Day: November 26, 2025

Ilocos norte: The government of Israel is exploring opportunities of cooperation with the provincial government of Ilocos Norte regarding best practices in modern agriculture. In a press conference held at the Ilocos Norte Capitol, Israeli Ambassador to the Philippines Dana Kursh announced that discussions with local officials have been initiated to address challenges on food security. According to Philippines News Agency, Kursh highlighted the significant opportunities for collaboration and expressed anticipation for greater cooperation. During her two-day visit to Ilocos Norte, Kursh aimed to strengthen cultural ties, promote business exchanges, and deepen people-to-people connections. As part of the initiative, a

Jakarta: Indonesia’s capital city of Jakarta has officially become the world’s largest city by population, according to the United Nations’ World Urbanization Prospects 2025 report. The Indonesian capital now has 41.9 million inhabitants, surpassing Tokyo, which slipped to third place with 33.4 million people, and Dhaka, Bangladesh, which climbed to second with 36.6 million. According to Philippines News Agency, located on the western coast of Java, Jakarta rose to the top of the global rankings due to rapid population growth. Dhaka, previously ninth, also recorded a significant surge and is projected to become the world’s most populous city by 2050.

Manila: Entrepreneurs now have a guide to registering with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). SEC, in a press release on Wednesday, said the improved SEC Academy platform, academy.sec.gov.ph, guides users on the step-by-step process in company registration through the Electronic Simplified Processing of Application for Registration of Company (eSPARC) to ensure their compliance with requirements and in creating an account under the Electronic SEC Universal Registration Environment (eSECURE) to access all SEC digital services. According to Philippines News Agency, SEC Chairperson Francis Lim stated, “As the SEC continues to transform the business registration process and shift services online, we

Manila: Senator Bam Aquino on Wednesday urged the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) to allow nursing students under the Free College Law to use their Tertiary Education Subsidy (TES) to cover Related Learning Experience (RLE) expenses to help ease their financial burden. The RLE is equivalent to an on-the-job training (OJT) and is one of the requirements for graduating nursing students. According to Philippines News Agency, Aquino stated that the cost of RLE remains a significant financial burden for poor but deserving students, leading some to drop out. He emphasized that using TES for RLE expenses aligns with CHED guidelines,

Iloilo city: The Sangguniang Panlungsod in Iloilo City is preparing to pass the city’s 2026 annual budget in the first week of December. Committee on Appropriations chair Rex Marcus Sarabia indicated that while some details are still being finalized, the proposed PHP4.5-billion budget is expected to be approved early next month. According to Philippines News Agency, the proposed budget marks an 8.62 percent increase from this year’s PHP4.14 billion. The city council is also reviewing the PHP83.96 million budget allocated for the Local Economic Enterprises. A key consideration is the budget for the Coordinated Executive Sangguniang Panlungsod Efforts for the