Day: July 16, 2025

Manila: The Supreme Court (SC) has ruled that the Commission on Elections (Comelec) can hold special elections to fill vacant congressional seats without needing a resolution from Congress. This decision, made public on Wednesday, dismissed a petition filed by Elroy John Hagedorn, which sought to compel the House of Representatives to issue a resolution for a special election in Palawan’s third legislative district following the death of his father, Rep. Edward Hagedorn, on October 3, 2023. According to Philippines News Agency, the local governments of Puerto Princesa City and Aborlan town passed resolutions requesting House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez to

Manila: The Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) and the Social Housing Finance Corporation (SHFC) are ramping up efforts to implement the Community Mortgage Program (CMP) across the country. This initiative aligns with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s directive to pursue people-centered housing initiatives. According to Philippines News Agency, DHSUD Secretary Jose Ramon Aliling approved the proposal of SHFC President Federico Laxa to revive an initial batch of 34 on-site CMP projects that had been shelved. These projects aim to benefit around 5,000 member-beneficiaries nationwide. Aliling highlighted the importance of prioritizing high-impact and implementable CMP projects to assist

Manila: A non-government organization has called upon the energy sector to view recent vacancies in the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) as a chance for stakeholders to “step up” rather than as a source of disruption. “We must treat this transition not as a disruption, but as an opportunity to make energy security and equity a true national priority. This means amplifying consumer voices, improving coordination across agencies, and ensuring that the energy transition leaves no one behind,” stated ILAW Pilipinas in a recent announcement. According to Philippines News Agency, the statement from ILAW Pilipinas emphasized its readiness to collaborate with

Manila: Close to 1 million Filipinos in need have received medical help from the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) in the first half of 2025. According to Philippines News Agency, the agency reported that a total of 953,560 clients were assisted by its Operations Group Crisis Intervention Unit (CIU) with more than PHP8.5 billion in medical aid from January to June. A majority of the clients, 670,825, secured medical aid in outright cash assistance, while 282,735 clients received guarantee letters (GLs) to cover hospitalization costs, medicine, and diagnostic procedures. Outright cash

Manila: The Senate Impeachment Court has communicated to the Supreme Court (SC) that it does not possess access to the detailed records of the impeachment proceedings initiated in the House of Representatives against Vice President Sara Duterte. This has resulted in the Senate’s inability to comply with the SC’s July 8 en banc resolution that requested information regarding the matter. According to Philippines News Agency, a manifestation ad cautelam was filed by the Office of the Senate Legal Counsel on July 15, and a copy was provided to the media. The Senate stated that it lacks sufficient knowledge or access