MANILA – The government’s housing sector remains on track on its target in building safe houses and secure resilient communities under the Philippine Development Plan (PDP) 2017-2022, Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) Secretary Eduardo del Rosario said Thursday. Del Rosario said the housing department was tasked to build at least 1.2 million quality shelters as the country’s total housing need under PDP is at 6.5 million units from 2017-2022. “Ang Philippine Development Plan nagbigay ng kanilang anunsiyo na ang Department of Housing ay kailangan maka-account ng 1.2 million na pabahay hanggang 2022. So, with that 1.2 million

MANILA – Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin, Jr. on Wednesday night confirmed that the country has welcomed the first Afghan refugees to the Philippines since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan three weeks ago. “We stay steady where others waver: tonight we welcome Afghan nationals including women & kids seeking refuge. Our doors are open to those fleeing, conflict, persecution, sexual abuse and death,” he said in a tweet. Locsin, however, noted that no further information will be provided to the public for the refugees’ safety and privacy. “The matter is closed. We’re not interested in publicity or thanks. This

MANILA – The Department of Information and Communication Technology (DICT) on Thursday launched the Digital Infrastructure Monitoring System: Tower Watch PH, a monitoring mechanism for tower construction, to better streamline permit processing time and accelerate the rollout of connectivity infrastructure in the country. “Through the Tower Watch PH, we endeavor to ‘future-proof’ our Common Tower Initiative by ensuring that our streamlining efforts in the previous years will not go to waste and continue to contribute to building a more far-reaching and robust ICT infrastructure in the country, regardless of changes in national leadership. The case is when a new administration

MANILA – Phoenix banked on an impressive start from Jason Perkins before pulling away for a 96-84 win over Terrafirma in the PBA Philippine Cup on Thursday at the Don Honorio Ventura State University Gym in Bacolor, Pampanga. Perkins exploded for 20 points in the first half to keep Phoenix afloat against Terrafirma, which was trying to keep its three-game winning streak alive. Perkins fizzled a bit in the second half and finished short of a career-high after totaling 28 points, but his fellow Fuel Masters took over as they pulled away for good in the fourth quarter. Perkins went

MANILA – The government is “not favoring” Chinese manufacturers in the procurement of personal protective equipment (PPE), assured Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., the chief implementer of the National Task Force against Covid-19. “Noong panahon po na iyon, kahit na ang US, Canada at mga western countries, wala pong makunan ng face masks at PPEs–kumukuha po sila sa China. Hindi po natin fine-favor ang China kasi kung tutuusin po, wala po tayong capacity to produce PPEs at the time (By that time, even the United States, Canada and other western countries don’t have resources of face masks and PPEs–they were getting

DAVAO CITY – Undefeated Jayson “Smasher” Mama of General Santos City will no longer challenge International Boxing Federation (IBF) World flyweight champion Sunny “Showtime” Edwards of the United Kingdom after the title holder injured his ankle while training for the fight set on September 11 in Copper Box Arena, UK. “It hurts so much for me but it’s okay. I’ve trained really hard for this fight. I’ve sacrificed a lot. I and my team stayed in Dubai for 12 days so we could enter the UK just for Edwards to pull out of the fight for an ankle during fight