Promoting clean air US Ambassador Kristie Kenney signs a covenant on Thursday in Baguio City promoting clean air together with different government agencies and schools. With her are University of the Cordillera chairman Jesus Benjamin Salvosa (center) and Vice Mayor Daniel Fariñas. Baguio City has been a member of the Clean Cities Program for the past three years and is committed to use biodiesel for public-utility vehicles. --MAURICIO VICTA

TIRED of the perceived confusion that may or may not be deliberate in the investigation of the Glorietta blast that killed 11 people and injured over 100 others, businessmen took the initiative on Wednesday and created an independent commission to conduct its own “impartial and credible” investigation.

LOCAL exporters presented a host of measures to Malacañang on Tuesday, including the revival of the dollar bourse system at the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) and the prepayment of other foreign debts, to help them cope with the continuous appreciation of the peso.

THERE is no stopping the sustained expansion of the country’s gross international reserves (GIR), which reached $32.36 billion as at end-October, or way past the readjusted goal of only $30 billion this year.

SUBIC BAY FREEPORT—Hollywood in Subic and Clark? Why not? says Funtasia, an all-Filipino company that plans to build movie-production facilities here and in the neighboring Clark Freeport.

A MAJOR industry group on Wednesday chided the Bureau of Customs (BOC) for seemingly shifting the blame for its continuing below-target collection on extraneous factors.

SINGAPORE—Over 200 participants from civil-society organizations and trade unions from across Southeast Asia and beyond have called upon the leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) to postpone the signing of the Asean Charter due to the Burmese junta’s recent violent crackdown on peaceful  protests.

THE Philippines’ wealthiest man and founder of the SM Group Henry Sy Sr. will not let go of his ownership in Ayala Corp., even if it is only nominal, according to his eldest daughter Tessie Sy-Coson.

THE Arroyo government may have scrapped the anomalous $330-million national broadband network, but senators are looking at still another controversial $150-million deal for “defective” x-ray machines for container vans purchased by the Bureau of Customs under a $1.109-billion government-to-government loan agreement with China.

Various groups, including opposition Sens. Aquilino “Nene” Pimentel Jr. and Antonio Trillanes IV,  two retired Army generals, lawyers, journalists and representatives of various civil society groups yesterday  called for a snap election as they signed a manifesto for the resignation of President Arroyo and Vice President Noli de Castro.

SIDESTEPPING a contempt citation by the court, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) finally provided the Court of Appeals (CA) its investigation report in connection with the abduction of political activist Jonas Burgos at Wednesday’s hearing into the habeas corpus petition filed by his mother Edita Burgos.

THE Philippines is positioned to be the next flight-training capital in Asia, but Sen. Edgardo Angara said the country would need an autonomous, centralized civil aviation authority to effectively run it.

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FROM tropical jungles to period pieces like the authentic Spanish gate shown in this file photo, the Subic Bay Freeport has settings suitable for movie location shoots, the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority said. --HENRY EMPEÑO