Day: September 9, 2025

Manila: Senate President Pro-Tempore Panfilo Lacson emphasized that the recent change in Senate leadership will not impede the ongoing budget hearings conducted by the Senate committee on finance. Lacson assured the public that the transition in leadership is being managed smoothly and efficiently. According to Philippines News Agency, Lacson stated in a radio interview that Senator Sherwin Gatchalian will continue to serve as the chairman of the Finance Committee, responsible for overseeing the discussions on the proposed 2026 national budget. Lacson highlighted that Gatchalian’s position remains secure as he is part of the newly formed majority in the Senate. Lacson

Seoul: The Philippines and South Korea are exploring avenues for enhanced defense cooperation in light of regional security challenges, according to the Department of National Defense (DND) on Tuesday. In a recent meeting between Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. and South Korean Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-Back, held on the sidelines of the Seoul Defense Dialogue (SDD) 2025, discussions centered on bolstering collaboration in logistics, technological exchange, and defense industry cooperation, all within the framework of the 2015 PH-ROK Memorandum of Understanding on Defense Cooperation. According to Philippines News Agency, the dialogue underscored the longstanding defense partnership between the two countries,

Vatican city: Pope Leo XIV has named Jolo Bishop Charlie Inzon as the new archbishop of Cotabato. According to Philippines News Agency, the appointment of the new head of the Archdiocese of Cotabato was announced at the Vatican at 12 noon (6 p.m. Manila time) on the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary on Monday. Inzon will be the fifth archbishop of Cotabato. The 59-year-old Catholic prelate will succeed Archbishop Angelito Lampon, whose resignation was accepted by the Pope after he reached the mandatory retirement age of 75 for bishops on March 1. Lampon led the archdiocese

Manila: The Philippines is looking at no less than retaining the men’s basketball title at the 33rd Southeast Asian (SEA) Games set Dec. 9 to 20 in Thailand. Norman Black, the multi-titled former Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) coach, said they are going to do everything possible to achieve the goal. According to Philippines News Agency, Black emphasized the need for quick and effective team formation due to the short preparation time. “Our preparations are going to be short that’s why we need to get guys who can play together very quickly and who can play together very well,” Black stated

Iloilo: The province of Iloilo has introduced its Weave Out Waste (WOW) ‘Limpyo’ (Clean) Iloilo program, part of the United Nations Development Programme’s (UNDP) PH Plastics Circularity Project. This initiative comes in response to the substantial volume of post-election waste collected during and after the May 2025 elections, which amounted to over 49,000 kilograms, with plastics comprising more than 50 percent of this waste. According to Philippines News Agency, the program aims to enhance and consolidate existing projects such as Limpyo Election and Limpyo Iloilo, as stated by Provincial Government Environment and Natural Resources Office chief Cesar Emmanuel Buyco. Marginalized