As the May 2025 elections draw near, a new Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey reveals that Filipinos continue to prioritize economic and social welfare issues in choosing their candidates—emphasizing the critical role of voter discernment in safeguarding democratic rights.
The Philippines' unemployment rate decreased to 4.3 percent in January, down from 4.5 percent in the same period last year, as the economy continued to create more jobs to accommodate new entrants to the labor force, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) report on Thursday.
OceanaGold Philippines Inc. (OGPI) has allocated P768.43 million under its Final Mine Rehabilitation and Decommissioning Plan (FMRDP) for the Didipio gold and copper mine that spans Nueva Vizcaya and Quirino provinces. In a statement released Sunday, the listed mining firm confirmed that P551.4 million has already been placed in a trust fund. The company said the fund will keep growing in line with required annual contributions as it moves forward with rehabilitation and closure preparations while the mine remains active.
The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) has granted the National Transmission Corporation (TransCo) provisional authority to collect a higher Feed-in Tariff Allowance (FIT-All) rate starting this month. The rate will rise to P0.3359 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) from the existing P0.2011 per kWh, marking an increase of P0.1348 per kWh. This adjustment covers the approved working capital allowance (WCA) rate update.
Listed Manila Electric Co., the country’s largest power distributor and better known as Meralco, on Sunday said it will immediately comply with the Energy Regulatory Commission's (ERC) directive to refund about P9.5 billion to customers, backing the government's push to deliver quicker and more transparent electricity bill relief.
The Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) said the government's plan to scrap systems loss charges and the value-added tax (VAT) on electricity bills should serve as a springboard for broader reforms aimed at lowering power costs and improving the country's investment competitiveness.