Free Medicare COVID test kits for patients nationwide announced

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