By pointing to a variety of factors, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) recently announced that the economy of the Philippines will grow by 5.6% this year, according to a news article by the Philippine News Agency (PNA). The ADB recently released its latest economy report.
To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from the first PNA news article. Some parts in boldface…
The Philippines is expected to post the second highest economic growth in Southeast Asia this year despite the downgrade in growth outlook due to external headwinds, a report released by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) showed.
In its Asian Development Outlook July 2025 report released on Wednesday, the ADB said Philippine economic growth is expected to settle at 5.6 percent this year.
The growth outlook for the Philippines is the second highest in Southeast Asia, next to Vietnam’s 6.3 percent. Indonesia is projected to grow by 5 percent, Malaysia by 4.3 percent, Singapore by 1.6 percent, and Thailand by 1.8 percent.
For 2026, growth is expected to slightly pick up to 5.8 percent.
The ADB’s latest projection, however, was lower than its 6 percent for 2024 and 6.1 percent for 2025 economic growth forecast amid external headwinds. The Philippine economy grew by 5.4 percent in the first quarter of the year.
“Domestic demand grew 6.7 percent, supported by easing inflation and monetary policy. However, net exports dragged on growth as brisk imports outpaced exports,” the ADB said. It added that manufacturing index (PMI) recovered slightly to 50.7 in June from 50.1 in May.
“Consumer sentiment was positive in the near term. Unemployment was low at 3.9 percent in May, and remittance growth of 3.0 percent helped sustain household spending,” it said.
The ADB, however, said that business confidence softened amid heightened global policy uncertainties.
According to the ADB, economic forecasts for most countries in Southeast Asia have been downgraded for 2025 and 2026 due to the continuing global growth slowdown and increased trade uncertainty.
“Weaker external conditions have hurt business and consumer sentiment and threaten to disrupt investment in the subregion,” it said.
“Except for Indonesia, the largest economy in the subregion, all Southeast Asian economies are expected to post weaker growth in the next two years.”
Let me end this post by asking you readers: What is your reaction to this recent development? Do you think it is still possible for the economy of the Philippines reach 6% GDP growth by the end of 2025?
You may answer in the comments below. If you prefer to answer privately, you may do so by sending me a direct message online.
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