Gatchalian flags P295-M fees paid due to transport project delays

Inquirer.net - Sep 18, 2026

MANILA, Philippines – Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian flagged on Friday P295 million in commitment fees paid by the government for major transport foreign-assisted projects that have long been delayed or failed to secure loans from development banks. Gatchalian flagged the delayed projects during the Senate finance subcommittee hearing on the Department of Transportation’s (DOTr) budget

Read full article
MORE NEWS
CPD: 14.1% of Filipinos still use traditional family planning
Sep 18, 2026
CPD: 14.1% of Filipinos still use traditional family planning

MANILA, Philippines — About 14.1 percent of Filipinos still rely on traditional family planning methods such as withdrawal and the calendar method despite the steady rise in modern contraceptive use, the Commission on Population and Development (CPD) said Thursday. Mylin Mirasol Quiray, chief of the CPD Information Management and Communications Division, said the share of

Magpakailanman: Wedding march | Online exclusive
Sep 18, 2026
Magpakailanman: Wedding march | Online exclusive

Abangan ang brand-new episode na "The Prodigal Priest: The Bienvenido Salinas Jr. Story," September 19, 8:15 p.m. sa 'Magpakailanman.' Naka-livestream din ito sa GMA Play.

Researchers find leptospirosis-causing bacteria across Estero de Paco
Sep 18, 2026
Researchers find leptospirosis-causing bacteria across Estero de Paco

MANILA, Philippines — Epidemiological evidence indicates that leptospirosis hospital admissions tend to peak about two weeks after heavy rains, with flooding considered one of the “critical drivers” of transmission. A peer-reviewed study by the Polytechnic University of the Philippines, published in Emerging Infectious Diseases, said the country often sees leptospirosis outbreaks several weeks after Habagat-triggered

Gensan biz group backs Razon-Pacquiao Ignite-SOCOTECO II joint venture plan
Sep 18, 2026
Gensan biz group backs Razon-Pacquiao Ignite-SOCOTECO II joint venture plan

A group of businesses and entrepreneurs in General Santos City is backing the proposed joint venture between South Cotabato II Electric Cooperative (SOCOTECO II) and Razon-Pacquaio-led IGNITE Power and Energy Holdings Inc.

A ‘Resident Evil’ review through the lens of a longtime gamer and collector
Sep 18, 2026
A ‘Resident Evil’ review through the lens of a longtime gamer and collector

As a longtime gamer and a proud collector who still owns pristine, black-label PlayStation 1 copies of the original trilogy, I walked into the theater wearing a heavy armor of skepticism. Let’s be honest: Hollywood’s track record with Capcom’s crown jewel has been a decades-long exercise in frustration. We first endured the nü-metal, leather-clad superhero

Singapore minister Chan Chun Sing’s Mandarin diplomacy strikes China chord
Sep 18, 2026
Singapore minister Chan Chun Sing’s Mandarin diplomacy strikes China chord

Singapore Defence Minister Chan Chun Sing’s use of Mandarin and Chinese philosophy in his speech at a major security forum in Beijing has won him praise on Chinese social media, while shedding light on how cultural familiarity and language can be diplomatic tools for the city state. Videos of Chan at the Beijing Xiangshan Forum quoting ancient philosopher Mencius, or Mengzi in Mandarin, have gone viral on platforms such as Weixin and Baidu, with users hailing his command of the language and...

Manny Villar confident Ombudsman's graft claims over PrimeWater issue can be 'addressed'
Sep 18, 2026
Manny Villar confident Ombudsman's graft claims over PrimeWater issue can be 'addressed'

Business tycoon Manny Villar, former Senate president and patriarch of the Villar Group of Companies, expressed confidence Friday that he and his family can dispute the graft charges leveled by the Office of the Ombudsman over the alleged poor service of their PrimeWater Infrastructure Corporation.

Magpakailanman: The Prodigal Priest | Behind the scenes
Sep 18, 2026
Magpakailanman: The Prodigal Priest | Behind the scenes

Abangan ang brand-new episode na "The Prodigal Priest: The Bienvenido Salinas Jr. Story," September 19, 8:15 p.m. sa 'Magpakailanman.' Naka-livestream din ito sa GMA Play.

DFA urges delay in implementing P1.5K passport fee until 2028
Sep 18, 2026
DFA urges delay in implementing P1.5K passport fee until 2028

The printing agency responsible for producing Philippine passports is seeking a price increase, but Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Secretary Theresa Lazaro said the agency has been asked to defer the proposed hike until 2028.

Magpakailanman: Mainit ba ang suot ng mga pari? | Online exclusive
Sep 18, 2026
Magpakailanman: Mainit ba ang suot ng mga pari? | Online exclusive

Abangan si Martin del Rosario sa brand-new episode na "The Prodigal Priest: The Bienvenido Salinas Jr. Story," September 19, 8:15 p.m. sa 'Magpakailanman.' Naka-livestream din ito sa GMA Play.

Magpakailanman: Ngayon, bukas, at magpakailanman acting challenge | Online exclusive
Sep 18, 2026
Magpakailanman: Ngayon, bukas, at magpakailanman acting challenge | Online exclusive

Kaya ba nilang sabihin ang "ngayon, bukas, at magpakailanman" gamit ang iba't ibang emosyon?

UP Diliman body condemns ‘violent dispersal’ at rally vs Pax Silica
Sep 18, 2026
UP Diliman body condemns ‘violent dispersal’ at rally vs Pax Silica

MANILA, Philippines — A University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman committee condemned the alleged violent dispersal by the Philippine National Police (PNP) of a rally decrying Pax Silica. “We hold the Philippine government and the PNP to account for this blatant violation of the right to free assembly and speech,” the UP Diliman committee on