Day: July 30, 2025

Manila: The Inter-Agency Council against Trafficking (IACAT) announced on Wednesday that it has successfully repatriated 375 Filipino citizens back to the Philippines during the first half of 2025. The council’s efforts are part of a broader initiative to combat human trafficking and provide support to victims. According to Philippines News Agency, IACAT Executive Director Hannah Lizette Manalili from the Department of Justice (DOJ) reported that the council has extended assistance to a total of 900 trafficking victims during the same period. This assistance is facilitated through IACAT’s operations center, which aims to support victims of various forms of trafficking. Manalili

Manila: The Department of Agriculture (DA) is pushing for a modest increase in tariffs on imported rice to at least 25 percent from the current 15 percent, which will support local farmers. This is part of the Marcos administration’s target measure to gradually revert to the original 35 percent tariff on imported rice, a year after the implementation of reduced duties to help lower soaring retail rice prices. According to Philippines News Agency, DA Assistant Secretary and deputy spokesperson Joycel Panlilio said a gradual return to higher tariffs is now being considered to protect local farmers while avoiding shocks in

San juan city: The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) is formulating measures to address the effects of the 19 percent tariff to be imposed by the US government on Philippine-made products. “We are formulating measures because we are also anticipating it (possible impact). As we implement our programs, we also continue to observe any movement,” Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma said on the sidelines of the 2025 Post-State of the Nation Address (SONA) discussions in San Juan City on Wednesday. According to Philippines News Agency, the discussions related to trade and industry highlight the impact on workers and investors. Laguesma

San juan city: Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon announced that six additional Dalian train cars will be operational by the end of the year, with plans for the remaining 48 train cars to be operational by next year. This development aligns with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s initiative to enhance the service capacity of the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3) using Dalian train cars. According to Philippines News Agency, Dizon made this announcement during the 2025 Post-State of the Nation Address (SONA) discussions in San Juan City. He emphasized the President’s directive to utilize all Dalian trains to benefit commuters

Davao city: Police operatives in the Davao Region arrested 99 suspects and seized PHP1.3 million worth of illegal drugs in 83 operations conducted from July 21-27, the Police Regional Office (PRO) 11 (Davao Region) reported on Wednesday. According to Philippines News Agency, PRO-11 acting Director, Brig. Gen. Joseph Arguelles, stated that of the 99 arrested, 20 were high-value targets and 79 were street-level individuals. He emphasized that these results reflect PRO-11’s duty to eliminate illegal drug activities and keep the community safe and drug-free. The operations led to the confiscation of PHP1.3 million worth of illegal substances, including shabu (methamphetamine