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By Tracy Cabrera  BATASAN HILLS, Quezon City — Some 5.58 million high school graduates are considered currently as being ‘functionally illiterate’ or having problems in comprehension and understanding, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA). In a statement, House committee on basic education and culture chairman Roman Romulo of the Lone District of Pasig City cited that the 5.58 million individuals …

By Tracy Cabrera  THE HAGUE, Netherlands — The International Criminal Court (ICC) has announced the assumption of new leadership, management and administration of its Office of the Prosecutor (OTP) and including the case against former president Rodrigo’ Rody’ Duterte (FPRRD) in the wake of ICC prosecutor Karim Khan’s leave of absence.  Assuming over the OTP and the litigation of Duterte’s case of …

By Tracy Cabrera  BATASAN HILLS, Quezon City — Noting the four hours of applied economics featured in the K-12 curriculum, Marikina District II representative Stella Luz Quimbo is questioning the Department of Education (DepEd) about the need to include these subjects when not all students take a program related to business or economics. During the hearing of the House committee …

By Tracy Cabrera  MALACAÑANG, Manila — It’s a green light for the creation of 16,000 new teaching positions in public schools for School Year 2025 to 2026 as the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) approved funding based on President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. (PBBM)’s directive to strengthen the education sector and ensure sufficient manpower in the country’s educational institutions. According …

By Tracy Cabrera   VATICAN CITY, Rome — Meeting with the pontifical foundation known as the Fondazione Centesimus Annus–Pro Pontifice that is tasked to promote the goals of the Apostolic See, Pope Leo XIV has issued the challenge on helping develop the Church’s Social Doctrine with the “people of God, in this time of great social upheaval.” The Centesimus Annus Pro Pontifice …

TRACES OF TRUTH By Tracy Cabrera  A man is not finished when he is defeated. He is finished when he quits. — US president Richard Nixon MAYPAJO, Caloocan City — Midway his term as the country’s chief executive, President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. (PBBM) has begun a new battlecry: “Alyansa, all the way!” But none of the candidates of the …

By Tracy Cabrera  AYALA, Makati City — Three firms owned by multi-billionaire Manuel ‘Manny’ Bamba Villar and six other companies were slapped with trading suspensions by the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) due to late filing of financial reports for the year 2024. Suspended were Villar’s Vistamalls, Vista Land and Golden MV Holdings as well as AgriNurture Incorporated (ANI), Waterfront Philippines Incorporated …

By Tracy Cabrera Vote buying remains a deeply rooted problem in Philippine elections, according to a foreign observation team mostly composed of representatives from European Union (EU) member countries. In a preliminary report, the EU Election Observation Mission (EU-EOM) criticized the Commission on Elections (Comelec) for failing to effectively curb the illegal practice during the recent midterm polls, calling it …

The Department of Agriculture (DA) has temporarily lifted the maximum suggested retail price (MSRP) policy for pork sold in wet markets due to low compliance among vendors, while maintaining a ban on pork imports from China and several European countries amid ongoing efforts to contain African swine fever (ASF). The ban on pork and pork-based products remains in effect for …

San Miguel Corporation (SMC) posted first-quarter earnings of P43.4 billion, rising sharply from P8.9 billion a year earlier, supported by one-time gains from the partial sale of power assets and foreign exchange gains.  Core net income, excluding these non-recurring items, grew 31% to P19.0 billion, driven by disciplined cost management and solid performance in most of its core businesses. Revenues …