The Philippines ranked 79th out of 134 countries in IQAir’s 2023 World Air Quality Report, reaching a 13.5 micrograms per cubic meter (μg/m³) average of PM2.5. PM2.5 concentration indicates the amount of fine particulate matter suspended in the air up to 2.5 microns in diameter. It's...
The Commission on Audit (COA) has flagged the province of Masbate over the P131 million "unliquidated cash advances" (CAs) granted to various officials and employees in 2023. In its 2023 annual audit report (AAR), COA said the cash advances were composed of three categories -- advances for payroll...
The Commission on Audit (COA) has questioned the provincial government of Catanduanes over the P41.26 million paid for abaca suckers which were not delivered by the contracted supplier who simply gave cash to farmer-beneficiaries to source out the planting materials themselves. In its 2023 annual...
Senator Sherwin Gatchalian on Thursday, April 25 said he is keen on filing a measure that would ban the use of cellular phones and other gadgets during classes. Gatchalian, chairman of the Senate Committee on Basic Education, said he would propose the implementation of such policy at the...
"Weakness in internal control and lapses in monitoring and recording" brought about the P34.7 million increase in the costs of fuel consumption by the province of Nueva Ecija in 2023, the Commission on Audit (COA) said. In its audit report, COA said that Nueva Ecija spent P100.6 million for...
The Commission on Audit (COA) has flagged the provincial government of Aurora over the "misuse" of its Rice Processing Complex (RPC) worth $2.3 million and the uncollected income from its supposed lease to a farmers' cooperative. The RPC was constructed on a $2.3 million grant from the Korean...
The officials and members of the Board of Directors (BODs) of Clark International Airport Corporation (CIAC) disbursed P3.1 million in "irregular and unnecessary" expenses for foreign travels in 2023, the Commission on Audit (COA) said in its annual audit report. COA said that the CIAC...
The Commission on Audit (COA) has scored the delay in the construction of the P316.4 million Air Traffic Control (ATC) tower building of the Clark International Airpot (CIA) in Pampanga. In its audit report, COA said that the construction of the ATC buildng was only 60.90 percent complete as of...
Again, the provincial government of Eastern Samar has been flagged by the Commission on Audit (COA) in its 2023 annual audit report. Earlier, COA found that Contract of Service (COS) and Job Order (JO) personnel hired by Eastern Samar province were not only paid below the daily minimum wage,...
The provincial government of Leyte "misused" P1.287 million of its Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund (LDRRMF) for catering services and other unrelated activities in 2023, the Commission on Audit (COA) said. In its 2023 annual audit report, COA said disbursements...
Contract of Service (COS) and Job Order (JO) personnel hired by Eastern Samar province were were not only paid below the daily minimum wage, but worse, their salaries were always delayed in 2023, the Commission on Audit (COA) said. In its annual audit report, COA said that when the audit...
The Government Arsenal (GA), an agency under the Department of National Defense (DND) in charge of producing basic weaponry and ammunition for the military and the police, has been flagged by the Commision on Audit (COA) over "abnormal losses" incurred in the production of bullets in 2023....
