House lawmakers yesterday approved on third and final reading two proposals, including one that seeks to grant the President the power to suspend an increase in the premiums of the members of the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth), who are 'direct contributors.' The other measure seeks to allow married women…
Corporate regulator Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has partnered with several government agencies, including the police, to share information on beneficial owners of companies and other regulated entities. The SEC signed the data-sharing agreement with the Philippine National Police, the Bureau of Internal Revenue and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming…
Joining the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) could bring benefits to the country, particularly for unskilled workers, but may lead to lower economic growth as high value-added industries decline. This is according to a policy note published by the Philippine Institute for Development Studies and written by…
President Marcos vowed yesterday to provide soldiers and policemen decent shelters as part of the government's efforts to address the housing backlog in the Philippines. Marcos made the commitment during a meeting with military, police and housing officials at Malacañang, the Presidential Communications Office said. 'We have begun to craft…
In a ruling that defines marital infidelity as a form of psychological violence, the Supreme Court (SC) has upheld the conviction of a man who cheated on his wife for violating the Anti-Violence Against Women and Their Children Act of 2004 (Anti-VAWC Act). The decision came as part of a…
'Red-tagging' persists under the Marcos administration, whose position on the practice - deemed intended to silence criticism of the government - is unclear, according to the US State Department's latest annual country report on human rights practices released yesterday. The same report also showed that physical attacks against journalists continue…
The defense chiefs of the Philippines and the United States have again sounded the alarm over the escalating provocative activities of China in the South China Sea and the West Philippine Sea, including the deployment of a warship and more coast guard and militia vessels. In a telephone conversation on…
Three major export industry groups representing the information technology business process management (IT-BPM), semiconductor/ electronics, and the garments/ wearables industries are waiting for a resolution on the value added tax (VAT)-zero rating issue currently being finalized by the government through the Fiscal Incentives Review Board (FIRB). 'A solution has been…
The value of the country's agricultural trade continued to grow but at a slower pace in the fourth quarter of 2022 to $6.32 billion, driven by a double-digit increase in agricultural imports, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA). The fourth quarter figure is lower than the 17.6 percent growth…
Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte said the Department of Education (DepEd) intends to hire additional public school teachers every year, as part of its basic education recovery program. In a chance interview with reporters after attending the Quezon City Police District (QCPD)'s flag-raising ceremony and celebration of Women's…