The Department of Tourism (DOT) said a total of 5,450,557 tourists and guests visited the Philippines in 2023, well above its 4.8 million target arrivals earlier set for the entire year. Of the number, 91.80% or 5,003,475 are foreigners while the remaining 447,082 are overseas Filipinos. From January to December 31, 2023, the country also generated an estimated P482.54 billion in international tourism revenue, more than double the receipts…
PUERTO PRINCESA, Palawan – Jeju Air, touted as South Korea’s first and largest low-cost airline, will open its direct flights from Incheon to Puerto Princesa starting March 2024. Demetrio Alvior Jr., chief of the City Tourism Department (CTD), told reporters on Tuesday the new route is partly the result of collaboration between the city government and the South Korean Embassy in Manila. . Alvior disclosed that…
LONDON – German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has underscored the critical need for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, asserting that Israelis and Palestinians can only live side by side in peace “if one’s security equals the other’s.” “This can only be achieved when everyone is willing to acknowledge the other’s suffering. We must spare no effort…
ROME – Pope Francis on Monday called for the practice of surrogate motherhood to be banned worldwide. “The path to peace demands respect for life, for every human life, starting with that of the unborn child in its mother’s womb, which cannot be suppressed, nor become an object of commodification,” Pope Francis said during a New Year audience…
ISTANBUL – The South Korean Parliament on Tuesday passed a law that will ban the breeding, butchering, distribution and marketing of dogs for meat by 2027. The bill bagged 208 votes and two abstentions, as reported by the Seoul-based Yonhap News Agency. Law enforcement will begin in 2027, and violators could face a maximum two years in prison or a fine of up…
The country’s unemployment rate dipped to its lowest level in November last year, while employment reached its highest since April 2005, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported Tuesday. At a briefing, National Statistician Dennis Mapa said results of the PSA’s latest Labor Force Survey (LFS) showed that unemployment rate further dipped to 3.6% during the month, down from the 4.2% recorded…
The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) which is responsible for generating jobs in the country, has vowed to continue attracting investments that produce higher-quality and higher-paying jobs. During the Bagong Pilipinas briefing Tuesday, DTI Undersecretary Kim Bernardo-Lokin said state investment promotion agencies (IPAs) are strengthening their investment strategies while improving the ease of doing business in the country to lure…
By Severino C. Samonte Did you know that the first proposal or move to amend or change some of the provisions of the 1987 Constitution happened in 1997 and that then President Fidel V. Ramos (FVR) became a prime suspect in initiating it to pave the way for the extension of his term which was due to end on…
By Liza Agoot BAGUIO CITY – Five years ago, former New People’s Army rebel “Ka Iyong” was always fearful that each sunrise would be his last — until he grabbed the opportunity to surrender and provide a brighter future for his family. Ka Iyong, 35, retained his underground nickname even now that he has become…
FIRE. A fire burns over 60 houses during a conflagration in Barangay Habog-Habog Salvacion in Molo district, Iloilo City on Dec. 16, 2023. The city government has allocated PHP14 million to buy food and non-food items in case of calamities this year. (File photo by CDRRMO-USAR) ILOILO CITY – The city government here has allocated P14 million for food and…
