Foreign investment Q1 approved pledges plunge 82%
Foreign investment (FI) pledges approved by the government in the first quarter of 2025 plunged 82 percent as a pall of global uncertainty sent investors to the sidelines. On Thursday, the PSA said approved pledges by foreign investors fell to P27.99 billion in the January-March period this year from P155.26 billion a year earlier.

Election Results Seen Influencing Reform Agenda: Unpopular Policy Reform May Take A Back Seat — Analysts
The results of the May 12 midterm election could influence the government’s reform agenda, in particular its monetary and fiscal policies, given the political alignment of the newly elected officials, analysts said on Wednesday.

Peza rule on 50% remote work out soon
PEZA is set to release new guidelines this month for businesses under its jurisdiction, allowing them to keep up to 50 percent of their workforce under work from home (WFH) setup without losing their fiscal incentives.

Inflation seen within target until 2027
Philippine inflation is expected to remain within the central bank’s 2-4% target until 2027, according to economists surveyed by the BSP. The mean inflation forecasts are expected to settle at 3.1% this year, 3.3% in 2026 and 3.4% in 2027, the survey showed, based on the minutes of the Monetary Board meeting on April 10.

LGUs’ ban on mining ruled unconstitutional
LGUs are prohibited by the Constitution and a 1995 law from declaring blanket bans on mining, the Supreme Court ruled. The ruling nullified a 25-year moratorium on large-scale mining by Occidental Mindoro and the municipality of Abra de Ilog in that province, which was found to have violated Republic Act (RA) No. 7942 or the Philippine Mining Act of 1995.

PHL Human Development Index up, but below region’s
The country posted modest gains in human development in 2023 but remained below the regional average for East Asia and the Pacific, according to the latest report from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

Business groups call on new lawmakers to pass key measures
The PCCI has called on the new Congress to pass key economic measures to promote competitiveness and business growth in the country. “As the country anticipates the final and official results of the midterm elections, the PCCI, the largest business organization in the country, hopes for the new Congress to pass economic measures that support and promote competitiveness and business growth,” the group said in a statement on Tuesday.

PH growth seen stable amid political uncertainty
Philippine economic growth is expected to remain stable amid political uncertainties tied to the results of Monday's midterm elections, a Maybank unit said, with the peso also likely to markedly strengthen instead of returning to a record low.

Gov’t open to seasonal tariffs for rice
The government is open to adopting a seasonal tariff scheme for rice imports to better protect farmers.    “Yes, we will need to study it. I would say if there are no operational or even legal impediments to it, I would favor it. Because that way, we can stabilize farmers’ incomes and prices that farmers receive,” Department of Economy, Planning, and Development Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan told BusinessWorld on the sidelines of the Asian Development Bank Annual Meeting here last week.

Data security concerns grow amid rise in AI-driven software
Philippine organizations that heavily use software-as-a-service (SaaS) applications must adopt policies to protect their data as artificial intelligence (AI)-driven platforms gain traction, according to American cybersecurity company Netskope.

DOTr: Bulacan airport terminal starts construction in January 2026
The passenger terminal building (PTB) of the Bulacan airport will begin construction in January next year, putting the project on track for completion by late 2028, according to the Department of Transportation.