With Indonesia and Vietnam cutting interest rates in the past two months and Thailand fending off pressure to do the same, the Philippines is emerging as the region’s lone candidate for a rate increase this year.While all economists surveyed by Bloomberg predict Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (the Central Bank of the Philippines) will hold its benchmark rate at a record-low of three percent on Thursday, a separate poll showed almost half forecast an increase by the fourth quarter.

On the night of August 18, 2017 in Caloocan – the fourth most populous city in the Philippines – nineteen-year-old Carl Angelo Arnaiz appeared to have been kneeling on the ground before being mercilessly shot – four times in the chest and once in his right arm – by policemen who alleged that he returned fire whilst they were responding to a robbery call.

All 10 of the ASEAN member states have officially started to ban the usage of single-use plastics in an effort to move towards addressing the pollution issues caused by plastics and marine debris as a united front.

Southeast Asia is a growing market for business. However, there is still plenty of untapped potential, in terms of both consumer demand and labour markets. With all eyes on the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) member states, business investors are presented with opportunities to generate lucrative returns on their investments within the region.

Moody’s Investors Service forecast that Philippine economic growth will exceed 6 percent until next year, and said the conflict in the south and a deadly drug war pose a rising risk but is unlikely to derail the economy.Gross domestic product will expand 6.5 percent this year and 6.8 percent in 2018, the rating company said in a statement on Friday.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte may declare nationwide martial law next week if threatened massive protests by communists and other leftists against his rule turn violent or disrupt the country, his defence chief said Friday."He said, if the left will try to have a massive protest, start fires on the streets, they will disrupt the country, then I might (declare martial law)," Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana told reporters, recounting a conversation with Duterte this week.

As ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) celebrates its 50th anniversary, the region has witnessed immense growth in terms of its economy and human population which has contributed to the rising demand for energy. In recent years, the ACE (ASEAN Centre for Energy) has been working on promoting the use of renewable energy throughout the region.

After launching his political career from a jail cell, Philippine Senator Antonio Trillanes believes it could end in a grave thanks to a relentless campaign against his "hitman" president.But the former Navy officer with a history of coup attempts appears to thrive on the pressures that have come with regularly accusing President Rodrigo Duterte of being a corrupt mass murderer."This man is a sociopath and he has the mindset of a hitman," Trillanes, 46, told AFP in an inte

Philippine lawmakers have moved to cut the budget of the nation's human rights commission to 20 dollars and impeach the Supreme Court chief justice in what critics on Wednesday labelled part of a slide towards dictatorship under President Rodrigo Duterte.The twin votes in the House of Representatives added to a growing climate of fear that Duterte is determined to silence anyone critical of his war on drugs, which has claimed thousands of lives and led rights groups to warn of a crime ag

Grounded planes are helping a Philippine stock fly.Behind the five-fold increase in MacroAsia shares this year is a venture’s expanded jet service and maintenance business. The company is the top performer among the 274 equities listed on the Philippine Stock Exchange, with its market value approaching 300 million dollars.