Manila Times

DOJ Reviews US Extradition Request for Religious Leader Apollo Quiboloy

The Philippine Department of Justice says it expects to process a United States extradition request involving religious leader Apollo Quiboloy without prolonged delays, making the case a significant test of cooperation between Philippine...

Twenty-Six Philippine Senate Committees Await Minority Assignments, Delaying Legislative Work

Twenty-six Senate committees remain without formal minority bloc assignments, creating administrative delays that could slow hearings and work on economic reforms, infrastructure funding and the national budget for the next fiscal year.

Environmental Groups Oppose Marcos Waste-to-Energy Projects Over Emissions Concerns

Environmental organizations are campaigning against proposed waste-to-energy facilities under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., arguing that thermal waste treatment could increase emissions, conflict with clean-air requirements and divert ...

Concentrix and DragonFi Launch Employee Investment Matching Program in Philippines

Business process outsourcing company Concentrix has partnered with digital brokerage DragonFi on a program matching employee contributions to Personal Equity and Retirement Accounts, seeking to increase capital-market participation and l...

First Gen Buyout Offer Fuels Speculation Over Possible Philippine Stock Exchange Delisting

Analysts say renewable energy company First Gen Corporation could become a candidate for voluntary delisting from the Philippine Stock Exchange following a major buyout offer from a global investment firm, highlighting interest in taking...

Philippine Seven Reports Nearly 2 Billion Pesos in First-Half Profit on Store Expansion

Philippine Seven Corporation, the exclusive 7-Eleven licensee in the Philippines, reported first-half net income of nearly 2 billion pesos as rapid expansion of its national store network supported earnings and reflected continued consum...

Puregold Posts Nearly 6 Billion Pesos in First-Half Profit as Sales Volumes Rise

Puregold Price Club reported first-half net income of nearly 6 billion pesos as strong sales volumes offset broader economic weakness, showing continued resilience in household consumption despite persistent inflation and pressure on dis...

Toyota Motor Philippines Expects Auto Sales Growth to Continue Despite High Interest Rates

Toyota Motor Philippines expects vehicle sales to keep growing through the rest of the year despite elevated domestic borrowing costs and global economic pressures, citing continued demand for passenger and commercial vehicles.

Philippine Auto Sales Reach Record as VinFast Drives Electric Vehicle Growth

Philippine vehicle sales reached a record 387,849 units in the first seven months of the year, up 28.6 percent from a year earlier, while VinFast deliveries rose more than 74 percent as electric vehicles drove a sharp expansion in the do...

Top Frontier Share Transfer Gives Iñigo Zobel Greater Control Over San Miguel Parent

Iñigo Zobel has completed an 11 billion peso transaction transferring controlling stakes in Top Frontier Investment Holdings, strengthening his control over the parent company of San Miguel Corporation and one of the Philippines’ largest...

Philippines Eyes Japanese Investment in Wawa Pumped Storage Hydropower Project

Senior executives from major Japanese power companies have inspected the Wawa pumped storage hydroelectric project in Rizal province as the Philippines seeks more energy storage capacity to stabilize the grid while adding larger amounts ...

Southwest Monsoon Causes Nearly 700 Million Pesos in Agricultural Damage Across Luzon

Heavy southwest monsoon rains have prompted states of calamity in several Luzon municipalities and disrupted classes in Metro Manila, with nearly 3.7 million people affected and agricultural losses approaching 700 million pesos, raising ...

Philippine Social Security System Earns 27 Billion Pesos in First-Half Investment Income

The Social Security System generated more than 27 billion pesos in investment income during the first half of the year from a portfolio heavily exposed to government securities and domestic equities, providing continued institutional sup...

Philippines Accelerates AI Regulation and National Building Code Modernization

The Department of Information and Communications Technology has identified artificial intelligence regulation and updates to the National Building Code as major legislative priorities, with the government seeking to modernize digital inf...

Philippine Government Lifts Japanese Poultry Import Ban After Bird Flu Outbreaks Contained

The Philippine government has lifted restrictions on poultry imports from Japan after authorities determined that avian influenza outbreaks in affected Japanese prefectures had been contained, reopening a source of supply intended to str...

