Philippine News

MANILA, December 13 ------ The second round of negotiations between the Philippines and France on the proposed Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) successfully concluded the Department of National Defense (DND) said. DND Undersecretary for Strategic Assessment and Planning Ignacio Madriaga, the negotiation committee chair, led the Philippine delegation, while the French delegation was headed by Rear Admiral Jérôme Theillier from the Ministry of the Armed Forces of France. Describ

MANILA, December 13 ------ Gasoline prices will go down in the third week of December, the Department of Energy said. Based on the four-day trade monitoring of the Means of Platts Singapore, DOE Oil Industry Management Bureau Assistant Director Rodela Romero said the following decreases could be expected next week, excluding the cost of businesses. Gasoline – P0.30 per liter Diesel – P0.60 per liter Kerosene – P0.65 per liter Romero explained this came after oil investors shi

MANILA, December 12 ------ Meralco power rates are going down this December. In a statement, the power distributor said electricity rates were falling by P0.36/kwh due to a dip in transmission and generation charges. This means electricity bills may go down by the following amounts. Consumption Decrease 200 kwh P71 300 kwh P107 400 kwh P142 500 kwh P178 Source: news.abs-cbn.com

MANILA, December 12 ------ The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the United States Indo-Pacific Command held their 9th Bilateral Maritime Cooperative Activity in the West Philippine Sea on December 9 and 10. The two sides demonstrated operational competence and highlighted their shared commitment to safeguarding regional stability, the Philippine military said in a statement. The AFP said the MCA "reaffirms the enduring defense partnership between the Philippines and

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,