Philippine News

MANILA, Philippines, December 12 ------ The Philippine government is ready to communicate with Portugal or any country to track down resigned lawmaker and fugitive Zaldy Co, one of the politicians tied to the multibillion-peso flood control mess. Co, who is facing an arrest warrant in relation to an allegedly anomalous road dike project in Oriental Mindoro, left the Philippines days before President Marcos ordered a probe into subpar and ghost flood control structures last Ju

MANILA, December 12 ------ The Philippine government, through the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), has acknowledged the continued support of of Japan in the country’s infrastructure modernization. According to Secretary Vince Dizon, Japan’s support to the Philippines will speed up the completion of infrastructure projects that will bring immediate benefit to the Filipino people. In a news release on Monday, he expressed his gratitude to the government of Japan,

MANILA, December 11 ------ The Philippines' unemployment and underemployment rates climbed in October from September, the Philippine Statistics Authority said. October's jobless rate rose to 5 percent from 3.8 percent in September, based on PSA data. This meant that 2.54 million Filipino workers were unemployed, which was higher than the 1.96 million workers jobless in September. The underemployment rate also climbed to 12 percent in October from 11.1 percent in September. Th

MANILA, Philippines, December 11 ------ The maximum suggested retail price or SRP for red onions will be increased to P150 per kilo from P120 due to rising supplier costs, according to the Department of Agriculture. DA Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. told state-run PTV yesterday that the cost of imported red onions, including those from China, India and the Netherlands went up again. “We are adjusting the max SRP, probably effective tomorrow,” he said. As for white onions,

MANILA, Philippines, December 11 ------ The passport of fugitive former lawmaker Zaldy Co has been canceled, President Marcos announced, as he ordered agencies to coordinate with embassies to prevent him from further eluding authorities. Co, who resigned as representative of the Ako Bicol party-list, is facing an arrest warrant issued by the Sandiganbayan in connection with a questionable flood control project in Oriental Mindoro. Foreign Affairs Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro

December 11 ------ Newly extruded dark lava spines were observed at the summit of Mayon Volcano this week, coinciding with a surge in daily rockfall events, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) reported. “Close-up photographs of the Mayon Volcano summit taken on 8 to 10 December 2025 reveal new spines of dark lava that have been extruded from the summit lava dome,” Phivolcs said. The agency noted that these physical changes at the crater “were obs

MANILA, Philippines, December 10 ------ The peso slumped to another all-time low yesterday, closing at 59.22 to the dollar as markets braced for a possible interest rate cut by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) and tracked stronger movements in the greenback overseas. Data from the Bankers Association of Philippines showed that the local currency dipped by 28.5 centavos from its 58.935 finish on Friday. This is higher than the close recorded on Nov. 12, when the peso reac

MANILA, December 10 ------ The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has monitored two Chinese naval task groups transiting the northeastern part and eastern seaboard of the Philippines beyond its exclusive economic zone (EEZ) over the past week. Philippine Navy spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad said the monitoring is part of the AFP’s move to expand its maritime domain awareness (MDA) operations “to the region.” “With the shift of the

MANILA, December 10 ------ No Filipino casualties have been reported so far after a magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck off Japan’s northeastern coast, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said. In a statement, the DFA said it is also "closely monitoring" the situation through the Philippine Embassy in Tokyo. "At this time, the Embassy has not received any reports of Filipino casualties. The Embassy and the Migrant Workers Office in Tokyo continue to coordinate with their cont

MANILA, Philippines, December 10 ------ The Department of Tourism (DOT) should urgently address skyrocketing domestic airfares, Sen. Erwin Tulfo said, as he pointed out that the prohibitive costs are driving Filipino travelers to foreign destinations rather than local spots. He issued the call at the Senate plenary debates on the 2026 DOT budget, during which he also highlighted the pricing disparity that makes international travel more attractive than domestic tours. “Our pe

MANILA, December 9 ------ The Philippines posted a slower inflation rate of 1.5 percent in November, the Philippine Statistics Authority said. This was slower than the 1.7 percent clip seen in October and September, and was within the 1.1 to 1.9 percent forecast of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas. From January to November, inflation averaged 1.6 percent, which was lower than the 2 to 4 percent target range of economic managers. The PSA said food inflation at the national leve

MANILA, Philippines, December 9 ------ Transport group Manibela will stage a strike nationwide starting today to December 11 to protest against what it described as escalating penalties, extortion and delays in government processes affecting public utility vehicle (PUV) drivers and operators. During a press briefing yesterday, Manibela chairman Mar Valbuena said the group would push through with its planned protest action from Tuesday to Thursday next week. “This transport st

MANILA, December 9 ------ President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. thanked the Sultanate of Oman for helping with the repatriation of 9 Filipino seafarers after they were rescued from Houthi rebels. The 9 Filipino crew members of the MV Eternity C that sunk off the coast of Yemen have arrived in Oman, where they settled their travel documents before finally returning to the Philippines this week, Marcos Jr. said in a video message posted on his social media accounts. “Magpasalamat tayo

MANILA, Philippines, December 9 ------ The flood control investigations have uncovered hundreds of multi-million-peso substandard and ghost projects. The Commission on Audit's latest report makes the scale even clearer after it flagged 747 "unusable or idle" infrastructure projects worth P6.5 billion in 2024 alone. Released last December 2, the COA report revealed that the Department of Public Works and Highways' oversight lapses led to hundreds of defective projects after th

MANILA, Philippines, December 8 ------ As the government grapples with the massive infrastructure scam, the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) said that more transparency portals will be launched, with the Social Security System (SSS) and Philhealth already rolling out theirs. In a Palace briefing, DICT Secretary Henry Aguda said the websites will be powered by artificial intelligence (AI), where people can track the projects and the amount of mone

MANILA, December 8 ------ Price monitoring of basic commodities will continue to ensure that retailers will not raise their prices to the detriment of the public, Trade and Industry Secretary Cristina Roque said. This, as she assures the public that prices of basic goods remain generally unchanged ahead of the Christmas holiday. “Continuous pa rin ang monitoring natin ng mga supermarkets and groceries for the basic necessities and prime commodities kasi utos ng ating Pangulo,

December 7 ------ The Philippine Navy has further strengthened its alliance with the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) as part of the measures to enhance professional expertise and operational interoperability between the two countries. Read Admiral Joe Anthony C. Orbe, commander of the Navy’s Philippine Fleet, said the four-day visit of the JMSDF destroyer Harusame (DD102) also reaffirmed the two nations’ commitment to supporting the shared goal of a secure and stabl

MANILA, Philippines, December 7 ------ The Land Transportation Office (LTO) has postponed to January next year the scheduled impounding of electric bicycles and e-tricycles along national roads. Multiple public complaints led to the deferment of the ban’s enforcement today, LTO chief Markus Lacanilao said yesterday. An information drive about the prohibition will instead take place today, Lacanilao said. “President Marcos and acting Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez are

MANILA, Philippines, December 6 ------ Nineteen warships of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) were monitored roaming the country’s exclusive economic zone in the West Philippine Sea last month, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) reported. At a press briefing, Philippine Navy spokesman for the WPS Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad said the PLAN warships were among the 14,972 different vessels monitored in the country’s territorial waters in November. “Of

December 6 ------ The Philippines will sign at least three free-trade agreements (FTAs) next year, including a historic deal with the European Union (EU), as part of the government’s bid to boost the country’s exports, which remain robust despite global headwinds. Speaking at the National Exporters’ Week 2025, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Secretary Cristina Roque confirmed that the country will seal FTAs with the EU, Chile, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) next ye