‘Long-term economic fundamentals intact’Despite weaker 2025 growthMANILA, Philippines — Finance Secretary Frederick Go expressed optimism that the Philippine economy would regain momentum this year, even after gross domestic product (GDP) growth slowed to 4.4 percent in 2025, missing the government’s target for the third straight year. However, he said that Philippine growth “should be back on track this year.”“I’m hopeful that we will achieve our growth targets this year. Based on data from the Philippine Statistics Authority, GDP growth slowed to three percent in the fourth quarter of 2025. Go noted that while GDP growth averaged 4.4 percent last year, this remained above global and regional benchmarks. The global average of GDP growth all over the world is only 2.9 percent.

Source: Philippine Star January 30, 2026 21:19 UTC