Seasonal patterns boosted chicken and tilapia production in the first quarter but weighed on output of hogs, bangus, and galunggong, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
The Philippines saw a modest rise in construction activity in March 2025, as approved building permits reached 14,973, up 3.4 percent from 14,477 in the same month last year, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority.
Despite widespread access to basic education, nearly 25 million Filipinos—or about one in every five people aged 10 to 64 years old—are still “not functionally literate,” according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
According data from the Philippine Statistics Authority, the number of working children aged 5 to 17 dropped to 863,000 in 2024 from 1.09 million in 2023 and 1.48 million in 2022. This marks a significant milestone in the country’s fight against child labor, bringing figures even lower than the pandemic-era low of 872,300 in 2020.
Rice prices continued to ease in early May, indicating a potential further slowdown in inflation after headline inflation decelerated in April to its slowest pace since November 2019.
The Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) is reinforcing its commitment to empowering Filipinos by enhancing accessibility to its services. Through its suite of retail loan products, BPI is helping make vehicle, home, and motorcycle ownership more achievable while offering special anniversary rates, waived fees, and exclusive partner discounts.
AllHome Corp., the retail and wholesale arm of the Villar Group, reported a steep decline in profit for the first half of the year, citing soft demand for construction and furnishing products amid a sluggish real estate market.
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell signaled Friday that the U.S. central bank may cut interest rates at its next policy meeting in September, citing growing risks to the labor market and ongoing inflation pressures.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. has instructed the Rice Industry Development Office (RIDO), led by Undersecretary Christopher Morales, to closely examine the apparent shift in Filipino rice preferences, as demand for imported rice—particularly Vietnamese varieties—continues to grow.