National
Salceda pushes for another 25-year MERALCO franchise
House Ways and Means Committee chairman Albay Rep. Joey Sarte Salceda is pushing for the renewal of the legislative franchise of the Manila Electric Company (MERALCO) for another 25 years, to ensure the continuous and uninterrupted distribution of quality and reliable power supply and “in consideration of the nature of the vital service it provides.”
AF Payments warns against fake “12-month free ride card”
Makati City (26 January 2024) – AF Payments Inc (AFPI), the owner of the beep™ card brand used on Metro Manila’s Light Rail Transit, has raised concerns about an online promotion that guarantees “12-month free subway rides using beep™ cards,” which can be seen on the “Manila Metro” Facebook page. AFPI categorically denies involvement in…
PDEA: PBBM is not, and was never in our drug watchlist
The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) vehemently denied that President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. is in its watchlist for persons linked to illegal drug use contrary to the accusations of former president Rodrigo Duterte. “Based on all the foregoing facts, the PDEA asserts that President Marcos Jr. is not and was never in its watchlist,”…
MTRCB junks SMNI’s appeals
MANILA – The Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) on Friday reaffirmed its decision to suspend the television programs “Gikan sa Masa, Para sa Masa” and “Laban Kasama ang Bayan”, and dismissed the motions for reconsideration (MR) filed by SMNI. The MTRCB’s initial decision to suspend the two programs stemmed from multiple complaints regarding the…
UNSR Khan cites PH’s ‘vibrant, mature’ freedom of expression
MEETING WITH DFA. United Nations Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression Irene Khan (center) meets with officials of the Department of Foreign Affairs on Thursday (Jan. 25, 2024). Khan acknowledged the Philippines’ “vibrancy and mature media landscape,” according to the Department of Foreign Affairs. (Photo courtesy of…
PBBM urges key energy players to ensure reliable power at all times
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has urged the country’s key energy players to make sure there will be “reliable power at all times,” during the recent historic switch-on of the Mindanao-Visayas Interconnection Project (MVIP). Marcos expressed hope there would be no repeat of the massive blackout that hit Western Visayas earlier this month. “We cannot afford to have another round…
Zubiri warns of emerging Constitutional crisis
Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri (Photo credit: Senate/PRIB) Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri has warned of an emerging constitutional crisis which he considers tragic and unfortunate. “We have warned about a possible constitutional crisis and tried to avoid it. But unfortunately, it seems that this is slowly happening,” Zubiri said in a statement on Friday. House Speaker Martin…
Manila Central Post Office rehab gets P15M from DOT
CHARRED. Smoke billows out of the Manila Central Post Office building in Liwasang Bonifacio on May 22, 2023. The Department of Tourism is allocating PHP15 million for the rehabilitation and restoration of the neoclassical building that sits along the banks of the Pasig River. (PNA file photo by Yancy Lim) Through its infrastructure arm, the Tourism Infrastructure…
Incheon Metropolitan City reappoints Salceda as Advisor for Int’l Affairs
Albay 2nd District Rep. Joey Salceda (Facebook photo) LEGAZPI CITY – The Incheon Metropolitan City, South Korea’s powerhouse business center, has recently reappointed Albay 2nd District Rep. Joey Sarte Salceda as its Advisor for International Affairs for another two years, a post he held since 2009 when he was Albay governor, and which would span…
OTC: There will be enough PUVs in unconsolidated routes by February 1
OTC chair Andy Ortega (PNA photo by Joan Bondoc) The Office of Transportation Cooperatives (OTC) has assured on Monday there would be enough public utility vehicles (PUV) operating in all routes nationwide, including those without unconsolidated jeepneys, by February 1. OTC chair Andy Ortega said replacing PUVs that failed to comply with the consolidation requirement of the government is a top priority…