US Army Pacific assures Philippines of alliance

MANILA, Philippines —  Days before an international forum in Hawaii on land forces in the Pacific, the United States military has again reassured the Philippines of its firm defense commitment in the face of China’s untrammeled bullying, coercion and other …

Philippines Q1 GDP grows 5.4% y/y, below expectations

MANILA : The Philippine economy grew by an annual 5.4 per cent in the first quarter of 2025 from a year earlier, official data showed on Thursday, a similar pace to the previous quarter's 5.3 per cent expansion. Economists in a Reuters poll had …

How the world is changing for the Philippines

WE live in a world today where there are two super nuclear powers, the United States and Russia, which have engaged in mini-wars or provoked proxy wars, but which are now engaged in a peace process to end the Ukraine war. This peace process engages a …

The Philippines' new online voting system has been marked by confusion and fears of disenfranchisement

Philippines’ March factory output contracts for second month

MANUFACTURING OUTPUT contracted for a second consecutive month in March, though the decline narrowed as food output increased, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported on Wednesday. According to the preliminary results of the PSA’s Monthly …

Hope rises for Philippines’ Cardinal Tagle as Pope Francis’ successor

Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle attends a mass at St Peter's basilica in The Vatican on April 30, 2025. PHOTO: AFP VATICAN – Among the massive crowds of people waiting for the first round of smoke to emanate from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel, several …

Philippines' gross int'l reserves level settles at 104.6 bln USD in April

MANILA, May 8 (Xinhua) -- The Philippine central bank has said the country's gross international reserves (GIR) level, based on preliminary data, settled at 104.6 billion U.S. dollars at the end of April from 106.7 billion dollars at the end of March. …

Philippines 1Q GGR reaches US$1.88bln, e-games take the lead: Pagcor

The Philippine gaming sector – including non-casino operations – produced gross gaming revenue (GGR) of PHP104.12 billion (US$1.88 billion) in the opening quarter of 2025, up 27.4 percent from the prior-year period. The latest first-quarter GGR figure was …

Qatar, Philippines hold round of political consultations

MANILA: The second round of political consultations between the ministries of foreign affairs of the State of Qatar and the Republic of the Philippines was held in the Philippine capital, Manila. Secretary-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs HE Dr …

Philippines badly needs more Catholic priests. Could a Filipino pope boost clergy ranks?

As cardinals gather in the Vatican to elect a new pope – with a Filipino among the favourites – the church in Asia’s most Catholic country is grappling with a decline in those with a vocation for the priesthood. “According to the statistics we have … one …