Philippine central bank on track for two more rate cuts in 2025

July 28, 2025 | 6:41 pm

MANILA — The Philippine central bank is committed to maintaining its easing bias and is on course to cut policy rates twice this year, its governor said on Monday, though the timing will depend on economic growth and inflation.

“We’re still on that same easing cycle,” Governor Eli M. Remolona Jr. told Reuters. “We’re doing baby steps. That’s a good sign, that means we’re on track.”

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) is closely monitoring economic indicators to guide its decisions, including whether to implement a rate cut at its upcoming August 28 policy meeting. He emphasised that weaker-than-expected growth and better-than-projected inflation would be key triggers for further easing.

“If the data on growth is worse than we thought, and inflation is better, that would be a good time for another rate cut,” Mr. Remolona said. “We have to look at the data twice, three times.”

In June, the central bank lowered its key rate by 25 basis points to 5.25%, its lowest in two-and-a-half years, a second consecutive cut to support the economy.

Annual inflation has stayed below 2% since March, and the central bank expects the pace of price increases to remain at that level, including in July. Inflation was 1.4% in June.

The governor was optimistic growth in the second quarter would be better than the 5.4% expansion in the first three months of the year.

The Philippines’ trade deal with the United States has reduced uncertainty, and that should bode well for growth, Mr. Remolona said.

Last week, US President Donald Trump announced new import duties of 19% for goods from the Philippines, slightly below the rate of 20% he threatened earlier this month.

“Growth will not slow down as much as before, but there’s still residual uncertainty,” Mr. Remolona said.

Still, there are risks that could cloud the country’s growth outlook, including tensions in the Middle East, especially surrounding oil prices and regional conflict, he said.

In shaping its decisions, the BSP also considers global monetary policy conditions, including the US Federal Reserve’s outlook, though the governor said the Fed’s influence on BSP’s actions has waned in recent years.

“It will carry some weight, not a lot of weight, not as much as before,” he said, citing a more sophisticated market and the peso’s relative strength even without closely matching the Fed’s rate path.

Mr. Remolona also flagged threats to central bank independence as a significant concern, warning of long-term implications.

“Wherever the central bank loses its independence, regardless of fiscal policy, it leads to high inflation,” he said, adding central banks view what is happening in the United States with “concern”.

Despite external uncertainties, Mr. Remolona highlighted the Philippines’ solid domestic fundamentals, including ample reserves, stable remittances and slowing inflation.

“Domestically, we’re in very good shape,” he said. — Reuters

UP routs NU for a three-peat in collegiate pre-season tourney

July 28, 2025 | 6:25 pm

UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES dominates pre-season tournament. — UPMBT FACEBOOK PAGE/STEVEMARIONFIRE

REIGNING champion University of the Philippines (UP) clobbered National University (NU) in a lopsided finale, 79-65, to clinch its third straight title in the PlayTime Cares Filoil EcoOil 18^thPreseason Cup over the weekend at the Playtime Cares Filoil Centre in San Juan.

The Fighting Maroons dominated right off the bat and just went on cruise control the rest of the way for a three-peat in the country’s staple pre-season tourney featuring squads from the UAAP and NCAA.

UP became the first three-peat champion in Filoil history to take home the ECJ Perpetual Trophy, tying San Beda University for the second-most titles just behind De La Salle University with four championships.

Nigerian center Francis Nnoruka, the team’s new foreign student-athlete, collared 15 points, 12 rebounds, two assists and a block to lead the way for UP ahead of its title defense bid in the UAAP Season 88 in September.

Gerry Abadiano and Gani Stevens added 13 points each, Rey Remogat had eight while Reyland Torres and Harold Alarcon chipped in seven points apiece in the Fighting Maroons’ scattered onslaught.

Mr. Abadiano was named Finals MVP. He was joined by NU’s Jake Figueroa, La Salle’s Kean Baclaan, Santo Tomas’ Gelo Crisostomo and Letran’s Titing Manalili in the Mythical Team.

