CASH sent home by overseas Filipino workers (OFW) surged to an all-time high in December and clocked in full-year growth that outpaced the central bank’s growth forecast even as it was the slowest annual increase on record, according to the data which the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) released on Friday.

PRESIDENT Rodrigo R. Duterte signed into law the rice tariffication bill on the last possible day he could have signed or vetoed the measure, Senate President Vicente C. Sotto III told reporters, as confirmed by television reports.

A MOTION for reconsideration has been filed before the Supreme Court (SC) over its decision denying Palawan its 40% share in the Malampaya gas project.

THE Philippine Competition Commission and the Department of Trade and Industry signed on Friday a memorandum of agreement (MoA) aimed at facilitating data-sharing between the two agencies and ensuring fair competition among the industries on their watch.

WEAKNESS returned to Philippine equities on Friday — marking the second straight weekly fall — as traders adjusted portfolios ahead of the main index’s rebalancing on Monday, as the ongoing Sino-US trade row weighed on investors’ minds amid a lack of more compelling leads at home and as foreigners snapped back to selling mode.

PRESIDENT Rodrigo R. Duterte’s special assistant Christopher Lawrence “Bong” T. Go has leapt to the top 12 in Pulse Asia’s latest survey on senatorial candidates conducted last January.

BUSINESSMAN Wilfredo D. Keng in a new statement on Friday maintained that the cyber libel case he filed against online news site Rappler and its CEO Maria A. Ressa is “a private criminal action” and “my personal fight to vindicate my name against the acts of an unethical and irresponsible few.”

THE Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) has included 13 names in its shortlist for the Supreme Court (SC) associate justice position vacated by the current Chief Justice Lucas P. Bersamin, according to Justice Secretary Menardo I. Guevarra.

AYALA Land Inc (ALI) said that it set a capital expediture (capex) budget of P130 billion this year, up from P110.1 billion a year earlier with the largest portion of the capex funding its residential projects.

THE Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) approved Udenna Group unit PH Resorts Group Holdings, Inc.’s (PHR) plan to conduct a follow-on offering of primary shares, with the stock responding by tumbling nearly 12%.

MANILA Water Co., Inc. has earmarked up to P197.8 billion for capital expenditure between now and the end of its concession agreement in 2037, more than half of which at P115 billion will go towards building new wastewater treatment plants and related facilities, company officials said.

THE peso declined further against the dollar on Friday as market participants pushed the US currency higher despite disappointing retail sales data in the US.