THE HOUSE of Representatives is set to investigate an alleged deal made by former President Rodrigo R. Duterte with China to keep the status quo over contested waters in South China Sea once Congress resumes. “The House of Representatives is committed to conducting a comprehensive and fair inquiry to clarify this critical national issue,” House Majority Leader Manuel Jose M. Dalipe said in a statement, adding that it would be done when Congress resumes its regular sessions. Mr. Duterte allegedly struck a gentleman’s agreement with Chinese President Xi Jinping to deny the resupplying of buildin ..read more

THE SENATE majority leader has called on the upper chamber to ratify international conventions on establishing a database to combat tax evasion, improving labor inspections, and allowing foreign prisoners to serve the rest of their sentences in their home country. At a Senate Committee on Foreign Relations hearing tackling the conventions and treaties, Senate Majority Leader Emmanuel Joel J. Villanueva said the Multilateral Convention on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters would boost revenues by reducing cases of tax evasion. The convention would require the Philippines to coopera ..read more

THE UNITED States’ commitment to uphold maritime order over the South China Sea (SCS) is driven by its interest to maintain strategic dominance against Beijing, a maritime interests advocate said at a forum on Wednesday. Antonio L. Tinio, spokesman of Pilipinong Nagkakaisa para sa Soberanya, said the shift in US policy to counter Beijing’s assertion over South China Sea is based on its need to “out-compete the PRC (People’s Republic of China) in technological, economic, political, military, and global governance aspects.” Started by Washington in 2022, the Indo-Pacific strategy is geared towar ..read more

THE INSURANCE Commission (IC) has partnered with the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) to provide free legal assistance to the public for issues with claims from insurance, pre-need and health maintenance organization (HMO) products. The IC and IBP signed the memorandum of agreement (MoA) on Monday to make the partnership official, the IC said in a statement on Tuesday. Under the partnership, the public will be provided legal assistance, including consultation, and representation during mediation, conciliation, and adjudication proceedings. The IC said it will focus on the marginalized a ..read more

FARMERS in La Union are shifting to drought-resistant crops to parry off the dire effects of the El Niño phenomenon in the agriculture sector. Rice farmer Carlito Eslava of San Gabriel, La Union is now planting corn and mung beans as an alternative to rice to cushion the possible effects of El Niño. “We will start harvesting rice in the last week of April, but we are still planting corn and mung beans that we can harvest now, as these crops do not require heavy irrigation,” said Mr. Eslava. Earlier, the La Union Provincial Agriculturist (OPAG) advised the local farmers to look into alternative ..read more

THE COMMISSION on Human Rights (CHR) expressed grave concern over a “stabbing spree” that left a village safety officer killed and two others wounded in Quezon City last on April 10. The CHR said a police officer and two village watchmen were responding to a report of unruly behavior when the man causing the trouble ran amuck with a knife and stabbed the three of them. “The Commission condemns this reprehensible act committed against our dedicated safety officers, who work tirelessly to preserve law and order and ensure the safety of our communities. Such actions jeopardize not only the safety ..read more

THE BELLWETHER INDEX  plummeted to the 6,400 level on Tuesday as investors remained cautious amid the escalating conflict in the Middle East. The 30-member Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) fell by 2.39% or 157.46 points to end at 6,404.97 on Tuesday, while the broader all shares index retreated by 1.96% or 68.26 points to close at 3,409.85. This was the PSEi’s worst finish in more than four months or since it closed at 6,255.74 on Dec. 13, 2023. “Philippine shares experienced the largest sell-off year to date as the market touched the 6,400 level, falling 2.4%, spurred by increased ..read more

THE PESO recorded its worst close since November 2022 on Tuesday due to a stronger-than-expected US retail sales report and escalating tensions between Iran and Israel. The local unit closed at P57 per dollar on Tuesday, weakening by 19.2 centavos from its P56.808 finish on Monday, Bankers Association of the Philippines data showed. This was the peso’s worst finish and was the first time it ended at the P57 level since its P57.375-a-dollar close on Nov. 22, 2022. The peso opened Tuesday’s session at weaker P56.85 against the dollar, which was already its intraday best. Its weakest showing was ..read more

THE Department of Agriculture (DA) said it supports an extension of the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF), with an adjusted budget allocation per year. “Definitely, I think it should be extended. But there should be adjustments so we can adapt to the times,” Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel, Jr. told reporters. Mr. Laurel added that the DA is finalizing its proposal on adjustments to the funding allocated to RCEF. “Only P10 billion goes into RCEF. It should be increased. We also have to invest more on postharvest facilities and mechanization,” he said. He added that som ..read more

PRODUCTION of palay or unmilled rice, is expected to come in at 4.82 million metric tons (MT) during the first quarter, based estimates of the standing crop as of March 1, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said. PSA’s projection, if borne out, would represent a 0.3% increase from the initial 4.8 million MT estimate issued on Jan. 1 and an 0.8% year from actual output a year earlier. The PSA said that the estimated harvest area for the first quarter declined 0.1% year on year to 1.17 million hectares. “Based on standing crop for the period… the yield per hectare of palay may increase to ..read more