Economy

THE Philippines can still hit the goal of becoming a high-income economy despite a run of below-potential growth, Economic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan said on Thursday. This, following the release of disappointing data on how the national economy performed in 2025. “Our aspiration as a country, as reflected in our long-term plan, is to join our neighbors as a developed …

The Energy Regulatory Commission  (ERC) announced this week that it has approved Resolution No. 02, Series of 2026 setting a “Uniform National Lifeline Subsidy and Rate for the implementation of the Lifeline Program nationwide.” The lifeline subsidy is a passed-on charge against regular-paying consumers to shoulder the discounted rates for the electricity consumption of low-income consumers. Under the resolution, the …

The City of Manila recorded a 40 percent increase in new business permit processing alongside robust renewal activity, showing strong local business momentum, Bureau of Permits Director Levi Facundo reported Monday to Manila City Mayor Francisco “Isko” Moreno Domagoso. As of January 25, 2026, the city processed 384 new business permits, up sharply from 176 during the same January 1–25 …

By DIEGO C. CAGAHASTIAN When President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. met with Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Eli Remolona Jr. in Malacañang on Tuesday, the Palace spokeswoman tried to scrape the bottom of the economic cauldron to come up with something worth reporting to the press. Undersecretary Claire Castro of the Presidential Communication Office  had to make do with …

The construction industry and its sibling businesses such as suppliers of construction materials were unfortunately hit by the flood of corruption which their leaders and corrupt government officials brought on the nation. This was during the last two quarters of 2025, during the height of the multi-billion peso flood control scandal in the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) …

Families of OFWs may celebrate for a while because of the perceived increase in the local value of remittances from their relatives working abroad.  Exporters of local products may also be benefited because Filipino exports may become more competitive abroad. These are some of the positive consequences of the record slump of the Philippine pesos last Wednesday— P59.44 to the …

The top foreign affairs officials of Japan and the Philippines have signed several agreements involving cooperation in various areas of development, among them defense and military,  trade and investment, infrastructure development through Official Development Assistance, economic security, agriculture, protection of supply chain, semiconductors, and the Luzon Economic Corridor. The two Asian countries decided to give each other mutual access to …

The Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between the Philippines and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is expected to provide a long-term boost to the resilience of the Philippine economy. The CEPA was signed Tuesday on the sidelines of the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week 2026 Summit at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Center, with Department of Trade and Industry Secretary Cristina …

There are three reasons why the country’s ports will be bursting with economic activities this year, the chief of the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) said.  Jay Daniel R. Santiago, general manager of the PPA, enumerated these factors as port modernization, operational efficiency, and service excellence, citing greater volume or investments in these areas. Bolstering his optimism, Santiago said there is …

Transportation Acting Secretary Giovanni Lopez said that 2025 was a “banner year” for the agency’s ROW acquisition for the flagship railway initiatives of the government. Lopez emphasized that in February last year, the acquired ROW for Metro Manila Subway Project (MMSP) stood at only 51%, while for the North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) north segment, it was only 2%. The ROW …