MORE expensive food items increased inflation in November to its highest in 19 months, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
On Friday, PSA said inflation averaged 3.3 percent, the highest since March 2019 when inflation was at the same rate. This placed the average inflation for the...
THE lackluster performance of the country’s manufacturing sector continued in October, according to the latest Monthly Integrated Survey of Selected Industries (Missi) released by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) on Friday.
Missi data showed that the average capacity utilization rate of the country remained below 70 percent in October...
The Police maneuver forces in Central Mindanao are in hot pursuit operations against a group of armed men who went on a two-hour rampage in Datu Piang, Maguindanao, on Thursday night.
Philippine National Police (PNP) chief General Debold Sinas alerted the PNP Special Action Force for possible tactical support...
About a thousand Filipino seafarers who were notified in October to join their cruise ships following the opening of a “Green Lane” in July are now languishing in hotels in Metro Manila after the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a “no cruise order for US ports,” citing fresh Covid-19...
The Philippines remains on track to bring down its fertility rate down to the 2.1-percent replacement rate in less than a decade, according to the Commission on Population and Development (Popcom).
On Thursday, Popcom Executive Director and Undersecretary Juan Antonio Perez III told the BusinessMirror that the replacement rate...
Around 5,000 household service workers (HSW) are victims of illegal child labor, according to the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).
Citing the survey conducted by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) and DOLE last year, National Wages and Productivity Commission (NWPC) Deputy Executive Director Patricia P. Hornilla disclosed these...
SUBIC BAY FREEPORT—Employees of a business-process outsourcing (BPO) firm here have found out rather too late that it was not yet okay to party.
Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma said 25 workers of a company registered in this free port have been infected...
With new assets in the inventory of the Navy and the Air Force, the military carried out its amphibious landing and island defense exercises in Zambales where the Scarborough Shoal sits at a shooting distance.
The drills were carried out on Wednesday in the waters of San Antonio, Zambales...
Nearly 8 million Filipino women have availed of family planning as provided by the reproductive health law, according to a report, and this prevented 2.8 million unintended pregnancies through the use of contraceptives.
Based on the 2019 Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health (RPRH) Law Report, the number of women...
THE multimillion dollars worth of precision guided munitions (PGMs) and other weapons recently given by the United States should help hasten the military’s campaign against terrorist groups in Mindanao, including those allied with the Islamic State (IS), in the view of security officials.
The PGMs, or smart bombs, and...
HOTELS in Metro Manila are slowly recovering their footing, with average occupancies and room rates on an uptrend.
In a webinar with members of the Hotel and Restaurant Association of the Philippines, STR’s Business Development Manager for Southeast Asia Fenady Uriarte said that while “Hospitality is still in a...
THAILAND’S taboo-breaking demonstrations are about more than the right to criticize the monarchy without fear of going to prison: Protesters want taxpayers to control investments and real estate worth tens of billions of dollars.
Thailand’s royal family has long been the biggest shareholder in two of the country’s most...
The Police authorities in Calabarzon (Region 4A) have created a composite body to probe the murder of Los Baños, Laguna Mayor Cesar Perez who was shot dead at the municipal hall on Thursday night.
In a report to Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Debold Sinas, Calabarzon police director...
SUPER app Grab has partnered with the local government of Lipa City, Batangas to introduce its food delivery and same-day parcel and courier services in the city, both of which are expected to help “support the economic recovery and resilience of the city.”
Jay Lim, Head of Expansions at...
Sometimes when we look around us we can’t help but see and feel that there is just too much negativity around us. This may make us hopeless and weary. Heroes acknowledge the presence of evil, but they also believe in the good. They have the ability to see “the world as a place of possibility, not just pain.” Ninoy wouldn’t have gone and sacrificed his life if he did not believe that the good can win against evil.
It is a thought collectively recognized that the year 2020 has caught people by surprise. Different obstacles, from natural calamities to a widespread health hazard, have left many Filipinos in a painstaking situation to make ends meet....
A second experimental COVID-19 vaccine — this one from Moderna Inc. — yielded extraordinarily strong early results Monday, another badly needed dose of hope as the pandemic enters a terrible new phase.
Moderna said its vaccine appears to be 94.5% effective, according to preliminary data from an ongoing...
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Eric Roman struts onstage in his torn jeans and grasps the microphone.
It’s midnight on a Friday and in normal times, he’d hear wild applause from this tightly packed hotel bar in one of the old neighborhoods alongside the Dubai Creek. Sweaty throngs...
