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Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson on Friday said the Blue Ribbon Committee is waiting for “receipts” to substantiate claims that Senators Jinggoy Estrada and Joel Villanueva pocketed commissions from flood control projects. Lacson, who chairs the panel, stressed that former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) engineer Brice Hernandez must present documentary proof before the Senate or the …

Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) President and General Manager Jose Arnulfo Veloso on Friday welcomed the lifting of his preventive suspension, saying he is ready to resume his duties. In a statement, Veloso said the Ombudsman’s Sept. 17 decision affirmed there was no sufficient ground to believe his continued service would prejudice the ongoing investigation into a PHP1.4-billion stock purchase …

The Department of Agriculture (DA) on Friday said it is inclined to recommend an extension of the 60-day rice import ban, which ends on Oct. 30, to further support local farmers. Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said farmgate prices of palay have improved since President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. ordered the suspension of imports from Sept. 1 to Oct. …

National Security Adviser Eduardo Año has called on Europe and the Indo-Pacific to “link arms” in developing countermeasures against cyber intrusions, election manipulation, and other emerging threats. Speaking at a Stratbase ADR Institute forum in Makati City on Thursday, Año stressed the need for sharing best practices to protect democratic institutions. “Our regions must also link arms in developing and …

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ (BSP) decision to cap large cash transactions at P500,000 per banking day is a landmark reform that reflects the country’s push to modernize its financial system while tightening defenses against money laundering and other illicit activities.  Under this new rule, transactions exceeding the cap must pass through traceable channels such as checks, online transfers, or …

“The sea cannot be guarded by those who destroyed it.” This strong rebuke greeted China’s recent claim of establishing a “nature reserve” around Bajo de Masinloc, as both government officials and civic leaders denounced Beijing’s move as a deceptive ploy to tighten control over Philippine waters. National Security Adviser Eduardo Año minced no words, calling the claim a “direct violation …

By Tracy Cabrera Civic leader Dr. Jose Antonio Goitia came out swinging against lawmakers critical of Malacañang, accusing them of using political theatrics to mask their own failures. Goitia—chairman emeritus of Alyansa ng Bantay sa Kapayapaan at Demokrasya (ABKD), People’s Alliance for Democracy and Reforms (PADER), Liga Independencia Pilipinas (LIPI), and Filipinos Do Not Yield (FDNY) Movement—said the latest attacks …

The Land Transportation Office (LTO) has launched a full-scale probe into the alleged use of fake driver’s licenses by a group of former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) engineers, now infamously tagged as the “Bulacan Group of Contractors” or BGC Boys, to gain entry into casinos. LTO Chief Assistant Secretary Vigor Mendoza II said Friday that the agency’s …

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 …

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 …