Government clips foreign borrowings in H1
Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas-approved foreign borrowings by the national government fell by 38.8 percent to $5.64 billion in the first half from $9.22 billion in the same period last year as the country limited its reliance on offshore creditors for more funds to finance its pandemic response measures......»»
Government sets P585 billion borrowings in Q2
The government is set to borrow P585 billion from the domestic market in the second quarter amid hopes of more favorable interest rates here and abroad......»»
Government cuts borrowings to P203 billion in January
The Marcos administration slashed its borrowings by 45 percent to P203 billion at the onset of the new year in the absence of new global bond offerings.......»»
China blocks use of Intel and AMD chips in government computers – report
The procurement guidance also seeks to sideline Microsoft Windows and foreign-made database software in favor of domestic options, a Financial Times report says.....»»
Philippines posts 196 mln USD deficit in February
MANILA, March 19 (Xinhua) -- The Philippines' overall balance of payments (BOP) posted a 196-million-U.S. dollar deficit in February, significantly lower from the 895-million-dollar BOP deficit recorded a year ago, the country's central bank said on Tuesday. The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) said the BOP deficit in February reflected outflows arising mainly from the national government's foreign currency deb.....»»
New door opens
The Maharlika Investment Fund bill after months of deliberation is as good as signed. The next step would be the crafting of the implementing rules and regulations or IRR where the nitty-gritty of the law will be addressed. The IRR will be prepared by economic managers. President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. will then pick the people who will comprise the Maharlika Investment Corp. or MIC that the law mandates will manage the fund. The MIC will manage the sovereign wealth fund that will invest in a wide range of assets, including foreign currencies, fixed-income instruments, domestic and foreign corporate bonds, commercial real estate, and infrastructure, based on the provisions of the law. The battleground for the MIF thus returns to the Executive branch as detractors now have the economic managers in their crosshairs as the IRR is being drafted. One of the prime movers of the MIF, Albay Rep. Joey Salceda, said the IRR will flesh out the specifics of the crucial fund build-up and the forming of the MIC, such as the company’s regulation by the Civil Service Commission, the listing of the MIF in the stock market, and allowing multilateral financing institutions like the World Bank and Asian Development Bank to be strategic partners of the MIF. “I congratulate House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, Chairman Irwin Tieng, and our Senate counterparts. I will continue to offer what I can by way of prior experience and subject matter expertise in the drafting of the IRR,” Salceda said. Congress ratified the bill before adjourning its session last 31 May but the final copy had to be refined following intrigues hurled by unrelenting critics who deemed it unconstitutional primarily due to the differing prescriptive periods for filing charges related to irregularities. The discrepancies proved to be clerical errors and not a reason to veto the bill as the inconsolable minority had demanded. The MIF comes at a propitious period after the economy grew by 7.6 percent and 7.2 percent in the third and fourth quarters, respectively, and 6.4 percent in the first quarter of this year — numbers that show the country has among the fastest development clips in the world. Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno expects the MIF to be in full operation before the end of the year. The P125-billion seed fund will be drawn from the Land Bank of the Philippines, the Development Bank of the Philippines, and the national government. The national government’s contribution will come from Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas dividends, its share in the income of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp., privatization proceeds, and royalties and special assessments. Being looked into is channeling Malampaya natural gas earnings to bolster the fund. The MIF will initially have at its disposal P75 billion by the end of the year, which will come from Landbank and DBP and may forthwith be invested in several ventures or the capital markets. Fund managers estimate a return of over 10 percent just for the initial P75-billion investment. Economic managers envision the MIF as creating a new source of financing for the government which now mainly relies on tax revenues and borrowings to plug the fiscal gap. The MIF will free up the government’s fiscal space as the burden of borrowing is reduced with the sovereign wealth fund augmenting the government’s resources. Another MIF function will be to accelerate investments in development projects such as infrastructure through tie-ups with capitalists and other sovereign funds. The perennial budget deficits, which are the culprit in the debt pile-up, may soon be a thing of the past when the MIF goes full throttle. The post New door opens appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Government clips foreign borrowings in H1
Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas-approved foreign borrowings by the national government fell by 38.8 percent to $5.64 billion in the first half from $9.22 billion in the same period last year as the country limited its reliance on offshore creditors for more funds to finance its pandemic response measures......»»
