Marcos meets with Congressional leaders, economic managers to ensure funding for priority projects in 2025
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. met with Senate President Chiz Escudero, House Speaker Martin Romualdez, and Philippine economic managers in Malacanang to ensure that the government’s priority projects will be funded in next year’s national budget.

CREATE MORE, PPP reforms inspiring ‘cautious optimism’
Recent economic reforms have raised confidence in the Philippines prospects, though ease of doing business remains the main challenge in attracting investors, business leaders said.

NEDA says gov’t focusing on improving food security
The government has diverted its focus on improving food security while working on reducing the price of rice, said NEDA Secretary Arsenio Balisacan on Thursday.

DTI, exporters develop FTA info portal
The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), in partnership with the country’s largest umbrella group of exporters, will launch on Dec. 2 a free trade agreement (FTA) portal aimed at helping local businesses take advantage of the economic deals.

Upskilling, ease of doing business remain businessmen’s top concerns
Upskilling the workforce in light of technological developments and improving the ease of doing business are important concerns for businesses that need to be addressed, according to the Management Association of the Philippines (MAP).

Economy can ride out political noise–Neda
The NEDA does not expect the ongoing “political noise” to throw a monkey wrench into the country’s economic performance. In a briefing Secretary Balisacan noted that for the past 12 years, the country’s economic performance was not affected by political noise.

PHL on 6th spot in Digital Nations Index in Asia Pacific
The Philippines has secured the 6th spot in the Digital Nations Index of the GSM Association (GSMA), a ranking of digital advancement across 18 countries in Asia Pacific.

Philippine digital economy posts fastest growth in SE Asia: study
The Philippines has the fastest-growing digital economy in Southeast Asia this year according to a study by tech giant Google, Singapore's Temasek and venture capital firm Bain and Company. Continued investment in infrastructure is also key to keeping rapid growth, officials of Google, and Bain and Company said.

Balisacan touts competition policy as tool for boosting economic efficiency
The Government needs to push competition policy and legislation to make the economy more efficient as companies gear up to enter international markets, National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan said.

Senate approves P6.352-trillion national budget
The senate on Tuesday approved its version of the government’s proposed P6.352-trillion national budget next year, with senators prioritizing funding for the Education, Health and Defense departments. By a vote of 17 for, none against, and one abstaining, senators approved their bill outlining the government’s spending plan for 2025, the core of which is House Bill No. 10800. All budget proposals by law originate with the House.

House panel approves bill strengthening ERC powers
A house committee approved on Tuesday an unnumbered substitute bill seeking to strengthen the oversight powers of the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC). The bill, part of a broader effort to amend the 23-year-old law that liberalized the energy industry, was approved by the House energy committee.

GDP growth on track to reach 6-7% target
The country is still on track to meet the government’s gross domestic product (GDP) growth targets for this year and the next, the Department of Finance and Department of Budget and Management said.

Aboitiz InfraCapital to expand airport assets
Aboitiz InfraCapital, Inc. is keen to develop and operate more regional airports in the country, its president said. The Department of Transportation expects to start the process of selecting a company to manage and operate the Davao International Airport next year.

San Miguel to finish SLEX expansion in December
San Miguel Corp. on Tuesday said it is on track to complete the expansion of the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) next month. The project expansion is being undertaken by the company’s unit SMC SLEX, Inc. The project will widen the expressway to six lanes on each side from four.

Land lease deal signed for Alabat Wind Power project
A unit of Alternergy Holdings Corp. has sealed a long-term lease with the Philippine National Railways (PNR) for a portion of the latter’s property in Quezon province, making way for its P7-billion wind power project.

NGCP activates P19.76-B Cebu-Bohol link
The National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) said on Tuesday that it has energized the 230-kilovolt (kV) Cebu-Bohol interconnection project (CBIP), which will address growing power demand in Bohol. In a statement, the grid operator said that the transmission project will play “a crucial role in improving transmission services and grid stability in the Central Visayas.”

Philippines should gear up for stronger competition in Southeast Asia amid slowdown in China’s outbound shipments next year
The Philippines should gear up for stronger competition in Southeast Asia as exports of China may slow down next year, according to the Federation of Filipino Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Inc. (FFCCCII).

PBBM signs EOs creating new IAC-IHL, strengthening CITEM
President Ferdinand Marcos issued two executive orders creating a new Inter-agency Committee on International Humanitarian Law (IAC-IHL) and enhancing the Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM).

