Economy

Filipinos wait at a checkpoint outside the city of Marikina during a tightened coronavirus lockdown on Aug. 6.
Economy

Philippines' GDP grows 11.8% in Q2, ending recession

New lockdown to fight delta variant threatens economic rebound

10 August 2021
Philippine weightlifter and gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz, center, Thailand's taekwondo gold medalist Panipak Wongpattanakit, left, and Indonesian weightlifter and silver medalist Eko Yuli Irawan are eligible for compensation worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. (Source photos by Reuters)
Tokyo 2020 Olympics

ASEAN nations offer huge rewards to Olympic medalists

Philippines' first gold medalist to receive homes and more

31 July 2021
Antipolo station, which opened July 5, is the last stop on the eastern extension of the LRT Line 2 that runs across greater Manila. (Photo by Yuichi Shiga)
Transportation

Manila's $25bn traffic headache looms as 2022 election issue

Duterte's infrastructure plan progresses slower than expected

15 July 2021
Shipping containers await transport from a port in Bangkok, Thailand in March 2016.
Economy

COVID surge puts brakes on Thai and Malaysia growth: survey

Virus variants and US rate hike loom over ASEAN economies

5 July 2021
RCBC, the sixth largest private bank in the Philippines, has seen demand for lending to small and midsize enterprises increase amid the coronavirus pandemic. (Source photo by Reuters) 
Business deals

Japan's SMFG to buy 5% stake in Philippine bank RCBC

Financial group aims to expand presence in Asia and boost growth in digital banking

28 June 2021
Former President Benigno Aquino, pictured in August 2018: his wins now face the frightening specter of the Marcos family.
Opinion

Philippines mourns 'Noynoy' Aquino, a man who actually beat China

Posterity will remember former president as a true pillar of strength

28 June 2021
Under a proposed bilateral agreement, Vietnam is set to send its workers to Israel to learn agricultural techniques used there. 
Agriculture

Southeast Asia looks to Israeli tech to improve farming techniques

Israel companies offer ways to boost production as region faces supply threats

20 June 2021
The extended lockdown in Malaysia has left the streets of its capital Kuala Lumpur deserted.
Markets

Emerging Asia faces capital outflow risk as Fed signals rate hike

Investors pulled $500m out of COVID-depressed markets in May

17 June 2021
Benjamin Diokno, governor of The Philippine central bank, speaks to Nikkei Asia. (File photo by Yoichi Iwata)
Interview

Philippine central bank open to more easing despite record-low rates

In Nikkei interview, Gov. Diokno also speaks about digitizing the financial sector

2 June 2021
Containerships at a port in Malaysia. The Southeast Asian nation's exports surged 63% in April.
Trade

Malaysia leads Southeast Asia recovery on digital device demand

Vietnam and Singapore also rebound while Philippines mired in slump

29 May 2021
The Philippine government aims to boost the country's post-pandemic economic recovery this year with a package of stimulus measures. 
Economy

Philippines eyes $3.6bn stimulus in bid to exit recession

2021 growth target lowered to 6-7% amid new COVID bout

18 May 2021
Local officials stand near a community quarantine checkpoint in Metro Manila in February. Surging coronavirus cases prompted further lockdown measures.
Economy

Philippines and Malaysia log GDP falls as COVID waves blur outlook

Manila reports 4.2% contraction while neighbor's decline slows to 0.5%

11 May 2021
Children wade out to fishing boats in Tacloban: what lies beneath is the desperate poverty.
Opinion

How the Philippines' fishing communities are overcoming poverty

Piggy bank concept shows its power during the pandemic

9 April 2021
Tanjung Priok Port in Jakarta. Analysts revised up Indonesia's economic growth for 2021.
Economy

Vaccines seen helping Singapore and Indonesia rebound: survey

Economists cut 2021 growth forecasts for Malaysia, Philippines and Thailand

6 April 2021
An electronics factory in the Philippines: Joining the CPTPP would lower the cost of procuring components while providing manufacturers easier market access.
Trade

Philippines explores joining TPP to expand free trade network

Domestic industry stands to gain from market access and cheaper imports

2 April 2021
A rubber duck pictured among various plastic trash on a garbage-filled shore on Freedom Island, off the coast of Manila in the Philippines.
Opinion

Plastic waste is a growing menace, and a wasted opportunity

Southeast Asia has emerged as a hot spot for plastic pollution

29 March 2021
A worker in a hazmat suit disinfects a Manila street as a preventive measure against COVID-19 on March 19.
Coronavirus

Asia COVID cases hit record as virus outpaces vaccine campaigns

Surges in Philippines and India bode ill for region's economic recovery

26 March 2021
Rodrigo Duterte, pictured on Mar. 5: there are ways in which the president could continue steering the nation. (Handout photo from Presidential Communications Operations Office)
Opinion

Duterte brings Kremlin-style power shuffle to Manila Bay

President's backers must avoid emulating Putin's vice presidential ploy

18 March 2021
Filipinos work at the assembly line of Taiwan-based Kinpo Electronics' factory in Malvar, Philippines. 
Economy

Philippines pushes to ease Asia's toughest foreign investment rules

Duterte-backed overhaul faces opposition from entrenched conglomerates

11 March 2021
Repatriated overseas Philippine workers arrive at an airport in Metro Manila on May 26, 2020.
Economy

Philippine remittances come in at $29.9bn, defying COVID

400,000-worker repatriation raises questions over sustainability of cash inflow

15 February 2021
Hyun Bin during a press conference of tvN drama "Crashing Landing On You," pictured in December 2019: the drama series set off a tempest in the psyche of Filipinos.
Opinion

How South Korea's 'CLOY' can help Filipinos create a better future

The Philippines has turned itself into nation of followers, not pioneers

12 February 2021
President Rodrigo Duterte has slapped a 60-day price freeze on pork and chicken in a bid to rein in commodity price inflation burdening the Philippines as its economy struggles with the impact of one of the worst pandemic-induced recessions in Southeast Asia. (Source photos by AP and Getty Images)
Economy

Soaring food prices hit Philippine consumers amid recession

Duterte orders price ceiling on meat and increased imports to tame inflation

9 February 2021
The Philippine government hopes to help businesses suffering from pandemic effects by cutting corporate income tax.
Economy

Philippines to cut corporate tax to 25% to aid recovery from COVID

Congress passes bill after data show economy contracts the most in region

3 February 2021
A girl sits on a piece of wood in Manila in October 2020; the longer children stay out of school, the less likely they are to return.
Opinion

It is time to reopen Southeast Asia's schools

Pandemic reveals weaknesses in education and ways to improve it

29 January 2021
A passenger walks through a nearly deserted passenger terminal Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Paranaque, Metro Manila, Philippines, on Jan. 14.
Economy

Philippines GDP shrinks 9.5% in 2020, worst since 1947

Government eyes big rebound in 2021 after first contraction in 22 years

28 January 2021