Foreign exchange. File photo MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines is set to post a wider dollar deficit next year than what the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) earlier projected, as softer inflows from tourism and foreign direct investment (FD...

MANILA, Philippines — As the year ends, we consider the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) 2025 performance in its domestic, international and governance areas. This may suggest directions for a better 2026. Domestic Three events come to mind. Firs...

Air and sea cargos. File photo MANILA, Phiippines — A sustained growth in export sales, coupled with softer imports, slashed the country’s trade deficit by nearly 30 percent in November, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA). The...

MANILA, Philippines — While the Philippines has been lauded for having one of the region’s most advanced disaster risk financing (DRF) systems, a global organization said more focus was needed on prevention rather than postdisaster spending. In a...

MANILA, Philippines — Protesters on Sunday again urged President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to step down after former Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Zaldy Co tagged Marcos as the mastermind of corruption in flood control projects. Protesters attending the United ...

MANILA, Philippines — The country will experience a surge of the northeast monsoon or amihan starting this week, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said. In its weather update on Monday morning, Pa...

MANILA, Philippines — Rain is forecast in parts of the country due to three weather systems on Monday, Nov. 17, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said. The shear line — or the area where warm and ...

TURIN, Italy — Jannik Sinner retained the ATP Finals title on Sunday after beating Carlos Alcaraz 7-6 (7/4), 7-5 and ending a turbulent season with victory over his great rival. Italian Sinner brought the house down in Turin by winning the championship...

Pepe Herrera announced his departure from “Your Face Sounds Familiar” season four to focus on caring for his mental health, as he openly discussed his battle with depression and anxiety.  Herrera confirmed his exit from the reality competition on Satur...

It was a fun catch-up between two girl friends, as Anne Curtis reunited with Song Hye-kyo over dinner at a restaurant in Seoul, South Korea. Curtis took to her Instagram page on Saturday, Nov. 15, to share a glimpse of her catch-up dinner with Song, wh...

MANILA, Philippines — Transparency, accountability, and peace. These were the three major appeals made by the Iglesia Ni Cristo (INC) as more than half a million of its members gathered at Quirino Grandstand in Manila on Sunday at the start of the thre...

Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma ordered last week the investigation of 98 business process outsourcing (BPO) companies for allegedly forcing their employees to work on-site despite heavy flooding, travel hazards, and power outages caused by Super T...

Last week, I took up artificial intelligence (AI) as it relates to the judiciary. Now, let me say that AI is a force that reshapes every sector and challenges even enthusiasts, like ancient me, to keep up. Lucky am I to witness this unfolding phenomeno...

Have you heard of a similar story? She made the difficult decision to go on an extended leave to take care of her aging mom, who was showing signs of dementia. She promised her longtime employer that she would come back as soon as she could once she fo...

A travel influencer recently faced online backlash after posting a TikTok video asking whether the Philippines would be “cleaned up” 10 days after the typhoon. The Melbourne-based vlogger asked locals to let her know whether Boracay and Palawan would b...

If you spend enough time on the internet, not just scrolling but really absorbing its strange rhythm, your brain eventually gets rewired. You don’t just see memes; you understand them. You don’t just laugh at trends, you anticipate the punchline before...

On Nov. 25, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women reminds us of the work still to be done. Representatives of France and Romania, we speak today with a united European voice to reaffirm that gender-based violence knows nei...

The uncovering of a massive and systematic plunder of public funds in the government’s flood control projects has led the nation to the edge of despair. No other scandal in the annals of the country has triggered so much outrage as the thievery perpetr...

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – As Filipinos begin decorating for the holidays, environmental group BAN Toxics has issued a warning about the dangerous levels of lead detected in Christmas lights sold in the country. In a recent market check, BAN Toxics purchase...

The families of victims of extrajudicial killings (EJKs) during the drug war under the administration of former President Rodrigo Duterte have criticized him for his attempt to evade justice and accountability. Members of Rise Up for Life and for Right...