Marcos, Al Nahyan agree to strengthen bilateral ties
In a significant step to deepen bilateral ties, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan met in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday to discuss opportunities for enhancing cooperation between the Philippines and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

PHL gets $500-M ADB loan for climate change
The Philippines secured a new $500-million policy-based loan from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to tackle climate change. The loan will be used to finance the Philippines’ Climate Change Action Program (CCAP) Subprogram 2 which aims to implement efforts to meet the country’s nationally determined contribution (NDC).

MGen eyes P53-billion Singapore energy expansion
PacificLight Power Pte Ltd., a subsidiary of Meralco PowerGen Corp. (MGen), plans to invest approximately P53 billion (US$900 million) in a new 600-megawatt (MW) power plant in Singapore.

MORE Power streamlines net-metering, DER processing applications
The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) has approved the request of MORE Electric and Power Corporation (MORE Power) to consolidate the processing of net-metering and distributed energy resources (DER) applications in its one-stop shop here.

Group asks BBM to break up NAIA cargo monopoly
A customs brokers’ group has asked President Marcos to break up the cargo monopoly at NAIA and open a gate with ramp access to allow other warehouses to transport cargo directly to and from aircraft.

Trump policies may hurt BPOs in Philippines
US President-Elect Donald J. Trump’s protectionist policies could spell trouble for the Philippines’ business process outsourcing (BPO) sector, economists warned. The said industry generates around $38 billion in revenue per year, and caters to the banking, healthcare, and IT sectors.

NG swings to budget surplus in Oct.
The National Government’s fiscal position swung to a surplus in October, driven by a 23% jump in revenues, the Bureau of the Treasury (BTr) said on Wednesday.

PHINMA Corp. completes P1-B stock rights offering
PHINMA Corp. has completed its P1-billion stock rights offering (SRO) with the shares listed on the Philippine Stock Exchange on Wednesday. Of the total, it will allocate P250 million for a Bacolod township city, P200 million for other housing projects, P170 million solar energy projects, and P114 million for a cement manufacturing facility

Cemex Holdings PHL sells stake in Swiss-based unit
CEMEX Holdings Philippines, Inc. (CHP) sold its entire stake in Swiss-based Cemex Asia Research AG (CAR) to Cemex Innovation Holding AG for $900,459 (P53 million) to streamline its business. CHP signed a share purchase agreement with Cemex Innovation on Nov. 26 involving the sale of 118,849 shares.

Philippines’ goal to become a trillion-dollar economy ‘feasible’ but ‘not easy’
Sustained Economic Growth over the next few years and targeted investments could help the Philippines reach its “ambitious” goal to become a trillion-dollar economy despite domestic and external challenges. To ensure sustained growth, the country must build an enabling environment for investments, and address climate change to reduce its economic impact, according to the World Bank.

Debt-to-GDP ratio unlikely to return to pre-pandemic level
The Philippines’ debt-to-gross domestic product (GDP) ratio is unlikely to return to the pre-pandemic level as debt remains elevated in the medium term, the Bureau of the Treasury (BTr) said. But the National Government’s (NG) medium-term fiscal consolidation plan will make sure it can continue to invest in its economic priorities while keeping debt obligations sustainable, the BTr added.

Globe secures P3-B loan for expansion, debt refinancing
Ayala-led Globe Telecom, Inc. has secured a P3-billion loan from the Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) to partly fund its capital expenditures (capex) and debt refinancing, the company said on Thursday.

Bicam panel forms working groups to reconcile budget bills by Dec. 9
Philippine lawmakers on Thursday formed working groups composed of technical staff from the Senate Finance and House Appropriations Committees to reconcile a “few” differences in their versions of the 2025 national budget by Dec. 9.

Manila Water latches on to P10 billion fresh funds
Razon-led Manila Water has raised P10 billion from China Banking Corp. to help jack up its capital spending. In a filing at the local bourse on Thursday, Nov. 28, Manila Water said it inked a 10-year term loan deal with the bank.

PSE, SEC want sustainability initiatives for all companies
The Philippines Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) urge companies to expand their sustainability efforts, which includes having a sustainability committee reporting directly to the board.

ASEAN chief justices unveil landmark publications to guide courts
The Council of ASEAN Chief Justices (CACJ) has unveiled a series of landmark publications that provide essential resources and frameworks when addressing pressing legal challenges shared across the region. The publications cover cases involving human trafficking, cross-border disputes involving children, and the effective use of technology in judicial proceedings, according to a statement released by the Philippine Supreme Court’s public information office.