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The Philippine National Railways (PNR) will restore train service between Naga and Lupi Viejo in Camarines Sur starting November 5, offering commuters a faster and more affordable alternative to road transport in the Bicol region.

According to PNR General Manager Deovanni S. Miranda, the train journey will take one hour and 39 minutes, faster than the nearly two-hour trip by other vehicles on the same route.

‘We continue to rehabilitate PNR infrastructure to deliver affordable, safe, and reliable public transportation to more commuters,’ Miranda said.

The service will operate three trips daily in each direction. Trains departing Naga are scheduled for 4:29 a.m., 9:49 a.m., and 3:14 p.m., while Lupi Viejo departures will run at 6:23 a.m., 11:43 a.m., and 5:08 p.m.

Passengers will be able to board and alight at stations in Lupi Viejo, Sipocot, Libmanan, Pamplona, and Naga, as well as at 11 flag stops including Lupi Nuevo/Tapi, Malaguico, Azucena, Awayan, Mantalisay, Camambugan, Rongos, Malansad, Mambulo, Borabod, and Sampaloc.

Regular fares will range from P15 to P75 for the Naga-Lupi Viejo route. Students, persons with disabilities (PWDs), and senior citizens with valid identification will receive discounted rates starting at P12 up to P60.

THE Department of Labor and Employment-National Capital Region (Dole-NCR) has ordered the suspension of vertical reinforcement bar installation at a Bonifacio Global City construction site where a worker was killed earlier this week.

DOLE-NCR Director Sarah Buena S. Mirasol confirmed on Wednesday that a work stoppage order (WSO) was issued on October 21 and will remain in effect until lifted.

‘WSO is in effect until lifted; but it does not cover all activities in the construction site. The WSO directed the contractors to stop the installation of vertical reinforcement bar ONLY,’ Mirasol said in a text message.

She added that the contractors involved have been summoned to a mandatory conference at the Muntaparlas (Muntinlupa, Taguig, Parañaque, Las Piñas) field office on Thursday, October 23.

Initial police findings indicate that the incident occurred around 11:10 a.m. on Monday while workers were installing rebars at the Basement 2 level of the construction site.

The elevator core wall collapsed, and rubble fell on four workers.

All four were rushed to St. Luke’s Medical Center in BGC, but one of them, identified as Arvin Loria, was declared dead on arrival at 12:11 p.m.

Labor Secretary Bienvenido E. Laguesma earlier said that the department will intensify its inspections of construction sites following the fatal accident.

‘Dole will be persistent in our efforts to ramp up inspection of firms, with special focus on construction works being undertaken, so that accidents like this will be abated,’ Laguesma said.

‘It is indeed unfortunate and it saddens me that accident like this causing death and injuries continues to occur despite repeated reminders to employers, particularly in the construction industry, to strictly observe and comply with OSH rules and regulations,’ he added.

Laguesma also assured that the families of those affected will receive all assistance due to them.

‘Dole will ensure that benefits due to the family of Mr. Loria will be given, as Well as to the other injured workers. We will also make available Dole programs to the bereaved family and the injured workers,’ he said.

Senator Win Gatchalian has vowed to secure additional funding to strengthen the government’s crackdown on different forms of human trafficking, including the online sexual abuse and exploitation of children (OSAEC), amid reports of rising cases here and abroad.

During the hearing on the proposed 2026 budget of the Department of Justice (DOJ) and its attached agencies, Gatchalian noted that the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking was allocated P69 million under the National Expenditure Program. The National Coordination Center Against Online Sexual Abuse or Exploitation of Children and Child Sexual Abuse or Exploitation Materials (NCC-OSAEC-CSAEM) received an allocation of P28 million.

While the original allocations under the NEP are not adequate, Officer-in-Charge Justice Secretary Fredderick Vida reported that the General Appropriations Bill (House Bill No. 4058) already added P49.9 million for IACAT, while the (NCC-OSAEC-CSAEM) received an additional P42.5 million. Gatchalian vowed to support the allocation of additional funds.

