Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto has urged the public to stay vigilant against efforts to distort the truth in the Senate’s ongoing probe into the multibillion-peso flood control scandal. Speaking at a House tri-committee hearing, Sotto cautioned against taking at face value the explosive testimonies of controversial couple Cezarah Rowena “Sarah” and Pacific “Curlee” Discaya, who linked several lawmakers and …
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With the proposed Universal Social Pension still awaiting passage in Congress, Senator Loren Legarda is pushing a separate measure that seeks to grant indigent senior citizens a P1,000 monthly stipend for their maintenance medicines. Through Senate Bill No. 164, or the Monthly Maintenance Medication Support for Senior Citizens Act, Legarda said the program aims to ease the financial burden of …
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President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has signed Proclamation No. 1020, officially declaring the second week of September every year as National Pensioners’ Week. The proclamation recognizes the invaluable contributions of Filipino pensioners while ensuring their welfare through stronger social protection programs. The Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) and the Social Security System (SSS) were designated as lead agencies to spearhead …
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Road rage is becoming a serious and growing menace on Philippine roads. While currently covered by provisions of the Revised Penal Code, lawmakers are pushing for a comprehensive Anti-Road Rage Act to define it as a specific crime and impose stiffer penalties. The problem has grown alongside the surge in motorcycle use. In just over a decade, registrations nearly doubled …
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The Department of Transportation (DOTr) has renewed its partnership with Japan’s Sumitomo Corporation for another two years to rehabilitate and maintain the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3). DOTr said the extension is aligned with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s directive to ensure efficient and sustainable rail operations. The agreement was signed by DOTr Acting Secretary Giovanni Lopez and Sumitomo corporate …
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Seven members of the Manila Police District-Drug Enforcement Unit (MPD-DEU) were sacked Friday after being accused of extortion and illegal detention of two motorcycle delivery riders in Sampaloc. Manila Mayor Isko Moreno Domagoso ordered their immediate relief, with MPD chief Brig. Gen. Arnold Abad directing the officers to report to the Personnel Holding and Accounting Unit while under investigation. “Walang …
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Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon vowed to go beyond jailing corrupt officials as he set a meeting with the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) this week to freeze and forfeit assets of those behind anomalous flood control projects worth billions. “It is not enough that they go to jail. People’s money must be returned,” Dizon stressed in a Friday briefing at …
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The Trump administration has announced a new P14 billion (USD250 million) foreign aid package to help the Philippines tackle urgent health concerns, including tuberculosis and maternal health, while strengthening defenses against emerging diseases. “Through this assistance, our governments will work together on tuberculosis and maternal health while investing in preparedness, detection, and response capabilities,” US State Secretary Marco Rubio said …
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The Philippines and Qatar have signed a landmark labor agreement establishing the first unified employment contract for Filipino household service workers, a move hailed as a breakthrough in protecting overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) from abuse and unfair labor practices. The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) announced Friday that the unified contract consolidates all employment terms into a single agreement jointly …
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The image was impossible to ignore: two pictures showing mountains of cash—literal bricks of money—reportedly prepared for delivery to lawmakers and officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH). It was not some viral meme or dramatized movie still. This was real, and it sent chills down the spines of ordinary Filipinos. The billiard table used as a …
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