The Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) has requested the expansion of the 50-percent work-from-home (WFH) limit in ecozones to as much as 100 percent, giving registered business enterprises (RBEs) more leeway to adjust their operations amid rising fuel prices without forfeiting their...
Multilateral lenders including the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and the World Bank Group (WBG) are moving to provide immediate financing and coordinated support to countries reeling from the economic fallout of the Middle East war. In a statement on...
Country’s rice stockpiles expanded in March compared with a year earlier, driven by the recovery in government-held reserves and steady gains in household holdings, according to the latest data from the Philippine Statistics Agency (PSA). Total rice inventory stood at 1.88 million metric tons as...
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...
Local banking sector showed signs of resilience in February as lending growth by major lenders accelerated, snapping the cooling trend that had sent credit expansion to a near two-year low the previous month. According to the latest data from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), bank lending...
The China 's embassy in Manila has brought up the Middle East conflict affecting the situation in the Philippines to criticize "some forces" who are supposedly trying to destabilize relations between the two sides. It was the first time that the embassy included hostilities in the region in...
Senator Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada on Wednesday, April 1 slammed China’s move to exploit the ongoing Middle East conflict to expand its presence in the West Philippine Sea, saying that “this is unacceptable and deeply concerning.” “Multiple studies indicate that the West Philippine Sea holds...
A small group of patients, mostly suffering from chronic illnesses, accounts for a disproportionate share of hospital spending in the Philippines, according to state-run policy think tank Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS). In a statement on Wednesday, April 1, PIDS cited its study...
On Feb. 28, 2026, the United States (US) and Israel launched a surprise attack on multiple cities across Iran. Within days, oil prices surged from around $70 a barrel to well over $100. Like many others, I was stunned to see diesel prices at the gas station spike above ₱100 per liter—and...
Flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) propelled its net income to over ₱10 billion in 2025, driven by strong passenger demand, offsetting a challenging year marked by higher expenses. In a public disclosure, PAL Holdings Inc. reported that PAL’s net income reached ₱10.07 billion last year,...
The Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) surged on Tuesday, March 31, as investors pounced on undervalued stocks following signs of easing geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and fortification of the nation’s fuel reserves. The benchmark PSEi jumped 79.45 points, or 1.35 percent, to finish...
Philippine Rating Services Corp. (PhilRatings) is maintaining its top-tier credit rating for Vista Land & Lifescapes Inc., moving to distance the homebuilder from a criminal complaint filed by regulators against a separate entity within billionaire Manuel Villar Jr.’s business empire. The local...
