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

4 days ago

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.

6 days ago

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.

19 Jun 2025

11:41PM

INSIDER INFO | Megaworld to scoop up Ayala Land pros for new luxury division

By: Daxim L. Lucas

The high-profile defections are tied to Megaworld’s aggressive push into the high-end residential market, marking a bold pivot for a company best known for its mid-market townships.

29 May 2025

2:34PM

Cebu Pacific chief lauds PAL’s ‘more rational’ post-bankruptcy strategy, new boss

By: Daxim L. Lucas

The chief of the Gokongwei family-controlled budget airline lauded PAL for executing a successful bankruptcy exit and restructuring during the pandemic, which saw the balance sheet of the Lucio Tan-owned firm unburdened of $2 billion in debt.

28 May 2025

10:30AM

INSIDER INFO | Cebu Pacific flips the script in a first for aircraft leasing

By: Daxim L. Lucas

Insiders say the country’s leading budget carrier will ink a wet lease agreement with Flyadeal, the low-cost unit of Saudia, for the use of Cebu Pacific’s aircraft—marking the first time ever that a Philippine carrier will lease out its planes to a foreign airline for regular commercial operations.

25 May 2025

11:18AM

INSIDER INFO | Large PH gym network closes amid cash woes, alleged fraud

By: Daxim L. Lucas

A viral post from the Facebook group “Gym Membership Transfer Philippines” painted a dire picture of the company’s financial state and business ethics, warning the public: “PSP gym isn't ‘temporarily closed’ because of busted lights or bathroom repairs—those are LIES. The truth? They can’t pay rent.”

20 May 2025

5:48PM

Land development of upscale Southlinks Estate done by Q2 2026, says Height Realty

By: Daxim L. Lucas

Located along Southvale Drive in Las Piñas and covering areas that border Muntinlupa and Parañaque, Southlinks Estate is planned as a low-density, master-planned community with 336 residential lots across 31 blocks.

14 May 2025

4:10PM

Chronicles Port in Batangas begins operations, aims to spur regional growth

By: Daxim L. Lucas

The port features an 82-meter-long jetty with a 14-meter draft, capable of handling vessels of up to 10,000 deadweight tons. Its pier has a load-bearing capacity of three tons per square meter.