A VIETNAMESE woman in traditional garb prepares to leave after buying fruits and fl owers at Ben Thahn Market in Ho Chi Minh City, using as mode of transport the iconic motorcycle. Vietnam’s robust economic performance is one of Southeast Asia’s most inspiring stories, as foreign investors like Hewlett-Packard like to cite. --DENNIS D. ESTOPACE

PHILIPPINE stocks fell the most in two months after a suspected terrorist blast at a shopping mall killed 11 people and injured at least 91 in the capital’s financial district, raising concern political instability will reduce the nation’s appeal to investors.

FIRST they rejected all bids at Monday’s sale of Treasury bills, and then the Department of Finance announced the cancellation of the P7-billion Treasury bond sale set for next week.

TRUSTMARK Holdings Corp., a company owned by tobacco tycoon Lucio Tan, has deferred indefinitely the sale of its 1.56 billion shares in PAL Holdings Inc., a listed investment firm and controlling shareholder in Philippine Airlines Inc. (PAL).

THE International Monetary Fund (IMF) has warned Asian countries, including the Philippines, that heavy dependence on exports and weak financial sectors may be the trigger for another regional crisis similar to the 1997 Asian financial crisis.

HO CHI MINH CITY—The robust performance of small and medium businesses (SMBs) in Southeast Asia is attracting technology megaliths like Hewlett-Packard (HP), which launched several products and solutions here that will also be introduced in other countries in the region next month.

GENEVA—Civil-society organizations (CSOs) are asking for the support of the European Commission (EC), Australia and Asian countries such as Thailand to back the safeguards that developing countries can use when trading farm products under a multilateral trading system.

UNFAZED by the recent explosion at a major shopping mall in Makati City, the board of the Asia-Pacific Association of Fiduciary Studies (Apafs) voted on October 19 to hold next year’s Pacific Region Investment Conference (PRIC) once more in Manila.

CITING the national interest and his desire to attend to his ailing mother, former President Joseph Estrada on Monday appealed to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to grant him a “full and unconditional pardon”.

PRESIDENT ARROYO made a surprise inspection of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 2 (Naia 2) at 2:45 p.m. yesterday, three days after the Glorietta mall blast that killed eight people and wounded hundreds others.

OFFICIALS of the Antiterror Council (ATC) disclosed Monday they are now drafting a list of proposed changes in the provisions of  Republic Act 9372, or the Human Security Act (HSA), in response to the numerous cases filed at the Supreme Court assailing the constitutionality of the HSA.

SENATOR Antonio Trillanes IV maintained on Monday the October 19 Makati mall blast was the handiwork of Arroyo administration officials, particularly National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales and Armed Forces chief Hermogenes Esperon Jr., despite latest reports it may have been accidental.

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THE Manila Ocean Park at the Quirino Grandstand, Luneta Park in Manila is the first world-class marine theme-park complex to adopt a fusion concept. It brings together an oceanarium, a mall, a restaurant and open-water marine habitats. It showcases more than 20,000 marine inhabitants of about 300 species, definitely one of the largest in Asia. --RHOY COBILLA