THE National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) will testify on Friday, Oct. 26, in a hearing for an injunction sought by Now Telecom Co., Inc. over the selection process for the telecom industry’s new entrant, the so-called “third player.”

THE Department of Agriculture (DA) hopes to conduct a pilot text next year of chip-embedded import certificates to deter falsification of the documents.

THE United States has allocated an initial volume of 142,160 metric tons raw value (MTRV) or 136,201 metric tons commercial weight (MTCW) of sugar for the Philippines as its quota for 2018-2019, according to Sugar Order No. 3 of the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA).

THE Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said it is in talks to adjust its various industry road maps in response to disruptions in the domestic and international markets, including the US-China trade dispute and inflation.

STATE-LED Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp. (PSALM) has given interested buyers until Nov. 23 to submit their bids for the site of the decommissioned Manila Thermal Power Plant used to stand.

THE Department of Energy (DoE) wants the volume of electricity traded on the spot market to increase by encouraging more private entities to put up merchant power plants, or those without an approved power supply agreement (PSA).

After more than two decades and several failed attempts, the bicameral committee finally approved draft legislation increasing the paid maternity leave benefit for working women. To be called the “105-Day Expanded Maternity Leave Law” if enacted, it will amend Republic Act No. 7322 of 1992, which at present entitles mothers to paid leave of 60 days for normal delivery or 78 days for caesarian section delivery.

THE SENATE COMMITTEE on public services on Monday approved in principle the granting of a 25-year legislative franchise to MORE Electric and Power Corp. (MORE Power) and provided for a transition period to replace the incumbent, Panay Electric Co. (PECO) as the sole power distributor in Iloilo City.

PRESIDENT Rodrigo R. Duterte has signed Republic Act (RA) No. 11089 granting the Villar Group’s Streamtech Systems Technologies Inc. a telecommunications franchise for 25 years.

THE DEPARTMENT of Finance (DoF) has sought the assistance of South Korea in implementing a value-added tax (VAT) refund system for visitors, as well as for environmental management support for the resort island of Siargao in Surigao del Norte.

AGRICULTURE Secretary Emmanuel F. Piñol said that the rebidding for unawarded lots in the first batch of rice imports will be conducted “right away” alongside the subsequent batches amounting to 500,000 metric tons.

A BILL strengthening the penalties for improperly employing foreign nationals and requiring them to transfer technology to Filipino employees has cleared the House Committee on Labor and Employment.