On the heels of a record-high performance in 2025, the country’s merchandise exports may post flat growth this year as the ongoing war in the Middle East drives up fuel costs and disrupts supply chains, according to the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). “To be honest, it 's hard to...
The government is maintaining its ₱360 billion excise tax target for this year, betting on domestic resilience even as the government prepares to potentially sacrifice billions in fuel revenue to offset Middle East oil shocks. This comes despite the likelihood that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr....
The Philippines is more vulnerable to “stagflationary” shock than any of its Southeast Asian neighbors as surging energy costs and cooling domestic demand squeeze the country’s economy, according to Oversea-Chinese Banking Corp. (OCBC) In a research note published last week, OCBC economists...
The Philippines is facing an inflationary shock that could spill over to slower economic growth, potential job losses, and more capital market outflows amid a prolonged Middle East conflict, according to the World Bank. The global oil price and supply shock wrought by the war in Iran would “raise...
Overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who were repatriated due to the Middle East conflict may withdraw their savings from the Pag IBIG Fund and avail of the three-month moratorium for their housing loans at the same time, the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) said. DHSUD...
If the war in the Middle East prolongs and global oil prices continue to skyrocket, the Philippine peso could breach the ₱61:$1 level in the second quarter of 2026 and even hit as low as ₱62 to ₱64 against the United States (US) dollar. “Our base case forecasts for the US dollar-Philippine...
Due to an urgent need to stabilize the country’s oil supply and curb escalating fuel prices, the Bureau of Customs (BOC) is bypassing standard procedures, directing all district collectors to fast-track processes related to the state’s emergency importations. This follows the emergency mandate...
A wider external imbalance threatens to add further depreciation pressure on the already record-weak Philippine peso, as escalating geopolitical tensions—particularly the United States (US)-backed Israel-Iran conflict—are expected to drive up import costs and weigh on export growth, widening...
Motorists may face sharp spike in fuel costs as international supply anxieties push domestic pump prices toward record highs, prompting the government to issue emergency anti-hoarding directives to protect the local market. Based on the first two-day estimates in the Mean of Platts Singapore...
After surviving the Covid pandemic, Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo "Ping" Lacson prays the world survives "Trump-26" or the policies, actions, and events that occurred during the second term of President Donald Trump in the year 2026. Lacson said this on Wednesday, April 1, as Filipinos...
Singapore-based United Overseas Bank Ltd. (UOB) expects the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) to keep key interest rates unchanged this year, despite rising risks to growth and inflation from the ongoing war in the Middle East. “Amid persistent uncertainty over the Middle East conflict, we expect...
Philippine manufacturing growth slowed in March as input prices spiked amid rising energy costs tied to the war in the Middle East. In a report on Wednesday, April 1, S&P Global said the Philippines ’ purchasing managers’ index (PMI) eased to 51.3 last month from 54.6 in February, signaling a...
