Philippine News

MANILA, November 13 ------ The Philippine peso hit a historic low of P59.17 to the US dollar at the close of Wednesday's trading. This is lower than its P59.13 close on October 28. The peso has been described as one of the worst performers in Southeast Asia this month. The last time it tested the P59-to-the-dollar level was on December 19 last year. A former Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) official has said that bad governance is also scaring off investors, affecting the va

MANILA, November 13 ------ Tropical Depression Uwan maintained its strength while moving northeastward over the sea east of Taiwan, the weather bureau said. In its 5 a.m. bulletin, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) estimated the center of Uwan at 305 km. north of Itbayat, Batanes, packing maximum sustained winds of 55 kph near the center, and gustiness of up to 70 kph, moving northeastward at 25 kph. Strong winds extend

MANILA, Philippines, November 13 ------ In an effort to address the massive flooding in Metro Manila, President Marcos launched “Oplan Kontra Baha” at Balihatar Creek in Barangay San Dionisio, Parañaque. The program aims to declog waterways and drains of debris and garbage as well as manage the operability of pumping stations to curb flooding in low-lying areas. “We have studied it carefully, and a large part of flooding is siltation; our spillways are too shallow. Secondly,

MANILA, November 13 ------ The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) on Tuesday said it will begin reprocessing previously denied hospital claims starting Nov. 15 until Mar. 31, 2026. These include denied claims that were unprotested or unappealed and were filed late between Jan. 1, 2018, and Dec. 31, 2024. PhilHealth President and Chief Executive Officer Edwin Mercado said the move acknowledges the challenges faced by hospitals in claim processing. “Alam natin

MANILA, November 12 ------ Manila Electric Company (Meralco) is raising transmission charges and Feed-In Tariff Allowance (FIT-All) by PHP0.1520/kWh for the November 2025 billing. Electricity rate for this month will be at PHP13.4702/kWh from PHP13.3182/kWh last October. FIT-All is a charge set by the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) and is charged to all on-grid customers and remitted to the National Transmission Corporation (Transco) for the power generated from renewable

MANILA, Philippines, November 12 ------ Severe Tropical Storm "Uwan" will be likely re-entering the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) either Wednesday morning or afternoon as Signal No. 1 remains hoisted over three Luzon areas, the national weather agency said. Weather specialist Loriedin Dela Cruz-Galicia, of the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said in a briefing that Uwan maintained its strength as it slowly moved..

MANILA, November 12 ------ The death toll from Typhoon Tino climbed to 232 while Super Typhoon Uwan killed 25 individuals, the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) said stressing the agency's continuing search and rescue operations. In an interview on DZMM, OCD Deputy Administrator Bernardo Rafaelito Alejandro IV disclosed the additional casualties brought by the two consecutive storms. He said Tino left 112 people missing and 512 injured. "Sa bagyong Tino, ang ating numero ay 232 a

MANILA, November 12 ------ Selling pressure resulted in another negative close for the Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) but the peso again finished sideways against the greenback, despite touching the 59-level mid-trade. The main stocks gauge lost 1.29 percent to 5,629.07 points, and the All Shares by 0.94 percent to 3,465.61 points. Most of the sectoral indices also finished on the red, namely the Financials, 3 percent; Property, 2.06 percent; Holding Firms, 1.30 perce

MANILA, Philippines, November 11 ------ Typhoon Uwan (Fung-wong) left the Philippine Area of Responsibility at 1:30 am on Tuesday, November 11, but it is still affecting parts of the country due to its size. It is also expected to reenter PAR and head for Taiwan. As of 4 am, Uwan was already 365 kilometers west of Calayan, Cagayan, moving north at 15 kilometers per hour (km/h). The typhoon maintained its strength as it left PAR, with maximum sustained winds of 120 km/h and gu

November 11 ------ FUEL prices increased on Tuesday, Nov. 11, for the third straight week. Diesel went up P1 per liter, kerosene by 90 centavos per liter, and gasoline by 50 centavos per liter.   Local oil industry sources attributed the price hike mainly to Ukraine’s drone attack on Russia’s Black Sea port, and continued sanctions against two Russian oil companies, Rosneft and Lukoil.   There was a hefty increase in fuel prices last week, with diesel going up by P2.70, keros

