Philippines posts 740 mln USD deficit in January
MANILA, Feb. 20 (Xinhua) -- The Philippines' overall balance of payments (BOP) posted a 740 million U.S. dollars deficit in January 2024, a reversal from the 3.1 billion dollars BOP surplus recorded a year ago, the country's central bank has said. The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) said on Monday that the BOP deficit in January reflected outflows arising mainly from the national government's payments of its f.....»»
PH Secures PHP 222-B Investment from Germany
The Philippines has secured a substantial USD 4 billion (equivalent to PHP 222 billion) in investments across diverse sectors during President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s visit to Germany. President Marcos unveiled this information on Wednesday morning’s Facebook post, underlining the significance of these deals with Germany, a notable player in the European Union. Drawing on […].....»»
More Infra Needed as BPO Workers Rises to 1.7 Million Workers by End of 2023
The business process outsourcing in the Philippines employed a total of 1.7 million workers and generated revenues worth at least 35 billion USD at the end of 2023, according to a report. But for the local industry not to get left behind by other countries, stakeholders want continued investment in infrastructure, real estate, reliable internet, […].....»»
ADB approves 655,000 USD to help Philippine rural banks digitization
MANILA, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- The Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Monday said it will provide grants totaling 655,000 U.S. dollars for the digitization of nine rural banks and a bank consortium in the Philippines. The grants are part of ADB's Fintech for Inclusion Transformation (FIT) program. The grant awardees were chosen from among rural banks nationwide serving women, farmers, fisherfolk, and micro, sma.....»»
ADB approves 655,000 USD to help Philippine rural banks digitization
MANILA, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- The Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Monday said it will provide grants totaling 655,000 U.S. dollars for the digitization of nine rural banks and a bank consortium in the Philippines. The grants are part of ADB's Fintech for Inclusion Transformation (FIT) program. The grant awardees were chosen from among rural banks nationwide serving women, farmers, fisherfolk, and micro, sma.....»»
Philippine agriculture loses over 103 mln USD due to El Nino
MANILA, May 9 (Xinhua) -- The El Nino dry spell and drought damage to Philippine agriculture has reached 5.9 billion pesos (103 million U.S. dollars), Philippine President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos said Thursday. Marcos added that at least 3.6 million Filipinos across the country have been affected by the El Nino phenomenon. While the Philippines copes with the sweltering weather, the Southeast Asian cou.....»»
40 mln Filipinos have no access to potable water: gov t
MANILA, May 7 (Xinhua) -- At least 40 million people in the Philippines have no access to fresh or potable water, the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) said Tuesday. Responding to the dire situation, Philippine President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos ordered the government agencies to come up with concrete solutions to provide sufficient water supply to Filipinos deprived of potable water on Tuesday......»»
Over 2 mln foreign tourists arrive in Philippines since January
MANILA, April 25 (Xinhua) -- Over 2 million international tourists have visited the Philippines since January this year, the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) said Thursday. Citing data from the Department of Tourism (DOT), the PCO said that 2,010,522 international visitors entered the Southeast Asian country from Jan. 1 to April 24. The data showed that tourism receipts reached 157.62 billion peso.....»»
El Nino pattern costs Philippine agriculture over 68 mln USD
MANILA, April 19 (Xinhua) -- The El Nino dry spell and drought damage to Philippine agriculture has reached over 3.94 billion pesos (roughly 68 million U.S. dollars), official data released on Friday showed. According to the Department of Agriculture, 11 regions across the Southeast Asian country are reeling from the weather phenomenon, which has affected nearly 74,000 farmers and fisherfolk. More than 66,000 he.....»»
New Zealand commits 25 mln USD for ADB s energy transition mechanism
MANILA, April 19 (Xinhua) -- The Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Friday said that New Zealand has committed 25 million U.S. dollars to the ADB Energy Transition Mechanism Partnership Trust Fund (ETMPTF) to support the shift toward clean, sustainable energy in Southeast Asia. The commitment was made by New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon during his two-day official visit to the Philippines. "We ar.....»»
