PH finally exits dirty money ‘grey list’
After more than three years, the Philippines has finally exited the “grey list” of Paris-based watchdog Financial Action Task Force (FATF), which commended the country for plugging all the holes in its defenses against dirty money and terrorism financing.

Green-lane project pipeline hits P4.61 trillion
The Board of Investments (BoI) said it has endorsed 167 projects valued at P4.614 trillion to the One-Stop Action Center for Strategic Investments for green-lane treatment as of Feb. 18.

Dizon wants to solve right-of-way issues that delay gov’t infra projects
The new transport chief raised the need to cooperate with the local government units and private sector in resolving right-of-way (ROW) issues, which are the usual cause for the delay in carrying on the country’s infrastructure projects.

Senate bill eyes new visa to attract digital nomads, boost tourism
A Senate bill seeking to establish a new visa category for digital nomads has been filed. In Senate Bill No. 2991, filed on Monday, Sen. Joel Villanueva defined digital nomads as people who travel while working remotely using digital technologies.

Tax, customs collections climb in January
The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) and the Bureau of Customs (BOC) recorded higher collections in January compared to the same period last year, according to the Department of Finance.

CAMPI bullish on EV sales this year
The Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines, Inc. (CAMPI) is expecting electrified vehicle (EV) sales to track the growth of total industry sales this year.

‘Philippines exit from gray list to boost investments’
The Philippines’ exit from the gray list of Paris-based Financial Action Task Force (FATF) last Friday is expected to help attract more foreign investments and create jobs, according to government officials.

Maharlika to finance mine feasibility study for $76.4M
Makilala Mining Co., Inc., a subsidiary of Australia-based Celsius Resources Ltd., said it obtained a $76.4-million loan from the Philippine sovereign wealth fund to support preliminary work on its copper-gold project in the Cordillera Administrative Region.

BSP looks to set guidelines for digital marketplace activities of banks, EMIs
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) is looking to issue guidelines for banks’ electronic and money issuers (EMIs) digital marketplace activities, allowing them to offer their own products as well as those from third-party providers via a single platform to better meet customers’ needs.

DoTr to privatize key projects
The Department of Transportation (DoTr) will continue to prioritize the privatization and modernization of key transport projects, according to the newly minted Transportation chief.

ERC approves higher rate for FIT-All
Consumers will face higher electricity bills starting in March as the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) approved a new rate for the feed-in tariff allowance (FIT-All).

Auto body makers tout safety, air quality benefits in proceeding with PUV upgrades
The Automotive Body Manufacturers Association of the Philippines (ABMAP) said it supports the Department of Transportation’s (DoTr) decision to go forward with modernizing the jeepney fleet, citing the need to improve safety and air quality.

NNIC augments shuttle buses at NAIA
Eight more shuttle buses have been deployed at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) to aid passengers with connecting flights, the operator announced on Monday. This brings the total newly acquired fleet to 12.

New DOTr chief defers cashless tollway payments
The Department of Transportation (DOTr) is hitting the brakes on the implementation of cashless toll collection after its new chief ordered a suspension to allow a further review of the program, which he described as “antipoor.”

Wafer fab in PH? SEIPI, PEZA push for industry roadmap & incentives
The government and industry groups are working on reducing power and water costs as they aspire to put up the first wafer fabrication facility in the country and meet the “evolving” demands of the Electronics Manufacturing Services and Semiconductor Manufacturing Services (EMS-SMS) sector.

Subic sees more business, jobs with CREATE MORE Act
The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) expects to generate more investments and employment in this free port following the signing of the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of Republic Act 12066, or the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises to Maximize Opportunities for Reinvigorating the Economy (CREATE MORE) Act.

Philippines, Palau agree to boost fishery and maritime links
Philippine President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. and Palau President Surangel Samuel Whipps, Jr. on Monday vowed to pursue deeper cooperation in the fishery, maritime, social security and labor sectors between their countries.

Legislated wage hike pushed as jeepney fare increase looms
A lawmaker pushed for the immediate passage of a P200 legislated wage hike ahead of the two-peso jeepney fare hike set to take effect as early as April, warning that failure to increase wages alongside rising transport costs will push workers deeper into financial hardship.

