Tag: Janina C. Lim

THE DEPARTMENT of Trade and Industry (DTI) will impose a provisional safeguard duty on imported cement starting next month, citing the need to prevent putting local producers at a disadvantage.

THE CENTRAL BANK and the competition watchdog cautioned against moves to raise prices of agricultural products at a time of improved food supply, saying this could disrupt inflation’s slowdown, faster economic growth and healthy sectoral competition.

THE value of electronics exports in the 11 months to November rose 4.57% year-on-year, the Semiconductor and Electronics Industries in the Philippines Foundation, Inc. (SEIPI) said.

THE Joint Foreign Chambers (JFC) said they expect foreign direct investment (FDI) this year to once more top the $10 billion level, which the Philippines first attained 2017.

OPTIONS for a resolution of debt troubles of Hanjin Heavy Industries and Construction Philippines (HHIC-Phil), which has entered rehabilitation, now include a possible government takeover of its facilities in Subic Bay Freeport in Central Luzon, the country’s Defense chief said on Wednesday.

HEAVYWEIGHTS dragged the main index on Wednesday as Mitsubishi Corp. reduced its stake in Ayala Corp. (AC) while the Department of Interior and Local Government’s (DILG) intent to wipe out all reclamation projects in Manila Bay hurt SM Prime Holdings, Inc. (SMPH), which has ambitious projects set in the harbor.

THE Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said it aims to cover more micro enterprises and entrepreneurs under its Pondo Para sa Pagbabago (P3) after meeting its initial goal.

LOCAL STOCKS slid slightly on Tuesday as investors awaited the British parliament’s take on a historic vote on the Brexit deal, while China’s trade data brought disappointment.

VEHICLE SALES in 2018 dropped for the first time in seven years as the industry reeled amid imposition of higher automobile taxes starting January and the acceleration of headline inflation to the highest in nearly a decade.

THE Philippine Cement Importers Association (PCIA) warned of a looming cement shortage within the next two months, amid concerns over proposed government measures to protect the local cement industry.

THE MAIN INDEX opened the week on a positive note amid a recovery in banking stocks and news that the new real estate investment trusts (REIT) rules will be out in the first half of the year.

THE Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) said investment pledges, as measured by projects registered for incentives, fell nearly 41% in 2018, with the agency blaming the uncertainty stemming from the upcoming elections and the tax reform bill that proposes to overhaul the incentives system.

THE Philippines expects the completion of the e-commerce provisions of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) within the first half of the year.

THE Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said it will release next month the implementing rules and regulations which will revive barter trade in Mindanao.

PRICES OF agricultural products at the Commonwealth Market and supermarkets in Quezon City are lower by as much as P50 compared to the average selling prices in other parts of Metro Manila, based on the Department of Trade and Industry’s (DTI) monitoring.

THE Philippines’ decision not to extend quantitative restrictions on rice has improved its position with potential trading partners, its World Trade Organization (WTO) representative said.

THE Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is pushing to boost halal certification in the restaurant industry ahead of the 30^th Southeast Asian Games late this year.

TOYOTA Motor Philippines Corp. (TMP) said Lexus Manila, Inc., one of its local dealers, ordered a recall of certain units of LS 500 models due to an improper programming of their start-stop systems.

THE Semiconductor and Electronics Industries in the Philippines Foundation, Inc. (SEIPI) said it is confident it will hit its 2018 growth target for electronics shipments.

THE Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said it will complete this week a preliminary investigation to determine whether the domestic cement industry needs safeguard measures to protect it from an alleged influx of cement imports in the past few years.

THE Board of Investments (BoI) said it is confident it will surpass the P1 trillion target for investment pledges in 2019.

THE Philippine Competition Commission (PCC) is considering the possibility of taking into account the valuation of data assets in mergers or acquisitions.

PHILIPPINE EQUITIES climbed for a fifth straight trading day on Friday on the back of investor optimism in the face of easing inflation, with consumer stocks particularly benefiting from the latest price data.

THE Philippine Competition Commission’s (PCC) rules on its leniency program will take effect later this month, after the final version was published last week.

THE US business chamber said it hopes free trade agreement (FTA) talks with the Philippines will get going in 2019.

THE Board of Investments (BoI) wants more companies to take advantage of inclusive business incentives, touting them as a pathway to unlock some of...

THE Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said it imposed new rules covering the product safety (PS) certification of certain steel bar products.

THE PHILIPPINES is looking forward to a pending World Trade Organization (WTO) agreement to eliminate fisheries subsidies, saying that such a deal would protect the country’s coastal waters from overfishing.

A MANILA Electric Co.-led consortium offered the lowest power distribution rate for New Clark City, according to the Bases Conversion and Development Authority.

HYUNDAI Asia Resources, Inc. (HARI), the official importer of Hyundai vehicles to the Philippines, said November sales rose 5.65% year-on-year to 3,426 units.

THE PHILIPPINE STOCK EXCHANGE index (PSEi) closed below the 7,500 mark on Friday and was lower on the week after climbing for five straight weeks, dragged down by Wall Street’s plunge ahead of a long Christmas weekend.

TOYOTA Motor Philippines Corp. (TMP) is aiming to boost to 40% the local content of its car model enrolled under the Comprehensive Automotive Resurgence Strategy (CARS) program next year.

THE Cagayan Economic Zone Authority (CEZA) said it signed an agreement with two companies to develop a $4.5 billion new city in Sta. Ana, Cagayan, on the northeastern tip of Luzon, within two years.

STAKEHOLDERS warned of a slowdown in construction of projects should the government impose safeguard measures against cement imports.

THE value of electronics exports in the first 10 months of the year rose 5.20% to $31.71 billion, with the industry maintaining its place as the Philippines’ biggest source of merchandise exports.

BUSINESS LEADER Donald G. Dee, president of the Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECoP) as well as honorary chairman and chief operating officer of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI), died on Saturday at the age of 72, according to notices both chambers posted on their social media sites.

MOODY’s Investors Service said its outlook for the steel industry in Asia in 2019 is stable as China reduces capacity and enforces tough environmental rules.

THE Board of Investments (BoI) has assigned itself an investment target above P700 billion next year, adding that it remain confident it will hit its 2018 target of P680 billion despite being at only 85% of that goal as of mid-November.

THE Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said the Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ (ASEAN) upcoming free trade agreement with India will expand opportunities for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

FOREIGN business groups said various items of legislation to remove foreign investment limits remain on their wish list before the conclusion of the 17^th Congress.

THE Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) will soon partner with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to promote best practices in e-commerce among exporters.

THE Philippines and the United States may start next year initial talks for a free trade agreement (FTA), in the form of a “scoping exercise” to determine the extent of the future talks’ coverage.

DOHA-BASED Al Jameel Showroom Furniture is looking to put up operations in the country, according to the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA).

THE DEPARTMENT of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has affirmed its decision to close two mining projects and reject the application for a permit of another that are among the 13 that appealed to DENR sanctions announced in February last year.

PHILIPPINE SHARES rose overall for the third straight day back above the 7,000 line on Friday, a day after the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) raised policy rates further — though by a smaller magnitude — to temper inflation expectations.