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THE Philippines is unlikely to be the top choice of Japanese manufacturing companies that are planning to shift production out of China, the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Philippines, Inc. (JCCIPI) said.

THE central bank’s current policy stance can accommodate the impact of a possible extension or expansion of the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ), Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Benjamin E. Diokno said.

TO give a better perspective on the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the economy and to help prepare for recovery, BusinessWorld, the Philippines’ premier business daily, will be holding an online forum series starting April 29.

ERNESTO M. Pernia on Friday resigned as President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s Socioeconomic Planning chief, citing personal reasons and “differences in development philosophy” without some fellow Cabinet members.

S&P Global Ratings expects the Philippine economy to shrink by 2% this year — a sharp revision from its 4.2% growth estimate given in March — as the world comes to grips with the human and economic price of the novel coronavirus pandemic.

FILIPINO consumers were less upbeat about this quarter and the rest of the year, citing worries about lower income amid a novel coronavirus pandemic, according to the Philippine central bank’s latest consumer expectation survey.

THE BANGKO SENTRAL ng Pilipinas (BSP) fired off another 50-basis-point (bp) cut in policy rates in an off-cycle meeting to bring borrowing costs to record lows in a bid to boost lending to support the economy in the middle of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) crisis.

VENCITO U. OPEN, 31, is one of about 50 Filipino seamen who have been stranded in a cramped dormitory in San Andres — Manila’s second-most densely populated district — jobless and about to become penniless after his flight to Saudi Arabia was canceled when the government locked down the main Philippine island of Luzon to contain a novel coronavirus pandemic.

EXTENDING the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) beyond April 30 would be “difficult,” according to Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto M. Pernia, who is backing a gradual lifting of the Luzon-wide lockdown which would allow malls and public transportation to resume partial operations.

THE Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is drafting rules to allow minority investors of listed companies to call for meetings and add items to meeting agendas.

THE Philippines posted an $839-million surplus in its balance of payments (BoP) position in February, as import demand slowed due to the uncertainty over the coronavirus outbreak.

THE Philippine economy may lose between P276.3 billion and P2.5 trillion, depending on how the coronavirus pandemic develops in the next few months, according to a state-run think tank.