The country’s gross international reserves (GIR), an indicator of capacity to pay for trade and debt obligations, rose to $99.7 billion as of end-January 2023 from the end-December 2022 level of $96.1 billion.
The Supreme Court has declared unconstitutional key provisions of the 2024, 2025 and 2026 national budgets, ruling that congressional increases beyond the President’s recommended appropriations violated constitutional limits and weakened safeguards over public spending.
The VinFast VF 3 emerged as the Philippines’ best-selling battery electric vehicle (BEV) model in the first eight months of 2026, recording 2,906 units sold from January to August, according to data from the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines Inc. (CAMPI) cited by the company.
Philippine automotive sales rebounded 21 percent in September as dealerships recovered from weather-related disruptions, but the monthly surge has yet to reverse the industry’s double-digit decline for the first nine months of 2026.
The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is proposing mandatory safety certification for electric bicycles, scooters and other light electric vehicles (LEVs), a move that could drive up compliance costs for businesses while tightening safeguards against electrical and battery-related hazards.