Day: August 14, 2025

Manila: The Senate has concluded its investigation into the alleged use of marijuana by a staff member inside the chamber’s premises. Senate Secretary Renato Bantug Jr. announced the completion of the probe, which was conducted by the Office of the Sergeant-At-Arms (OSAA) on August 13, following media reports about the incident. According to Philippines News Agency, Senate Secretary Renato Bantug Jr. stated that the OSAA submitted its report on August 14. Senate President Escudero instructed that a copy of this report be provided to the Office of Senator Robinhood C. Padilla for their information and appropriate action. However, the contents

Iloilo city: The City Council has urged the Department of Education (DepEd) to ensure the hiring of additional licensed guidance counselors for all public secondary schools in Iloilo City, following a series of recent violent incidents involving youths. During the council’s regular session on Wednesday, Councilor Sedfrey Cabaluna highlighted systemic challenges faced by schools, such as the insufficient number of guidance counselors, absenteeism, failing grades, bullying, lenient policy enforcement, and issues related to peer pressure and gang recruitment. According to Philippines News Agency, Cabaluna’s statement was based on findings from the joint hearing of the Committee on Public Safety on

Baguio: Electric consumers in this city and Benguet will see a 70-centavo per kilowatt-hour (kWh) decrease in power rates this month, according to the Benguet Electric Cooperative (BENECO). According to Philippines News Agency, BENECO consumers will see a significant drop in their electricity bills this August as residential rates fall from PHP10.4763 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) in July to PHP9.8809 per kWh. Laarni Ilagan, BENECO community relations officer, stated that this translates to an overall drop of PHP0.5954 per kWh. She added that the reduction is due to lower generation costs passed on by its power suppliers. Generation charges from suppliers

Manila: Approved foreign investment pledges (FI) reached PHP67.38 billion in the second quarter of the year, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said. In a report released Thursday, the PSA noted that these investment pledges were approved by several key agencies including the Authority of the Freeport Area of Bataan, Board of Investments, Bangsamoro Board of Investments, Clark Development Corporation, Clark International Airport Corporation, Philippine Economic Zone Authority, and Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority. According to Philippines News Agency, PSA data showed that Singapore was the leading source of FI pledges, contributing PHP53.48 billion, which constituted 79.4 percent of the total approved

Manila: A church in Ilocos Sur’s Sta. Maria town is set to be formally declared as a minor basilica on Friday. In support of the celebration, Ilocos Sur Governor Jeremias Singson suspended classes in all levels in both public and private schools, as well as work in public offices, across the province on Aug. 15. According to Philippines News Agency, ‘The participation of local residents and the facilitation of peace, order, and logistical support are vital for the smooth and meaningful observance of this celebration, in light of the expected influx of religious pilgrims and guests,’ Singson said in his