The report presents the results of a detailed vulnerability assessment and summarizes the prioritization methodology developed to guide investment decisions on the strengthening of critical assets in Metropolitan Manila. With support from the World Bank, the engagement on Safe and Resilient...

The Philippines increasingly emphasizes lifelong learning and skills mobility for labor productivity as an integral part of the country's growth strategy. The Philippine Development Plan 2017-2022 presents a series of activities to improve labor productivity through human capital investment....

The Philippines is an archipelago comprised of 7,107 islands with a humid climate and a topography characterized by mountainous terrain bordered by narrow coastal plains. Considered one of the most biologically rich and diverse countries in the world, the Philippines also has one of the world's...

The Philippine Parametric Catastrophe Risk Insurance Program (the 'parametric program') represents a key milestone in this partnership. In July of 2017, the Philippines placed on the international financial markets a portfolio of catastrophe risk that transferred typhoon and earthquake risk from...

In recent decades, the agriculture and fisheries sector in the Philippines has grown but has clearly not lived up to its potential. Philippine agriculture has weathered the impact of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic better than the overall national economy. Recent government reports highlight...

The resurgence of COVID-19 cases and reimposition of more stringent quarantine measures held back the early signs of an economic rebound. The downside risk of a resurgence of infection, identified in the PEU December 2020 edition, has unfortunately materialized. The number of daily cases...

Concrete literally holds the modern world together. The material and its binding agent cement comprise a key ingredient in the buildings and roads essential for development and in infrastructure critical to sustainable growth. The cement industry also generates about seven percent of the world's...

During the period June 2019 to October 2020 the World Bank (WB) and International Monetary Fund (IMF) teams updated the findings of the FinancialSector Assessment Program (FSAP) conducted in 2010. While the WB and IMF teams were able to visit the Philippines in 2019 in person, the 2020 missions...

Since 2003, the Philippines have been striving to implement reforms aimed at improving audit quality. Oversight of the audit profession is a key control over the financial reporting architecture of a country's private sector. A Quality Assurance Review system over audit practitioners is a subset...

For the economy to attain its full potential, the Philippines requires an efficient water transport system. However, this is presently not the case. The domestic shipping industry is characterized by high costs, low quality of service, and a poor safety record. Logistics cost accounts for 24-53...