Economy

Easing global oil prices could provide the Philippines with a timely economic tailwind,  strengthening the peso, improving financial conditions and giving the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) greater scope to ease monetary policy, according to Manulife Investment Management.

Prime Global Corp. has expanded its manufacturing footprint with the opening of a P600-million Barrio Fiesta production facility in San Jose del Monte, Bulacan, a move that triples capacity as the company positions itself to meet rising demand at home and overseas.

The government is stepping up its push to capture a larger share of the lucrative meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE) market, injecting an additional P140 million into the expansion of the World Trade Center Metro Manila (WTCMM) to strengthen the country's business tourism infrastructure.

The government is setting a more ambitious investment agenda with the upcoming Strategic Investment Priority Plan (SIPP), targeting P4.5 trillion in investment approvals over the next three years as it seeks to accelerate industrialization and help the Board of Investments (BOI) achieve its P1-trillion approval goal for 2026.

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.'s working visit to Singapore this week will put trade, investments and sustainability at the forefront of bilateral relations as the Philippines steps up efforts to attract higher-value capital and deepen economic ties with one of its biggest investment partners.