While the oil-induced inflation spike in the Philippines is raising concerns, think tank Capital Economics expects the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) to keep key interest rates steady for the rest of the year. In an April 15 report, Capital Economics chief emerging markets (EMs) economist...
The country risks pushing 1.3 million more people into poverty as an energy crisis and record-high fuel prices threaten to drive the national poverty rate to 14.4 percent, the state-run Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) warned. Before the Middle East conflict triggered a national...
Pockets of extreme tightness in refined fuel supply across Asia are emerging as a major constraint on growth, with the Philippines among the most exposed economies, according to think tank Oxford Economics. In report last Wednesday, April 15, Oxford Economics senior economist Sheana Yue warned that...
Philippine banks face a potential surge in sour loans as escalating tensions in the Middle East threaten to disrupt the domestic economy and weaken the repayment capacity of households, according to S&P Global Ratings. Nikita Anand, S&P Global Ratings director and lead analyst for South and...
Second-round effects of surging energy costs are filtering through the Philippine gaming industry, as business activity begins to bear the brunt of elevated fuel prices caused by Middle East tensions. Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO)...
The Bureau of Customs (BOC) is fast-tracking shipments of essential goods to prevent additional costs under a state of national energy emergency. Responding to an April 8 Presidential directive from the Office of the Executive Secretary (ES), Customs Commissioner Ariel F. Nepomuceno mobilized all...
Stagflationary pressures are building in the Philippines as swift and pronounced spillovers from the Middle East conflict prompt the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to slash its growth forecast while anticipating above-target inflation. According to the IMF’s April 2026 World Economic Outlook...
The Philippines is grappling with entrenched institutional weaknesses and rising geopolitical volatility that threaten to undermine its credit profile, according to global debt watcher Moody’s Ratings. While the credit watcher maintained the nation’s investment-grade rating at ‘Baa2’ with...
Drivers and operators of diesel-fed public utility vehicles (PUVs) will stand to benefit more from the additional fuel subsidy program than the cancellation of the excise tax on fuel, the Land Transportation and Franchising Regulatory Board (LTFRB) said. The additional fuel subsidy approved by...
More than 17,000 troops from the Philippines and six other countries are set to take part in the 41st iteration of the annual Exercise Balikatan, scheduled from April 20 to May 8. The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Tuesday, April 14, confirmed the participation of its counterparts from...
Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo "Ping" Lacson pressed the government on Tuesday, April 14 to explore more "targeted" interventions—including a potential fuel subsidy mechanism—to shield Filipinos from the cooling effects of the Middle East conflict on global oil prices. In an interview,...
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Tuesday, April 14, noted a decline in repatriation requests from non-overseas Filipino workers (non-OFWs) following the recent ceasefire between the United States and Iran, signaling a temporary easing of tensions in the Middle East. In its latest update,...
