Philippines Business News
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2354 articles from BusinessWorld
When a P100-billion surplus isn’t really a P100-billion surplus
Here is a deceptively simple question: When is a P100-billion revenue surplus not really P100 billion of additional fiscal space? When it is a surplus in one revenue stream while the Government’s overall fiscal position has not improved. This matters because of the way Unprogrammed Appropriations (UA) had been activated in the past. Under the […]
Read more →T-bill rates climb further as oil surge fans inflation concerns
THE GOVERNMENT made a full award of the Treasury bills (T-bills) it offered on Monday, even as yields continued to climb due to growing inflation worries following a surge in global oil prices and a weakening peso amid the Middle East conflict. The Bureau of the Treasury (BTr) raised the planned P42 billion from the […]
Read more →Monetary operations mop up P975 billion in excess liquidity — BSP
THE BANGKO SENTRAL ng Pilipinas (BSP) has mopped up under P1 trillion in excess money supply from its monetary operations as of mid-August, according to its latest monetary policy report. In its Monetary Policy Report for August 2026, the BSP said its monetary operations absorbed P975.4 billion in liquidity as of Aug. 19. “The BSP’s […]
Read more →Ayala Land unit to invest P1B in Market! Market! upgrade
STATION Square East Commercial Corp. (SSECC), an Ayala Land, Inc.-led company, will invest P1 billion to modernize Market! Market! in Bonifacio Global City (BGC) under a finalized 12-year and seven-month lease extension with the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA), the parties said on Monday. Under the agreement, SSECC will continue operating Market! Market! for […]
Read more →BIR removes system-loss VAT from power bills
THE Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) said it removed the value-added tax (VAT) charge on system losses from power bills. The BIR issued Revenue Memorandum Circular (RMC) No. 97-2026 on Monday, identifying the allowable system loss charge as a government-mandated pass-through cost that does not form part of the gross sales of generation companies, the […]
Read more →More solicited airport PPPs being explored
THE GOVERNMENT plans to solicit from the private sector more airport development projects in support of the Department of Transportation’s (DoTr) plans to upgrade the country’s regional gateways, the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Center said. “The government in general is looking at doing more solicited projects for airports moving forward. Given the experience that the government […]
Read more →Ube export freeze seen as opportunity to build scale for commercial cultivation
THE Department of Agriculture’s (DA) decision to suspend exports of fresh purple yam (ube) indefinitely serves as an opportunity to develop sufficient scale in the supply of planting materials to enable commercial cultivation of the in-demand crop, industry officials said.
Read more →Foreign debt service bill hits $7.298B in 1st half
THE foreign debt service bill rose 3.02% year on year to $7.298 billion in the first half due to increased principal payments, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) said, citing preliminary data. Debt service payments in June rose 17.56% compared to May. The debt service burden represents principal and interest payments after rescheduling, according to […]
Read more →Access to AI tools deemed insufficient if students lack problem-solving skills
STUDENTS will need more than artificial intelligence (AI) literacy to remain competitive in the workforce, with schools urged to pair fluency in technology with critical thinking, problem-solving, and other human skills, business organizations said.
