Philippine News

January 13 ------ Fuel retailers announced another round of hikes in pump prices of petroleum products, marking the third straight week of hikes for both diesel and kerosene. In separate advisories, Chevron Philippines Inc. (Caltex), Flying V, Petron Corp., Seaoil Philippines Corp. and Shell Pilipinas Corp. said they will hike prices per liter of gasoline by P0.30, diesel by P0.20, and kerosene by P0.30. Cleanfuel, Petro Gazz, PTT Philippines Corp., and Unioil Petroleum Phili

MANILA, January 13 ------ Overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) can expect wider coverage and better services from the government as the Department of Migrant Workers’ (DMW) budget for 2026 has increased by 34 percent. At a Palace briefing Monday, Undersecretary Bernard Olalia reported that the DMW’s allocation under the 2026 General Appropriations Act (GAA) rose to PHP11.745 billion from last year’s PHP8.76 billion. “For the Office of the Secretary, we have PHP7.46 billion, an in

MANILA, January 13 ------ The Philippines rejected China’s claim that Manila is staging provocations in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), saying that protecting Filipino fishermen within the country’s maritime zones is part of its lawful duty and not an act of escalation. In a statement, the National Maritime Council (NMC) said tensions in the WPS stem from China’s “persistent illegal, coercive, aggressive and deceptive (ICAD) activities” in areas that fall within the Philippine

January 13 ------ The Philippine Embassy in Tehran has reported no affected Filipino in the escalating deadly protests in the Islamic state. According to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), there are around 823 Filipinos in Iran, and the majority of them are permanent residents, being spouses or children of Iranian nationals. “As of this writing, there have been no reports of any Filipino who have been affected in the protests in Iran,” DFA said. Iran’s Supreme Leader Al

MANILA, Philippines, January 12 ------ State volcanologists recorded 256 rockfalls amid ongoing lava flow at Mayon Volcano, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said. In its latest observation, Phivolcs reported that Mayon Volcano in Albay also generated 41 pyroclastic density currents, along with the 256 recorded rockfall events. The sulfur dioxide flux emitted also reached 777 metric tons per day on January 10. This was further corroborated by g

January 12 ------ The number of “super flu” cases in the country has reached 63, the Department of Health (DOH) said on Sunday, noting that all patients have already recovered. “Meron na tayong datos ngayon, all the way until December, 63 yung naibilang natin. Lahat po sila ay buhay, lahat sila ay gumaling na,” DOH spokesperson Albert Domingo said in an interview with Super Radyo dzBB. The DOH clarified that “super flu” is a variant of influenza A and is not a new disease. “Y

MANILA, January 12 ------ Acting Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez ordered the Land Transportation Office (LTO) to change the lead time for settling traffic violations to 15 days and suspend the confiscation of driver’s licenses of erring motorists. In a statement, Lopez said the order is in line with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s directive to streamline and clarify procedures in apprehending erring motorists. In a memorandum dated Jan. 9, Lopez ordered the LTO to

MANILA, Philippines, January 12 ------ The Senate Blue Ribbon committee will resume its flood control hearings next week to address alleged witness retractions, enforce attendance through subpoenas and begin scrutinizing public works documents known as the “Cabral files,” its chairman Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson said. Lacson said the resumption is scheduled for Jan. 19 at 1 p.m., subject to a quorum. “I already informed colleagues in the majority through our c

MANILA, January 11 ------ Chinese maritime and air activities in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) are expected to persist into 2026, as the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy, China Coast Guard (CCG) and maritime militia continue to operate in an increasingly integrated and deterrence-focused manner, according to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad, Philippine Navy spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea, said that from 2024 to 2025, Ch

MANILA, Philippines, January 11 ------ The Department of Health (DOH) on Monday said its zero balance billing policy will now be implemented in selected local government unit – owned hospitals after President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. announced that P1 billion of the agency’s budget will be used for the program. In a statement following the signing of the 2026 General Appropriations Act, the DOH noted that Marcos “has confirmed that P1 billion from the DOH budget will be used t

