Economy

As artificial intelligence, automation, and mass production reshape consumer markets, demand for handmade and distinctive products is creating fresh opportunities for Philippine crafts and design exporters.

Japan-based Rating and Investment Information, Inc. (R&I) has affirmed the Philippines’ A- investment-grade credit rating with a stable outlook, citing resilient economic fundamentals, improving fiscal conditions, and manageable external risks.

The Philippines lifted 6.5 million Filipinos out of poverty in just two years, pushing the national poverty rate down to a record-low 9.7 percent in 2025 and allowing the government to hit its single-digit target three years ahead of schedule.

Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian is looking to raise taxes on vaping products and develop a Philippine version of a wealth tax to offset revenue losses from a proposed repeal of the travel tax while supporting economic growth.

Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian is backing the Philippines’ bid to secure the proposed Pax Silica high-technology manufacturing hub, calling the project a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” to draw foreign direct investments, create jobs, and build the country’s next major growth engine after business process outsourcing.