A technical hiccup due to a pipe falling into a well has affected the pace of ongoing drilling at the Malampaya gas field, according to a highly placed source whose organization is part of the Service Contract (SC) 38 consortium for the project. The source indicated that “there had been technical...
The Philippines is exploring a free trade agreement (FTA) with Israel in a bid to expand both countries’ trade relationship, currently valued at over $400 million, according to the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). DTI Secretary Cristina Roque announced at the conclusion of the first...
Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman cautioned on Tuesday, July 29, that government projects may face paralysis next year should President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. veto a Congress-approved national budget that deviates from his administration 's priorities. While Finance Secretary Ralph G. Recto...
Three top officials of the Department of Health (DOH), including the agency’s well-known Covid-19 pandemic spokesperson, are no longer part of its Executive Committee (Execom), based on updates made to the department’s official website. Removed from the current Execom list are Undersecretaries...
The Department of Agriculture (DA) will expand the government’s ₱20-per-kilo rice program to include farmers of the staple beginning next month, expanding access to cheaper rice for one of the country’s poorest sectors. Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel said the government will...
Senator Panfilo "Ping" Lacson became more emboldened to fight pork barrel and other anomalies in the budget, after President Marcos stressed in his State of the Nation Address (SONA) last Monday that there should be no repeat of the mangling of the 2025 budget. Lacson, an avowed enemy of the...
Even with the weaker-than-expected gross domestic product (GDP) growth figures last year and in recent quarters, the Department of Finance (DOF) argued that the Philippine economy grew at an average rate of 5.9 percent—among the fastest-growing Asian economies—since President Ferdinand Marcos...
Despite the Department of Energy’s (DOE) efforts to cancel renewable energy (RE) contracts that miss their implementation timelines, the agency continues to shy away from investigating the murky waters of potentially questionable project shareholders, and as a result, the industry’s darker...
The Philippines expects negotiations for a free trade agreement (FTA) with the European Union (EU) to conclude next year, as the government seeks to open new markets for its goods and services. Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Secretary Cristina Roque stated that the FTA with the 27-member...
Senator Panfilo "Ping" Lacson wondered why floods continue to plague Filipinos despite yearly increases in the budget for the national government 's flood management programs. Lacson noted that while the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has spent an estimated P2 trillion on...
The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has released a total of ₱1.6 billion to replenish the Quick Response Funds (QRFs) of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH). This move comes in response to the successive typhoons...
A year into its education reform agenda, the Department of Education (DepEd) has unveiled major accomplishments across early childhood care, teacher welfare, curriculum reform, infrastructure development, and digital innovation. These changes, outlined in a DepEd release on Saturday, July 26, align...