MANILA – An official of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) on Wednesday said the government will further push for the development of the medical technology sector, citing the demand amid the pandemic. “The urgent need for this has never been more apparent than at the onset of the Covid-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic, when demands for personal protective equipment (PPEs) and test kits globally greatly affected their prices and our procuring power, and consequently our response,” said Undersecretary Rowena Cristina Guevara in a virtual forum organized by De La Salle University. She noted the growing shift to less

MANILA – Before politicians get busy for the national election next year, the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (ECCP) has urged the government to pass key legislation that will attract more foreign investments in the country. In a virtual media roundtable Wednesday, ECCP president Lars Wittig said these key legislative priorities include the amendments to the Foreign Investments Act, Public Service Act, and the Retail Trade Liberalization Act. “While the President is taking the lead, the priority bills that are quite important for us. Foreign investors are really urging that they are being passed before the elections so

TOKYO – The Philippine Ambassador to Japan, Jose Laurel V, on Wednesday encouraged the country’s Paralympians “to continue our country’s winning streak in the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics.” Laurel was referring to the country’s most successful Olympic stint in the Japanese capital nearly a month ago, highlighted by weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz’s historic first gold medal in the 32nd Summer Games in ruling the women’s 55-kilogram division at the Tokyo International Forum last July 26. The PH Olympic squad also went home with a silver medal each from boxers Nesthy Petecio and Carlo Paalam and a bronze courtesy of Eumir Felix Marcial in

MANILA – The processing of artificial intelligence (AI) is expected to be an emerging industry for the Philippines following the growth of the business process outsourcing (BPO) sector in the past decades. Reporting to President Rodrigo Duterte during the Talk to the Nation Tuesday night, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Secretary Ramon Lopez said the government and private sector are pushing for the expansion of AI technology in the country. “In the near future, the Philippines could be a big data processing hub. We see AI as the next center for excellence after BPO, which the Philippines is known

MANILA – Department of Finance (DOF) Secretary and Climate Change Commission (CCC) chairperson-designate Carlos Dominguez raised the urgency for public action on climate change, warning recent disasters from extreme weather events due to this scourge further offer a preview of what passiveness will lead to. The onslaught of deadly and devastating floods in Germany and China as well as heatwaves in the US highlight need for people to be creative, ambitious and innovative in battling climate change, he noted. “This is a battle we cannot afford to lose,” Dominguez said Tuesday at CCC’s online forum on the changing climate. The

MANILA – The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ (BSP) term deposit facility (TDF) interest rates registered mixed results on Wednesday but both tenors still posted strong demand from banks. Data released by the central bank showed that the average rate of the seven-day facility rose to 1.7207 percent from 1.7113 percent during the auction last August 18. On the other hand, the average rate of the 14-day TDF declined to 1.7167 percent from last week’s 1.7274 percent. The BSP again offered the one-week facility for PHP150 billion, and bids amounted to PHP169.137 billion. This tenor was fully awarded. The offer volume