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Golden Arches Development Corp., the George Yang-led owner of the master franchise to operate McDonald’s in the Philippines, was the top Philippine firm on this year’s Fortune magazine’s 100 Best Companies to Work For Southeast Asia.

The list came from a survey of 1.3 million employees ‘at every role and level about credibility, respect, fairness, pride and camaraderie, and these 100 organizations scored highest,’ Fortune said.

Golden Arches was ranked seventh in the region.

Meanwhile, Andrew Tan-led property developer Megaworld Corp. said it solidified its standing as a leading employer in the region after becoming the only Philippine real estate company to secure a place in the list for the second consecutive year.

Making a big leap to 22nd this year from 90th in the previous year, Megaworld said its rise underscores the strength of its people-first culture and its sustained commitment to creating a workplace for its employees across the country.

‘Being recognized once again among Fortune’s 100 Best Companies to Work For-Southeast Asia is a huge honor, but more importantly, it reinforces our responsibility to achieve more for our people,’ Lourdes T. Gutierrez-Alfonso, the company’s president and CEO, said.

‘This latest milestone inspires us to keep raising the bar in creating a workplace where every Megaworld employee-wherever they may be across the country-feels valued,

empowered, and given the opportunity to grow and succeed. When our people thrive, we all move forward, and so do the communities and lives we help build.’

Developed in partnership with Great Place to Work, Fortune’s list recognizes organizations that foster high-trust workplace cultures where employees take pride in what they do, feel valued and respected, and build strong, meaningful relationships with their colleagues.

Also on the list were Balibago Waterworks System Inc., ranked at 19th. Established on May 20, 1958, the company has grown from a local water provider in Angeles City and Mabalacat, Pampanga into one of the largest and most efficiently operated privately owned waterworks systems in the Philippines.

Cebu-based software company Arcanys Inc. was ranked 34th; BPO firms Genpact Services LLC -Philippine branch, 35th; Capital One Philippines Support Services Corp., 36th; Synchrony Global Services Philippines Inc., 41st and Carelon Global Solutions Philippines Inc., 47th.

Gokongwei-led Universal Robina Corp.’s branches in Malaysia and Indonesia was ranked 82nd, while General Motors Philippines was at 85th. Cardinal Health Inc. was ranked 89th; Lingaro (Philippines) Inc., 92nd; Hammerjack Pty Ltd., 94th; Altius Inspiro, 96th and Atlassian Inc., 100th.

National University completed its dominant campaign in the University Athletic Association badminton competition, capturing its record-extending 10th men’s overall championship, while University of the Philippines prevailed in a tight women’s race to claim its 11th crown.

The Bulldogs finished with 25.875 points, capping their campaign with a near-sweep of the gold medals in the team event, a 1-2 finish in singles, and a silver-medal in doubles at Gameville Central Park in Mandaluyong City.

Clarence Villaflor sealed NU’s championship campaign with a 24-22, 21-12 victory over teammate and graduating captain Lanz Zafra in an all-Bulldogs men’s singles final. Villaflor was subsequently named Season MVP.

‘Winning the overall championship makes this even more special for us. Our victory in the team event really helped us a lot,’ Zafra said.

Zafra is graduating, while the rest of the squad will return next season.

‘I hope the legacy I’m leaving at NU gives the team momentum to keep winning championships. I’m confident they can do it again next year and continue to get better,’ he added.

Ateneo finished second overall with 20.7 points, highlighted by its first-ever men’s doubles championship. Last season’s MVP Lyrden Laborte and co-captain Robby Ramos defeated NU’s Ben Dictado and John Benedict Gam, 21-13, 21-15, to prevent a Bulldogs sweep.

UP completed the men’s podium with 17.25 points after finishing third in the team event. Shan Clar claimed bronze in singles, while Arjay Lazareto and Ryan Mendoza added another bronze in doubles.

In women’s play, UP secured its record 11th overall championship with 20.875 points, edging Ateneo (20.8) and NU (20.7) in a tightly contested race.

