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SUPER UBE! 🍠💜

Researchers from the University of the Philippines Los Baños developed improved ube varieties as demand for the iconic Filipino purple yam continues to grow locally and abroad.

The project, led by scientists from the UPLB Institute of Crop Science under the College of Agriculture and Food Science, uses conventional breeding, biotechnology, and genomics to improve purple yam or Dioscorea alata.

The goal is to produce better planting materials with traits such as higher yield, richer purple flesh color, high dry matter content, improved nutritional value, and stronger resistance to pests and diseases.

Ube has become one of the Philippines’ most recognizable food crops, widely used in halaya, ice cream, cakes, pastries, drinks, and other purple-colored products. But despite its popularity, production remains challenged by limited quality planting materials and the need for more consistent supply.

By developing improved ube accessions, UPLB researchers aim to support farmers, strengthen local production, and help the country keep up with the rising market demand for authentic Philippine ube.

This scientific effort shows how agricultural research can protect a Filipino food icon while opening new opportunities for farmers, food producers, and the growing purple yam industry.

From laboratories to farms, the future of ube may be getting stronger, richer, and more sustainable.

Consunji-led DMCI secures SEC nod for P107M condotel investment scheme

The Securities and Exchange Commission has cleared a P106.9 million condotel investment scheme by the Consunji family’s DMCI Project Developers Inc., using streamlined rules aimed at speeding up approvals for non-traditional real estate offerings.

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FYI

📣 𝗦𝗘𝗖 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀 𝗛𝗖 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘂𝗻𝗳𝗮𝗶𝗿 𝗱𝗲𝗯𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has fined HC Consumer Finance Philippines, Inc. for engaging in unfair debt collection practices.

In an order dated June 3, the SEC Financing and Lending Companies Department found HC Consumer Finance liable for violation of SEC Memorandum Circular (MC) No. 18, Series of 2019 (MC 18), which prohibits unfair debt collection practices, and MC No. 5, Series of 2023, or the SEC Rules and Regulations of the Financial Products and Services Consumer Protection Act (FCPA) of 2022.

Included in the list of unfair debt collection practices under MC 18 is the contacting of persons in the borrower’s contact list other than those named as guarantors or co-makers. The same act is considered an abusive debt recovery practice under MC 5.

“The use of a third-party residence as a collection venue necessarily creates a substantial risk that the existence of the debt, the borrower's financial condition, or the fact of delinquency will become known to persons who have no lawful interest in the transaction. Such exposure is precisely what the FCPA, MC 18, and MC 5 seek to prevent,” the order read.

Read more: https://www.sec.gov.ph/uncategorized/sec-fines-hc-consumer-finance-for-unfair-debt-collection/