Latest in Philippine economyPhilippine 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…
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…
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…
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.…
Low-income households in Metro Manila could see their savings erased even under a conservative 5 percent inflation scenario driven by the ongoing oil crisis, an economist warned. University of Asia and the Pacific (UA&P) School of Economics Dean Dr. Peter Lee U put the numbers plainly during a…
The Philippines may be enduring one of its final oil crises, with an economist arguing that electric vehicles and remote work are dismantling the structural vulnerability that has made every fuel shock a national emergency. University of Asia and the Pacific (UA&P) School of Economics Dean Dr.…
Western Visayas recorded the fastest economic growth among all 18 regions in the Philippines in 2025, posting a gross regional domestic product expansion of 6.4 percent, according to data released Thursday, April 23, by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA). The PSA released its 2025 Regional…
Metro Manila fell below the national growth rate in 2025, posting a gross regional domestic product expansion of 4.35 percent against the country’s 4.4 percent, even as the region continued to lead the Philippine services sector with the largest share at 40.9 percent, data from the Philippine…
Bicol Region recorded the slowest economic growth among all 18 regions in the Philippines in 2025, posting a gross regional domestic product expansion of only 0.5 percent, according to data released Thursday, April 23, by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA). The PSA released its 2025…
With global economic uncertainty rising from the US-Iran conflict, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is accelerating infrastructure spending, with the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) releasing P46.22 billion to fund 1,743 infrastructure projects nationwide. Budget Secretary Rolando Toledo…
As oil prices rise and the peso weakens, the Philippine government is being urged to reassess its spending priorities, with the ₱17.6-billion ASEAN Summit emerging as one option for review. Former Finance Secretary Gary Teves says the question is not about diplomacy, but priorities. In times of…
The Philippine middle class risks slipping into financial distress as healthcare costs rise alongside the ongoing Iran conflict, with public health expert Dr. Tony Leachon warning that even previously stable households are now vulnerable to medical shocks. Speaking on DZRH’s Special on Saturday…
The Philippine Peso has slipped to ₱60.1 against the US dollar, its weakest level on record, raising a question many Filipinos are now asking: is this good or bad for the economy? The short answer, according to former Finance Secretary Gary Teves, is that it depends—but for most Filipinos, the…
“Definitely panalo ang ating mga kababayan.” This was an unequivocal assurance given by Acting Budget Secretary Rolando Toledo in an interview on DZRH News’ Special on Saturday on January 10. Toledo said the proposed 2026 national budget is intended to ensure that government spending directly…
The Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP) and left-leaning think tank IBON Foundation—often at opposite ends of the policy debate—arrived at the same conclusion that the Philippine economy underperformed in 2025 and faces serious structural weaknesses heading into 2026, based on…
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