Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero today urged the government to tap the P30-billion Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF), created under Republic Act No. 11203, to finance interventions that go beyond short‑term cash aid to shield farmers from El Niño and rising global fuel costs. Escudero pointed to the P15 billion allocation for “Other Priority Programs, Activities…
Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero hailed business tycoon Hans T. Sy for the SM Group’s planned expansion in Davao and other parts of Mindanao, saying the move will further accelerate growth in the region. At the same time, Escudero expressed hope that Sy’s confidence in Mindanao’s economy will inspire other major investors to follow suit and…
DAVAO CITY – Davao City Councilor Pamela Librado-Morata urged the City Council on Tuesday, April 21, to adopt a resolution opposing any proposal that could compromise people’s security and the country’s sovereignty, particularly amid reports of a possible foreign military fuel facility in the area. In a privilege speech during the 21st City Council’s regular…
DAVAO CITY – The Davao City government is advancing plans to modernize public transport, with an emphasis on environmental sustainability, through a proposed ordinance to strengthen the city’s electric vehicle (EV) program. A measure pending before the Davao City Council seeks to establish a comprehensive incentive framework for the EV industry, covering manufacturers, dealers, operators,…
As the Supreme Court continues its highly anticipated oral arguments concerning the validity of unprogrammed funds in the national budget, Senator Christopher “Bong” Go has re-emerged as a voice for health equity, framing the current legal battle as the inevitable “sequel” to the controversial transfer of PhilHealth funds. In the second round of oral arguments…
The dubious scheme of the Marcos government to allow the establishment of an oil depot for US military operations is fraught with dubious implications. It does not stand to reason why the depot be placed anywhere in Davao Gulf when the more strategic place should be the former US naval storage facility the Subic Naval…
By Ivy Tejano DAVAO CITY – The petitioners challenging the impeachment proceedings against Vice President Sara Duterte returned to the Supreme Court of the Philippines, questioning what they described as grave abuse of discretion on the April 14 hearing before the House of Representatives Committee on Justice. In a Manifestation with Prayer filed in G.R….
There are moments when the truth does not need to be declared—it reveals itself in the questions being asked. Inside the halls of the Supreme Court of the Philippines, the country’s highest magistrates did not need dramatic pronouncements to expose what millions of Filipinos have long suspected. Their skepticism, their persistence, their refusal to accept…
Photo courtesy: TED ALJIBE / AFP This narrative cuts deep because it finally gives voice to what I—and millions of Filipinos—have long felt and believed: the crushing exhaustion of watching a government that seems willing to bend the law, stretch its power, and hide behind technicalities, while ordinary citizens bear the pain. It is the…
DAVAO CITY — Vice President Sara Duterte defended her integrity against allegations raised by former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV before the House Justice Committee, insisting her service record is clean and she has never faced a case involving misuse of public funds. “Malinis ang aking service record. Hindi ako kailanman nagkaroon ng kaso sa paggamit…