Philippine Truth Commission Opens Drug War Hearings Amid Sara Duterte Impeachment Trial

A national truth commission investigating alleged extrajudicial killings during the previous administration’s drug war has begun public hearings as the Senate conducts the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, bringing two ma...

Philippine Court Suspends 85-Peso Metro Manila Minimum Wage Increase

A Pasig City Regional Trial Court has issued a preliminary injunction blocking an 85-peso daily minimum wage increase in the National Capital Region and required the petitioning construction companies to post a 10 billion peso bond, draw...

Philippine Defense Chief Accuses China of Blackmail Over Immigration Crackdown on Filipinos

Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro has accused Chinese authorities of extortion after more than 100 Filipinos in Hong Kong and Macau were targeted over alleged visa violations, escalating tensions following Philippine raids on illegal Ch...

Philippines Reviews Regional Airport Privatization Plan for Davao, Bicol and Siargao

The Investment Coordination Committee is reviewing a proposed privatization package covering airports in Davao, Bicol and Siargao before it proceeds to a Swiss Challenge bidding process, as the government seeks to spread economic activit...

Philippine Government Expands Potential Sites for Future Nuclear Power Plants

The Philippine Department of Energy is identifying additional locations for potential nuclear power facilities as the government seeks reliable baseload electricity, lower dependence on imported fossil fuels and enough power to meet risi...

Philippines Fast-Tracks Sangley Point International Airport Development to Ease Manila Congestion

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has ordered a high-level technical working group to resolve regulatory delays holding back Sangley Point International Airport in Cavite, as the government seeks an alternative to congested Ninoy Aquino Int...

Philippine Foreign Investment Pledges Jump 68% to 115 Billion Pesos in Second Quarter

Foreign investment pledges in the Philippines rose 68 percent to more than 115 billion pesos in the second quarter, their highest level in nearly two years, with manufacturing and renewable energy accounting for much of the commitments d...

China’s Kimi Launches AI-Focused Credit Card With Agricultural Bank of China and American Express

The July launch links credit-card spending and rewards to Kimi memberships and AI computing benefits, although some claims about conversational banking functions go beyond what the companies’ official materials currently confirm.

Meralco Cuts August Electricity Rates by Four Centavos per Kilowatt-Hour

Manila Electric Company has reduced electricity rates by zero point zero four pesos per kilowatt-hour for August billing, citing lower generation charges and providing modest savings for households and businesses in Metro Manila.

Philippine Aviation Regulator Cuts Fuel Surcharge to Level Twelve for Late August

The Civil Aeronautics Board has reduced the mandatory airline fuel surcharge to Level Twelve for the second half of August as global crude prices stabilize, offering modest relief to domestic and international air travelers.

First Gen Second-Quarter Profit Rises Seven Point Five Percent on Renewable Energy Output

First Gen Corporation reported second-quarter net income of four point seven nine billion pesos, up seven point five percent, supported by stronger electricity dispatch from its geothermal and hydropower facilities.

Cebu Landmasters Plans Twenty-Five Billion Pesos in New Residential Projects

Cebu Landmasters plans to launch twenty-five billion pesos worth of residential projects this year as strong demand outside Metro Manila pushes sell-through rates to ninety-five percent and leaves the developer with limited existing inve...

JG Summit Profit Falls Twenty-Nine Percent as Cebu Pacific Faces Fuel and Currency Pressure

JG Summit Holdings reported a twenty-nine percent decline in first-half net income as higher aviation fuel costs and a weaker Philippine peso weighed heavily on the profitability of its airline business, Cebu Pacific.

SM Investments Reports Eight Percent Profit Growth and Plans to Exit Mining by 2027

SM Investments Corporation reported an eight percent increase in first-half profit, supported by its retail and banking businesses, and said it plans to exit its mining operations completely by next year.

ABS-CBN Plans Six Billion Peso Equity Raise to Expand Digital and Film Operations

ABS-CBN Corporation plans to raise six billion pesos in new equity, including a two point two billion peso commitment from the Lopez family, to strengthen its digital content distribution and film production operations following the loss...

