ECCP at Work

ERC moves to curb unclear, duplicate power charges

THE ENERGY Regulatory Commission (ERC) has issued new rules to standardize miscellaneous fees charged by distribution utilities (DU), in an effort to protect consumers from unclear and duplicate charges.

Severe El Niño could dampen infrastructure spending in early 2027 — DBM

A SEVERE EL NIÑO could disrupt the country’s infrastructure program by early next year, potentially erasing gains from a planned catch-up in spending in the second half of 2026, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) said.

Asean to promote emerging destinations within region

TOURISM ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) have agreed to promote their lesser known destinations to encourage intra-regional travel, and reduce their dependence on long-haul international visitors.

Treasury plans to borrow P892B in Q4

THE GOVERNMENT is planning to borrow P892 billion from the domestic market in the last three months of the year, the Bureau of the Treasury (BTr) said on Tuesday.Based on its borrowing schedule posted on the website, the Treasury is looking to raise P462 billion from Treasury bills (T-bills) and P430 billion from Treasury bonds (T-bonds) in the October-to-December period.

Meralco seeks bids for 900-MW baseload supply

MANILA Electric Co. (Meralco) has started bidding for 900 megawatts (MW) of baseload power supply to cover requirements beginning in 2031.In a statement on Tuesday, the power distributor said it had started the competitive selection process (CSP) after the Department of Energy issued a certificate of conformity on the terms of reference for the proposed power supply agreements.

Alternergy secures P2 billion from debt market debut

RENEWABLE ENERGY developer Alternergy Holdings Corp. said it raised P2 billion from its maiden issuance of fixed-rate corporate notes in the Philippine debt capital market. The company said in a statement on Tuesday that the 1.5-year notes were oversubscribed and attracted more than 125 qualified buyers.

Globe pegs AI benefits at P1.2 billion, return at 2.8x

GLOBE Telecom, Inc. said its artificial intelligence (AI) initiatives generated P1.2 billion in measured business benefits as of August, which the company said was equivalent to 2.8 times its AI investments. The listed telecommunications company said the amount included incremental revenue, cost avoidance, and employee productivity gains from its generative AI and AI and machine-learning initiatives.

September inflation likely quickened

PHILIPPINE inflation may have quickened in September as bad weather pushed up food prices, fuel costs surged and the peso weakened, with the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) expecting the rate to stay above its 3% target for a seventh straight month.

Holiday spending may lift Q4 growth, but inflation risks loom

THE PHILIPPINE ECONOMY could get a lift from improved sentiment, remittances and holiday spending in the fourth quarter, although faster inflation could weigh on consumption, the University of Asia and the Pacific (UA&P) said.

PCTO responds to NTC show-cause orders

Last week, the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) imposed daily fines on the country’s three mobile network operators (Globe, Smart, DITO) for poor mobile broadband service in parts of Metro Manila.

Bohol steps up measures vs ASF, bans live hogs from Cebu for 60 days

Gov. Aris Aumentado has issued an executive order (EO) banning the entry of live hogs and other regulated commodities from ASF-affected areas in Cebu province and Cebu City for 60 days. The EO took effect on Tuesday, Sept. 29.

NTC eyes mandatory permits to curb stolen, defective phone sales

The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) is exploring the implementation of a mandatory permit for the importation and sale of used mobile phones as it moves to crack down on transactions involving stolen phones.