More Filipino women are taking business administration and related courses, education and teacher training, followed by medical and allied fields and math and computer science. A study by the National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB) showed that men, on the other hand, preferred engineering, followed by business administration and related courses, math and computer science, education and teacher training. As a whole, the most popular field is still business administration and related courses. The least-favored by women are trade, craft and industrial courses, followed by religion and theology, fine and applied arts, home economics, architectural and town planning and law and jurisprudence. Men least prefer to go to trade, craft and industrial, religion and theology, architectural and town planning, fine and applied arts, home economics and law and jurisprudence. Dr. Romulo Virola, NSCB secretary-general fine arts is one of the least favored fields. He noted that one out of five young Filipino boys and girls would go to commerce.

Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) and the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP), announced a strategic partnership that will push for the use of mobile commerce in delivering financial services for small and medium enterprises, migrant workers, microfinance institutions and other sectors. Under the partnership, DBP will utilize Smart’s mobile commerce platform, the Smart Services Hub, in developing new remittance and financial services and products. "We are pleased to work with DBP and look forward to sharing with DBP our tried and tested and highly successful mobile commerce systems. This partnership will allow both companies to reach out to the unbanked and underbanked sectors of our society who need them most." said Napoleon L. Nazareno, Smart president and CEO. "DBP welcomes this partnership with Smart Communications as it will give us an opportunity to serve more people, particularly through our various programs for overseas Filipino workers and entrepreneurs. We are also excited on the prospect of introducing mobile payments in the 48 roll-on, roll-off (RORO) ports connected nationwide through DBP’s flagship project, the Sustainable Logistics Development Program," said DBP president & chief executive officer Reynaldo G. David said.

Lodestar Investment Holdings Corp. said it plans to sell 14.7 million shares at P1.00 per share to cover costs and expenses related to its proposed merger with unlisted Philippine Multimedia Systems Inc and to finance the merged entity’s working capital requirements. In a statement to the stock exchange, Lodestar said the Securities and Exchange Commission has approved the registration of the securities to be sold, subject to compliance with certain requirements. No other details were given. Publicly listed Lodestar was originally incorporated as a mining company, but it decided to discontinue operations in 1991 due to unsuccessful ventures. In 2003 the company changed its corporate name from Lodestar Mining Corp. as it became a holding firm.

The Philippines-USA Business Club (PUBC) and the MOVE Committee of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) will hold a two-day Business Seminar on Intellectual Property on March 29-30 at the Ateneo Auditorium, Rockwell Center in Makati. According to Ramon Escueta, Chairman of the PUBC, the seminar "aims to educate the participants on the role of trademarks in the global economy, the importance of complying with the Intellectual Property Protocol, as well as to generate awareness on the numerous business opportunities that [canbegenerated] from copyrights, trademarks and patents." The seminar is sponsored by Centipede Philippines, Inc. and Escaño Sarmiento & Partners Law Offices, in cooperation with the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IP Philippines), and in partnership with the PCCI, PUBC and the Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FFCCCI).