THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) has given up hopes of regulating political campaigns using the short message service system (SMS), or text messaging which is very common among Filipinos.

Elections chairman Benjamin Abalos Sr. on Wednesday admitted that there is no way for the Comelec to monitor campaigning through text messaging, since majority of cellphone subscribers are prepaid users.

“Even the NTC [National Tellecommunications Commission] is having difficulties monitoring prepaid text messages. And we know that 80 percent of our cellphone users use prepaid [cards] so how can we monitor this?” asked Abalos.

The commission en banc, Abalos said, will release a resolution next week that will serve as a guideline on political campaigning using SMS and the Internet.

Abalos added that campaigning through text messaging is not illegal since this method is not mentioned in the Omnibus Election Code.

“Well there’s no prohibition about text messaging. I do not know what regulation we could have. Maybe we can only regulate lined phones,” he said adding that the Comelec resolution will also discuss the rules and regulations for Internet campaigning.

AT least four super typhoons that ravaged the central part of the country last year made their ripple effects felt with the lower economic growth of the country, beating down government expectations. A slight slowdown in industry and services also contributed to the slowdown.

THE top World Bank official in the country said Wednesday that fiscal reform is the single most important factor to improve the investment climate, and a lot more can be done to sustain the positive performance and achieve even higher levels of investment and growth.

THE Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas plans to ease restrictions on capital outflows, including rules on overseas investment, to stem currency gains. 

THE Philippines, the world’s biggest rice importer, will start a P408-million ($8.3 million) subsidy program for farmers this year to try and boost output 300,000 tons by raising yields.

GOVERNMENT announced for the nth time that the much- delayed and controversial Terminal 3 of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport would open either late March or early April this year, with three foreign airlines initially using the modern airport.

The expanded value added tax generated P76.9 billion in net revenues in 2006, exceeding the target of P75.8 billion by P1.1 billion. The BIR collected P21.6 billion and was ahead of its target by P1.2 billion while BOC collected P55.2 billion and was short of its target by P183 million.

THE business sector has made it clear it is worried not just about the outcome of the local elections but its conduct as well. This, as public schoolteachers, who man precincts, demanded better compensation and more perks owing to the usual and expected risks they normally face, which in this case may be more intense because of the local nature of the polls with its hotter passions.

FINANCE Secretary Gary Teves on Wednesday confirmed that the First Pacific Group had informed the Philippine government late Tuesday night it would yield its right to match the government’s shares in the Philippine Telecommunications Investments Corp. or PTIC, to PTIC itself.

THE Samahan ng Masang Pilipino sa Makati, Inc. (SMPMI), whose members occupy nearly 100 hectares of Fort Bonifacio and who went to court in their fight to stay there, lost their fight on Wednesday when the Supreme Court in effect allowed the government to evict them.

APEX Mining Co. Inc. may be in trouble with the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) for repeatedly violating the bourse’s disclosure rules and continued failure to hold an annual stockholders’ meeting.

THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) has given up hopes of regulating political campaigns using the short message service system (SMS), or text messaging which is very common among Filipinos.