Category: Hot News

GLOBE TELECOM, Inc. on Wednesday said it had blacklisted and deactivated 58,234 subscriber identity modules (SIM) in the first half to counter fraud and malicious texts. This was more than three times higher than the 17,851 SIMs it deactivated a year earlier, the company said in a statement. It added that 53,533 SIMs were blacklisted, […]

THE DEPARTMENT of Transportation (DoTr) is looking at implementing the first phase of the Laguindingan International Airport public-private partnership (PPP) project starting next year until 2026.  “We are hoping that we should be able to implement the first phase of this project starting 2024 to 2026, and the second phase will be from 2026 and […]

THE SUPREME COURT (SC) has annulled Zamboanga del Norte Rep. Romeo M. Jalosjos, Jr.’s election last year, as it ordered the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to proclaim Robert T. Uy instead.  In a statement on Wednesday, the tribunal said Comelec had abused his discretion after it suspended Mr. Uy’s confirmation as congressman due to an […]

TUBIG PILIPINAS Group, Inc., a unit of Pure Energy Holdings Corp., is set to develop a P2-billion bulk water supply project in Cebu after signing a 25-year contract with the Metro Cebu Water District (MCWD), the company said on Wednesday.   Tubig Pilipinas would expand the group’s reach in Cebu for underserved communities in the area, […]

LOCAL EQUITIES declined on Tuesday due to profit taking and as sentiment was affected by weak China trade data, with investors also awaiting the release of US consumer inflation and Philippine gross domestic product (GDP) reports. The Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) fell by 34.81 points or 0.53% to close at 6,472.97 on Tuesday, while […]

THE PESO weakened to a two-month low against the dollar on Tuesday due to hawkish remarks from a US Federal Reserve official. The local currency closed at P56.24 versus the dollar on Tuesday, weakening by 22 centavos from Monday’s P56.02 finish, data from the Bankers Association of the Philippines’ website showed. This was the peso’s […]

THE Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) said on Tuesday that the demand for labor to be generated by the government’s major infrastructure projects will exceed 3 million workers. “I think the requirement and the threshold for our infrastructure programs is more than three million workers, skilled and unskilled,” Public Works Secretary Manuel M. Bonoan said […]

THE Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said it is reviewing applications to raise the suggested retail prices (SRPs) of basic necessities and prime commodities (BNPCs). “The price increases that the manufacturers are asking are ranging from 10 centavos to P7 for food products (1% to 5% increase) and P1.50 to P9.75 for non-food products […]

THE Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises (CREATE) law’s incentive-rationalization component harmed exporter competitiveness and warrants a review, the electronics industry association said. “While CREATE’s reduction of corporate income tax of local companies is good, the incentives rationalization was ill-advised. With the high cost of operations (power, logistics, labor, cooling water, etc.), exporters have […]

THE Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) said it is investigating the water service interruptions affecting some customers of Maynilad Water Services, Inc. in the South area due to maintenance at its Putatan treatment plant, which draws water from Laguna de Bay. “It’s currently being investigated. We have already asked Maynilad to submit their explanation […]

THE decline in interest payments could lead to more funding for other government programs, the Department of Finance (DoF) said. “Interest payments have been declining, freeing up fiscal resources which can be reallocated to support the government’s priority programs,” the DoF said in a statement on Tuesday. The DoF estimates that interest payments accounted for […]

THE Japanese Embassy in Manila has signed two official development assistance (ODA) agreements with the Philippines worth a total of ¥31.1 billion, or around P12 billion. “The government and people of Japan hope these ODA will expedite the enhancement of the Philippines’ stability and security,” Japanese Ambassador to the Philippines Koshikawa Kazuhiko said in a […]

THE Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) said it is consulting business groups to gain insights on how to streamline tax administration. “We have signed a memorandum of understanding… We seek to get these organizations’ comments, suggestions, whatever they can contribute, so we can improve our services. One of the things we want to achieve is […]

AT LEAST 5,000 fisherfolk are expected to be displaced if commercial fishing operations are allowed in municipal waters adjoining the Visayan Sea, a fisheries professor said. Citing the results of a simulation, Wilfredo L. Campos, a professor at the University of the Philippines-Visayas College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, said: “Let us assume there would […]

CHINA’S coast guard on Tuesday released a video of its ship spraying a water cannon at a smaller Philippine boat, saying it had handled the incident according to law. The Aug. 5 video showed the water barely hitting the makeshift Philippine boat that was trying to deliver food and other supplies to Filipino troops stationed […]

By Beatriz Marie D. Cruz, Reporter PHILIPPINE congressmen on Tuesday sought a higher defense budget for 2024 amid rising tensions with China in the South China Sea. “We must take proactive measures to enhance our defense capabilities and ensure that we have the necessary resources,” Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez said in a statement. Next […]

THE SENATE on Monday approved on third and final reading a priority bill that seeks to institutionalize the automatic income classification of local government units. “This will improve local government units’ (LGUs) fiscal performance and allow our frontline government units to recruit skilled professionals for quality public service delivery,” Finance Secretary Benjamin E. Diokno said […]

UNITED STATES Senator Ladda Tammy Duckworth on Wednesday floated the idea to Philippine President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. of sending American students to nursing schools in the Philippines to address a shortage of nursing programs in the US. During a courtesy call on Mr. Marcos Jr., the US senator also discussed the efforts of the […]

THE COURT of Tax Appeals (CTA) has stood by its decision to set aside Misamis Oriental II Rural Electric Service Cooperative, Inc.’s deficiency tax liabilities worth P24.7 million and penalties worth P87,000 for 2013.   In a 16-page decision dated Aug. 2, the CTA full court said revenue officers who audited the cooperative had not been […]

THE SUPREME COURT has upheld a Commission on Audit (CoA) ruling that disallowed additional incentives to workers of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) worth P12.28 million in 2011.   In a resolution dated Feb. 7 and made public on Aug. 3, the tribunal said the allowances violated a Budget department circular that barred […]