‘Kabataan talaga ang target ng human trafficking at OSAEC. Nakakapanlumo ‘pag nakikita natin ‘yung ginagawa sa kanila. I want to make sure that we have ample support for our enforcers, IACAT, and our coordinating center,’ said Gatchalian, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance.

North Korea fired suspected short-range missiles days before President Donald Trump and other world leaders are set to gather in South Korea for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit starting next week.

The projectiles were launched northeastward Wednesday morning, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a text message. The missiles flew about 350 kilometers (217 miles), Yonhap News said.

Japanese media outlet NTV earlier reported that the missiles appeared to have fallen into waters east of the Korean Peninsula, citing an unidentified government official. But a South Korean government official said the missiles didn’t splash down in waters off east coast. The projectiles are believed to have struck North Korea’s inland, Yonhap News said, without citing sources.

The missile launches underscore the persistent threat North Korea poses to regional security and appear aimed at seizing the attention of world leaders-particularly Trump, who is expected to visit South Korea next week for trade talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The US president has floated the idea of meeting Kim Jong Un this year, touting their ‘very good relationship.’ Kim said in September he’s open to meeting with Trump again if the US drops its denuclearization demands.

South Korea’s Unification Minister Chung Dong-young said last week he believes there is a possibility of a Trump-Kim meeting on the sidelines of the APEC gathering. There has been no indication that the two sides are arranging a summit.

Trump and Kim met three times during the US leader’s first presidency, but those encounters failed to curb the development of Kim’s nuclear weapons program.

Kim has since aligned more closely with President Vladimir Putin, supporting his war against Ukraine, even standing shoulder to shoulder with the Russian leader and China’s Xi at a major military parade in Beijing last month.

Wednesday’s launch-the first in more than five months-comes less than two weeks after Kim staged his own military parade in Pyongyang that showcased the latest Hwasong-20 intercontinental ballistic missile and a day after Sanae Takaichi made history by becoming Japan’s first female prime minister.

It’s also the North’s first missile launch after the inauguration of South Korea’s liberal President Lee Jae Myung in June. While Lee has taken steps to ease tensions with Pyongyang, North Korea has largely rebuffed his efforts and stuck to its stance that the South remains a hostile neighbor.

‘Our military is maintaining a full readiness posture while closely sharing information related to North Korean ballistic missiles with the US and Japan,’ the South Korean military said.

In September, Kim oversaw a ground test of a high-thrust solid-fuel engine designed for long-range missiles, underscoring Pyongyang’s efforts to expand its arsenal of solid-fuel missiles which can be deployed more quickly and are harder to detect than liquid-fuel systems.

COMMUNITIES that host power projects will be entitled to receive 2.5 centavos per kilowatt hour (kWh) of electricity generated and sold, up from the current P0.01 per kWh, the Department of Energy (DOE) said on Tuesday.

Under Department Circular 2025-10-0023 signed by Energy Secretary Sharon S. Garin, the agency increased the ER 1-94 financial benefit starting January 2026 from P0.01 to P0.03 per kWh of electricity generated and sold.

Of the P0.03 per kWh, 2.5 centavos per kWh will be allocated for projects tailored to each locality’s needs, such as livelihood development, environmental protection, healthcare and educational initiatives. The remaining half-centavo allocation will be for electrification projects through the distribution utilities (DUs) will continue to fund electrification projects intended primarily to connect households requiring electricity service.

The increase ensures that communities directly contributing to the nation’s energy production are more equitably rewarded and better equipped to drive local progress. ‘This marks a major turning point for our energy-hosting communities. We are shifting our approach to focus on empowering people and giving them a greater stake in our country’s energy growth. By reinvesting the benefits of power generation back into local areas, we are building shared prosperity and a stronger foundation for a sustainable future,’ said Garin.

