Category: Hot News

AN ALLIANCE of major labor groups in the Philippines called on government to work with representatives in their sector on upholding the right to organize, noting that a recently approved government task force lacked participation from workers. “Nothing about us, without us,” the All Philippine Trade Unions (APTU) said in a statement on Wednesday. “Workers […]

THE CIVIL Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) is taking precautionary measures in airports under its management as typhoon Mawar nears the Philippine area.   “Airports located within the possible path of Mawar, such as Ilocos region and Cagayan Valley airports, have already conducted pre-typhoon coordination meetings and assessments to gear up for possible weather disturbance,” […]

A TOTAL of 5,982 inmates have been freed under the administration of President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr., the country’s Justice secretary told the United Nations (UN) on Monday.   “The principal guiding principle in our prison reform program is to consider PDLs (persons deprived of liberty) not as numbers but as human beings with dignity and […]

A SENATOR has filed a bill that would require law enforcement agencies to use body-worn cameras for special police operations.  “The use of body-worn cameras can speed up the resolution of crimes in the country by providing evidence of the circumstances surrounding the operation conducted,” Senator Rafael T. Tulfo said in Senate Bill No. 2199.   […]

SHARES dropped further on Tuesday as sentiment turned cautious amid extended discussions on the US debt ceiling. The benchmark Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) fell by 17.27 points or 0.26% to close at 6,603.56 on Tuesday, while the broader all shares index went down by 6.61 points or 0.18% to end at 3,527.42. Stocks inched […]

THE PESO strengthened against the dollar on Tuesday after Fitch Ratings affirmed its “BBB” rating for the Philippines and revised its outlook to stable from negative. The local currency closed at P55.725 versus the dollar on Tuesday, appreciating by 9.5 centavos from Monday’s P55.82 finish, data from the Bankers Association of the Philippines’ website showed. […]

THE Department of Energy (DoE) said the Philippine Energy Plan due out in September will include the expected share of nuclear power in the energy mix. “The nuclear studies will be in the Philippine Energy Plan which is scheduled to be completed by September. By law we have to submit it to Congress every September. […]

THE Department of Energy (DoE) wants more supervisory and oversight authority for it and the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) in amendments it is proposing for the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA). Energy Undersecretary Sharon S. Garin made the remarks at a House energy committee hearing on Tuesday, drawing support from legislators. “I believe it […]

THE Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) said on Tuesday that the volume of sugar to be imported will be determined later in the month following a survey of domestic mill output. “We would like to assure our sugar stakeholders that we will carefully study supply conditions before we peg the final figure,” said SRA Acting Administrator […]

By John Victor D. Ordoñez, Reporter A SUPREME COURT (SC) ruling prohibiting water concession holders from recovering their corporate income tax by passing on the cost to customers closes the door on practices introduced in the early days of public-private partnerships (PPPs), analysts said. “The Supreme Court was correct to reverse one of the most […]

JAPANESE investors are counting on the government to proclaim more economic zones, according to the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA). PEZA said the pace of proclamations was an issue brought up by the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Philippines, Inc. (JCCIPI) during the group’s annual general meeting on May 17. The chamber […]

THE Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) warned that using more than one Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) is a “serious” violation of tax law. “The acquisition of multiple TINs by a taxpayer is a serious offense that can lead to legal repercussions and significant revenue losses for the government,” the BIR said. “Any individual who secures […]

GOAT MEAT production in the first three months dropped 3.6% from a year earlier, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said, while animal numbers during the period rose. In its situation report, the PSA said volume in the three months to March was 14.94 thousand metric tons (MT) on a liveweight basis. Western Visayas was the […]

THE Bureau of Customs (BoC) said it and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) have entered into a partnership to study electronic data exchange in trade transactions. “The collaboration falls under the Framework Agreement on Facilitation of Cross-border Paperless Trade in Asia and the Pacific (CPTA), a UN […]

By Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza, Reporter MORE fault lines could emerge within the ruling coalition as President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. tweaks the Philippines’ foreign policy amid the US-China rivalry, according to political analysts.  “As the Philippines tilts increasingly toward the US, the influence of leaders and advisers who wanted to promote robust ties with […]

THE PHILIPPINES will pilot test a digital food stamp program in July that will benefit as many as a million families under the lowest income bracket, the Social Welfare department said on Tuesday. The program, which will initially cover 3,000 families, is now in the design stage, Social Welfare Secretary Rexlon T. Gatchalian told a […]

THE IMPORTATION of sugar does not need a sugar order, Executive Secretary Lucas P. Bersamin told the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee on Tuesday.  Speaking at a probe on the allegedly illegal importation of sugar ahead of Sugar Order (SO) No. 6, Mr. Bersamin said, “We were aware that the sugar order was not absolutely necessary… […]

THE ARRIVAL of the Philippines’ first batch of COVID-19 bivalent vaccines, which have been donated by a still undisclosed country, will once again face a delay, according to the Department of Health (DoH), citing permit issues.  “As per the DoH — Bureau of International Health Cooperation, there shall be a slight delay in the arrival […]

THE HOUSE of Representatives on Tuesday approved on third and final reading a bill strengthening the Authority of the Freeport Area of Bataan (AFAB), giving it sole and exclusive management and operation of what has been designated as an economic zone specializing in space technology locators.   During the plenary, 289 lawmakers voted in favor of […]