The Philippine labor market showed modest improvement in March, with unemployment easing slightly, though broader indicators suggest lingering pressures on job quality and workforce participation.
Philippine exports surged to a record USD8.17 billion in March, the highest monthly level since the Philippine Statistics Authority began tracking merchandise trade in 1991. The milestone was powered largely by sustained global demand for electronics, reinforcing the sector’s dominance in the country’s export basket.
Rice and corn production declined in the first quarter of 2026, reflecting lingering damage from late 2025 typhoons that disrupted planting schedules and destroyed standing crops across key farming regions.
The Philippine Statistics Authority said the country’s agriculture and fisheries sector produced goods worth P1.79 trillion in 2025 at constant 2018 prices, with Central Luzon emerging as the top contributor.
Average farmgate prices of dry palay across the Philippines climbed to P23.91 per kilo, up 28 percent from a year earlier, according to data from the Philippine Statistics Authority, signaling firmer earnings for farmers amid shifting supply conditions.
The Philippines and Egypt are exploring new avenues for trade and investment cooperation, with discussions ranging from textile manufacturing opportunities using premium Egyptian cotton to the possible revival of a bilateral economic committee aimed at deepening commercial ties.
The Department of Energy (DOE) announced mixed price adjustments for fuel this week. Gasoline may drop by as much as P1.70 per liter or rise by up to P0.30 per liter.
The Department of Energy (DOE) has confirmed that nine companies have passed the initial evaluation for offshore wind projects under the fifth Green Energy Auction (GEA5), down from more than 20 original applicants.
The Department of Agriculture (DA) has confirmed growing calls to amend Joint Administrative Order No. 2008-1, which limits approved bioethanol raw materials to only sugarcane and molasses, to include corn as an additional feedstock. The proposal remains under review and awaits final decision from the National Biofuels Board, with officials noting the move is being reconsidered amid an ongoing fuel crisis.