Day: November 26, 2025

Manila: Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson on Tuesday raised concerns over what he described as ‘duplicate’ allocations and steep, unexplained increases in the Department of Public Works and Highways’ (DPWH) 2025 budget, warning that such patterns risk confusion and possible misuse of funds. During his interpellation of the DPWH’s proposed 2026 budget, Lacson pointed to repeated spikes in the Convergence and Special Support Program (CSSP), which climbed by more than 100 percent from the National Expenditure Program (NEP) to the final General Appropriations Act (GAA) in both 2024 and 2025. According to Philippines News Agency, data presented by Lacson

Manila: Senator Francis Escudero on Tuesday evening commended the Marcos administration for adhering to an evidence-driven approach in uncovering irregularities in flood-control projects. During the plenary deliberations on the Department of Public Works and Highways’ (DPWH) 2026 budget, Escudero said the Executive – as relayed by DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon – opted to ‘follow the evidence’ even when it pointed to individuals with close political ties to the President. According to Philippines News Agency, Escudero said the decision to proceed despite political sensitivities reinforces accountability and helps prevent attempts to mislead the public. The Ombudsman earlier filed corruption and malversation

San juan: Jose Rizal University escaped with an 80-76 win over Emilio Aguinaldo College Tuesday night to complete the quarterfinals cast in the NCAA Season 101 men’s basketball tournament at the San Juan Arena. The Heavy Bombers will meet the University of Perpetual Help Altas at 11 a.m. on Thursday. According to Philippines News Agency, Justin Lozano and Allen Laurenaria scored back-to-back baskets to give JRU a 78-73 lead with 44 seconds remaining. Brianne Angeles moved EAC to within 76-78, seven seconds to go, before Harry Herrera made two free throws to seal the win. Lozano led JRU with 15

Nueva ecija: The Department of Agriculture (DA) and the National Dairy Authority (NDA) have jointly launched the General Tinio Stock Farm, a new model designed to support the government’s herd expansion program aimed at bolstering the Philippines’ dairy production. According to Philippines News Agency, the DA Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. emphasized that the PHP59 million investment in the stock farm is a strategic move to tackle the persistent shortage of productive dairy animals in the country. He noted the current challenges facing local milk production and the necessity for improvement, stating, “We will not allow our milk sufficiency to

Manila: Diversification of the export market will help the Philippine economy bolster its resiliency and cushion itself from protectionist policies, even as it is largely domestically driven, an economist said on Wednesday. According to Philippines News Agency, Michael Ricafort, Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation chief economist, in a reply to e-mailed questions, said the various free trade agreements (FTAs) the Philippines have entered into, especially with Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), “still has opportunities/potential to be optimized, in view of the need to diversify the country’s export markets and also export products/winners.” Aside from ASEAN member countries, the Philippines has