Philippine News

MANILA, Philippines, September 15 ------ The peso sank to a fresh record low against the dollar as expectations of an interest rate hike in the United States fueled demand for the greenback, bringing the local currency closer to the 63-per-dollar level. Data from the Bankers Association of the Philippines showed the peso closed at 62.86 to $1 yesterday, weakening by 18 centavos from its previous record low of 62.68 on Friday. The currency opened at 62.75, its strongest level

MANILA, Philippines, September 15 ------ Motorists will see another hefty price hike of up to P5.68 per liter for petroleum products this week. In an advisory, the Department of Energy said gasoline prices would be costlier by P5.68 per liter beginning Tuesday. Diesel will also increase by P4.31 per liter, while kerosene will rise by P4.62 per liter. On Friday, Jetti Petroleum President Leo Bellas shared that diesel prices may increase by P2 to P2.50 per liter. Gasoline price

MANILA, Philippines, September 15 ------ The impeachment court began hearing Article II on Vice President Sara Duterte's alleged unexplained wealth, with a retired Sandiganbayan presiding justice breaking down the laws that bar public officials from holding wealth that's unaccounted for. Prosecutor Rep. Chel Diokno (Akbayan) offered the testimony of retired Sandiganbayan Presiding Justice Amparo Cabotaje-Tang to give the court, and the public, a framework for understanding th

MANILA, Philippines, September 15 ------ A string of deadly election-related incidents marred the opening of the first Bangsamoro parliamentary election, leaving several people dead and dozens wounded in Cotabato City. The violence began at around 8 p.m. Sunday, when an explosion in a residential area in Purok Amirol, Barangay Kalanganan killed Zainodin Sapal Macabuat. Police said Macabuat was waiting for a construction foreman when he saw a bright white light and heard an ex

MANILA, September 14 ------ Lower ancillary service charges and taxes countered the jump in generation charges for Manila Electric Company (Meralco), resulting in another month of lower rates this September. In a news release Friday, the Pangilinan-led distribution utility (DU) said its rates went down by PHP0.0409 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) to PHP14.7424 from PHP14.7833 per kWh last August. “For residential customers of Meralco who are consuming 200 kWh, this adjustment transla

MANILA, September 14 ------ A Chinese drilling-capable research vessel has left the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ) after spending 30 days inside Philippine waters, including 28 days in the vicinity of Bajo de Masinloc or Scarborough Shoal, according to the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG). The Haiyang Dizhi Shihao entered the Philippine EEZ at 11:54 a.m. on August 10 and arrived in the vicinity of Bajo de Masinloc the following day. The vessel remained in the area for

COTABATO, Philippines, September 14 ------ Three people were killed and 15 others wounded as gunfire erupted hours before polls were to open today in a semi-autonomous Muslim region of the Philippines set to choose its first elected parliament. The vote is the culmination of an on-off peace process that began in the late 1990s and established the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) in the country's far south. Cotabato police chief Jibin Bongcayao said the

CORON, Philippines, September 14 ------ The death toll from the ferry fire off Coron, Palawan climbed to 76 after the Philippine Coast Guard confirmed the discovery of 41 more bodies aboard the burnt-out M/V June Aster, as authorities began the painstaking process of identifying the victims. The remains will be transported to a port in Coron, coast guard spokeswoman Commodore Noemie Cayabyab said in a statement. The first 30 bodies recovered from the vessel arrived by sea ear