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...
If the war in the Middle East prolongs and global oil prices continue to skyrocket, the Philippine peso could breach the ₱61:$1 level in the second quarter of 2026 and even hit as low as ₱62 to ₱64 against the United States (US) dollar. “Our base case forecasts for the US dollar-Philippine...
Renewed Houthi attacks in the Red Sea are seen aggravating oil price- and supply-driven inflation pressures in the Philippines stemming from the ongoing war in the Middle East. “While the direct effect of renewed strikes on shipping in the Red Sea on aggregate world trade is likely to be limited,...
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...
Singapore-based United Overseas Bank Ltd. (UOB) expects the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) to keep key interest rates unchanged this year, despite rising risks to growth and inflation from the ongoing war in the Middle East. “Amid persistent uncertainty over the Middle East conflict, we expect...
Singapore-based DBS Bank Ltd stated that the Philippine peso is emerging as one of Asia’s most vulnerable currencies as deepening global oil crisis exposes the nation’s heavy reliance on imported energy and the lack of government subsidies. DBS wrote in a commentary published last Friday that...
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...
CEBU CITY – Metro Cebu residents will have to shell out more for their water bills. The Metropolitan Cebu Water District (MCWD) announced that it will implement the final 10 percent tranche of its approved water rate adjustment starting April 1. The upcoming increase is part of MCWD’s first...
When Atty. Francis Saturnino “Nino” Juan took the helm of the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) in August 2025, he inherited an agency choked by years of delays. Its credibility was so bruised that power sector stakeholders approached progress not with hope, but with hardened, deliberately...
The global oil shock triggered by escalating conflict in the Middle East is hitting the Philippines’ poorest households the hardest, as surging fuel costs spill over into food prices and erode purchasing power. A March 26 position paper by state-run policy think tank Philippine Institute for...
The congestion rate in all the jails supervised and managed by the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) t is now down to 294 percent from 600 percent during the previous administration. In a press briefing, BJMP spokesperson Supt. Jayrex Bustinera said the current congestion rate is...
ILOILO CITY – Metro Pacific Iloilo Water (MPIW), the joint venture between State-owned Metro Iloilo Water District (MIWD) and Metro Pacific Water (MPC), assured customers in Metro Iloilo that there will be no immediate water rate increase due to the rising cost of fuel from the Middle East war....