UP seized a 48-37 lead at the half, limited NU to just 12 points and led by as many as 21 points in the third to further prove its stature as the best collegiate team in the country today.

Mr. Figueroa (12) and Kenshin Padrones (10) served as the lone bright spots for the Bulldogs, who were the last Filoil champion in 2022 before UP emerged as the new dynasty.

Meanwhile, ace sniper Reinhard Jumamoy got a consolation prize for the Bulldogs by ruling the Hanes 3-Point Shootout with 14 points over La Salle’s Mason Amos and St. Benilde’s Ernest Daja for a P10,000 cash prize and gift pack. — John Bryan Ulanday

Arca, Mendoza strike gold in Eastern Asia youth chessfest

July 28, 2025 | 6:25 pm

CHRISTIAN GIAN KARLO ARCA accomplished what he had failed to accomplish in the ASEAN Age Group Chess Championships in Penang, Malaysia a few weeks ago, striking gold in the 9^th Eastern Asia Youth Championships on Monday in Zhuhai, China.

Also copping the gold was Jemaicah Mendoza, who scored 8.5 points out of nine to claim the girls’ Under-14 mint in the standard event.

The Filipino FIDE Master (FM) from Panabo, Davao del Norte, blew away the competition as he scored eight points out of the possible nine including a last round victory over China’s Song Yihang.

Another Philippine bet in Ivan Travis Cu went for a final round and an outright medal but managed just a draw with Chinese Chen Kailin and wound up in a three-way tie for third with six points.

Mr. Cu settled for fourth after tiebreaks were applied.

Taking the silver was Mongolian FM Khishigbat Ulziikhishig with 6.5 points while Vietnamese Do An Hoa snatched the bronze after edging Mr. Cu via tiebreak.

Ruelle Canino, a World Cup and Olympiad veteran, settled for the bronze in the girls U18. — Joey Villar

Eala gets early door in Montreal National Bank Open

July 28, 2025 | 6:24 pm

ALEXANDRA “ALEX” EALA fell to former Grand Slam champion Marketa Vondrousova of the Czech Republic in Round 1, 6-3, 1-6, 2-6, for a quick exit in the 2025 National Bank Open on Monday in Montreal, Canada.

The 20-year-old Filipina waxed hot early with an easy first-set win only to be outclassed the rest of the way by the Czech standout, WTA No. 63, for a flat start in her US Open build-up.

Ms. Vondrousova, the 2023 Wimbledon champion, punished Ms. Eala with seven aces, connecting on 62% of her first serves and limiting the Pinay ace to just three games won in the second and third set combined.

Ms. Eala, fresh off a month-long vacation in the Philippines, proved rusty especially in her usually crisp return game with multiple errors including six double faults, most of which came in the last two sets.

Up next for the 26-year-old Ms. Vondrousova is WTA No. 28 Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine in the stacked WTA 1000 tourney, in the second round.

Ms. Kostyuk, who also beat Ms. Eala in the Italian Open last summer, gained a bye in the first round as the No. 24 seed in the 96-player tourney.

After the grass and clay campaigns in Europe, it’s the first hardcourt tournament for Ms. Eala since the Miami Open, where she became the first WTA semifinalist in history and barged into the Top 100 rankings, as part of her preparations for the US Open on Aug. 24 to Sept. 7 in New York.

Ms. Eala, who climbed to No. 65 in the WTA rankings from No. 69 despite the loss, will have two more tournaments in North America albeit it’s still to be announced before her third Grand Slam main draw stint in the Big Apple.