Talk of lockdowns are especially sensitive. For one, they're nearly impossible for a president to enact on his own, requiring bipartisan support from state and local officials. But more broadly, they're a political flashpoint that could undermine Biden's efforts to unify a deeply divided country.
Public health experts say staying home is best to keep yourself and others safe from infection. But if you're thinking about flying for the holidays, you should know what to expect.
Flights are...
US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo accused Hong Kong of using the courts to engage in “political persecution” after prominent activists were detained and a former opposition lawmaker fled to Europe.
Pompeo said in a news statement issued on Thursday that the decisions to sentence activists, including Joshua Wong...
MILAN—Italy recorded a pandemic-high daily death toll Thursday, providing a grim backdrop for Premier Giuseppe Conte’s cheerless announcement of restrictions for the Christmas holidays that will make it difficult for extended families to celebrate together as is customary.
Italianas like to say, “Christmas with family, Easter with whomever you...
The US recorded on Wednesday its deadliest day ever, with Covid-19 fatalities reaching more than 2,700 to surpass the previous peak in April, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. The total death toll in the country is at more than 273,000, the most of any nation, as hospitals in some...
The US House of Representatives approved legislation that could ultimately lead to Chinese companies—including behemoths like Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. and Baidu Inc.—getting kicked off American exchanges if regulators aren’t allowed to review their financial audits.
The legislation won bipartisan support in the House after easily clearing the US...
WUHAN, China—Secrecy and cronyism at China’s top disease control agency led to widespread test shortages and flaws that hampered the early response to the coronavirus outbreak, an Associated Press investigation has found.
China’s Center for Disease Control and Prevention gave test kit designs and distribution rights exclusively to three...
HONG KONG—Outspoken Hong Kong pro-democracy advocate and media tycoon Jimmy Lai was refused bail on Thursday on a fraud charge amid a growing crackdown on dissent in the semiautonomous city.
Jimmy Lai of Next Digital, which publishes the Apple Daily newspaper, was among 10 people arrested August 10 on...
MOSCOW—President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday ordered a “large-scale” Covid-19 immunization campaign to start by late next week, with doctors and teachers set to be first in line to get a Russian-designed vaccine that has yet to complete the advanced studies needed to ensure its effectiveness and safety in line with established scientific...
UNITED NATIONS—Nearly 100 world leaders and several dozen government ministers are scheduled to speak at the UN General Assembly’s special session that opens on Thursday to discuss the response to Covid-19 and the best path to recovery from the pandemic, which has claimed 1.5 million lives and shattered economies in both rich...
JAKARTA—The online Asean Customs Transit System (ACTS) was launched Monday to accelerate trade in goods by road within Southeast Asia.
Being developed with the support of the European Union (EU), ACTS is simplifying the...
IN celebration of the National Exporters’ Week (NEW), the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), together with the Export Development Council (EDC) and Philippine Exporters Confederation Inc. (Philexport), bestowed the Top Exporter Awards to deserving exporters based on their 2019 export performance and to those who have exhibited excellence and innovation in the delivery...
The country’s umbrella organization of exporters is pushing for the establishment of consistent global standardization and certification in halal trade and economic practices to maximize opportunities in the trillion-dollar sector and help meet export targets.
“In expanding our market niche, halal testing laboratories are critical to boost the integrity...
Globe Telecom Inc. has secured a P5-billion loan from the Land Bank of the Philippines (LandBank), an amount that will help bankroll the company’s general financing and corporate requirements for capital expenditures, a disclosure to the stock exchange showed.
The Ayala-led telco is spending about P50 billion in capital...
THE Federation of Filipino Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Inc. (FFCCCII) said it is supporting the government’s efforts to achieve economic recovery in 2021 amid the uncertainties brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic.
From this year’s expected economic contraction of 8 percent to 10 percent, National Economic and...
Century Properties Group Inc. (CPG), the property development firm led by the Antonio Group, on Thursday said it is reallocating some of the proceeds of its P2.95-billion preferred shares offering it conducted earlier this year.
In its disclosure, the company said it will use P500 million of the proceeds...
With the endorsement of the Department of Tourism, the Board of Investments (BOI) recently approved the P4.1-billion Westin Sonata Palace Hotel project of Robinsons Land Corp. (RLC) in Mandaluyong City.
The Westin Manila Sonata Palace Hotel is RLC’s first Marriott International Hotel brand, which is internationally renowned for topnotch...
Conglomerate San Miguel Corp. (SMC) on Thursday said its board of directors has approved the company's P3-billion equity investment in Petrogen Insurance Corp., the insurance company wholly-owned by refiner Petron Corp.
“With the investment, the corporation will have direct equity interest in Petrogen...in addition to its current indirect equity...
