MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines may not achieve full electrification until 2033, five years later than the government’s target, Camarines Sur Rep. Arnie Fuentebella said Wednesday. Fuentebella said connecting remote rural areas to the electric grid could cost as much as P67 billion, with funding shortfalls potentially delaying the National Electrification Administration’s (NEA) rollout. He

MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang on Wednesday said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is inclined to support a proposal to suspend real property tax hikes amid private-sector concerns that higher valuations could increase property owners’ financial burden. Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said the Department of Finance (DOF) had already begun taking action on the issue following

MANILA, Philippines — The Quezon City police have recovered a Mitsubishi Montero during a follow-up operation in Mandaluyong City, they said on Wednesday.  In a report, the Quezon City Police District (QCPD) said its operatives seized the 2024 Mitsubishi Montero in response to a victim’s complaint filed at the District Anti-Carnapping Unit on Sept. 17.

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY — A cascading “collapse” of family guidance, school security, and government regulation is turning Philippine classrooms into killing fields, a criminology expert said on Wednesday. Dr. Gerry Caño, president of the Asian Criminology Society and Professional Criminology Associations in the Philippines, criticized the Philippine National Police (PNP) and state agencies for

MANILA, Philippines — Senate finance panel vice chair Sen. Pia Cayetano confirmed with the National Privacy Commission (NPC) on Wednesday whether it could investigate the publishing of her flight details. She inquired about the matter after her flight details were made public when she and her brother, Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano, took a trip to

MANILA, Philippines — Kamanggagawa Party-list Rep. Elijah San Fernando criticized the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) for its proposed funding for the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) for 2027. The lawmaker on Wednesday emphasized that the proposal is not even enough to sustain the university’s operations next year.  During the House sponsorship and

MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang on Wednesday dismissed Caloocan City Rep. Edgar Erice’s description of the almost P60-billion Local Government Support Fund (LGSF) as a “presidential pork barrel,” calling it an attempt to stir controversy. Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said Erice was free to challenge the legality of the LGSF before the Supreme Court but

MANILA, Philippines — Even if the Senate Impeachment Court has ruled to allow a lower number of votes to convict Vice President Sara Duterte, the job of the prosecution panel would not be easier as there are no changes to its role of presenting evidence, Akbayan party-list Rep. Chel Diokno said. Diokno, a member of the House

CALASIAO, Pangasinan — The police in the Ilocos region confiscated a total of 41.82 grams of suspected shabu worth an estimated P297,976 in a series of anti-illegal drugs operations in four provinces on last Tuesday, Sept. 22 The operations were conducted in Pangasinan, La Union, Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur, with Pangasinan accounting for the

MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte’s defense team on Wednesday said raising the recent ruling modifying the two-thirds conviction threshold before the Supreme Court (SC) is a “real possibility.” However, Defense spokesperson Atty. Michael Poa said this would still depend on their discussions with Duterte. READ: Senate impeach court reduces conviction threshold “‘Yung pag-akyat

MANILA, Philippines — The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has opened a new clearance center in Kabankalan, Negros Occidental. In a press release on Wednesday, the bureau said the facility aims to enhance additional accessibility to its services. Inaugurated on Sept. 8, the new outlet is located at the Old Public Market in Barangay 4.

MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is open to amendments to the anti-espionage law, which seeks to expand the scope of the existing law, Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said. The House approved on third and final reading House Bill  9642, or the proposed “New Espionage Act,” after gaining 247 affirmative votes, 10 negative votes, and no abstentions.  The

MANILA, Philippines — Many erring personnel of the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR)  have been investigated and charged in connection with alleged abuses linked to the issuance of letters of authority (LOAs),  according to BIR Commissioner Charlito Martin Mendoza. Mendoza mentioned this in response to Sen. JV Ejercito’s query at a budget hearing in the Senate on

IRIGA CITY, CAMARINES SUR — Former Iriga City Mayor Madelaine Arlene Yorobe Alfelor has been detained while a second former city official was arrested on Tuesday (September 22). These action happened on the strength of an arrest warrant issued by the Fourth Division of the Sandiganbayan over the alleged 2022 malversation of P31 million in

MANILA, Philippines — A very strong El Niño is likely to emerge between September and December 2026 and may continue until the first half of 2027, the state weather bureau said on Wednesday. Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) Climate Monitoring and Prediction Section chief Ana Liza Solis said that based on climate

MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang on Wednesday said Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla may be called out over his incorrect pronouncement about former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque’s asylum bid. On Tuesday evening, Remulla admitted that he was wrong when he earlier announced that Roque’s asylum bid had been rejected, saying the correct status was that the application remained

BAGUIO CITY — For 15 farmers and fisherfolk in Luna, Apayao, a 400-square-meter fishpond is becoming more than a source of tilapia. It is a step toward building a livelihood they can sustain on their own. The ST Tilapia Productions Association harvested its first batch of fish Sept. 3, yielding 57.8 kilograms and P9,826 in gross

MANILA, Philippines — The Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) on Wednesday allowed online platform Reddit to establish a presence in the country beyond the initial 24-hour deadline in a bid to strengthen cooperation. The move follows the CICC’s earlier directive to Reddit and Discord to set up offices in the country as part of

MABALACAT CITY — Policemen arrested a patrolman for firing his service firearm into the air during an argument with his father before midnight on Tuesday in Victoria, Tarlac.  The incident took place at 11:50 p.m. in Rigor Compound, Barangay San Nicolas, the Central Luzon police said in a report on Wednesday. “Initial investigation showed that

CALAPAN CITY, Oriental Mindoro — Two women were arrested, and around 112 grams of suspected shabu worth an estimated P761,600 were seized in a drug bust operation in Naujan town on Tuesday, authorities said. A 33-year-old assistant cook from Barangay Sto. Niño, Calapan City, and a 36-year-old unemployed woman from Barangay Mahabang Parang in Naujan

CALAPAN CITY — Police arrested a 25-year-old man and seized an estimated ₱560,000 worth of what they suspect to be smuggled cigarettes in a buy-bust operation in Puerto Princesa City on Tuesday.  The suspect was arrested after allegedly selling one box containing 50 reams of New Berlin cigarettes to an undercover police officer for P20,000.

COTABATO CITY  – The Police Regional Office – Region 12 (PRO-12) created a Special Investigation Task Group (SITG) to fast-track the investigation into the deadly shooting at Banga National High School (BNHS) in South Cotabato, a police official said Wednesday. Brig. Gen. Alan Manibog, PRO-12 regional director, said the SITG-Banga was formed not only to speed

MANILA, Philippines — A budget of P500 million is still needed to complete the construction of the stalled nine-story academic building in the main campus of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP), Pinoy Workers party-list Rep,. Karl Josef Legazpi on Wednesday.  PUP earlier said the building would be executed in three phases and expected to

MANILA, Philippines — Senate Impeachment Court Presiding Officer Francis Escudero said Wednesday that while he opposes lowering the number of votes needed to convict Vice President Sara Duterte, the other senator-judges can overturn his decision. The court had decided to restrict some of its members from voting on Duterte’s fate, effectively lowering the threshold for

LUCENA CITY — The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in the Calabarzon region is evaluating more than 79,000 families in Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, and Quezon provinces as potential beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps). These families were identified as poor based on the 2024 Community-Based Monitoring System (CBMS) of the

MANILA, Philippines – Defense counsel Sheila Sison said Vice President Sara Duterte does not fear accountability or the outcome of her impeachment trial, but will participate in the proceedings with extreme caution and with all her rights reserved following the Senate impeachment court’s decision to lower the conviction threshold. Sison said Duterte intends to exhaust

DAVAO CITY — The Department of Agriculture in the Davao Region (DA-11) reported on Wednesday about the first export shipment of Frozen Whole Steamed Saba (Cardava banana) to Australia on Sept. 22. The exportation was facilitated through the DA-11’s Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Division (AMAD). In a statement, DA-11 regional technical director for operations Marie Ann

LUCENA CITY — Three armed men, who were drinking and allegedly causing trouble, shot at responding policemen before surrendering in Rosario town, Batangas, on Tuesday night.  In a report Wednesday, the Police Regional Office 4A said four police officers had proceeded to Barangay Natu at around 8 p.m. after receiving a complaint regarding gunfire from

MANILA, Philippines — Former Vice President and incumbent Naga City Mayor Maria Leonor “Leni” Robredo has nominated and endorsed Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Marvic M.V.F. Leonen as the next chief justice. Robredo’s nomination and endorsement are contained in a letter dated Sept. 11, 2026, addressed to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., with a copy furnished to

The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) has proposed adjustments to the planning of several facilities at Phu Quoc International Airport in the Mekong Delta province of An Giang to serve the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting 2027 (APEC 2027).