BAGUIO, Philippines, November 11 ------ The death toll in the Cordillera Administrative Region from Typhoon Uwan (Fung-wong) rose to seven, with two others missing, local officials said on Tuesday, November 11. Most of the deaths resulted from landslides triggered by continuous heavy rain and strong winds brought by the super typhoon. Uwan later weakened into a typhoon after it made landfall.   In Tinoc, Ifugao, a farmer died after his hut was buried in a landslide on Sunday,

MANILA, Philippines, November 11 ------ Train rides are free today on the Light Rail Transit Lines 1 and 2 and Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3), according to the Department of Transportation. Commuters also enjoyed free rides yesterday following the onslaught of Typhoon Uwan. Classes in Metro Manila are suspended until today, while government work resumes.   Tollways, seaports, and air cargo terminals will waive fees for vehicles sending aid to areas affected by Uwan, acting

MANILA, November 10 ------ Typhoon Uwan (internarional name Fung-wong) weakened further as it moved over the coastal waters of Bacnotan, La Union, early Monday morning, according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA). The center of the typhoon’s eye was located over the coastal waters of Bacnotan, La Union, according to PAGASA's 5 am advisory. It now packs maximum sustained winds of 150 km/h near the center and gustiness

MANILA, November 10 ------ President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has recently declared a state of national calamity that will last for one year to hasten relief and rehabilitation after Typhoon Tino ravaged various parts of the country. "By virtue of the powers vested in me by the Constitution and existing laws, (I) do hereby declare a State of National Calamity for a period of one (1) year," said the President in Proclamation No. 1077. The proclamation signed by the chief executive

MANILA, November 10 ------ Preemptive evacuations continue as Super Typhoon Uwan (international name Fung-wong) lashes Luzon and nearby islands, with the total number of evacuated families now reaching 344,413, or 1,179,086 individuals. The figure was recorded as of 4:16 p.m. Sunday, according to Office of Civil Defense (OCD) deputy administrator for administration Assistant Secretary Bernardo Rafaelito Alejandro IV during an online press briefing. The evacuees came from Regi

MANILA, Philippines, November 10 ------ Malacañang suspended work in government offices today and canceled classes in several regions until tomorrow due to the expected severe impact of Super Typhoon Uwan. The super typhoon started battering the country’s northeastern coast ahead of landfall yesterday. The Philippines is still reeling from the devastation from Typhoon Tino, which left over 220 people dead in the Visayas and other parts of the country. Under Memorandum Circula

MANILA, Philippines, November 9 ------ Inflation held steady at 1.7 percent in October from the previous month amid slower food price increases. In a press conference, National Statistician Dennis Mapa said that headline inflation – the change in the average cost of consumer goods and services – stood at 1.7 percent in October, unchanged from the previous month. The October inflation print, however, was lower than the 2.3 percent print in the same month last year. It was with

MANILA, November 9 ------ Philippines and Canada signed a landmark Status of Visiting Forces Agreement (SOVFA), which allows the two countries to deploy its forces in each other's territory and further strengthen defense cooperation. Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro signed the pact with Canadian Minister of National Defense David McGuinty in Makati following a bilateral meeting. In his opening statement during the bilateral meeting, Teodoro said while the two nations' infor

MANILA, Philippines, November 8 ------ Heavy to intense rains are expected to drench eastern Luzon and Visayas starting today, as Severe Tropical Storm "Fung-Wong" nears the country. PAGASA said the system could reach super typhoon strength by Sunday afternoon, November 9, bringing torrential rainfall to 16 provinces in Luzon. Between 12 p.m. on November 8 and 12 p.m. on November 9, the following provinces are projected to receive heavy to torrential rainfall from Fung-Wong w

MANILA, Philippines, November 8 ------ Unemployment declined in September from the previous month, but the quality of jobs deteriorated, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA). In a press conference, National Statistician Dennis Mapa said the country’s unemployment rate dipped to 3.8 percent in September from the previous month’s 3.9 percent but inched up from 3.7 percent in the same month last year. This translated to 1.96 million jobless Filipinos in Septemb