Day: July 31, 2025

Makati city: The Philippines will support efforts to establish a unified visa system among ASEAN member countries, Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco announced Thursday ahead of the Philippines’ hosting of the ASEAN summit and related meetings in 2026. Frasco emphasized the nation’s commitment to the initiative during a media briefing in Makati City, noting the potential benefits of such a system for the region. According to Philippines News Agency, Frasco stated, “As early as the very first ASEAN meeting that I attended as Tourism Secretary, I expressed the Philippines’ desire to benefit from a unified ASEAN visa.” She highlighted that while

Leyte: About 3,500 minimum wage earners in Leyte province have already availed of the PHP20 per kg. rice under the “Benteng Bigas Meron (BBM) Na” program as part of the nationwide rollout to make the staple food more accessible to low-income workers. According to Philippines News Agency, National Food Authority (NFA) 8 (Eastern Visayas) manager May Ann Sabarre stated that the initiative has already benefited minimum wage earners of the Philippine Associated Smelting and Refinery (PASAR) Corp. in Isabel, Leyte and the Energy Development Corp. (EDC) in Kananga, Leyte. ‘In partnership with the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), we

Makati city: The Philippine tourism sector has reported generating USD4.2 billion (PHP242 billion) in visitor receipts from January 1 to June 18, as stated by the Department of Tourism (DOT) on Thursday. Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco highlighted a 0.48 percent year-on-year increase in these receipts. According to Philippines News Agency, a total of 3,473,726 international visitors were recorded as of July 30. This number includes 3.15 million foreigners and 317,536 overseas Filipinos. During a media briefing in Makati City, Frasco revealed plans to recalibrate the DOT’s targets for 2025, considering the challenges currently faced by the sector. Despite these challenges,

Manila: President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. announced Thursday that he had a phone conversation with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz to explore avenues for enhancing defense and economic ties between the Philippines and Germany. According to Philippines News Agency, President Marcos shared details of the call in a Facebook post, highlighting discussions on strengthening defense and economic cooperation, addressing regional issues collaboratively, and creating more opportunities for the citizens of both nations. He expressed gratitude to Chancellor Merz for the invitation to revisit Germany in the near future. Germany holds a significant position as one of the Philippines’ primary trade partners

Manila: The Senate will revisit several priority measures left pending in the previous Congress, with Senate Deputy Minority Leader Risa Hontiveros on Thursday vowing to refile key legislation focused on child protection and women’s rights under the minority bloc’s legislative agenda. During the regular Kapihan sa Senado media forum, Hontiveros expressed her commitment to reintroduce amendments to significant bills that had reached advanced stages in the 19th Congress but were not enacted into law. According to Philippines News Agency, Hontiveros plans to reintroduce amendments to the Safe Spaces Act, the proposed Magna Carta of Children, and ‘Sandy’s Law’ or the