She’s hoping to finally score a breakthrough main draw win in the US Open, where she was a former junior singles champion, after foiled attempts in the French Open and the Wimbledon. — John Bryan Ulanday

Chery Tiggo eyes outright quarterfinal berth against ZUS Coffee in Ilocos Sur

July 28, 2025 | 6:23 pm

CHERY TIGGO CROSSOVERS — FACEBOOK.COM/PREMIERVOLLEYBALLLEAGUE

Games on Tuesday
(Candon City Arena, Ilocos Sur)
4 p.m. – Chery Tiggo vs. ZUS Coffee
6:30 p.m. – Choco Mucho vs. Petro Gazz

CHERY TIGGO shoots for an outright quarterfinal berth while ZUS Coffee plays the spoiler’s role as the two collide on Tuesday in the final pool stage play date of the Premier Volleyball League on Tour at the Candon City Arena in Ilocos Sur.

A win for the Crossovers (3-1) in their 4 p.m. showdown with the Thunderbelles (2-2) would propel the former straight to No. 2 in Pool B and the knockout quarters alongside early entrants Cignal, PLDT and Nxled.

A loss though would hand that spot to Creamline (3-2) on a silver platter.

If it happens, Chery Tiggo would have to go through the backdoor to make it to the quarters.

Meanwhile, Petro Gazz (1-3) and Choco Mucho (1-3) face off in the other offering.

Under the tournament format, the top two teams from each pool gain automatic quarters entry, while teams ranked third to sixth in each group will engage in crossover knockout matches for the remaining four slots.

The knockout duels would pit Pool A No. 3 vs. Pool B No. 6, Pool A No. 4 vs. Pool B No. 5, Pool B No. 3 vs. Pool A No. 6, and Pool B No. 4 vs. Pool A No. 5 on Saturday at the Filoil EcoOil Arena.

The quarterfinals, another set of do-or-die showdowns, will set No. 1 vs. No. 8, No. 2 vs. No. 7, No. 3 vs. No. 6, and No. 4 vs. No. 5. — Joey Villar

English grit beats Spanish skill to secure Euro glory

July 28, 2025 | 6:22 pm

BASEL, Switzerland — England were on the ropes often at the Women’s Euro, and they always found a knockout blow, before beating Spain in a final penalty shootout to show that skill may be a way to dominate games, but it takes the heart of a lioness to win them.

Chloe Kelly was the hero, firing in the spot-kick to ensure the defending champions retained their crown, but every English player had to dig deep to thwart a Spanish side who were best everywhere except on the final scoreboard.

Down 2-0 at the break, England’s tournament almost ended in the quarterfinals as Sweden looked set to cruise through, but Kelly and Michelle Agyemang dragged the champions back into the game with late goals before they won the penalty shootout despite having four kicks saved.

They made heavy weather of Italy in the semis and again Kelly came to the rescue, scoring a 119^th-minute winner to send them into the final despite another flawed performance.

In contrast, Spain cruised, purring like the engine of one of the many sports cars that can be seen zipping along city streets in the more affluent parts of Switzerland. They beat the host nation, and eased past Germany in the semis to make the final.

They met England in the 2023 World Cup final when a first-half goal set Spain on course for victory and their first major title. The story was almost a carbon copy on Sunday as they took the lead through Mariona Caldentey in the 25^th minute.

Led by playmaker Aitan Bonmati, the Spaniards sensed a weakness on England’s left flank and probed it relentlessly until Ona Batlle came up with the cross for Caldentey to score.

KELLY INTRODUCTION
The introduction of Kelly before the break for the injured Lauren James strengthened that wing, and when Kelly set Russo up for the equalizer the tide did not exactly turn, but the belief of the English players certainly grew.

Battered by a number of crunching tackles, fullbacks Lucy Bronze and Alex Greenwood continued to throw themselves into every challenge, while captain Leah Williamson made a lung-bursting run to create a late chance that hinted at reserves of energy not even she knew she had.

Having been to the brink so many times, England believed.

When the game finished 1-1 and the penalty shootout awaited, the English players seemed relaxed and confident, with their Spanish counterparts looking slightly more on edge.

The Spaniards had the game in the palms of their hands for 120 minutes, but it began slipping away as Hannah Hamton started to save their spot-kicks, first from Caldentey and then from Bonmati, before Paralluelo fired her effort wide.

