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The Department of Agriculture (DA) announced that the ₱20-per-kilo rice program under the “Benteng Bigas Meron (BBM) Na” initiative will soon be available across all provinces in the Davao Region, even as the area reels from the recent magnitude 7.4 earthquake that struck Davao Oriental. Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said the program’s rollout remains on track and may …

The Senate Subcommittee on Finance chaired by Senator Loren Legarda will review the request of the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) to increase its proposed 2026 budget from ₱2.8 billion to ₱3.9 billion. During Friday’s budget hearing, Legarda said the panel will carefully evaluate the request based on the government’s available “fiscal space,” or capacity to expand spending without endangering long-term …

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has started building a detour bridge near the collapsed Piggatan Bridge in Alcala, Cagayan, as part of a three-pronged strategy to ease the transport of agricultural goods in Luzon. DPWH Secretary Vivencio Dizon said the new 124-meter detour bridge, which has a 40-ton capacity—more than double the 18-ton limit of the old …

In a nation long plagued by corruption, the latest scandal surrounding overpriced farm-to-market roads and botched flood control projects is beginning to follow a familiar script — one that ends in impunity. The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), without the knowledge or coordination of the Department of Agriculture (DA), has been exposed for constructing farm-to-market roads with bloated …

The Caloocan Batang Kankaloo banked on Rommel Calahat and Jeff Manday to thwart the Pampanga Giant Lanterns, 65-61, on Friday and rev up their playoff drive in the Manny Pacquiao Presents MPBL 2025 Season at the Gov. Andres B. Bernos Memorial Gymnasium in Bangued, Abra. Calahat, a burly former star of the San Sebastian College Golden Stags, bunched 8 points …

by Tracy Cabrera  MALATE, Manila — The resetting of the first parliamentary elections in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) is a welcome development that would allow its government sufficient time to address pressing legal concerns about Sulu’s exclusion, according to the Office of Presidential Peace Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU).  At the Kapihan sa Manila …

By Tracy Cabrera  DILIMAN, Quezon City — With valued contributions from the vibrant food sector, domestic manufacturing output turned positive both in terms of volume and value in August, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).  Based on official data, the volume of production (VoPI) and value of production (VaPI) indices respectively rebounded to 1.4 percent and 2.0 percent from …

By Tracy Cabrera  DILIMAN, Quezon City — In its bid to enhance digital connection as advocated by President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr., the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) is targeting to complete the transfer of fiber optic telecommunications lines underground before the end of the President’s term in 2028. In a statement, information and communication technology secretary Henry …

By Tracy Cabrera  CAMP AGUINALDO, Quezon City — Pointing to the threat posed by China’s increased activities in the area surrounding Palawan, defense secretary Gilbert ‘Gibo’ Teodoro cited the need to put ample defense facilities on the island as it is a vital part of the country’s territorial integrity.  Speaking before the Senate’s finance committee chaired by senator Sherwin ‘Win’ …

By Tracy Cabrera  INTRAMUROS, Manila  — The Independent Commission on Infrastructure (ICI) has asked the Department of Justice (DoJ) to issue ‘lookout’ bulletin orders against former House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, ex-Senate President Francis ‘Chiz’ Escudero, Senator Jose ‘Jinggoy Estrada’ Ejercito Jr. and others linked in the flood control scandal.  Among the others the ICI requested for a similar order …