Day: August 4, 2025

Las navas: Top leaders of the New People’s Army (NPA) in Eastern Visayas are among those killed in recent clashes between government troops and rebels in Las Navas, Northern Samar, the Philippine Army (PA) said on Monday. Former rebels have identified seven out of the eight rebels killed during two clashes in the mountains of San Isidro village on July 31. According to Philippines News Agency, the slain NPA members were Richard Jumadiao (alias Joban), leader of sub-regional guerilla unit Laysan of the NPA Eastern Visayas Regional Party Committee (EVRPC); Edgar Baselga (alias Ali), squad 1 leader of the regional

Manila: The Supreme Court (SC) has clarified that businesses registered with the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) are not completely exempt from paying value-added tax (VAT). In a decision made public on Monday, the SC Third Division partially granted Coral Bay Nickel Corporation’s claim for a VAT refund. According to Philippines News Agency, Coral Bay is a PEZA-registered company that manufactures and exports nickel and cobalt mixed sulfide. It sought a refund from the Bureau of Internal Revenue for unutilized input VAT it paid for goods and services used outside the PEZA zone. Businesses generally pay VAT on the goods

Lanao del sur: A 24-year-old teacher in Lanao del Sur was shot dead by an unidentified gunman on Monday morning, police reported. In his report to the Police Regional Office-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (PRO-BAR), Lanao del Sur Police Provincial Director Col. Caezar Cabuhat identified the victim as Danilo Barba, a dedicated teacher at Balabagan Trade School. According to Philippines News Agency, the victim, a native of Trento, Agusan del Sur, was walking toward the school in Barangay Narra, Balabagan, when a lone gunman shot him at about 8 a.m. Barba died on the spot from gunshot wounds to the head. Bangsamoro

Manila: Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) may now qualify for socialized housing units under the expanded Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino (4PH) Program, regardless of their monthly income, the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) said Monday. According to Philippines News Agency, DHSUD Secretary Jose Ramon Aliling announced that the initiative is part of the newly issued Pag-IBIG Fund Circular No. 473. This circular outlines the updated guidelines under the expanded 4PH, acknowledging the significant contributions of OFWs, who are celebrated as the country’s modern-day heroes. Secretary Aliling stated, “This is in line with President Marcos Jr.’s directive to

Manila: Some 200,000 applications for poll registration have so far been received by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) since Friday, when enlistment started nationwide. In an interview Monday, Comelec Chairperson George Garcia reported that around 200,000 individuals have initially submitted applications who are looking forward to casting their ballots in the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) set later this year. According to Philippines News Agency, Garcia mentioned that they have reached approximately 200,000 registrants nationwide, with reports from various field offices yet to be fully compiled. He emphasized that reaching 1 million registrants is not a primary concern; what