The Philippines has secured nearly P15 billion in World Bank financing to expand clean water and sanitation services in underserved communities, as growing climate risks heighten concerns over water security.
The Philippine economy is headed for a sharper slowdown in 2026 as elevated energy costs, weak public investment and subdued business confidence weigh on domestic demand, the World Bank said, while lowering its growth outlook for next year.
The Philippine government is moving to translate the World Bank’s Public Finance Review into concrete fiscal reforms, with economic officials stressing that better tax collection and spending will matter only if recommendations result in measurable improvements for citizens.
The Philippine government said it will act on recommendations from the World Bank’s latest Public Finance Review, putting a sharper focus on broadening the tax base, improving revenue collection and ensuring that public spending translates into measurable gains for Filipinos.
Accelerating power sector reforms could slash electricity prices, create more than 161,000 jobs and lift about 730,000 Filipinos out of poverty by 2030, with the World Bank arguing that lower energy costs may be one of the country's biggest catalysts for faster and more inclusive economic growth.
ASEAN trade ministers have signed a landmark Digital Economy Framework Agreement (DEFA), establishing common rules for online commerce, digital payments and cross-border data flows in a bid to double Southeast Asia’s digital economy to USD2 trillion by 2030.
The Philippines and Canada have concluded negotiations for a bilateral free trade agreement (FTA), setting the stage for expanded market access, greater investment flows and new opportunities for exporters, service providers and small businesses.
Southeast Asia needs an estimated USD7.1 trillion in infrastructure investment through 2040, but a shortage of commercially viable projects is preventing governments from mobilizing enough private capital to meet the region’s growing needs, Asian Development Bank (ADB) President Masato Kanda said Saturday.
If the past week's tea leaves had a message, it was this: ay, naku. The economy served up a one-two punch of sluggish growth and runaway prices, then appeared to ask whether we wanted seconds. Monday brought third-quarter GDP growth of 2.1 percent, down from 2.4 percent in the previous quarter and below the 2.8 percent consensus forecast. That marked five consecutive quarters of slowing growth and the weakest performance since the pandemic. October inflation, meanwhile, averaged 7.8 percent. Some wanted the monetary authorities to wield a bigger stick through a jumbo rate hike. Tame prices without choking an already parched economy? Sige, good luck. With stocks around 5,600 and the peso near P64 to the dollar, even sharply cheaper gasoline felt less like salvation than a promo expiring next week.