DepDev hopes to rev up ’26 govt spending By Andrea E. San Juan
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HE Philippines’s socioeconomic planning body hopes to improve government spending next year while it banks on the country’s chairmanship of the Asean Summit to propel the economy. After the Philippine economy grew by the slowest pace since the pandemic in the third quarter this year, Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan of the Department of Economy, Planning, and Development (DEPDev) said the economic team has been addressing the slowdown in government spending. Asked what will be the economic
team’s focus next year, he replied, “The most obvious now is of course, the slowdown in spending. What we want to happen is that even as we navigate these, governance issues, legitimate programs, projects that are not affected by these issues, for example ghost projects.” The economic planners, he underscored, want to ensure that the “good projects” will continue and won’t affect the momentum of the economy. He said the challenge for national government agencies is for them to make sure that these projects will continue to be delivered. For those that have been proven to be “problematic,” Balisacan said they would have to be scrutinized
to avoid wastage of government funds. “So that’s one, we want to ensure that the projects that are very supportive of the economy and social protection, particularly projects that involve recovery from those disasters and typhoons, would have to move quickly and would not be hampered by these developments,” added Balisacan. Through another economic planner’s lens, Rosemarie G. Edillon, DEPDev Undersecretary for Policy and Planning Group, pointed out that the agency will focus on the development and updating of various master plans of the country especially those that are related to Flood Control.
“We need to come up with a science-based flood control master plan. That is something that we will be focusing on in the very near future even as early as 2026,” Edillon said. She explained that global developments related to climate change impacts have prompted the need to update the country’s flood control master plan. In ramping up infrastructure spending, Joseph J. Capuno, DEPDev Undersecretary for Investment Programming Group, pointed to the need for the government to focus on the “low-hanging fruits.” “As we improve our governance processes to ensure that no more See “DepDev,” A2
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PHL FACTORY INDEX HITS 4-YR LOW IN NOV AT 47.4 www.businessmirror.com.ph
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By Andrea E. San Juan @andreasanjuan
HE Philippine manufacturing sector experienced the sharpest downturn in four years due to the steep contraction in new orders and output which also led to shedding jobs, according to S&P Global Market Intelligence. The country’s Purchasing Manager’s Index (PMI) score plunged to 47.4 in November from 50.1 in October, signaling the “strongest deterioration” in operating condi-
tions across the Filipino manufacturing sector since August 2021. In August 2021, during the pandemic, the country’s PMI score See “Index,” A14
P500 ‘NOCHE BUENA’ BUDGET MEANT FOR ‘SIMPLE’ FOOD ITEMS By Samuel P. Medenilla @sam_medenilla
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ALACAÑANG has defended the assertion of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) that the P500 Noche Buena feast is possible, albeit only with “simple” food items. “What we’re talking about here is whether it’s possible. It’s a different matter, it should be more luxurious, more festive when we’re talking about the Christmas feast,” Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said in Filipino in a press conference on
Monday. She noted that even Steven T. Cua of the Philippine Amalgamated Supermarkets Association (PAGASA) backed DTI’s position. The Noche Buena is a traditional Filipino feast on Christmas eve. It usually includes a ham, queso de bola (ball cheese), salad, and a noodle dish. DTI earlier said a P500 budget is enough for a family of four to have a decent Noche Buena. Castro issued the statement after Davao City 1st District Representative Paolo Z. Duterte See “Budget,” A2
LUXURY LOCKDOWN More than 20 luxury cars were impounded at the Land Transportation Office (LTO)-NCR headquarters in Quezon City on Monday after a weekend crackdown in Metro Manila. Most of the vehicles lacked registration papers, and many drivers did not have valid licenses—violations flagged by LTO Chief Markus Lacanilao as part of the agency’s intensified drive against unregistered, undocumented vehicles. NONOY LACZA
PHL set to halt pork imports from Spain By Ada Pelonia
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SANTAS ON PARADE Assorted Santas, from large to miniature, go on display at the House of Santa Claus Christmas factory store on Lacson Street corner Jocson in Sampaloc, Manila—offering poly‑resin Christmas decor and high‑quality designs (including superherothemed pieces) for holiday shoppers. ROY DOMINGO
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HE Philippines is set to temporarily halt pork imports from Spain after the European nation, the country’s second leading supplier of the protein source, confirmed its first outbreak of African swine fever (ASF) in three decades. Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. confirmed to the BusinessMirror that the Department of Agriculture (DA) will impose a country-wide ban on Spain, the European Union’s (EU) top pork producer.
The ASF outbreak in Spain was detected in two dead wild boars near Barcelona last week, with Reuters reporting eight more wild boars suspected to be carrying the deadly swine disease. This triggered the imposition of temporary bans on pork shipments from various countries, including China, Japan, Mexico, and the United Kingdom. For Meat Importers and Traders Association (Mita) President Emeritus Jesus Cham, this doesn’t bode well for the Philippines, even if ASF has been around Europe for a while. “All this time, we had requested
the Department of Agriculture [DA] to adopt the WOAH guidelines on regionalization in order to provide for such contingency,” Cham told this newspaper. “We hope the DA will only ban the affected areas or zones and not the entire country.” The Philippines imposes a temporary ban on pork shipments from a nation with a confirmed case of ASF to prevent the entry of the transboundary disease that could further jeopardize the country’s domestic hog sector, still reeling from the lingering effects of the swine disease following its detection in 2019.
The DA recently updated its guidelines on implementing bilateral regionalization with accredited countries, allowing trade partners to maintain exports of hogs and pork products to the Philippines despite confirmed cases of ASF. Under this agreement, the Philippines will restrict shipments of hogs and their products only from certain areas with confirmed ASF cases instead of imposing a country-wide ban. Such a move was aimed at cushioning the impact of import bans on the country’s trade and food security, while safeguarding the See “Pork,” A2
PESO EXCHANGE RATES n US 58.7290 n JAPAN 0.3763 n UK 77.7102 n HK 7.5431 n CHINA 8.3021 n SINGAPORE 45.3051 n AUSTRALIA 38.4088 n EU 68.0963 n KOREA 0.0400 n SAUDI ARABIA 15.6556 Source: BSP (December 1, 2025)