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

29 Jun 2026

2:47PM

INSIDER INFO | Polo Club row hits coaches, ball boys, service staff

By: Daxim L. Lucas

Just when members thought the Manila Polo Club couldn't find another controversy after the brewing debate over its proposed P1-billion tennis facility redevelopment, another issue has landed squarely on the clubhouse doorstep, this time involving the people who keep its sports facilities running every day.

25 Jun 2026

9:08AM

INSIDER INFO | A P1-billion tennis match at Manila Polo Club

By: Daxim L. Lucas

A brewing controversy over a proposed P1-billion renovation of the club’s tennis facilities has exposed growing tensions between the club’s current officers and members who believe the project is being pushed through without adequate consultation—and possibly without the approval required for a capital expenditure of such magnitude.

23 Jun 2026

6:22PM

INSIDER INFO | Lance Gokongwei’s next bet? PhilWeb

By: Daxim L. Lucas

Sources said the transaction, expected to be announced on Wednesday, June 24, 2026, involves a P2-billion commitment split between a 10-percent stake in common shares and a 5-percent stake in convertible preferred shares.

18 Jun 2026

11:37AM

INSIDER INFO | Another Ayala Land veteran crosses over to Megaworld

By: Daxim L. Lucas

The move comes as Megaworld president and chief executive Kevin Tan continues to assemble a formidable bench of industry veterans as the company expands its footprint across retail, hospitality and township developments. The recruitment drive has been difficult for rivals to ignore.

14 May 2026

10:19AM

INSIDER INFO | Social media posts spark LTP layoff fears after lease deal

By: Daxim L. Lucas

Posts circulating on Facebook claimed LTP would discontinue its line maintenance operations by August 2026, potentially affecting several hundred aircraft maintenance personnel assigned across Manila, Cebu, Clark, Davao and General Santos. The posts quickly spread among aviation workers.

5 May 2026

4:16PM

INSIDER INFO | Romulo roots shape Ateneo law school’s new dean

By: Daxim L. Lucas

The recent appointment of Ma. Ngina Teresa “Maita” Chan-Gonzaga as dean of the Ateneo de Manila University Law School is stirring quiet talk in legal and academic circles not just for her credentials, but for the firm that helped shape her early career — the Romulo Buenaventura law firm.

28 Apr 2026

10:01AM

INSIDER VIEW | Hold Phileco accountable for Navotas landfill fire

By: Daxim L. Lucas

Three weeks into the fire at the Navotas landfill, it has become clear that what is happening is the predictable outcome of a long chain of bad decisions, culminating in the failure of a firm called Philippine Ecology Systems Corp. (Phileco) to properly close and rehabilitate a site it operated for more than two decades.

15 Apr 2026

11:48AM

INSIDER INFO | Tears flowed in ABS-CBN town hall to calm anxious staff

By: Daxim L. Lucas

Some employees were seen in tears during the closed-door session, according to attendees, as questions over job security resurfaced—an echo of the network’s bruising shutdown in 2020. The latest controversy, this time involving internal family dispute over the sale of a key power asset to billionaire Enrique Razon Jr., has unsettled a workforce that thought the worst was behind it.

13 Apr 2026

8:10AM

INSIDER VIEW | Debunking the populist wet dream of a re-nationalized Petron

By: Daxim L. Lucas

For the week of April 7 to 13, 2026, Petron’s retail prices were generally below those of Shell and Caltex across key products. This undermines the populist narrative because the same company being blamed for high prices is also operating a major domestic refinery and, in most cases, selling cheaper fuel than their multinational rivals. That demolishes their argument that Petron is driving price pressures.