The Fighting Maroons clinched the title through the women’s doubles victory of graduating players Kimberly Lao and Susmita Ramos, who rallied past Adamson University’s Mary Untal and Jasmine Reformina, 19-21, 21-9, 21-17.

Ramos said the team regrouped after several setbacks during the tournament and remained focused on finishing the season strongly.

‘There were some upsets over the past few days, but we just had to reset and refocus on what else we could do. We gave it everything we had and stayed tough,’ said Ramos.

‘I’m just really happy because this is my last season. It makes it even more special that we didn’t just settle for bronze but managed to win the overall championship,’ she added.

Ateneo, despite winning the women’s team event, wound up second overall, just 0.075 points behind UP. The Blue Eagles collected two bronze medals in doubles through Daena Castro and Andrea Hernandez, and Angel Valle and Althea Hernandez.

NU finished third with 20.7 points, with captain and Season MVP Sab Amora providing a highlight in her final UAAP season. Amora completed an undefeated campaign, defeating UP’s Brys Fuggan, 21-14, 21-16, in the women’s singles final.

‘I can’t even explain how I feel right now. I’m overwhelmed. Even though we lost the team event and finished third overall, I’m still so happy that I was able to win this gold medal for NU,’ Amora said.

The graduating captain also shared her advice for her NU teammates, urging them to focus on their performance rather than feel pressured to win.

‘I don’t want to put too much pressure on them. The more I tell them that they need to win gold, the more they tend to overthink. I just tell them to do their best because that’s how they’ll put themselves in the best position to win,’ she said.

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Meanwhile, men’s doubles quarterfinalist Jacinth Paul Ruedas was named Men’s Rookie of the Year, while Adamson’s Untal and Reformina shared the Women’s Rookie of the Year award.

Under the three-event format, the overall champions were determined by combining each team’s points from the team event and individual singles and doubles competitions. A maximum of two singles and two doubles results counted toward each school’s overall tally.

Following a competitive bidding process under its computerization program, the Department of Education (DepEd) procured 172,654 Apple MacBook Neo laptops for public school teachers and administrative staff nationwide.

Under the DepEd Computerization Program, the Department has so far awarded contracts for 231,725 laptops for teachers nationwide, comprising 169,008 MacBook Neo units and 62,717 Windows-based units. The procurement also includes 3,646 MacBook Neo laptops for administrative officers.

Deployment of all 172,654 MacBook Neo units is scheduled from November 2026 through March 2027.

DepEd said that they were able to secured the MacBook Neo package ‘at a discounted price,’ at approximately P43,000 per unit, about P6,900 below the base model’s Philippine suggested retail price of P49,900.

The procurement also includes a five-year warranty, a first for DepEd’s laptop procurement, compared with the standard one-year retail warranty, giving the government longer coverage at a lower purchase price. The package includes built-in productivity tools, delivery and logistics, and professional development for recipients.

‘For the longest time, our teachers have carried the heavy personal burden of buying their own laptops or maintaining outdated equipment just to keep up with lesson plans. Under the vision of President Marcos, we are changing the narrative,’ said Education Secretary Juan Edgardo ‘Sonny’ Angara, who emphasized that providing high-end, reliable technology directly addresses long-standing systemic burdens while honoring the daily dedication of Filipino educators.

He said: ‘We welcome Apple’s participation in this procurement to bring MacBook Neo to our teachers. It isn’t just about handing out world-class hardware with five-year warranties; it’s about giving our educators the best tools, backed by robust training so they can focus on what matters most: teaching our children.’

During Apple’s Financial Results Conference Call for 4th Quarter 2026 on Tuesday morning (Manila time), Apple Chief Executive Officer John Ternus highlighted the deal with DepEd, calling it Apple’s biggest education deal ever for Mac.

