Economy

THE PHILIPPINE Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) expects the proclamation of six new economic zones (ecozones) within the second quarter in key areas like Batangas, Cavite, and Palawan. “A total of six ecozones are for proclamation this quarter,” PEZA Director-General Teresito Panga said. Two ecozones were already endorsed by the Office of the Deputy Executive Secretary for General Administration (ODESGA) and …

By DIEGO C. CAGAHASTIAN Things are developing fast for the nickel industry in Southeast Asia.  If there is one good thing that happened in the ongoing 2026 Asean Sustainability Summit in Cebu City, it is this piece of news about the Philippines and Indonesia joining their resources and expertise together in the production of nickel. Nickel is very much in …

Lack of jobs still haunts the Filipino nation. The country’s unemployment rate in March rose to 5%, as the number of jobless Filipinos jumped to 2.58 million amid the oil crisis, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said. Preliminary results from the March 2026 Labor Force Survey released on Wednesday showed the jobless rate stood at 5% in March, much higher …

By DIEGO C. CAGAHASTIAN The first quarter of 2026 saw an increase in international visitor arrivals to the Philippines, notching a 10.43 percent uptick, totaling 1.83 million from 1.66 million a year earlier, it was disclosed by the Department of Tourism (DOT). There were fewer arrivals from South Korea, but this was more than compensated with the influx of Chinese …

From 1.4% one year ago to a likely 6.4% in April, 2026 — that’s a full 5-percent increase, and that’s the estimate of many officials, including those from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP). The official inflation rate for last month is scheduled to be announced tomorrow, May 5. The BSP said the higher expectations for inflation are driven by …

The state-owned Development Bank of the Philippines has extended a ₱2-billion loan to PH1 World Landscapes, Inc. to finance the construction of 8,360 housing units under the government’s flagship shelter program. The financing supports the Pambansang Pabahay Para sa Pilipino Housing (4PH) program of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., which aims to expand access to affordable housing for Filipino families. DBP …

By DIEGO C. CAGAHASTIAN TWO business-related developments coming from the United States government dominated the headlines in local media over the weekend—the first about the US Department of War’s plan to develop an oil storage facility in the Davao Region and second, the construction of a sprawling industrial hub in Central Luzon to secure Artificial Intelligence (AI) and semiconductor supply …

“Go easy on helping the poor.  Make your ayuda program only temporary, you do not have much money.” This was— in layman’s language— what Krishna Srinivasan, director for the Asia and Pacific Department of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), advised the Philippine government under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and other similarly situated states in Southeast Asia, in the face of …

Users of electricity within the Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) franchise will face higher electricity rates starting in September after the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) approved the recovery of more than P4 billion in costs tied to a major gas plant owned by its affiliate. In an order promulgated on April 14, the ERC gave Meralco the go signal to recover …

The Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA) and the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to apply space technology in improving irrigation systems and water resource management across the Philippines. The agreement, signed by PhilSA Ad Interim Director General Gay Jane P. Perez and NIA Administrator Eduardo Eddie G. Guillen, sets the stage for using satellite data …