PHL to export 66,000 MT of raw sugar next month
The Philippines will export 66,000 metric tons (MT) of raw sugar to the US next month, the industry’s regulator said.

Meat imports surge to new high in 2024
The country’s meat imports rose to a record high of 1.45 million metric tons (MT) in 2024, driven by higher pork and chicken meat purchases abroad, according to the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI).

Debt service burden hits $15.74 billion
The country’s external debt service burden went up by 14 percent to $15.74 billion from January to November last year compared to $13.81 billion in the same period in 2023 amid higher principal and interest payments, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) said.

Yields on gov't debt mixed 
Yields on government securities (GS) were mixed last week as the market consolidated after the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ (BSP) decision to pause its monetary easing cycle.

Philippine central bank cuts reserve requirements further
The Philippine central bank on Friday said it was reducing the reserve requirement ratio (RRR) for banks by 200 basis points from late March.

Analysts say RRR cut to boost economic activity
Further lowering banks’ reserve requirements is seen to drive economic growth as increased liquidity could boost bank lending, analysts said.

New ADB president takes office
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) said its new president, Masato Kanda, assumed office on Monday.

Peso may weaken vs dollar on RRR announcement
The peso may weaken against the dollar this week after the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) said it will bring down banks’ reserve requirement ratios (RRR) by March.

Rates of T-bills, bonds may drop with BSP set to cut banks’ RRRs
Rates of the Treasury bills (T-bills) and Treasury bonds (T-bonds) to be auctioned off this week may go down after the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) announced that it will lower banks’ reserve requirement ratios (RRRs) again next month.

Record high: Bangko Sentral profit tops P100B
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) is set to post a record profit in 2024 after seeing its 11-month earnings grow by nearly five times to breach the P100-billion mark, thanks to fatter interest income and a decline in expenses.

Peso strengthens to over 2-month high vs dollar
The Peso surged to an over two-month high on Monday on broad dollar weakness due to the euro’s strength and easing global oil prices.

DBP income jumps 20 percent to P7.1 billion in 2024
State-run Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP)’s net income surged by 20 percent to P7.1 billion in 2024 from a year ago as the lender ramped up its lending activities to key sectors.

PEZA expecting Philippines to escape worst of Trump tariffs
The Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) said the Philippines may avoid the worst of the Trump tariffs because of its small trade surplus with the US as well as its key role in US regional strategy.

Right-of-Way Act rules on compensation deemed in force after March 2016
The Department of Justice (DoJ) has issued a legal opinion that compensation rules set by development partners for persons displaced by foreign-funded projects apply only if the loan agreement was signed prior to the effectivity of the Right-of-Way Act (Republic Act No. 10752).

DoE clears 11 power projects for grid impact study
The Department of Energy (DoE) endorsed 11 power projects totalling 4,551 megawatts to the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) in January for a system impact study (SIS).

SMGP sets ₱87.1-B capex for three power projects
San Miguel Global Power Holdings Corp. (SMGP), the energy subsidiary of San Miguel Corp., has set a capital expenditure (capex) budget of about ₱87.1 billion to develop three baseload power projects.

Filipino BPO workers at risk of being displaced by AI — report
Some sectors in the Philippine labor market, such as the business process outsourcing (BPO) industry, could be at risk of being displaced by artificial intelligence (AI), the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said.

DOTr to fast-track MRT-3 EDSA Busway privatization
The new transport chief plans to turn over more mobility projects to the private sector within his term, signaling his intent to sustain his predecessor’s core program.

Import permit process for non-sugar sweeteners to be streamlined
The Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) said it will revise the rules for importing sugar alternatives which will reduce red tape, later facilitated further by the use of an online portal.

‘Manila capable of evolving into global playground city’
Manila has the potential to become a global playground city, according to a Thailand-based hospitality consultancy firm.

Australia-backed program funds Filipina-led sustainable, gender-equitable startups
An innovative funding program backed by the Australian government was recently launched in the Philippines, encouraging further improvement in gender equity business practices while giving women and women-owned businesses scalable access to growth capital.

Cebu Pacific goes full AI with customer support
Cebu Pacific is deploying an artificial intelligence (AI) tool to automate responses to common passenger inquiries like flight bookings, making it the first Southeast Asian airline to fully use this advanced technology for customer support.