Nestlé SA, the world’s largest food company, said it will invest 3.2 billion Swiss francs ($3.6 billion) over the next five years in an effort to fight climate change.
The company will plant 200 million trees over the next decade and help farmers and suppliers shift toward regenerative agriculture,...
Listening to the beautiful musical pieces and renditions of the artists and groups composed of Joey Ayala, Dipolog Community Rondalla, PNU Himig Kawayan, Pangkat Kawayan, Prof. Armando Solarza with the Las Piñas Bamboo Organ, Dr. Benicio Sokong, Dulag Karatong Festival Ensemble, Joseph Gara, Huni Ukulele and DOST-FPRDI Himig Agham Kawayan, one would...
The Philippines has been identified as one of the highest “overperformers,” second only to India, in frontier technologies, indicating the country’s propensity to adopt frontier technologies relative to its per capita GDP is high.
This was disclosed by Shamika N. Sirimanne, director of the Division on Technology and Logistics,...
The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) will hold its first-ever virtual celebration of the 2020 National Science and Technology Week (NSTW) from November 23 to 29.
With the theme, “Agham at Teknolohiya: Sandigan ng Kalusugan, Kaayusan, Kabuhayan at Kinabukasan,” the DOST and the different agencies and regional offices...
Temperature and Covid-19 symptom checks like the ones used at schools and doctor’s offices have again proved inadequate for spotting coronavirus infections and preventing outbreaks.
A study of Marine recruits found that despite these measures and strict quarantines before they started training, the recruits spread the virus to others...
The top government science agency is embarking into innovations and tech solutions that can aid for seamless distance learning for Filipino students as the blended modular and online scheme is being used amid the coronavirus pandemic.
In a recent webinar, the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) highlighted the...
TOKYO, Japan—A textile that quells the sources of odors? Yes, you read it right. Toray Industries Inc. announced recently that it has developed Mushon 4X that removes odor through nanotechnology.
The company applied proprietary nanotechnology in combining several functional processing techniques to deliver odor prevention and elimination, antibacterial and antioxidant...
Animated pre-school show “Tish Tash” will soon be enjoyed by children around the world after leading entertainment specialist CAKE inked a distribution deal with its producers—Korea’s Studio Gale, Singapore’s August Media Holdings, UK’s Karrot Entertainment and Philippines’ Synergy Entertainment Media.
“Tish Tash has huge potential—a fresh take on what...
Young Filipino innovators have until November 17 to register for the Innovation Olympics 2.0, a competition challenging the next generation of agriculture, business and technology leaders to develop innovative solutions to real-life challenges of urban and rural smallholder vegetable farmers.
The theme of the competition’s second edition is “Precision...
While many have succumbed to loneliness and desperation during the quarantine, senior citizens who were taken into the state-owned Golden Action and Reception Center for the Elderly and other Special Cases (GRACES) said they are grateful that...
Francisco “Django” Bustamante and fellow masters Efren “Bata” Reyes and Dennis Orcollo would have to shift their attention elsewhere after the Derby Classic set in January in Kentucky was canceled because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Bustamante also said that 10 other tournaments in the US were scratched.
HIDILYN DIAZ and her team are focused on the 2020 Asian Weightlifting Championships in Uzbekistan in March next year for the Rio 2016 silver medalist to formally secure a ticket to the rescheduled Tokyo Olympics.
The dates have yet to be announced by the International Weightlifting Federation but Diaz...
THE Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) set an April 9 opening for its 46th season next year with the Rookie Draft slated for March 14.
But everything remains tentative—including the venues—because of the Covid-19 pandemic, according to Commissioner Willie Marcial.
Marcial said that the 12 team governors...
THE official logo of the Fiba Basketball World Cup 2023 was unveiled on Friday as part of the launch of Fiba’s new #DontMissABeat campaign in the federation headquarters in Mies, Switzerland.
The concept for the newly unveiled logo for the 2023 World Cup stems from three key elements—a heart,...
THE Philippine Sports Hall of Fame (PSHOF) Review Committee adopted a resolution approving the automatic nomination of Olympic medalists.
PSHOF 2020 Chairperson and Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) Chairman William Ramirez, who headed a virtual meeting last Tuesday, supported the inclusion of the “very few” medalists of the country in...
LOS ANGELES—Anthony Davis finalized a five-year contract worth up to $190 million to return to the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday.
One day after LeBron James agreed to a two-year, $85-million contract extension with the Lakers through 2022-23, Davis committed to the Lakers through the 2024-25 season. Agent Rich...
