Inflation in the Philippines could ease further in April, following a drop to 1.8 percent in March—the slowest pace since May 2020—if rice prices continue to decline in the latter half of the month.
Foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows, the kind that stays invested in the country, dropped by 20 percent on net basis in January this year, totaling USD731 million, down from USD914 million a year ago, according to data released by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP).
Average rates on Treasury bills were mixed in Monday's auction, with six-month and 12-month debt papers seeing a softening of yields due to expectations of further rate cuts by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP). However, uncertainty continued to push yields on three-month bills higher.
Philippine inflation decelerated to 1.8 percent in March, its slowest pace since the 1.6 percent registered in May 2020 when the economic activities was challenged by the COVID-19 pandemic-related lockdowns. This decline, down from 2.1 percent in February, was largely driven by lower food prices, particularly rice, which saw a significant annual decrease.
The local steel industry is calling for stricter enforcement of material standards in infrastructure projects, warning that substandard and underweight steel products remain a persistent risk in the domestic market.
Local government units (LGUs) are being urged to fast-track the modernization of public collection systems as digital payments continue to dominate everyday transactions in the Philippines.
The Philippine National Bank has passed its surveillance audit for the ISO/IEC 27001:2022 information security standard and expanded the coverage of its certification, reinforcing its efforts to protect customer and business data.
The Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Muntinlupa city government have invested P4 million to upgrade a local food hub that supports women-led enterprises and community food production.