Read more →Tarlac FMRs advance to bidding stage
THE Department of Agriculture (DA) said it signed a memorandum of agreement with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) covering four farm-to-market road (FMR) projects in Concepcion, Tarlac worth P71.52 million and with a combined length of 5.43 kilometers, advancing them to the auction stage. The projects include the paving of roads in […]
Read more →Marcos discusses long-term rice supply contract with Vietnamese counterpart
PRESIDENT Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. said the Philippines is pursuing a long-term rice supply contract with Vietnam as the government seeks to contain food prices amid disruptions in global oil and commodity markets caused by the conflict in the Middle East. Mr. Marcos said he discussed the proposed arrangement with Vietnam’s president, To Lam, during […]
Read more →Sept. inflation estimated at 6.5% driven by oil prices
HEADLINE INFLATION could accelerate to 6.5% in September amid elevated oil prices, a weak peso and weather-related supply pressures, strengthening the case for another 25-basis-point (bp) rate hike by the central bank in October, Union Bank of the Philippines, Inc. (UnionBank) said. “With higher oil and non-oil import costs sustaining cost pass-through pressures, inflation is […]
Read more →Most World Bank energy-transition funding tagged as climate finance
THREE-FOURTHS of the World Bank’s $1-billion financing for the Philippines’ energy transition and climate resilience program has been classified as climate finance, the bank said. Of the total financing for the Philippines Second Energy Transition and Climate Resilience Development Policy Loan (DPL), $750 million was tagged as climate finance, according to documents posted on the […]
Read more →Sangley airport economic impact estimated at P500 billion by DTI
THE Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said the planned development of Sangley Point International Airport (SPIA) in Cavite is expected to generate over P150 billion in direct investment, with the indirect economic impact pegged at P500 billion. In a statement on Monday, it said Indian infrastructure company GMR Group has renewed its interest in […]
Read more →Pax Silica backers urged to tap alternative energy, water sources
PROPONENTS of the Pax Silica project in New Clark City, Tarlac, should develop independent sources of energy to support the semiconductor and artificial intelligence (AI) operations being planned there, agriculture-industry commentators said
Read more →USDA underestimating PHL pork production, hog industry says
THE National Federation of Hog Raisers said the US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) projection for Philippine pork production of 1.06 million metric tons (MMT) in 2027 is too low, based on rule-of-thumb estimates for the meat yield of the livestock population. Federation Chairman Alfred Ng said the actual total should be closer to 1.32 MMT, […]
Read more →BCDA assures Pax Silica framework will comply with Philippine law
THE Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) is set to sign a master agreement with a US partner agency to establish a proposed artificial intelligence (AI)-native hub under the Pax Silica partnership, a trade official said. Trade Undersecretary Ceferino S. Rodolfo told reporters last week that the agreement will ensure that locators expanding here under […]
Read more →No VAT left behind: VAT refund transition relief for export-oriented enterprises
Tax incentives may be clear in principle, but putting them into practice can raise unexpected but practical questions. This became evident after Republic Act No. 12066, or the CREATE MORE Act, took effect. Among its provisions are VAT zero-rating on qualified local purchases and VAT exemption on qualified importations of export-oriented enterprises (EOEs), subject to […]
Read more →Bangsamoro parliamentary elections marred by ballot irregularities, violence
THE first regular parliamentary elections in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) were marred by election-related violence, pre-shaded ballots and other disruptions on Monday, prompting the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to take control of Cotabato City and Maluso, Basilan.
Read more →Court orders transfer of Romualdez to QC jail
THE Sandiganbayan on Monday ordered former Speaker and incumbent Leyte Rep. Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez transferred to the New Quezon City Jail Male Dormitory in Payatas after doctors at Philippine General Hospital (PGH) found him clinically stable and no longer in need of hospital confinement. The anti-graft court’s Third Division issued the order after PGH […]
Read more →P60 NCR wage hike leaves P85 dispute unresolved
THE P60 wage increase in the National Capital Region (NCR) will provide immediate relief to workers but does not settle their claims under an earlier P85 increase, as questions remain over the legal status of the previous wage order, analysts said.
Read more →DoH backs higher tax on sweet drinks
THE Department of Health (DoH) on Monday backed higher sweetened beverage taxes to curb consumption as rising obesity and other diet-related health risks increase pressure for stronger public health measures. At a joint hearing of the House of Representatives Committees on Ways and Means and Health, Health Assistant Secretary Lester M. Tan said the sweetened […]
Read more →Retired Sandiganbayan justice says ill-gotten wealth not limited to state funds
A RETIRED presiding justice of the Sandiganbayan said that an official’s ill-gotten wealth is not limited to public funds and may include private funds as long as it meets the P50-million threshold acquired through illegal means. “If you look at the plunder law, there are five overt criminal acts that if committed through a series […]
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