Economy

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has reported that food security food security in the Philippines can be undermined as food prices rise due to higher costs of fuel, freight, and fertilizer. The problem is blamed by the international agency to the effects of the war in West Asia, particularly the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. The country, and …

We are becoming a nation of borrowers. The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) announced that new borrowings by the National Government and the private sector led to an increase in the country’s external debt in the first quarter of the year. The data says the country’s outstanding external debt increased by 0.42 percent to $147.35 billion as of the end …

The Philippines’ outstanding external debt declined to US$147.35 billion at end-March 2026 from US$147.65 billion a quarter earlier and remained manageable. Key debt indicators remained sound. External debt as a share of gross domestic product (GDP) improved slightly to 30.0 percent from 30.3 percent in the previous quarter, despite slower economic growth. Liquidity conditions also strengthened. Short-term external debt based …

REPRESENTATIVES from the Australia Philippines Business Council (APBC), the Philippines’ Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), IT and Business Process Association of the Philippines (IBPAP), and Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) visited Victoria International Container Terminal (VICT) – the Port of Melbourne terminal of International Container Terminal Services, Inc., as part of activities marking the 80 th  anniversary of diplomatic …

Inflation was monitored by the government at 6.8 percent in May 2026 on the back of slower annual increases in the costs of transport, food, housing, water, electricity, and gas, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported on Friday. It was slower than the 7.2 percent inflation recorded in April but faster than the 1.3 percent inflation seen in May 2025. …

The United States is again threatening to weaponize its tariffs, this time against 54 economies including the Philippines, that have allegedly failed to effectively enforce policies against forced labor. The Philippines could soon face additional duties of up to 12.5 percent on some of its exports to the US as a result of its failure to enforce measures banning the …

While admitting that the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) may already be “behind the curve,” Governor Eli Remolona Jr. and the Monetary Board, these overpaid officials who control our monetary system, are thinking of acting now or waiting until their next regular meeting. They are still considering an off-cycle hike in interest rate, Remolona said. Meanwhile, the Filipinos are reeling …

The Marcos administration has no plans to suspend the collection of the feed-in tariff allowance (FIT-All), a charge imposed on consumers to support renewable energy (RE) projects. The policy was affirmed despite the rising cost of electricity, and the ongoing oil shock that started with the West Asia war in Iran that was started by the United States and Israel. …

THE Department of Transportation (DOTr) and the Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA) signed a credit line agreement with the Land Bank of the Philippines (LANDBANK) last May 14  to settle P3.6 billion in contractual obligations to Light Rail Manila Corporation (LRMC), the private operator of LRT-1. This initiative follows a directive from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for the DOTr to …

By DIEGO C. CAGAHASTIAN The local semiconductor industry stands to realize unprecedented growth when plans for the Luzon Economic Corridor under the Pax Silica initiative of the United States materializes, although many sectors have expressed concern if these developments will indeed result in blessings for Filipinos. The Marcos administration has reserved 1,619 hectares of land in Tarlac for the establishment …