Earthquake. Tremor. Upheaval. Metro Manila is a bustling megacity of over 14 million people that rests on a ticking geological time bomb. The West Valley Fault, which traverses the heart of the metropolis, is ripe for a major movement. Seismologists warn that this fault moves roughly every 400 to 500 years. The last major earthquake occurred in 1658. This means that the region is well within the window for a magnitude 7.2 earthquake, colloquially feared as the “Big One.” Acco

By Kristina Maralit , William B. Depasupil and Catherine S. Valente THE government on Thursday said the country’s reclassification by the World Bank as an upper-middle-income economy would create more jobs, attract investments and expand opportunities for Filipinos, but labor groups challenged it to show that the newly attained status would benefit ordinary Filipinos by supporting higher wages. The Philippines was among five economies that moved from lower-middle to upper-mi

The Philippine Insurers and Reinsurers Association (PIRA) is calling on insurers to overhaul war-risk underwriting, strengthen investment and currency hedging strategies, and introduce relief measures for policyholders as oil prices surge and geopolitical risks intensify following the Middle East conflict. The Philippines is one of the economies most vulnerable to conflict in the Middle East, as it imports 98% of its oil from the region, prompting it to be the first country i