MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Finance (DOF) has signed the $1.5-billion financing extended by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to help fund the government’s measures to cushion the impact of the Middle East crisis. The parties signed the agreement, named the Assistance for Greater Resilience and Alleviation of Poverty (Agapay), on Oct. 6. READ: DOF

SAN ILDEFONSO, Ilocos Sur — The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in the Ilocos Region has prepared 128,843 food and nonfood items for families who may be affected by Super Typhoon Rosal (international name: Champi), which entered the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR) on Tuesday, Oct. 20. Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte, was placed under

MANILA, Philippines — The Supreme Court has declared “unconstitutional” certain provisions of the 2024 and 2025 national budgets, as well as key unprogrammed appropriations in the 2026 budget, after finding that Congress increased funding beyond the amount recommended by the president. In a 121-page decision penned by Senior Associate Justice Marvic Leonen, the SC said

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY — A 56-year-old man tagged as Northern Mindanao’s second most wanted fugitive was captured in Zamboanga del Norte over the weekend, after months in hiding, police said Tuesday. In a statement, the Police Regional Office-10 (PRO-10) identified the suspect as alias “RK,” a resident of Barangay Diguan in Ozamiz City, Misamis

MANILA, Philippines — Saying that agency heads traditionally appear before Congress to defend their budgets, Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian questioned Vice President Sara Duterte’s absence at the Senate on Thursday to defend her office’s proposed P785.2-million appropriation for 2027. Instead of Duterte, her chief of staff, lawyer Zuleika Lopez, and other Office of the Vice

MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Tuesday vowed a smooth transition of Sulu province from the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) to Region 9 (Zamboanga Peninsula). On Sept. 9, 2024, the Supreme Court upheld the validity of Republic Act No. 11054, or the Bangsamoro Organic Law, but ruled that Sulu was not

MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Mark Villar is pushing for mandatory free health maintenance organization (HMO) coverage for government employees to shield them and their families from costly health emergencies. “Our government employees are valuable partners for promoting progress and bringing services to the public. It’s just right that their health and welfare are ensured, especially in

MANILA, Philippines — House prosecutors are ready to turn over the trove of evidence they collected for Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial. However, the panel prefers to await a formal subpoena before surrendering the files, Batangas Rep. Gerville Luistro said on Tuesday. Luistro, the chief prosecutor, said the team will promptly respond to a

SAN FRANCISCO, Agusan del Sur — The waters off Dinagat Islands will host military live-fire war games this week, with the provincial government backing the drill. Gov. Nilo Demerey Jr. issued Executive Order No. 10-05, enjoining provincial government employees to support and participate in activities lined up for the war games off Melgar Bay, dubbed

MANILA, Philippines —  Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal (TCWS) No. 1 was hoisted over more areas in Luzon due to Super Typhoon Rosal off Central Luzon, the state weather bureau said. In its 5 p.m. weather advisory, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) raised TCWS No. 1 over the areas as follows: As

The COA flagged what it saw as DSWD double beneficiaries in 2025, but the latter agency maintained that there were no funds wasted and most of the issues had a sound explanation.

MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang on Tuesday expressed hope for a bigger budget for the Bureau of Customs (BOC) under the 2027 national budget after its proposed funding was reduced from P29.9 billion to P5.9 billion. At a briefing, Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said the original allocation would help the BOC strengthen its anti-smuggling operations,

MANILA, Philippines — GCash parent company Mynt officially debuted on the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) today, October 20, following the largest initial public offering (IPO) in Philippine history. The offering raised approximately ₱60.9 billion, with shares priced at ₱6.60 each. But beyond the record-breaking IPO and the opportunity to invest in GCash’s parent company, what does

MANILA, Philippines—Dengue and leptospirosis cases nationwide declined in the latest reporting period, according to the Department of Health (DOH).  Dengue cases In the latest two-week reporting period, dengue cases stood at 22,095 from Sept. 17 to Sept. 30, two percent lower than the 22,479 cases recorded from Sept. 3 to Sept. 16. The decline was

MANILA, Philippines — Local stocks edged higher on Tuesday as bargain hunting pushed the benchmark index above the 5,800 resistance level, while GCash parent Mynt Inc. ended its market debut flat. The Philippine Stock Exchange Index (PSEi) rose 0.14 percent, or 8.27 points, to close at 5,806.17. READ: It’s official: GCash parent Mynt makes PSE debut

