Philippine News

MANILA, Philippines, May 21 ------ Extreme heat has pushed six dams in Western Visayas to critical levels while eight major dams in Luzon have also started to go below their normal water levels. According to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) yesterday, San Roque Dam has the largest gap at 227.3 meters against its normal water level at 280 m. Angat Dam is now at 177.05 m against its normal water level of 210 m and Pantaba

MANILA, Philippines, May 21 ------ As Sen. Ronald dela Rosa’s whereabouts remain unknown, the Supreme Court has rejected his petition for a temporary restraining order against his arrest on the strength of an International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant. Voting 9-5-1, the Supreme Court justices denied Dela Rosa’s petition for a TRO and status quo ante order. The SC clarified, however, that it “only decided on the prayers for interim relief. The main issues raised by the parties

MANILA, May 21 ------ The National Maritime Council condemned the presence of Chinese maritime research vessels spotted in various areas within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone. According to monitoring of the National Task Force on the West Philippine Sea, at least four Chinese vessels were seen in Philippine waters. These include the Shi Yan 1 and Jia Geng seen near Itbayat in Batanes, the Zhuhaiyun seen 171 nautical miles from Bolinao, Pangasinan, and the Xiangyangh

MANILA, May 21 ------ The Senate Impeachment Court gave Vice President Sara Duterte until June 1 to file her answer to the Articles of Impeachment that the House sent to the Senate for trial. Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano, the court's presiding officer, announced this during the regular session of the Senate, saying the summons was served to the Office of the Vice President earlier in the day. The prosecution also received a copy on the same day, he said. "Under the ap

MANILA, Philippines, May 20 ------ The Philippine Coast Guard deployed an aircraft and a patrol vessel to challenge a China Coast Guard ship found "drifting" roughly 48 nautical miles west of Pandaquit, Zambales. In a statement today, the PCG said tracking by Canada's dark vessel detection program first flagged the unauthorized presence of CCG vessel 4305. This prompted PCG Commandant Adm. Ronnie Gil Gavan earlier this morning to send aerial and surface assets "to challenge a

MANILA, May 20 ------ President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. welcomed Japan’s expanded defense export policy, saying it would further strengthen security cooperation and military modernization efforts between Manila and Tokyo. Responding to questions on Japan’s reported easing of restrictions on defense exports, Marcos said Manila and Tokyo have existing arrangements under their Official Security Assistance (OSA) framework involving military and defense-related equipment. “Well, t

MANILA, Philippines, May 20 ------ The 11 members of the House of Representatives prosecution team in the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte have each been given specific articles to handle, with justice committee chairperson Rep. Gerville Luistro taking charge of the issue of confidential funds or Article 1. Luistro said Bicol Saro party-list Rep. Terry Ridon will lead in the prosecution of Article II on unexplained wealth while Manila Rep. Joel Chua will handl

MANILA, Philippines, May 20 ------ A suggested retail price of P53 per kilo of rice will be imposed by the Department of Agriculture. DA Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said they have reached a deal with rice industry stakeholders, striking a balance between farmers’ profits and consumers’ budgets. “This is not a price ceiling. It’s just a guide for consumers on fair local rice prices,” Tiu Laurel said. The SRP positions local rice slightly above imported five-percent brok

MANILA, Philippines, May 19 ------ Motorists face another round of fuel price hikes today, although the Department of Energy (DOE) continues to regulate pricing computations to prevent excessive increases. Energy Secretary Sharon Garin announced a maximum price increase of P1.21 per liter for gasoline and P2.82 per liter for diesel this week. Kerosene prices, meanwhile, will be rolled back by at least P2.21 per liter. “The DOE, for the past four weeks, has prescribed the adju

MANILA, Philippines, May 19 ------ The Philippine peso tumbled to a fresh all-time low on Monday, May 18, closing at 61.75 against the US dollar. Data from the Bankers Association of the Philippines (BAP) showed the peso opened the trading session at 61.69 and weakened steadily throughout the day, hitting an intraday low of 61.64 before settling at its closing price of 61.75 — six centavos weaker than its previous close of 61.721 on May 15. The closing rate is now the peso's

