BY ALEX ALAGON
BDO Unibank, Inc. (BDO) reported a net income of ₱20.1 billion in the first quarter of 2026, 2% higher than ₱19.7 billion in the same period last year, supported by the sustained performance of its core businesses. Return on Average Common Equity (ROCE) stood at 12.8% for the period.
The Bank delivered strong operational results, achieving mid-teens growth in loans and pre-provision operating profit, with asset quality continuing to improve. Net income was tempered by higher provisions, as the Bank is building strong reserves, primarily a pre‑emptive measure undertaken in response to evolving geo-political risk conditions.
Net Interest Income grew by 11% as Gross Customer Loans increased by 16% to ₱3.8 trillion, boosted by the double-digit growth across all market segments. Total deposits expanded by 15%, with Current Account/Savings Account (CASA) growth accelerating to 7%. Non-interest income went up by 6%, while income from insurance operations rose by 27%.
Asset quality improved, with the Non-Performing Loan (NPL) ratio declining to 1.68% from 1.77% in the same period last year. NPL coverage was at 132%.
Shareholders’ equity increased by 9%, on the back of sustained earnings, with Book Value Per Share rising by 8% to ₱119.36. The Bank’s CET1 ratio was at 13.3%.
BDO’s leading market position, diversified business franchise, and strong financial position underpin its ability to pursue sustainable long term growth and profitability while capturing emerging opportunities in a dynamic operating environment.
Megaworld has partnered with the Philippine Army, and various organizations and community groups as it looks to grow its carbon forest in line with its Project Three Point Five Million, the main goal of which is to plant 3.5 million trees by 2035.
MANILA, Philippines – Property giant Megaworld’s green footprint is set to reach a new peak as it will soon triple its total carbon forest cover in just three years, expanding significantly from only 240 hectares at the start of 2023 to about 1,500 hectares this year.
This milestone, which is equivalent to about one-fifth of Megaworld’s total current landbank, is seen to grow further as the company continues its partnership with key groups and organizations for its strategic reforestation and decarbonization program. At present, Megaworld has planted more than 550,000 trees in different locations across the country, enabling the company to effectively capture about 40,000 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2e). This initiative further strengthens the group’s efforts to achieve carbon neutrality, promote biodiversity, and enhance livelihood support for its partner communities.
“By adopting and caring for forest lands in key areas all over the country, we are taking decisive action to protect the environment and secure a greener future for generations of Filipinos. We are grateful for the support of our partner communities and organizations who remain strategically aligned with our goal to embrace and promote sustainability,” says Jose Arnulfo Batac, head of sustainability, Megaworld.
At present, Megaworld continues to strengthen its sustainability partnerships with key organizations, led by the Philippine Army, and local community groups to significantly expand its carbon forest cover nationwide. Currently, Megaworld’s carbon forests are located in key areas within Quezon City, Tarlac, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Bulacan, Cavite, Rizal, Batangas, and Palawan in Luzon, and Cebu, Iloilo, Aklan, and Bacolod in the Visayas.
This reforestation and decarbonization initiative is part of the company’s Project Tree Point Five Million, which is aimed at growing 3.5 million native and endemic trees in its various townships and adopted communities across the Philippines.
“Our reforestation efforts drive measurable impact for our sustainability programs through three key pillars. First, planting native and endemic species directly captures and stores harmful greenhouse gases that would otherwise reach the atmosphere if left uncontained. Second, this effort helps us rebuild local ecosystems to support and protect native wildlife. Lastly, the fruit-bearing trees like cacao that we plant help create sustainable livelihood opportunities that drive economic growth for our local community partners,” adds Batac.
Through sustainability efforts anchored on the company’s various environmental, social, and governance (ESG) programs, Megaworld has successfully shifted to using 100% renewable energy for its company-owned office, mall, and hotel properties. This is a significant step that enabled the company to achieve carbon neutrality for Scopes 1 and 2 within its commercial properties 10 years in advance, on the road to reaching carbon net zero by 2050.
