Liam Demafelix
Reporting from the TSR newsroom.
How typhoon-induced class suspensions affect students’ learning, study explains
Two weeks of heavy and persistent rains that triggered severe flooding across parts of Luzon in the Philippines forced local government units to suspend classes to ensure the safety of students. However, a study published in the International Journal of Educational Development highlights the…
Taiwan chokes mobile internet speeds in drill for Chinese attack
TAIPEI – Millions of people in Taiwan were forced indoors and mobile internet speeds slowed for 30 minutes on Thursday during a simulation of a Chinese attack on the island democracy. The drill was part of Taiwan’s annual “Han Kuang” military exercise that aims to prepare the island of 23 million…
Weather mismatch: Mindanao swelters under extreme heat; Luzon battles heavy rains, flooding
As Luzon battles heavy and intense rains with severe flooding for two consecutive weeks, residents in Mindanao pray for rain — as PAGASA forecasts high heat indices in various areas in the region. Netizen Ulysees Baroro Zamora Raval, shared a video of his farm going dry due to lack of rains. “Wala…
Marcos admin’s satisfaction rating improves, but still below average — SWS survey
The net satisfaction rating of the Marcos administration rebounded to +1 in June 2026 from -13 in March, according to a survey by Social Weather Stations (SWS). In its latest poll conducted from June 20 to 29 and released on Wednesday, August 12, 42% of Filipinos said they were satisfied with the…
Colombians dig through rubble as quake death toll surpasses 240
Rescuers, soldiers and volunteers searched through collapsed apartment blocks and office buildings Tuesday across western Colombia, racing to find survivors after the country’s strongest earthquake in a century killed at least 241 people and left many more homeless. In Pereira and Cali, families…
Study links improper waste disposal to rising diseases, calls for education drive
A study has found that unsafe solid waste disposal increases disease risk and chemical exposure, particularly among vulnerable communities and frontline workers. Rapid population growth has pushed global municipal solid waste generation beyond 2 billion tons annually, with the health impacts of…
Isko Moreno leads inauguration of Senior Citizens’ Park, Community Pet Park in Pandacan, Manila
Manila City Mayor Francisco “Isko” Moreno Domagoso led the inauguration of the Senior Citizens Park and Community Pet Park in Pandacan on Wednesday morning, August 12, seven months after breaking ground on the project in January. The nearly one-hectare park in Pandacan was first broken ground in…
More than 100 killed after strongest quake this century hits western Colombia
More than 100 people were killed after a powerful earthquake struck western Colombia on Monday, toppling buildings, damaging hospitals and infrastructure and trapping people beneath the rubble in the country’s strongest earthquake this century. The quake struck just days after Abelardo De La…
Former US president Joe Biden’s cancer has spread – son
WASHINGTON — Former US president Joe Biden’s cancer has metastasized further, according to his son Hunter Biden, who shared the update in a recent interview with the BBC. In May 2025, just four months after he left office as the oldest sitting president, the elder Biden revealed he had been…
Fraud crackdown at Customs: ‘We’re going after smugglers, their financiers, and their government allies,’ says commissioner
The Bureau of Customs (BOC) has filed 84 cases for customs fraud under a crackdown that targets high-value misdeclarations, including the infamous example of a Bugatti luxury vehicle declared as a pick-up truck to pay lower import duties, Commissioner Ariel Nepomuceno said Saturday. Nepomuceno…
SSS, GSIS launch micro loan programs at 6% interest yearly, safer than loan sharks charging 10% monthly
The Social Security System (SSS) and the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) have launched micro loan programs offering emergency loans at 6% annual interest, providing a government alternative to informal lenders that charge as much as 10% per month, Finance Secretary Frederick Go said…
BIR launches one-time tax abatement: micro businesses can clear ₱80,000 in liabilities for ₱5,000
The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) has launched a One-Time Tax Abatement Program that allows micro taxpayers with annual gross sales of up to ₱3 million to clear up to ₱80,000 in pending tax liabilities and penalties per taxable year for a flat payment of just ₱5,000, BIR Commissioner Charlito…
No more VAT on 2,277 essential medicines: BIR, FDA expand list covering major illnesses
The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), in coordination with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), has made 2,277 medicines VAT-exempt, covering treatments for cancer, diabetes, hypertension, and kidney disease, with the list continuing to grow as more drugs are endorsed for exemption, BIR…
Marcos raises income tax exemption to ₱350,000; micro and small businesses freed from minimum corporate income tax
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. announced during his fifth State of the Nation Address (SONA) that the income tax exemption threshold will be raised from ₱250,000 to ₱350,000, giving workers a maximum additional take-home pay of ₱17,500, while micro and small businesses that are losing money or…
‘Taxpayer-centric’ BIR recognized as Top 2 Most Improved Agency by ARTA
The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) has been recognized by the Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA) as the Top 2 Most Improved Government Agency, a milestone BIR Commissioner Charlito Mendoza said Saturday reflects the bureau’s deliberate shift toward a taxpayer-friendly, service-oriented approach.…