Day: September 8, 2025

Manila: Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Vince Dizon on Monday sought the help of the agency’s employees in weeding out unscrupulous individuals from the department. During his first flag-raising ceremony as head of DPWH, Dizon urged the officials and rank-and-file workers to support President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s directive to cleanse the department amid issues of corruption hounding it. According to Philippines News Agency, Dizon called on the employees to assist him in identifying and removing corrupt elements within the department. He emphasized the importance of this effort in protecting the integrity of the institution and the

Manila: The Department of Tourism (DOT) on Monday disputed a policy report ranking the Philippines as having the ‘lowest return on investment (ROI) on tourism in Southeast Asia,’ branding the analysis ‘flawed, misleading, and harmful.’ According to Philippines News Agency, the report, authored by Eric Jurado and republished by Esquire Philippines and BusinessMirror, used what the DOT described as a speculative and non-standard metric called ‘Return on Tourism Impact (RoTI).’ In a statement, the DOT said RoTI is ‘not recognized by multilateral institutions such as the UN Tourism, World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), or the World Economic Forum (WEF).’

Manila: Senator Vicente ‘Tito’ Sotto III has once again assumed the role of Senate President, succeeding Senator Francis ‘Chiz’ Escudero. Sotto’s leadership focuses on maintaining cooperation with the current administration while ensuring the Senate remains an independent entity dedicated to combating corruption and promoting transparency. According to Philippines News Agency, Sotto, in his acceptance speech, addressed the widespread anger among Filipinos regarding corruption. He pledged to lead the Senate with fairness and openness. Sotto highlighted several issues plaguing the nation, including failed flood control projects, poor classroom conditions, and inadequate farm-to-market roads, all mired in corruption and obstructing national progress.

Seoul: Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. on Monday met with Canada’s Deputy Minister of National Defense, Stefanie Beck, at the sidelines of the Seoul Defense Dialogue (SDD) in South Korea. In a statement, the DND said the meeting “reaffirmed the strong and growing defense partnership between the Philippines and Canada,” and ended with a mutual commitment to advance bilateral defense cooperation. According to Philippines News Agency, during the meeting, both officials acknowledged progress in ongoing bilateral initiatives, including the proposed Philippines-Canada Status of Visiting Forces Agreement, maritime security cooperation, cybersecurity collaboration, and defense capacity-building. Teodoro welcomed

Manila: Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Vince Dizon has officially filed a referral for investigation and potential criminal charges against government officials and private entities implicated in irregular infrastructure projects within the Bulacan 1st District Engineering Office (DEO). The referral was submitted to Acting Ombudsman Dante Vargas and includes a special audit report dated August 25 from the DPWH’s Internal Audit Service (IAS) concerning flood control projects managed by the Bulacan 1st DEO. According to Philippines News Agency, the audit report scrutinizes three firms: Wawao Builders from Quezon City, SYMS Construction Trading from Malolos, Bulacan, and St.