Good Morning.

Happy Monday PW’s readers. A new week, a fresh reset. In today’s issue, we look at how digital payments are reshaping daily life, why markets are feeling uneasy, where a Filipino hotel brand is expanding next, and what recent inspections revealed about major infrastructure projects in Mindoro.

Stay sharp,
Team PesoWeekly

What happened
Governor Humerlito Dolor flagged two flood control projects worth over ₱420 million in Oriental Mindoro after parts of a road dike collapsed in Barangay San Andres, Naujan. The projects were meant to protect towns from the Mag-Asawang Tubig River.

What went wrong
Inspections showed major design violations. Sheet piles meant to be 12 meters were cut to just 3 meters. Reinforcing materials were placed outside instead of inside. Some sections were unfinished, others already crumbling. Both projects were awarded to New Big Four J Construction and approved by officials from the Department of Public Works and Highways.

Why it matters
The failed structures worsened flooding in Naujan and Victoria last December. Homes, livelihoods, and public trust took the hit. Gov. Dolor says accountability must follow.

The origin
In 1834, Casa Roxas, a Manila partnership between Domingo Roxas and Antonio de Ayala, planted the roots of what is now Ayala Corporation. It started before modern corporation law, but the firm endured and grew in the Philippines.​

The first bets
The partners built a major liquor distillery and tied it to sugar and export crops, turning farmland into early industry. It was a shift from small‑scale agriculture to more capital‑intensive production.​

The land play
In 1851, the family bought Hacienda San Pedro de Macati, land that would eventually become modern Makati’s business district.​

What it became
Today, Ayala is a dominant conglomerate in real estate, banking, telecoms, utilities, and infrastructure.

Philippine e-payments jumped to nearly ₱25 trillion in 2025 as digital transfers became the norm. Data from Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas shows transactions through PESONet and InstaPay more than tripled in volume. Faster transfers, online shopping, and cashless habits pushed Filipinos deeper into digital finance.

Investors remain cautious as impeachment bids against President Marcos and Vice President Duterte-Carpio stir policy uncertainty. Economists warn political noise could delay reforms, reduce capital inflows, and weigh on economic growth. Allegations tied to infrastructure controversies, governance concerns, and perceived corruption heighten market wariness amid slower Philippine GDP expansion.

Hotel101 Global Holdings Corp. plans to raise up to $300M by offering convertible preferred shares to big institutional investors. The money will fund its asset-light hotel expansion worldwide. Hotel101 aims to grow through joint ventures, enter up to 25 countries, and move closer to its long-term goal of one million rooms across 100 countries.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi promised action after the yen surged, following concerns over her fiscal policies and rising bond yields. Opposition suggests using BOJ assets, but the government urges caution to protect markets.

Wicked For Good earned no Oscar nominations after weaker reviews, stretched source material, fading marketing buzz, and lower box office of $523m compared with the first film’s $758m global take. (Read More)

Kim Atienza called his 59th birthday the toughest as he celebrated it without his late daughter Emman, who died at 19 last October, sharing hopes to honor her with kindness. (Read more)

Team Liquid PH exited the M7 World Championship after losing 2-3 to Indonesia’s Alter Ego in Jakarta, ending their title bid. (Read More)

A De La Salle graduate built a GPS-based handheld display for LRT and MRT trains, providing real-time station updates and directions to help Manila commuters avoid daily confusion during trips. (Read More)

The DOST is investing P600 million in Project SARAI, rolling out smart farming hubs nationwide to give farmers data, advisories, and technologies that boost yields and reduce climate risks locally. (Read more)

TikTok’s new US venture will allow precise location tracking, raising privacy and national security concerns as regulators watch how American user data is handled after ByteDance’s reduced ownership deal closes. (Read more)

Google confirmed Gmail users experienced spam filtering errors on Saturday, with legitimate emails misclassified and spam reaching inboxes, as the company works to fix the issue affecting users globally. (Read more)

The Chocolate Hills in Bohol are 1,776 limestone mounds that turn brown in dry months, formed millions of years ago and protected by law amid ongoing tourism and development concerns.

Therapist Owen O’Kane says anxiety should be accepted, not erased, advising people to work with it, calm the body first, and reflect on fears to build tolerance for uncertainty.

Scientists found paralyzed patients’ brains still send movement signals, which EEG headsets could detect and reroute to stimulate nerves, offering a noninvasive path to restoring movement.

A newly discovered carnivorous pitcher plant, Nepenthes megastoma, in Palawan has fewer than 50 mature plants and faces high extinction risk from human activity, climate change, and extreme weather.

Recto stated that middle-class Filipinos should fully benefit from ZBB, with hospitals receiving increased funding under 2026 health budget. (Read more)

Starting February 7, domestic workers in Metro Manila will earn P7,800 monthly, up from P7,000, under DOLE’s new regional wage order. (Read more)

Seventeen Filipino sailors from M/V Devon Bay were rescued near Scarborough Shoal, while four remain missing, following a cargo ship capsizing incident. (Read more)

Mayor Akmad Mitra Ampatuan injured in convoy attack on January 25. Three suspected assailants killed during police pursuit in Maguindanao Del Sur. (Read more)

Over 5,000 personnel, including police and military, are deployed in Cebu from January 26 to 30 to secure ASEAN Summit delegates. (Read more)

Dozens of beaches in eastern Australia, including northern Sydney, were closed after four shark attacks in 48 hours left several injured, prompting warnings and safety measures from authorities.

Protests Erupt Nationwide After Fatal Shooting of Minneapolis Nurse

Protests spread across US cities after Alex Pretti, a Minneapolis nurse, was fatally shot by federal agents. Demonstrators rallied against Immigration and Customs Enforcement actions, questioning officials’ account of the incident as video footage fueled public anger and renewed calls for accountability.

A landslide in West Bandung, Indonesia, destroyed over 30 homes, killing at least seven people and leaving more than 80 missing after days of heavy rain.

📝 Kimpro tops YouTube 2025 with 77.53 billion views.

📝 Podcast says liver naturally detoxes, making most detox trends unnecessary. (Watch)

📝 Scientists make the first synthetic virus to fight antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

📝 New eye injection restores vision in rare low-pressure conditions, study shows.

📝 Global Ocean Treaty enters force, setting goal to protect 30% of oceans by 2030.