The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is now encouraging more on-site work and lessened work-from-home setup as the country now moves to the new normal. Speaking with President Rodrigo Duterte during the Talk to the People Monday evening, DTI Secretary Ramon Lopez said urging employees to physically report in their workplaces will stimulate economic activities. “We will encourage more on-site presence. Before, we encouraged work-from-home. This time, it’s physical presence. This means many will go back to their offices, there will be resumption of many events that will stimulate spending. With the increased mobility, people are spending when they

The country’s manufacturing score in February has improved to 52.8, its highest since December 2018, the IHS Markit Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) reported Tuesday. Last month’s manufacturing PMI was also better than the 50 index registered in January. IHS Markit economist Shreeya Patel said there were solid expansions in output and new orders that supported the growth of the local manufacturing sector. “While the relaxation of restrictions was no doubt the latest driver of growth, there were also tentative signs of improvements in material availability, as delivery times lengthened to the least marked extent for a year,” she said.

Nearly 2,000 rice farmers in Northern Samar have received cash aid from the central government under the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund – Rice Farmers Financial Assistance (RCEF-RFFA), the Department of Agriculture (DA) reported on Tuesday. The 1,955 rice farmers who received the cash aid on February 25 were from the towns of Bobon, Catarman, Mondragon, Pambujan, and San Roque in Northern Samar. Each of them received the PHP5,000 cash assistance, Rodel Macapañas, assistant chief of the DA’s regional planning, monitoring, and evaluation division said in a phone interview. Northern Samar is the last province to receive the grant under the

The continued recovery of the domestic economy makes executives of Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation (RCBC) optimistic of a similar outcome for the bank. The bank’s net income grew by 41 percent year-on-year last year to PHP7.1 billion, driven by the 13-percent rise of both the revenues and loans and 26-percent increase in deposits. In a virtual briefing on Tuesday, RCBC senior vice president Ma. Christina Alvarez said 2021 is a good year for the bank because of strong growth in their core business and they are committed to continue with this performance. “The momentum is there. Really, the outlook is