For Filipino consumers, it is a crippling puzzle: why are we hammered with over 100 percent cumulative oil price hikes while the rest of the world experiences only 40 percent to 60 percent increases for the same black gold? The answer is a toxic mix of heavy taxes, high import dependence, global...
The Philippine Exporters Confederation Inc. (Philexport) has expressed strong support for proposed amendments to the Magna Carta for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), while stressing that reforms must deliver concrete benefits such as improved access to financing and more favorable loan...
The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) secured a commitment from the country’s largest manufacturers and retailers to freeze prices on essential goods through mid-April to insulate households from the inflationary fallout of escalating tensions in the Middle East. In a statement late...
The Philippines has secured its largest-ever loan from the World Bank, with the Washington-based multilateral lender approving $1 billion on Friday, March 27. This funding will support the Philippines Sustainable Agricultural Transformation Project (PSAT), which will be implemented by the...
To accelerate the country’s progress toward upper middle-income status, the Philippine government has secured roughly ₱82.4 billion (221.7 billion Japanese yen) in financing from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) for two landmark infrastructure projects. Finance Secretary...
The 142,000 barrels (approximately 22.578 million liters) of diesel fuel scheduled to be formally received by Energy Secretary Sharon Garin this weekend will be unloaded at the bulk storage facility of independent player Seaoil Philippines in Mabini, Batangas, a government source privy to the...
Fuel prices are expected to offer a slight reprieve to motorists next week following a period of aggressive “big time” hikes, as easing geopolitical tensions in the Middle East begin to cool global energy benchmarks. According to industry data based on the four-day trading Mean of Platts...
The United States has asked the Philippines, one of its closest allies hardly hit by its ongoing conflict with Iran, regarding its current energy needs, as the country battles a national energy emergency, Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro has bared. Lazaro said "the...
The Philippines’ goods trade with the rest of the world grew faster in February, ahead of the conflict in the Middle East posing a threat to the country’s exports. The latest preliminary Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) data on Friday, March 27, showed that total external trade rose 10.7...
With tough times ahead, austerity is the new buzzword. Yes, Virginia, we are in belt-tightening mode. The legs of inflation have walked their way into every aspect of basic services, with no apparent de-escalation of hostilities on the horizon. As an emerging economy, the Philippines is believed to...
The House of Representatives needs to look into the outrageous prices of diesel in the Philippines, which according to a lawmaker is outpacing those other countries in Asia. Making this call for a House inquiry on Thursday, March 26 was Senior Citizens Party-list Rep. Rodolfo "Ompong" Ordanes, who...
The government received its initial shipment of imported diesel on Thursday, March 26, marking the start of a state-led effort to stabilize domestic fuel stocks and insulate the economy from global price volatility. The Department of Energy said the agency took delivery of approximately 22,578,000...