Last year, Project Tree Point Five Million received the ‘Biodiversity Conservation Award’ at the ESG Business Awards 2025 held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, joining other standout corporate programs in the region recognized for their significant contributions to ESG practices. Other Megaworld sustainability programs commended during the ceremony include the company’s Goal Zero Waste Program (Waste Management Award); Megaworld Lifestyle Malls’ Shift to 100% Renewable Energy (Renewable Energy Adoption Award); and Iloilo Business Park as Western Visayas’ first fully-integrated Smart Urban Township (Smart City Award).
These strategic sustainability initiatives form part of Megaworld’s broader long-term sustainability program, MEGreen, which consolidates all environmental efforts under a unified platform aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs).
MANILA, Philippines — After more than a decade, one of the country’s most electrifying concert series is making a powerful comeback. Set to tour three major cities this May and June, Tanduay First Five gathers five of the biggest names in the Philippine music scene today for the return of the highly anticipated music celebration.
Five Music Icons in Three Major Cities
This year’s powerful lineup includes Parokya ni Edgar, Kamikazee, Zack Tabudlo, Flow G, and December Avenue. The concert series will kick off on May 15 at Gaisano Capital Mall Open Grounds in Iloilo, and will next be held on May 29 at the SM Seaside City Cebu Concert Grounds in Cebu and on June 26 at the Davao Crocodile Park & Zoo in Davao.
“Tanduay First Five is a toast to the same passion and craftsmanship that defines both our brand and Filipino music. For years, people have been clamoring for us to bring back Tanduay First Five and we are happy to bring it back for everyone to enjoy. This comeback is also our way of saying thank you for everyone’s support of Tanduay,” said Edzel Ty, Tanduay Digital Brand Manager.
Tanduay First Five has long been recognized for bringing Filipino music fans together to enjoy explosive performances from the country’s top rock bands. It was last held in 2013. This year, the music is more diverse, with rock, pop, and hip-hop featuring five of the country’s best artists from each genre.
For Ty, Tanduay First Five is also a testament to Tanduay’s enduring connection with Filipinos.
“Tanduay has been part of the Filipino story for generations, from marking milestones to sharing everyday moments with friends, and we are celebrating this connection with Tanduay First Five by bringing world-class talent that resonates with Filipinos,” he said.
For updates and more information about Tanduay First Five, follow Tanduay’s official social media accounts.
Manila, Philippines – Further reinforcing its market leadership, property giant Megaworld is set to turn over big ticket properties collectively worth about P21-billion this year as it accelerates the development of its townships across the Philippines.
In the coming months, the company is scheduled to turn over to buyers and investors residential condominium units at Sunny Coast Residential Resort in Westside City at Parañaque City; commercial lots in Northwin Main Street in Northwin Global City at Bocaue and Marilao, Bulacan; and beachside residential lots in Paragua Beach Village in Paragua Coastown at San Vicente, Palawan, which was sold out just a few weeks after it was launched.
“We remain focused on continuing to establish our footprint in key areas around the country by delivering high-value properties in these tourism locations and business districts. This is our way of honoring the trust of our investors and fulfilling our part in helping build the nation. Each of these projects offers a development milestone for us, since these are designed to provide jobs, foster innovation, and become catalysts of growth in areas where we are present,” says Lourdes T. Gutierrez-Alfonso, President and CEO, Megaworld.
Strategically located just behind the Grand Westside Hotel – soon-to-be branded as Mövenpick Manila Bay Westside – at the Entertainment City in Parañaque, the two-tower, P12-billion Sunny Coast Residential Resort offers residents a front-row seat to enjoy the iconic Manila Bay sunset. Every unit features a private balcony, with select one-bedroom units offering bi-level layouts to maximize unobstructed coastal views.
