By Rose de la Cruz Just last March 19, San Miguel Corp. confirmed it was dropping the Pasig River Expressway (PAREX) project (which made environmental groups so jubilant and victorious). But on Sunday, media reported that PAREX will begin by 2025 after the conglomerate obtains clearances from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, said the Toll Regulatory Board. This …
Read More »
By Rose de la Cruz Based on the Energy Transition Index of the World Economic Forum, the Philippines slowed down to 105th (out of 120 countries) ahead only to Bangladesh (109th), Pakistan (113th) and Mongolia (118th). The Philippines dropped 11 spots in the index to 105th this compared to 94th in 2023, making it the lowest since 2015 when it …
Read More »
By Rose de la Cruz Think- tank, IBON Foundation, asked the government to invest more in education (particularly in creative thinking and sciences) as the Philippines continued to lag in the recently-published Programme on International Student Assessment of the Overseas Economic and Cooperation Development. Filipino students, ages 15 or those nearing graduation from the basic primary education system covered by …
Read More »
Vice President Sara Duterte stepped down as education secretary and vice chairperson of the government’s anti-communist task force, Malacañang announced on Wednesday. According to Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Secretary Cheloy Garafil, Duterte went to Malacañang at 2:21 p.m. Wednesday to tender her resignation as Member of the Cabinet, Secretary of the Department of Education and Vice Chairperson of the National …
Read More »
By Rose de la Cruz With all the hype that SIM Registration law (which was deliberated in the previous administration) about stopping all scams, esp. from POGOs, have all but miserably failed. Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian, in a statement, said a number of SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) cards used for fraud were found in recent raids of illegal POGO (Philippine Offshore …
Read More »
Hydrogen exploration has been attracting great interest around the world for energy (as clean fuel) as an innovation capable of meeting future energy demand with various applications in the power, transportation, commercial, and industrial sectors. For this reason, the Department of Energy has organized the Hydrogen Energy Industry Committee to oversee the implementation of a circular dated Jan. 12 or …
Read More »
By Rose de la Cruz Just when things looked bright for the Mindanao Railway Project during the Duterte administration, but turned sour with Chinese funding withdrawn, the project is currently being overhauled and reviewed by the Department of Transportation, this time to prioritize the development of a modern and environment-friendly rail system in the southern Philippines. The plan to put …
Read More »
Philippine climate activists marched to the U.S. Embassy on Monday to call on the leaders of the Group of 7 (G7) to deliver climate finance to developing countries in anticipation of the 50th G7 Summit on June 13. The march was conducted as part of a series of protests across South and Southeast Asia and led by the Asian Peoples’ …
Read More »
By Rose de la Cruz A landmark digital infrastructure is set to rise in Tarlac after the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) signed an agreement with the provincial government to lease a 52-hectare land that would house a 300-megawatt hyperscale data center. The data center, which will occupy 47 hectares of land space, will be built by Narra Technology …
Read More »
By Rose de la Cruz From just P8.9 billion for the original cost of constructing the new Senate building at the Bonifacio Global City in Taguig, the current adjusted cost has leapt to P23 billion, which new Senate President Francis Escudero found atrocious and bad taste for the people. He suspended the construction over concerns of the cost that nearly …
Read More »
The Market Monitor Minding the Nation's Business