The unemployment rate in the Philippines declined in April to 4 percent from 4.5 percent in the year-ago period, with the economy creating more jobs in industry and services to take up the slack in agriculture because of the adverse impact of El Nino on the farm sector.
Inflation nudged higher in May to 3.9 percent, lower than most analysts' forecasts averaging 4 percent, versus only 3.8 percent in April, the Philippine Statistics Authority said on Wednesday.
The NEDA Board, chaired by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., has approved the reduction of tariff on rice to 15 percent from 35 percent to substantially lower the cost of the staple and ease its impact on inflation, whose elevated level has kept the central bank from cutting interest rates to help spur greater economic activity.
The total outstanding debt of the national government in April reached P15.02 trillion, marking a rise of P91.50 billion or 0.61 percent from March 2024.
The various ports across the country posted revenue collection averaging 2.5 percent more in 2023 than in previous year, based on preliminary data generated by the Bureau of Customs in April this year.
New NAIA Infra Corp. (NNIC) has remitted P78 billion to the national government and poured P6.8 billion into rehabilitation and modernization works at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) since taking over operations of the country’s main gateway on September 14, 2024, marking substantial early progress under the public-private partnership (PPP) framework.
Manulife president and chief executive officer Phil Witherington visited Manila recently to meet with Chinabank’s executive leadership, highlighting the deepening long-standing bancassurance partnership between the two firms through Manulife China Bank Life Assurance Corporation (MCBL).
Ayala Corp. is bringing artificial intelligence into Philippine tax administration through a six-month partnership with the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) to develop an AI-powered assistant designed to help revenue personnel find and verify tax rules faster.
Allianz PNB Life (AZPNBL) nearly doubled new business in the first half of 2026, lifting the insurer to third place in the Philippine life insurance industry as it marked its 10th year of operations.