Foreign investment approvals plunged 82 percent in the first quarter to a total P27.99 billion compared to P155.26 billion in the same period last year, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
The Philippine labor market showed a slight increase in unemployment in March, with the jobless rate rising to 3.9 percent from 3.8 percent in February, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
Philippine agriculture started the economy on a stronger footing in the first quarter, growing 1.9 percent, with better weather conditions and intensified government interventions helping the sector recover from a full-year contraction in 2024.
The Philippine trade deficit widened further to USD4.13 billion in March, as export growth failed to keep pace with the double digit expansion in imports, the Philippine Statistics Authority said Wednesday.
Inflation in the Philippines could ease further in April, following a drop to 1.8 percent in March—the slowest pace since May 2020—if rice prices continue to decline in the latter half of the month.
The lack of reliable transport services, far more than the lack of access to electricity or access to safe water sources, remains the biggest hindrance to economic expansion among countries in Asia and the Pacific like the Philippines, the Asia Development Bank said.
The inter-agency Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) has issued a warning to content creators in the country, urging them to stop promoting illegal online gambling platforms.
Batangas 1st District Representative Leandro Legarda Leviste has begun distributing P1,000 allowances to over 150,000 public school students in his district, using personal funds through his Lingkod Legarda Leviste Foundation.