Anna Mae Yu Lamentillo

The Philippines does not need panic. It needs execution. A recession is not the base case: the IMF still projects Philippine growth at 5.6 percent in 2026. But complacency would be a mistake. Official data show growth slowed to 4.4 percent in 2025 from 5.7 percent in 2024. At the same time, headline inflation jumped to 4.1 percent in March 2026, while unemployment stood at 5.1 percent and underemployment at 11.8 percent in February. That is the real warning sign: not collapse, but a squeeze on

The Philippines cannot talk seriously about becoming an AI player while treating energy as a secondary issue. Artificial intelligence is not powered by slogans, launch events, or policy papers. It is powered by electricity — constant, affordable, and dependable electricity. Without that foundation, every ambitious AI roadmap will remain just that: a roadmap, not a functioning industry.

One of the most important pieces of advice I have ever received did not come wrapped in grand words. It came in the form of a simple question from one of my mentors in the UK: Why can’t you seem to focus on your research?