Headline inflation decelerated in January to 2.8 percent, its slowest pace since October 2020, due mainly to lower food prices, utilities, and transport.
The Philippines ranks among the weakest across the Asia-Pacific region in the important metric of transparency, which measures whether governments and their officials are forthright and accountable, according to Moody’s Analytics.
Local output expansion that underwhelmed the economic managers last year at only 5.6 percent in terms of the gross domestic product (GDP) is seen reaccelerated to 6 percent this year, the International Monetary Fund said.
President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. and Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. on Saturday met farmers, local government leaders and officials of the Department of Agriculture in Pampanga to sustain the push for agricultural modernization and increased food production in the face of El Nino.
The Bank of the Philippine Islands, the country’s fourth largest lender by assets, said Friday it recorded in 2023 its highest full-year net income of P51.7 billion, up 31 percent from the previous year, driven by record revenue and lower provisions that offset the increase in operating expenses.
The Philippines has taken a major step toward attracting long-term foreign investment with the official signing of the Implementing Rules and Regulations for Republic Act No. 12252, the Investors’ Lease Act.
Finance Secretary and Social Security Commission Chairman Frederick D. Go praised the Social Security System (SSS) for launching its Emergency Loan Program (ELP), saying it will help members get faster and easier access to financial support during disasters.
Ischaemic heart diseases, cancer, and strokes are still the deadliest threats in the Philippines. From January to June 2025, 53,985 deaths—nearly one in five—were due to heart disease alone, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority.
The Philippine baby boom has hit the snooze button. Parenthood, once almost automatic, is now treated like a major purchase—priced, budgeted, and often postponed. Diapers and infant formula increasingly feel less like essentials and more like luxury items with designer tags. Timing, finances, and ambition are all carefully calculated before committing to the ultimate life investment.