Top News
PHL, US to conclude new pact on sharing of intel and defense tech , export of equipment
THE Philippines and United States are set to finalize a new defense agreement that could allow both militaries to share top-secret intelligence and for the US to export defense equipment and share defense technology data to the Philippines.
PHL, Lithuania unite to push for rules-based order
THE Philippines and Lithuania, both flanked by the ongoing geopolitical crises in the Indo-Pacific and Europe regions, jointly rallied Wednesday for countries to behave and follow agreed rules such as international law in relations with other countries.
Think tank: growth in 2024 likely below 6-7%
THE country’s economic growth will likely disappoint given the El Niño phenomenon and rising inflation, according to analysts of the US-based Global Source Partners think tank.
Budget gap inches up to ₱272.6-B in Q1–BTr
THE national government posted a P272.6-billion budget gap in the first quarter of the year, the Bureau of the Treasury (BTr) said on Wednesday.
PHL must join global accords to better tax big tech–study
IF the Philippines intends to maximize the revenue potential from digital economy, it must join regional or multilateral agreements that are formed to better tax big tech, according to a study commissioned by the national government’s think tank.
103 LGUs have declared state of calamity on El Niño
AS the effect of El Niño reached it peak this month, a total of 103 local government units (LGU) have now declared a State of Calamity due to droughts.
Marcos stops hike in illegal parking fine
PRESIDENT Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. stopped the implementation of Joint Traffic Circular No. 01 of Metro Manila Council (MMC), which will hike the penalty for illegal parking in Metro Manila.
International organizations’ execs immune in official acts
THE immunity of officials and personnel of international organizations covers only acts done in their official capacities, the Supreme Court has ruled.
WB’s IFC to help Peza cut ecozone carbon emissions, boost competitiveness
THE World Bank International Finance Corporation (IFC) will assist the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (Peza) to reduce carbon emissions in economic zones to help the investment promotion agency become more competitive, according to Peza.
Officials of PHL Navy, US Marine tackle evolving security challenges
As Balikatan 2024 kicked off this week, Philippine Navy (PN) chief Vice Admiral Toribio Adaci Jr. and United States 1st Marine Expeditionary Force Commander Lt. Gen. Michael Cederholm met recently to discuss evolving security challenges.
BCDA doubles remittances to NG, gives ₱1.1B
THE Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) said it doubled its remittances to the government, contributing P1.1 billion in dividends in 2024 from the P527 million in 2023.
Mamba disqualified again
The Commission on Election (Comelec) First Division once again disqualified Cagayan Governor Manuel N. Mamba, nullifying his victory in the May 2022 elections.
Comelec to use Bautista-Smartmatic rap in seeking reconsideration of Supreme Court’s favorable ruling on Smartmatic
To strengthen the grounds of its appeal on the Supreme Court (SC) decision favoring Smartmatic Corp., the Commission on Election (Comelec) said it will now cite the pending money-laundering charge faced by its former chairman, Juan Andres D. Bautista, in the United States (US).
PAGASA: Brace for hotter days in May
As sweltering temperatures continue to be felt in some areas, a weather specialist of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) on Wednesday warned to brace for hotter days ahead especially in May.
Rene Saguisag, senator, human rights lawyer and advocate for clean government, dies
RENE A.V. SAGUISAG, former senator, human rights lawyer and freedom fighter, has died, his family announced on Wednesday.
DMW bans Pinoy seafarers from joining ships en route to Red Sea, Gulf of Aden
THE Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) on Wednesday issued Department Order No. 2 prohibiting the deployment of Filipino seafarers onboard passenger and cruise ships set to sail through the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
Stock market today (April 24, 2024): Wall Street rallies again to erase more of April’s losses
NEW YORK — U.S. stocks rallied for a second straight day Tuesday to blunt the blow of what’s been a rough April.
Government keeping growth goals despite risks
HIGHER-FOR-LONGER interest rates and current geopolitical risks that threaten to cause a spike in oil and food prices are not enough reasons for the national government to give up on its growth targets this year, according to the country’s chief economist.
UN climate report: PHL warming at faster rate
ASIAN countries like the Philippines are warming faster than the global average, according to a new report from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
Marine park off Coron wins global conservation award
A MARINE park off the coast of Coron Island in Palawan was recently awarded the silver-level Blue Park Award for exceptional marine biodiversity conservation by the Seattle-based Marine Conservation Institute.
Visayas mega project: AG&P, VNHIC collaborate on $15-billion bridge and expressway network
AG&P Industrial and the Visayas Neceboley Interlink Holdings Corp. (VNHIC) signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on Tuesday for a $15-billion mega infrastructure project that will connect the four major islands in the Visayas through state-of-the-art bridges and expressways.
Hundreds rally vs plans to nullify Masungi deal
MORE than 500 supporters of the Masungi Geopark Project gathered for a solidarity event to protest the plans of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to abolish the contract for this protected area.
PHL eyes Japan, US nickel ore market via minerals deal
THE Philippines needs to accede to the critical mineral agreement between the United States and Japan to ensure “resiliency of supply” of nickel ores and to enable the Philippines to attract more investments into mineral processing, according to Trade and Industry Secretary Alfredo E. Pascual.
2-month state infrastructure spending rises 6.7% on road, defense works
THE state ramped up its infrastructure spending for the first two months of the year by 6.7 percent to P120.5 billion to fund the government’s road infrastructure programs and defense modernization projects.
Panel preps for PHL bid to host Loss & Damage Fund
AS Manila bids to host the Loss and Damage Fund (LDF) Board to enable the Philippines to access more climate financing, an interagency technical working group was created by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.
Rotating brownouts: Plant shutdowns hit Luzon grid
ROTATING brownouts were implemented Tuesday afternoon as the Luzon grid was placed on a five-hour red alert status following the forced shutdown of 18 power plants.
33 areas in PHL expected to experience scorching temperatures of up to 45 °C on Wednesday, 24 April – PAGASA
Thirty -three areas in the country will experience more extreme hot weather on April 24, according to state weather bureau Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pag-asa).
No Filipinos hurt in latest Taiwan earthquakes
No Filipino was hurt in the recent twin earthquakes that struck eastern Taiwan early Tuesday morning, according to the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW)
Commercial release of GM rice, eggplant halted by CA
THE Court of Appeals (CA) has enjoined the Department of Agriculture and other concerned government agencies from pushing with the commercial release of genetically modified rice (Golden Rice) and eggplant products (Bt Eggplant).