Try GOLD - Free
Factory activity returns to growth
Manila Bulletin
|January 3, 2026
Philippine manufacturing activity eked out a marginal expansion in December as domestic demand recovered, providing reprieve for the sector battered by a months-long downturn and an escalating corruption probe into infrastructure projects.
The S&P Global manufacturing purchasing managers’ index rose to 50.2 in the final month of last year from 47.4 in November, according to a report released on Friday, January 2.
While the reading sits just above the 50-point threshold that separates growth from contraction, it marks the first improvement in operating conditions since August. The rebound follows November’s reading, which represented the sharpest deterioration in the sector’s health in more than four years.
The recovery was driven primarily by a renewed intake of new work, ending a three-month streak of declining orders.
This story is from the January 3, 2026 edition of Manila Bulletin.
Subscribe to Magzter GOLD to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 10,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
MORE STORIES FROM Manila Bulletin
Manila Bulletin
NCR subway ROW near 100% after 2025 surge
The government is close to completing right-of-way (ROW) acquisitions for the long-delayed Metro Manila Subway Project (MMSP), with just over nine percent of the required properties to be finalized this year.
2 mins
January 10, 2026
Manila Bulletin
Local M&A deals slump 46% in '25
The total value of the country's merger and acquisition (M&A) deals in 2025 fell 46.5 percent, as external and domestic headwinds prompted more selective dealmaking, according to PwC Philippines.
2 mins
January 10, 2026
Manila Bulletin
I am back
And though I have disappeared from this space for quite sometime, nothing feels new to me.
2 mins
January 10, 2026
Manila Bulletin
FAITH AND DEVOTION
How a man lost everything but found peace through Nazareno
4 mins
January 10, 2026
Manila Bulletin
I was sent before him
John the Evangelist notes that aside from John the Baptist and the Pharisees, Jesus and his disciples are also involved in baptizing people.
2 mins
January 10, 2026
Manila Bulletin
Marcos wealth gains bolster state income
Full payment for the sale of a Puerto Galera property and the bid bond for the sale of Tagaytay and Makati Sports Club Share Inc. kept income flowing for the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) as of end-November 2025, contributing to higher year-on-year November privatization revenues, Manila Bulletin has learned.
2 mins
January 10, 2026
Manila Bulletin
Marcos urges Filipinos to opt for honesty, service, and compassion
President Marcos on Friday, Jan. 9, called on Filipinos to carry the values of compassion, service, and solidarity beyond the annual Feast of the Black Nazarene and into everyday life.
2 mins
January 10, 2026
Manila Bulletin
Gearing up for a socio-economic political agenda for 2028
The year opened with the much anticipated signing of the national budget amounting to ₱6.793 trillion, touted as an upgrade from previous spending plans.
3 mins
January 10, 2026
Manila Bulletin
PH to harness AI for nat'l development - Marcos
President Marcos said the Philippines will harness artificial intelligence to accelerate national development as he led the launch of the Department of Education (DepEd)'s Project Accelerating Governance and Adaptive Pedagogy through Artificial Intelligence, or AGAP.AI.
2 mins
January 10, 2026
Manila Bulletin
Sotto says ‘Bato’ not replying to text messages
Senate President Vicente Sotto III on Friday, January 9 disclosed that he has been trying to contact Sen. Ronald \"Bato\" Dela Rosa, but the latter has not been replying to his text messages.
1 mins
January 10, 2026
Listen
Translate
Change font size