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A broader look at today’s business
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Saturday, September 13, 2025 Vol. 20 No. 335
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PHL EYEING RETURN TO JAPANESE DEBT MARKET T
By Reine Juvierre S. Alberto
A GLOBAL MOSAIC OF LOSS, CLASSROOM FOR THE FUTURE
Recto told the BusinessMirror on Friday that the Philippines could issue samurai bonds “most probably next year.” The Finance chief is in Osaka, Japan, leading the Philippine delegation, with other government officials for the Philippine Economic Briefing and high-level one-on-one meetings with Japanese investors. During the briefing on September 12, Recto said in his presentation that Japanese investors have been vital partners in the Philippines’ fundraising activities. “We will continue tapping the Samurai market, giving you a bigger role and bigger returns in the Philippines’ growth story,” Recto said. Last year, officials from Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC) and Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC)
With Sara absent, House panel defers budget briefing of OVP
RULETKKA | DREAMSTIME.COM
HE national government is eyeing a return to the Japanese debt market, with a possible samurai bond issuance next year, according to Finance Secretary Ralph G. Recto.
The Philippine government will not just be “transparent and guided by good governance, but is decisive and unafraid to act and address corruption.”—Finance Secretary Ralph G. Recto
met with the Finance secretary, expressing their interest in collaborating with the government on its samurai bond issuance. The Philippines last tapped the samurai bond market in April Continued on A2
Coca-Cola to put up largest manufacturing plant in Luzon
AP/BASILIO SEPE
By Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz
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HE House Committee on Appropriations on Friday deferred the budget briefing of the Office of the Vice President (OVP) after Vice President Sara Duterte failed to attend. Appropriations panel vice chairperson Jose Alvarez said the OVP had sent a letter designating Assistant Secretary Lemuel Ortonio to defend the proposed budget. However, consistent with House tradition, Alvarez noted that either the head of the agency or at least an undersecretary-level official should be present during budget deliberations. “I advised them in the morning not to come here because it’s the same if the VP Chief of Staff Zuleika Lopez is not here,” Alvarez explained, adding that he was assured before noon that Duterte herself would attend the deliberations next Tuesday. Continued on A2
ONE WTC
By Manuel T. Cayon
AVAO CITY—Coca-Cola will construct its largest manufacturing plant, a sprawling 42-hectare facility, in a bold assertion by the conglomerate formed by the world’s leading soft drinks and beverage company and the Aboitiz Group. The Aboitiz Equity Ventures Inc. (AEV), a portfolio manager of the Aboitiz Group and a 40-percent shareholder in Coca-Cola Europacific Aboitiz Philippines (CCEAP), said the latter will construct a state-of-the-art manufacturing plant in Tarlac City. Executives of both corporations attended the groundbreaking of the manufacturing plant inside the TARI Estate in Tarlac City, the industrial enclave developed by the Aboitiz InfraCapital Economic Estates. The Aboitiz Group said the project is expected to generate hundreds of local jobs and support regional economic growth. It also said the project “underscores AEV’s commitment to shaping the future as the Philippines’ first “techglomerate” leveraging
ABOITIZ INFRACAPITAL ECONOMIC ESTATES
D VICE President Sara Duterte
9/11 Memorial leader and survivor share the story of remembrance
its life-essential businesses and technology-driven investments to advance growth, innovation, and community development across the country.” The facility will be one of CCEP’s largest manufacturing sites globally and among its most significant infrastructure investments to date, and AEV emphasized that “this landmark project will bring substantial benefits to the region and the country, drawing in complementary industries, and contributing to the Philippines’ GDP growth.” “This new development cements our solid partnership with Coca-Cola Europacific Partners. It’s
a strategic move: we need to protect and grow Coke’s market share while driving development in local economies. It signals to the market that Central Luzon is ready—ready to lead the next wave of industrial growth in the Philippines,” said Sabin M. Aboitiz, president and chief executive officer of AEV. “Coca-Cola is everywhere. It’s the most popular brand in the world, sold in more than 200 countries and enjoyed about 2.2 billion times every single day. The brand appears in over 33 million outlets and claims more than half of the global beverage market,” he added. Continued on A2
Eternal Plans Lives Up to “Karamay mo sa Kapaligiran” with Successful Siniloan Tree Planting Initiative
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EMONSTRATING its expanded commitment from securing family futures to nurturing the planet, Eternal Plans, Inc., a dedicated provider of pre-need services, reaffirmed its dedication to Filipino families and the environment by participating in the “Trees 4 Sustainability – Nourishing Trees for Nurturing Nature” (T4S) Program in Siniloan, Laguna, on August 16, 2025. This initiative powerfully affirms the company’s promise as not just a “Karamay mo sa Buhay,” but also a “Karamay sa Kapaligiran,” solidifying its commitment to long-term ecological stability. Eternal Plans, Inc. stands alongside a broad coalition of corporate and community partners, unified in their dedication to environmental stewardship, proving that collective action can indeed bring “puno ang solusyon” – trees are the solutions. Employee volunteers from Eternal Plans gathered at the Siniloan Forest Park in Brgy. Magsaysay, a critical conservation area for the Sierra Madre Mountain Continued on A2
DESIREE BOUCHAT
ELIZABETH HILLMAN
911 Memorial Museum
Text & Photos by Troi Santos
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EW YORK—At the edge of Ground Zero, where steel once cut into the Manhattan sky and where absence now commands a presence of its own, the 9/11 Memorial Glade filled with journalists from different countries. The Foreign Press Center’s briefing, formally titled “9/11 Memorial & Museum CEO Offers Insight into National Day of Remembrance,” was convened ahead of the 24th anniversary of the September 11 attacks. The session featured two speakers: Elizabeth Hillman, President and CEO of the 9/11 Memorial & Museum, and Desiree Bouchat, an Aon employee and survivor of the South Tower. Hillman and Bouchat, whose voices, one institutional and one personal, braided together the larger story: why the memorial exists, and why its memory must remain alive. Hillman reminded the audience that this is no ordinary museum. “9/11 was an event of immense global impact. More than 90 countries lost citizens that day, and the International Press Corps played a critical role in covering the events, with global media networks reporting in real time the tragic events that killed nearly 3,000 people. Billions of people around the world watched as it unfolded. From Japan to Brazil to Germany, the images and impact of 9/11 transcended borders. This was not only an American tragedy, it was a moment of shared global experience, and it’s one that we remember every year here on this hallowed ground.” Continued on A2
PESO EXCHANGE RATES n US 57.1740 n JAPAN 0.3884 n UK 77.6309 n HK 7.3409 n CHINA 8.0319 n SINGAPORE 44.6253 n AUSTRALIA 38.0722 n EU 67.0937 n KOREA 0.0411 n SAUDI ARABIA 15.2403 Source: BSP (September 12, 2025)