DOMESTIC trade rose by volume and value in the first quarter, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said.

A week ago, I was browsing through my social media feed and saw a post about kids crying and having fits on their first day at school. For a moment, I was suddenly reminded of how time flew by so quickly, so much that I almost failed to notice that we are already halfway through the year and that the school year has officially started. As I kept on browsing, I came across more posts about the school opening -- pictures of crowded or makeshift classrooms, rants on the insufficiency or absence of educational supplies and facilities -- the list goes on.

THE National Wages and Productivity Commission (NWPC) said regional wage boards have been briefed about the impact of tax reform by key government agencies, which provided data that the boards are expected to consider when they rule on wage petitions.

THE National Transmission Corp. (TransCo) expects electricity users to pay a lower feed-in tariff allowance (FiT-All) for 2019 as it plans to seek from the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) a rate below 2018’s P0.2932 per kilowatt-hour (kWh).

NATIONAL GOVERNMENT agencies’ cash use accelerated in the middle of the second quarter, according to data from the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).

THE Department of Agriculture (DA) said it hopes to increase domestic production of jackfruit, known by its Filipino name langka, to cut down on a P500-million annual import bill.

We constantly hear about how globalization and the rapid advances in technology are disrupting every single industry in the world. We can see this new paradigm happening as well in the global automotive sector where the line between automotive and technology has already started to blur. This has produced a new ecosystem with new rules for success. However, we should note that the change drivers in the automotive sector go further than just technology.

THE Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) said the inter-agency committee overseeing the selection of a third telco player will come up with a target timetable for the announcement of the new entrant.

THE Swiss challenge for proposals on the rehabilitation of Marawi City will start on Tuesday should negotiations with a consortium be successful, the concerned government inter-agency task force group announced on Friday.

THE TOURISM industry’s contribution to the economy was the highest in 18 years in 2017, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said.

THE NUMBER of approved building permits continued to grow in the first quarter albeit at a slower rate compared to a year earlier as well as a quarter earlier, the government reported yesterday.

INFLATION momentum has been easing as price spikes due to tax reform have decelerated, the central bank said as it decided to raise rates last month in order to temper future price increases.