Metro Manila Construction Material Prices Reach Nearly Three-Year High

Wholesale construction material prices in Metro Manila accelerated in July to their highest level in nearly three years, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority, increasing cost pressures for property developers and government i...

Philippine Labor Groups Ask Supreme Court to Lift Orders Blocking Regional Wage Hikes

Major labor organizations have petitioned the Supreme Court to overturn temporary restraining orders that halted regional wage increases, arguing that the court interventions are preventing workers from receiving financial relief amid pe...

Mindanao Investment Summit Highlights Agribusiness, Renewable Energy and Logistics

Government and business leaders have gathered in Cagayan de Oro for Mindanao's largest annual investment summit, promoting opportunities in agribusiness, renewable energy and logistics to foreign investors looking beyond Metro Manila.

Philippine IT-BPM Industry Targets Higher-Value Global Capability Centers

The Information Technology and Business Process Association of the Philippines has launched an initiative to attract global capability centers focused on artificial intelligence, engineering and financial technology, seeking to move the ...

BCDA and Asian Development Bank Discuss Major Taguig Urban Development Project

The Bases Conversion and Development Authority is in advanced talks with the Asian Development Bank on financing and structuring a large sustainable urban development project in Taguig that would redevelop former military properties into...

Philippines Targets Eight Hundred Sixty Billion Pesos in VAT and Sales Tax Revenue for 2027

The Department of Finance is targeting eight hundred sixty billion pesos in value-added and sales tax collections next year through expanded digital tax administration and tighter compliance as the government seeks revenue for infrastruc...

Philippine Public Works Chief Claims Senators Received at Least Five Hundred Million Pesos in Leadership Funds

Public Works Secretary Manuel Bonoan has claimed that every senator received at least five hundred million pesos in leadership funds for infrastructure projects, prompting renewed scrutiny of discretionary spending and political influenc...

Philippines Suspends Seafarer Deployments to Northern Black Sea Over Security Risks

The Department of Migrant Workers has temporarily barred the deployment of Filipino seafarers to vessels operating in the Northern Black Sea, citing security risks linked to the ongoing regional conflict.

Philippines Tracks Eighteen Chinese Military and Coast Guard Vessels in West Philippine Sea

The Armed Forces of the Philippines says eighteen Chinese naval and coast guard vessels have remained around strategic features in the West Philippine Sea over the past week, highlighting continued Chinese maritime activity within the Ph...

Philippine House Passes Cybersecurity Bill for Critical Infrastructure and Services

The House of Representatives has approved legislation requiring stronger cybersecurity protections for critical public services and private infrastructure as sophisticated attacks and data breaches increasingly threaten government and es...

Philippines Risks Prolonged Below-Target Growth Without Structural Reforms, Analysts Warn

GlobalSource Partners says the Philippine economy risks continuing to miss growth targets unless the government addresses barriers to productivity, arguing that short-term fiscal measures alone will not be enough to attract sustained ind...

Philippine Supreme Court Rejects Bid to Force Senate Release of Flood Control Report

The Supreme Court has ruled that the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee is not required to publish its draft partial report on a flood control corruption investigation, rejecting a petition from transparency advocates and affirming the legisla...

Risa Hontiveros Seeks Senate Inquiry Into Philippine-China Resupply Agreement

Senator Risa Hontiveros has called for a congressional investigation into the Marcos administration's provisional understanding with China covering resupply missions to Ayungin Shoal, demanding disclosure of the agreement and warning tha...

Philippines Death Toll Reaches Twenty-One as Monsoon and Typhoons Trigger Widespread Flooding

The Office of Civil Defense says twenty-one people have died and infrastructure damage has exceeded two billion pesos after the southwest monsoon and successive tropical cyclones caused flooding and landslides across northern and central...

China Confirms Deaths of Two Coast Guard Personnel After South China Sea Collision

Chinese authorities have confirmed that two China Coast Guard personnel died during a confrontation and subsequent collision involving a Philippine Coast Guard vessel near Scarborough Shoal last year, underscoring the risks surrounding t...