MANILA, Philippines — Batangas Rep. Gerville Luistro has admitted that the ideal scenario for the prosecution in the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte is to get 16 or more conviction votes. She expressed her hope as the Senate Impeachment Court allowed a lower minimum vote requirement to convict the vice president, if some senator-judges

CITY OF ILAGAN, Isabela — Workers in Cagayan Valley are seeking a P100 increase in the basic daily wage, while employers are pushing to keep the current P500 minimum wage for private-sector workers. The competing positions were laid out during a Sept. 24 public hearing at the Isabela provincial capitol, where employee representatives said the

MANILA, Philippines — Sen. JV Ejercito has pledged full support for efforts by the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to combat cybercrime, cyber fraud and other online scams, including securing adequate funding to strengthen their capabilities. Ejercito, chair of the Senate Committee on Finance and the Committee on Justice,

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) is asking Congress for an almost P229-million budget for the Electric Vehicle Industry Development Program (EVIDP) for 2027 as the country further reduces its dependence on imported fossil fuel and transitions to cleaner transportation. The DBM’s request for a P228.92 million proposed funding for EVIDP

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is proposing institutional amendments worth around P20 billion to its proposed P643.95-billion budget for 2027, a House lawmaker said Thursday.

MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Population and Development (CPD) and its partners on Thursday called for wider access to family planning and contraception as the Philippines records its lowest fertility rate yet, while many women still face difficulty obtaining the reproductive health services and methods they need. The call came as the country

MANILA, Philippines — Out of the estimated 288,000 people living with HIV (PLHIV) in the Philippines in the first quarter of 2026, only 56 percent had been diagnosed as of June, according to the latest figures from the Department of Health (DOH). The DOH recorded 159,997 people living with HIV who had been diagnosed or

MANILA, Philippines — About P311 billion in state funding for the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) remains unreleased, Bataan Rep. Albert Garcia said Thursday. Garcia revealed this while sponsoring the health sector’s spending plan for 2027 during a congressional budget debate. He said P199.44 billion in obligatory funding from sin tax collections, revenues from the

MANILA, Philippines — Government information and technology officials have appealed to critics to understand that protecting people’s lives takes precedence over the continuous availability of social networking sites. The plea comes as the ban on the messaging apps Reddit and Discord is lifted. Information and Communications Technology Secretary Henry Aguda and Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC)

MANILA, Philippines — Questions surrounding alleged unidentified or inadequately documented beneficiaries in the Office of the Vice President’s (OVP) ₱168-million disaster-relief operations have revived comparisons to controversial names previously linked to the office’s confidential fund records. During a press briefing on Wednesday, House prosecution panel adviser and spokesperson Robert Ace Barbers highlighted a Commission on

MANILA, Philippines — Tropical Storm Queenie may reach typhoon category on Sunday, Sept. 27, the state weather bureau said. In its tropical cyclone bulletin, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said Queenie will gradually intensify while inside the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR) and become a typhoon by Sunday. As of 4

SAN FRANCISCO, Agusan del Sur — A newly paved road leading to one of Butuan City’s popular mountain destinations is being dismantled after cracks were discovered, with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) ordering the contractor to remove and replace the affected sections. Photos circulating online show heavy equipment tearing portions of the

MANILA, Philippines — The Senate impeachment court’s updated voting formula does not make the evidence against Vice President Sara Z. Duterte stronger or relieve the House prosecution panel of its burden of proof, prosecutors said Thursday. House lead prosecutor and Batangas Rep. Gerville “Jinky Bitrics” Luistro said the revised denominator affects both sides of the

MANILA, Philippines — The state weather bureau said heavy rains may affect many areas in Luzon on Thursday afternoon, Sept. 24, due to persistent localized thunderstorms. The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) reported in its thunderstorm advisory issued at 4:12 p.m. that heavy to intense rain showers, with lightning and strong gusts

MANILA, Philippines — The decision of six senator-judges to abstain from voting on the conviction threshold for Vice President Sara Duterte does not reflect how they will rule on her ultimate guilt or innocence, prosecution leaders said Thursday. During a press conference, lead prosecutor and Rep. Gerville “Jinky Bitrics” Luistro clarified that a senator’s stance

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is withholding ₱14 million in retention funds from contractor Sunwest over an allegedly substandard ₱289 million flood control project in Oriental Mindoro. The project led to a malversation case against former Ako Bicol Representative Zaldy Co and nine others. DPWH Finance Division chief Cecilia Vicquerra,

LAKE SEBU, South Cotabato — Heavy rains poured over this upland town on Thursday afternoon as Tropical Storm Queenie began affecting weather conditions in parts of Mindanao after entering the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR). The downpour was among the strongest in the area in recent days as Queenie’s trough affected portions of Mindanao, according

MANILA, Philippines — It seems that Vice President Sara Duterte’s office has been consistent in getting flagged by the Commission on Audit (COA) for questionable transactions, Batangas Rep. Gerville Luistro said on Thursday. Luistro, along with other lawmakers, was asked in a press briefing about a COA report on the 2025 Disaster Risk Reduction and Management

