COTABATO CITY – Senatorial aspirant Emmanuel Piñol conceded defeat in his Senate bid Monday but vowed to continue his advocacy on agriculture as a private individual. In a statement released Tuesday, Piñol, the former secretary of Agriculture and chair of Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) said the people have spoken on Monday’s elections and that he accepts it “wholeheartedly.” “New leaders were voted to lead this country in the coming three years,” he said in Filipino. “I offered my services but was not given the chance and that is one thing I have to accept with an open heart,” he added.

MANILA – The Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3) has given almost 11 million free rides to the public so far since the beginning of its “Libreng Sakay (free ride)” program in March. In a Facebook post on Tuesday, the MRT-3 said a total of 10,990,908 passengers have so far received free rides at the MRT-3 from March 28 until Monday. The free ride program is set to end on May 30 after it was extended for another month at the end of April. The program is meant to showcase the improved service and facilities of the MRT-3 after its

MANILA – The Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) said at least four hyperscalers are looking into investing in the country through the investment promotion agency. In an interview Tuesday, PEZA deputy director general Tereso Panga said the capacity of these data center operators ranges from 30 to 100 megawatts. Panga said the companies are still waiting for the developments of the May 9 polls before proceeding to their investment decision. “These are big players aggressively looking for a site already,” he said, adding that these firms are eyeing the provinces of Bulacan, Cavite, and Laguna. Hyperscalers are providers of scalable

MANILA – Albay Rep. Joey Salceda on Tuesday said he will submit to the next President a comprehensive plan for fiscal and economic recovery to help the Philippines emerge stronger from the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) crisis. In a statement, Salceda said he will keep his promise to continue offering the best advice on how to help the country get through the country’s economic woes, regardless of who gets elected as president in the 2022 elections. “When the final outcome becomes beyond doubt, I will be submitting to the President-elect a comprehensive plan for fiscal and economic recovery – so that

MANILA – The Fiscal Incentives Review Board (FIRB), upon the endorsement of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA), has approved the grant of tax incentives to Project AGILA for the redevelopment and operations of the Hanjin shipyard in the Subic Bay freeport zone. Finance Secretary and FIRB chairman Carlos Dominguez III supported the approval of the tax perks for Project AGILA with a total project cost of PHP17 billion as the rehabilitation of the Hanjin shipyard presents economic potential given its strategic location near the West Philippine Sea (WPS). The project was granted special corporate income tax (SCIT), value-added tax

MANILA – The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) believes that the strong and good cooperation between the Philippine National Police (PNP), Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), and the Commission on Elections (Comelec) were the reasons why Monday’s polls were generally peaceful and safe. “I think it’s the good cooperation between the AFP, PNP, the PCG and Comelec, (and the) timely response to any events especially violent ones, we attribute that to the quick reaction of our combined efforts,” AFP spokesperson Army Col. Ramon Zagala said during a media briefing Tuesday. He also lauded the teachers manning the polling precincts, who