Category
Policy & Regulation
Analysis of policy and regulatory shifts, compliance tightening, and policy decisions that reshape industries and rewrite the rules of participation. Focused on structural consequences, not headlines.
GCash now charges a 0.50% GCash forex fee on Visa card international transactions, ending its zero markup era and pushing users toward the Klook Travel Card.
The DOTr’s PUV service contracting program launches April 15 with ₱800 million that lasts two weeks. Here is what happens when the money runs out.
The power market suspension replaced competitive pricing with government set rates. Here is what it means for generators, utilities, and business costs.
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RMC 24-2026 clarifies that cross-border services tax Philippines rules do not make foreign service payments automatically taxable. Here is what changed.
Officials warn fuel tax suspension in the Philippines could cost ₱320 billion. The government already lost comparable amounts to flood control corruption and unspent budgets.
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The rice price cap returns for the third time in three years. The ₱50 ceiling on imported rice buys 30 days of stability while structural cost pressures keep building.
No DTI price freeze is in effect under the national energy emergency. The government chose voluntary manufacturer pledges covering only 196 of 726 monitored products.
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Driver’s license confiscation in the Philippines continues at the LGU level despite DOTr and LTO orders to stop. Here is why the gap exists.
The flood control crackdown imposed compliance costs on MSMEs through a miscalibrated BSP cash limit and an AMLC freeze campaign that ran out of time before cases were filed.
New BSP digital bank rules force rural and thrift banks into tiered capital requirements based on digital activity, with no option to step back down.
The Philippine power price surge from LNG volatility is forcing the government to ramp up coal, intervene in WESM pricing, and override its own market framework.
The fare hike suspension replaced a self-executing pricing mechanism with a ₱5,000 cash subsidy that has a documented history of delays, leakage, and unserved beneficiaries.
The 2026 VAT reform proposal push in the Senate promises consumer relief, but a restructured tax system could hit MSMEs harder than the 12% rate it replaces.
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The PUV fuel subsidy gives drivers ₱5,000 in cash aid and a 19% fare hike. Commuters pay both. Fuel dependent MSMEs get nothing. Here is who the crisis response actually covers.
The ₱42.57M maynilad penalty for Putatan water disruptions sounds like accountability, but the money routes back to consumers as bill credits, not corporate losses.
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BIR Form 1701-MS is still not in eBIRForms or eFPS. With April 15 approaching and no 2026 filing circular yet, here is what the EOPT rollout actually looks like on the ground.
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