More than 4,000 runners gathered at Vermosa Sports Hub in Imus, Cavite, for the South Luzon leg of Puregold’s Hakot Relay, which introduced a new 8K Individual Challenge alongside the event’s signature grocery-themed relay.  The South Luzon leg marked the first time the Hakot Relay featured an individual 8-km race, giving solo runners a chance to take on a longer course while maintaining the event’s signature grocery “hakot” concept.  About 500 participants joined the 8K Individual Challenge, while the rest competed in the traditional Hakot Relay, where runners formed teams and raced through the course while collecting grocery items along the way.  Unlike the relay, which required teamwork and strategy, the 8K challenge tested participants individually as they completed the full distance on their own.   “We wanted to offer runners a fresh and enjoyable way to challenge themselves, with the ‘hakot’ mechanic adding a playful and uniquely Puregold twist to the race. Being part of the running community is meaningful to us, and it is a privilege for Puregold to bring people together for a shared panalo experience,” said Ivy Hayagan-Piedad, Puregold senior marketing manager.  The event began with a pre-race warm-up before participants headed to the starting line. Runners then completed their respective courses within the prescribed cut-off times.  After crossing the finish line, participants received their race-day rewards and visited sampling booths featuring participating brands. Sponsor-led activities and an awarding ceremony followed the races.  The team relay participants received a Grocery Sling Bag and a Finisher’s Grocery Bag. Meanwhile, 8K Individual Challenge finishers received a distinct reward that matched the event’s grocery-themed concept: a finisher’s grocery cart wagon to carry their loot home.  “We’re always looking for ways to level up the Hakot Relay and give Filipinos something new to look forward to. This year, it meant introducing our first-ever 8K challenge and bringing the experience to an even bigger scale,” Piedad said.   With more than 4,000 runners participating as teams or individual competitors, the South Luzon leg expanded the Hakot Relay format while retaining its signature reward, allowing participants to race to the finish line and take home groceries.

MANILA, Philippines – The bill that fixes the term of barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) officials to five years has already been transmitted to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian gave the information on Thursday. The measure – Senate Bill No. 2397 – effectively postpones the upcoming polls in November. The House of

MANILA, Philippines — Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian said on Thursday that Sen. Mark Villar’s vote to make the voting base to convict Vice President Sara Duterte more flexible does not indicate he is joining the Senate majority. The senator clarified that after Villar, the sole minority bloc member to do so, voted to let the

PAGADIAN CITY, Zamboanga del Sur – The Department of Education (DepEd) Pagadian City Division has ordered a permanent tightening of campus security across the locality following an alleged online threat against local schools.  Dr. Danny Cordova, DepEd Pagadian City Schools Division Superintendent, confirmed that on Wednesday evening, he received a report regarding a threat posted

MANILA, Philippines — Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian on Thursday said the 13-1 vote to overturn the 16-vote conviction threshold does not indicate how senator-judges will vote on whether to convict or acquit Vice President Sara Duterte in her impeachment trial. “No, that’s far off. Because when it comes to the verdict, it’s about the evidence,

The Department of Information and Communications Technology"s (DICT) Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) apologized Thursday for the inconvenience caused by its order that temporarily banned media sharing and messaging platform Discord in the Philippines.

DAVAO CITY — The Department of Agriculture (DA)–Davao Region has begun discussions with a Malaysian company about potential market opportunities for coconut shells as an alternative energy resource. Through its Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Division (AMAD), DA-Davao Region officials recently met with Borneo New Energy representatives to assess the availability and volume of coconut shells. The

MANILA, Philippines — The ban on Discord was lifted on Thursday, Sept. 24 after its representatives talked with officials of the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) and the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT). CICC is an attached agency of the DICT. DICT chief Henry Aguda and CICC Executive Director Undersecretary Renato “Aboy”

MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Francis Pangilinan did not discount the possibility that the recent school shootings in the country could be tied to efforts to instill fear and instability and “make the government look weak.” While scrutinizing the Department of Justice’s proposed P46.44-billion budget for 2027 on Thursday, Pangilinan aired his concerns about the series

MANILA, Philippines — National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Director Melvin Matibag revealed on Thursday that the bureau discovered that P7 billion worth of flood control projects in the first district of Davao City were awarded to a single contractor. “It turned out that the P1.9 billion in projects given to one contractor that we were

SAN FRANCISCO, Agusan del Sur — The World Food Programme (WFP) in the Philippines has provided community kitchen kits to the municipal governments of Dinagat Islands to strengthen disaster preparedness and improve emergency response operations across the province. Atty. Niel Edward Demerey, provincial information officer, said the ready-to-deploy cooking kits given to the municipalities included

ILOILO CITY — Government financial assistance is allowing a transport cooperative in Iloilo to deploy all 95 of its modernized jeepneys despite rising fuel costs, the transport group’s chairperson said Wednesday. Western Visayas Transport Cooperative (WVTC) chair Raymundo “Boyet” Parcon said the cooperative expects to receive the P20,000 monthly assistance per unit from the Land Transportation