Up north, the 16-hectare Northwin Main Street is an P8-billion central business district master planned like New York City’s Fifth Avenue. Situated within Megaworld’s 85-hectare Northwin Global City, Northwin Main Street offers prime commercial and shophouse lots integrated into a walkable landscape surrounded by parks and gardens. It is the premier destination for multinationals and businesses seeking a high-impact presence surrounded by corporate towers, hotels, shophouses, and a vibrant retail landscape.
Over at Paragua Coastown in San Vicente, Palawan, Paragua Beach Village offers a prime opportunity for residents to build a home within Megaworld’s eco-tourism township. This coveted San Vicente address places residents just a short walk away from the pristine beach and forest parks, while remaining close to the upscale Porto Boutique Hotel and Mercato Shophouse District within the township.
Earlier, Megaworld announced that it is set to begin land development for two of its newest township developments: the 84-hectare Ilocandia Coastown in Laoag City, Ilocos Norte, and the 25-hectare San Benito Private Estate in Lipa City, Batangas, which the company is developing in partnership with the group that owns and operates The Farm at San Benito. These initiatives will pave the way for the construction of flagship components that will define these two premier townships.
MAWAB, Davao de Oro — In support of the municipality’s environmental initiatives, Apex Mining Co., Inc. has donated P1 million to enhance the sanitary landfill facility of the local government unit of Mawab.
The donation was formalized through the signing of a deed of donation on April 21, 2026, between Apex Mining and the LGU of Mawab, led by Mayor Myrill Apit, MPA at the Mayor’s Office.
The amount will be used specifically to improve the town’s sanitary landfill, ensuring proper waste disposal and strengthening Mawab’s environmental management system. Part of the fund may also support related projects that benefit the public.
Mayor Apit thanked Apex Mining for the generous contribution, emphasizing its importance in maintaining cleanliness and sustainability in the municipality.
“This assistance will go a long way in helping us preserve a clean and healthy environment for our people. It ensures that waste is properly managed through an improved landfill facility,” she said.
The initiative aligns with the municipality’s ongoing “Clean and Green Mawab” campaign and the Mawab Beautiful Movement, both of which promote environmental responsibility and community participation.
This effort also reflects the LGU’s commitment to delivering “Serbisyong Mabati sa Tanan,” ensuring that government programs, including environmental protection, translate into tangible benefits for every resident of Mawab.
MANILA, Philippines — Lark, the all-in-one productivity platform trusted by leading brands across Southeast Asia, is proud to announce its partnership with Shakey’s Pizza Asia Ventures Inc. (PSE:PIZZA | SPAVI), one of the Philippines’ leading food service groups, to support the digital transformation of its restaurant operations and corporate teams.
Shakey’s Pizza Asia Ventures Inc. (SPAVI) is home to one of the leading fast food dining brands, Shakey’s, alongside the popular snack kiosk chain, Potato Corner. Founded in 1954, the company has grown into one of the most recognizable and trusted restaurant brands in the country. SPAVI operates an extensive network of dine-in and delivery outlets nationwide, serving generations of Filipino families.
Through this partnership, Lark will serve as the central platform connecting SPAVI corporate headquarters to Shakey’s restaurant operations and support teams. It aims to streamline communications, accelerate workflows, and centralize operational knowledge across departments and restaurant locations.
Key applications include real-time guest feedback escalation and resolution, and the digitization of quality and compliance tracking. These ensure guest concerns are resolved immediately, along with consistent execution and improved compliance across branches.
Essentially, Lark enables faster communication, greater operational visibility, and improved coordination across its nationwide store network. By digitizing and unifying its daily operations, Shakey’s is strengthening organizational efficiency, empowering frontline and corporate teams, and building a scalable digital foundation to support long-term growth. The integration of Lark in SPAVI’s processes ultimately enables workflow automation, collaboration, and democratization of innovation
Leading the digital evolution of Shakey’s Pizza Asia Ventures Inc. with Lark
By digitizing and unifying its daily operations, SPAVI is strengthening organizational efficiency, empowering frontline and corporate teams, and building a scalable digital foundation to support long-term growth in the competitive F&B landscape.
