Economy
Philippines seal first Middle East FTA
The Philippines is set to clinch its first free trade agreement with a Middle Eastern nation, with the signing of a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) with the United Arab Emirates next week, a move expected to widen Manila’s commercial footprint in the Gulf.
Philippine IT-BPM leaps ahead with AI
While the global information technology and business process management (IT-BPM) industry trudges along at a modest 2 percent annual growth, the Philippines is quietly pulling ahead.
Steady but soft: economy seen growing 5% in 2025
The Philippines is expected to continue expanding through 2026, but at a pace that remains below official targets, highlighting a recovery that is steady yet weaker than hoped for, according to a new study by the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS).
Philippine food brands eye India boom
Philippine food manufacturers are sharpening their focus on India as biscuit maker Monde M.Y. San Corporation and banana chipmaker See’s International Food Manufacturing Corp. headline the country’s participation at Indusfood 2026, set for January 8 to 10 at the India Exposition Mart in Greater Noida.
Foreign reserves reach US$110.9 billion in December 2025
The country’s gross international reserves (GIR) stood at US$110.9 billion at the end of December 2025, based on preliminary data.
