Foreign investment approvals in the Philippines jumped 52 percent in the first quarter, driven largely by South Korean capital and major projects in entertainment, manufacturing, and tourism-related industries, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority.
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.
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) has expanded the list of qualified investments under the Personal Equity and Retirement Account (PERA) to include time deposits, giving Filipinos another accessible option to build long-term retirement savings, per new guidelines issued August 20, 2026.
The Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) plans to pilot a global-budget payment system that could give hospitals funding upfront, as it expands no-balance-billing options and seeks to cut patients’ out-of-pocket healthcare costs.
The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (PAGCOR) is developing an app to steer players toward licensed online gaming platforms as illegal operators continue to make up about half of the sites accessed in the Philippines.
The government is looking at veteran automotive manufacturer MD Juan Enterprises Inc. as a potential production base for locally made electric vehicles, starting with electric tricycles and eventually moving into electric jeepneys.