Day: June 26, 2025

Tel Aviv: The Philippine Embassy in Tel Aviv has now recommended the lowering of the alert level in Israel, which is currently under the repatriation phase, as the country returns to normalcy following its 12-day military campaign against Iran. According to Philippines News Agency, Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Germinia Aguilar-Usudan stated in an interview with reporters that there is a recommendation to lower the alert level to 2 for Israel. However, the final decision requires the approval of the secretary. Alert level 2 indicates a restriction phase, where new deployments are still prohibited. Aguilar-Usudan mentioned that completely removing the alert

Manila: An economist of HSBC forecasts the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) to cut its key rates by 25 basis points (bps) to 5 percent in October this year. The central bank’s target reverse repurchase (RR) rate was reduced by 25 bps for the second consecutive rate-setting meeting of the BSP’s policy-making Monetary Board (MB) last June 20 to 5.25 percent. According to Philippines News Agency, if the cut in October will materialize, it will be the third and last for the year, HSBC ASEAN economist Aris Dacanay said in a briefing Thursday. Dacanay, however, remains open for additional reduction

Manila: The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) is preparing for the arrival of the second batch of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) repatriated from Israel due to the Israel-Iran conflict. ‘Mayroon po tayong ina-arrange na mga OFWs na maaari pong this weekend, may pinaplantsa lang po tayong arrangement in terms of their flight details (We are arranging for OFWs who can come this weekend, we are just ironing out arrangements in terms of their flight details),’ Migrant Workers Undersecretary Felicitas Bay said in an interview over PTV’s Bagong Pilipinas on Thursday. According to Philippines News Agency, Bay mentioned that this weekend,

Manila: The National Irrigation Administration (NIA) announced the launch of a nationwide sale of its ‘Bagong Bayaning Magsasaka (BBM)’ rice, in collaboration with local government units (LGUs), set to commence in August. NIA Administrator Eduardo Guillen revealed the plans during a phone interview, emphasizing the immediate nationwide rollout, with each province participating in the initiative. According to Philippines News Agency, the initiative stems from a memorandum of agreement signed on May 27 between the NIA and the League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP). This agreement aligns with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s directives focused on enhancing food security. In

Manila: Senator Sherwin Gatchalian urged law enforcement agencies to take firm action against the spread of fake news targeting the education sector, stressing that disinformation causes confusion and poses risks to public safety. According to Philippines News Agency, Gatchalian highlighted that the Department of Education has been a regular target of fake news for the past few years. He insisted that it is time to address those spreading false and misleading information about education. The senator warned that misinformation can have real-world consequences and emphasized the need for accountability. He stated that individuals who spread false information, which sows confusion