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Hobbies & Advocacies

AER: LOWERING TOBACCO TAXES WILL REWARD SMUGGLERS

A new nationwide study by Action for Economic Reforms (AER) and Economics for Health of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health shows that illicit tobacco trade in the Philippines is being fueled by weak enforcement and governance gaps, not by high tobacco taxes as the tobacco industry has long claimed. The research was […]

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Politics

DY BARES REFORM INITIATIVES TO FIGHT CORRUPTION

Speaker Faustino “Bojie” Dy III on Tuesday announced two initiatives to fight corruption, strengthen accountability, and restore public trust in government, saying the House of Representatives must lead by example in pursuing reforms that uphold integrity and responsibility in public service. In his speech at the resumption of the House session, Dy described corruption as […]

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Government

DA: NFA TO BENCHMARK PALAY FLOOR PRICE 

The government’s move to impose a floor price for rice purchases by state agencies is expected to set a strong benchmark that will raise farmers’ incomes and strengthen the National Food Authority’s (NFA) role in ensuring fair grain prices, Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said. “The floor price is an integral part of the […]

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Politics

SOTTO ROLLS OUT SENATE MOBILE CLINIC

Senate President Tito Sotto led the formal turnover of a fully equipped Senate Mobile Clinic on Wednesday at the Senate Grounds, marking a significant step toward bringing healthcare closer to people. Also present during the signing of the Memorandum of Agreement between the Senate of the Philippines and the Department of Health were Department of […]

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Politics

TRAVEL BAN FOR LOCAL EXECS AMID DISASTERS BACKED

Parañaque 2nd District Representative Brian Raymund Yamsuan has expressed his support for the directive of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) to ban the foreign travel of all elective and appointive local officials in preparation for the onslaught of Super Typhoon Uwan,  and said that this should be the norm every time a […]

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Politics

CAMILLE VILLAR: INVEST IN DOST, ‘PISAY’ SCHOLARS

Senator Camille Villar is pushing for stronger government investment in education and innovation, saying it is time to empower the next generation of Filipino talents to be globally competitive in science and technology. Villar, the youngest senator of the 20th Congress, has been reviewing the proposed 2026 budgets of the Department of Science and Technology […]

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Politics

ZUBIRI LAUDS ARTA-OMBUDSMAN AGREEMENT VS RED TAPE

Senate Majority Leader Migz Zubiri hailed the new memorandum of agreement between the Anti-Red Tape Authority and the Office of the Ombudsman, calling it a decisive enforcement tool to give the Ease of Doing Business law more bite to combat government red tape. “This partnership between the ARTA and the Ombudsman will finally speed up […]

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Politics

LACSON TO SCRUTINIZE DPWH FUND REALIGNMENTS

Senate President Pro Tempore Ping Lacson intends to scrutinize potentially dubious farm-to-market roads, “ayuda” programs and “Super Health Centers” that “benefited” from some P255.5 billion from flood control project funds of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) in the 2026 budget. Lacson said an initial check of the realignments showed the funds went […]

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Politics

SOLID NORTH: INSTITUTIONALIZE E-HEALTH SYSTEM

Solid North Party-list Rep. Ching Bernos expressed hope that a bill establishing a regulatory framework for the use of information and communication technology (ICT) for health would finally be enacted during the 20th Congress. “The eHealth System and Services bill is a necessary measure that will help provide a safe, cost-effective, secure, and accessible way […]

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Politics

LEGARDA BATS FOR SYSTEMS-BASED DEPED REFORM

Senator Loren Legarda, Co-Chairperson of the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM II) and Chairperson of Senate Committee on Higher, Technical, and Vocational Education, called for a sharper, systems-based reform of the Department of Education (DepEd) that links classroom realities with national development goals, during the Commission’s sectoral review with DepEd officials. “Education is the […]