Wildfize haze pushes two Southeast Asian capitals into world's most polluted cities

MANILA, Philippines — Some areas in Metro Manila recorded “very unhealthy” air quality levels on Wednesday because of the lingering transboundary haze that may be connected to ongoing fires in Indonesia. According to the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), high PM2.5 levels — which refer to fine

MANILA, Philippines — There is growing “discontent” among House members over the draft 2027 national budget, a party leader aligned with the majority bloc said on Wednesday. Speaking to reporters, Deputy Speaker Ronaldo Puno said that within his National Unity Party (NUP), lawmakers have expressed frustration and demanded changes to the P7.2-trillion spending bill, which

MANILA, Philippines — The civil society-led Truth Commission is taking steps to build a registry that would harmonize the total death toll in the so-called war on drugs during the Duterte administration, as the number has remained a point of contention even with the alleged mastermind, President Rodrigo Duterte, soon facing trial in an international

MANILA, Philippines — Investigators from the Office of the Ombudsman may no longer face unnecessary delays when they need to examine data on the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) and check government contracts in real time for possible irregularities. An agreement with the Procurement Service-Department of Budget and Management (PS-DBM) grants the Ombudsman “faster

MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has signed an order institutionalizing an online system monitoring public spending as part of the government’s bid to use blockchain and other emerging technologies to promote transparency. This comes as a measure seeking to expand citizen access to government expenditure data is still stalled in Congress. The president

MANILA, Philippines — The Supreme Court on Wednesday dismissed three petitions seeking to invalidate the Senate impeachment court’s Sept. 23 decision to lower the number of votes needed to convict Vice President Sara Duterte, clearing the way for the trial to proceed under the revised voting rule. The high court, sitting en banc, junked the

The Department of Justice (DOJ) will also take into account the credibility and motivation of dismissed policeman Rodulfo Gracioso Jr. in evaluating his claim that he delivered cash to members of the Duterte family supposedly on the instruction of former Speaker Lord Allan Velasco.

National team veteran Amaya Amparo Cojuangco ends the Philippines' 12-year drought for an archery medal in the Asian Games

SAN FRANCISCO, AGUSAN DEL SUR, Philippines — Health authorities in Agusan del Sur have declared a dengue outbreak after the number of reported cases in the province reached 674 in just over seven months this year. In a public advisory on Tuesday, the Provincial Health Office (PHO) said the province is “experiencing an increasing burden

BAGUIO CITY, Philippines — Ifugao, home of the World Heritage-inscribed rice terraces, has been designated as an emerging “growth pole” alongside Cordillera region’s rice granary Kalinga province, because of their improved economic performance, the Department of Economy, Planning and Development (DepDev) said during a briefing on Tuesday. The province has been in the spotlight recently

SAN FRANCISCO, Agusan del Sur, Philippines — Agusan del Sur is now under a state of calamity as prolonged El Niño conditions resulted in P3.5 billion worth of agricultural damage amid reduced water supply, officials said. Gov. Santiago Cane Jr. approved the state of calamity declaration across the province on Sept. 24, after its approval

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) on Thursday deployed a patrol vessel and an aircraft to drive away a Chinese research vessel allegedly conducting unauthorized marine scientific research off Itbayat, Batanes.