Day: March 18, 2025

Northern Mindanao: The Regional Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (RTF-ELCAC) in Northern Mindanao is working to make the region insurgency-free within a year, officials said Tuesday. During the ‘Kapihan sa Bagong Pilipinas’ forum, Col. Antonio Dulnuan, commander of the 403rd Infantry Brigade, stated that achieving this goal requires a ‘whole-of-nation’ approach, with public support to rebuild conflict-affected areas. “We are doing everything we can, in partnership with all stakeholders,” Dulnuan said. According to Philippines News Agency, the RTF-ELCAC’s mandate focuses on encouraging communist rebels to surrender and providing them with opportunities for reintegration. One such initiative is

Manila: The local stock market shed on profit-taking after a three-day rally Tuesday, while the peso closed sideways against the greenback. The Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) declined by 0.34 percent to 6,284.68, while All Shares inched up by 0.007 percent to 3,723.09 points. According to Philippines News Agency, Philippine shares gave up some gains after recent trading in the green, driven by tariff uncertainties and weak consumer confidence. Retail sales rose by 0.2 percent, which was below forecasts, as noted by Regina Capital Development Corp. head of sales Luis Limlingan, referring to developments in the US. US retail sales

Pasay City: The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) has emphasized the need for digitalization, integration, and simplification of government processes to better serve the public. According to Philippines News Agency, DICT Undersecretary David Almirol highlighted the government’s efforts toward digital governance at the GovX.0 Summit in Pasay City. He stated that the DICT is spearheading a significant digital transformation in government transactions, addressing issues stemming from redundant systems, fragmented data, and outdated processes. He noted the substantial investment in obsolete and unsustainable systems and stressed the urgency of foundational reforms. Almirol pointed out the existence of 1,900 government

Bacolod City: Candidates running for local positions here pledged peaceful polls during a covenant signing at Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) Tuesday afternoon. According to Philippines News Agency, twenty-five candidates signed the peace covenant to uphold the laws and resolutions for the conduct of a clean, honest, accurate, meaningful, and peaceful elections on May 12. They signed in the presence of Bacolod City election officer Revo Sorbito, Negros Occidental election supervisor Ian Lee Ananoria, and representatives of other concerned agencies. In his message, BCPO Director Col. Joeresty Coronica told the candidates that by affixing their signatures, they have declared that

Manila: A petition has been filed before the Commission on Elections asking for the disqualification of the Pilipinas Babangon Muli (PBBM) party-list group for falsely suggesting an association with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. According to Philippines News Agency, in his petition dated March 7, lawyer Jess Christian Ramirez argued that the PBBM party-list could ‘mislead voters into believing there is an association between the party-list and the President when there is none.’ Ramirez contends that the party-list may be exploiting party-list registration for ‘political and financial motivations.’ The petition references the PBBM party-list’s registration with Comelec on September 21,