Congress begins deliberations on protecting Verde Island Passage

BAGUIO CITY — After decades of conflict, the Kalinga sub-tribes of Lubuagan and Mabongtot in the Cordillera have agreed to end hostilities and rebuild their bodong (indigenous security and social agreement), sealing the reconciliation with a peace pact on Monday. The agreement was formalized at the Kalinga Sports Complex Function Hall through a sipat (cessation

MANILA, Philippines — Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla congratulated Isabela Vice Mayor Jeryll Harold Respicio after the official tested negative for illegal drugs, but maintained that his behavior was still concerning. “Congratulations. Now that it’s confirmed he’s not on shabu, it’s really confirmed that his craziness is natural,” Remulla told the Inquirer in a Viber message

KORONADAL CITY — South Cotabato expects P1 billion in locally-sourced income in 2026 after collecting P992.32 million last year, the highest among the four provinces in Soccsksargen (Region 12). Gov. Reynaldo Tamayo Jr. said the province needs only about P8 million more to breach the P1-billion mark, a target he is optimistic South Cotabato can

MANILA, Philippines — The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) will begin on Oct. 8 the regularization of Transport Network Vehicle Service (TNVS) units in Metro Manila that were onboarded by transport network companies (TNCs) before securing the required authority from the agency, a practice known as “tempo.” The 30-day regularization program covers TNVS

MANILA, Philippines — Makabayan bloc lawmakers from the House of Representatives on Wednesday sought an investigation into the disasters happening in landfills across the country. They also want to know the implications of these events on the safety, health and livelihood of affected waste workers and nearby communities.  ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. Antonio Tinio, Kabataan

MANILA, Philippines—Labor group Sentro ng mga Nagkakaisa at Progresibong Manggagawa (SENTRO) called for decent jobs and higher wages amid improvements in the country’s labor market in August. The August Labor Force Survey (LFS) showed the number of employed Filipinos rising from 49.21 million in July to 49.79 million in August, while unemployment declined from 6

MANILA, Philippines — Members-consumers-owners (MCOs) of the South Cotabato II Electric Cooperative Inc. should participate in the plebiscite on the proposed joint venture agreement (JVA) with Ignite Power and Energy Holdings Inc. as they should be involved in key decision-making matters, a lawmaker said. In a statement, Saranggani Rep. Steve Chiongbian Solon said that the plebiscite

MANILA, Philippines — Suspected drug lord Samuel “Sammy” Uy was among the payees of manager’s checks presented during Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial on Wednesday. The House prosecution panel bared this during the 35th day of the trial, when it presented manager’s checks supposedly sourced from a Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) account

SAN FRANCISCO, Agusan del Sur— Authorities failed to arrest a drug suspect, but seized at least P103,000 worth of suspected shabu during a raid in Buenavista, Agusan del Norte, on Tuesday, police said Wednesday. In a statement, the Police Regional Office 13 (PRO-13) said personnel of the Buenavista Municipal Police Station, in coordination with the

MANILA, Philippines — Public prosecutor and Bicol Saro party-list Rep. Terry Ridon has appealed to Vice President Sara Duterte to return the P73 million confidential funds (CF) allocated to her office in 2022. His call comes as the Commission on Audit (COA) affirmed an initial decision to disallow it. In a statement on Wednesday, Ridon even

MANILA, Philippines — State witness and former Public Works Undersecretary Roberto Bernardo on Wednesday testified before the Sandiganbayan that he never questioned the specifics of the millions of pesos he received from former Ako Bicol Rep. Zaldy Co. Bernardo took the witness stand before the Sandiganbayan Fifth Division on Wednesday where Co and former Department