Business

The non-performing loan (NPL) ratio of Philippine banks improved to 3.08 percent in December 2025, down from 3.32 percent in November, marking the lowest level since August 2020, based on Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas data. Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation chief economist Michael Ricafort said the decline in NPLs amid rising bank loans is partly due to a total 200-basis-point reduction …

Confidence in the Philippine economy is showing signs of recovery, BSP Governor Eli Remolona Jr. said Wednesday, projecting a growth rebound in the second half of 2026. Citing the central bank’s survey of supply chain managers, Remolona noted that the confidence index has risen above 50 percent, signaling improving sentiment. He also pointed to declining yields on Bureau of the …

The Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) has been recognized internationally for promoting agricultural growth and reforestation efforts, DBP President Michael O. de Jesus said. DBP was named Top Community-Centric Company at the 2025 Asia Corporate Excellence and Sustainability (ACES) Awards for its Agri-Puhunan at Pantawid Program (APPP), in partnership with the Department of Agriculture, and for a 100-hectare reforestation …

More than 200 nano-entrepreneurs in Quezon City joined “Ayusin ang Pera, Palaguin ang Negosyo,” a financial literacy and entrepreneurship session organized by the Quezon City Small Business Cooperatives Development and Promotions Office (QC-SBCDPO) in partnership with the BDO Foundation at the Amoranto Sports Complex. The session was facilitated by personal finance coach Chinkee Tan, who shared practical lessons on managing …

Government statisticians reported a 2-percent inflation rate for January, the highest in 11 months,  but many Filipinos who are still reeling from higher prices of goods are not convinced. Such an inflation figure had the fastest pace since February 2025 when we notched 2.1 percent. Still, a huge part of the population aired doubts, pointing out that while the Philippine …

The inflation computations were arrived at even as the  Manila Electric. Co. trimmed electricity rates by 16.37 centavos per kilowatt-hour (kWh) to P12.9508 per kWh last month from P13.1145 per kWh in December, which meant households consuming an average of 200 kWh paid P33 less in their monthly electricity bill. In January 2025, Meralco charged its customers P11.7428 per kWh. …

In January, the average price of local regular milled rice fell by 10.28% to P43.29 per kilo from P48.25 per kilo a year ago but inched up by 4.34% from P41.49 in December, according to the PSA.  Well-milled rice was likewise cheaper by 7.55% year on year at P50.05 per kilo from P54.14 but climbed by 3.73% from P48.25 in …

The Department of Economy, Planning, and Development (DEPDev) said the government is enforcing programs to manage price pressures emerging from the energy sector. It includes improving the Department of Energy’s Net Metering Program by enforcing time-bound local permitting, simplifying utility documentary requirements and expanding consumer incentives.   “The program allows consumers to install eligible renewable energy systems and export surplus …

More and more Filipinos in the labor force are finding it hard to land a job. The number of unemployed Filipinos increased to 2.26 million in December, higher than the 1.63 million logged in December 2024 and the previous month’s count of 2.25 million. For 2025, the jobless rate averaged 4.2%, equivalent to 2.14 million jobless Filipinos. This was higher …

Ten industry divisions performed so badly last year that the country’s manufacturing output decreased. This was according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA). Preliminary results of the PSA’s Monthly Integrated Survey of Selected Industries showed that the Volume of Production Index (VoPI) for manufacturing posted an annual average decline of 0.02 percent last year, indicating a downtrend from the 0.7 …