Economy

Philippine call centers have been ordered to return to full office operations, like before COVID-19, starting next month.
Business trends

Philippines' back-to-office order unsettles call centers

Work-from-home program for over a million outsourcing workers set to end

18 March 2022
The Philippines opened its borders to fully vaccinated travelers from over 150 countries in February.
Economy

Philippines, Indonesia to revamp tourism sector amid reopening

Southeast Asia pushes for a more resilient industry to deal with future crises

17 March 2022
People wear masks against COVID-19 in Jakarta on March 15. A new ADB report says Indonesia should speed up connections across the archipelago and push technology transfers in order to hasten recovery from the pandemic.
Economy

Digital, trade infrastructure key to Southeast Asia recovery: ADB

As pandemic-hit economy faces risks of inequality, bank urges strong protections

16 March 2022
Ferdinand Marcos Jr. speaks to supporters at the Philippine Arena, Bulacan province, north of Manila, on Feb. 8, 
Philippine elections

Marcos keeps big lead in latest Philippine presidential poll

Late dictator's son has support rate of 60%, vs 15% for Robredo

14 March 2022
ASEAN is caught between Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Opinions within the block vary, but the conflict's effects will be felt by all. (Source photos by AP)
Ukraine war

ASEAN faces fallout from Russian invasion of Ukraine

Conflict to increase food prices, experts warn; responses from bloc members vary

25 February 2022
Philippine peso bills sent by a Filipino working abroad are pictured being received by a relative at a money remittance center in Makati City, Metro Manila, on Sept. 19, 2018. 
Economy

Philippines 'modern-day heroes' sent record remittances last year

Virus variants, supply chain disruption, and U.S. tightening pose risk to growth

15 February 2022
A woman looks at their damaged house due to Typhoon Rai in Cebu city in December 2021: the Philippines gets hit by at least 20 storms a year.
Opinion

Make climate change the issue in Philippine presidential election

Worsening tropical storms have failed to bring politicians' complacency to an end

9 February 2022
People visit a newly reopened portion of Manila Bay filled with artificial white sand after COVID-19 restrictions were eased in October.
Economy

Philippines GDP beats target with 5.6% growth in 2021

Economy up 7.7% in Q4; bullish officials count on omicron wave being 'temporary'

27 January 2022
Filipino fishermen sort fish after arriving from a week-long trip to the disputed Scarborough Shoal, in Infanta, Pangasinan province, Philippines, on July 6, 2021.
Economy

Philippine fish import plan riles fisherfolk and politicians

Typhoon Rai, South China Sea issues contribute to shortage in archipelago nation

21 January 2022
Indonesia, the world's biggest thermal coal exporter, has allowed 37 loaded coal vessels to depart after they secured approvals from authorities.
Commodities

Indonesia relaxes export ban to allow 37 coal vessels to depart

Partial easing comes amid pressure from Asian nations and to avoid 'fire risks'

13 January 2022
Excavators load coal onto a truck in West Java province, Indonesia in 2019. The country has now imposed a one-month ban on exports of the commodity. Antara Foto/Dedhez Anggara via REUTERS
International relations

Philippines, Japan call on Indonesia to lift coal export ban

Jakarta took step this month in face of dwindling stockpiles

10 January 2022
A girl stands at a makeshift shelter following the destruction of houses due to Typhoon Rai, in Surigao City, Surigao del Norte, Philippines, on Dec. 21, 2021. 
Politics

Duterte under fire for 'scrimping' on response to Typhoon Rai

Ally says president has been working 'nonstop' to tackle aftermath of storm

5 January 2022
The eruption of Mount Semeru in the east of Java island killed at least 51 and displaced over 9,000 after it began on Dec. 4.
Natural disasters

Disaster mitigation under scrutiny in ASEAN hot spots

Volcanoes, typhoons decimate lives as climate change increases threats

27 December 2021
Xi Jinping on screen at the Museum of the Communist Party of China in Beijing, pictured on Nov. 12: the future price China's 1.4 billion people will pay for Xi's myth-building campaign rose exponentially in 2021.
Opinion

Asia's 2021 bull market in emperor-has-no-clothes moments

Xi Jinping happier than most to see this year stagger to a close

22 December 2021
A file photo of a port in Bangkok. Thailand detected its first omicron case in December but it has not suspended its border reopening policy for tourists, prompting economists to revise upward the kingdom's economic growth forecast.
Economy

Philippines, Thailand poised for faster growth in 2022: survey

Economists upgrade ASEAN GDP forecast but lockdowns weigh on Malaysia

20 December 2021
Russian President Vladimir Putin listens to Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuan Phuc during a meeting in Moscow on Nov. 30.
Economy

Vietnam poised to resume nuclear project a decade after Fukushima

Hanoi greenlights building small research reactor, joining hands with Russia

19 December 2021
Golden Rice, left, and ordinary rice, pictured at the laboratory of the International Rice Research Institute in Los Banos: development of Golden Rice in the Philippines is led by public sector institutions.
Opinion

Golden Rice is a Philippine lifesaver

Understanding the science behind food is more important than ever

13 December 2021
Southeast Asian central banks are forecasting subdued inflation. (Source photos by AP and Akira Kodaka)
Economy

Subdued inflation in ASEAN countries augurs central bank inaction

Indonesia and Thailand experience weak price rises amid slow recovery from COVID

9 December 2021
Tonik is one of six digital banks courting 70% of Filipino adults who do not have bank accounts. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)
Finance

Philippine digital banks target $140bn retail deposit market

Six online-only upstarts set to challenge big financial institutions

12 November 2021
The coronavirus pandemic has added further fuel to Southeast Asia's rapidly growing digital economy. (Source photo by AP)
Business trends

ASEAN's digital economy projected to hit $1tn by 2030

Google-led report says retail and finance to fuel growth as internet use surges

10 November 2021
A health worker walks out to get an oxygen tank for a COVID-19 patient in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines, on August 20.
Economy

Philippines GDP growth slows to 7.1% in Q3 amid delta onslaught

Loosened COVID curbs set to boost economy in fourth quarter

9 November 2021
Exhaust billows from a coal-fired power plant in Suralaya, Indonesia: The Asian Development Bank plans to set up funds to finance the early retirement of such plants.
Interview

Asian Development Bank to fund closures of coal power plants

Asakawa says move would shut facilities five or 10 years earlier than planned

6 October 2021
A girl studies with her mother at their home in Manila while schools are closed due to the coronavirus. Children in emerging Asia could lose more than $500 in lifetime earnings because of the pandemic.
Economy

Pandemic deepens poverty in Asia-Pacific for 2nd year

'Reversal of fortunes' seen across the region, except in China

29 September 2021
Hidilyn Diaz celebrates on the podium after winning the gold medal in the women's 55kg weightlifting event on July 26: the link between the Philippines' putative wealth and its performance in worldwide competition is rather jagged.
Opinion

Hidilyn Diaz inspires the Philippines to believe in more than miracles

Country can advance economically with the right government support

8 September 2021
Asia needs to cut its reliance on coal power.
Climate Change

Philippines and Vietnam coal-fired plants to retire in ADB-led plan

Bank partners with Prudential and HSBC for pilot project

14 August 2021