Day: July 23, 2025

Manila: President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. returned to the country on Wednesday night with over USD21 billion in investment pledges and renewed strategic commitments from the United States following a high-level three-day official visit to Washington, D.C. The plane carrying Marcos and his delegation landed in Manila around 10:07 p.m., according to the Presidential Communications Office (PCO). According to Philippines News Agency, Marcos, in his arrival message, said the visit, held at the invitation of US President Donald Trump, reaffirmed the ‘breadth and depth’ of the Philippines-US alliance across security, economic, and geopolitical cooperation. “We reaffirmed our mutual commitment to

Manila: PNP chief Gen. Nicolas Torre III has challenged Davao City Acting Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte to a charity boxing match. The challenge was issued during a press briefing at Camp Crame, with Torre announcing that the proceeds from the match would support relief efforts for those affected by recent flooding in Metro Manila and other areas due to the southwest monsoon and tropical cyclones. According to Philippines News Agency, Duterte had previously challenged Torre to a fistfight. In response, Torre suggested channeling this challenge into a charity boxing event, proposing a 12-round match to take place on July 27

Manila: An official of the Department of Energy (DOE) on Wednesday reminded businesses about the price freeze in areas that have declared a state of calamity. ‘Alam naman po natin kapag ang isang lugar po ay nagkaroon ng deklarasyon ng state of calamity, dapat po magkakaroon po tayo ng price freeze – hindi pupuwedeng itaas ang presyo ng LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) lalong-lalo na sa household sa loob ng labinlimang araw (We know that if a state of calamity has been declared there should be a price freeze – price of LPG cannot be increased especially for households, within 15

Beijing: The Philippines and China engaged in discussions centered on the ‘safety, rights, and welfare’ of their nationals during a joint consular meeting held in Beijing on July 22, as reported by the Philippine Embassy in China on Wednesday. This meeting marked the first Joint Consular Consultation (JCC) since the previous session in Manila on July 24, 2019. According to Philippines News Agency, Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary for Consular Affairs Maria Antonina Mendoza-Oblena and Chinese Foreign Ministry Director-General for Consular Affairs Long Zhou led the consultations. Both officials emphasized the longstanding friendship between their countries, acknowledging challenges but expressing a

Manila: State-run Social Security System (SSS) is set to implement revised guidelines for its Calamity Loan Program (CLP) aimed at assisting members in areas declared under a state of calamity (SOC), particularly those recently impacted by Severe Tropical Storm Crising and the enhanced southwest monsoon (habagat). According to Philippines News Agency, the new guidelines will include a reduced interest rate of 7 percent, down from the previous 10 percent, specifically for members with good credit records or those who have not availed of penalty condonation in the last five years. This decision follows an announcement by President Ferdinand R. Marcos