Philippines

Philippines’ GCC Workforce Could Hit 289,000 This Year — But the Jobs Growing Fastest Are the Hardest to Fill

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines built its global outsourcing reputation answering calls, processing transactions and handling back-office work for some of the world's biggest companies. Now multinational firms are entrusting Filipino workers with something much more valuable: their own finance systems, cybersecurity operations, artificial intelligence projects, engineering work, risk management and strategic decision support. That shift is fueling rapid growth in the country's Global Ca

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Philippines

15-Year-Old in Tacloban School Shooting Faces More Murder Raps—DOJ Reveals Why He Can Be Prosecuted

TACLOBAN CITY, Philippines — The 15-year-old student accused in the deadly shooting at San Jose National High School in Tacloban City is facing additional criminal charges after prosecutors found that he allegedly acted with “discernment” when the June 22 attack was carried out. The Department of Justice (DOJ) said Tacloban City prosecutors have moved to pursue additional cases against the teenager, including frustrated murder and attempted murder charges, following their review of the evidence

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Philippines

Marawi Goes on High Alert: Army Reinforces Security as Historic BARMM Vote Draws Near

MARAWI CITY, Lanao del Sur — Security preparations in Marawi are intensifying as the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) moves into the final days before its first parliamentary elections on September 14, 2026. The Philippine Army’s 4th Mechanized Infantry “Kalasag” Battalion has stepped up preparations through troop briefings, rehearsals and coordination with government agencies involved in election security, according to Lt. Col. Eugene Flores, the battalion’s commanding o

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Business

PH Inflation Falls to 6.1% for the Fourth Straight Slowdown — But Rice Prices Are Moving in the Opposite Direction

MANILA, Philippines — Philippine inflation eased for a fourth consecutive month in August, offering another sign that the country's severe price pressures may be losing some momentum. But underneath the encouraging headline figure lies a more complicated—and potentially more painful—story for Filipino households. The Philippine Statistics Authority said headline inflation slowed to 6.1% in August from 6.2% in July, primarily because food, electricity and other household costs rose more slowly.

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Business

The Philippines Just Put Its Investment Permits Into One Digital Guide — But Investors Still Have to Survive the Actual Approval Process

MANILA, Philippines — For years, one of the frustrations facing investors in the Philippines has not necessarily been a lack of opportunity. It has been figuring out which permit comes first, which government office issues it, which document another agency requires—and whether the rules changed while the project was still being processed. The Board of Investments is now trying to make that maze easier to navigate. The BOI has formally received a Digital Investor’s Guidebook that consolidates

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Business

Diesel Could Jump ₱5.50 a Liter Tuesday — But the Philippines’ Fuel Problem Is Getting Bigger Than One Price Hike

MANILA, Philippines — Filipino motorists who thought this week's pump-price rollback offered some breathing room may have to give much of that relief back almost immediately. Fuel prices are expected to surge again on Tuesday, September 8, with the latest full-week industry calculations pointing to an increase of approximately ₱4.50 to ₱5.50 per liter for diesel and ₱4.00 to ₱4.50 for gasoline. Some estimates reported by ABS-CBN put the possible diesel increase as high as roughly ₱6 per liter,

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Philippines

Senate Ratings Fall, House Gains Ground—But What Happened to Public Trust?

MANILA, Philippines — Public trust and satisfaction ratings for the Philippine Senate declined in the second quarter of 2026, while the House of Representatives posted modest gains, according to the latest OCTA Research Tugon ng Masa survey. The results reveal a shifting public mood toward the two chambers of Congress—with the Senate still holding slightly higher overall ratings than the House, but losing ground as the lower chamber begins to recover. Senate Trust and Satisfaction Ratings Dec

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Philippines

BUTUAN RUNS DRY: Nearly 100,000 Residents Hit as City Declares State of Calamity—What Happens If the Water Doesn’t Return?

BUTUAN CITY — A worsening water shortage has pushed Butuan City into a state of calamity, with more than 91,000 residents now experiencing low water pressure or no water service as prolonged dry conditions continue to drain the city's water sources. The Sangguniang Panlungsod approved the declaration on Saturday, September 5, 2026, through Resolution No. 17-444-2026, as officials confronted what authorities described as a severe and continuing disruption to the city's water supply. The latest

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Philippines

Philippines Revives Old Flood Master Plan as Climate Threats Worsen—But Will It Finally Work?

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine government is once again revisiting long-standing flood management plans as increasingly extreme rainfall, destructive flooding and the growing impact of climate change expose the country's vulnerability—and raise difficult questions about why previous solutions were never fully implemented. Malacañang confirmed that the government is reviewing earlier flood-control strategies, including the so-called Aquino-Singson Master Plan, while the Department of Publi

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Philippines

Tulfo Wants a 30-Year Infrastructure Plan Before Government Spends Another ₱1.47 Trillion — But a Masterplan Alone Won’t Stop Bad Projects

MANILA, Philippines — Roads that end before reaching their intended destination. Bridges funded in one phase but left waiting for the next. Projects that change when administrations change. Structures that fail when extreme weather finally tests them. Sen. Erwin Tulfo says the Philippines needs to stop treating those problems as isolated failures and start fixing the system that decides which infrastructure projects get built in the first place. As Congress begins examining the proposed 2027 n

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