The Situation Report
The Situation Report Page 3 of 14
After months of flooding in Luzon, a powerful El Niño is on its way. Any typhoon it spawns could be a monster, PAGASA warns.
After months of relentless flooding in Metro Manila and Luzon from the southwest monsoon, the Philippines is now facing the arrival of one of the strongest El Niño events on record, and if any typhoon forms during the El Niño period, it could reach typhoon to super typhoon strength because the…
As rainfall impacts vary by city, blanket class suspensions may no longer make sense: experts
Because rainfall impacts in Metro Manila vary drastically from one city to another during the same weather event, blanket class and work suspension announcements from the national government may no longer be the most appropriate response, and local government units or LGUs should be empowered to…
Manila is sinking every year from natural causes, but humans are making it worse
Manila City and other parts of Metro Manila are sinking by a few millimeters every year from natural geological processes, but human activities including excessive groundwater extraction, heavy construction, and the proliferation of concrete roads are accelerating the rate of land subsidence and…
Why the Marikina Valley is prone to both flooding and earthquakes
The Marikina Valley is prone to both severe flooding and destructive earthquakes because it sits in a basin created when a block of earth dropped between the East and West Valley Fault systems, making it a natural collection point for water from Sierra Madre while simultaneously sitting in one of…
Why Navotas, Malabon, Manila, and Valenzuela experience flood faster
The western coastal cities of Metro Manila, including Manila, Navotas, Malabon, and Valenzuela experience flooding faster than other parts of the capital region because they sit on unconsolidated materials, loose sand, silt, and mud that water penetrates easily and moves through quickly. Mines and…
SPECIAL REPORT: By the time PAGASA sounded the alarm, Manila’s students were already in schools
A closer look at why the rainfall warning came late, and why classes couldn’t have been suspended sooner There were no rainfall warnings hanging over Metro Manila in the early hours of Wednesday, September 9, even as clouds gathered thick and low across the region overnight. Then, without a single…
Delivery riders finally getting DOLE protection: Tolentino in talks with Foodpanda, Lalamove, Ninja Van
Delivery and platform riders working for companies including Foodpanda, Ninja Van, Flash, and Lalamove are closer to getting formal labor protections after Labor Secretary Francis Tolentino said Thursday he has begun individual negotiations with each company toward a labor advisory that will…
PH to chair International Labor Conference in 2027, says Tolentino
The Philippines will preside over the International Labour Conference (ILC) in Geneva beginning April or May 2027, a significant multilateral responsibility that Labor Secretary Francis Tolentino said Thursday makes it urgent to resolve longstanding complaints filed with the International Labor…
Criminology, Nursing top PH enrollment charts but jobs mismatch persists: Tolentino
Criminology and Nursing consistently rank among the highest enrollment courses in Philippine schools despite not reflecting actual labor market demand, and the jobs mismatch problem has persisted for decades without a durable solution, Labor Secretary Francis Tolentino said Thursday. Tolentino…
After Angeles building collapse, Tolentino directs DOLE to form rescue teams, run drills in offices
Labor Secretary Francis Tolentino has directed the Department of Labor and Employment’s (DOLE) Occupational Safety and Health office to form its own rescue teams and conduct safety and rescue exercises in commercial establishments and office buildings, starting in Metro Manila, following a…
DOLE launches monthly nationwide job fairs starting September 14
The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) is launching a nationwide job fair on September 14 with the entire DOLE leadership team deployed across the country, and will follow it with monthly job fairs through the rest of the year, Labor Secretary Francis Tolentino said Thursday. Tolentino…
Cash for work, reimagined: TUPAD now serves earthquake victims, teachers of struggling readers, and displaced drivers
The Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD) program has evolved far beyond its original purpose as an emergency cash-for-work scheme, according to the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE). Labor Secretary Francis Tolentino said the program is now serving…
DOLE has 477 labor inspectors for tens of thousands of establishments. Tolentino says that is not enough.
The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has only 477 active labor inspectors to cover tens of thousands of establishments across the Philippines, far short of the 1,210 positions in the plantilla, and Labor Secretary Francis Tolentino says even filling all 1,210 slots would still not be…
As PH shifts to renewable energy, Tolentino says TESDA must train the next generation of solar installers
Labor Secretary Francis Tolentino said he will be working with the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) to open a training center for solar panel installation. Tolentino identified solar panel installation as one of the most urgent skills gaps in the Philippine labor market…
Tolentino creates first-ever Maritime Labor Affairs Office to protect seafarers and fisherfolk
Labor Secretary Francis Tolentino has created the first dedicated Maritime Labor Affairs Office within the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), covering the welfare, working conditions, and legal rights of Filipino seafarers and fisherfolk who were previously without a specialized office to…