Day: November 27, 2025

Davao city: Durian growers in Mindanao are now enjoying improved market access, higher buying prices, and stronger profitability, according to the Department of Agriculture in Davao Region (DA-11) on Thursday. According to Philippines News Agency, DA-11 Director Macario Gonzaga stated that the surge in global demand for premium durian has positioned the Philippine industry as a rising contender in the international market. His remarks followed the successful conclusion of the 2025 National Durian Industry Summit, held in Davao City on November 25 to 26. The summit gathered more than 400 participants, including growers, exporters, processors, researchers, investors, and agribusiness leaders,

Manila: The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has ruled to deny three electoral protests for local positions in the May 2025 midterm polls. In a statement, the Comelec First Division disclosed that election protest cases for the positions of Cebu governor, Dumaguete City mayor, and Catanduanes governor have been dismissed. According to Philippines News Agency, the poll protest filed by Gwendolyn Garcia against Cebu Governor Pamela Baricuatro was rejected for being “insufficient in form and content.” The alleged irregularities, such as repeated automated counting machine (ACM) rejection, paper jams, and defective markers, were considered technical incidents covered by contingency procedures, not

Pampanga: Authorities arrested three suspects and confiscated over PHP1 million worth of illegal drugs during separate operations in Pampanga and Nueva Ecija provinces, the Police Regional Office (PRO) 3 (Central Luzon) reported Thursday. According to Philippines News Agency, at 4 a.m. Thursday in Pampanga, operatives of the City Police Drug Enforcement Unit (CPDEU) of the Angeles City Police Office, and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency-3 conducted a buy-bust operation in Barangay Pampang and arrested two suspects, including a Korean national. Seized from the suspects were 30 grams of ketamine, 100 ecstasy tablets, one bottle of liquid ecstasy, and several marijuana

Manila: An average of nine tigers per month have been seized worldwide over the past five years, signaling a deepening trafficking crisis that is pushing the species closer to extinction, wildlife trade watchdog TRAFFIC warned in a report released Tuesday. The group said criminal networks involved in the illegal tiger trade are expanding and adapting faster than conservation measures can keep up. According to Philippines News Agency, while wild tiger populations numbered around 100,000 a century ago, they are now estimated at just 3,700 to 5,500, according to the report. Despite decades of international protection, TRAFFIC found that seizures increasingly

La trinidad: Facing constrained national budget allocations, the Benguet State University (BSU) is intensifying efforts to expand its internally generated revenues to sustain operations and fund priority programs, officials have said. According to Philippines News Agency, Dr. Josel Florentin, BSU vice president for business affairs, reported on Wednesday that the university now runs seven major income-generating projects that collectively provide significant financial support. These projects help meet the university’s financial needs, he said. Among the top earners is the BSU bakery, which generated PHP16.45 million as of October after rolling out new products and securing Food and Drug Administration (FDA)