A PROPOSAL to change economic provisions of the Philippine Constitution to make it more investor-friendly is unnecessary and duplicates recently enacted legislation, according to several senators. The latest Public Service Act, Retail Trade Liberalization Act and Foreign Investments Act are all the country needs to attract foreign investments, Senator Maria Lourdes Nancy S. Binay said […]
Tag: statement
Napocor to cut service to SPUG areas due to high diesel prices
THE National Electrification Administration (NEA) said on Thursday that National Power Corp. (Napocor) will reduce services to areas served by its Small Power Utilities Group (SPUG) due to the high price of diesel fuel. “Starting Feb. 1, Napocor will implement the reduction of electricity service in SPUG areas due to fuel shortages and the delay […]
US warship sails through sensitive Taiwan Strait; China angered
WASHINGTON – A US warship sailed through the sensitive Taiwan Strait on Thursday, part of what the US military calls routine activity but which has riled China. In recent years, US warships, and on occasion those from allied nations such as Britain and Canada, have sailed through the strait, drawing the ire of China, which claims Taiwan against the objections of its democratically elected government. In a statement, the US military said the […]
Air traffic regulator ordered to explain New Year’s glitch
THE GOVERNANCE Commission for Government-Owned or -Controlled Corporations (GCG) on Wednesday ordered the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) to submit a report on the air traffic management glitch that led to thousands of canceled flights on Jan. 1. In a statement, the body that serves as the central advisory, oversight and monitoring body […]
Maharlika still flawed after pensions ruled out as funders
By Beatriz Marie D. Cruz THE proposed Maharlika Wealth Fund (MWF) continues to be saddled with governance “red flags” even after the withdrawal from participation of chef funders the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) and Social Security System (SSS). Filomeno S. Sta. Ana III, co-founder and coordinator of the Action for Economic Reforms think tank, […]
Ports report increased passenger, cargo volumes in third quarter
THE Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) said on Wednesday that passenger and cargo volumes rose sharply in the third quarter as pandemic restrictions were relaxed. The PPA said in a statement that passenger volume for the period rose 233.54% from a year earlier to 15.71 million passengers as mobility improved with the waning of the coronavirus […]
US trains Filipinos on anti-illegal drug strategies
THE UNITED STATES has trained 120 delegates from 19 local governments in developing strategies against illegal drugs in the Philippines, the US Embassy in Manila said in a statement on Wednesday. “Law enforcement alone is not enough,” Interior and Local Government Undersecretary Margarita Gutierrez said in the statement. “We must pursue a holistic approach to […]
Lawmakers back scrapping of mask mandate indoors
CONGRESSMEN on Wednesday backed President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr.’s plan to do away with the mask mandate indoors, saying this would help boost the country’s tourism sector amid a coronavirus pandemic. “The president’s issuance soon of an executive order on the removal of the strict COVID-related requirements on masking and inbound travel would attract more […]
No casualty after Korean Air jet overshoots runway
KOREA AIR on Monday said no one died or got hurt after one of its jets overshot the runaway at the Cebu International Airport on Sunday evening. “We will make all efforts to ensure the situation is resolved as early as possible in cooperation with the Auler Local Aviation Authority and government authorities,” the airline […]
Murder of Metro Manila-based journalist prompts condemnation, calls for swift justice
THE MURDER of a radio journalist on Monday night in Las Piñas, a city in the Philippine capital region Metro Manila, has prompted condemnation from media groups and other sectors, who described the crime as a blow to press freedom. Radio journalist Percival Mabasa, 63, was killed by two assailants at the gate of a […]
Super Typhoon Karding exits PHL, leaving 5 dead
FIVE rescue workers died in Bulacan on Sunday as Super Typhoon Karding, a category 3 typhoon with international name Noru, brought rains and strong winds across Luzon in northern Philippines, local authorities said. Governor Daniel R. Fernando of Bulacan, a coastal province immediately north of the capital region, told DZMM radio station the casualties were […]
NTC orders telcos to deactivate, block links in scam text messages
THE National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) has directed telecommunication companies to block or deactivate domains and uniform resource locators (URLs) contained in scam text messages. In a letter to Smart Communications, Inc., Globe Telecom, Inc., and DITO Telecommunity Corp. dated Sept. 12, NTC Commissioner Gamaliel A. Cordoba said that URLs, TinyURLS, SmartLinks and QR codes from […]
Traffic woes, overcrowding mar first school day
By Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza, Reporter THE GOVERNMENT on Monday said the coronavirus pandemic would no longer be an excuse to suspend face-to-face classes, as Filipino students endured heavy traffic on their way to cramped classrooms on the first day of school. “We can no longer keep COVID-19 as an excuse to keep our children […]
Fiscal junks perjury charge vs. Ahong, city execs
THE Lapu-Lapu City Prosecutor’s Office has dismissed the perjury case filed by seven village chiefs against Mayor Junard “Ahong” Chan and five city officials.The seven barangay chiefs led by Association of Barangay Councils president and Bankal village chief Eduardo Cuizon sued Chan for perjury in retaliation against the mayor, who had also sued them for […]
Singapore convicts two linked to $6B penny-stock crash
SINGAPORE — Singapore’s high court has convicted two people over what authorities consider to be the largest market manipulation case in the city-state, a joint statement by the Singapore police and Monetary Authority of Singapore said on Thursday. For almost a decade, Singapore authorities have been investigating suspected trading irregularities tied to a so-called penny-stock […]
Be ready to lose all your money in crypto, EU regulators warn
LONDON — Consumers risk losing all their money invested in cryptoassets and could fall prey to scams, the European Union’s securities, banking and insurance watchdogs said in a joint statement on Thursday. “Consumers face the very real possibility of losing all their invested money if they buy these assets,” the three EU authorities said in […]
Damage reaches P3.56B; over 550,000 displaced
PHILIPPINE COAST GUARD OVERALL DAMAGE to infrastructure and the agricultural sector has reached more than P3.56 billion while 554,316 people have been displaced by typhoon Rai, locally named Odette, based on the government’s running assessment of the trail of destruction left the by strongest storm to hit the country this year. The number of deaths […]
Remaining payments to small farmers affected by ASF estimated at P461M
INDEMNIFICATION still owed to small farmers who had their hogs culled as a precaution against African Swine Fever (ASF) amount to P461 million, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said. Since the ASF outbreak in 2019, the DA said in a statement Saturday that outstanding requests for indemnification have amounted to P2.158 billion. “In all, the […]
On the heels of last week’s sea incident: Duterte to join ASEAN-China relations summit
By Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza, Reporter and Alyssa Nicole O. Tan PHILIPPINE President Rodrigo R. Duterte will join a Nov. 22 meeting between southeast Asian nations and China to discuss the future of the region’s relations with Beijing, his office said at the weekend. The scheduled summit comes less than a week after Chinese Coast […]
PSALM awards Isla de Provisor site in Paco, Manila to Meralco
THE POWER Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp. (PSALM) has concluded a negotiated sale with Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) for the Isla de Provisor site along the Pasig River in Paco, Manila for P632.16 million. In a statement issued last week, PSALM said the Meralco offer was accepted after it exceeded the minimum bid price […]