The Philippine economy is facing its most severe test from the ongoing oil crisis, with economists warning that surging fuel costs and supply disruptions are exposing deep structural vulnerabilities and could derail growth prospects this year. In separate reports released on Friday, April 10,...
The interagency Fiscal Incentives Review Board (FIRB) has allowed registered business enterprises (RBEs) in economic zones and freeports to temporarily adopt work-from-home (WFH) arrangements of up to 90 percent of their workforce, following the declaration of a national energy emergency. In a...
The Philippines’ energy rationing measures, including a shortened four-day workweek for some government offices, are disproportionately hitting low-income households, raising risks of stagflation and potential social unrest, according to think tank Oxford Economics. In a report on Thursday, April...
The Marcos Jr. administration’s chief economic manager assured on Tuesday, April 7, that the Philippine government has enough resources to tackle the oil crisis head-on, given an improving fiscal position with rising revenues coupled with prudent spending on public goods and services. “Our...
The Philippines is facing an inflationary shock that could spill over to slower economic growth, potential job losses, and more capital market outflows amid a prolonged Middle East conflict, according to the World Bank. The global oil price and supply shock wrought by the war in Iran would “raise...
Multilateral lenders including the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and the World Bank Group (WBG) are moving to provide immediate financing and coordinated support to countries reeling from the economic fallout of the Middle East war. In a statement on...
The World Bank Group (WBG) said it is stepping up support for emerging market (EM) economies like the Philippines, as the ongoing Middle East conflict drives up commodity prices and disrupts global logistics, posing new risks to growth and food security. In a statement on Thursday, March 26, the...
President Marcos’ declaration of a state of national energy emergency is a calculated move. Clearly, the government intends to stay ahead of a brewing storm. And in an era where geopolitical tensions can send crude prices soaring overnight, timing is everything—and by most expert accounts, the...
The declaration of a state of national energy emergency, precipitated by the escalating conflict in the Middle East, underscores the Philippines’ vulnerability to external shocks. As a nation heavily dependent on imported fuel, geopolitical instability in a region central to global energy supply...
Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson backed President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. 's national energy emergency declaration, saying it would give the national government more flexibility to respond effectively. “We support that and we will see what the result of this declaration is,”...
Declaring a state of national energy emergency should not be a cause of alarm as it does not place the country in a general emergency. President Marcos said this as he justified his move to declare an energy emergency. In his public address on Wednesday, March 25, a day after signing Executive...
There will be a sufficient supply of oil even after the 45-day worth of fuel supply in the country is used up, President Marcos said. Marcos made the assurance during a public address on Wednesday, March 25, a day after declaring a state of national energy emergency. He confidently stated that the...
