On the heels of a record-high performance in 2025, the country’s merchandise exports may post flat growth this year as the ongoing war in the Middle East drives up fuel costs and disrupts supply chains, according to the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). “To be honest, it 's hard to...
The government is opening the Bicol Shelf Basin to private investors for oil and gas exploration, a move intended to bolster indigenous energy resources as the country seeks to reduce its reliance on volatile global fuel markets. The Department of Energy (DOE) on Wednesday, April 1, announced a...
The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) rejected a petition to impose definitive safeguard duties on imported corrugating medium paper, ordering the immediate refund of cash bonds previously collected from importers to shield the local industry. In Department Administrative Order (DAO) No....
The United States (US) is targeting the expansion of its key agricultural exports to the Philippines as it launches a trade mission in Manila next month to unlock new agricultural opportunities. In a statement, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) said it will lead an agribusiness trade mission...
The Philippines’ rice imports may increase to over five million metric tons (MT) in the upcoming marketing year (MY) 2026-2027 to plug the shortfall in domestic production, according to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). In a report, the USDA estimated that the country’s rice...
The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has urged local exporters to begin testing their food products for mineral oil aromatic hydrocarbons (MOAH), warning that a proposed European Union (EU) policy could block their entry into the region. In a statement, the DTI notified food exporters of a...
Philippines’ most influential business coalitions pledged on Monday, March 30, to ramp up investments in renewable energy and implement aggressive conservation measures as the government scrambles to insulate the economy from the global oil shock triggered by escalating Middle East hostilities....
The global oil price and supply shock caused by the war in the Middle East may reverse early 2026 gains by Philippine exporters, according to think tank Oxford Economics. In a report on Monday, March 30, Oxford Economics senior economist Sheana Yue said that while Asian goods exports started 2026...
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’ 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...
The government is now one step away from imposing a price ceiling of ₱50 per kilo on imported rice after the proposed policy received the recommendation of the interagency National Price Coordinating Council (NPCC). In a statement on Thursday, March 26, NPCC said it is adopting the Department of...
