General

Manila: Expectations for additional cuts in the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ (BSP) key rates resulted in gains of both the local bourse’s main index and the peso on Tuesday. The Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) increased by 0.13 percent to 6,433.60 points, while the All Shares index rose by 0.11 percent to 3,784.17 points. According to Philippines News Agency, despite the overall positive performance, most sectoral indices ended in the red, except for Services, which rose by 0.77 percent, and Holding Firms, which increased by 0.66 percent. The Mining and Oil sector led the decliners with a drop of 0.43

Manila: SSS-GSIS Pensyonado (SGP) Party-list Representative Rolando Macasaet has introduced a bill advocating for a PHP1,000 monthly increase in the pension for retired private employees under the Social Security System (SSS). According to Philippines News Agency, Bill 1506, titled ‘Mandating a One Thousand Peso Increase in the Social Security System (SSS) Monthly Pension,’ was submitted to the House of Representatives on Monday. The proposed legislation seeks to amend Section 12 of Republic Act (RA) 11199, also known as the Social Security Act of 2018. In his statement on Tuesday, Macasaet emphasized that the 1987 Philippine Constitution mandates the State to

Manila: Malaca±ang on Monday said President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has yet to receive a shortlist of nominees for the next Ombudsman but emphasized the Chief Executive’s criteria for the successor of retiring Ombudsman Samuel Martires. According to Philippines News Agency, in a Palace press briefing, Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Claire Castro stated that the President is looking for someone with integrity, courage, and fairness-qualities that should be exemplified not just by the next Ombudsman, but by all public servants. Castro highlighted that as of now, the President has not yet received a shortlist, but reiterated the importance of these

Butuan city: Twin encounters Monday morning in the hinterlands of Barangay Pianing, Butuan City, resulted in the death of an unidentified New People’s Army (NPA) rebel and the recovery of two high-powered firearms. According to Philippines News Agency, the Philippine Army’s 4th Infantry Division (4ID) stated that troops from the 29th Infantry Battalion (29IB), under the operational control of the 901st Infantry Brigade, were dispatched early Monday in response to civilian reports of NPA insurgents in the area. The first armed confrontation occurred at approximately 5:20 a.m. and lasted over two minutes before the rebels abandoned their position. The second

Dumaguete: The National Museum of the Philippines (NMP) will feature a talk on “Built Heritage” in Dumaguete this month as part of its Public Program Offering. F. Jordan Carnice, NMP-Dumaguete researcher, told the Philippine News Agency on Tuesday that the “Pagtukod” is the third installment for this year, promoting heritage conservation and the appreciation of built heritage. ‘It is a lecture about our built heritage on Negros Island, including ancestral houses, watchtowers, and churches to learn about their significance and why these need protection and conservation,’ Carnice said. According to Philippines News Agency, “Pagtukod,” from the Cebuano term “to build,”