Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas said it will weigh the slowdown in economic growth against high inflation when it next decides on interest rates. The statement came late on 11 November 2026. Inflation in the Philippines stood at 7.8 percent in October 2026, far above the 2 to 4 percent target band set for the central bank. The Monetary Board, which takes the rate decisions, had raised its policy rate by 50 basis points the previous month. Economic growth meanwhile slowed to 2.1 percent in the third quarter of 2026. The bank therefore faces the classic central-bank problem of cooling prices without choking output.
October inflation:7.8 percentInflation target band:2 to 4 percentLast rate action:raised by 50 basis pointsQ3 2026 growth:2.1 percent
Why it matters for exams: Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas is the central bank of the Philippines, its rate-setting body is the Monetary Board and its inflation target band is 2 to 4 percent.
Rodil Zalameda is the new Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines, the 28th person to hold that office. President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. administered his ceremonial oath at Malacanan Palace on 9 November 2026. He had already taken his first oath on 6 November 2026 at the Supreme Court in Manila before Senior Associate Justice Marvic Leonen. He succeeds Alexander Gesmundo, who retired on 6 November 2026 on reaching the mandatory retirement age of 70. Zalameda joined the Supreme Court as an associate justice in August 2019 after eleven years at the Court of Appeals. Earlier he worked as a public prosecutor and as city prosecutor of Mandaluyong.
Office:28th Chief Justice of the PhilippinesCeremonial oath:9 November 2026, Malacanan PalacePredecessor:Alexander GesmundoMandatory retirement age:70
Why it matters for exams: The office of Chief Justice of the Philippines, its 28th holder Rodil Zalameda, and the judges' mandatory retirement age of 70 are durable Polity facts.
Supreme Court of the PhilippinesHighest court of the Republic of the Philippines — It sits in Manila and is headed by a Chief Justice, with associate justices retiring at 70.
The Philippine Statistics Authority put the country's gross domestic product growth at 2.1 percent for the third quarter of 2026. That is slower than the 2.4 percent of the second quarter and well below the 4 percent of the same quarter a year earlier. Arsenio Balisacan, Secretary of the Department of Economy, Planning and Development, briefed reporters on the numbers on 9 November 2026. Household final consumption rose 2.4 percent, investment fell 0.2 percent and agriculture shrank 4.8 percent. Exports were the bright spot, rising 8.6 percent, with electronic exports up 19.4 percent. The government said it would push reforms to lift growth towards the 5 to 6 percent target set for the coming year.
Why it matters for exams: The Philippine Statistics Authority is the country's official statistics agency, and the Department of Economy, Planning and Development headed by Arsenio Balisacan is its planning body.
The Philippine weather agency PAGASA announced on 4 November 2026 that a very strong El Nino is present in the tropical Pacific. It said the event may peak by the end of 2026 and last into the first half of 2027. El Nino raises the chance of rainfall shortfalls, dry spells and drought over parts of the Philippines, though heavy rain from tropical cyclones can still occur. In October 2026, five provinces were in meteorological drought, eleven had dry spells and ten had dry conditions. For November 2026 the agency expected below normal to much below normal rainfall over most of the country, with mean air temperatures above average. Administrator Nathaniel T. Servando urged agencies and the public to conserve water and manage it efficiently.
Status:Very strong El Nino presentExpected peak:by the end of 2026Provinces in meteorological drought:5 in October 2026Issued by:PAGASA Administrator Nathaniel T. Servando
Why it matters for exams: PAGASA is the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration under the Department of Science and Technology, and El Nino is the warm phase of the El Nino Southern Oscillation in the tropical Pacific.
PAGASAPhilippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration — The national weather, flood and astronomy agency of the Philippines, under its science department.
El NinoWarm phase of the El Nino Southern Oscillation — An unusual warming of the tropical Pacific that shifts rainfall patterns worldwide.
DOST-PAGASA put the Apayao-Abulug River Basin Flood Forecasting and Warning System into operation on 4 November 2026. The Apayao-Abulug is the ninth largest river basin in the Philippines and covers about 3,776 square kilometres. The river rises in the Apayao highlands of the Cordillera Administrative Region, crosses into Cagayan and empties into the Babuyan Channel at Abulug. The system runs on 13 automatic rainfall and water level gauging stations feeding an integrated monitoring facility. A new river centre studies the data and issues flood advisories for Apayao and Cagayan. DOST Secretary Renato U. Solidum Jr. said the launch supports the Early Warnings for All initiative of the United Nations and the World Meteorological Organization.
Basin area:about 3,776 square kilometersRank among Philippine river basins:ninth largestGauging stations:13Provinces served:Apayao and Cagayan
Why it matters for exams: The Apayao-Abulug is the ninth largest river basin in the Philippines, draining into the Babuyan Channel, and the Early Warnings for All initiative is run by the United Nations with the World Meteorological Organization.
PAGASA announced the start of the Northeast Monsoon season in the Philippines on 27 October 2026. The local name for this wind system is the Amihan. The agency based the call on a strengthening high pressure area over East Asia, which pushed stronger northeasterly winds and lower air temperatures over Extreme Northern Luzon. The Amihan is expected to become dominant over most of the country in the following months. It brings cooler weather, spells of cold surges and rough seas. The shear line, tropical cyclones and the Intertropical Convergence Zone can also shape the weather during this season. Administrator Nathaniel T. Servando asked the public and government agencies to follow PAGASA updates regularly.
