High living costs and delayed public works drag growth projections down far behind regional front runners
4-MIN READ4-MIN ListenSam BeltranPublished: 8:00am, 21 Sep 2026Updated: 8:09am, 21 Sep 2026The Philippines’ rise to upper-middle-income status was supposed to mark a new phase for one of Southeast Asia’s most closely watched emerging economies.Instead, analysts say the milestone has done little to shield the country from short-term pressures weighing on growth: sluggish public spending, delayed infrastructure, high living costs and the fallout from investigations into alleged irregularities in flood control projects.
