THE state’s budget deficit in November declined by almost a quarter on an annual basis to P93.3 billion on the back of better revenue collection amid lower public spending, according to the Bureau of the Treasury (BTr).

THE number of Filipinos who will enter the coming new year with fear is down to just 3 percent, the lowest on record, according to Social Weather Station’s (SWS) latest national survey.

THE Bureau of Customs (BOC) announced last Thursday it hasn’t found the four tankers the agency links to smugglers of hundreds of thousands of unmarked fuel in Bataan.

THE Philippines’s total external debt as of end-September rose by 10 percent year-on-year to over $118 billion as the state borrowed more abroad to augment its financing requirements domestically, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) said.

THE Monetary Board (MB) has greenlit additional temporary measures, including the reduction of the reserve requirement rate on sustainable bonds, to entice banks to extend more loans for green or sustainable activities.

THE Privatization and Management Office (PMO) has earned P1.21 billion this year from the sale of government assets, surpassing its performance from 2018 to 2021, the Department of Finance (DOF) said.

The Philippines aims to reduce its reliance on rice imports by boosting the production of white corn and promoting its consumption.

THE demand for long-term government securities more than doubled to over P70 billion as investors’ asking yields for Treasury bonds (T-bonds) dropped on the back of easing inflation and pauses in monetary policy rates.

THE collection of the 1 percent withholding tax on online sellers improves transparency as it creates a “fair” and “accountable” digital business environment, an online tax-payment platform operator said.

LOCAL banana growers and exporters are urging the new agriculture secretary to prioritize the establishment of a fruit research center that would aid not just the banana industry but other high-value crops in combating pests as well as boosting produc...

CASH remittances from Filipinos abroad in the nine months to September rose by 2.8 percent year-on-year to nearly $25 billion on the back of weaker peso-dollar exchange rates.

The Department of Agriculture (DA) has formed a technical working group (TWG) that would oversee improvements in the government’s implementing guidelines for preventing hoarding and the manipulation of prices of farm goods.

THE state’s rice tariff collection from January to October has reached nearly P23 billion—a new record high—as higher global grain prices offset the drop in import volume, Bureau of Customs (BOC) data showed.

THE state’s debt service from January to September rose by over P500 billion to P1.4 trillion as the national government paid more interest payments and amortization, according to the Bureau of the Treasury (BTr).

LAWMAKERS and economic managers assured the public that the Maharlika Investment Fund (MIF) would remain “independent” from “undue influence” following the revision of the state’s sovereign investment fund’s rules and regulations.

THE Department of Budget and Management (DBM) on Thursday said the improved spending by state agencies contributed to the country’s 5.9-percent economic growth in the third quarter.

THE national government could end the year with a debt-to-GDP ratio lower than its 61.4 percent target as its outstanding debt in relation to economic output eased to 60.2 percent in the third quarter, the Bureau of the Treasury (BTr) said.

The Philippines is now allowing the commercial use of avian influenza (AI) vaccines in domestic poultry to help in curbing the spread of bird flu nationwide and minimize economic losses incurred by raisers.

PUBLIC advocacy group Foundation for Economic Freedom (FEF) is proposing that the two state-run banks’ contributions to the Maharlika Investment Fund (MIF) be on a staggered, rather than lump-sum, basis.

THE national government on Tuesday raised P30 billion from the sale of Treasury bonds (T-bonds) amid investors’ insistence for higher yields, tracking the US Treasury curve.

THE state’s budget deficit in January to September narrowed by nearly 3 percent to P983.5 billion but it missed its programmed deficit as national government spending slowed during the period.
The post Budget gap narrows to P983.5 billion in January-Se...

BACOLOD CITY —The Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) has decided to indefinitely hold the release of over 100,000 metric tons (MT) of imported sugar to the domestic market to arrest falling farm-gate prices.
The post Sliding farmgate prices prompt h...

STANDARDS are in place to ensure a level of quality across comparable things. But standards are not set in stone. They are bound to change—to adapt to the needs of the times.
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THE Marcos Jr. administration raised $1.26 billion from its tender of retail dollar bonds (RDBs), exceeding the $1-billion borrowing target from the country’s second sale of RDBs.
The post PHL raises $1.26B, above target, in 2nd sale of RDBs first appe...

STATE-RUN National Food Authority (NFA) stands ready to borrow money from state-run banks should it need more cash in meeting its target of buying 500,000 metric tons (MT) of palay from local farmers this harvest season.
The post NFA ready to borrow to...

THE Department of Budget and Management (DBM) said the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is supporting the Maharlika Investment Fund (MIF), noting that it would help in “closing” the Philippines’s infrastructure gaps and boost its “green” investments.
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PRESIDENT Marcos Jr.’s decision to lift the price ceiling on rice was made “at the right time” as the country starts its main harvest of palay, with some pundits claiming that the measure was “successful” in curbing “market collusion.”
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The initial auction for the state’s second RDB offering last Wednesday, the first under the Marcos Jr. administration, fetched a total of $636.2 million bids from investors, according to data from the Bureau of the Treasury (BTr).
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THE state’s rice price ceiling and elevated world grain prices will curb the Philippines’s rice imports next year to 3.5 million metric tons (MMT), according to an international report.
The post Rice price cap, pricier global grain seen to cut imports ...

THE Marcos Jr. administration plans to raise at least $200 million from its first sale of retail dollar bonds (RDBs)—the second for the Philippines—to meet the state’s financing needs.
The post PHL eyes $.2B from first sale of RDBs first appeared on Bu...

THE Department of Finance (DOF) is pushing for the reduction of rice tariffs to as low as zero percent to cushion the impact of rising world market rice prices and temper the increase of the price of the staple locally.

THE Philippines issued over 2,000 sanitary and phytosanitary import clearances (SPSICs) for the importation of close to 2 million metric tons (MMT) of rice in the past two months to plug the shortfall in its local supply.