President Marcos’ newly appointed budget chief vowed a sweeping crackdown on fiscal leaks and corruption during his first official address on Wednesday, May 20, drawing a hard line against the repeat of recent infrastructure funding controversies that have plagued public infrastructure spending....
The Philippines is studying the prospect of a free trade agreement (FTA) with Paraguay as it looks to bolster market access for key domestic products abroad, according to the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). Trade Secretary Cristina Roque told reporters that a potential FTA with the South...
The Department of Agriculture (DA) is preparing to implement a nationwide suggested retail price (SRP) of ₱53 per kilo for local rice as part of ongoing efforts to keep prices of the staple at a reasonable level. Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel said in a statement on Tuesday, May...
The Department of Transportation (DOTr) has secured a loan from Land Bank of the Philippines (Landbank) to settle ₱3.6 billion in outstanding obligations to the private operator of the Light Rail Transit Line 1 (LRT-1), months after a major investor considered selling its stake. Together with...
As the Philippines continues to confront housing needs projected at 3.7 million until 2028 according to Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD), the Subdivision and Housing Developers Association (SHDA) is calling on the housing sector to move forward in greater synergy as it...
The Department of Transportation (DOTr) expects more than 70 local and international companies to slug it out for the concession to take over the increasingly lucrative Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3) on the back of its growing passenger demand. Transportation Undersecretary Timothy John Batan...
President Marcos has appointed Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Undersecretary Kim Robert de Leon as the country’s new Budget Secretary, making him the youngest person to head the agency. Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Undersecretary Claire Castro announced De Leon’s...
The Department of Energy’s (DOE) annual summer ritual is familiar: it promises that the electricity supply will be “enough and stable,” but the power grid clearly is not getting the memo. After decades of forecasting, energy officials still miss the mark so consistently that it almost feels...
The Marcos administration’s infrastructure spending plunged by more than two-fifths in the first quarter, dealing a significant blow to state-led economic momentum as agencies tightened oversight following the high-profile corruption scandal. According to the latest national government...
The Department of Agriculture (DA) is studying the potential imposition of a suggested retail price (SRP) on locally produced regular and well-milled rice to temper price swings across the country driven by ongoing inflationary pressures. Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said the...
The Department of Agriculture (DA) is keeping the same volume of pork imports subject to a lower tariff rate under its revised minimum access volume (MAV) policy as it seeks to restore competitiveness in the market. “All of our regular MAV quotas will be the same as last year. It’s just the...
More than a decade after the World Bank approved financing for the Cebu Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Project, the flagship urban transport initiative remains far from achieving its original objectives, with only a short section of the corridor substantially completed before the loan expires in...
