News & Stories

MANILA, Philippines — Sen. JV 

Ejercito has appealed to his colleagues in the bicameral conference committee to reconsider the “massive” budget hike for the controversial Medical Assistance to Indigent and Financially Incapacitated Patients or MAIFIP program. Ejercito

is one of  the conferees of the bicam panel on the propose P6.793-trillion budget for 2026 but  he could not attend its

MANILA, Philippines — A Church leader has called on lawmakers to “renounce pork once and for all” as he criticized the decision of the bicameral conference committee to increase the budget of the Department of Health’s (DOH) Medical Assistance to Indigent and Financially Incapacitated program (MAIFIP). READ: Bi

cam raises MAIFIP budget to P51B amid backlash

MANILA, Philippines — The reduced material costs presented by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) cannot be applied wholesale or to all line items under the general appropriations bill (GAB), as it resulted in inaccurate estimates for 10,000 projects, Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon told the bicameral conference committee on Sunday. Di

zon in

MANILA, Philippines — The House of Representatives is grappling with competing legislative proposals aimed at finally fulfilling the decades-old constitutional mandate to prohibit political dynasties, with key differences emerging over how wide the net should be cast on prohibiting family relationships in public office. In

the current 20th Congress alone, there are at least 13

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine National Police has placed all units on heightened alert nationwide ahead of the start of “Simbang Gabi“ on Dec. 16. Mi

llio

ns of Catholic faithful are expected to attend dawn and evening Masses leading up to Christmas. Under

the Ligtas Paskuhan 2025 strategy, more than 70,000 police personnel will be deployed

MANILA, Philippines — The Center for People Empowerment in Governance (Cenpeg) has called on the Marcos administration to pursue criminal charges against officials who were involved in the 2024 transfer of P60 billion from the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (P

hilHealth) to the national treasury. “W

e expect our legal institutions dedicated to the public interest to

MANILA, Philippines — The first family remains in a festive mood for the holidays, amid a politically turbulent year and its controversies hounding some of its members. Pr

esident Ferdinand Marcos Jr. was joined by first lady Liza Araneta-Marcos and their three sons, Sandro, Simon and Vinny, for their annual Christmas photo shoot in Malacañang. “Ch

ristmas

DAVAO CITY, Philippines — Marc Douglas Cagas IV will remain as vice governor of Davao del Sur after the Supreme Court en banc issued a status quo ante order on a petition that questioned the Commission on Elections’ (Comelec) decision that disqualified him from last May’s elections and annulled his proclamation as the second-highest elected

BAGUIO CITY, Philippines — A group of Cordillera technocrats backed the planned P75-billion block subsidy for the proposed Autonomous Region of the Cordillera (ARC), saying the amount was not only justified but would pose no strain to government coffers. Th

e fiscal forecast made by the consultancy group Nadunop Interdisciplinary Research and Development on Social Sciences

ILOILO CITY, Philippines — A Regional Trial Court (RTC) in San Jose de Buenavista in Antique issued a temporary environmental protection order (Tepo) against the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and its contractor, halting the construction of an esplanade and seawall in the capital town. Sa

n Jose RTC Branch 11 Presiding Judge Jojo

MANILA, Philippines — Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon has been reminded by senators that it is he whom they trust—and not district officers of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH)—as discussions on whether it would be wise to put back part of the agency’s funds continue. During S

unday’s bicameral conference committee hearing on

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HISTORIC.

The Philippine women's football team celebrates on December 14, 2025, after reaching the final of the Southeast Asian Games.

CHONBURI, Thailand – For the first time in Southeast Asian Games history, the Philippines will play in the final of women’s football. The

Filipinas accomplished the breakthrough feat after outlasting host Thailand, winning 4-2 on penalties following a 1-1 draw in a nail-biting semifinal clash at the Chonburi Daikin Stadium here on Sunday, December 14. Jael

Marie Guy, Alessandrea Carpio, Sara Eggesvik, and Hali Long converted in succession in the penalty shootout while two Thais misfired as the Philippines arranged a title duel with defending champion Vietnam. On t

he brink of getting eliminated as they trailed 0-1 with five minutes left in regulation, the Filipinas caught a lucky break when Thailand got called for a hand ball, resulting in a penalty kick for Guy. Guy