‘I’m feeling great about the opportunities ahead for Apple, from our product roadmap and broad range of services to promising areas like health, emerging markets, enterprise, and education…As one example, we recently secured our biggest education deal ever for Mac, with the Department of Education in the Philippines. They’re going to deploy 170,000 MacBook Neos to teachers and staff,’ said Ternus.

To seamlessly integrate technology into daily classroom teaching, DepEd is collaborating with Apple to launch GuroXL, a co-designed comprehensive training framework. In coordination with the National Educators Academy of the Philippines (NEAP), the training pathway will guide educators toward Apple Teacher Certifications and specialized tech leadership credentials.

DepEd and Apple are slated to roll out a series of cluster and mega-cluster launches across Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, starting this November. These distributions will feature interactive teacher unboxing sessions to celebrate a transformative moment for Philippine basic education.

Italpinas Development Corporation (IDC) officially signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with SunShare Philippines Inc. (SunShare), a licensed, digital-first retail electricity supplier, at the IDC Makati headquarters. The partnership establishes a collaborative framework designed to significantly reduce electricity costs across IDC’s real estate developments while accelerating the adoption of clean energy.

Under the terms of the MoU, SunShare will work alongside Italpinas to identify, evaluate, and deploy energy-sourcing strategies that maximize clean energy use and minimize power supply expenses. Underpinning this is SunShare’s platform, whose dashboard turns the electricity bill into clear, actionable intelligence. The partnership directly benefits end-users, property buyers, investors, and the environment.

As part of the joint initiative, SunShare and Italpinas will design custom rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) systems to optimize energy generation potential, passing direct electrical savings on to residents, unit owners and home owners association.

Pushing the Boundaries of Green Development

Italpinas Development Corporation is widely recognized as a pioneer in sustainable real estate development in the Philippines. Known for its multi-awarded, design-driven properties, IDC’s entire portfolio is certified under EDGE (Excellence in Design for Greater Efficiencies), the globally recognized green building rating standard developed by the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group.

As an EDGE Champion, Italpinas has consistently integrated passive and active green design and eco-friendly infrastructure into its mid developments across emerging Philippine cities.

Extending Sustainability to Economic Housing

Building on its core mission, Italpinas is scaling its green architecture model into the affordable housing sector through its wholly owned subsidiary, IDC Homes.

Through IDC Homes, Italpinas aims to address the growing market demand for economic housing without compromising design, quality or sustainability. The collaboration with Sun Share plays a pivotal role in this vision: by combining ITALPINAS eco-friendly architectural design with SunShare’s renewable energy and electricity optimization frameworks and digital platform, will deliver:

Lower Monthly Living Costs: Direct energy savings achieved through rooftop solar power generation and SunShare’s group-buying aggregation strategies, made visible on a simple digital dashboard.

Healthier Living Environments: Thoughtfully planned communities that prioritize natural light, natural indoor ventilation, reduced sun direct irradiation and large use of biophilia strategies to optimize users well being for all markets.

Reduced Carbon Footprints: A lower environmental impact achieved by relying less on fossil-fuel power grids.

Long-Term Value for Buyers: Affordable homes that remain cost-effective in terms of maintenance and increase in value over time.

By partnering with SunShare, Italpinas proves that sustainable, green living is not a luxury reserved for high-end markets, but a viable, eco-friendly standard accessible to every Filipino family. For Sunshare, whose promise is ‘Energy for everyone,’ the partnership puts that into practice.

The dynamic between the two partners is a future-fluent engagement of two current issues: a shortage of affordable housing and the need for cleaner power. As the market for affordable housing remains consistent, this combination of skills and expertise between IDC and SunShare can ensure that demand can be met on one hand, without compromising the environment on the other.

THE Monetary Board will less likely raise the key interest rate at its last rate-setting meeting for the year if the output gap, following the third-quarter growth data release, turned out to be ‘too negative,’ according to the central bank governor.

