Day: July 1, 2025

Manila: The Department of Agriculture (DA), in coordination with other government agencies, seized PHP34.2 million worth of smuggled agricultural products from China at the Port of Manila. The operation was part of efforts to intensify the crackdown against agricultural smuggling in the country. According to Philippines News Agency, the six container shipments, which arrived in the country on May 27 and June 1, were misdeclared as “assorted food items” such as mantou, egg noodles, and kimchi. The Bureau of Customs (BOC) reported that the confiscated items included two 40-foot containers of frozen mackerel worth PHP20 million, three containers of red

Malaca±ang: The Palace on Tuesday expressed support for making the bicameral budget deliberations open to the public to enhance transparency in the process. ‘We respect the independence of the Congress pero kapag po ang pinag-usapan ay pagsasapubliko ng anumang transaksiyon patungkol sa gobyerno mas maganda po talaga na maging transparent ang bawat galaw ng taumbayan (but when it is about making any transaction involving the government public, it would be better if every move is transparent),’ Palace Press Officer Claire Castro stated in a press briefing. According to Philippines News Agency, the Development Budget Coordination Committee has proposed the 2026

Manila: The Bureau of the Treasury (BTr) fully awarded bids for the reissued Treasury bond (T-bond) during Tuesday’s auction. With a remaining term of five years and 25 days, the reissued T-bond fetched an average yield of 5.896 percent, which was lower than the prevailing five-year benchmark at 5.937 percent. According to Philippines News Agency, the auction was 1.9 times oversubscribed with total tenders reaching PHP57.5 billion. Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. chief economist Michael Ricafort noted that the average yield of the T-bond slightly fell below the comparable benchmark ahead of the latest local inflation data on Friday, which could

Manila: The Philippine National Police – Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG) arrested 340 individuals and confiscated PHP6.7 million worth of evidence and 31 unlicensed firearms during a 10-day nationwide operation. According to Philippines News Agency, CIDG Acting Director Brig. Gen. Romeo Macapaz stated that 289 coordinated operations conducted from June 19 to 28 resulted in the arrest of fugitives, high-profile suspects, and law violators. Authorities confiscated PHP6.7 million worth of evidence, including illegal liquefied petroleum gas products, unregistered vape products, trademark-infringing and smuggled cigarettes, and bets from illegal gambling activities. The nationwide ‘Oplan Pagtutugis’ (Pursuit) operation led to the

Manila: Newly appointed Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) Chairperson John Patrick Gregorio vowed to give his best as the head of the agency. “There is no dead end in a dream. And our dream is more gold and service to the 110 million Filipinos,” Gregorio stated during the Philippine Sports Association (PSA) Forum held at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex conference hall in Manila. The forum was a significant event marked by Gregorio’s commitment to enhancing the nation’s sports landscape. According to Philippines News Agency, prior to attending the forum, Gregorio participated in the official turnover of the PSC flag with