Season declared:Northeast Monsoon (Amihan)First felt over:Extreme Northern LuzonTrigger:strengthening high pressure area over East AsiaAnnounced by:PAGASA Administrator Nathaniel T. Servando
Why it matters for exams: Amihan is the Philippine name for the Northeast Monsoon, declared by PAGASA, and the Intertropical Convergence Zone is a standard geography term that shapes Philippine weather.
AmihanPhilippine name for the Northeast Monsoon — The cool, dry northeasterly wind season of the Philippines, usually from late in the year to early summer.
ITCZIntertropical Convergence Zone — The belt near the equator where the trade winds meet and bring heavy rain.
As ASEAN chair the Philippines set out what it wants the Manila summit series to deliver. Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Leo Herrera-Lim said at a forum at the UP Asian Center that the country will press the proposed ASEAN Power Grid, which would let member states draw electricity from beyond their own borders. The other expected deliverable is the ASEAN Digital Economy Framework Agreement, put forward as the first binding region-wide digital economy pact anywhere. Ma. Hellen De La Vega, Director-General for Operations of the ASEAN 2026 National Organizing Council, said Manila wants to show it is ready for business, investment and partnership. The leaders will take up farming, welfare, growth that reaches everyone, secure food and power supplies, the shift to digital tools and rules for artificial intelligence. Leaders of every member state except Myanmar were confirmed, and Myanmar is represented by a career diplomat.
Key deliverable:ASEAN Digital Economy Framework AgreementEnergy project pushed:ASEAN Power GridOrganising body:ASEAN 2026 National Organizing Council
Why it matters for exams: The ASEAN Digital Economy Framework Agreement is called the world's first binding region wide digital economy deal, and the ASEAN Power Grid is the bloc's plan for cross border electricity trade.
DOST-PAGASA broke ground for the Bataan Abucay Doppler Weather Radar Station at Abucay in Bataan. The radar will be an S band magnetron type dual polarization Doppler weather radar. It is meant to close gaps in local monitoring, especially in tracking convective storms and small rainbands. Once working it will give real time readings of rainfall volume, wind speed and storm tracks for Bataan and Western Luzon. Bataan Peninsula State University is the partner, and the station will also serve as a research facility for its engineering and environmental science students. DOST Secretary Renato U Solidum Jr spoke about impact based forecasting at the ceremony, and PAGASA Administrator Nathaniel T Servando said the station should sharpen forecasts and warnings.
Station:Bataan Abucay Doppler Weather Radar StationRadar type:S band magnetron type dual polarization DopplerCoverage:Bataan and Western LuzonPartner university:Bataan Peninsula State University
Why it matters for exams: The Bataan Abucay station is an S band dual polarization Doppler weather radar of PAGASA, built with Bataan Peninsula State University, and Doppler radar is the standard tool for measuring rainfall and wind in storms.
Doppler weather radarRadar that uses the Doppler effect to measure motion — It reads how rain drops move, so it can give wind speed and storm direction, not just rainfall.
PAGASA and the Korea International Cooperation Agency are building a Project for the Development of Flood Forecasting and Early Warning System for Greater Metro Manila and the Laguna Lake area. The project runs for five years and is worth about USD 12.7 million. It will set up rainfall and water level monitoring equipment, an X band radar and flood warning posts that alert local government units and communities. The partners held an initial system demonstration and a progress presentation in what is called the pre demonstration phase. Jung Youngsun, KOICA's country director, took part for the Korean side together with Oh Jae Wha, its assistant country director, and Song Hyuntae, a first secretary. The Department of Science and Technology heads the prevention and mitigation pillar of Philippine disaster risk reduction, and PAGASA Administrator Nathaniel T Servando signed the announcement.
Project value:about USD 12.7 millionDuration:five yearsArea covered:Greater Metro Manila and the Laguna Lake areaRadar:X band radar
Why it matters for exams: KOICA is the Korea International Cooperation Agency, South Korea's development aid body, and this USD 12.7 million flood forecasting project with PAGASA covers Greater Metro Manila and the Laguna Lake area.
The United Nations list of member states records the Philippines with the entry Date of Admission: 24-10-1945. That date is the day the Charter of the United Nations entered into force, which the organisation marks every year as United Nations Day. The Philippines is therefore among the founding members of the organisation rather than a later entrant. Its standing in the UN system matters for Philippine diplomacy, including its appeals to international law in the maritime dispute with China. Philippine envoys also invoke the principles of the United Nations Charter when presenting credentials in Manila.
Date of admission:24-10-1945
Why it matters for exams: Dates of admission to the United Nations are a recurring one-mark question, and the Philippines shares the Charter's entry-into-force date.
UNESCO lists six World Heritage properties for the Philippines. Three are cultural: the Baroque Churches of the Philippines, inscribed in 1993, the Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras, inscribed in 1995, and the Historic City of Vigan, inscribed in 1999. Three are natural: Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park, first inscribed in 1993 and extended in 2009, Puerto-Princesa Subterranean River National Park, inscribed in 1999, and Mount Hamiguitan Range Wildlife Sanctuary, inscribed in 2014. The Philippines ratified the World Heritage Convention on 19 September 1985. The spread across Luzon, Palawan and Mindanao reflects the archipelago's cultural and ecological range.
Total World Heritage properties:6Cultural and natural split:3 cultural and 3 naturalConvention ratified:19 September 1985
Why it matters for exams: World Heritage lists by country are asked directly, and the Philippine properties split evenly between cultural and natural categories.