Hosting a 100 megawatt (MW) conventional power plant may facilitate an ER 1-94 benefits of approximately P21 million per year, while hosting a 100-MW solar power plant may generate benefits approximately P5.5 million per year, assuming these plants operate at their maximum capacity factor.

The DOE will strictly enforce funds’ transparency and accountability through regular audits by both the DOE and the Commission on Audit (COA). Beyond financial support, the new circular also enables non-fiscal benefits, including local employment preferences, skills development programs, and procurement of locally produced supplies, further stimulating community-based growth.

As of December 2024, the ER 1-94 Program had benefitted 683 local governments (LGUs), comprising 321 barangays, 286 cities towns, and 76 provinces. With the tripled allocation, the DOE projects a threefold increase in community investments-translating into improved facilities, more livelihood opportunities, and stronger local economies.

The policy, likewise, considered option to use the funds to lower electricity rates of the host communities, either, voluntary through a resolution by the LGUs, or mandatory when the host LGUs and the DUs are unable to utilize the funds for two years.

The strengthened ER 1-94 framework promotes community-driven planning by empowering host LGUs and indigenous cultural communities or indigenous peoples (ICCs/IPs) to identify and approve priority projects through their respective local council resolutions.

To ensure proper management and transparency, the financial allocations will be administered through dedicated trust accounts, namely the Development and Livelihood Fund (DLF), the Reforestation, Watershed Management, Health, and/or Environment Enhancement Fund (RWMHEEF), and the Electrification Fund.

A FIRE broke out at the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Bureau of Research and Standards (BRS) building on Wednesday, fanning the flames of speculation that documents related to the ongoing flood control corruption investigation may have been destroyed. However, officials were quick to assure the public that no such materials were affected.

In a statement released shortly after the incident, the DPWH confirmed that the fire originated from a computer unit inside the Materials Testing Division that ‘reportedly exploded.’

No employees were injured during the incident.

The agency emphasized that no materials connected to the corruption probe into flood control projects were stored in the affected building.

‘The DPWH confirms that no documents related to the ongoing investigation into the flood control anomalies were in the Bureau of Research and Standards building that caught fire in Quezon City today,’ the statement read.

The BRS is responsible for conducting research, studies, pilot testing, and formulating policies for government infrastructure projects.

An investigation team has been deployed to assess the full extent of the damage and prevent similar incidents in the future, according to the DPWH.

The agency, described among the most graft-ridden in the bureaucracy, has been ensnared in one of the biggest corruption scandals in the history of Philippine governance, after its role as a focal point for plowing infrastructure funds into substandard, wrongly located, or even nonexistent flood control projects was exposed.

In recent hearings on its 2026 budget, the DPWH has seen over P200 billion of its budget taken away and diverted into other sectors.

THE Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) admitted on Wednesday that possible higher tariffs and the potential passage of the Keep Call Centers in America Act pose risks to employment in the Philippines, which remains one of the world’s largest business process outsourcing (BPO) hubs.

Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma said the department aims to conduct a preliminary assessment of employment risks to determine the possible factors to labor market instability, as the country faces global trade uncertainties and the potential passage of the US legislation seeking to curb call center outsourcing.

‘Externally, we are seeing [risks from] the possible imposition of higher tariffs. There is also the possibility that the Keep Call Centers in America bill will become law,’ Laguesma said in a budget briefing, adding that the labor department is closely monitoring these external developments.

The Keep Call Centers in America Act, filed in the United States by Senators Ruben Gallego and Jim Justice, aims to curb the outsourcing of call center operations by imposing stricter rules on firms that transfer a significant portion of their services overseas.

Under the proposed bill, companies that relocate at least 30 percent of their operations abroad would be placed on a public registry. Those listed could lose access to federal grants and loans, face penalties if they continue outsourcing while holding federal contracts and be deprioritized in future government bidding.

The bill also includes a consumer transparency clause that, one year after its enactment, would allow American customers to know if the call center agent assisting them is located outside the United States and to request a transfer to a US-based representative.

