Labor group disputes claims of high sugarcane labor costs

Inquirer.net - Oct 30, 2026

MANILA, Philippines — The Unyon ng mga Manggagawa sa Agrikultura (UMA) has challenged the Sugar Council’s characterization of sugarcane labor as costly, citing low wages, long working hours without overtime pay and hundreds of thousands of field workers who reportedly did not receive seasonal cash bonuses. In a statement, UMA chairperson Ariel Casilao said most

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Bulacan island fights rising seas with nature, not concrete

Oct 30, 2026

MANILA, Philippines — For years, residents of a flood-prone Philippine island north of Manila have elevated their homes atop layer upon layer of concrete, only to see floodwaters threaten them again. Burdened by strong storm surges, land subsidence, and rising seas exacerbated by climate change, the 3,000 residents of tiny Pamarawan Island in Malolos City,

Mayon Volcano raised to Alert Level 3 after eruption

Oct 30, 2026

Phivolcs warns several municipalities in Albay to expect ashfall, following the ‘moderately explosive’ Mayon Volcano eruption on Friday, October 30

DA eyeing approval of 4 more ASF vaccines in 2027

Oct 30, 2026

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Agriculture (DA) is looking to approve at least four more vaccines against African swine fever (ASF) until next year, as it ramps up efforts to contain the disease and rebuild the country’s swine population. Agriculture Undersecretary for Livestock Constante Palabrica said the DA was targeting the approval of a

DA braces for costlier rice imports amid weak peso

Oct 30, 2026

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Agriculture (DA) is bracing for higher rice import costs as the peso continues to weaken against the US dollar, potentially adding pressure on local prices at a time when the country is preparing to import more rice to cushion the impact of El Niño on domestic production. Agriculture Assistant

Incumbent, former Cebu City mayors slapped with fines

Oct 30, 2026

MANILA, Philippines — The Office of the Ombudsman has separately sanctioned Cebu City Mayor Nestor Dionson Archival Sr. and his predecessor, Raymond Alvin Neri Garcia, over a night market on Colon Street and unauthorized “sabong” or cockfights held in a hotel, respectively. Archival was fined a month’s pay by the Office of the Ombudsman which

SC downgrades charges vs ex-public school principal in tree-cutting case

Oct 30, 2026

MANILA, Philippines — The Supreme Court, citing the lack of proof such as a paper trail, has downgraded the charges and subsequent penalties meted out against a former public school principal in San Jose, Occidental Mindoro, who ordered the cutting of trees on public property. In a decision dated June 2 but released only on

Inquirer: Lustre not employed in company

Oct 30, 2026

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Daily Inquirer said on Thursday that veteran journalist Philip Lustre is not an employee, after lawyer Manases Carpio, husband of Vice President Sara Duterte, placed the company’s Makati office as Lustre’s “last known address.” Lustre was arrested last Saturday on a cyberlibel charge without having received a complaint beforehand because

LIVE UPDATES: First BARMM parliamentary elections

Oct 30, 2026

Bookmark and refresh this page for the latest news, photos, videos, and analyses as Rappler closely follows the historic elections

Marcos faces crucial choice: 5 shortlisted as next SC chief justice

Oct 30, 2026

MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will soon decide who will lead a Supreme Court dominated by appointees of his predecessor, Rodrigo Duterte, after the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) shortlisted five candidates for chief justice, including two senior magistrates who have repeatedly taken opposing positions on major constitutional and political issues. The choice

‘Budget insertions’ alarm business groups anew

Oct 30, 2026

MANILA, Philippines — Over 30 business and civil society groups demanded on Thursday that Congress ensure that no budget insertions lacking technical justification should be allowed to make it into the 2027 national budget, as they seek to avoid a repeat of the “ghost” and substandard flood control projects that had tainted previous appropriations. The