Philippines to be 4th slowest-growing ASEAN economy this year — AMRO
The Philippines could be Southeast Asia’s fourth slowest-growing economy this year despite limited spillovers from the Middle East conflict, as its heavy reliance on imported oil and weak investment climate continue to weigh on growth, the ASEAN+3 Macroeconomic Research Office (AMRO) said.
Marcos pushes tax exemptions to stimulate flagging Philippine growth
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has proposed raising the income tax threshold and eliminating some financial burdens on small businesses to stimulate growth in an economy that has been among the worst hit by the ongoing global energy crisis.
Gartner Forecasts Worldwide IT Spending to Grow 14.2% in 2026, Totaling $6.37 Trillion
Worldwide IT spending is expected to reach $6.37 trillion in 2026, up 14.2% from 2025, according to the latest forecast by Gartner, Inc., a business and technology insights company.
P400 billion exports face US tariff hit
Philippine goods worth $6.25 billion (about P400 billion) are now subject to higher costs when entering the US market after Washington imposed a new tariff linked to forced labor concerns, trade officials said. Citing preliminary assessment, Trade Undersecretary Ceferino Rodolfo said the new 12.5-percent tariff imposed by the Trump administration could cover around 34.28 percent of Philippine exports to the US.
Diesel, gasoline set for fresh price shock
Motorists are bracing for a second straight week of hefty fuel price increases, with diesel expected to climb by as much as P7.50 per liter and gasoline by up to P7 as supply disruptions from the Middle East and Ukraine continue to tighten global oil markets.
The National Food Authority (NFA) is raising its minimum buying price for wet-season palay and accelerating grain procurement as the government moves to rebuild rice buffer stocks, strengthen food security and improve farmers’ incomes ahead of potential weather disruptions.
AI governance, labor safeguards urged ahead of SONA
Technology experts are urging President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. to prioritize a unified national artificial intelligence (AI) governance framework and stronger labor safeguards for the information technology and business process management (IT-BPM) industry in his State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday, saying clear policies are needed as AI adoption accelerates.
AMRO sees stronger ASEAN+3 growth in 2026 amid strong AI demand
The ASEAN+3 Macroeconomic Research Office (AMRO) on Monday revised upward its economic growth forecast for the ASEAN+3 region amid the renewed escalation in the Middle East. In its July 2026 ASEAN+3 Regional Economic Update, AMRO projected the region to grow by 4.1 percent, up from its 4 percent forecast in June. The ASEAN+3 bloc includes the 11 Southeast Asian member-states, plus Japan, South Korea and China, and including Hong Kong.
PSEi rises on bargain-hunting, peso gains vs. US dollar
The local bourse’s main index rose 0.54 percent to 6,314.90 points, and the broader All Shares by 0.38 percent to 3,435.37 points. Most of the sectoral gauges also jumped during the day, namely Mining and Oil, up 1.11 percent; Services, up 0.99 percent; Financials, up 0.75 percent; and Property, up 0.55 percent.
Aboitiz taps Petron for construction of fuel farm at Bohol airport
The Aboitiz InfraCapital Bohol Airport Corporation (ABAC) has partnered with Petron Corporation for the design, construction, and operation of a jet fuel farm at the Bohol-Panglao International Airport (BPIA). The PHP340-million project includes the construction of storage facility with a 3x477 kiloliters (KL) capacity, and is set for completion in the third quarter of 2027.
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