2025: A roller-coaster ride for Phl economy

The year at best is a complicated one, the fifth since pandemic and one of guarded optimism and resilience amid mounting fiscal and external pressures.

- By IRIS GONZALES

Maynilad succesfully completed a major IPO in November, raising over P34 billion.

The STAR's Business Section looks back at some of the biggest stories that have made 2025 quite the roller-coaster ride that we've all experienced and continue to experience.

Our newsroom was far from quiet. We found ourselves on the edge of our seats many times throughout the year, shocked at some of the biggest developments of 2025.

There's the changing global tariff landscape, from US to China to Manila and anywhere in between and its the impact on the local economy; the skyrocketing prices, the resilience of big businesses and the unprecedented corruption scandal that continues to hound this nation of 115 million.

As consumers and taxpayers ourselves, we were likewise affected by the impact of all the economic developments but as journalists, we continued to cover the changing tide.

Now, as we approach the end of 2025, we look back at all these developments and look ahead to the new year with hope and optimism.

Below is a compilation of some of the events that helped shape 2025, with invaluable research by our capital markets reporter Richmond Mercurio, and our interns, Heaven Grace Peralta, Kylyn Kyth Cuñado and Maicah Rachel Eugenio, all fourth year students from the Polytechnic University of the Philippines.

Optimism prevailed in the early part of 2025, with the economy growing at 5.6 percent in 2024, faster than the 5.5 percent recorded in 2023 but below the government's 6.5 percent target.

As early as January, the International Monetary Fund had already warned that the Philippines is grappling with critical gaps in its business environment, infrastructure and labor market, which threaten its potential to attract private investment and boost productivity growth.