Day: September 29, 2025

Surigao city: The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) 13 (Caraga) and the Surigao City government facilitated the payout of the Ayuda sa Kapos ang Kita Program (AKAP) for 767 low-income earners on Monday. Each beneficiary received PHP3,000 in AKAP assistance during the distribution event, totaling PHP2,301,000. Vice Mayor Alfonso Casurra and personnel from the City Social Welfare and Development Office were also present during the distribution activity. According to Philippines News Agency, the beneficiaries are residents who work in the information sector and the formal economy in the city, most of whom are not beneficiaries of the other

Bulacan: The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has confiscated over 3,000 pieces of uncertified and non-compliant household appliances, worth PHP13.2 million, during a recent enforcement operation in Bulacan. According to Philippines News Agency, the confiscated items include electric kettles, fans, pressure cookers, rice cookers, multi-cookers, induction cookers, and blenders. The enforcement action was prompted by DTI’s online monitors, who reported that these products, covered by the Bureau of Philippine Standards’ (BPS) Mandatory Certification process, were being sold online without the required markings. A subsequent online test-buy confirmed the lack of mandatory Philippine Standard (PS) marks and Import Commodity Clearance

Urdaneta city: The SM City Urdaneta Central broke ground on a new 10-story building for the National University (NU) within the mall’s compound. The project, which began on Monday, marks a significant development for the region’s educational landscape. According to Philippines News Agency, mall manager Abraham Malicdem shared details about the new university, which will span approximately 3,200 square meters. The facility is set to include a modern library, lounge areas, and an elevator. Designed to initially accommodate 2,000 freshmen, it aims to expand its capacity to host between 6,000 and 7,000 students in the future. Malicdem indicated that the

Calabarzon: More households and individuals in Calabarzon are gaining access to digital technologies, reflecting the region’s growing shift toward online connectivity and electronic transactions, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA). According to Philippines News Agency, Charity Bautista, officer in charge of the Statistical Operations and Coordination Division, PSA 4-A, revealed during the 2024 National Information and Communications Technology Household Survey (NICTHS) forum that 95.8 percent of mobile phone users in the region owned smartphones. This figure surpasses the national average of 93 percent and marks an increase from 81.5 percent in 2019. Meanwhile, the use of basic cellular phones

Manila: Selling pressures resulted in the continued decline of the Philippine Stock Exchange index on Monday amid local concerns, and the peso weakened further against the US dollar even after touching the 57-level mid-trade. For the sixth consecutive trading day, the local bourse’s main index ended on the red, after it slipped by 0.49 percent to 5,997.60 points, and the All Shares by 0.23 percent. According to Philippines News Agency, most of the sectoral indices gained during the day, except for Services, which declined by 1.58 percent, and Financials, 1.23 percent. The Mining and Oil sector index led the gainers