Top News
Palay prices begin to rise ahead of Marcos import ban
Farm gate prices of palay have begun to rise in nearly half of the country’s key rice-producing regions, just a week after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. announced a two-month suspension of rice imports starting September 1.
Cash remittances hit $3B in June, boosting policy space
Cash remittances from overseas Filipinos rose by 3.7 percent year-on-year to US$2.99 billion in June 2025, up from US$2.88 billion in the same month last year, according to data released by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP).
ADB OKs US$400M loan for Philippine food program
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a USD400 million loan to help the Philippines combat hunger, food insecurity, and undernutrition—particularly among the country’s poorest households—as climate and disaster risks continue to escalate.
FDI inflows up 21.3% in May, driven by debt investments
Foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows into the Philippines rose by 21.3 percent year-on-year in May, reaching US$586 million from US$483 million in May last year, according to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP). The increase was mainly attributed to a surge in nonresidents’ net investments in debt instruments, which jumped by 88.3 percent to US$427 million.
Meralco hikes power rate by P0.63/kWh this August
The Manila Electric Company (Meralco) has implemented a rate increase of P0.6268 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) this August, bringing the overall residential rate to P13.2703 per kWh from P12.6435 per kWh in July. This translates to an additional P125 in the monthly electricity bill for a typical household consuming 200 kWh.
