Day: March 3, 2025

Manila: The House of Representatives has advanced key legislation promoting women’s rights, including a divorce bill and amendments to the Family Code, in an effort to address gender inequality, a House leader said on Monday. According to Philippines News Agency, in observance of Women’s Month, House Committee on Women and Gender Equality chairperson and Bataan Rep. 1st District Geraldine Roman announced that the passage of the divorce bill in the House marked a significant step for women seeking legal remedies from failed and abusive marriages. Roman emphasized the urgent need for such legislation, noting that many women find themselves trapped

Kasibu: Listed mining company OceanaGold Philippines (OGP) Inc. announced that it has paid PHP397.8 million in local business taxes to three municipalities in Nueva Vizcaya and Quirino this year. The payments include PHP198.9 million to Kasibu in Nueva Vizcaya, and PHP119.3 million and PHP79.6 million to Nagtipunan and Cabarroguis in Quirino, respectively, on February 11. According to Philippines News Agency, OGP President and General Manager of External Affairs and Social Performance Joan Adaci-Cattiling emphasized the importance of continuing operations at the Didipio Mine to provide ongoing benefits to local communities. “We are all working for the continuing operations of the

Manila: Fugitive former Negros Oriental Third District congressman Arnolfo Teves Jr. is still in Timor-Leste where he is pursuing an appeal against his extradition, Department of Justice (DOJ) Secretary Jesus Remulla said on Monday. According to Philippines News Agency, Remulla noted that the relatively new judicial system of the Southeast Asian state poses challenges to Teves’ transfer. The appeal process appears to be prolonged, but updates on the matter are anticipated soon. Remulla confirmed Teves’ continued presence in Timor-Leste during an impromptu interview with reporters. Teves, once extradited, will face multiple charges, including murder, frustrated murder, attempted murder, and terrorism.

Iloilo City: The long-awaited Panay-Guimaras-Negros Island (PGN) Bridges project is moving forward, with construction on the first segment (Panay-Guimaras) set to begin in July 2026. The Panay-Guimaras (Section A) segment has a total length of 13.616 kilometers, while the Guimaras to Negros (Section B) stretches 19.47 kilometers. According to Philippines News Agency, Engineer Antonio Erwin Aranaz, project manager of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Unified Project Management Office, reported to the Infrastructure Development Committee (IDC) of the Regional Development Council (RDC) that the detailed engineering design (DED) for both sections is 79.75 percent complete as of February

Manila: Over 53 million ballots designated for use in the May 12 midterm elections have already been printed, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) announced on Monday. According to Philippines News Agency, Comelec Chairperson George Garcia provided data indicating that as of 7 a.m. on March 3, a total of 53,418,068 ballots had been printed. Of these, 26,405,051 ballots were produced using printers supplied by South Korean election systems provider Miru Systems Inc., while the remaining 27,013,017 were printed by the National Printing Office (NPO). The Comelec aims to print more than 69 million ballots for the upcoming national and local