Marcos signs bill turning Neda into DepDev
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has signed into law a measure turning the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) into the Department of Economy, Planning and Development (DepDev).

Paperless trade seen requiring more reforms
The introduction of paperless trade will require reforms to the regulatory infrastructure and legal framework, according to the Philippine Exporters Confederation, Inc.

Neda: Tariff war puts 8% ʼ25 GDP growth in peril
The upper-end of the Marcos administration’s 6 to 8% target range for economic expansion this year might not be realistic anymore due to uncertainties amid heightened trade protectionism that’s stoking global recession fears.

ADB pushes for Blue Economy Act
The ADB said the Philippines needs to sign the proposed Blue Economy Act to improve marine-based livelihoods and ensure the long-term sustainability of the ocean economy.

BSP reviews 2%-4% inflation target
BSP Governor Eli Remolona Jr. said the central bank was reviewing its 2 to 4 percent inflation target for possible revision next year.

Nomura lowers growth forecast for Philippines to 5.9 percent
Nomura Global Markets Research has trimmed its 2025 growth forecast for the Philippine economy to 5.9 percent from six percent previously, citing headwinds from global trade tensions and higher US tariffs.

PPA shifting to e-ticketing
The Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) will finally push through with a P500-million project that would integrate and simplify booking of passenger tickets for sea-based travel.

DepEd completes PH participation in 2025 PISA
The Department of Education (DepEd) completed the country’s participation in the 2025 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) on Friday, after a series of preparations since last year.

DBM releases 81% of P6.3 trillion budget
The government has released P5.1 trillion or roughly 81 percent of the record P6.326 trillion allocation this year as state agencies move to implement their respective projects.

Vehicle sales up 6.8% in Q1
Vehicle sales in the country rose by 6.8 percent in the first quarter from a year ago, supported by strong demand for commercial vehicles.

EDSA rehabilitation pushed back to 2026
Initially set for the Holy Week, the rehabilitation of EDSA will start in late 2026, according to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

PH vehicle sales growth revved up to 7.6% in March
Local vehicle sales grew at a faster pace of 7.6 percent in March as strong demand for trucks and buses made up for the slack in the passenger car market.

Philippines less vulnerable to global trade shocks – Balicasan
The Philippines’ relatively low exposure to trade compared to its Asian neighbours offers a buffer against global economic shocks, National Economic and Development Planning Secretary Arsenio Balicasan said on Monday.

Senate, House aspirants told to push austerity protectionist policies
Congressional candidates for this year’s midterm elections should push austerity measures and policies to improve tax collection once elected to help cut Philippine debt and narrow its budget deficit, economists said.

Meat imports top 16% in Feb as ASF continues to pressure supply
Meat imports rose 16.18% year on year in February, the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) said, with domestic supply remaining constrained by African Swine Fever (ASF).

Meat imports rise 33 percent in two months
The country’s meat imports in the first two months rose by a third on an annual basis to over 230,000 metric tons (MT), driven by higher purchases abroad of pork and chicken meat, government data showed.

PHL may grow below 6% amid flip-flopping US tariff policy 
Analysts have lowered their gross domestic product (GDP) growth forecast for the Philippines this year, amid the US government’s flip-flopping trade policies. In a recent report, Nomura Global Markets Research trimmed its GDP forecast to 5.9% for this year from 6% previously.

More rate cuts expected in 2nd half
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) is back on its easing track, analysts said, with rate cuts seen in the second half of the year.

Self-rated poverty slightly rises to 52% in March 2025 – SWS
Fifty-two percent or around 14.4 million Filipino families last March considered themselves poor, based on the results of the latest self-rated poverty survey of the Social Weather Stations (SWS) released on Saturday.

BOC, SBMA partner to spur investments in Subic
The Bureau of Customs (BOC) and the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) have joined forces in a bid to spur investments in the freeport zone and boost revenue collection.

DA starts crackdown on non-compliance with max SRP
The Department of Agriculture (DA) started yesterday its crackdown on violators of the maximum suggested retail price (SRP) for imported rice and pork products.

DA, DTI intensify rice, pork price monitoring in NCR
The Department of Agriculture (DA) and Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) have intensified their joint monitoring of basic commodities’ prices, particularly of rice and pork, in the National Capital Region (NCR), as reports of overpricing persisted.

PGH to hire over 1,000 healthcare workers
The Philippine General Hospital (PGH) is set to hire approximately 1,224 healthcare workers over the next three years. The move comes as the government aims to enhance healthcare services for Filipinos relying on the institution.

Pinoy online sellers lag behind in AI use
The Philippines has one of the lowest adoption rates of artificial intelligence (AI) among Southeast Asia’s e-commerce sellers due to concerns on its usefulness and costs, according to Lazada.

Pag-IBIG falls 10% short of 2024 home loans target
The Home Development Mutual Fund, commonly known as Pag-IBIG, is banking on the government’s flagship housing project and low-cost program to help boost loan releases after falling short of its target by 10 percent last year.

FDI inflow slows to $731 million in January
The inflow of foreign direct investments (FDI) contracted by 20 percent to $731 million in January from $914 million in the same month last year amid persistent global economic uncertainty and escalating geopolitical tensions, data from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) showed.

State-guaranteed loans hit P554 billion in 2024
The government has provided guarantees to over P550 billion in loans last year with more Filipinos benefiting from credit supplementation.

DOT projects over 30M tourists for Holy Week
The Department of Tourism (DOT) sees over 30 million domestic and international travelers during the Holy Week break.

BYD targets higher sales in 2025
BYD Cars Philippines is aiming to achieve higher sales this year amid rising consumer demand for new energy vehicles (NEVs).

Pfizer ends development of potential pill obesity treatment
Pfizer is ending the development of its potential once-daily pill treatment for obesity after venturing into the biggest and most expensive level of clinical testing.

PHL told to establish self-reliant defense program amid VFA talks with France
The Philippine government should prioritize building a self-reliant defense program amid growing tension in the South China Sea, an analyst said, as Manila begins talks on a visiting forces agreement (VFA) with Paris.

PHL urged to broker US-ASEAN talks
The Philippines should leverage its close ties with Washington and act as a broker between the US and Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) as the bloc tries to negotiate for lower reciprocal tariffs under President Donald J. Trump, analysts said.

South Railway Commuter project taking shape
Construction and engineering firms D.M. Consunji Inc. and Acciona of Spain have started constructing three stations of the South Commuter Railway Project (SCRP) in Manila as the country moves to build more regional train systems for better connectivity.