Lark will become SPAVI’s core platform for streamlining communications, accelerating workflows, and centralizing operational knowledge across departments and restaurant locations.
One of the key applications for Lark is Real-Time Guest Experience Resolution, wherein by syncing tickets directly into Lark, SPAVI has closed the loop on guest feedback. Escalation alerts are sent instantly to regional managers via Lark, allowing for the completion of Guest Complaint Recovery Forms in real-time. This ensures that guest concerns are resolved immediately, rather than days later.
Another application is in Process Standardization & Digitization, wherein Lark Base can be used to track quality and compliance submissions across all stores, enabling consistent execution and improved compliance across branches.
“Our partnership with Shakey’s Pizza Asia Ventures Inc. represents an important step in Lark’s mission to support the digital transformation of leading food and beverage brands in the Philippines and across Southeast Asia,” said Mark Dembitz, general manager of Lark APAC, “Shakey’s Pizza Asia Ventures Inc’s strong brand heritage, combined with its commitment to operational excellence and innovation, makes it an ideal partner.”
“At SPAVI, operational excellence starts with empowering our people through the right tools and systems. We hope that the partnership of Shakey’s with Lark will enable us to create a more connected, agile, and digitally-enabled organization that aligns with our ‘Win-Win-Win’ philosophy: providing a better workplace for our people, seamless integration for our partners, and a great and WOWing experience for our guests,” shared Vicente L. Gregorio, president and CEO of Shakey’s Pizza Asia Ventures Inc.
SPAVI continues to evolve by investing in digitalization, operational efficiency, and customer experience enhancements to remain competitive and relevant in a rapidly changing F&B landscape.
MANILA, Philippines – Public sentiment toward tax reduction is gaining strong momentum amid declining trust in government institutions, with concerns largely anchored on perceived gaps in transparency and accountability.
A dominant majority of voters (88%) support calls to reduce, postpone, or abolish certain taxes, reflecting widespread fiscal dissatisfaction and frustration over governance issues. Equally strong public backing is observed for a Supreme Court petition seeking the disclosure of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee report on alleged flood control anomalies.
Closely aligned with this is the broader concern over the lack of transparency in ongoing investigations into alleged flood control program anomalies, which is shared by 84% of voters.
Meanwhile, 81% of respondents support the proposal to ban political dynasties up to the second degree of consanguinity, including grandparents, grandchildren, siblings, and half-siblings, indicating a strong public appetite for political reform measures aimed at reducing entrenched political control.
In addition, 5 in 10 voters (50%) support the abolition of the Independent Commission on Infrastructure (ICI) by March 31, 2026, citing perceived deficiencies in transparency and accountability in its operations.
Overall, the findings reiterate that calls for tax relief are closely intertwined with broader demands for governance reform, particularly in relation to transparency, accountability, and anti-corruption measures.
MANILA, Philippines – As global oil prices climb amid the ongoing Middle East conflict, sari-sari stores recorded a 90% surge in sales this March, as micro-retailers and consumers aggressively stock up against looming price hikes and delivery disruptions.
Latest insights from Filipino tech startup Packworks, derived from over 1 million transactions via its Sari.PH Pro app, revealed that Gross Merchandise Value (GMV) across its network of 300,000 stores reached PHP 3.73 billion in March, up from PHP 1.97 billion in February.
The most notable surge occurred on March 21, when GMV skyrocketed by 265%. This followed the announcement of double-digit fuel price increases on March 17, signaling a preemptive move by store owners to secure inventory before logistical costs trickled down to retail prices.
The concerns at the grassroots level are noticeable. A sari-sari store owner from Uson, Masbate, shared, “Nag-stock up kami dahil natatakot kaming maubusan ng paninda at magkaroon ng delay sa delivery mula sa mga supplier (We stocked up because we were worried about running out of supplies and possible delays in deliveries).“
In some regions, delivery lead times have reportedly stretched to three weeks, forcing retailers to prioritize bulk purchasing of fast-moving goods.
