The Market Monitor Minding the Nation's Business

The act of giving kindness in any way possible to those who are in need, especially those in vulnerable and grassroot communities, has always been imprinted in the whole system of the SM group. Staying true to its commitment of spreading social good, SM Foundation and The SM Store worked together to distribute shoes and sanitizers for children across the …

The Philippines will need to prepare for the inevitable impact of the war in Ukraine should the crisis drag out, according to the Department of Finance (DOF).  Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III gave this determination to representatives of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the World Bank who Dominguez urged to craft “rescue packages” for economies that may be …

Several election watchdogs expressed apprehension on COMELEC’s automated election system (AES) allegedly due to lack of procedures and a failure to comply with the law.  The National Citizens’ Movement for Free Elections (Namfrel), Automated Election System Watch (AES Watch), and Center for People Empowerment in Governance (CenPEG) said the system cannot not be trusted.  “It is not compliant with the …

A different vaccine brand as a second booster shot can be “more effective” in warding off the COVID-19 virus, according to the Department of Health (DOH).  Health Undersecretary Myrna Cabotaje, head of the National Vaccination Operations Center, supported the recommendation of government’s Vaccine Expert Panel (VEP) to use a different vaccine brand as second booster shot.  Cabotaje said, “A different …

Manila Mayor and presidential candidate Isko Moreno, through his political party Aksyon Demokratiko, has asked the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) to garnish the bank accounts linked to the estate of the late former President Ferdinand Marcos to settle the family’s tax liabilities.  Aksyon Demokratiko chairperson Ernesto Ramel Jr. wrote to BIR Commissioner Ceasar Dulay, requesting the agency “to immediately and …

Former Commission on Elections (Comelec) Commissioner Rowena Guanzon maintained that the automated election system (AES) of Smartmatic’s machines are accurate and reliable.  “The AES and the Smartmatic machines have an accuracy rate of 99.7%. It’s very reliable and so hard to tamper with particularly the transmission of election results,” Guanzon said.  While these machines have been used by Comelec over …

Philippine Airlines (PAL) hopes to restore its domestic operations to full capacity by the fourth quarter when passenger volume traditionally surges during the holidays.  PAL President Capt. Stanley Ng said the flag carrier’s domestic capacity had reached 80% of its pre-pandemic level after suffering from debilitating travel restrictions at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.  PAL VP for sales Bud …

Boracay and El Nido were the top choice post-event destinations of delegates to the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) Global Summit in Manila held April 20 to 22.  Tours to the two Philippine destinations were fully booked by WTTC delegates, consistent to the recognition received by Boracay and El Nido from many international travel publications and online tourism sites.  …

The recovery of Puerto Princesa as a top tourist destination will depend on the strong collaboration and cooperation between government and the private sector.  Last year, Puerto Princesa’s recovery started when it reopened its doors to travelers. Then, disaster struck – Typhoon Odette ravaged the city, stalling tourism recovery efforts.  The pandemic erased approximately P10 billion in potential tourism revenues …

Air travel posted a strong rebound in February 2022 as the impact of the Covid-19 variant Omicron moderated outside of Asia, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced recently.  On the other hand, the war in Ukraine did not have any major effect on traffic levels.  The recovery in air travel is gathering steam as governments in many parts of …