Senate Minority Leader Vicente “Tito” Sotto III on Saturday, Aug. 16, expressed confidence that Senator Rodante Marcoleta can act fairly as chairman of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee despite his ties to the Dutertes. Asked in an interview on Usapang Senado over DWIZ if Marcoleta’s...
Tempered household consumption, still reeling from the pandemic-induced recession, is weighing on the Philippine growth outlook, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). With private consumption—which accounts for more than 70 percent of the local economy—showing “weak momentum,”...
The governments of the Philippines and Israel have both sent their economic team for the first meeting of its Joint Economic Committee, which looks to host first-round negotiations for a possible Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between the two countries. In a statement, the Embassy of Israel in Manila...
The Senate is unanimously supporting the House of Representatives call to open bicameral conference committee meetings during the crafting of the national budget. Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian, chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance, said the Senate has unanimously signed and filed Senate...
Malacañang said the government has started developing a National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights, focusing on protecting indigenous peoples (IPs) and their ancestral domains. The Palace said the initiative supports President Marcos ' commitment to human rights and inclusive...
Senate President Francis "Chiz" Escudero came to the defense of Senator Rodante Marcoleta on Wednesday, July 30, amid criticisms surrounding his appointment as chairperson of the powerful Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, saying experience and competence—not seniority—should be the basis for...
Even with the weaker-than-expected gross domestic product (GDP) growth figures last year and in recent quarters, the Department of Finance (DOF) argued that the Philippine economy grew at an average rate of 5.9 percent—among the fastest-growing Asian economies—since President Ferdinand Marcos...
Central banks in Southeast Asia, where economies like the Philippines export a wide array of goods to the United States (US), are expected to cut interest rates some more as tariffs take effect next month, according to the think tank Capital Economics. In a July 23 report, Capital Economics senior...
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)....
Fifteen years from now, the Philippine economy could accelerate by 6.8 percent yearly if the country continues to improve regional connectivity, productivity, and resource allocation, the Washington-based World Bank stated. According to the multilateral lender’s latest report on Philippine growth...
Senator Raffy Tulfo paid a courtesy call to the Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco, California amid the intensified crackdown by the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on immigrants and undocumented workers. The San Francisco Philippine Consulate has jurisdiction...
The Senate is open to proposals seeking to enhance transparency of the budget process by opening the bicameral deliberations to the public. Senate Secretary Renato Bantug Jr. said the bicameral conference is a joint undertaking of the Senate and the House of Representatives, so both chambers have...