THE Philippine Stock Exchange index Thursday rose 24.19, or 0.8 percent, to 3,116.84 at the end of trading, its highest close this week.

The following were among the most active stocks in the Philippine market Thursday.

Aboitiz Power Corp. (AP PM), the generator and retailer of electricity, added 20 centavos, or 4.1 percent, to P5.10, its biggest gain in a month. The company said profit more than doubled to P4.1 billion in 2007, helped by increased sales and foreign-exchange gains.

Atlas Consolidated Mining & Development Corp. (AT PM), which is scheduled to reopen a copper mine this year, rose 25 centavos, or 2.2 percent, to P11.50, the second-biggest increase in the Philippine Stock Exchange’s Mining & Oil index of 19 members. Copper futures for May delivery jumped 4.2 percent to $3.982 a pound on the New York Mercantile Exchange Wednesday, and reached a 21-month high during the day.

Ionics Inc. (ION PM), a builder of disk drives and magnetic heads, advanced 8 centavos, or 7.4 percent, to P1.16, its biggest gain in a month. The company said its subsidiary, Ionics EMS Inc. will reorganize its capital so it will wipe a $6.72-million deficit in the unit’s equity.

Lepanto Consolidated Mining Co.’s Class B shares (LCB PM), which have no ownership restrictions, fell 1 centavo, or 2.6 percent, to 37 centavos, its first loss in five days. The third-largest Philippine metal producer by market value said it would sell shareholders one share for every seven held at 25 centavos each, raising about P1.04 billion to pay creditors and suppliers.

Philex Mining Corp. (PX PM), the nation’s largest miner, climbed 20 centavos, or 2.7 percent, to P7.50, the biggest gainer in the stock exchange’s mining and oil index. The company said it shipped P907 million worth of gold, silver and copper in February for smelting in Japan.

Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (TEL PM), the nation’s largest company by market value, rose to a four-day high, gaining P60, or 2.1 percent, to P2,900. The company will have more than a million subscribers for its broadband, high-speed Internet service by 2009, double the 579,000 it had in 2007, Philippine news papers reported, citing chairman Manuel Pangilinan. (Bloomberg)

GLOBE Telecom Inc. is expanding its 3G (third generation) mobile-phone service in rural areas despite a sluggish take-up in 3G subscriptions.

ISM ups stake in ETPI to 80%

ISM Communications Inc. has increased its stake in Eastern Telecommunications Philippines Inc. (ETPI) by about 10.2 percent to 77.7 percent.

PACIFIC Gaming Investments Pte., Ltd. (PGI), the Singapore-based subsidiary of Diversified Financial Network Inc. (DFNN), is acquiring a 90-percent stake in Poseidon Co. Ltd. for $4.2 million (P172 million).

THE Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) approved on Thursday, the plan of Lopez-led First Philippine Holdings Corp. (FPHC) to sell up to P5 billion worth of series B perpetual preferred-shares.

THE Philippine Stock Exchange index Thursday rose 24.19, or 0.8 percent, to 3,116.84 at the end of trading, its highest close this week.

Education Secretary Jesli Lapus wants to put up a nursery school in each barangay. Here’s why. Among Grade 1 public-school students who’ve attended some sort of kindergarten or nursery school, only 35 percent are ready, not just in terms of knowing their ABCs and writing their names but also in letting go of their parents and being toilet trained.