The government is intensifying preparations for a potentially severe El Niño, putting agriculture, irrigation, and water management at the center of efforts to limit the impact of prolonged dry conditions.
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas on Thursday delivered a preemptive 25-basis-point rate hike and left the door open to further tightening as stubborn inflationary pressures threaten to keep prices above the central bank’s target range.
Luzon’s major dams have gained substantial amounts of water after weeks of torrential rain, giving the country a stronger buffer against the drier conditions that could accompany a potentially strong El Niño.
When people hear El Niño, they often picture wilting crops, shrinking reservoirs and relentless heat. That's only part of the story. Behind the dry skies is a giant oceanic reshuffling that begins thousands of kilometers away in the Pacific and quietly rewrites weather patterns across the globe.
The early effects of El Niño are beginning to bite, with fishery losses in the Magat Dam area swelling to an estimated P100 million as receding water levels trigger fish kills in Ifugao and Isabela.
Transcom Worldwide (Philippines) Inc. has launched its seventh local site, opening a new business‑process outsourcing center in Quezon City to further grow its Metro Manila operations.
Motorists, small businesses and households are bracing for a fifth consecutive week of split fuel price changes, with local fuel players projecting higher gasoline costs but cheaper diesel for the coming week. Leo Bellas, president of Jetti Petroleum, said Sunday that gasoline is seen rising by P2.00‑P2.20 per liter, while diesel may drop by P0.80‑P1.00 per liter. These estimated adjustments take into account the previous week’s Mean of Platts Singapore rates and average peso‑dollar exchange movements.
Pag-IBIG Fund more than doubled the share of its housing loans going to socialized housing in 2026 as the government expanded subsidized financing for minimum wage earners and low-income families under its Expanded Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino (4PH) program.
Philippine exporters are leaving room for more trade with Britain, with the British Chamber of Commerce Philippines putting greater use of tariff preferences high on its agenda after exporters utilized only 68 percent of available benefits in 2025.