Philippine s population projected to reach around 138.67 mln by 2055
MANILA, Feb. 1 (Xinhua) -- The Philippine population is projected to reach 138.67 million by 2055, assuming that the total fertility rate (TFR) of 1.9 children per woman in 2021 will be sustained until 2055, according to a Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) study released Wednesday night. The statistics agency based its projections on the 2020 census-based national population using three TFR scenarios. Total.....»»
Philippine s population projected to reach around 138.67 mln by 2055
MANILA, Feb. 1 (Xinhua) -- The Philippine population is projected to reach 138.67 million by 2055, assuming that the total fertility rate (TFR) of 1.9 children per woman in 2021 will be sustained until 2055, according to a Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) study released Wednesday night. The statistics agency based its projections on the 2020 census-based national population using three TFR scenarios. Total.....»»
Hong Kong records 34 mln visits in 2023 as tourism rebounds
HONG KONG, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- Hong Kong received approximately 34 million visits in 2023, with nearly 4 million arrivals in December, the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) said Saturday. Through 2023, the Chinese mainland remains the largest source of visitors to Hong Kong, with ideal numbers during the May Day holiday, summer vacation and the Golden Week in October. The Southeast Asian market has shown the.....»»
Hong Kong records 34 mln visits in 2023 as tourism rebounds
HONG KONG, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- Hong Kong received approximately 34 million visits in 2023, with nearly 4 million arrivals in December, the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) said Saturday. Through 2023, the Chinese mainland remains the largest source of visitors to Hong Kong, with ideal numbers during the May Day holiday, summer vacation and the Golden Week in October. The Southeast Asian market has shown the.....»»
Spotify Mulling to Raise Subscription Prices Again
Music streaming giant Spotify plans to increase its Premium subscription prices by USD1.00 to USD 2.00 in the United Kingdom, Australia, Pakistan, and two other countries by the end of April This comes as Bloomberg reported the possible increase, with a price increase in the US expected to follow later this year. The latest price […].....»»
Metrobank looking to raise $0.5-B in USD debt offering
Metrobank announced that it has selected Bank of America Securities and UBS as joint global coordinators to run a process to sell up to $500 million in dollar-denominated senior unsecured notes, “with option to upsize”......»»
Diving tourism contributes 1.3 bln USD to Philippine economy in 2023
MANILA, Feb. 23 (Xinhua) -- Diving tourism contributed more than 73 billion pesos (1.3 billion U.S. dollars) to the Philippine economy in 2023, nearly twice the revenue the industry earned in 2022, the country's Department of Tourism said Friday. Diving tourism raked 37 billion pesos (661 million dollars) in revenue in 2022, Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco said at the Philippine International Dive Expo.....»»
Diving tourism contributes 1.3 bln USD to Philippine economy in 2023
MANILA, Feb. 23 (Xinhua) -- Diving tourism contributed more than 73 billion pesos (1.3 billion U.S. dollars) to the Philippine economy in 2023, nearly twice the revenue the industry earned in 2022, the country's Department of Tourism said Friday. Diving tourism raked 37 billion pesos (661 million dollars) in revenue in 2022, Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco said at the Philippine International Dive Expo.....»»
USD3.32-B Loan Approved by BSP
On Monday, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) announced that the Monetary Board approved USD 3.32 billion in medium-to-long-term (MLT) foreign borrowings for Q4 2023. From October to December 2023, the public sector’s foreign borrowings rose by 65.8%, reaching USD3.32 billion, up from USD2 billion in the same period in 2022. This brought the total […].....»»
Philippines manufacturing output sustains growth in January
MANILA, March 7 (Xinhua) -- The Philippines' manufacturing production sustained growth momentum in January, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said Thursday. Based on the preliminary results of a monthly survey, the PSA said the year-on-year value of production index (VaPI) and the volume of production index (VoPI) increased 0.9 percent and 1.9 percent in January, respectively. Across all 22 indust.....»»
‘Polvoron’ campaign emerges amid Marcos-Duterte political tussle
From late December 2023 to January 2024, anonymous accounts flooded several social media platforms with hundreds of posts and videos claiming, without proof, that the president had been caught on video using illegal substances and that this would be used to unseat him from office......»»