Despite inflation climbing to a six-month high in September, Singapore-based Oversea-Chinese Banking Corp. Ltd. (OCBC) still expects consumer prices in the Philippines to rise by less than two percent on average for the entire year. Average headline inflation stood at 1.7 percent as of...
The country’s employment rate climbed to 96.1 percent in August, a sign of a resilient and adaptive labor market that continues to recover and prepares workers for emerging industries, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said on Thursday, Oct. 9. DOLE Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma said...
ILOILO CITY — Water consumers in Metro Iloilo have been assured of a gradual rate increase from P20 to P28.67 per cubic meter. Metro Pacific Iloilo Water (MPIW) Commercial head Kathleen Sadio said they are implementing the increase in two phases beginning November when consumers will have to pay...
Inflation rose to a six-month high of 1.7 percent in September, mainly due to more expensive fuel and higher vegetable prices following the onslaught of typhoons, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported on Tuesday, Oct. 7. The latest PSA data showed that the country’s inflation rate...
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel is casting doubt on the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ (BSP) projection that inflation likely quickened in September due to higher rice prices, maintaining that retail prices of the staple remain stable. The BSP estimated that last month’s inflation rate...
Last week, I watched a CEO in Ortigas break down during our coffee meeting—not from any corporate crisis or market meltdown, but from sheer exhaustion. “I don’t understand,” he said, stirring his third espresso of the morning. “I’m doing everything right—hitting targets, pushing...
Pervasive corruption in the Philippines is preventing the country from realizing its full economic potential, despite President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. making “steady progress” on his reform agenda, according to the think tank Capital Economics. In its Asia Economic Outlook report for the...
Unemployment in the country has risen sharply in July, driven by a series of typhoons that severely impacted key sectors and forced many out of work, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) The Philippine unemployment rate rose to 5.3 percent in July 2025, from 4.7 percent in July...
The Philippine employment rate dipped to 94.7 percent in July 2025 amid the entry of 1.7 million new workers into the labor force, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said on Wednesday, Sept. 10. The July Labor Force Survey showed the unemployment rate rose to 5.3 percent from 4.7...
Singapore-based United Overseas Bank (UOB) expects lower interest rates to lift Philippine economic growth in the near term, despite lingering global challenges that would likely expand the domestic economy below the government’s goal for the year. In its Quarterly Global Outlook report for the...
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) on Saturday, September 6, said hunger among Filipino families has fallen to its lowest level in years, attributing the drop to its Walang Gutom Program (WGP). Citing the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey, Assistant Secretary Baldr...
Despite last month’s spike in consumer prices, the steady decline in rice costs is seen to keep a lid on inflation, with the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) expecting it to average below two percent this year. Inflation quickened to 1.5 percent in August from 0.9 percent in July—the slowest...
