Economy
Former Albay representative and noted economist Joey Salceda is throwing his weight behind the Marcos administration’s push to abolish the travel tax — and the math, he says, makes total sense. Yes, the government would lose about ₱11 billion in revenue if the tax is scrapped. But Salceda argues the
Economy
Brace your wallets, mga motorista — fuel prices are going up for the SIXTH consecutive week. Shell, Cleanfuel, Seaoil, and Petrogazz have all announced price hikes effective Tuesday, February 24. Gasoline will increase by ₱0.60 per liter, while diesel and kerosene will both jump by ₱1.20 per liter. The
Economy
More Filipinos are paying digitally, but the shift isn’t happening as fast as the government hoped. BSP Governor Eli Remolona Jr. admitted over the weekend that the country’s digital payments push will likely take ‘a couple more years than we thought’ to hit its targets. Under the Philippine
Economy
Just one day after announcing a 10 percent across-the-board tariff on all US imports, President Donald Trump doubled down on Saturday by raising it to the maximum 15 percent allowed under Section 122 — a law no president has ever used before. The move came after the US Supreme Court struck
Economy
The National Food Authority just pulled off a massive rice stock clearance sale — selling nearly 90 percent of its aged rice inventory in a single auction on Friday and raising ₱963.5 million, exceeding the ₱912.4 million target. NFA Administrator Larry Lacson said they sold 32.5 million kilos
Economy
The Social Security System just dropped some seriously good news for Filipino workers and retirees — a record-breaking net income of ₱143 billion, with the pension fund’s reserve hitting the ₱1-trillion mark for the very first time in SSS history. SSS President and CEO Robert Joseph Montes announced that the
Economy
After more than a decade of frozen distribution rates, Meralco is finally asking for a tariff increase — and it’s tied to a massive ₱272 billion grid modernization plan that will run from 2027 to 2030. Meralco chairperson Manuel V. Pangilinan confirmed that the power giant has filed an application
Economy
A new bill in the House of Representatives wants to make sure that every single peso our OFWs send home arrives intact — and AGIMAT Party-list Rep. Bryan Revilla is on a mission to get it passed ASAP. House Bill No. 275, or the OFW Remittance Protection Act, aims to regulate
Economy
The Philippines is catching the attention of Middle Eastern money. Philippine Ambassador to the UAE Alfonso Ver recently sat down with Mohammed Saif Al Suwaidi, Director General of the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD), to discuss how the oil-rich nation can help fund major development projects in the Philippines.
Economy
Senator Loren Legarda has filed Senate Bill 1856, proposing a P200 daily minimum wage increase for private sector workers across the Philippines. If passed, it would be the first nationwide legislative wage hike in nearly 40 years — the last one was RA 6727 in 1989, which only mandated a P25
Economy
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas cut its benchmark interest rate by another 25 basis points on Thursday, February 19, bringing it down to 4.25% — the ninth rate cut since the central bank started easing in August 2024. BSP Governor Eli Remolona Jr. said the move was meant to help
Economy
Overseas Filipino workers proved once again why they’re called the country’s modern-day heroes. Cash remittances hit a record $35.634 billion in 2025, up 3.3% from the previous year’s $34.493 billion, according to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas. December alone saw $3.522 billion sent