Keeping palay prices fair, expanding P20-per-kilo rice and fast-tracking farm-to-market roads will be the toughest test of the Department of Agriculture heading into 2026, Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. said.
The Philippine information technology and business process management (IT-BPM) industry is set to notch another banner year, with employment projected to reach 1.9 million and export revenues expected to hit USD40 billion in 2025, according to the IT and Business Process Association of the Philippines (IBPAP).
The Department of Agriculture (DA) will expand its P20-per-kilo rice program, starting with a province-wide rollout in Pangasinan this January, as part of the government’s goal to reach 15 million households by the end of 2026.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. said the maximum suggested retail price (MSRP) for 5 percent broken imported rice will remain at P43 per kilo for now, while the government completes the procedure for a higher import tariff.
Residential property prices in the Philippines rose at a much slower pace in the third quarter, pointing to easing demand and more cautious activity in the housing market, according to data from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP).