The Market Monitor Minding the Nation's Business

The Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office is raising the stakes as it ushers in 2026, promising bigger thrills and greater winning potential for lottery players nationwide. Beginning February 1, minimum jackpot prizes across all major PCSO lotto games will significantly increase, giving every ticket a stronger chance at becoming a life-changing win right from the opening draw. Under the updated prize …

SEN. Joel Villanueva on Wednesday filed a bill aiming to lift some restrictions in the country’s existing bank secrecy law to enable “measured“ transparency and fight corruption. Senate Bill 1728 seeks to “modernize a legal framework that has remained virtually untouched for more than seven decades.“ Senator Villanueva declared in Senate: “For over seventy years, the Philippines has maintained one …

Cocolife will soon extend its emergency insurance services to Grab Philippines and its motorcycle taxi arm Move It. In an announcement,  Grab and Move It said that under their expanded emergency insurance framework with Cocolife, rider-partners and passengers gain 24/7 access to a wider network of more than 700 Cocolife-accredited hospitals nationwide for emergency situations involving its booked ride. Under …

Great things are moving at LANDBANK. The bank  has partnered with the Social Security System (SSS) to launch a microloan facility through the bank’s mobile platform. The SSS Loan Lite Program allows members to apply for loans digitally via the LANDBANK app, with automated eligibility checks, streamlined processing and rapid crediting of proceeds. “This new product clearly is something that …

Insurance Commission (IC) Commissioner Reynaldo Regalado is calling for a stronger push toward microinsurance as a way to bring insurance protection closer to millions of Filipinos who remain outside the formal financial system. Speaking on Friday, Regalado underscored the role of microinsurance in widening access to coverage, noting that the product is specifically designed to meet the risk-protection needs of …

The government has provided guarantees to nearly P640 billion in loans as of December 2025, as Philippine Guarantee Corp. (PhilGuarantee) ramped up efforts to strengthen lending to priority sectors and support inclusive and sustainable economic growth. In a statement, PhilGuarantee said its partnerships with 200 lending institutions have enabled P639.58 billion in cumulative guaranteed loans since 2019, helping expand access …

Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. (RCBC) is planning to offer peso-denominated bonds that could fund sustainable initiatives. The bank is looking to issue fixed-rate papers that will be drawn down from its P200-billion bond and commercial paper program, it said in a disclosure to the stock exchange on Thursday. In 2022, RCBC doubled the size of its bond program from the …

by Boy Villasanta In life as in death, National Artist for Film Nora Aunor is still phenomenal. The Noramania has come alive anew. Three months short of the observance of her first death anniversary, Noranians all over the world continue to flock daily to her grave at the Libingan ng mga Bayani to bring back and create memories and to …

(2nd of last part, the first part published in https://marketmonitor.com.ph/the-challenges-of-fatherhood-according-to-dingdong-dantes/) by Audie See Among the current crop of Filipino actors, Dingdong Dantes is one of the most reliable solo stars and leading men to exhibit award-winning performances on film and television. As such, he has traditions and models to be his inspirations. For Dingdong, Christopher de Leon is his favorite …

Philippine cinema never runs out of exceptional, renowned, famed, and celebrated actresses. Since the dawn of the production of local movies, Filipino female film artists have always been standouts from silent era maven Atang de la Rama to talking picture stars Carmen Rosales to Alicia Vergel to Charito Solis to Gloria Romero to Susan Roces to Nora Aunor to Sharon …