The decision to postpone the 2020 Tokyo Games was made not a moment too soon. Certainly, its effect on athletes who hitherto looked forward to the Olympics being held in July and trained accordingly cannot be underestimated. For countless who fixed their calendars so they could be in peak form for the quadrennial spectacle, the delay throws a monkey wrench on their bids for glory. The ideal would have been to push through with it, but the rapid spread of the new coronavirus and the need for containment made it untenable. And because lives were at stake, there was simply no choice but to move it back a year.

THE Philippine economy could contract by as much as 0.6% this year due to the widening fallout from the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, according to the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA).

THE Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) will slash the reserve requirement ratio (RRR) of universal and commercial banks by 200 basis points (bps) to release additional liquidity into the market amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak.

FITCH RATINGS downgraded its outlook on the Philippine banking industry to “negative,” from “stable,” citing the growing fallout from the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak.

SMALL Business Corp. (SB Corp.) is setting up a P1-billion loan program for micro and small enterprises that have been affected by the enhanced community quarantine in Luzon.

ELECTRONICS manufacturer Cirtek Holdings Philippines Corp. said it is receiving more orders at present as it maintained operations while Luzon is on lockdown.

RIDE-HAILING platform Angkas now has a food delivery service to help its bikers during the government-imposed quarantine period.

THE various details that were once mere facts of life become major decisions when you’ve been forcibly locked inside the house by a virus. New developments everyday force us ever more to retreat inwards, but inside a space filled with dread. Maybe a touch of true silence will make that place a little better.

FILIPINO rock band 6Cyclemind has partnered with Sony Music Philippines to create a cover project featuring the fans’ rendition of songs from the band’s discography.

THE GOVERNMENT rejected all bids for the fresh seven-year Treasury bonds (T-bonds) it offered on Tuesday amid higher rates, amid uncertainties due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

CARITAS MANILA Inc., the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Manila’s social arm, is calling for cash donations for 6,000 poor communities in Metro Manila that are at risk in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

THE US FEDERAL Reserve on Monday rolled out an extraordinary array of programs to backstop an economy reeling from sweeping restrictions on commerce that scientists say are needed to slow the coronavirus pandemic and ultimately keep more people safe.