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PhilHealth warns Congress, budget officials: benefit cost baseline has tripled, funding model must change
PhilHealth is sounding the alarm on the long-term sustainability of its benefit expansion program, with its president and chief executive officer warning that the current pace of growth in benefit costs cannot be maintained beyond 2026 without a fundamental shift in how the country’s health…
All Kinder and Grade 1 students to get school meals as DepEd feeding budget doubles to ₱25.6-billion
All kindergarten and Grade 1 learners nationwide will receive school meals under an expanded feeding program this school year, as the School-Based Feeding Program (SBFP) budget of the Department of Education (DepEd) has been doubled to ₱25.6 billion for school year 2026-2027. DepEd Assistant…
Palace explores new rice measures as inflation hits 15.6%, bio-fertilizers and Kadiwa expansion among options
The government is exploring new interventions to bring down rice prices after year-on-year rice inflation climbed to 15.6% in May, with bio-fertilizers and the expansion of Kadiwa centers among the measures being considered, a senior Palace official said Saturday. Undersecretary Erwin Sta. Ana of…
‘Not a cause for celebration’: Inflation eases to 6.8% in May, but Palace official says oil, rice, and electricity still a concern
Philippine inflation slowed to 6.8% in May from 7.2% in April, but a senior official from the Office of the Executive Secretary (OES) warned Saturday that the development is not a cause for celebration, as three key price drivers—oil, electricity, and rice—remain elevated and together account for…
Inflation rate slows down to 6.8% in May as transport, food costs eased: PSA
Inflation slowed to 6.8% in May from 7.2% in April as transport and food costs eased despite ongoing pressures from the Middle East conflict, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported on Friday, June 5. The latest figure is lower than the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) forecast of 7.1%…
Despite global oil shock, Manila posts P3.3-billion surge in new business investments in first half of 2026
Manila City Mayor Francisco “Isko” Moreno Domagoso said business activity in the nation’s capital remained remarkably strong through the first five months of 2026, with new business registrations surging year-on-year and total new business investment reaching P3.303 billion. This is even as the…
Wage increases, inflation among Francis Tolentino’s priorities as Labor chief
Wage increases and inflation relief are among the immediate priorities of newly sworn-in Labor Secretary Francis Tolentino, who pointed to his Senate record as evidence of his commitment to the issue as he settled into his new role on Tuesday, May 26. Tolentino, speaking on DZRH’s “Damdaming…
Marcos admin pumps funds into infrastructure to prop up economy amid Middle East crisis
The Marcos administration is pumping funds into major infrastructure projects across key government agencies to prop up the economy and sustain employment amid the ongoing Middle East crisis, ordering a catch-up plan to ensure all programs are delivered on time this year. Executive Secretary Ralph…
Inflation in Bicol surges to 7.6% in April 2026, Camarines Sur hardest hit at 8.9%
Life appears to be getting harder for Bicolanos: just weeks after the region was reported as the slowest-growing economy in the Philippines in 2025, inflation in the Bicol Region nearly doubled in a single month. Inflation jumped to 7.6 percent in April 2026 from 4.1 percent in March—outpacing the…
Manila pumps P5-million into 1,000 small businesses to strengthen local economy amid Middle East crisis
Vowing that Manila will not let its people go hungry amid a worsening global crisis, Mayor Francisco “Isko” Moreno Domagoso on Thursday, May 7, released P5 million in capital assistance to one thousand small business owners across the capital. Domagoso made the declaration at the San Andres Sports…
PH inflation hits 7.2% in April, fastest in over 3 years, driven by Iran war
Philippine inflation surged to 7.2% year-on-year in April 2026, the fastest pace in more than three years. Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation (RCBC) chief economist Michael Ricafort on Tuesday, May 5, attributed the acceleration largely to the ongoing war in the Middle East, which has sent fuel…
Global oversupply was pushing oil below $60 before the Iran war: economist says high prices may not last
Before the first US-Israeli strikes on Iran in March, the world was not bracing for an oil crisis—it was sitting on too much oil. That is the argument an economist is making as he pushes back against the prevailing assumption that high fuel prices are a permanent new reality. University of Asia…
The infrastructure spending collapse is a bigger crisis than the oil shock — and we’re not talking about it, economist warns
While the country’s attention has been consumed by rising fuel prices, an economist is arguing that the Philippines walked into the oil crisis already in the grip of a more damaging emergency—one that has been quietly dragging economic growth to some of its lowest levels in recent history, and…
Up to eight middlemen stand between Filipino farmers and consumers, driving up food prices: economist
The food that reaches a Filipino consumer’s table has passed through as many as seven to eight hands before getting there, and each transfer comes with a markup—a problem deeply embedded in how Philippine agriculture works, and one that an economist says is compounding the damage of the current…
Peso depreciation could be the jobs engine the Philippines needs, says UA&P senior economist
As the peso slides toward 62 to the dollar, an economist is pushing back against the instinct to treat currency weakness as a threat, arguing instead that a depreciated peso is one of the more reliable tools the Philippines has for generating jobs and reviving its long-stagnant export sector.…