BPO Industry Employees Network (BIEN) earlier said that the proposed legislation could trigger widespread job losses in the Philippines, which hosts one of the largest call center workforces in the world.

The Center for Trade Union and Human Rights (CTUHR) also previously urged the Marcos administration to prepare protection measures for call center agents, warning that if passed, the law could lead to a ‘massacre of jobs’ in the country’s BPO industry.

DOLE meets stakeholders

According to Laguesma, DOLE had already met with the Contact Center Association of the Philippines on Tuesday to discuss industry concerns and determine how the government could provide support.

‘It’s not only related to the continuous increase in wages and the narrowing of profit margins, there were also other concerns mentioned.We see both external and internal factors that could become burdens or could dampen not only the expansion of the industry but also the entry of investors,’ Laguesma said.

‘Since it would be difficult if the review takes too long, we can probably come up with a preliminary assessment,’ Laguesma said.

The preliminary risk assessment, he said, may serve as a guide to address these issues.

He added that the department also maintains regular dialogue with the Information Technology and Business Process Association of the Philippines to gather more concrete information on the industry’s outlook, including how its partner firms assess the Philippines as an investment destination.

LAWMAKERS on Wednesday said the decision of the Independent Commission for Infrastructure’s (ICI) to livestream next week’s hearings on alleged multibillion-peso flood control irregularities will restore public trust, giving citizens a front-row seat to the investigation.

Las Piñas Rep. Mark Anthony Santos, Party-list Reps. Chel Diokno of Akbayan, Terry Ridon of Bicol Saro,Elijah San Fernando of Kamangagagawa and Rep. Leila de Lima of Mamamayang Liberal called the decision a necessary step toward transparency amid growing public distrust over the flood control investigation.

‘This is a positive step toward transparency. The people deserve to see the process unfold. Livestreaming the hearings will help restore public trust and dispel doubts about the fairness of the investigation,’ Santos said.

On October 12, Santos called on the ICI to make its proceedings public, citing growing public interest and the need to prevent misinformation surrounding the flood control controversy.

‘If there is a livestream, there should be no speculation or false news. What’s important is for the public to see the truth for themselves,’ Santos emphasized.

He also noted that the livestreaming initiative would serve as a deterrent against political interference and provide the public with a clearer picture of how the investigation is being conducted.

‘Why the secrecy? We are talking about the people’s money here. The hearings should always be open to the public. Sunlight is the best disinfectant,’ he said.

Santos expressed hope that the livestreaming initiative would become a permanent practice for all major government investigations, particularly those involving public funds and infrastructure projects.

Similarly, Diokno hailed the ICI’s decision, stressing that the public has a right to know what happens during the hearings.

‘Once the hearing is livestreamed, the public will be able to witness the course of the investigation and see how the officials involved in stealing the taxes they collected will be held accountable,’ Diokno said. He also urged the Commission to disclose previous discussions and decisions to ensure full transparency.

For his part, Ridon, co-chairperson of the House of Repreesentatives Commitee on Infrastructure, said livestreaming would allow the public to witness disclosures, admissions, and evidence presented by high-level officials, government employees, and private contractors identified during investigations by both the House Infrastructure Committee and the Senate Blue-Ribbon committee.

Also, San Fernando called the decision a ‘small but necessary step’ toward transparency amid growing public distrust over the flood control probe.

De Lima, for her part, said the decision to livestream its proceedings is a ‘long-overdue’ step toward transparency and accountability.

At least four senators who won in the May 2025 midterm elections received campaign donations from contractors, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) confirmed on Wednesday.

Comelec Chairman George Erwin M. Garcia said that based on their initial investigation, 26 contractors donated to 14 national and local candidates, including six senators-four of whom were elected-two political parties, one national political party, three district representatives, and two governors.

‘We cannot disclose the names yet because we are still gathering complete information from the Statements of Contributions and Expenditures.We will release everything once the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) confirms that the donors are indeed public contractors,’ Garcia told reporters.