Kelly made no mistake, lashing the ball into the net as the English fans in the stadium erupted in joy.

“This is England, I think this is our moment, we’ve dug in for the 120 minutes, we’ve done what we needed to do to keep Spain out. It was just one kick and that was it and so we did that this time,” Hampton said. — Reuters

Fernandez cruises past Kalinskaya to claim Washington Open title

July 28, 2025 | 6:22 pm

LEYLAH FERNANDEZ earned the biggest win of her career as she beat Anna Kalinskaya 6-1, 6-2, in the Washington Open final on Sunday.

After a brief rain delay in the nation’s capital, Fernandez — who was just one game away from defeat in the semifinals — overcame the extreme humidity to capture her first WTA 500 title in her first final in over a year.

The Canadian gained the upper hand early on, securing a break thanks to a Kalinskaya double fault, before breaking again with a sharp return winner.

The Russian world number 48 appeared to struggle physically as Fernandez calmly served out the opening set in just under half an hour.

Kalinskaya could not find her stride in the match, dropping serve twice in the second set, while the 22-year-old Fernandez remained in control, never looking back on her way to the title.

Fernandez will look to carry her momentum into her home tournament, the Canadian Open in Montreal, where she faces Australia’s Maya Joint in the first round.

Kalinskaya, who will play against American Ann Li, remains in search of her maiden WTA title after another setback in a final. — Reuters

De Minaur saves three match points to lift Washington Open title

July 28, 2025 | 6:21 pm

ALEX DE MINAUR rallied from a set down and saved three match points to claim the Washington Open title with a 5-7, 6-1, 7-6(3), win over Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the final of the ATP 500 event on Sunday.

The Australian number one, who lost the 2018 final to Alexander Zverev, felt he rode his luck to secure his 10^th career title and ensure he will enter the top 10 in the world rankings ahead of next month’s US Open.

The two 26-year-olds exchanged breaks early in the opening set before Spain’s Davidovich Fokina seized control by breaking again and closed out the set with the help of some crisp forehand winners.

De Minaur responded emphatically in the second set, converting two of four break-point opportunities while holding serve throughout, wrapping up the set in just over 30 minutes with an ace to level the contest.

The Spaniard looked on course for his first career title when he broke to grab the lead in the decider but he failed to serve out the match at 5-3, sending a forehand long to hand the break back to seventh seed De Minaur.

Davidovich Fokina’s frustration mounted as the 12^th seed squandered three match points on De Minaur’s serve, and the Australian then capitalized on a series of unforced errors in the tiebreak to edge the contest.

“I came here in 2018 and it gave me so much confidence, so I’m so happy that I was able to come back and end up winning the title,” De Minaur said at the trophy presentation.

“Alejandro, you’re way too good not to have one of these, it’s coming for sure,” he added, gesturing to the trophy.

“You deserved it today, I just got lucky. You are a hell of a competitor, hell of a player. No one on the tour wants to play you. And this is not the end, this is only going on for you.”

Davidovich Fokina recalled that he had required a wild card to play in the US capital last year and was pleased to have at least guaranteed a rise to a career high world number 19 when the rankings are updated on Monday.

“He deserved the win, he was fighting every… ball, he was always pushing through my limits,” Davidovich Fokina said.

“We had a job to do before we started the year, to be at the middle of the year in the top 20. This week we did it, just not with the trophy. But for sure, we will keep going, pushing our limits, pushing harder.” — Reuters

Outgunned Europe accepts the least-worst US trade deal

July 28, 2025 | 6:09 pm

EU-USA-TRUMP-TARIFFS — US and European Union flags are seen in this illustration taken April 10, 2025. — REUTERS/DADO RUVIC/ILLUSTRATION

LONDON — In the end, Europe found it lacked the leverage to pull Donald J. Trump’s America into a trade pact on its terms and so has signed up to a deal it can just about stomach — albeit one that is clearly skewed in the US’ favor.

