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27 January 2004, Tuesday - The Philippine Star)

Newly-consolidated One Network Rural Bank is looking to gain a combined net income growth of over 50 percent, or from P135 million at the end of 2003 to P215 million this year.

(27 January 2004, Tuesday - The Philippine Star)
By Ted P. Torres

Continued government absorption of losses, excessive safety nets and other interventions, which bailout financial institutions without operational or systematic reforms, serve to reward and foster inappropriate risk taking.

(29 January 2004, Thursday - Manila Bulletin)
by Fil C. Sionil

The 42-member banks of the Bankers Association of the Philippines (BAP) will increase their penalty and service charges on bouncing checks by 100 percent per item starting April of this year to curb increasing incidents of estafa.

(29 January 2004, Thursday - The Philippine Star)
By Des Ferriols

Finance officials said yesterday that inaction by Malacanang to veto a provision on a new law imposing tax on professionals would exempt lawyers by default from paying the value added tax (VAT).

29 January 2004, Thursday - The Manila Times)
By Roderick T. dela Cruz

NONCOLLATERAL loans extended to poor farmers and rural entrepreneurs reached P2.9 billion in 2003, according to the Quedan and Rural Credit Guarantee Corp. (Quedancor).

(29 January 2004, Thursday - The Manila Times)
By Arnold S. Tenorio, Senior Reporter

LAWYERS are likely to remain exempt from paying the value added tax on income given Malacañang’s inaction on a Department of Finance request that President Arroyo veto a line in the bill removing the tax-exempt privilege of those engaged in the legal profession.

(27 January 2004, Tuesday - Manila Bulletin)

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) plans to institute a uniform internal credit system to guide banks in their lending activities with the end in view of preventing the possibility of a facility turning sour.

(26 January 2004, Monday - The Philippine Star)
By Rocel Felix

Barring unfavorable weather changes and calamities, the Department of Agriculture (DA) is projecting the agriculture sector to post a growth of three percent to four percent for 2004.

(26 January 2004, Monday - The Philippine Star)
By Ted P. Torres

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) has approved a three-way merger that will result in the formation of the biggest rural bank in the country.

(23 January 2004, Friday - Philippine Daily Inquirer)
by Doris C. Dumlao

THE ASIAN Development Bank has earmarked 290 million dollars in fresh loans for the Philippines this year in support of the government's development priorities, ADB country director Thomas Crouch said.

(23 January 2004, Friday, Manila Bulletin)

The Philippine economy will grow by 4.5 percent this year despite political uncertainty linked to May’s presidential election, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) country director said.

(January 21, 2004 - Wednesday | Philippine Daily Inquirer)
by Christine A. Gaylican

THE AGRICULTURE sector grew by 3.77 percent in 2003 after a growth of 4.12 percent the previous year as drought and typhoons cut production, the Department of Agriculture reported Wednesday.

(January 21, 2004 - Wednesday, The Manila Times)
By Roderick T. dela Cruz, Reporter

AS Congress shifts its attention toward the upco­ming national elections in May, a significant piece of legislation that seeks to rouse the rural economy has been left latent at the bicameral conference com­­mittee, needing the final approval of the solons.

(January 21, 2004 - Wednesday, Philippine Daily Inquirer)

YOGYAKARTA, Indonesia -- Southeast Asian economic ministers agreed Tuesday to work to integrate 11 industry sectors as part of efforts to create a European-style single market covering their 530 million people by 2020.

(January 20, 2004 - Tuesday, Manila Bulletin)
By Ana Marie Macuja

The Securities and Exchange Commission has issued a show cause order to companies who have failed to submit their reportorial requirements for the last six years (1997 to 2002)to appear before its Company Registration and Monitoring Department and explain why its certificate of registration should not be revoked.

(January 20, 2004 - Tuesday, Philippine Daily Inquirer)

THE BUREAU of Treasury said Monday the average rates for the 91-day and 182-day Treasury bills fell, while the rate for the 364-day T-bill rose -- all on full awards.

(January 19, 2004 - Monday, The Philippine Star)
By Des Ferriols

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) has agreed to ease its requirement for banks to set up contingency plans and back-up operation centers to ensure the continuity of business during emergency situations that could interrupt banking operations in their primary locations.

(January 19, 2004 - Monday, The Philippine Star)
By Des Ferriols

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) is allowing the conversion of dollar loans into peso loans in an attempt to prevent another wave of dollar loans turning bad at a time when banks could barely handle their increasing bad loans.

(January 16, 2004 - Friday, Philippine Daily Inquirer)

THE MONETARY Board decided to keep the central bank's policy interest rates unchanged during its monthly policy review on Thursday, as inflation remained manageable, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Rafael Buenaventura said.

(January 15, 2004 - Philippine Daily Inquirer)
by Doris C. Dumlao

THE POLICY-MAKING Monetary Board of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas is expected to keep its key policy interest rates unchanged at its monthly interest rate setting meeting Thursday, given that inflation remains manageable, BSP Governor Rafael Buenaventura said Wednesday.