Economy

With the Philippine rainy season already in the offing and farmers are readying to plant their crops, particularly rice which is the principal agricultural produce for Filipinos, the problem of fertilizer supply has once again surfaced. This developed as the three-week war between Israel and the United States on one side and Iran on the other showed no signs of …

The war in West Asia has just entered its 3rd week with no signs of abatement. The conflict has been punishing all Filipinos—rich, poor and the middle class—from the wealthy government officials, businessmen, traders, professionals, to the masses of farmers, fisherfolk and ordinary workers. Nothing has prepared the Ferdinand Marcos Jr. government and the local business community for this economic …

ONGOING REFORMS. President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. meets with International Monetary Fund managing director Kristalina Georgieva at Malacañan Palace in Manila on Thursday (March 12, 2026). During the meeting, Marcos and Georgieva discussed reforms aimed at sustaining the Philippines’ economic growth trajectory. (Photo from PBBM Facebook) The Philippines remains committed to pursuing reforms and sound economic policies to ensure stability …

More Filipinos of working age were jobless last January, authorities have confirmed. In a press conference Friday, Deputy National Statistician Divina Gracia del Prado said the unemployment rate stood at 5.8 percent in January, up from 4.4 percent in December 2025 and 4.3 percent in January last year. In numerical terms, this means  the number of jobless Filipinos increased to …

Inflation accelerated to 2.4% in February, the fastest in 13 months, according to data released by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) this week. The latest figure is 0.4 percentage points higher than January’s 2.0% and slightly above the 2.1% recorded in February 2025. The PSA attributed the uptick mainly to faster price increases in food and non-alcoholic beverages, where inflation …

As the Iran war rages, authorities have projected that diesel oil is estimated to rise by P19.62 per liter, while gasoline may see an increase of P10.43 per liter, with the announcement of final price movements expected today, March 9. Based on the full five days of trading for the Mean of Platts Singapore (MOPS), the industry’s regional gauge for …

President Bongbong Marcos may impose a four-day work week on government offices without much change in public service, but he cannot do so on factories without upending manufacturing operations, trade and export commitments. This was the position taken by the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) when it urged the government to adopt a “balanced and evidence-based” approach to …

DR. Gay Jane P. Perez took her oath of office as Ad Interim Director General of the Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA), administered by Executive Secretary Ralph G. Recto at Malacañang Palace.  The Director General of PhilSA holds the rank of a Cabinet Secretary and serves as the Presidential Adviser on Space Matters. Dr. Perez will further advance the Philippines’ Yamang …

Executive Secretary Ralph Recto and Finance Secretary Frederick Go, the duo most responsible for managing the Philippine economy, have placed their bets on Japan in charting the course of the economy in the next few years. The TMM Business Section came to this conclusion as the joint meeting of the 42nd PHILJEC-JPECC was held last Thursday, and the pre-conference welcome …

Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Eli Remolona Jr. has given up on monetary policy as principal driver of economic growth. Remolona said monetary policy has reached the limits of its effectiveness in reviving the Philippine economy, shifting the burden to the legislative and executive departments of the government to implement fiscal reforms and address governance failures. He stressed  that …