August, 2025

• 25 August

  Hontiveros: Phl can legally surrender Quiboloy to US

  

  Senate Deputy Minority Leader Risa Hontiveros said Friday the Philippines has clear legal grounds to temporarily surrender Kingdom of Jesus Christ leader Apollo Quiboloy to the United States, where he faces serious criminal charges. Citing Article 11 of the PH-US Extradition Treaty, Hontiveros explained that a person facing prosecution or serving a sentence in the country may be surrendered for …

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• 25 August

  BOC destroys piles of smuggled food in Subic

  

  The Bureau of Customs (BOC) has destroyed five containers of illegally imported agricultural products at the Port of Subic, reinforcing its crackdown on food smuggling. Condemned on August 15 in a Subic, Zambales facility, the shipments contained frozen meat, fish, preserved fruits, vegetables, and other perishable goods.  The cargo was forfeited to the government for lacking a phytosanitary certificate, violating …

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• 25 August

  Agri chief urges House to amend Rice Tariffication Law

  

  Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu-Laurel Jr. has urged lawmakers to amend the Rice Tariffication Law (RTL), warning that the measure in its current form has failed to protect local farmers and left the rice industry vulnerable to volatile global markets. In a presentation before the House Committee on Agriculture and Food, chaired by Quezon Rep. Wilfrido Mark Enverga, Tiu-Laurel described the …

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• 25 August

  DepEd, DOTr launch 50% MRT, LRT fare discount for students

  

  The Department of Education (DepEd) and the Department of Transportation (DOTr) have formally launched a nationwide program granting 50-percent fare discounts for students using the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) and Light Rail Transit (LRT) systems. In a statement last week, the DepEd said the initiative will run until 2028, in line with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s directive to help …

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• 25 August

  Flooded by corruption — the FCP scandal uncovered

  

  The ongoing crackdown on anomalous flood control projects (FCPs) has struck a national nerve, reaching a dramatic crescendo as President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered the filing of graft charges against a contractor tied to a so-called “ghost” project in Bulacan. The President’s move came after personally inspecting another incomplete flood mitigation structure built with substandard materials—an ominous signal of how …

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• 25 August

  Phl BoP swings to $167-M deficit in July—BSP

  

  The Philippines’ balance of payments (BoP) position slipped into a US$167-million deficit in July, reversing the surpluses of ₱226 million a month earlier and ₱62 million in the same period last year, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) reported. BSP Deputy Governor Lyn Javier said the shortfall was mainly due to the national government’s drawdowns on its foreign currency deposits …

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• 25 August

  DMW raises minimum wage for Filipino domestic workers to $500

  

  The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) announced a major reform package on Friday to strengthen the protection of overseas Filipino domestic workers, highlighted by a wage hike from $400 to $500 a month. Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac said the new pay floor, which takes effect 60 days from issuance, was finalized after six months of consultations and will …

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• 25 August

  BSP launches online credit scoring system for SMEs

  

  The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) has introduced a web-based credit scoring system that will make it easier for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to access financing. Developed with the Japan International Cooperation Agency, the Credit Risk Database Philippines (CRDPh) System generates credit scores and default probabilities using anonymized financial and non-financial data from participating financial institutions (FIs). “It aims to …

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• 25 August

  Pharma innovation hubs strengthen Phl role as Southeast Asia leader

  

  The entry of more pharmaceutical players setting up hubs in the Philippines is expected to boost the country’s goal of becoming a regional center for research, digital health, and manufacturing, a new report said Friday. Market analyst BMI, a unit of Fitch Solutions, said the planned establishment of the first Pharma Innovation Hub, alongside the existing operations of Merck Business …

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• 25 August

  SEC fines Villar Land P12M for delayed financial reports

  

  The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has slapped Villar Land Holdings Corp. and 11 of its top officers with a total fine of ₱12 million for failing to submit audited financial reports for 2024 and the first quarter of 2025. In an order issued on August 18 and released Thursday, the SEC’s Markets and Securities Regulation Department said the penalty …

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