‘[The] tightening or easing kasi it takes account of both inflation and growth. There is what is called an output gap, that’s the difference between our actual growth rate and potential growth rate. So if that is too negative, we are less likely to tighten,’ BSP Governor Eli M. Remolona Jr., said, partly in Filipino. The chairman of the Monetary Board, spoke to reporters on the sidelines of the ECCP Luncheon Meeting with the central bank governor on Tuesday.

Remolona also said the growth rate of the economy will be ‘taken into account’ in upcoming monetary policy decisions.

The BSP governor said he expects growth to recover by the fourth quarter of this year or by the first quarter of next year.

‘Our expectation is that recovery can start in Q4 or Q1 next year. So the government is trying very hard to accelerate spending,’ Remolona said.

Asked if he expects third-quarter (gross domestic product) GDP to be slower than the growth rate in the second quarter of the year, the central bank governor told reporters: ‘Hindi naman. Nagre-recover na [Not really. Recovery is ongoing].’

The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported that the second quarter growth slowed further to 2.3 percent from the 2.8 percent in the first quarter and was significantly below the 5.4-percent expansion recorded a year earlier.

The latest reading was the slowest since the first quarter of 2021, when the economy contracted by 3.8 percent. Excluding the pandemic period, it was the weakest growth recorded since the fourth quarter of 2009, when gross domestic product (GDP) expanded by 1.8 percent. (See: https://businessmirror.com.ph/2026/08/08/growth-at-2-3-in-q2-recovery-dims-in-2026/)

The PSA is scheduled to release the official third-quarter 2026 GDP data on November 9,2026 while the BSP’s Monetary Board will hold its last monetary policy meeting for the year on December 17,2026.

Negative output gap

Based on the central bank’s August 2026 Monetary Policy Report, the negative output gap is projected to widen in 2026 ‘due mainly to subdued private consumption and lower investment.’

‘Adverse economic sentiment is expected to weigh further on investment. Household consumption is likewise seen to remain muted in the near term, reflecting weaker income growth and elevated inflation,’ the report noted.

Meanwhile, the central bank’s report explained that government consumption could provide some relief in the second half of 2026, given the planned catch-up in infrastructure spending.

‘The output gap is thus seen to narrow in 2027,as investment and trade recover, and household consumption improve,’ the Monetary Policy Report noted.

In the report, the central bank explained that the output gap is a ‘summary indicator’ of the relative demand and supply conditions in the economy.

‘The output gap is inherently difficult to measure. Nonetheless, the BSP monitors this indicator to assess the degree of demand-based inflation pressure,’ the report noted.

Similarly, if actual output falls below potential output over time, reflecting ‘economic slack,’ the BSP said prices will begin to fall in response to weak demand relative to supply.

In a recent commentary, former BSP Deputy Governor Diwa C. Guinigundo said the negative output gap does not eliminate the need to tighten.

‘It does, however, argue for careful calibration,’ he pointed out. (See: https://businessmirror.com.ph/2026/10/22/bsp-cannot-afford-to-wait-til-risks-have-materialized/)

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Still in tightening cycle

Still, Remolona emphasized that the central bank remains in tightening mode, as inflation rate ‘doesn’t adjust so quickly.’

‘Easing? Not yet, we are still in tightening [mode] so we don’t know,’ Remolona responded, when was asked on when the next easing cycle may start.

Remolona explained that the BSP is adopting a ‘forward-looking’ policy.

‘So tinatantsa namin kung tama na, tuloy-tuloy na yung pagbaba ng inflation, so hindi na kami magta-tighten. [So we are estimating if it’s enough, if inflation will steadily go down, so we won’t have to tighten,’ he added.

In 2026, inflation peaked at 7.2 percent in April before easing to 6.8 percent in May, 6.4 percent in June, 6.2 percent in July and 6.1 percent in August. However, it peaked again in September-matching the 7.2 percent rate in April.

The MB has raised the key interest rate by a total of 125 basis points since the start of the conflict in the Middle East on February 28, delivering three separate quarter-point rate hikes at the Monetary Board’s rate-setting meetings held on April 23, June 18, and August 27; and a separate half-point rate hike on October 22.

