Editor’s Pick

As the country locked down economic activity through various phases of community quarantine which was caused by the coronavirus pandemic, Del Monte Philippines, Inc. (DMPI) continued operating as a food company. DMPI has operated without disruption to meet the surging demand for food to address people’s basic need to nourish …

THE National Electrification Administration (NEA) said loan collections fell in the first half after electric cooperatives were given more time to make payments due to the coronavirus pandemic. With a collection efficiency rate of 95.90%, the agency took in P773.91 million worth of amortization from rural utilities, down 27% from …

THE Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) has ordered distribution utilities to promptly process the applications of customers switching to other retail suppliers, on threat of penalty. According to the regulator, the Retail Competition and Open Access (RCOA) scheme, a program allowing entities with large power needs to choose their own providers, …

REUTERS SOME 80% of respondents said they lack sufficient savings to pay for hospitalization during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, while more than half reported paying out of pocket for health emergencies, according to a survey conducted by Manulife Philippines. Of the 500 participants in the survey, that proportion …

The DoF main office at Roxas Boulevard — BW FILE PHOTO THE GOVERNMENT has obtained $9.9 billion worth of loans and grants from external sources as of Sept. 15 to fund its coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) containment effort and to support recovery measures. “With our historically high credit ratings, we …

TRADE SECRETARY RAMON M. LOPEZ — PRESIDENTIAL COMMUNICATIONS/ALBERT ALCAIN TRADE SECRETARY Ramon M. Lopez is confident that the Philippines will retain its tariff perks with the European Union (EU), after the European Parliament voted in support of their removal. “This is not the first time that this happened. So we …

SOME TYPES of renewable energy like geothermal are open to full foreign ownership, while other clean power sources are also being studied for similar liberalization, according to the National Renewable Energy Board (NREB). In July, Energy Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi said he is pursuing a policy that will grant foreign …

PHILSTAR Lawyer says SALNs, lifestyle checks ‘weaponized’ RECORDS OF public officials’ assets have been “abused” and “weaponized” for politics, an analyst said following Ombudsman Samuel R. Martires’ statement on Tuesday that he has ordered a stop on lifestyle checks. The Ombudsman also recently issued an order restricting public access to …

PRESIDENT Rodrigo R. Duterte on Wednesday defended his deadly war on drugs before the United Nations (UN), accusing some groups of trying to “weaponize” human rights to discredit him. “The Philippines will continue to protect the human rights of its people especially from the scourge of illegal drugs, criminality and …

PHILSTAR/MICHAEL VARCAS THE DEPARTMENT of Health (DoH) reported 2,833 coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infections on Wednesday, bringing the total to 294,591. The death toll rose by 44 to 5,091 while recoveries increased by 765 to 231,373, it said in a bulletin. There were 58,127 active cases, 86.5% of which were …