The Market Monitor Minding the Nation's Business

After her debacle in a gubernatorial bid in Camarines Sur in 2001 Superstar Nora Aunor has mustered another will to plunge into politics once more.

By Jonathan P. Gesmundo  Certificates of candidacies (CoC) for 18,000 national and local positions – from President to town councilor – are being filed at various Commission on Elections (COMELEC) offices and satellite registration sites nationwide while observing strict health protocols. 

President Rodrigo Duterte ordered members of the executive department including cabinet secretaries to ignore any summons issued by the Senate Blue Ribbon committee, chaired by Sen. Richard Gordon, that is investigating highly anomalous purchases of multi-trillion-peso worth of medical supplies integral to the pandemic response. 

Metro Manila residents are advised to temporarily stop buying vegetables due to the abundance of smuggled agricultural products and because of possible contamination, according to Agriculture Secretary William Dar. 

Minors with comorbidities will be vaccinated first when the Department of Health (DOH) begins the COVID-19 inoculation program for children. 

Farmers revealed they have been competing against smuggled agricultural produce from China and other countries for many years now, with the surge in smuggled vegetables getting public attention only recently. 

Energy officials gave assurances that Luzon will not experience power interruptions while the Malampaya gas facility is undergoing preventive maintenance from October 2 to 22, 2021. The shutdown, however, will possibly result to an increase in consumers’ electricity rates. 

The Philippine economy may be able to return to pre-pandemic levels after 10 years, according to the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA). 

The national government’s outstanding debt reached a record high of P11.64 trillion as of end-August 2021, rising more than a fifth compared to last year. 

Election campaign spending is expected to boost the economy although at a slower rate due to mobility restrictions during the pandemic, according to Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Benjamin Diokno.  Diokno projects a 0.50% “bump” to gross domestic product (GDP) due to increased spending for the May 2022 presidential elections. Previous elections contributed one percent to total GDP.  “There …