BARANGAY Ginebra San Miguel made it 2-0 over TNT Katropa in the Finals series of the Philippine Basketball Association Philippine Cup on Wednesday night but the Gin Kings’ Head Coach Tim Cone came short of hating himself for that victory.
Isn’t that ironic?
“I sound like...
HOUSTON—Russell Westbrook is headed to the Washington Wizards and John Wall is moving to the Houston Rockets in a significant swap of point guards—one a Most Valuable Player, the other a No. 1 overall draft pick—just weeks before the season starts.
The Wizards shipped a future lottery-protected first round...
BARELY two years after entering the Philippine market, realme has claimed the No. 1 spot in the country’s smartphone market recording a triple-digit growth in Q3 2020, according to reports from International...
Food-to-go for the dinner table, celebrations, or gift-giving brighten up the holiday season November 2020....It may be a different kind of celebration this year, but Seda BGC continues to honor tradition with irresistible Food-to-Go options, whether for your own celebration at home or in the work place, or the traditional gift-giving. Choose...
Telecom giant Globe (www.globe.com.ph) has launched Surf4ALL, a data offer across Globe brands with high GBs for all sites and a shareable allocation that can be accessed by up to four devices. The data can be shared across Globe Prepaid, Globe Postpaid, Globe Platinum, Globe At Home...
THE Philippines is set to take centerstage with its outstanding financial technology (fintech) practices and international digital footprint in the upcoming virtual World Fintech Festival (WFF) from December 7 to 11.
Formerly the Singapore Fintech Festival (SFF), the 2020 WFF-Philippines will have Asia’s top executives and decision-makers talk on...
AN Omega for him, a Cartier for her—classics. Shakey’s thin crust pizza, Aristocrat BBQ with java rice—comfort food.
A Lancer box type, a Corolla SR—retro collectibles. And the Isuzu Gemini, the Isuzu Trooper—faves of mine and of so many others, which still beget smiles and happy memories when...
I JUST sold my old car. Since it was my nephew buying it, I practically let him have my Lancer, the pizza type, practically for a song.
My dear, old gray ride never gave me a single headache. Also my wife, who drove it for the most part of...
HYUNDAI Asia Resources Inc. (HARI), the official distributor of Hyundai Passenger Cars (PC) gives more this Christmas with the MerrygaLOW Promo. Get big cash savings for this season’s family favorites—the STAREX, KONA, ACCENT, and REINA—from December 1 to December 31.
The Hyundai STAREX has established a legacy all its...
NEW YORK—“No New ‘Movies’ Till Influenza Ends” blared a New York Times headline on October 10, 1918, while the deadly second wave of the Spanish Flu was unfolding.
A century later, during another pandemic, movies—quotes no longer necessary—are again facing a critical juncture. But it’s not because new films...
I DO not like shopping. More so during the Christmas season. I find it tedious doing a shopping list, much less going out and braving the hordes of shoppers jockeying for the best prices, or rummaging along rows and rows of endless aisles looking for the perfect gift for family and friends. I...
LONG before Covid-19 hit our planet, I had wanted to write about the widespread phenomenon spanning K-pop culture and the K-dramas it has spawned, amazed as I was by how it did not spare even the most jaded among my female friends. Not just a few former...
BEFORE I joined my current company, I had no idea what wastewater was. Apparently, I was not alone. According to a Maynilad-commissioned qualitative study in 2018, the public’s knowledge about wastewater—what it was, where it came from, where it all went—was little to none.
This poses a problem. How...
What comes to your mind when someone mentions “American style living”? You might be thinking of the most exclusive apartments in Manhattan, New York or the luxury penthouses and terraces along Fifth Avenue but there is more to American style living that makes it distinct.
Imagine a vibrant neighborhood,...
The holidays are fast approaching, and Logitech has some fantastic gift ideas to add to your Christmas list. Now is the best time to upgrade a gaming rig, and whether you are choosing a gift to give a gamer friend or selecting new gear to use yourself, we have some great product...
As we cautiously start to dine out again, we all want to make sure that we make the most out of our dining experience in the New Normal.
Let’s make our destination dining experience a fun and memorable one! Come over to “PasaYahin, BuYummYhan!” a safe, socially-distanced, outdoor dine-in...
With most of the ongoing health efforts focused on surviving the novel and deadly coronavirus, it is easy to forget that there are other killer diseases that also deserve serious attention. Pneumonia, for instance, continues to be a major public-health concern around the world. It can affect the quality of life of...
Shopee, the leading e-commerce platform in Southeast Asia and Taiwan, wraps up the year-end sales season and marks its fifth birthday by launching its annual 12.12 Big Christmas Sale. Its recent 9.9, 10.10, and 11.11 shopping events set new records and signified the changing landscape and potential of e-commerce in the region....