As such, Sunday’s agreement on a blanket 15% tariff after a months-long stand-off is a reality check on the aspirations of the 27-country European Union (EU) to become an economic power able to stand up to the likes of the United States or China.

The cold shower is all the more bracing given that the EU has long portrayed itself as an export superpower and champion of rules-based commerce for the benefit both of its own soft power and the global economy as a whole.

For sure, the new tariff that will now be applied is a lot more digestible than the 30% “reciprocal” tariff which Mr. Trump threatened to invoke in a few days.

While it should ensure Europe avoids recession, it will likely keep its economy in the doldrums: it sits somewhere between two tariff scenarios the European Central Bank last month forecast would mean 0.5-0.9% economic growth this year compared to just over 1% in a trade tension-free environment.

But this is nonetheless a landing point that would have been scarcely imaginable only months ago in the pre-Trump 2.0 era, when the EU along with much of the world could count on US tariffs averaging out at around 1.5%.

Even when Britain agreed a baseline tariff of 10% with the United States back in May, EU officials were adamant they could do better and — convinced the bloc had the economic heft to square up to Mr. Trump — pushed for a “zero-for-zero” tariff pact.

It took a few weeks of fruitless talks with their US counterparts for the Europeans to accept that 10% was the best they could get and a few weeks more to take the same 15% baseline which the United States agreed with Japan last week.

“The EU does not have more leverage than the US, and the Trump administration is not rushing things,” said one senior official in a European capital who was being briefed on last week’s negotiations as they closed in around the 15% level.

That official and others pointed to the pressure from Europe’s export-oriented businesses to clinch a deal and so ease the levels of uncertainty starting to hit businesses from Finland’s Nokia to Swedish steelmaker SSAB.

“We were dealt a bad hand. This deal is the best possible play under the circumstances,” said one EU diplomat. “Recent months have clearly shown how damaging uncertainty in global trade is for European businesses.”

NOW WHAT?
That imbalance — or what the trade negotiators have been calling “asymmetry” — is manifest in the final deal.

Not only is it expected that the EU will now call off any retaliation and remain open to US goods on existing terms, but it has also pledged $600 billion of investment in the United States. The timeframe for that remains undefined, as do other details of the accord for now.

As talks unfolded, it became clear that the EU came to the conclusion it had more to lose from all-out confrontation.

The retaliatory measures threatened totaled some €93 billion — less than half its US goods trade surplus of nearly €200 billion.

True, a growing number of EU capitals were also ready to envisage wide-ranging anti-coercion measures that would have allowed the bloc to target the services trade in which the United States had a surplus of some $75 billion last year.

But even then, there was no clear majority for targeting the US digital services which European citizens enjoy and for which there are scant homegrown alternatives — from Netflix to Uber to Microsoft cloud services.

It remains to be seen whether this will encourage European leaders to accelerate the economic reforms and diversification of trading allies to which they have long paid lip service but which have been held back by national divisions.

Describing the deal as a painful compromise that was an “existential threat” for many of its members, Germany’s BGA wholesale and export association said it was time for Europe to reduce its reliance on its biggest trading partner.

“Let’s look on the past months as a wake-up call,” said BGA President Dirk Jandura. “Europe must now prepare itself strategically for the future — we need new trade deals with the biggest industrial powers of the world.” — Reuters

Trump pauses export controls to bolster China trade deal, FT says

July 28, 2025 | 6:08 pm

THE US has paused curbs on tech exports to China to avoid disrupting trade talks with Beijing and support President Donald J. Trump’s efforts to secure a meeting with President Xi Jinping this year, the Financial Times (FT) said on Monday.

The industry and security bureau of the Commerce department, which oversees export controls, has been told in recent months to avoid tough moves on China, the newspaper said, citing current and former officials.

Reuters could not immediately verify the report. The White House and the department did not respond to Reuters’ requests for comment outside business hours.

