Economy

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 …

The Department of Transportation (DoTr) has announced an invitation for interested companies to participate in three airport upgrade projects budgeted for up to P895.12 million for the three projects. Bidding announcements for the upgrade construction of the airports have been released by the department. The projects are the P455.90-million Tacloban Airport development project, the P174.60-million Camiguin Airport development project, and …

By HERMAN TIU LAUREL China has concluded its annual Central Economic Work Conference in Beijing, held from December 10, setting the economic direction for 2026—the opening year of the People’s Republic of China’s 15th Five-Year Plan (2026–2030). After 75 years of sustained development, China’s economic planning remains consequential not only for itself but also for developing economies across Asia, Africa, …

The bid to ensure the availability of clean and sustainable power gained traction this year as the Department of Energy (DOE) pursued programs that encourage more investments into renewable energy (RE). The share of RE to the total energy mix is already around 32 percent, near the 35 percent goal by 2030. The target is to further increase this to …

The Philippines posted an improvement on its International Investment Position (IIP) as of end-September 2025 after net external liability declined to USD58.2 billion. Data released by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Monday night showed that the latest IIP of the Philippines is a 13.2 percent improvement from the USD67 billion at the end of the first half of this …

The Department of Finance (DOF) stressed that exercising fiscal discipline will be critical heading into 2026 as the Philippines continues to recover from the flood control corruption scandal. Finance Secretary Frederick Go said agencies should prioritize spending on projects with the highest economic returns. “The key to that fiscal discipline is that all the agencies take a very good look …

The Philippines’ balance of payments (BOP) registered a modest deficit of US$225 million in November 2025. For January to November 2025, the BOP recorded an overall deficit of US$4.8 billion. Gross international reserves (GIR) increased to US$111.3 billion as of end-November 2025, showing adequate external liquidity buffer, equivalent to 7.4 months’ worth of imports of goods and payments of services …

The unemployment rate has just clinched a new record — the highest in 3 months. The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said the number of jobless Filipinos surged in October, with rates hitting a three-month high. The country’s unemployment rate was recorded at 5.0 percent, markedly up from 3.8 percent and 3.9 percent a year earlier.. This is the highest unemployment …

Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson, chairman of the Senate Committee on Accountability Of Public Officers and Investigation (Blue Ribbon) together with Sen. Erwin Tulfo conducted an investigation into the alleged misuse and weaponization of Letters of Authority (LOAs) by personnel of the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) as a money-making scheme, and other systematic abuses. Photo shows  the two …