Specials Channel

Trump's trip comes on the heels of India's election in which Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a Hindu nationalist who has enthusiastically built ties with Washington, won an unexpectedly strong new mandate, as well as Australia's polls, where Prime Minister Scott Morrison stunned pundits by beating back a challenge from the Labor Party, whose promises included a "more considered" approach to China.

Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez has ordered the imposition of a 4-percent provisional tariff amounting to PHP210 per metric ton or PHP8.40 per bag on imported cement, which the TC had validated as local cement manufacturers face serious injury following several "pure" importers' over-importation of sometimes substandard but cheaper cement since 2016.

Social Watch Philippines co-convener, Dr. Maria Victoria Raquiza, cited that a funding shortfall of PHP63 billion exists for the first year of UHC, noting that the benefits of the landmark reform may not come to fruition without a significant increase in tobacco taxes.

Sandberg maintained that Facebook's teams are working hard on safety and security issues, echoing comments since the company came under fire over a series of missteps including leaking of data in 2016 to a consultancy working for Donald Trump.

The Republic of the Philippines successfully returned to the international capital markets with its offering of EUR750 million of 8-year Global Bonds. The bonds are expected to be rated Baa2 by Moody’s, BBB+ by Standard & Poor’s, and BBB by Fitch. The notes are expected to settle on May 17, 2019.

An economist of a Philippine-based private universal bank forecasts an A-grade credit rating for the Philippines in the next two to three years due to sustained robust growth of the domestic economy, as well as the demographics dividends.

Trade Secretary and Board of Investments Chairman Ramon Lopez announced that cumulative approved investments recorded by the BOI from January to April 2019 hit Php286.7 billion, a 46.5 percent jump from the same period last year where it posted Php195.7 billion.

Bangko Sentral Governor Benjamin Diokno on Friday maintained that the central bank's policy stance remains appropriate and risks to inflation remain even this 2019.

"This quarter was an absolute 'blow out quarter' across the board with no blemishes and in our opinion speaks to an inflection point in deal flow as more enterprises pick (Microsoft) for the cloud," said Daniel Ives of Wedbush Securities.

SHANGHAI -- Great Wall Motors, China's largest SUV and pickup manufacturer, has celebrated the world premiere of its P series pickup product line, which includes the passenger pickup, a cross-country pickup and a commercial pickup, at Auto Shanghai 2019.

Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III hailed the signing into law of the PHP3.7-trillion 2019 national budget, citing its importance towards attaining sustained growth of the Philippine economy.

SHANGHAI -- Xpeng Motors, a leading Chinese electric vehicle and technology company, today unveiled its new production model, the P7 intelligent electric coupe, during its debut at Auto Shanghai 2019, one of the world's most important auto trade shows.

SHANGHAI -- GAC New Energy Automobile Co. Ltd (GAC NE), China's fast growing electric car manufacturer, has unveiled the Aion LX, its new flagship model in the Aion range. The electric vehicle (EV) has a range of over 600 km (373 miles) under New European Driving Cycle (NEDC) standards.

Sales of car manufacturers bounced back in March, recording a double-digit growth year-on-year, the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers Association of the Philippines, Inc. reported on Monday.

A property consultancy firm warned that the current shortage of cement is likely to hold back the construction of new buildings.