MANILA, Aug. 10 -- Initial expenses from the newly signed law granting free tuition for students enrolled in State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) will likely cost the government at least PHP50 billion in its first year of implementation, Budget and Management Secretary Benjamin Diokno... Read More
MANILA,Aug. 10 --The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is planning to recycle the official ballots that already been printed in the event Congress has decided to postpone the October polls to next year.Comelec Chairman Juan Andres Bautista noted that they have two options on how they will reuse the... Read More
MANILA, Aug. 10 -- Education has been at the forefront of Australia’s support to the Philippines, Australian Ambassador to the Philippines Amanda Gorely has said.“The BRIDGE program builds friendships through education and I am pleased to launch this initiative in the Philippines with... Read More
MANILA, Aug. 10 -- The Department of Finance (DOF) on Thursday defended anew the inclusion of oil excise tax in the Duterte administration's tax reform program saying it was not the sole factor to blame for the rise in oil prices.“Factors such as weather, stocking, income, lower poverty, basic... Read More
MANILA, Aug. 10 -- The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Thursday assured that contingency plans have been prepared to ensure the safety of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) should North Korea (NoKor) launch a missile strike on Guam island.“These contingency plans will enable the Consulate... Read More
MANILA, Aug. 10 -- Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella on Thursday announced that joblessness in the country continues to drop from 25.1 percent or 11.2 million in December 2016 to 22.2 percent or an estimated 10.5 million in June 2017.Abella said the development is an affirmation of the... Read More
MANILA, Aug. 10 -- Filipino students can now expect the full implementation of the recently signed law granting free tuition in all state-run universities and colleges in the country by June 2018, the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) assured on Thursday,In a press briefing in Malacañan,... Read More
MANILA, Aug. 10 -- The Liberal Party’s National Executive Council (NECO) on Thursday ratified the party chairmanship of Vice President Leni Robredo and the party presidency of Sen. Francis Pangilinan.Meanwhile, the council also ratified a resolution conferring the title of chairman emeritus to... Read More
MANILA, Aug. 10 -- The Sandiganbayan has ordered the arrest of Senator Gregorio “Gringo” Honasan in connection with the alleged PHP30 million pork barrel fund scam.The anti-graft court issued the warrant of arrest for violation of Republic Act No. 3019, or the “Anti-Graft and... Read More
MANILA, Aug. 10 -- President Rodrigo Duterte has declared a state of calamity in Ormoc City and the municipality of Kanaga in Leyte to hasten government recovery and rehabilitation efforts in the said areas that are still reeling from the effects of a powerful earthquake that hit the area last... Read More
MANILA, Aug. 10 -- Sen. Antonio Trillanes on Thursday called on Bureau of Customs chief Nicanor Faeldon to show up in the investigations involving the smuggling of PHP 6.4 billion worth of shabu from China or risk being cited for contempt."I hope he gets the courage to face congress and senators... Read More
MANILA, Aug. 10 -- All troops engaged in Marawi City are all accounted for, according to Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) spokesperson Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla Wednesday.Padilla also said there is no need to conduct loyalty check among soldiers engaged in clearing operations in Marawi as... Read More
MANILA, Aug. 10 – Ozamiz City Police Chief Insp. Jovie Espenido on Thursday said that he will begin the investigation and identification of policemen allegedly involved in killings ordered by the Parojinog clan in the city.Espenido made the statement after President Rodrigo Duterte offered a... Read More
MANILA, Aug. 10 -- Over a week after being charged with two counts of graft by the Office of the Ombudsman over his alleged misuse of his PHP30-million pork barrel fund in 2012, Senator Gringo Honasan on Thursday said that he is “completely innocent” and ready to prove it."I am... Read More
MANILA, Aug. 10 – The Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC) and the Vanguard of the Philippine Constitution Inc. (VPCI) on Thursday received the records from the Supreme Court (SC) in support to the impeachment complaint they filed against Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno.VACC... Read More
MANILA, Aug. 10-- The Chamber of Customs Brokers Inc., (CCBI) clarified that Mark Ruben Taguba, one of the witnesses in the House hearing on the PHP6.4 billion shabu shipment from China, is not a Customs broker."For the information and guidance of the public, Mr. Taguba, is not a customs broker and... Read More
MANILA, Aug. 10 -- The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) has lauded the passage of a law increasing the penalties for hospitals and clinics that refuse to give initial medical treatment in emergency or serious cases.This developed after Republic Act No. 10932, or the “Anti-Hospital Deposit... Read More
MANILA, Aug. 10 -- Former Babatngon, Leyte Mayor Charita Chan is again facing indictment before the Sandiganbayan for violation of Section 3(e) of Republic Act No. 3019, or the “Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act”, for issuing a business permit to a cockpit without authority from the... Read More
MANILA, Aug. 10 – The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) on Thursday announced the arrest of nine persons in Navotas City for illegal fishing.NBI Director Dante Gierran identified the suspects as Jun Esatan, boat captain, Ronulfo Perez, Ervin Tremotcha, Floro Dela Jente, Rolly Beling,... Read More
MANILA, Aug. 10 -- Local government units (LGUs) must ensure that there are no designated smoking areas (DSAs) in public places such as schools and hospitals as well as in other recreational facilities for minors, according to the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).A DSA refers... Read More
The Philippine News Agency is a web-based newswire service of the Philippine government under the supervision of the News and Information Bureau (NIB) of the Presidential Communications Office (PCO).