Day: October 9, 2025

Manila: Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian on Thursday warned the Department of Agriculture (DA) to overhaul its farm-to-market road (FMR) program or risk losing its PHP16-billion allocation in the proposed 2026 national budget. Speaking at the Kapihan sa Senado, Gatchalian, chair of the Senate Committee on Finance, expressed reluctance to approve the FMR funding due to persistent issues of overpricing and inefficiency in the program’s implementation by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH). According to Philippines News Agency, during Wednesday’s budget hearing, Gatchalian revealed that the government lost PHP10.3 billion and nearly 700 kilometers of FMRs between 2023 and 2024

Manila: Malaca±ang on Thursday dismissed renewed impeachment and ouster calls against President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., saying he remains unbothered and focused on his work to uplift the lives of Filipinos. Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said the Chief Executive refuses to be sidetracked by baseless accusations and political theatrics, stressing that such noise will not derail the administration’s reform and governance agenda. According to Philippines News Agency, Castro emphasized the difficulty of making claims without evidence. “Mahirap po kasing magsalita ng walang ebidensiya, madaling magbintang, madaling magsabi kung anu-ano. Kung walang ebidensiya, hindi dapat paniwalaan (It’s difficult to speak

Samar: The Philippine Army (PA) recovered several high-powered firearms belonging to the New People’s Army (NPA) in Samar province after a captured rebel disclosed the location of the weapons in the upland village of Caranas, Motiong town. In a statement issued Thursday, the PA’s 46th Infantry Battalion (46IB) said the soldiers unearthed one M60 machine gun, one M4 rifle, and two M16 rifles during an operation on Wednesday. According to Philippines News Agency, the discovery was made possible through information provided by a captured NPA member, who, according to the military, decided to cooperate after realizing the ‘propaganda and deception’

Manila: Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson on Thursday expressed dismay over the extent of corruption in the government’s infrastructure program. ‘Reviewing the piles of ‘classified’ DPWH [Department of Public Works and Highways] documents which I shared with my staff, we all wondered aloud if the more appropriate question to ask is, ‘Who is not?’ rather than, ‘Who is guilty?’ So sad to realize how widely corrupt our government infrastructure program has gone,’ Lacson said in a post on X. According to Philippines News Agency, Lacson made the remark after reviewing with his staff several ‘classified’ documents from the DPWH,

Manila: The Japan Air Self-Defense Force is poised to assist in transporting relief supplies to earthquake victims in Cebu, following a request from the Philippine government. This marks one of the initial activities under the recently activated Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA) between Japan and the Philippines. According to Philippines News Agency, the Japanese Embassy in Manila stated on Thursday that the RAA was applied to the bilateral humanitarian assistance and disaster relief exercise, Doshin-Bayanihan, which took place between the Japan Air Self-Defense Force and the Philippine Air Force in the Philippines on October 7. This agreement enables Japan to support