Top US and Chinese economic officials are set to resume talks in Stockholm on Monday to tackle long-standing economic disputes at the center of a trade war between the world’s top two economies.

Tech giant Nvidia said this month it would resume sales of its H20 graphics processing units (GPU) to China, reversing an export curb the Trump administration imposed in April to keep advanced artificial intelligence chips out of Chinese hands over national security concerns.

The planned resumption was part of US negotiations on rare earths and magnets, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has said.

The paper said 20 security experts and former officials, including former deputy US national security adviser Matt Pottinger, will write on Monday to Mr. Lutnick to voice concern, however.

“This move represents a strategic misstep that endangers the United States’ economic and military edge in artificial intelligence,” they write in the letter, it added. — Reuters

New TV series imagines China invasion, gives Taiwan viewers a wake-up call

July 28, 2025 | 6:08 pm

TAIPEI — A new Taiwanese television series that imagines the run-up to a Chinese invasion is getting rave reviews from viewers, who said the first program featuring the sensitive topic is a wake-up call for the public facing heightened Chinese military threat.

In the show, Zero Day Attack, a Chinese war plane goes missing near Taiwan. China then sends swarms of military boats and planes for a blockade as Taiwan goes on a war footing. Panic ensues on the streets of Taipei.

At viewings in Taipei last week attendees have included the top US diplomat in Taiwan Raymond Greene, who is director of the American Institute in Taiwan, and Taiwanese tycoon Robert Tsao, a strident critic of Beijing.

The series is set to premiere on Aug. 2 in Taiwan, followed by its Japanese release on Amazon Prime Video.

“Presenting such a situation (of conflict) can lead to more discussion about what we should do if it really turns into reality one day,” said Blair Yeh, a 35-year-old engineer, after watching the first episode in the Taipei premier last week.

The premise of Zero Day Attack is a topic that has for years been considered too sensitive for many Taiwan filmmakers and television show creators, who fear losing access to the lucrative Chinese entertainment market.

More than half of the show’s crew asked to remain anonymous on the crew list, and some people including a director pulled out of the production at the last minute, its showrunner Cheng Hsin Mei told Reuters.

But as China steps up military threats, including at least six rounds of major war games in the past five years and daily military activities close to Taiwan, the upcoming drama confronts the fear by setting the 10-episode series around a Chinese invasion of Taiwan.

The drama focuses on several scenarios Taiwan might face in the days leading up to a Chinese attack, including a global financial collapse, the activation of Chinese sleeper agents and panicked residents trying to flee the island.

“Without freedom, Taiwan is not Taiwan,” the actor who plays a fictional Taiwan president says in a televised speech, urging unity after declaring war on China, in the show’s trailer.

The live broadcast then gets abruptly cut off, replaced by a feed of a Chinese state television anchor calling for Taiwanese to surrender and to report “hidden pro-independence activists” to Chinese soldiers after their landing in Taiwan.

“We’ve been comfortable for a long time now,” said viewer Leon Yu, 43-year-old semiconductor industry professional, adding Taiwan’s freedom and democracy must be kept.

“There’s still a lot of people out there burying their head in the sand and don’t want to face the dangers of the present.” — Reuters

No lines, no fixers, no corruption: BBM champions eGov Super App

July 28, 2025 | 5:40 pm

press-release-1-1-OL — In the photo (from left to right): DICT Secretary Henry Aguda; President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.; DICT Undersecretary David Almirol; and Presidential Son William Vincent Marcos. Behind them are government officials and employees who attended the recent launch of the eGov PH Hub in San Juan City.

President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr. lauded the eGov PH Super App as a breakthrough in 21^st century governance, calling it a modern solution that makes everyday life easier for Filipinos by bringing faster, more accessible, and more convenient government services.

In his recent speech at the launch of the eGovPH Hub in San Juan City, President Marcos emphasized that the app is not just a tech upgrade, but a solution to the everyday problems Filipinos faces when dealing with government bureaucracy.

