Day: November 5, 2025

Manila: Senator Sherwin Gatchalian has introduced a legislative measure aimed at abolishing the collection of bill deposits by distribution utilities and electric cooperatives, while also advocating for the refund of existing deposits with accrued interest. According to Philippines News Agency, Gatchalian filed Senate Bill No. 1470, known as the Anti-Bill Deposit Act, which challenges the authorization under the Magna Carta for Residential Electricity Consumers allowing the collection of bill deposits. The senator argues that this practice imposes an unnecessary financial burden on consumers. The proposed legislation mandates the Energy Regulatory Commission to conduct an independent audit of all bill-deposit accounts

Manila: Slower upticks in the food and beverages index, which accounts for a significant share in the domestic consumer price index (CPI), resulted in an unchanged inflation rate for October 2025 at 1.7 percent, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported Wednesday. According to Philippines News Agency, last month’s inflation rate was slower than the previous year’s 2.3 percent, bringing the 10-month average to 1.7 percent, which is below the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ (BSP) target band of 2 percent to 4 percent. National Statistician Undersecretary Claire Dennis Mapa noted that October’s inflation rate was influenced by housing, water, electricity, gas,

Manila: President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has called on all government agencies to ensure that their Christmas and year-end celebrations are modest and meaningful, as the nation continues to recover from recent natural disasters. This appeal is intended to show solidarity with Filipinos who are still grappling with the aftermath of these events. According to Philippines News Agency, Palace Press Officer Claire Castro announced on Wednesday that the reminder, which was issued jointly with the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), seeks to promote empathy and restraint during the holiday season. The guidance reflects the administration’s concern for communities impacted

Tokyo: Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Tuesday directed relevant ministers to prepare policies regarding foreign nationals in Japan by next January. This directive was given during the inaugural meeting of a ministerial council on foreign people held at the prime minister’s office, where discussions centered on reviewing land acquisition rules by foreigners and reinforcing immigration and residency controls to address issues related to undocumented residents. According to Philippines News Agency, Prime Minister Takaichi highlighted the public’s growing unease and perceived unfairness due to illegal actions and rule violations by some foreign nationals. In response, the government aims to facilitate

Manila: Malaca±ang on Wednesday said there is a need to review the implementation of more than 500 flood control projects in Cebu to ensure their effectiveness and the proper use of government funds. Palace Press Officer Claire Castro highlighted that from 2016 to 2022, approximately 343 flood control projects were carried out, with two of them being ‘terminated.’ According to Philippines News Agency, under the Marcos administration, there are around 168 flood mitigation projects, with 55 still ongoing. Castro emphasized that the flood control projects implemented during the Duterte administration should already be operational. “Lumalabas po na 343 flood control