Latest in Middle East conflictProvincial buses are now exempt from tollway fees on all expressways in the Philippines under a policy directive issued by the Marcos administration, reducing overhead costs for bus operators amid rising fuel prices triggered by the Middle East conflict, Transportation Senior Undersecretary Steven…
The government is eyeing a property owned by the Philippine National Oil Company (PNOC) in Bataan as the site for the country’s first Strategic Petroleum Reserve, with the Maharlika Investment Corporation set to help finance the initiative, a senior Palace official revealed Saturday.…
Philippine inflation slowed to 6.8% in May from 7.2% in April, but a senior official from the Office of the Executive Secretary (OES) warned Saturday that the development is not a cause for celebration, as three key price drivers—oil, electricity, and rice—remain elevated and together account for…
While the government celebrates a deal securing 1.5 million metric tons of rice from Vietnam, a veteran Davao journalist says the policy behind it is quietly destroying the livelihoods of the very farmers the country depends on. Serafin “Jun” Ledesma Jr., speaking on DZRH’s Special on Saturday on…
The Philippines has implemented more policy measures to counter the global oil shock than any other economy in Southeast Asia, according to a report by the Asian Development Bank (ADB). The Manila-based multilateral lender’s latest brief showed the Philippines adopted 7 of 8 major policy…
Before the first US-Israeli strikes on Iran in March, the world was not bracing for an oil crisis—it was sitting on too much oil. That is the argument an economist is making as he pushes back against the prevailing assumption that high fuel prices are a permanent new reality. University of Asia…
The Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) is offering solar panel loans of up to ₱500,000 at a 5% annual interest rate, payable over five years, as rising electricity costs driven by the ongoing US-Iran conflict push more Filipinos to consider renewable energy alternatives. GSIS President and…
One month into the war between the United States and Iran, there are no signs of a ceasefire, no formal peace negotiations on the table, and no clear end in sight. What began as a swift American military strike — framed by the Trump administration as a decisive blow against Iran’s nuclear…
As oil prices rise and the peso weakens, the Philippine government is being urged to reassess its spending priorities, with the ₱17.6-billion ASEAN Summit emerging as one option for review. Former Finance Secretary Gary Teves says the question is not about diplomacy, but priorities. In times of…
The Philippine Peso has slipped to ₱60.1 against the US dollar, its weakest level on record, raising a question many Filipinos are now asking: is this good or bad for the economy? The short answer, according to former Finance Secretary Gary Teves, is that it depends—but for most Filipinos, the…
As tensions around Iran disrupt global oil flows and threaten key shipping routes like the Strait of Hormuz, Asian countries are taking stock of how long their fuel reserves can last. The numbers vary sharply across the region, highlighting uneven levels of preparedness in the face of a potential…
Manila City Mayor Francisco “Isko” Moreno Domagoso on Monday morning, March 16, announced the release of ₱1.76 billion in financial assistance, incentives, and revenue shares to pump-prime the local economy as global oil prices surge amid the ongoing armed conflict in the Middle East. Domagoso…
Manila City Mayor Francisco “Isko” Moreno Domagoso has announced that the city government will adopt a four-day work week with extended hours for city offices, except for essential and frontline agencies. In his “Talk to the People” public broadcast on Monday, March 9, Domagoso said the city is…
The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Central Office will implement a work-from-home arrangement every Friday beginning March 13, 2026 as part of government efforts to conserve energy amid rising global fuel market uncertainty linked to tensions in the Middle East. DTI Assistant Secretary…
The day’s most important stories in the Philippines and the world, in one five-minute read. Delivered at 6 AM, Monday to Saturday.