Day: October 22, 2025

Pasay city: The Philippines has expressed readiness to provide capacity-building assistance to support Timor-Leste’s agriculture and micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) sectors, Foreign Affairs Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro said on Wednesday. Lazaro conveyed Manila’s ‘steadfast support’ for the development of Timor-Leste during her bilateral meeting with visiting Foreign Minister Bendito dos Santos Freitas at the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Office in Pasay City. According to Philippines News Agency, Lazaro announced the continuation of capacity-building assistance to Timor-Leste through the Technical Cooperation Council of the Philippines (TCCP), focusing initially on livestock and fisheries. She also mentioned Manila’s openness to

Manila: The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) urged citizens to take part in its anti-drug campaign through the ‘Operation Private Eye’ (OPE) program. OPE, which was initiated by the Dangerous Drug Board (DDB), offers cash rewards of up to PHP2 million for information leading to successful drug operations, according to lawyer Joseph Calulut, spokesperson of the PDEA. “We are inviting the public to join the campaign and be a part of nation building for a better Bagong Pilipinas,” he said in a telephone interview on Wednesday. The program, he explained, was put up to encourage public participation in the fight

Iloilo: The provincial government and 43 local government units (LGUs) in Iloilo have signed a memorandum of agreement to facilitate the launch of the Benteng Bigas Meron (BBM) Na!, a program aimed at providing rice at PHP20 per kilogram to local beneficiaries. According to Philippines News Agency, the program is part of the SiPag at TiyaGa for MoRProGRes sa Bagong Pilipinas, a comprehensive initiative designed to boost the agriculture sector while tackling malnutrition within the province. Governor Arthur Defensor Jr. and Badiangan Mayor Suzette Mamon, who is also the president of the League of Municipalities of the Philippines – Iloilo

Manila: The Disaster Response Management Group (DRMG) of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) on Wednesday assured the public of its readiness to deliver aid to localities to be affected by the latest weather disturbance, Tropical Depression (TD) Salome. According to Philippines News Agency, Assistant Secretary Irene Dumlao of the DSWD’s DRMG stated that the department is prepared with close to two million boxes of family food packs (FFPs) prepositioned in its warehouses nationwide, ready to be tapped for timely relief operations. Dumlao emphasized that the DSWD, particularly through the DRMG, remains vigilant about the latest weather disturbances,

Manila: Fuel surcharge stays at Level 4 in November, the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) has announced. Under this level, fuel surcharge could range from PHP117 to PHP342 for domestic flights, and from PHP385.70 to PHP2,867.82 for international flights, depending on the distance. Fuel surcharge is the extra fee that airlines may collect in addition to the base fare to cover the costs incurred from the volatility of fuel. According to Philippines News Agency, in an advisory dated October 17 but posted late Tuesday, CAB Executive Director Carmelo Arcilla stated that airlines wishing to collect fuel surcharge must file their application

Manila: Amazon is planning a significant automation expansion that could eliminate the need to hire more than half a million workers in the US over the coming years, The New York Times reported Tuesday. Internal company documents and interviews reviewed by the newspaper reveal that Amazon’s robotics division aims to automate three-quarters of its operations. According to Philippines News Agency, the strategy could allow the US e-commerce giant to avoid hiring over 160,000 new workers until 2027 alone, with the efforts potentially saving USD12.6 billion between 2025 and 2027. Amazon projects that it will double product sales until 2033 without