The World Bank warned that the Philippines’ broad-based economic slowdown in the first quarter of 2026 could spill over into weaker household incomes and higher food prices as the country grapples with an escalating energy price shock triggered by tensions in the Middle East. In its latest...
Washington is pressing Manila to grant unprecedented legal protections—potentially including a form of diplomatic immunity—to secure American corporate investments in the planned mega artificial intelligence (AI) hub in New Clark City, a proposal Philippine officials have already rejected. US...
De La Salle University (DLSU) economists slashed their 2026 Philippine gross domestic product (GDP) growth forecast to 3.11 percent from 3.79 percent previously, warning that the economy is facing mounting pressure from the Middle East conflict, elevated inflation, and lingering domestic...
The Philippines dropped to 10th on the list of the United States’ (US) largest export destinations for agricultural products in 2025 after shipments declined by two percent due to weaker imports of wheat and processed vegetables. Based on its Agricultural Export Yearbook published last May 13,...
The United States (US) is taking the lead in the development of the long-delayed Sangley Point International Airport (SPIA) through the funding of a new feasibility study, as part of its commitment to boost economic activity within the Luzon Economic Corridor (LEC). The US Trade and Development...
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Sunday, May 10, welcomed moves by Japan to loosen restrictions on defense exports as Manila pushes ahead with military modernization amid continuing tensions in the West Philippine Sea (WPS). Philippine Navy (PN) reservist and retired rear admiral Roy...
Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. on Tuesday night, May 5, lambasted groups criticizing the recent deployment and firing of the United States Typhon missile system in Tacloban. Teodoro suggested that those viewing the military exercises as a mere “playground”...
The United States approved a possible $150 million sale of Bell 505 Jet Ranger X helicopters to the Philippines, a move seen to strengthen Manila’s pilot training capability and support its military modernization program. In a statement Tuesday, May 5, the US Department of State said it had...
The United States military launched a Tomahawk cruise missile using its Typhon Mid-Range Capability (MRC) missile system from a civilian airport in Tacloban City on Tuesday midnight, May 5, with the precision strike traveling 530 kilometers across the eastern seaboard to hit a target in Nueva...
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and United States military will hold a counter-landing live fire exercise at the La Paz Sand Dunes in Laoag, Ilocos Norte on Monday, May 4, as part of this year’s Exercise Balikatan. The AFP said the exercise would simulate the defense of Northern Luzon...
The Philippines successfully avoided the United States’ (US) list of intellectual property violators for a 13th consecutive year, maintaining its status as a regional leader in enforcement despite a surge in counterfeit pharmaceuticals and bureaucratic delays in trademark litigation. In this...
The country’s raw sugar production in the upcoming marketing year (MY) is expected to decline by as much as 200,000 metric tons (MT) due to the looming impact of a prolonged dry spell brought by El Niño in the latter part of the year, according to the United States Department of Agriculture...
