Day: August 12, 2025

Bicol: A total of 4,054 minimum wage earners in the Bicol region have benefited from the Benteng Bigas Meron Na Program, implemented by the Department of Labor and Employment in Bicol (DOLE-5) since June 13. The program, initiated by the Marcos administration, aims to provide affordable rice to the nation’s workforce, enhancing food security and sustainability. According to Philippines News Agency, DOLE-5 Director Imelda Gatinao emphasized the program’s focus on meeting the essential needs of minimum wage earners and the vulnerable sector by offering high-quality rice at a subsidized rate of PHP20 per kilo. The initiative is designed to support

Manila: The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced on Tuesday its plans to launch a revised protocol for managing cases involving child victims of abuse, neglect, exploitation, and discrimination on August 14. This initiative marks a significant step forward since the original protocol was introduced in 2013. According to Philippines News Agency, the DOJ emphasized the importance of this development in its statement. The revised protocol aims to provide a more comprehensive, standardized, and coordinated approach to handling cases involving child victims. This change is intended to address the evolving challenges and issues that make children vulnerable to various forms of

Manila: The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) on Tuesday issued a directive prohibiting its personnel as well as local government officials and employees from engaging in online gambling. Memorandum Circular 2025-082 prohibits all DILG personnel, employees of its attached agencies, and all elected and appointed local government officials from accessing online gambling platforms or engaging in any form of online gambling. The DILG said the directive was issued in line with the 1987 Constitution and Republic Act 6713 or the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees. According to Philippines News Agency, the

Manila: Leaders of the House of Representatives on Tuesday condemned the latest water cannon attack by the China Coast Guard (CCG) on a Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) vessel. The incident happened on Monday in the Scarborough Shoal area, with BRP Suluan successfully evading a water cannon blast from CCG-3104, resulting in a collision between the CCG craft and a warship of China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy. According to Philippines News Agency, Deputy Speaker and La Union Rep. Paolo Ortega V stated, “The Chinese have become victims of their own aggression,” emphasizing that China should not be present in Scarborough Shoal,

Manila: Power rates of Manila Electric Company (Meralco) will increase by PHP0.6268/kWh this August due to higher generation and transmission charges. Residential consumers with monthly usage of around 200 kWh will experience an increase of around PHP125 for this August, as the overall rate is now approximately PHP13.2703/kWh, up from PHP12.6435/kWh in July. According to Philippines News Agency, Meralco Vice President and head of Corporate Communications Joe Zaldarriaga explained that the generation charge rose by PHP0.3749/kWh. This increase is attributed to higher rates imposed by independent power producers (IPPs) and the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM), as well as the