The government is looking for ways to equip the local auto parts and components makers to compete against imports when tariffs go down to zero under open market agreements with various trading blocks.

Trade and Industry Undersecretary and Board of Investments (BoI) managing head Elmer Hernandez said although these trading deals open an opportunity for members to avail of the maximum flexibilities, the local car parts manufacturers should also look for prospects in other parts where they could produce and become competitive globally.

The National Telecom-munications Commission (NTC) said it would crack down on spam texts sent to mobile phones, and that service providers risked losing their licenses for violations of a new ban.

The NTC said that, on the orders of President Arroyo, it would ban from today the sending of unsolicited messages via mobile phone networks’ short messaging services (SMS).

Ruel Canobas, the head of the commission, told reporters that consumers were sometimes charged for receiving spam, or "push messages," and that complaints "are piling up."

Controversial former First Lady Imelda Marcos won’t be seeing the family jewels anytime soon as these would be auctioned to the public, Justice Secretary and concurrent Solicitor General Agnes Devanadera clarified yesterday.

"Of course not! In fact we are proceeding with the public auction with respect to the Hawaii and Roumeliotes collections," Devanadera said as she vehemently denied a news report that the government planned to return to Imelda Marcos, who turned 80 last July 2, two collections of jewels known as the "Hawaii" and the "Roumeliotes.

President Arroyo much crowed about P330 billion economic stimulus package will have limited impact on shielding the economy from the economic slowdown as tax collection deteriorates, the World Bank (WB) said yesterday.

“Despite the ambitious size of the Economic Resiliency Plan (ERP) of about 4.1 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), the actual impact of the plan in 2009 is estimated to be limited. A rapidly deteriorating tax effort is a key concern to undertaking a credible and controlled fiscal easing in 2009,” the WB said in its assessment of the country as part of the East Asia and Pacific Half-Yearly Update.

The Philippine Deposit Insurance Corp. (PDIC) said onsite distribution of claim forms and filing of claims ended April 3 in the following 11 Legacy-affiliated banks: Bank of East Asia (Bangko Rural de Bisayas [Minglanilla, Cebu]) Inc., Pilipino Rural Bank Inc., Rural Bank of Carmen (Cebu) Inc., Philippine Countryside Rural Bank, Rural Bank of DARBCI Inc., San Pablo City Development Bank, First Interstate Bank (Rural Bank of Kananga, Leyte) Inc., Dynamic Bank, Rural Bank of San Jose (Batangas) Inc., Nation Bank, and Rural Bank of Bais (Negros Oriental) Inc.