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 Philippines will use its ASEAN chairmanship to push for stronger regional safeguards against energy supply disruptions and faster cross-border power connectivity as Southeast Asian energy ministers meet in Manila this week.
The Department of Agriculture (DA) announced that around 300,000 farmers, fisherfolk, and agricultural haulers will receive ₱3 billion in fuel subsidies starting this month, aiding the sector amid El Niño impacts and persistently high fuel costs.
Therma Visayas told lawmakers that it sources coal from Indonesia and uses the Indonesian Coal Index in its power supply agreements, as a House inquiry into electricity reliability in the Visayas turned attention to both supply security and pricing transparency.
The Department of Agriculture is bolstering full-scale preparations for an intense El Niño, applying hard-won experience to safeguard farm output, secure food supplies, and protect farmers and fisherfolk from harm.