General

Manila: The Sandiganbayan has convicted former Misamis Occidental 2nd District Representative Loreto Leo Ocampos alongside two others for graft, malversation of public funds, and falsification of documents related to a fraudulent livelihood project in 2013, which involved PHP2.1 million from the former lawmaker’s priority development assistance fund (PDAF). According to Philippines News Agency, the anti-graft court’s 2nd Division delivered a 31-page decision dated June 10, sentencing Ocampos and private individuals Josefina Candole and Jaime Ann Perez Linsangan. The latter two were officers of the Rich Islas de Filipinas Foundation, Inc. (RIDFFI), the organization selected as the ‘project partner’ for the

Manila: The Department of Tourism (DOT) welcomed the latest economic forecast of the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) for the Philippines. According to Philippines News Agency, the WTTC, in its 2025 Economic Impact Research (EIR), projected the tourism sector to inject PHP5.9 trillion into the national economy this year, representing a 13.5 percent increase from 2019. This forecasted figure is marked as ‘a new all-time high’ and is expected to contribute more than one-fifth or 21 percent of the national gross domestic product (GDP), reinforcing tourism’s role as a vital pillar of the Philippine economy. Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco

Dauin: Around 250 scuba diving enthusiasts are expected to take part in the Dauin Dive Festival in Dauin, Negros Oriental, scheduled from June 25 to 29, 2025. In a press conference on Wednesday, Mayor Galicano Truita announced that this year’s festival will mark a shift, as it will be spearheaded by the private sector for the first time, unlike previous years when the government led the initiative. According to Philippines News Agency, for the past four years, the event was known as the Dive 7 Festival, organized by the Department of Tourism in Central Visayas (Region 7). However, following the

La Union: La Union’s inflation rate inched up to 1.7 percent in May 2025, a slight increase from 1.3 percent in April. According to Philippines News Agency, Dr. Danites Te±ido, chief statistical specialist of PSA La Union, attributed the uptick mainly to higher inflation in three major sectors: housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels (71.7 percent share); food and non-alcoholic beverages (37.9 percent share); and restaurants and accommodation services (3.4 percent share). ‘The rise in overall inflation was primarily driven by a faster increase in food and non-alcoholic beverages, which rose to 1.6 percent in May from just 0.8

Legazpi City: The Department of Labor and Employment in Bicol (DOLE-5) announced that more than 7,000 local and overseas job opportunities will be available at a job fair in Legazpi City, Albay province, as part of the Independence Day celebration on Thursday. According to Philippines News Agency, DOLE-5 Director Imelda Gatinao revealed in a phone interview on Wednesday that the Independence Day Job Fair, hosted at SM City Legazpi, will feature approximately 7,266 local job vacancies from 35 employers and 1,170 overseas job vacancies from three confirmed employers. Gatinao emphasized the significance of having both job seekers and employers in