House Minority Leader and 4Ps Rep. Marcelino Libanan on Sunday urged wage boards to “act with urgency” in adjusting pay rates as he bared that minimum wage increases have yet to be implemented in six regions with less than seven weeks to go before the ...

The Philippines, United States and Japan conducted another round of maritime drills in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), underscoring the deepening security cooperation between the country and its allies. The 13th Multilateral Maritime Cooperative Activit...

ILOILO CITY—With most rice fields in Western Visayas now entering their ripening and maturity stages, the Department of Agriculture (DA) has warned of intensifying pest and disease pressures across the region. The DA’s October 2025 Rice Monthly Bulleti...

BACOLOD CITY—At least 1,280 tourism workers were affected by the ethanol wastewater spill at the Universal Robina Corp. ethanol distillery plant in Bais City, Negros Oriental, and by Typhoon “Tino” (international name: Kalmaegi) that came after. Affect...

How many shots are needed? Can I give it even if it’s beyond the age indication? My patient is immunocompromised—when do I give it? I have allergies to certain medications; can I receive it? Is it safe? How much will it cost? These are some of the ques...

In the devastating aftermath of Typhoon “Tino,” at least 204 people have been confirmed dead, while over a hundred more are still missing. One of the most heartbreaking stories was that of a six-month-old girl swept away by the flash flood. The image o...

I was talking to a friend and blurted out a trendy joke—”Please, Please, Please” by Sabrina Carpenter—but changed Carpenter to Ongkiko. Ms. Sabrina Ongkiko. And a flashback moved me. I still remember her from her TED Talk 11 years ago. We had a school ...

In any community, a good neighbor is one who respects the rights of others and ensures that the environment is stable and peaceful. One who bullies and takes advantage of others cannot be considered a good neighbor. Good neighbors work together and abi...

I was 21 years old when Super Typhoon “Odette” wreaked havoc on our city on the afternoon of Dec. 16, 2021. Despite living in a typhoon-prone area in the northeastern part of Mindanao, I had never fully grown accustomed to the devastation that extreme ...

GIVEN the present public mood, everyone should be careful not to fuel anger, however well-meaning their actions. Everyone should avoid coming across as unsupportive of the statement of assets, liabilities, and net worth (SALN), a public transparency to...

Malacañang has ordered the suspension of classes in all levels in both private and public schools in the whole of Luzon and the Visayas on Monday and Tuesday. READ: Super Typhoon Uwan crosses Luzon; Signal No. 5 up in 4 areas Under Memorandum Circular ...

A University of the Philippines (UP) legal analyst said the Supreme Court’s rules on extradition proceedings would not apply to the impending turnover of Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa to the International Criminal Court (ICC), saying that his case is no...

MANILA, Philippines — Typhoon Uwan (international name: Fung-wong) is now out of Luzon’s landmass early Monday morning, according to state meteorologists.  As of 2:00 a.m., Uwan is now over the coastal waters of Bacnotan, La Union, per Philippine ...

As it faced the country’s first Signal No. 5 since October last year, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (Caap) temporarily shut down flights at seven airports in the Bicol Region where Supertyphoon “Uwan” (international name: Fung-wong) i...

DUMAGUETE CITY—Scientific teams mobilized last weekend by the Silliman University (SU) found that the Oct. 26 “spent wash” spill from the ethanol distillery of Universal Robina Corp. (URC) in Bais City, Negros Oriental, has spread to some 6,000 hectare...

BAGUIO CITY—Over P15 billion has been proposed to be invested in this city under public-private partnership (PPP), amid sectoral outrage for some of these big-ticket proposals, according to the proposed Baguio annual investment plan for 2026, scrutiniz...

AMMAN, Jordan—They came from across the Philippines’ three major islands and had just two weeks to be together to train before being sent out for battle. And after it was all said and done in the AVC U16 tournament here, these young Filipino belles bec...

Those who know me as once coming from the “I bought it myself” school of hostessing will be surprised to know that there was a phase in my Baguio homemaker’s life when I was, shall we say, laman ng palengke. My young family had just moved to Baguio to ...