Day: July 29, 2025

San juan city: The Department of Tourism (DOT) is advocating for legislative action to relax visa policies for foreign tourists as the 20th Congress commenced its first regular session on July 28. Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco emphasized the urgency of this measure during an interview at the 2025 post-State of the Nation Address (SONA) conference. According to Philippines News Agency, Frasco pointed out that the Philippines is falling behind its ASEAN neighbors concerning entry requirements for tourists. She stressed the need for more funding for tourism infrastructure and a liberal visa policy to attract more international visitors. Frasco highlighted the

Eastern visayas: The directive to establish more Kadiwa stores will make cheaper rice available to the vulnerable sectors in Eastern Visayas, the National Food Authority’s (NFA) regional office stated. This initiative comes as a strategic effort to ensure rice affordability and accessibility for the region’s population. According to Philippines News Agency, the NFA is relying on Kadiwa stores to distribute its rice stocks, given the lack of interest from local government units in the region to distribute rice at PHP20 per kg. NFA 8 (Eastern Visayas) manager May Ann Sabarre mentioned that, even before the President’s State of the Nation

Manila: Senator Francis Pangilinan on Tuesday expressed support to President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s renewed commitment to strengthen the country’s agricultural sector but called on the government to back it with concrete action, proper funding, and safeguards against corrupt spending. In an interview with ANC’s Headstart, Pangilinan said he would use his Senate oversight powers to monitor the implementation of the administration’s pledge to allocate PHP113 billion to Department of Agriculture (DA) programs. According to Philippines News Agency, Pangilinan emphasized the need to prioritize solving the high prices of rice and other goods while supporting agriculture. He warned against any

Ilocos norte: The Ilocos Norte Electric Cooperative has ramped up its efforts against illegal electricity connections and pilferage, with 38 customers coming forward to rectify their violations. According to Philippines News Agency, INEC’s acting general manager Cipriano Martinez III announced that over the weekend, their linemen and meter readers intensified their operations. Martinez highlighted the ongoing inspections targeting “unregistered” consumers, who are considered a significant factor behind the substantial system loss charges affecting registered consumers. INEC’s data indicates that system loss charges account for about PHP10 million per month, representing 10 percent of the total electric bills for consumers. Of

Manila: Senate President Francis Escudero on Tuesday said President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s decision to exclude online gambling and other controversial topics from his fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA) should not be seen as a missed opportunity. ‘Minabuti ng Pangulo na tutukan lamang ‘yung social services. ‘Yun ang tila tema ng kanyang talumpati (The President chose to focus solely on social services. That seemed to be the theme of his speech),” Escudero said during a press briefing. According to Philippines News Agency, Escudero explained that with so many legislators pushing different advocacies, it would be unrealistic to expect