Category: General

Makati City: The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) has launched a full investigation into the disappearance of 28-year-old Filipino seafarer Ralph Bobiles while onboard MV Prestige Ace on December 5 last year. In a media briefing Thursday at the DMW office in Makati City, Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac announced the suspension of the Parola Maritime Agency Corporation’s license. The agency, responsible for Bobiles’ deployment, failed to provide a sufficient explanation regarding the incident. According to Philippines News Agency, the lack of an investigation report or a captain’s report on Bobiles’ disappearance prompted the DMW’s decision. Furthermore, when requested

Taguig City: The government will institutionalize the digitalization, as well as the monitoring and evaluation of the Public Financial Management (PFM) processes, to make the budget system ‘more transparent,’ Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman said Thursday. ‘We will institutionalize our monitoring and evaluation and the digitalization in our PFM processes,’ Pangandaman said in a press conference on the sidelines of the 2025 Open Government Partnership (OGP) Asia and the Pacific Regional Meeting (APRM). According to Philippines News Agency, the PFM Reforms Roadmap 2024-2029, launched in September 2024, addresses 11 strategic focus areas that cover all aspects of public financial management. These

Paranas: Two combatants of the New People’s Army (NPA) were killed and war materiel was seized during a series of encounters in upland Sto. Ni±o village in Paranas town, Samar province, the Philippine Army reported Thursday. According to Philippines News Agency, the Philippine Army’s 801st Infantry Brigade (IB) stated that the first clash broke out at about 5 a.m. on Wednesday when troops of the 33rd Special Forces Company and the 87th IB encountered an undetermined number of armed rebels belonging to the Yakal platoon, sub-regional committee browser of the NPA’s Eastern Visayas regional party committee. Three hours later, other

Manila: The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) on Thursday issued the latest suggested retail price (SRP) bulletin for basic necessities and prime commodities, more than a year after its last release on January 12 of the previous year. The new bulletin reflects significant changes in the pricing of various consumer goods. According to Philippines News Agency, the DTI data indicates that out of 191 shelf-keeping units (SKUs) on the latest SRP list, 77 items, or 40 percent of the SKUs, have experienced an increase in their suggested retail prices. The affected goods include a wide range of products such

Negros Occidental: The provincial government of Negros Occidental is taking significant steps to empower women farmers by providing capital to their associations for marketing agricultural products. According to Philippines News Agency, data from the provincial government revealed that in February, two beneficiary associations received financial assistance worth PHP250,000 each under the Farmers Entrepreneurship Program (FEP), a crucial initiative within the province’s Gender and Development (GAD) Program. “We turned over the financial grant to the beneficiaries to help them improve their capital and businesses,” stated OIC Provincial Agriculturist Dina Genzola. The AMIA Village Organic Farmers Association (AVOFA), situated in Barangay San