MANILA, Philippines—The Quezon City Police District (QCPD) is investigating a viral video showing a reported commotion outside the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) in Quezon City on Monday. The scene reportedly involves a person who identified himself as a media worker, allegedly used profanity and kicked several cops. “Initial reports indicate that a verbal altercation

LEGAZPI CITY — The Department of Agrarian Reform distributed 1,136 land titles covering 1,741.43 hectares to 1,052 agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) across Bicol on Tuesday. Agrarian Reform Secretary Conrado M. Estrella III led the distribution during a regionwide land titling event at the Legazpi City Convention Complex in Albay. The titles cover agricultural lands under

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) will seek the cooperation of Laos authorities in its probe of the attempted smuggling of P3.5 billion worth of illegal drugs into the Philippines.

IBA, Zambales — Six wild animals were released into a forested area of Aurora Memorial National Park, a protected area spanning parts of Aurora and Nueva Ecija provinces, after undergoing rehabilitation, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Central Luzon said on Tuesday. Artemio Almazan Jr., head of the DENR’s Provincial Environment and Natural

MANILA, Philippines — Lawyer Romulo Macalintal, an advocate for the rights of senior citizens and persons with disabilities (PWDs), on Tuesday urged authorities to pursue an investigation into the “Machong Chismisan” podcast hosts to the fullest extent of the law over their insensitive remarks about Kris Aquino’s eldest son, Josh, who is on the autism

MANILA, Philippines — Former Ako Bicol Rep. Zaldy Co switched from duraboxes to “maleta” (suitcases) to transport kickbacks worth up to P40 million per delivery due to durability issues, state witness and former Public Works engineer Henry Alcantara said on Tuesday. Alcantara made the statement during his testimony before the Sandiganbayan Third Division at former

MANILA, Philippines — The government’s 2027 fiscal position could swing by tens of billions of pesos depending on economic indicators, with faster expansion offering the biggest boost and higher global interest rates posing the largest downside risk. This is according to the Department of Budget and Management’s (DBM) latest technical notes on the P7.2-trillion 2027 proposed

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY — A pre-dawn checkpoint operation in Misamis Occidental thwarted an attempt to transport nearly P6.5 million worth of suspected smuggled cigarettes bound for Central Luzon, leading to the arrest of two couriers early Tuesday. Police Regional Office-10 (PRO-10) reported the seizure of 8,116 reams of “Modern” brand cigarettes at a border

MANILA, Philippines — A 20-year-old college student from Lipa, Batangas was killed by stabbing last week. The unidentified male suspect is at large, according to the spot report obtained by the Inquirer from the Lipa Component City Police Station. The police said they received a report that the victim was found lying along the road

TACLOBAN CITY — A fisherman and his seven-year-old son who went missing after leaving for a fishing trip were found stranded in the maritime area near Maripipi, Biliran province, on Monday, according to the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO) of Kawayan. In a report, the Kawayan MDRRMO said its personnel, in coordination

MANILA, Philippines — The northeast monsoon, or “amihan” season, which will bring cooler and drier air, is expected to begin between October 22 and October 30, according to the state weather bureau on Tuesday.  In a press briefing, Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) Climate Monitoring and Prediction Section Chief Ana Liza Solis said the

LINGAYEN, Pangasinan — Pangasinan’s agricultural sector is expected to have sufficient irrigation until the second palay cropping season in 2027, with San Roque Dam’s water level in San Manuel at 283.21 meters above sea level as of Oct. 19. The available water supply will help farmers cope with the “Super El Niño” phenomenon, which is

Charles Luke Templonuevo, a Bachelor of Science in IT student at Notre Dame of Marbel University, developed KoroAR as his undergraduate thesis project, using augmented reality (AR) to make historical landmarks, notable personalities, and cultural artifacts easier to explore through smartphones. “As an IT student, I wanted to create something meaningful that would help people,

MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson on Tuesday criticized Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano and his sister, Sen. Pia Cayetano, for their line of questioning during a hearing on the Laguna Lake Development Authority’s proposed 2027 budget. In a statement, Lacson said the Cayetano siblings ganged up on acting LLDA General Manager Leopoldo

PALO, Leyte — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. called on Filipinos to protect the country’s sovereignty and turn wartime heroes’ sacrifices into concrete improvements in people’s lives, as the country marked the 82nd anniversary of the Leyte Gulf Landings on Tuesday. “Freedom must be felt in our everyday lives through food security, stable employment, safe communities,