Bangsamoro Parliament sets 100-day legislative agenda

MANILA, Philippines – Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian urged Congress to immediately pass a proposed measure prohibiting government officials’ relatives from securing government contracts to protect public funds and prevent corruption. “It is important that we enact this as soon as possible so that we can ensure that public funds go to programs and projects that

MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa should first be brought before a Philippine court if arrested, before being transferred to the International Criminal Court (ICC), Sen. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson said Wednesday. According to Lacson, this will allow dela Rosa to avail himself of legal remedies in the country, including seeking relief from the

MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang on Wednesday reminded authorities to uphold their duties and refrain from violating the law following allegations that former House Speaker Martin Romualdez was allowed to leave jail with the help of a jail warden. Retired columnist Ramon Tulfo alleged that a jail warden had cut off the power supply, disabling CCTV cameras

MANILA, Philippines — Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon said on Wednesday that he is recruiting Gabriel Go of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) to join the Department of Transportation (DOTr). He announced it more than a week after returning to the DOTr as its secretary. Go heads the MMDA’s Special Operations Group-Task Force for Road

MANILA, Philippines — Eight farm-to-market (FMR) road projects flagged by budget watchdogs for faulty coordinates originated in the executive branch’s initial spending proposal. These were not added through amendments by the House of Representatives. A Department of Agriculture (DA) official made the statements on Wednesday. Speaking at a congressional briefing, Agriculture Assistant Secretary U-Nichols Manalo

BACOLOD CITY — Several local governments in Negros Occidental have announced the suspension of face-to-face classes on Wednesday, after a forecast heat index of 42 degrees Celsius, a level labeled “dangerous” by the state bureau. As of 5 p.m. on Tuesday, the state weather bureau measured the heat index in La Carlota City, Negros Occidental,

SAN ILDEFONSO, Ilocos Sur— Two persons, one of them a young boy, were found dead in a creek beside the National Highway near Barangay Lang-Ayan in Currimao, Ilocos Norte, in an incident believed to have involved a motorcycle crash. According to an initial police investigation, a passerby discovered a slipper along the roadside on Sunday,

MANILA, Philippines — Senate President Pro Tempore Vicente “Tito” Sotto III has filed a resolution seeking to establish clear guidelines for addressing senators’ prolonged unauthorized absences. According to Sotto, “such absenteeism and neglect of duty is deemed a waste of taxpayer funds and has caused public clamor over the past months.” In Senate Resolution No.

MANILA, Philippines — Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson on Wednesday warned that public patience was once again being tested by individuals he described as “kapalmuks,” (thick-faced) as scrutiny over questionable allocations in the proposed 2027 national budget continues. According to Lacson, the flood control scandal had barely settled when these individuals began testing the public’s patience

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY — Market-goers across Northern Mindanao are feeling the pinch of the rising cost of living at wet markets, as retail fish prices soar in late October amid mounting supply and production bottlenecks. Data from the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources in Northern Mindanao (BFAR-10) showed prices of some fish significantly

MANILA, Philippines — The Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) said initial CCTV footage reviewed on Nov. 3 showed no power or CCTV interruption and no movement of former House Speaker Martin Romualdez outside a Quezon City jail, following allegations of irregularities. “Initial CCTV verification by BJMP National Headquarters showed no recorded power or

The head of the OECD's Nuclear Energy Agency casts doubt on the Philippines' 2032 nuclear target, saying that getting its first reactor operating will likely take longer than six years