WITHIN-TARGET economic growth remains achievable amid heightened global uncertainties, a Cabinet official said on Monday, but hitting the upper end of this year's 6.0- to 8.0-percent goal might be out of reach. Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan told reporters that the government was keeping the target unchanged for now even as it remained watchful to ensure a quick response to significant developments. "It's still too early to do any revisions at this point," he said, but with uncertainties unlikely to "disappear soon ... the 8.0-percent [target] may not be a realistic assumption." Economic managers revised the 2025 growth goal last December from 6.5-7.5 percent amid worries over the pace of monetary policy easing and protectionist policies promised by US President-elect Donald Trump. Those concerns have continued to mount as Trump has launched trade wars against the US' biggest trading partners and also levied "reciprocal" tariffs against other countries including the Philippines, which was slapped a 17-percent duty.   https://www.manilatimes.net/2025/04/15/business/top-business/80-growth-goal-likely-not-realistic/2092115    (ICE SINGAPORE)

Fonte notizia: The Manila Times, 15 April 2025