The study highlights a significant shift in grassroots consumer behavior. Traditionally driven by ‘tingi,’ or small-quantity, daily purchases, households are now consolidating trips to offset rising transportation costs. Average “basket sizes,” or the amount spent per visit, grew from a range of PHP 337 to PHP 1,097 in February to between PHP 597 and PHP 1,560 in March. While spending increased, transaction volumes grew by a modest 17%, confirming that Filipinos are making fewer but significantly larger purchases.
“With growing uncertainty and rising oil and commodity prices, our data suggests that sari-sari store owners are proactively adjusting their purchasing strategies. Larger basket sizes and increased inventory levels indicate a shift toward preparedness for potential supply disruptions and rising costs,” said Packworks chief data officer Andoy Montiel.
This trend was evident across regions, with the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) posting the highest increase in basket size at 101.7% (PHP 773 to PHP 1,560), followed by the National Capital Region (NCR) at 85% (PHP 396 to PHP 733) and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) at 80.2% (PHP 495 to PHP 892).
Products with the highest sales included cigarettes, detergent, gin, powdered coffee, and chips and dips. Cigarettes led with an increase of around PHP 234 million, followed by detergent (PHP 116 million), gin (PHP 66 million), powdered coffee (approximately PHP 55 million), and chips and dips (PHP 45 million). Other essential goods such as soda, biscuits, powdered milk, and canned items also posted notable gains, reflecting heightened household stocking activity.
“As the backbone of local communities, sari-sari stores continue to demonstrate resilience in times of disruption. However, they remain highly vulnerable to price fluctuations and logistical challenges, highlighting the need for continued support,” said Packworks chief platform officer Hubert Yap.
East West Banking Corporation (EastWest) has declared a cash dividend of Php 1.8 billion, equivalent to Php 0.82 per share, for all shareholders on record as of May 11, 2026. The dividend will be paid on May 29, 2026.
The announcement was made during the Bank’s Annual Stockholders’ Meeting held on April 23, 2026, following a year of strong and disciplined financial performance. In 2025, EastWest posted a net income of Php9.2B, a 21% increase year-on-year.
“At a time when many families and businesses are navigating an uncertain environment, we believe the role of a bank is not only to perform, but to remain steady, prepared, and responsive,” said EastWest CEO Jerry G. Ngo. “Our 2025 results reflect the Bank’s capacity to deliver returns to shareholders while remaining a dependable financial partner to our customers and the communities we serve.”
EastWest’s 2025 results were anchored on a well-positioned balance sheet. Total assets grew by 10%, with the Bank’s loan portfolio oriented toward higher-yielding consumer assets. CASA deposits grew by 14%, supporting a CASA ratio of 82%. EastWest’s Priority Banking business also continued to gain momentum, with Assets Under Management growing 40% to over Php100B, supported by 13 Priority Centers across the country.
Net interest income rose 21% to Php40.6B. Return on equity reached 11.9%, sustaining the Bank’s return to double-digit levels. The Bank’s cost-to-income ratio improved to 49.7%, as revenue growth outpaced cost expansion.
2025 marked continued progress across digital, partnerships, and customer experience. The Bank launched EW Pay with Google Pay integration—making EastWest the first bank in the Philippines to offer NFC tap-to-pay without requiring an e-wallet. New ecosystem partnerships with Unioil, foodpanda, Puregold, and Autodeal embedded EastWest’s payment and credit capabilities into everyday customer touchpoints.
Looking ahead, the Bank’s strategic priorities are centered on rebalancing the portfolio toward more secured asset classes, deepening operational efficiency through responsible use of technology, sustaining digital platform investments, and continuing to build the capabilities of its people.
“While the environment has grown more complex, we remain committed to the disciplined, customer-centered approach that has driven our growth and what keeps our foundation sound,” Ngo added. “The work of regenerating and strengthening our Bank continues.”
