28/08/2026
💔 HISTORIC LOW — Peso at ₱62.05 per US Dollar
- Dr. Tony Leachon
On Friday, August 28, 2026, the peso opened at ₱62.05 per US dollar, after closing at ₱61.888 the day before — the lowest in Philippine history.
This is not just a statistic. It is a mirror of our nation’s fragility.
📉 Causes
• Escalating import burdens as oil and food prices surge globally
• Strong US dollar drawing capital away from emerging markets
• Weak domestic fundamentals: high inflation, ballooning debt, policy inertia
• Political instability eroding investor confidence
🧑🤝🧑 Impact on Filipinos
• Higher fuel, food, and medicine prices
• Shrinking purchasing power for families already struggling
• Overseas Filipino workers’ remittances worth more in pesos, but offset by rising costs at home
• Middle class squeezed, poor pushed deeper into hardship
💼 Economy
• Investor confidence shaken, capital flight worsens
• Businesses face higher import costs, reducing competitiveness
• Government debt servicing more expensive in dollar terms
• Fragile growth prospects ahead of SONA, exposing leadership gaps
🔥 Inflation
• Already elevated, now worsened by weak currency
• Imported goods — rice, fuel, medicines — become more costly
• Inflationary spiral threatens stability of households and industries
✍️ Reflection
Each dip in the peso is a blow to the dignity of ordinary Filipinos. It is a call for credible leadership, sound economic management, and moral courage.
The peso’s collapse is not just about numbers. It is about lives, families, and futures.
Tony Leachon