The Philippines’ debt as a share of economic output is expected to remain elevated above 60 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) this year as the government ramps up borrowings to support its response to the national energy emergency amid the prolonged war in the Middle East. Based on the...
Public satisfaction with President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has fallen to a new personal low, with more Filipinos expressing dissatisfaction than approval, according to the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey conducted from March 24 to 31. The results of the March 2026 Social...
The Japanese government plans to help Southeast Asian countries diversify their crude oil procurement sources, in order to stabilize petrochemical supply chains amid the ongoing Middle East tensions. Faced with recent energy shocks following the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, Southeast...
The United States (US) government’s Millennium Challenge Corp. (MCC) has earmarked a $60-million grant for the Philippines focused on the energy sector. Documents discussed during the US aid agency’s economic advisory council meeting last month, which were made public last week, showed that the...
TOKYO -- The Japanese government decided Friday to honor Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and his wife, First Lady Louise Araneta-Marcos, during their four-day state visit to Japan beginning Tuesday. The president will receive the Grand Cordon of the Supreme Order of the Chrysanthemum. The...
Social Security System (SSS) is preparing to launch an energy sustainability loan program in September to help qualified members finance residential solar panel systems amid elevated electricity costs. In a statement on Friday, May 22, SSS President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Robert Joseph...
TOKYO, May 20--Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will deliver a speech to the Diet, Japan 's parliament, on May 28, it was learned Wednesday. Executives of the steering committee of the House of Councillors, the upper chamber of the Diet, decided Wednesday to schedule the speech in...
Escalating tensions in the Middle East and the resulting spike in global oil prices could trigger broader economic disruptions in the Philippines, worsening inflation, weakening the peso, and raising costs across transportation, food, tourism, and other energy-intensive industries, according to...
MANILA -- Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. voiced concern that the country could be involved in a possible contingency over Taiwan, in an interview with media organizations including Jiji Press on Monday. "I think in Japan 's case, it 's more about a choice to be involved" if a...
A total of 13,571 families and 115 presidential scholars in Makati will receive rice assistance under the national government’s “Bawat Bayan Makikinabang” program, the Makati City government said on Monday, May 18. Mayor Nancy Binay and President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. led the...
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is prepared to provide up to $1.75 billion in additional financing to help the Philippines, its host country, manage the economic fallout from the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. In a statement on Friday, May 15, the Manila-based multilateral lender said ADB...
During intense deliberations that preceded the 2005 enactment of the Expanded Value Added Tax (E-VAT) Law, which also covered oil and electricity, lawmakers defended the measure as a treasury-tightening mechanism; an unpopular but calculated imposition designed to raise massive revenues so it could...
