Dengue cases up by 19% in first half of 2024
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Health on Tuesday reported a 19% increase in dengue cases during the first half of the year compared to the same period in 2023.
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Lee bucks tough conditions to pace ICTSI Splendido Taal Championship opener
LAUREL, Batangas – Young Jiwon Lee lived up to her promise and potential, overcoming a late stumble with a crucial birdie on the last hole, salvaging a 73 and a one-stroke lead over Florence Bisera after the first 18 holes of the ICTSI Splendido Taal Championship here Tuesday.
Press Release - Sen. Robin Hails Strong, Deep Friendship between PH, Czech Republic
Sen. Robinhood "Robin" C. Padilla hailed the strong and deep friendship between the Philippines and the Czech Republic, even as he voiced hopes these ties will endure.
DSWD ordered to pay P55M LandBank claim for 4Ps payout
THE Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP) has won two petitions for compensation against the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) for unpaid service fees in connection with the payout of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps).
OFW remittances hit $2.88B in May
PERSONAL remittances from overseas Filipino workers (OFW) hit $2.88 billion in May, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) reported on Monday, 3.7 percent higher compared to the year-earlier $2.78 billion.
NBI finds 1,200 fake birth certificates in Davao del Sur
MANILA, Philippines — Not just 200, but up to 1,200 foreigners believed to be Chinese nationals obtained Philippine birth certificates through late birth registration in the Davao del Sur town of Sta. Cruz since 2016.
Ground deformation on Kanlaon increases
BACOLOD CITY, Philippines — State volcanologists have noted an increase in the ground deformation on Kanlaon Volcano in Negros.
AREIT declares stable Q2 dividend
AREIT [AREIT 37.10 ?1.5%; 117% avgVol] [link] declared a Q2/24 dividend of P0.56, payable on August 11 to shareholders of record as of July 26. The dividend has an annualized yield of 6.04% based on the previous closing price, which is 0% smaller than AREIT's pre-dividend annualized yield of 6.04%. The total amount of the dividend is P1,326 million, but the company did not provide the applicable distribution income for the period. Relative to AREIT's IPO price, the dividend increased AREIT's total stock and dividend return to 68.3%, up from its pre-dividend total return of 66.22%. AREIT is up 11% YTD. The Q2/24 dividend matches AREIT’s record dividend that it declared in the first quarter of 2024, and is 5.6% larger than the dividend that it declared in the same quarter last year.MB BOTTOM-LINE: The king continues its reign as the top REIT in the land. Yes, AREIT is the most expensive REIT on the market in terms of its price-to-distributable income multiple (15x), but there’s a reason why investors are willing to pay more for this REIT’s income stream, and that boils down to stable growth. AREIT grows its dividend over time, and that causes the stock’s price to rise over time to compensate. Market observers will note that this stock price increase is not a straight line, and not without its significant dumps: remember back in November when AREIT crashed down into the ?28/share range when Ayala Land [ALI 29.60 ?0.3%; 77% avgVol] was conducting block sales to facilitate growth? I took that as an opportunity to sell underperforming assets and load up. Was I right to do that? Absolutely, if you measure the trade by today’s price. But the long-term value of my bet will depend on the AREIT management team. Will they continue to outperform the market and deliver stable growth? Is the inflation monster dead or just sleeping?