PBBM approves issuance of PH visa for digital nomads
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has issued Executive Order (EO) 86, allowing the issuance of Philippine visa for digital nomads or foreign nationals seeking to temporarily reside and work remotely in the Philippines.

Infrastructure spending jumps 23%
State spending on infrastructure rose by 23.1% in the first two months of 2025, as the government ramped up disbursements for public works projects ahead of the election ban, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) said.

IMF: Philippines has room to improve tax efficiency
The Philippines still has room to implement reforms to enhance its taxation system and make collections more efficient, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said.

Pangandaman sees no need to revise DBCC growth target
Budget Secretary Amenah F. Pangandaman said on Monday that she sees no need to revise the government’s 6-8% gross domestic product (GDP) growth target this year.

Philippines seen to reach upper mid-income status by 2027
It is “more likely” that the Philippines would hit the elusive upper middle income status in 2027 rather than next year, as the local economy would not be spared from the onslaught of the ongoing tariff war, World Bank said.

OECD calls for review of Philippine GOCCs
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) called for a review of state-run firms’ operations amid an overlap of their regulatory and commercial functions.

DoF withdraws proposal to hike capital gains tax
Finance Secretary Ralph G. Recto has withdrawn the Department of Finance’s (DoF) proposal to increase capital gains tax, donor’s tax and estate tax, citing higher revenue collections in the first quarter.

Gov't to prioritize building economic resilience-Balisacan
Addressing risks and reinforcing economic resilience remain the government's top priorities to ensure that the country is on the path to sustainable development, Department of Economy, Planning, and Development Secretary Arsenio Balisacan said.

New markets seen for value-added coconut products
The rise in vegetable oil prices in the world market is opening new doors to one of the country’s prized agricultural products: coconut.

Aboitiz takes over Laguindingan airport
The rehabilitation of Laguindingan airport is set to begin following the official turnover of the gateway to Aboitiz InfraCapital Inc. (AIC), which has been building its portfolio of regional airports to take advantage of the travel boom.

Gov’t starts driver’s license, vehicle plate delivery, monitoring system
The Land Transportation Office (LTO) has started a service to deliver driver’s licenses and license plates to motorists’ homes and an online platform for clients to track these deliveries in real time.

DTI, IBPAP seal partnership to raise IT, business process standards
The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the IT and Business Process Association of the Philippines (IBPAP) have formalized a partnership aimed at boosting the competitiveness of the country’s information technology and business process management (IT-BPM) industry by aligning it with global standards.

DOTr to airlines: Ensure no tampering of passports
The Department of Transportation (DOTr) ordered all airlines to ensure their personnel do not deliberately tamper with passenger passports following reports of alleged "punit (rip) passport" incidents.

JP Morgan bullish on PH prospects
JP Morgan sees the Philippines —the most domestic-focused market in Southeast Asia—offering stock market investors “a shelter amidst the trade storm” ignited by Donald Trump.

Local chipmakers see 1% to 2% revenue growth in 2025
A local trade association of semiconductor and related electronic products manufacturers expects an almost flat revenue growth this year. This would mean a slight rebound after back-to-back contractions in the last two years.

Palace eyes 'favorable' trade deal with US as PHL officials negotiate tariffs
The Philippines expects to close a favorable deal with the United States, the presidential palace said on Monday, as key officials travel to Washington on 29 April to negotiate the 17% reciprocal tariff imposed by President Donald J. Trump as part of a global trade war that puts economic growth, jobs, and wages at risk.

Govt’s P20 rice program may go beyond Visayas
More Filipino consumers may gain access to cheaper rice after the Department of Agriculture said it may expand its P20 per kilo rice program beyond the Visayas, said Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr.

PPA profit doubles to P3.88 billion in Q1
The Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) hiked its profit by more than double in the first quarter, setting it up for another year of possibly turning over its highest dividends.

Digital nomad visas seen to target remote workers, spur spending
The Philippine government is banking on a soon-to-be-launched digital nomad visa (DNV) program to attract remote workers and drive foreign spending, particularly during the country’s tourism off-seasons.

Key industries’ concerns top PHL tariff talks’ agenda
Manila’s cards that will be laid down on the tariff negotiating table before Washington will represent the wishes of Philippine industries, according to the top official of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).

Philippines' IT-BPM sector to cross $40B in revenues this year
The Philippine information technology and business process management (IT-BPM) sector is projected to generate over $40 billion in revenues this year amid sustained global demand, according to an industry group.

US, UK chambers urge candidates to back investment-friendly reforms
Aspiring legislators need to push for even more reform measures to liberalize the economy and enhance the ease of doing business, two foreign business chambers said. “We would like to see a lot of focus on further opening the economy and improving foreign direct investment (FDI),” British Chamber of Commerce Philippines Executive Chairman Chris Nelson said by telephone.

PHL banks continue to fall short of lending quota for MSMEs
The Philippine banking system continued to miss the mandated lending quota for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) as of end-December 2024, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) data showed.

Strong winds, waves brought lower fish catch in March
Regional fish ports reduced their shipments in March due to the prolonged northeast monsoon (amihan), according to the Philippine Fisheries Development Authority (PFDA).

DepEd to launch initiatives utilizing AI for learners with disabilities
The Department of Education (DepEd) on Monday said it is set to launch artificial intelligence (AI) initiatives anchored on supporting learners with disabilities (LWDs) nationwide.

DOTr to deploy more K9 units to LRT, MRT stations
The Department of Transportation (DOTr) is set to deploy additional K9 units at Metro Manila’s Metro Rail Transit-3 (MRT-3) and Light Rail Transit (LRT) stations.

Meralco eyes rehab of Bataan nuclear plant
Power giant Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) is looking at the possible revival of the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP), which was completed decades ago but never commissioned.

LRTA Q1 revenue ₱349M as rider volumes climb
The Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA), which operates the Light Rail Transit Line 2 (LRT-2) said first-quarter revenue rose 9.1% to ₱349.79 million on passenger volumes rose.

NCR March retail price growth lowest since 2020
Retail price growth of general goods in the National Capital Region (NCR) eased to a 58-month low in March, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported.

Peso drops vs dollar before key US data
The peso weakened on Monday as the dollar held onto its recent gains as markets await the release of key US data and amid hopes for the de-escalation of trade tensions between the United States and China.