Global life expectancy almost back to pre-COVID levels, says WHO

MANILA, Philippines — Shifting from individual political attacks towards government transparency and comprehensive reforms has become more urgent in light of the ongoing oil crisis and worsening corruption that have taken an economic toll on the Philippines. “Corruption is more than a political issue. It’s a moral one. It’s the people who suffer from the

[Updated Oct. 2, 2026, 10:22 p.m.] MANILA, Philippines — Several internet service providers (IPS) in the country are experiencing network issues and internet outages on Friday evening, Oct. 2. According to the University of the Philippines Diliman Network Helpdesk, one of the undersea cable segments between the Philippines and Singapore is reportedly offline. This caused

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY — A drunken challenge on Wednesday evening escalated into a fatal bloodbath after a Bukidnon man shot an alleged intruder six times before stabbing him in the neck Thursday afternoon, Oct. 1. Police said the 30-year-old victim, reportedly intoxicated, forced his way into the suspect’s residence in Barangay Kipaypayon, Quezon town

MANILA, Philippines — An old food company with Vice President Sara Duterte as one of the shareholders used to have a fictitious president, former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV claimed on Friday. In his press briefing in San Juan City, Trillanes said that Duterte listed two business interests in her 2025 Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net

MANILA, Philippines—Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) is seeking to address what it describes as “double coverage” among workers who contribute to the state health insurer while also receiving health maintenance organization (HMO) or private health insurance (PHI) coverage from their employers. PhilHealth said some members rely mainly on their private health plans for medical care

MANILA, Philippines—The Department of Education (DepEd) on Friday said it has promoted over 3,000 teachers and principals in Cagayan Valley. It also hired over 1,000 new school personnel during the celebration of National Teachers’ Month. In a statement, DepEd said the mass-oath taking ceremony of the newly promoted and newly hired personnel was conducted at

MANILA, Philippines — As the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) forecasts a “very strong” El Niño that could persist until the first quarter of 2027, Manila Water Philippine Ventures (MWPV), the Non-East Zone subsidiary of Manila Water Company, is intensifying its preparedness measures across its service areas nationwide to help ensure a reliable

MANILA, Philippines—Government workers are pressing the government to raise the proposed increase in the Personnel Economic Relief Allowance (PERA) to P5,000, saying the P500 increase included in the proposed 2027 national budget is insufficient. The All Government Employee Unity has been pushing for a higher PERA, which has remained at P2,000 since its introduction in

MANILA, Philippines — Rep. Brian Poe of the FPJ Panday Bayanihan Party-List pushed for a dedicated ₱100-million allocation for the Philippine ube industry during the Budget Amendments Review Sub-committee (BARSC) meeting at the House of Representatives on Thursday. Poe, vice chair of the House Committee on Appropriations, raised concerns during the agriculture budget deliberations over

MANILA, Philippines — Senate minority leader Alan Peter Cayetano on Friday hit back at Sen. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson over the latter’s latest allegations of continuous “illegal reclamation” on the Taguig side of Laguna Lake. Cayetano said he appears to be the one to blame for whatever happens in the city. “I am always the one

MANILA, Philippines — Speaker Faustino “Bojie” Dy III underscored on Thursday the efforts of the House of Representatives to turn bamboo into a sustainable source of livelihood and economic activity. Dy spoke about this before developing partners and technical experts of the bamboo industry during the “Building the Future with Bamboo” program at the Asian

CALAPAN CITY, Oriental Mindoro — The unchecked clearing of forests and grasslands for farms, housing, businesses, and infrastructure continues to push the critically endangered Tamaraw to the brink, conservation leaders warned. The Mindoro Biodiversity Conservation Foundation Inc. (MBCFI) sounded the alarm during the Kapihan sa PIA Oriental Mindoro forum on September 29, noting that the