Pasig City posted the fastest economic growth in Metro Manila in 2025, with Mayor Vico Sotto pointing to the result as another sign that the city is expanding while keeping unemployment lower than the rest of the capital region.
Philippine Statistics Authority data showed Pasig’s gross domestic product grew by 5.8% in 2025, the highest among the 16 highly urbanized cities and one municipality in the National Capital Region. Pasay followed at 5.5%, while NCR as a whole expanded by 4.35%.
Sotto said the stronger economy should translate into more opportunities for residents. “Kapag lumalago ang ekonomiya, mas lumalaki rin ang oportunidad para guminghawa ang buhay ng bawat pamilya,” he said.
The mayor also pointed to employment figures as another sign of improvement. Pasig posted the lowest unemployment rate among Metro Manila’s highly urbanized cities in 2025 at 2.4%, down from 3.2% in 2024.
Pasig also scored an international win after being named one of 24 winners of the Bloomberg Philanthropies 2025–2026 Mayors Challenge for its floating parks proposal. The city was selected from more than 630 applications worldwide and received a $1 million grant plus technical support to help implement the project.
Sotto said the city still expects further gains, especially in making it easier for businesses to operate and renew permits.
“The exciting part? We are still expecting big improvements soon,” he said.
“For example, with regard to Ease Of Doing Business, we expect substantial improvements for this permit renewal season (January 2027), but we project the biggest changes to be felt within the next 12 months,” Sotto added.
The mayor cautioned that economic figures remain snapshots of a particular period and should still be read with context. But with Pasig leading Metro Manila in GDP growth and posting the region’s lowest unemployment rate, Sotto said the numbers remain encouraging.
