About the Author

Mr. Lucas has been a journalist since 1999, having covered banking and finance, telecommunications, transportation, energy, capital markets and the presidential palace beats.

He has worked for The Business Daily, BusinessWorld, The Manila Times, Today and the Manila Standard Today. He spent 18 years at the Philippine Daily Inquirer, starting as a reporter in 2005 before becoming its business news editor until Dec. 31, 2023.

He earned a business management degree from the Ateneo de Manila University in 1994.

Latest from the Author

6 days ago

INSIDER VIEW | DPWH must fix bad data or worsen ghost project crisis

By: Daxim L. Lucas

When the Senate took up the issue of “ghost projects,” public outrage came swiftly, with the public blasting the DPWH for pouring billions of pesos into projects that didn’t exist. But a closer look shows that corruption is only one aspect of the problem. Sometimes, the issue is something more mundane but, potentially, more damaging to public trust: bad data.

7 days ago

INSIDER VIEW | Illegal gambling, not legal sites, is PH’s real online threat

By: Daxim L. Lucas

From jueteng and masiao to underground casinos, unregulated gambling networks have always thrived outside the law. They were untaxed, unmonitored, and unsafe for players, and the arrival of the internet only amplified this reality. A total ban on online gambling will not solve this problem — it will make it worse.

15 Aug 2025

6:00AM

INSIDER VIEW | GSIS’ Alternergy investment delivers strong returns, low risk

By: Daxim L. Lucas

The investment is not only legitimate and well-structured, but also represents a prudent allocation of the resources of the state pension fund into an asset that offers stable returns, manageable risk, and tangible benefits for the fund’s members and the country’s renewable energy ambitions.

5 Aug 2025

5:15PM

INSIDER INFO | Carl Cruz brings back Globe stores—and with a stopwatch

By: Daxim L. Lucas

Why the change in course? The answer is simple: a stubborn chunk of the population still insists on face-to-face transactions. And Globe, under Cruz’s watch, has finally decided to accommodate them.

21 Jul 2025

1:44PM

INSIDER VIEW | NAIA terminal fee hike: Why travelers must shoulder the cost

By: Daxim L. Lucas

The upcoming increase in passenger service charges at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) drew the ire of budget-conscious travelers when it was announced last year. After being deferred for a year, there’s no more avoiding the reality that these fees must rise, and the flying public should brace for it.

18 Jul 2025

5:35PM

INSIDER INFO | Ombudsman targets GSIS chief Veloso over fund’s stock investment

By: Daxim L. Lucas

Sources say the looming suspensions may come as early as next week, even as the officials are still preparing their replies to the allegations.

9 Jul 2025

11:34AM

INSIDER FOCUS | Vincent Co’s retail gold rush turns heads across Asia

By: Daxim L. Lucas

From the Aling Puring membership program and its now-ubiquitous app, to the massive Tindahan ni Aling Puring Sari-Sari Convention, Co’s playbook has been heavy on innovation and bold in scope.

7 Jul 2025

10:10AM

INSIDER VIEW | Online gambling is a necessary evil — a ban is much worse

By: Daxim L. Lucas

If you are wondering why previously frequent reports about illegal numbers games like jueteng, masiao, "last two" or "ending" are no longer the staple of Philippine news nowadays, look no further than the legal online gambling industry that has displaced them in recent years.

30 Jun 2025

5:00AM

INSIDER VIEW | Inquirer's missteps and its promising digital rebirth

By: Daxim L. Lucas

Once the country’s most influential broadsheet, the physical newspaper will, henceforth, be produced by Inquirer.net, its digital sister company, signaling a long-overdue strategic pivot.