Manila Water has put premium in developing systems and technologies to better serve their customers and lessen its environmental impact in its operations. At the National Economic Development Authority’s Innovation Day exhibit (April 28) held at the Philippine International Convention Center, the water concessionaire had the chance to showcase six cutting-edge technologies used in its operations to …

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Trade and Industry Secretary Fred Pascual, together with other members of the Philippine delegation, welcomed on Monday, 1 May 2023, the cooperation agreement signed between Integrated Micro-Electronics, Inc. (IMI) and Zero Motorcycles, a global leader in electric motorcycles and powertrains. As one of the proponents of the country’s transition to electric vehicles and the use …

The Department of Health (DOH) is expecting 390,000 doses of bivalent coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) vaccines to arrive in the country by the end of this month. In a media forum on Tuesday, DOH officer in charge Maria Rosario Vergeire reported that they have acquired the emergency use authorization and other requirements from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). “Ang …

The positivity rate or the number of people testing positive for coronavirus is not a good basis in determining the real picture of the country’s Covid-19 situation. In a media briefing on Tuesday, Department of Health (DOH) officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire noted that the computation of positivity rate is dependent on the recorded results of reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) …

More overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) will have a chance to purchase their dream houses under the Pambansang Pabahay Program Para sa Pilipino Housing (4PH) program of the administration of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., according to a report by Philippine News Agency. On Sunday, OFW Party-list Rep. Marissa Magsino and Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) Secretary Jose …

An executive of Ayala Land Inc. (ALI) recently underscored the company’s willingness to work with the government to further boost infrastructure development in the country, according to a report by Philippine News Agency. During the company’s virtual annual stockholders meeting, ALI chairman Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala said “at the Ayala Group, we’ve always aligned our business aspirations with the …

Sy-led property developer SM Prime Holdings Inc. is planning to list its own real estate investment trust (REIT) in the second half of 2023, according to a recent published report. Jeffrey C. Lim, SM Prime president, said the company expects to raise some $1 billion or about P55.5 billion from its REIT. Total valuation would be around $3.5 to $4 …