Smog blanketing Metro Manila on Friday is due to air pollution from heavy vehicular traffic and not the volcanic smog emitted by Taal, government agencies said.

“Any crime committed upon a tourist is a crime against our country deserving of punishment to the fullest extent of the law,” the DOT said in a statement.

According to Memorandum Circular 32, all government work in the executive branch will be suspended from 3 p.m. onwards on Monday (September 25). 

Here are the latest updates on the volcano's activity and related events.

Several local government units announced the suspension of classes and work for Sept. 22, 2023 due to Taal's persistent emission of volcanic smog, also known as vog. 

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology issued a warning on Friday as it monitored the presence of volcanic smog or vog at Taal Volcano in Batangas, causing concerns about potential health risks and harm to the environment.

The certification by President Marcos of the General Appropriations Bill of 2024 (House Bill 8980) as “urgent” will ensure its passage on time as the House of Representatives conducts plenary deliberations on government agencies’ proposed allocations, ...

The government is seriously considering lifting the cap on rice prices, Trade Secretary Alfredo Pascual said yesterday as President Marcos and concerned officials are set to meet next week to review the implementation of the controversial measure which...

Almost 90 percent of local government units have completed their Local Climate Change Action Plan, which aims to increase climate and disaster risk resilience of communities, according to the Climate Change Commission.

Acknowledging the need to modernize the military amid rising challenges in the Indo-Pacific Region, France is renewing its offer to help build a submarine for the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

The Sandiganbayan has upheld its earlier decision dismissing another forfeiture case filed by the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) against the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, his widow Imelda and their cronies.

Manufacturers yesterday opposed the Department of Trade and Industry move to postpone price hikes for sardines and other basic commodities until next year after at least 14 increase requests had been filed.

Malacañang hopes the Supreme Court will rule in favor of the Maharlika Investment Fund, as its constitutionality is challenged by critics of the administration.

Five provinces in the Visayas and Mindanao have experienced dry spell or three months of below normal rainfall due to El Niño.

Association of Southeast Asian Nations Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn has expressed his gratitude to the Philippines for accepting the ASEAN chairmanship in 2026, a yearbefore actual duty in 2027 by regular rotation.

The Commission on Audit has advised a five-star luxury resort in Boracay to directly recover from former tourism secretary Wanda Tulfo-Teo, former undersecretary Katherine De Castro and three other former officials of the Department of Tourism (DOT) t...

Now that the National Food Authority palay-buying price has been raised, the agency should be provided a bigger procurement fund for its stockpiling program, according to farmer groups.

Five graduates of the Philippine Military Academy have been nominated to become the next commandant of the Philippine Coast Guard.

Flanked by officials who claimed that they “surrendered” to the government, the two environment activists who went missing in Bataan earlier this month accused the military of abduction and coercion.

Speaker Martin Romualdez yesterday stood by the constitutionality of the Maharlika Investment Fund Act of 2023 after lawmakers asked the Supreme Court to void and stop the implementation of the MIF Law.

The National Bureau of Investigation filed on Monday a complaint against six unnamed suspects allegedly hoarding onions and engaging in profiteering in December last year.

Suspending the excise tax on petroleum products is expected to have serious repercussions on state coffers and on the overall economy, Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno warned yesterday, dismissing the proposal from legislators as “short-sighted and il...

The Department of Information and Communications Technology yesterday defended its request for P300 million in confidential funds, saying it is crucial in the agency’s fight against scammers and cybercriminals.

The House of Representatives yesterday approved on second reading the military and uniformed personnel pension system reform bill, but removed a provision requiring active members to contribute to their pension.

Teachers who will serve in polling precincts and vote canvassing during the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections should be protected and provided with legal assistance, Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte said yesterday.

President Marcos directed the Philippine National Police to keep the police force “free from any form of corruption and abuse” during the oath-taking of 57 newly promoted police generals at Malacañang yesterday.

In his message for the 123rd anniversary of the Civil Service Commission, President Marcos yesterday thanked the country’s 1.8 million civil servants “who work tirelessly and with excellence and integrity to deliver the quality service that all Filipin...

President Marcos defended yesterday the imposition of price caps on rice even as he ordered the increase in buffer stock of the staple in the National Food Authority warehouses across the country to ensure its affordability.

States must guarantee fundamental freedoms online and during use of digital technologies, United Nations and regional human rights experts said.

Two weeks after the confiscation of suspected smuggled imported rice worth P505 million in Bulacan, the Bureau of Customs failed to file charges against those involved, Sen. Francis Escudero said.

The UNODC cited an undercover operation in Pampanga in July last year, led by the Philippine National Police-Maritime Group (PNP-MG), that resulted in the confiscation of a Philippine serpent eagle and the arrest of several suspects who were attempting...

An ecumenical student group recently expressed its opposition to the proposal of the Department of Education (DepEd) to remove the term “Diktadurang Marcos,” referring to former president Ferdinand Marcos Sr., from the Grade 6 curriculum.

Speaker Martin Romualdez is leaving it up to Harvard University to discuss reports that he had donated $2 million, saying the school has a policy with regard to such arrangements.

The Supreme Court hopes to release the results of the 2023 Bar examinations by early December.

President Marcos surprised a number of overseas Filipino workers spending Sunday time at the Lucky Plaza Mall in Singapore yesterday, the Presidential Communications Office said.

Austria has opened its doors to Filipino nurses, with local recruitment agencies reporting its addition to the list of countries hiring Filipino health care workers.

Groups criticized President Marcos for attending the F1 series in Singapore amid economic crisis in the country.

President Marcos took a break to read the greetings he received on his 66th birthday on Sept. 13, including those from children.