GSIS expands emergency loan assistance for typhoon-hit members, pensioners to nearly P8B

GMA Network - Sep 18, 2026

The Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) on Friday announced an increase in its emergency loan assistance for members and pensioners affected by the recent typhoons and the enhanced Southwest Monsoon, or Habagat, to nearly P8 billion.

Read full article

More News

Fed hike unlikely to spur aggressive BSP response

Sep 18, 2026

Fed hike unlikely to spur aggressive BSP response

MANILA, Philippines — The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas is expected to take a measured approach to raising interest rates despite the US Federal Reserve’s (Fed) first increase since 2023, analysts said, as a more aggressive tightening campaign could unsettle markets and add to financial volatility. Leonardo Lanzona, an economist at Ateneo de Manila University, said the

DBM OKs over 26K DSWD posts

Sep 18, 2026

DBM OKs over 26K DSWD posts

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has approved more than 26,000 positions in the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), including about 5,703 posts to strengthen operations of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps). The latest staffing action covers 5,711 regular positions in DSWD, of which 5,703 are for the institutionalization

Semirara uncertainties deepen as DOE scraps 2026 coal auction

Sep 18, 2026

Semirara uncertainties deepen as DOE scraps 2026 coal auction

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine government has ditched plans to bid out coal contracts this year as it overhauls awarding rules, a development that further fuels the anxiety gripping Consunji-led Semirara Mining and Power Corp. (SMPC). In an advisory dated Sept. 15, the Department of Energgy (DOE) scrapped the 2026 coal bid round covering three predetermined

Philippines vies to be Southeast Asia’s creative economy hub

Sep 18, 2026

Philippines vies to be Southeast Asia’s creative economy hub

MANILA, Philippines — Manila will make a push to anchor Southeast Asia’s $300-billion creative economy when the region’s heads of state troop to the Philippines in November, where it will pitch a center of excellence dedicated to the sector. That center, planned for the 21,000-square-meter Likhang Filipino site in Pasay, would be just the second Asean

The strategic difference between loyalty and inertia

Sep 18, 2026

The strategic difference between loyalty and inertia

Are customers returning because they choose you or because they have not found a reason to leave? A few times each month, I return to the same beef noodle shop in Opus Mall. It is only a kilometer from my home, making it convenient. Sometimes my wife, Chiqui, joins me and we share a simple

Electrified vehicles take the fast lane in the Philippines

Sep 18, 2026

Electrified vehicles take the fast lane in the Philippines

MANILA, Philippines — Once seemingly a distant vision of the future, electrified vehicles are becoming an increasingly common sight on Philippine roads, especially among Filipinos who can afford to ditch their fuel-guzzling cars as an oil crisis drives up the cost of getting around. Since the year began, electrified vehicle sales in the country have more

BP 22 Gets Its Teeth Back

Sep 18, 2026

BP 22 Gets Its Teeth Back

In 2007, I wrote an article entitled “BP 22 Defanged,” where I observed that Batas Pambansa Blg. 22, the Bouncing Checks Law (BP 22), had been weakened by two developments: the Supreme Court’s policy preference for a fine rather than imprisonment (SC Administrative Circular Nos. 12-2000 and 13-01) and decisions requiring the prosecution to prove

Over P10/L price hike for diesel, P5/L for gasoline seen next week

Sep 18, 2026

Over P10/L price hike for diesel, P5/L for gasoline seen next week

Motorists should brace for another round of big-time increases in pump prices to be implemented in the coming week, as the Middle East crisis continues to disrupt the global petroleum market.

How will Japan’s rate increase affect capital flow in global financial markets?

Sep 18, 2026

How will Japan’s rate increase affect capital flow in global financial markets?

Japan is adding a fresh layer of uncertainty to global financial markets by potentially triggering a new bout of turmoil in bond markets and dampening the appetite for risk assets, as Tokyo’s pursuit of bigger government spending stokes concerns about fiscal discipline and sends sovereign bond yields to multi-year highs. The nation’s 10-year bond yield hit 3.03 per cent this week, a level not seen in three decades, while 30-year bond yields traded at 4.1 per cent, also nearing a 30-year high....

TAT is expanding Nihao Month 2026 to boost travel to China and increase engagement

Sep 17, 2026

TAT is expanding Nihao Month 2026 to boost travel to China and increase engagement

TAT's Nihao Month 2026 targets Chinese tourists with Meituan promotions, cultural events, and KOL trips to boost engagement.

Hong Kong malls bet on Asian Games to boost footfall, tenant sales amid spending shifts

Sep 17, 2026

Hong Kong malls bet on Asian Games to boost footfall, tenant sales amid spending shifts

Hong Kong shopping mall operators are extending a strategy used during this year’s Fifa World Cup into the Asian Games, leveraging major sporting events to draw visitors and support tenant sales as retailers face competition from Shenzhen, overseas shopping and online spending. Sino Group is among the landlords expanding the strategy beyond tournament broadcasts. It has projected foot traffic across its four malls to increase during its Asian Games campaign, with selected merchants forecast to...

P74-M facility to boost Cabanatuan rice processing

Sep 17, 2026

P74-M facility to boost Cabanatuan rice processing

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Agriculture (DA) has opened a new P74.4-million rice processing facility in Cabanatuan to improve postharvest processing in Nueva Ecija, the country’s top rice-producing province. The facility, inaugurated on Thursday, includes a multi-stage rice mill that can process 4 to 5 tons per hour, along with three recirculating dryers, each

Recommended