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...
The World Bank considers liberalized rice trade as a boost to the Philippine agriculture sector, even as the Marcos Jr. administration is moving to reinstate the National Food Authority’s (NFA) old regulatory powers. “Strategic shifts are underway to reinvigorate transformation of the...
ILOILO CITY – A couple was allegedly stabbed to death by their son-in-law after they confronted him over his new girlfriend in Barangay Aguilar, San Lorenzo town, Guimaras province on Monday night, July 14. Police Capt. Joje Gania, chief of the San Lorenzo Municipal Station, identified the...
The Department of Agriculture (DA) will hold on-the-ground consultations with farmers and lawmakers to prepare for the deliberations on the proposed RICE Act, which aims to reinstate the regulatory powers of the National Food Authority (NFA). Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel said he has...
Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson has filed a bill expanding the scope of the country’s anti-wiretapping law to give Philippine authorities to the much-needed added teeth to go against crimes including coup d’ etat, robbery in band, highway robbery, drug-related offenses and money laundering....
Senator Panfilo "Ping" Lacson has filed two bills that will strip government officials and employees of secrecy rights under the laws on bank deposits as well as foreign currency deposits. Lacson, in Senate Bill 38 titled "An Act Further Strengthening the Secrecy of Bank Deposits Law, Amending for...
Jail officials from the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP), together with civil society groups and justice reform advocates, called for the passage of an anti-discrimination law to support the reintegration of former persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) into society. The call was made...
Senator Rodante Marcoleta has filed a bill seeking to exempt households that consume 135 kilowatt-hours (kWh) or less of electricity each month from paying electric bills. In filing the unnumbered bill, Marcoleta sought to amend the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA) to expand and improve...
President Marcos is in favor of a bill mandating government officials to waive their bank secrecy rights, Malacañang said. Palace Press Officer and Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro said Marcos agrees with the proposal and believes that accountability and transparency must be upheld....
Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero renewed his push for greater transparency and accountability in government by refiling the measure mandating all public officials and employees to waive their rights under Republic Act No. 1405 or the Law on the Secrecy of Bank Deposits and Republic Act...
The Philippines will see a slight improvement in its rice production in the upcoming marketing year (MY) as the government’s support programs for the sector—including the sale of subsidized rice—are now starting to pay off, according to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). In a...
Senator Pia Cayetano on Sunday, June 15 expressed strong support for calls to uphold the mandatory allocation of sin tax revenues to the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) following the agency’s zero budget in the 2025 national appropriations. Cayetano joined the call after a petition...