Contagious pertussis disease continues spreading in Philippines
MANILA, March 28 (Xinhua) -- The contagious pertussis has continued spreading in the Philippines, where it has caused at least 40 death cases, after a province near the capital region reported an outbreak of the disease. In a social media post on Wednesday night, the Cavite government posted a resolution declaring the province under a state of calamity "due to the outbreak of pertussis" after logging 36 cases an.....»»
China urges ROK to stay prudent on South China Sea issue: Chinese FM
BEIJING, March 28 (Xinhua) -- China urges the Republic of Korea (ROK) to stay prudent when it comes to the South China Sea issue, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on Thursday. Lin made the remarks at a regular press briefing when responding to a media query about ROK Foreign Ministry Spokesperson's biased and unfactual comments on the South China Sea issue over the past few days. "China.....»»
Chinese Diplomat Liu Jianchao Meets With Singapore s Leaders
singapore - Liu Jianchao, the senior diplomat widely expected to become China's next foreign minister, said "the world needs connectivity, not decoupling," during a four-day visit to Singapore.Liu, who heads the international department of the Communist Party, was in the city-state to meet with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and the country's incoming leader, Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong.During a s.....»»
PH media slam Chinese foreign ministry’s claims of manipulating WPS reports
Philippine media groups criticized the Chinese foreign ministry for suggesting that recent reports on Chinese harassment of Filipino vessels in the West Philippine Sea involved video manipulation and sensationalism to portray the Philippines as a victim. The Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines (Focap) and National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) expressed offense.....»»
PH media organizations slam Chinese Foreign Ministry
PH media organizations slam Chinese Foreign Ministry.....»»
Cavite nagdeklara ng ‘state of calamity’ dahil sa ‘pertussis outbreak’
NASA ilalim na ng “state of calamity” ang probinsya ng Cavite. Ito ay dahil dumadami na ang mga nahahawa ng pertussis o whooping cough sa probinsya. Ayon sa provincial government, nakapagtala na sila ng 26 confirmed cases at kabaling na riyan ang anim na namatay dahil sa nasabing sakit. Narito ang datos ng Cavite kaugnay.....»»
Comelec says systems can thwart foreign interference
The Commission on Elections is preparing to defend its servers from attempts to hack it in the 2025 midterm polls, its chairperson announced on Wednesday......»»
Antipolo City throws support on Ajido
The Antipolo City government led by Mayor Casimiro “Jun” Ynares III will provide support to Antipolo-born swimmer Jamesray Mishael Ajido, who won the country’s lone gold medal in record-breaking fashion at the recent 11th Asian Age-Group Swimming Championships......»»
Milk tariff collections rise by 31% to P2.4 billion
Revenues raised by the government from various imported milk products jumped by 31 percent to P2.36 billion in 2023, the highest in at least eight years, from P1.8 billion in 2022......»»
Infrastructure projects get better loan terms from Japan
The Philippines has secured better financing terms for two big-ticket infrastructure projects funded by the Japanese government aimed at improving public transport and road connectivity......»»
S& P: Philippines may miss growth goal this year
S&P Global Ratings sees the Philippines again missing its growth targets this year as it kept its gross domestic product growth forecast at 5.9 percent. While the projection is better compared to other economies in the region, it is again below the government’s 6.5 to 7.5 percent growth target......»»
FOCAP condemns Chinese embassy’s claims on ‘manipulated’ West Philippine Sea videos
The Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines strongly rejected and condemned yesterday China’s “false and baseless” claims that journalists manipulate videosthey recorded in the South China Sea to present the Philippines as a victim......»»
Security Council warns of foreign interference in 2025 polls
There may be foreign interference in next year’s midterm elections and the Department of Information and Communications Technology should prepare to counter cyberattacks, the National Security Councilwarned yesterday......»»
Boracay, Palawan named among ‘Best Islands in Asia-Pacific’
Two island destinations in the Philippines were included in the 10 “Best Islands in Asia-Pacific” by a foreign travel magazine......»»