MANILA, Philippines, January 10 ------ The Philippines closed 2025 with average inflation easing to 1.7 percent, its lowest level in nine years and below the government’s target as the increase in food prices slowed, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said. National Statistician Dennis Mapa said in a press conference yesterday that headline inflation – the rate of increase in consumer prices – averaged 1.7 percent last year, lower than the 3.2 percent average inflation

MANILA, January 10 ------ The Philippines' unemployment and underemployment rates eased in November 2025 compared to October, the Philippine Statistics Authority said. However, compared to November 2024, the jobless rate as well as the total number of unemployed workers actually increased. The PSA said the jobless rate was seen at 4.4 percent of the labor force in November, which was lower than the 5 percent clip seen in October. This meant that 2.25 million workers were jobl

MANILA, Philippines, January 9 ------ The country’s outstanding debt climbed to a fresh all-time high in November last year, exceeding the full-year debt projection for 2025 by over P300 billion, driven by an increase in net issuance of domestic and external debt. Based on the latest data from the Bureau of the Treasury (BTr), the national government’s outstanding debt increased by less than one percent to P17.647 trillion by end-November from P17.562 trillion of end-October

January 9 ------ The Department of Health (DOH) issued a warning for devotees about the risk of stampede in crowded areas during traslacion or the procession of Jesus Nazareno image in Manila. In a statement, the DOH said large gatherings especially in narrow streets and densely packed areas increase the danger of stampede incidents, which can lead to injuries or fatalities. The Department shared the common signs of an impending stampede: - strong pushing from the crowd - sud

LEGAZPI CITY, Albay, January 9 ------ Several barangays surrounding Mayon Volcano have experienced ashfall, according to the Albay Public Safety and Emergency Management Office (APSEMO). APSEMO chief Roderick Mendoza said ashfall was first reported in the town of Malilipot, followed by light ashfall early Thursday morning in Ligao City, Legazpi City, Santo Domingo, and other nearby areas around the volcano. Helen Salvadora Ramirez, a resident of Purok 1, Barangay Lidong in Sa

MANILA, January 9 ------ President Ferdinand Marcos Jr announced a one-time waiver on the interest of unpaid premiums and contributions to the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth), saying that some 300,000 employers are expected to benefit from the indemnity. The amnesty will cover employers and self-employed Filipinos who have missed paying their contributions to the state health insurer anytime between 2013 and 2024, Marcos Jr. said in a video message upload

MANILA, January 8 ------ The Philippine peso hit yet another historic low on Wednesday as the local currency weakened to P59.355 versus the US dollar. The peso opened at P59.24 to the dollar, which was already weaker than the previous historic low of P59.22 hit on December 9 last year. It further weakened during the day, hitting as low as P59.38 during intraday trading. An influx of remittances from overseas Filipinos helped the peso regain ground in December, keeping the loc

ZAMBOANGA CITY , Philippines, January 8 ------ A magnitude 6.4 earthquake jolted Manay town in Davao Oriental and nearby provinces yesterday, according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology. Phivolcs said the epicenter of the quake, which occurred at 11:02 a.m., was located 47 kilometers southeast of Manay. Allan Rommel Labayog, Phivolcs regional field monitoring officer, said the temblor may generate aftershocks and cause damage to property. The quake was

January 8 ------ A total of 162 rockfall events have been recorded in the past 24 hours as Alert Level 3 is maintained over Mayon Volcano in Albay, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) said. From 12 a.m. on Wednesday to 12 a.m. on Thursday, PHIVOLCS said that 50 pyroclastic density currents (PDCs) have been observed in the volcano. PDCs are mixtures of fragmented volcanic particles (pyroclastics), hot gases, and ashes that rush down the volcanic s

MANILA, January 8 ------ China has rejected a Philippine Navy assessment that warned of Beijing’s growing aggressiveness and coordinated maritime operations in the West Philippine Sea, even as the report laid out evidence of how China's navy, coast guard and maritime militia have increased deployments to assert control over the waters. In a statement, the Chinese Embassy in Manila said it “firmly rejects the Philippine side’s so-called report,” calling it “full of mispercepti