Philippines

Suntory will begin exporting Japanese gin to other counties in Asia in April. (Photo courtesy of Suntory) 
Food & Beverage

Suntory takes shot at spirits market in India, Southeast Asia

Japanese distiller looks to region's growing middle class for growth

15 February 2022
Ferdinand Marcos Jr and Sara Duterte have topped the latest poll by a wide margin for Philippine president and vice president.  
Philippine elections

Marcos-Duterte alliance confirms lead in Philippine election poll

Presidential children in pole position for two top posts ahead of May 9 voting

13 February 2022
Ferdinand Marcos Jr. enjoys a commanding lead in the race to succeed President Rodrigo Duterte, according to recent polling.
Philippine elections

Marcos survives petitions blocking Philippine presidential bid

Elections panel throws out cases seeking to disqualify dictator's son

10 February 2022
A woman looks at their damaged house due to Typhoon Rai in Cebu city in December 2021: the Philippines gets hit by at least 20 storms a year.
Opinion

Make climate change the issue in Philippine presidential election

Worsening tropical storms have failed to bring politicians' complacency to an end

9 February 2022
Tonik Digital Bank saw more than 100,000 accounts open within six months of its March 2021 opening in the Philippines.
Finance

Mizuho to invest about $60.6m in Tonik Financial

Japanese Bank looks to leverage growth in digital finance in Philippines

9 February 2022
A boy receives a COVID-19 vaccine in the Philippines. The BA.2 subvariant makes up 98% of recent new infections in the Southeast Asian country.
Coronavirus

Omicron subvariant's spread threatens to prolong COVID wave

Highly contagious BA.2 becoming dominant in more countries

9 February 2022
Philippine presidential candidate Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. and vice presidential candidate Sara Duterte during a rally in the Cavite Province city of Bacoor on Dec. 9.
Philippine elections

Marcos Jr. and Sara Duterte lead way as election campaign opens

Ten candidates for Philippine president and nine for VP are on the May 9 ballot

8 February 2022
Indian BrahMos missile, pictured at the International Maritime Defense show in St. Petersburg in July 2019: India can transform itself into a global leader in the production of relatively inexpensive weapons systems.
Opinion

Indian missile deal with the Philippines is a game changer

South Asian nation transforming itself into a global supplier of affordable weaponry

7 February 2022
A flight attendant performs a preflight safety check in the Philippines: The country is scheduled to reopen to fully vaccinated travelers from 157 countries on Feb. 10.
Your Week in Asia

SoftBank results, Philippines reopens, India Legislative Assembly elections

Your weekly lineup of Asia's biggest business and political events

6 February 2022
A man receives a COVID-19 vaccine booster shot in Phnom Penh last August. Cambodia's inoculation campaign has progressed rapidly.
COVID-19 Recovery Index

'Living with COVID' Cambodia jumps to 2nd in Nikkei Recovery Index

Omicron-hit Philippines down 45 places as ASEAN members diverge

4 February 2022
Stanley Ng, a pilot, has been named as Philippines Airlines president and chief operating officer. (Photo courtesy from the company)
Transportation

Philippine Airlines names owner's son-in-law as president

Flag carrier could benefit from border reopening, but high fuel costs pose challenge

31 January 2022
The parent of the Philippines' third telecommunications company, Dito Telecommunity, is a joint venture between tycoon Dennis Uy's group and state enterprise China Telecom. It has deferred a stock rights offering on "less than ideal market conditions" but secured longer-term financing. (Source photo by AFP/Jiji and DCME website)
Telecommunication

China Telecom's Philippine partner Dito CME drops rights offering

Flopped fundraising comes as blow to tycoon Dennis Uy, a Duterte campaign donor

31 January 2022
Tourists at White Beach on Boracay Island, Aklan province, Philippines, on Nov. 30, 2021.
Coronavirus

Philippines to accept fully vaccinated tourists from Feb. 10

Country opens borders to boost economy as it battles omicron spread

28 January 2022
Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., son of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, speaks to media after filing his candidacy to join the 2022 presidential race on Oct. 6, 2021 in Pasay, Metro Manila.
Philippine elections

Philippine election body in focus over Marcos exclusion ruling

Outgoing commissioner says she voted to kick dictator's son out of race

28 January 2022
People visit a newly reopened portion of Manila Bay filled with artificial white sand after COVID-19 restrictions were eased in October.
Economy

Philippines GDP beats target with 5.6% growth in 2021

Economy up 7.7% in Q4; bullish officials count on omicron wave being 'temporary'

27 January 2022
Japan recently extended its strict entry ban, affecting even Asian people with visas for long-term work or study. (Photo by Arisa Moriyama) 
Japan immigration

Japan's entry ban keeps Indonesian, Filipino workers in limbo

Some patiently wait, but others raise voices against strict border controls

26 January 2022
The frequencies controlled by Manuel Villar's company were taken over from ABS-CBN, after it ran afoul of President Rodrigo Duterte. (Source photos by AFP/Jiji and Reuters) 
Media & Entertainment

Duterte billionaire ally takes over shuttered TV network's assets

Manuel Villar, Philippines' richest man, expands media venture

26 January 2022
A Ministop convenience store in Manila. The number of Ministops in the Philippines has slowly declined in recent years. (Photo by Cliff Venzon)
Retail

Ministop Philippines to rebrand as Japanese partner exits

Convenience stores will expand ready-to-eat menu, offer new products

24 January 2022
Stream article image
22 January 2022
Filipino fishermen sort fish after arriving from a week-long trip to the disputed Scarborough Shoal, in Infanta, Pangasinan province, Philippines, on July 6, 2021.
Economy

Philippine fish import plan riles fisherfolk and politicians

Typhoon Rai, South China Sea issues contribute to shortage in archipelago nation

21 January 2022
Students seated on chairs with plastic barriers attend class after schools in the Philippines' capital reopened in December.
Coronavirus

Manila schools go on 'health break' amid Philippine COVID surge

Educators call for strict enforcement, citing risks to teacher, student health

20 January 2022
A shopping mall in Manila. Philippines' retail sector is dominated by local players, such as family-owned conglomerates SM Investments and Gokongwei Group's Robinsons Retail Holdings. (Photo by Kimberly Dela Cruz)
Retail

Philippines eases Asia's toughest FDI rules with new retail entry law

Backers say move boosts competition while critics call it 'industry killer'

17 January 2022
Indonesia, the world's biggest thermal coal exporter, has allowed 37 loaded coal vessels to depart after they secured approvals from authorities.
Commodities

Indonesia relaxes export ban to allow 37 coal vessels to depart

Partial easing comes amid pressure from Asian nations and to avoid 'fire risks'

13 January 2022
 Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte holds a vial of Sinovac Biotech's CoronaVac in February 2021.
COVID vaccines

Duterte's threats to unvaxxed show Philippine rollout disparities

Critics say shots and tests are insufficient, rural areas underserved

13 January 2022
Stream article image
Podcast

Asia Stream: the Asian election landscape in 2022

From India to the Philippines, which elections will matter this year?

11 January 2022