FIFTEEN Metro Manila chief prosecutors have endorsed the bid of Supreme Court Associate Justice Rodil V. Zalameda as the next Chief Justice.

In Resolution 03, Series of 2026, the NCR Chief Prosecutors Association Inc. said Zalameda was the most qualified candidate to succeed Chief Justice Alexander G. Gesmundo, who is set to retire on November 6.

They cited Zalameda’s legal expertise, leadership skills and record of public service as his advantage over other nominees included on the shortlist submitted by the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) to President Marcos.

The resolution was signed by Chief Prosecutors Ma. Aileen D. Guño of Caloocan City, Marylin Cynthia Fatima Madamba-Luang of Las Piñas City, Dindo G. Venturanza of Makati City, Rennet D. Evangelista of Malabon City and Elinore Concepcion R. Aquino-Laluces of Mandaluyong City.

Other signatories were Chief Prosecutors Giovanne T. Lim of Manila, Laurence Joel M. Taliping of Marikina City, Aileen Marie S. Gutierrez of Muntinlupa City, Armando H. Cavalida of Navotas City and Benjamin S. Vermug Jr. of Parañaque City. Also signing were Chief Prosecutors Elmer Cris L. Rillo of Pasay City, Rey Camilo B. Dumlao II of Pasig City, Vimar M. Barcellano of Quezon City, Vincent M. Villena of Taguig City and Lemuel B. Nobleza of Valenzuela City.

Zalameda began his career as a public prosecutor in Mandaluyong City in 1995 and rose through the ranks to become city prosecutor in 2002.

He later served as a Court of Appeals justice for 11 years before joining the Supreme Court in 2019, becoming the first former city prosecutor to sit on the High Tribunal.

The association said Zalameda’s extensive experience in prosecution and the judiciary made him well-suited to lead the country’s highest court.

‘Supreme Court Associate Justice Rodil V. Zalameda’s years of law practice attests to his unyielding pursuit of justice, effective leadership skills and administrative acumen,’ it said.

The group also cited Zalameda’s ‘academic excellence and impeccable record of public service’ in declaring him the most qualified candidate for the position.

It stressed that the next chief justice must possess ‘outstanding legal credentials with exceptional moral, administrative and leadership traits.’

Aside from Zalameda, also included on the JBC’s shortlist are SC Senior Associate Justice Marvic M.V.F. Leonen and Associate Justices Alfredo Benjamin S. Caguioa, Japar B. Dimaampao, and Jose Midas P. Marquez.

Former Vice President and now Naga City Mayor Maria Leonor G. Robredo has endorsed the bid of Leonen to get the top post in the Judiciary.

Robredo noted that Leonen is the most senior among all the justices of the Court and has proven his ‘competence, independence, probity, and integrity.’

She also pointed out that Leonen has written thousands of decisions and separate opinions which show his awareness on various issues.

On the other hand, Marquez was nominated by the Association of Retired Regional Trial Court Judges of the Philippines and former SC Associate Justice Arturo Brion for the post.

They cited Marquez’ contribution in improving court operations during his stint as Court Administrator.

Marquez served as Court Administrator for 11 years or from January 2010 until his appointment as associate justice on November 16, 2021. He also served as spokesperson of at least four chief justices.

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As Court Administrator, Marquez initiated the E-warrant and e-subpoena, implemented The Hague Service Convention and spearheaded the creation of Office of Judiciary Marshals by petitioning Congress.

As an associate justice, Marquez is the working chairman of Judiciary Budget Committee and advocated online appearances of overseas Filipino workers abroad before the courts in real time through videoconferencing.

Dimaampao, on the other hand, was endorsed by the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos and the Bangsamoro Transition Authority Parliament.

Under Article VIII, Section 4 (1), the President is mandated to make appointments in the judiciary within 90 days from the occurrence of the vacancy.