Members of the Manila Police District (MPD) arrested two men suspected of robbing a bank in Paco, Manila and presented them to the media on Thursday. The suspects were identified as truck driver Carel Macarine, 32, a resident of Caloocan City, and truck helper Ryan Sale, 28, a resident of Quezon City. However, a third man who is believed to be the one who entered and robbed the Chinabank Otis branch is still at large, National Capital Region Police Office chief, Maj. Gen. Vicente Danao Jr. said. “Yung nangholdap sa bangko ay nakasakay ng motor and dun sa continuous follow

The Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) ended Thursday up partly on positive United States housing data but the peso depreciated against the greenback. The main stocks index rose by 0.27 percent, or 18.77 points, to 6,952.88 points. All Shares also gained during the day after it increased by 0.67 percent, or 28.83 points, to 4,325.84 points. Most of the sectoral indexes also inched up and these are the Industrial, 2.19 percent; Mining and Oil, 2.16 percent; Services, 0.95 percent; and Holding Firms, 0.17 percent. On the other hand, Property went down by 0.79 percent and Financials by 0.47 percent. Volume

A rail system linking the province of Rizal with the eastern part of Metro Manila is nearing reality as the signing of a contract between the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and Spain-based design firm IDOM Consulting Engineering, Architecture, SA (IDOM) is set to happen on Friday. In a Viber message to reporters on Friday, the DOTr said the design contract of the rail project, to be dubbed the Metro Rail Transit Line 4 (MRT-4), will have a total cost of around USD28.967 million (around PHP1.4 billion). The DOTr, in a press release, said IDOM initially received the Notice of Award

President Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday night certified as urgent the proposed PHP5.024-trillion budget for 2022. In a September 29 letter addressed to House Speaker Lord Allan Velasco, Duterte sought the immediate enactment of House Bill 10153, or the 2022 General Appropriations Bill. Duterte said the spending measure must be immediately enacted to “address the need to maintain continuous government operations following the end of the current fiscal year, to expedite the funding of various programs, projects, and activities for FY 2022, and to ensure budgetary preparedness that will enable the government to effectively perform its constitutional mandate.” According to Velasco,

Higher prices of oil products, basic and prime commodities, select fruits and vegetables, rice, as well as power rates in areas being serviced by the Manila Electric Company (Meralco) are seen to accelerate the inflation rate in September to a range of 4.8 percent to 5.6 percent. In a statement on Thursday, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) said these factors are seen to be countered by the drop in meat prices and strengthening of the peso against the US dollar. “Moving forward, the BSP will continue to monitor emerging price developments to help ensure that its primary mandate of

The Ministry of Labor and Employment – Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (MOLE-BARMM) has begun construction of a three-story one-stop-shop service building inside the BARMM compound here. MOLE-BARMM Minister Romeo Sema said Thursday that the building amounting to PHP11.4-million will provide constituents easier access to the ministry’s programs and projects. Some services from the Professional Regulation Commission, Social Security System, Philippine Health Insurance Corporation, and Philippine Statistics Authority will also be available in the building. “All these services with our partner government agencies will be placed in this building for the convenience of the region’s Overseas Filipino Workers, among