THE GOVERNMENT has exceeded its palay procurement target for the first quarter due to innovative methods employed by the National Food Authority (NFA).
Apr 102013
Mar 112013
(Department of Agriculture logo) The Department of Agriculture will provide an additional supply of rice and basic food items for Tawi-Tawi, Sulu, and Basilan to satisfy the increased demand due to the influx of returning Filipinos and refugees from Sabah. Agriculture Secretary Proceso J. Alcala has instructed concerned DA officials to ensure a steady supply of rice of other basic food items in the three provinces to prevent a shortage and undue increase in prices. He instructed Administrator Orlan Calayag of the DA’s National Food Authority to sustain the delivery of rice, in coordination with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and respective local governments units (LGUs). Sec. Alcala also instructed the DA regional directors in Mindanao to send additional supply of cassava, which also serves as a major staple, to Tawi-Tawi and Sulu. In a report to Sec. Alcala, Calayag said the NFA as of March 9, has delivered an initial 2,200 bags (50 kilos each) to Tawi-Tawi and Sulu (at 1,000 bags each), and 200 bags in Zamboanga City. The DSWD has allotted the rice for Filipino returnees from Sabah. The NFA is shipping 180 to 250 bags of rice, two to three times a week, to Suu, and the NFA regional office in Davao is ready to ship 50,000 bags to Sulu and Tawi-Tawi, Calayag said. Other NFAl regional offices, particularly in Metro Manila or NCR and Region 6 (Western Visayas), are also set to send additional rice stocks to Zamboanga for delivery to the Read More …
Feb 062013
After reaching another record high mark, the Philippine stock market’s performance seems to be for real, and not just a passing fancy that can be attributed to the inflow of “hot” money, meaning foreign investments in the local stock market by speculators. In less than two months, the local bourse breached its high point 15 times, now less than 30 index points away from the 6,500-level. It seems that P-Noy will get his birthday wish this year, though not exactly on his birth date come February 8. The push, according to my insider friend, is coming from the low interest rates accruing many financial instruments. And the Philippine equity market, being one of the most bullish in the region, is attracting solid capital. The influx of new investors, many by retirees, in the stock market is also causing blue chips to rise in value. We’re seeing successive increases in the stock prices of group member and affiliated companies of SM, San Miguel, Ayala, and PLDT, as well as real estate firms. With the Philippines just a hop away from getting its investment grade status from international credit rating agencies, expect the bullishness in our stock market to continue, and perhaps even cause the index to rise over the 7,000 mark within the year. Consumer-led businesses as well as those involved in real estate are now crediting investor confidence as a primary reason for their upbeat view of 2013 and the medium-term. There’s money going into Philippine business ventures now, a Read More …