A sample of rice is seen in this file photo. — REUTERSBy Adrian H. Halili, ReporterTHE Department of Agriculture (DA) is considering extending the ban on rice imports until the end of the year, as farmgate prices of palay or unmilled rice continue to fall.“I

A worker counts US dollar bills inside a money changer in Metro Manila, Philippines, Feb. 7, 2018. — REUTERSBy Katherine K. ChanTHE Philippines’ external debt service burden dropped to $6.72 billion in the first half of the year as less foreign loans were due for

The Philippine flag is pictured with a rainbow in the background. — REUTERS/WILLY KURNIAWANBy Justine Irish D. Tabile, ReporterTHE Philippines slipped one spot in a global index on economic freedom, despite improvements in some areas, according to the Canada-based think tank Fraser Institute.The country ranked

PHILSTAR FILE PHOTOBy Aaron Michael C. Sy, ReporterTHE Philippines should focus on boosting the liquidity and increasing the size of benchmark bonds to ensure the inclusion in JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s Government Bond Index-Emerging Markets (GBI-EM) by 2026, analysts said.At the same time, National Treasurer

FIRSTGEN.COM.PHLOPEZ-LED First Gen Corp. is in talks for a further extension of the power purchase agreement (PPA) for its 1,000-megawatt (MW) Sta. Rita gas-fired power plant in Batangas, even after the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) approved its renewal until Jan. 31, 2026.“While [the PPA] for

BERDE RENEWABLES PRESIDENT and Co-founder Patrick ZhuBy Sheldeen Joy Talavera, ReporterRENEWABLE ENERGY solutions provider Berde Renewables, Inc. is aiming to deliver at least 500 megawatts (MW) of capacity from its project pipeline within the next three years, contributing to the Philippines’ clean energy goals.“Our main

CUPANG WATER RECLAMATION FACILITY in Muntinlupa City. — MAYNILAD WATER SERVICES, INC.WEST ZONE concessionaire Maynilad Water Services, Inc. has started treating up to 46 million liters of wastewater daily at its newly commissioned P1.6-billion Cupang Water Reclamation Facility (WRF) in Muntinlupa City.The facility is intended

BW FILE PHOTOTHE GOVERNMENT made a full award of the Treasury bills (T-bills) it offered on Monday at lower rates on strong demand for safe-haven assets amid broad market volatility.The Bureau of the Treasury (BTr) raised P22 billion as planned from the T-bills it auctioned

VITRODC.COMePLDT, Inc., a unit of PLDT Inc., has launched Pilipinas AI, described as the country’s first “sovereign” artificial intelligence (AI) platform, which allows enterprises to build and deploy AI models within the Philippines using locally hosted infrastructure and data.The platform was developed in partnership with