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Agricultural damage from the enhanced southwest monsoon and tropical cyclones Luis, Maymay and Neneng has reached ₱3.62 billion, affecting nearly 75,000 hectares of farmland and more than 86,000 farmers and fishers, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said last week. The latest field validation covered 74,809 hectares of agricultural areas and 87,745 metric tons (MT) in production losses across eight regions, …

The Philippines is targeting a major expansion of its semiconductor and electronics industry, seeking to more than double annual exports to US$110 billion by 2030 while moving into higher-value activities such as chip design, engineering, research and innovation. The Philippine Semiconductor and Electronics Industry Roadmap aims to increase the country’s share of global semiconductor assembly, test and packaging from 4 …

The Commission on Audit (COA) clarified that an acknowledgment receipt alone cannot justify reward payments made from confidential funds, stressing that agencies must provide evidence showing that information from informants resulted in a successful intelligence or confidential operation. During the Senate Committee on Finance hearing on COA’s 2027 budget, COA Commissioner Douglas Mallillin said payment for information is different from …

The country’s continuing flooding is being sidetracked by the legally complex impeachment trial, Alex Eala’s historic run at the US Open, and the arrival of the much-awaited “ber” months. Yet, while national attention shifts from one spectacle to another, millions of Filipinos remain trapped in a vicious cycle of floods that seems to have no end. This cycle begins with “ayuda”—cash …

Beyond the Vice President’s impeachment trial and the massive flooding in Metro Manila and neighboring provinces, another political drama is unfolding quietly at the Office of the Ombudsman. Its next moves could have consequences far beyond the corruption investigations earlier making headlines. The Ombudsman said that more senators are facing criminal investigations following the arrests of Senators Rodante Marcoleta and Jinggoy Estrada. Yet there has been little …

REALPOLITIKBy Benjie Alejandro The Bureau of Animal Industry’s recent approval of Vietnam’s AVAC Live Vaccine against African Swine Fever (ASF) is undeniably a welcome relief for Filipino hog raisers.  After seven years of crippling economic losses, devastated livelihoods, and skyrocketing pork prices, a light at the end of the tunnel has finally emerged. The Department of Agriculture (DA), led by …

EBITDABy DIEGO C. CAGAHASTIAN The Department of Agriculture (DA) under Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. should be commended for keeping an open mind and welcoming novel and tested ideas and technologies in the farm sector. Even if other government officials and elected senators and congressmen are vehemently against China, thus effectively prohibiting the Philippines from sharing in the economic benefits …

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has vowed to further cut the grip of middlemen on the country’s agricultural supply chain, saying farmers and producers should capture more value from what they grow and produce. Marcos made the commitment during his visit to the Batangas Egg Producers Multipurpose Cooperative (BEPCO), where he inspected the cooperative’s ₱300-million egg processing facility in Barangay …

By Vito Barcelo Jr. Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon and NLEX Corporation President and General Manager Luis S. Reñon announced plans to construct a retarding basin beneath the cloverleaf section of the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) to help mitigate flooding in the Balintawak area. The proposed facility will temporarily store excess rainwater during heavy downpours, reducing the volume of water …

The government is putting tighter safeguards around its proposed ₱1.47-trillion infrastructure spending program for 2027, with the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) assuring the public that projects must clear a series of evaluations before receiving funding. The DBM said last week that infrastructure proposals included in the 2027 National Expenditure Program (NEP) underwent evaluation and validation to determine whether …