The Tokyo-based think tank Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI) has flagged rising post-pandemic debt repayments in developing economies across the region, including the Philippines, which are depriving governments of more funding for public goods and services. “Between 2008 and 2019, annual...
The Department of Finance (DOF) has clarified that a new law will not tax the savings of ordinary Filipinos, as it only standardizes the tax rate on interest income, eliminating the unfair preferential treatment previously enjoyed by the wealthy. Finance Secretary Ralph G. Recto said the passage of...
Finance Secretary Ralph G. Recto said slapping the online gaming industry with a 10-percent tax could generate at least an additional ₱20 billion in revenues annually. Recto told reporters during an informal press chat that taxing each gamer per bet is more challenging to implement. He said it...
While the Philippine economy has already been recovering from its deep recession during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, hitting its growth potential of six percent would be challenging given the global uncertainties spilling over domestically, according to the Department of Finance (DOF)....
A one-percent excise tax on remittances under the proposed "One Big Beautiful Bill" in the United States (US) could reduce Filipino remittances by $1.9 billion, or approximately ₱108 billion, in 2026, the Department of Finance (DOF) estimated. Finance Undersecretary and Chief Economist Domini...
With only four percent of the total women-led micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) having access to formal financing, Manila-based Asialink Finance Corporation (AFC) has launched its fresh loan product to plug this gap. “Women entrepreneurs can borrow up to ₱20 million depending on...
The Philippines remained one of the world’s best in investor relations (IR) and debt transparency, even as it lost to Indonesia this year the top spot it held last year in the annual ranking of the Washington-based Institute of International Finance (IIF). In the 2025 IIF Investor Relations and...
The Philippines, through the Department of Finance (DOF), is urging multilateral development banks (MDBs) to increase their capacity to offer loans, enhance the impact of supported projects, and offer more concessional lending terms, grants, and technical assistance. During the fourth international...
After the successful bidding to privatize the Caliraya-Botocan-Kalayaan (CBK) hydroelectric power plants, the government and private-sector players may next look forward to another public-private partnership (PPP) in rehabilitating the decades-old Agus-Pulangi hydropower complex in Mindanao. Power...
While the Department of Finance (DOF) seems to be shifting away from its earlier stance of “no new taxes,” private sector economists argue that new tax measures are not yet necessary, emphasizing the need to first strengthen the implementation of existing tax laws. “I can’t emphasize more...
The Department of Agriculture (DA) is set to receive a loan financing from the Washington-based multilateral lender World Bank next year for a project aimed at supporting small agri-businesses. A June 26 document published on Thursday, July 3, showed that the DA is seeking an investment project...
Under its new leadership, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) remains committed to implementing reforms that will further enhance the ease of doing business in the Philippines and deepen the capital market. In a courtesy visit to Finance Secretary Ralph G. Recto, new SEC Chairperson...