Garcia said Comelec’s Political Finance and Affairs Department (PFAD) aims to finish its review of all 2025 SOCEs by Friday.

Once completed, the list will be forwarded to the DPWH next week to verify how many of the listed donors had ongoing government contracts when they contributed to the candidates.

In September, the Comelec also sent the DPWH a separate list of 54 campaign donors who were contractors in the 2022 elections.

Garcia said the poll body is still waiting for the agency’s official response.

‘When the second batch comes in, we hope the first batch will also be released so we can already begin the process for those 54 contractors,’ he added.

The poll chief stressed that the Comelec cannot move forward with its case buildup until the DPWH confirms which donors were involved in government projects at the time.

‘Some of our fellow citizens may already be impatient, but this kind of case buildup takes time.We need solid evidence because remember these are criminal cases.that require proof beyond reasonable doubt,’ he explained, adding that the Comelec wants to avoid filing weak cases that may be dismissed in court.

All names to be made public

Garcia also assured that once the list is verified, the names of all involved candidates and contractors will be made public.

He said the list will be made publicly accessible, including to the Independent Commission for Infrastructure, should it choose to coordinate with the Comelec in gathering additional evidence.

The poll chief emphasized that the Comelec, as an independent constitutional body, has the sole mandate to investigate and prosecute violations of the Omnibus Election Code.

‘The Comelec does not need to consult with any other body to perform its mandate,’ Garcia said.

After reviewing contractors who made donations, the PFAD will next examine whether mining firms and companies with government franchises also contributed to candidates.

Under Section 95 of the Omnibus Election Code, contractors and suppliers of government projects are prohibited from donating-directly or indirectly-to any partisan political activity.

The same ban applies to financial institutions (except for legitimate loans), utilities, companies with government franchises or contracts, natural resource extractors, recipients of large government loans, publicly funded schools, civil service officials, members of the armed forces, and all foreigners and foreign corporations.

Both donors and recipients found guilty of violating the law face imprisonment of one to six years.

The country’s local textile industry should integrate sustainability in its business strategy to expand its access to the European market, according to the Department of Science and Technology (DOST).

DOST Secretary Renato Solidum Jr. said eco-friendly initiatives could serve as a niche for local tropical fabrics to gain an edge in the international market.

He noted that the Philippine Textile Research Institute (PTRI), an attached agency of the DOST, places primacy on sustainability, particularly in processing fabrics using natural dyes.

‘With this, and in line with the global advocacy of sustainability, this kind of materials are better appreciated when you send them to Europe,’ Solidum told reporters on the sidelines of the 2025 Philippine Textile Congress on Wednesday.

‘We need to have a niche in our efforts. Sometimes it’s not just about being [the cheaper product]. We also need to market our products from an environmental perspective,’ he added.

Solidum said the process of adding color through synthetic dyes and applying finishing for comfort often releases toxins that pose harm for public health and ecosystems.

He added that even washing clothes contributes to this, with each load of laundry releasing about 700,000 microfibers into the water supply.

‘Small actions, multiplied across millions, have an enormous impact on the planet,’ Solidum said.

‘That’s why when we talk about textiles today, we must look beyond fabrics and garments. Textiles are deeply intertwined with our social, economic, and environmental systems.’

He then championed the circular economy, one of the DOST’s big-ticket programs.

‘Circular economy reminds us that what we take from nature must be returned responsibly, and that every stage of production should contribute to regeneration, not waste,’ Solidum said.

He called on the industry to pursue a transformative, science-driven action, such as viewing existing laws focused on safeguarding the environment through a circular lens.

‘Let us.empower communities to shape their own circular textile pathways,’ Solidum said.

Earlier, the European Commission postponed the implementation of EU’s anti-deforestation law for a second time due to bureaucratic delays.

The EU Deforestation Regulation would be implemented instead in December 2026, two years beyond the original 2024 target.

Under this law, exporting countries should prove that their products are ‘deforestation-free and legally produced.’