“And like I said — finally, the Philippine government, our bureaucracy, and our LGUs have stepped into the 21^st century,” President Marcos said.

In his remarks, the President outlined the purpose of the app, emphasizing how it helps ease the hassle of dealing with government transactions.

“Sometimes, just to get a simple clearance, it takes more than a day. You line up for hours, and by 5 p.m., they tell you your requirements are incomplete. So, you have to come back the next day — find time all over again,” President Marcos said.

“This is exactly what we’re trying to fix with the one-stop shop. And with the system we’ve put together, I’m very optimistic that things will finally become much easier for everyone. Now, we’ve even taken it a step further. The Philippine government has finally stepped into the 21^st century,” President Marcos explained.

President Marcos further outlined his vision for a future where no Filipino — not even in the most remote barangay — is left behind.

“Once there’s connectivity, you no longer need to go to a physical agency. You don’t have to travel to the poblacion. You don’t need to find a specific person in a government office to talk to, just to get a clearance or process your documents,” President Marcos said.

“And these two key elements — the eGov Serbisyo Hub one-stop shop and the eGov PH Super App — will bring us to the point where my instructions can truly be followed: No corruption, No fixers, and No long lines,” the President said.

Meanwhile, Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) Undersecretary for E-Governance David Almirol — whom President Marcos introduced as the one who personally wrote the app’s code and knows it inside and out — showcased its full range of features and capabilities.

“Today marks the grand launch of the eGov PH Super App. We already have over 14 million unique users, and more than 200 million transactions so far. In fact, this was all just word of mouth.”

“People experienced the convenience, told their friends, told others — and it went viral,” Mr. Almirol said.

“And do you know? Every single day, the app is downloaded 70,000 to 100,000 times. And since launching the government services here, usage has increased 50 times compared to last year — not just 10 or 30 times, but 50 times more users on the eGov PH Super App,” he added.

During his presentation, Mr. Almirol walked everyone through how the eGov PH Super App works and what it can do for Filipinos.

He showed how the app connects to around 70 government agencies, making it easy to renew a driver’s license from home in less than 10 minutes, apply for an eVisa, use eTravel for seamless arrivals, and other government services.

He added that more services are coming soon, including passport applications; PRC license renewals; and BIR tax filing and payments.

Mr. Almirol also highlighted new features like travel tax online from TIEZA, digital diplomas and certificates from CHEd, and professional credentials issued by PRC, MARINA, and TESDA.

He explained that users can also check their PhilHealth, Pag-IBIG, and GSIS contributions, loans, and claims through the app — and even access verified government news to fight misinformation.

Mr. Almirol noted that the app already carries digital versions of the driver’s license and national and senior citizen ID, complete with e-signatures. These are already used by 88 million Filipinos and accepted by banks, schools, and employers.

On the local level, he said 927 LGUs now use the app to process business permits, birth and marriage certificates, and other essential documents. People can upload their requirements, set appointments through QR codes, and visit offices where staff are ready to assist.

Finally, he assured that even those without smartphones or digital skills can still benefit through the eGov Serbisyo Hub — a physical one-stop center offering help with government services, healthcare, medicine, financial aid, and free medical checkups.

Through eGov PH Super App, the Philippines was recognized by the United Nations (UN) for its progress in digital governance.

According to a UN report, the country’s ranking in the E-Government Development Index (EGDI) improved from 2022 to 2024.

The Philippines received the UN E-Government Award from the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) during the 2025 UN Public Service Forum in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

“This global recognition from the UN validates the Philippines’ digital transformation road map under the leadership of President Marcos,” said Mr. Almirol. “It’s proof that a government can be efficient, inclusive, and citizen-centric — all at once.”

Earlier, the Philippines also gained international recognition when two of its digital platforms — the eGov PH Super App and eGovDX — won top honors at the 2025 GovMedia Awards in Singapore.

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