General

Iloilo City: The Public Employment Service Offices (PESOs) of the city and province of Iloilo have profiled 61 Ilonggos affected by the Israel-Iran conflict as of Wednesday. The total includes 37 from the seven municipalities in the province-15 from Zarraga, 10 from Maasin, three from Janiuay and Oton, and two from Leganes, Pototan, and San Joaquin-and 24 from this city. According to Philippines News Agency, provincial PESO manager Cynthia Dario reported that 14 OFWs declared they were safe, 18 did not indicate their situation, and five said they were unsafe. Despite the circumstances, these Ilonggo OFWs have chosen to remain

Davao: Police operatives in Davao Region arrested 11 suspects in nine operations and seized PHP2.6 million worth of shabu from June 17 to 18, the Police Regional Office-Davao (PRO-11) reported on Wednesday. PRO-11 director, Brig. Gen. Leon Victor Rosete, noted that their operations resulted in the seizure of 386.2 grams of shabu. According to Philippines News Agency, PRO-11 also intensified its campaign against wanted persons during the same period, arresting 20 individuals in 17 operations. The arrests included three most wanted persons, three wanted men at the municipal level, and 14 others. Brig. Gen. Leon Victor Rosete stated, ‘This accomplishment

Manila: President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has announced his intention to maintain the PHP20 per kilogram rice program, known as ‘Benteng Bigas Meron (BBM) Na’, without relying on contributions from local government units (LGUs). The President made this announcement during his latest podcast, emphasizing a shift towards national government funding for the initiative. According to Philippines News Agency, the national government is currently working in collaboration with LGUs to sustain and expand the BBM Na Program. President Marcos expressed his confidence in the program’s sustainability, citing that the government is already providing rice supply sufficient for 51 percent of the

Quezon City: The Department of Education (DepEd) on Wednesday committed to intensifying efforts to reverse the ‘learning crisis’ within the term of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. The DepEd made this statement following warnings from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) about a widespread “learning crisis” in the Philippines, exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic. According to Philippines News Agency, Education Secretary Sonny Angara emphasized the need for decisive actions to address the crisis, noting President Marcos’ commitment to allocating necessary resources. Angara described the learning crisis as students’ inability to learn at the appropriate grade level. He echoed the President’s

Manila: UK-based air transport rating organization Skytrax has named AirAsia the “World’s Best Low-Cost Airline” in the Skytrax World Airline Awards 2025. AirAsia co-founders Tony Fernandes and Datuk Kamarudin Meranun accepted the award at the Paris Air Show on Tuesday. According to Philippines News Agency, Fernandes expressed that the award holds significant emotional value, reflecting on the airline’s journey from flying 200,000 guests in its first year to approaching one billion guests this year. The recognition marks the 16th consecutive year that AirAsia has been honored by Skytrax. Skytrax chief executive officer Edward Plaisted noted that AirAsia’s success for a