The country’s leading home improvement and construction supply retailer, Wilcon Depot, successfully opened its 62nd retail store located in National Road, Brgy. Barretto, Olongapo City, Zambales on December 4, 2020.
Olongapo is a coastal highly urbanized city in the Central Luzon Region. It was ranked 11 in the Most...
Formed only this year, reon (stylized as all lowercase) is a duo composed of singer-songwriters Noah Glynn Alejandre and Reanne Julia Borela.
According to them, they got their name from Kanji characters (麗音)...
K-Pop stans won’t have to miss the much-anticipated 2020 Mnet ASIAN MUSIC AWARDS (2020 MAMA) because for the first time ever, mobile services provider Smart Communications, Inc. will exclusively online stream Asia’s biggest awards ceremony to Filipino audiences live via the GigaFest.Smart portal on Dec. 6, Sunday, at 5p.m. Philippine time.
The rhythms of each passing day have lulled, pushed, pulled and shaken us each into our new (I won’t say normal) courses. Over months, we have taken to new realisations and revelations of the soul. Some who had never touched a wooden spoon before have now become masters of the oven. Some...
UE Jam Sessions, the music organization of the University East, recently launched the music video for the acoustic version of 'Lalaban Tayo' featuring chart-topping rapper, Gloc-9.
The original single champions the Filipino people’s unwavering spirit of bayanihan in solidarity with the health frontliners at...
For a talented singer who fascinates even the international audience, the opportunity to interpret a song written by an OPM stalwart is a major blessing in the same breath as wowing the likes of Simon Cowell and the British crowd, and especially in these difficult times.
Alisah Bonaobra’s latest...
By Ron Carucci
Fewer words in corporate vernacular induce a tighter wince than “accountability,” and for good reason. Companies and leaders have grappled with what it is and how to achieve it effectively for decades. Ask anyone if they look forward to their performance evaluation or periodic check-in with...
By Dana Sumpter & Mona Zanhour
It has become alarmingly clear that the Covid-19 pandemic is threatening women’s careers. In September 2020 alone, 865,000 women in the United States left the work force, compared to 216,000 men. Furthermore, 1 in 4 women in the country are considering leaving their...
By Rebecca Knight
Your employees’ needs are always varied. But right now, as many companies navigate a return to the office in some shape or form, your team members are likely contending with vastly different situations. Some have limited or no child care or are managing their kids’ online...
By Caroline Rees and Robert G. Eccles
The Covid-19 pandemic has thrust into the limelight the far-reaching effects that business has on vulnerable people in work forces and communities across the world, putting the imperative of tackling inequalities on a political par with climate change. What will this mean...
NOMADIC Bedouin tribes have flourished because of oases, where exhausted travelers take refuge.
After facing the wrath of a volcano and a deadly virus, the Filipino people could use an oasis these days, especially as cash flow is drying up. The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) may have found...
THE world is your oyster; but don’t be one. For one, humans are far from being mollusks; for another, being sedentary doesn’t help, especially during lockdowns.
Being sedentary is doubly hard, and risky, for nearly four million Filipinos (3,993,300, according to the International Diabetes Foundation) with diabetes.
THE sky above the labor market has been shaded a light red as pink slips fell after the government attempted to sandbag a rampaging coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic. Latest data from the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) reported that as of October 25, 3.73 million workers were affected as lockdown...
THE Department of Energy (DOE) has repeatedly spread the gospel that full compliance with the Energy Efficiency and Conservation (EE&C) Act would result in profits, savings and sustainable economic development. The challenge, however, is how to compel government agencies and private entities to reduce their electricity and fuel consumption.
SENIOR officials from Asean and the European Union (EU) gathered virtually for the second round of their High-Level Dialogue on Environment and Climate Change.
During their meeting, the officials discussed their cooperation on shared regional and global challenges related to the protection of the environment and the fight against...
THE Embassy of Japan recently announced that its country’s new Ambassador-designate to the Philippines, Kazuhiko Koshikawa, set foot in Manila on November 26.
Upon his arrival, the diplomat expressed his firm commitment to build on the foundations of the long-standing partnership between Japan and the Philippines in a brief...
THE Swiss Embassy in Manila formally launched “Angels for Angels: A Christmas Solidarity Action” for the benefit of the Negrense Volunteers for Change Foundation and the International Bazaar Foundation.
From November 21 onward, Christmas angels made from up-cycled materials will be sold at the Glorietta 2 Concierge, with proceeds...