MANILA, May 19 ------ The Philippine Coast Guard said it challenged a Chinese marine scientific research vessel operating within Philippine territorial waters off Pag-asa Island. According to PCG, the China-flagged research vessel Xiang Yang Hong 33 has been in the country's exclusive economic zone (EEZ) since April 18, conducting research without the approval of the Philippine government. On May 16, it was seen being escorted by by Chinese Coast Guard vessels CCG 5101 and CC

MANILA, May 19 ------ Despite rumors that he is set to be replaced, Alan Peter Cayetano held on to the Senate Presidency. Meanwhile, the minority gained two members who previously voted to abstain during last week's Senate Presidential Elections. The session opened at 3:00 p.m., and Cayetano held on to the gavel as he called it to order. A total of 23 senators were present, with Senator Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa the lone absentee. During the session, Senators Miguel Zubiri and

MANILA, Philippines, May 18 ------ The Senate impeachment court will convene today to hear the Articles of Impeachment against Vice President Sara Duterte, Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano announced. In a press briefing, Cayetano vowed there would be no delays when the court convenes on May 18 at 3 p.m., “or at the possible soonest time, absent any question on the rules and procedure related to the transmitted articles.” Cayetano vowed that none of the 13 new majority sen

May 18 ------ The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) has monitored unauthorized marine scientific research (MSR) activities by a Chinese research vessel in the vicinity of Cay-2 and Cay-3 near the Pag-asa Island in the West Philippine Sea over the weekend. On May 16, the PCG monitored the Chinese research vessel Xiang Yang Hong 33, which is equipped to support submersibles, map the seafloor, gather deep-sea data, and perform extensive marine ecological studies. “The vessel was esco

May 18 ------ The Department of Health (DOH) said that it is actively coordinating with the World Health Organization (WHO) following the declaration of a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) linked to the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus in parts of Africa. In a statement, DOH assured the public that the Philippines remains free of the Bundibugyo virus and that health authorities are on alert amid global monitoring efforts. “We have been notified thro

MANILA, May 18 ------ Two of the seven Filipino seafarers injured in the drone attack on Malta-flagged container vessel MV San Antonio at the Strait of Hormuz on May 5 have recovered and are returning to the country on Friday, according to Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac. In a media briefing at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 1 on Friday, Cacdac assured the remaining five Filipino crew members of the container vessel who were injured due to th

MANILA, May 17 ------ Instead of a rate hike, there will be a small reduction in Meralco rates, as well as lower transmission rates for May. Meralco announced a marginal reduction in electricity rates for May, as regulatory interventions offset rising generation costs fueled by the war in the Middle East. The country’s largest power distributor said the overall rate for a typical household will dip by P0.0151 per kilowatt-hour (kWh), bringing the cost to 14.3345 pesos per kWh

MANILA, May 17 ------ The Philippines and Paraguay signed an agreement waiving visa requirements for holders of ordinary passports, in a move expected to boost travel, trade, and people-to-people exchanges between the two countries. Philippine Foreign Secretary Theresa Lazaro and Paraguayan Foreign Minister Ruben Ramirez Lezcano signed the Visa Waiver Agreement during Paraguayan President Santiago Peña Palacios’ visit to Malacañang. “The Visa Waiver Agreement institutionalize

MANILA, May 16 ------ Fuel surcharge in May 16-31 is down three notches, or from Level 18 to Level 15, the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) announced. Depending on the distance, Level 15 fuel surcharge for domestic routes may range from PHP491 to PHP1,436, while fuel surcharge for international flights could be between P1,621.42 to PHP12,056. Under the current level, fuel surcharge for domestic flights ranges from PHP593 to PHP1,734, and between PHP1,958.44 to PHP14,561.87 for i

MANILA, May 16 ------ Fuel prices have increased on the third day of trading on the global market, making local price hikes even more likely next week. This comes after US President Donald Trump's declaration that the peace talks with Iran are on life support. Oil prices have moved by the following amounts in the first three days: Diesel - P1.90/L increase Gasoline - P0.75/L increase Kerosene - P0.20/L decrease But Jetti Petroleum President Leo Bellas said there are still 2 t