The Situation Report
The Situation Report Page 5 of 14
‘Pinatay natin yung ating mga magsasaka’: Manny Piñol says Rice Tariffication Law not only failed to bring down rice prices, but also killed Filipino farmers
The Rice Tariffication Law (RTL) did not bring down rice prices as promised, former Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel “Manny” Piñol said Wednesday. In fact, Piñol said it drove them higher, while simultaneously killing the livelihoods of Filipino rice farmers by surrendering the country’s rice…
The Philippines is headed toward becoming a failed state if it keeps depending on food imports, says former DA chief
The Philippines is on a path toward becoming a failed state in terms of food security if it continues to rely on importation rather than boosting local food production, former Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel “Manny” Piñol warned Wednesday. Piñol made the statement in an interview on DZRH News…
1987 Constitution’s multi-party presidential system is the root of PH’s governance dysfunction, says Erice
The fundamental source of the Philippines’ governance failures, from Metro Manila’s flooding crisis to the national budget’s political distortions, is the 1987 Constitution’s multi-party presidential system, a combination that Caloocan City 2nd District Representative Edgar “Egay” Erice said…
Education, health take major hits in 2027 budget in favor of ‘presidential pork barrel’: Erice
The proposed 2027 national budget cuts funding for school buildings by 64%, slashes the school-based feeding program by 55%, reduces textbooks and instructional materials by 66%, and completely zeroes out the human resources for health program—all while allocating ₱58 billion in discretionary…
‘Presidential pork barrel’: Erice slams ₱58B local government support fund as discretionary spending with no plan
Caloocan City 2nd District Representative Edgar “Egay” Erice is calling the ₱58 billion Presidential Assistance to Local Government Units fund in the 2027 national budget a form of “presidential pork barrel,” or discretionary spending with no development plan behind it that he says is designed to…
Marcos-Duterte conflict is costing the Philippines its economic future: Erice
The ongoing political war between the Marcos and Duterte camps has consumed all governance energy that should have gone to economic reform, policy-making, and investment promotion—and the economy is now paying the price, Caloocan City 2nd District Rep. Edgar “Egay” Erice warned Tuesday. Erice made…
Metro Manila has been growing without a plan for 50 years, and still has none: lawmaker
Metro Manila has never had a master plan—not 30 years ago, not 50 years ago, and not today—and that absence of vision is at the root of every crisis the capital region now faces, from chronic flooding to gridlock to a garbage problem with no solution in sight, Caloocan City 2nd District…
Why the MMDA’s lack of authority is at the root of Metro Manila’s crisis: Erice
The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) has no real power: it can coordinate but not compel, suggest but not enforce, and plan but not fund, and that fundamental weakness is why Metro Manila’s most basic problems remain unsolved after decades, Caloocan City 2nd District Representative…
Once Asia’s most modern region, Metro Manila now ranks 103rd in global livability
Metro Manila ranks 103rd in global livability, far behind Bangkok at 93rd and Tokyo at 3rd. Caloocan City 2nd District Representative Edgar “Egay” Erice describred this as a humbling fall for a capital region that in the 1960s was considered one of Asia’s most modern cities and whose country had…
Does Metro Manila need a Governor?
Flood, garbage, and fragmented power have pushed the capital region to the breaking point, says lawmaker Metro Manila is a megacity of 13 million people at night and 15 to 16 million during the day, and for decades, not one person has been fully in charge of it. That is the central argument…
OFW remittances hit near-$40 billion record in 2025, still growing despite Middle East crisis
Overseas Filipino Workers’ (OFW) remittances reached nearly $40 billion in 2025, the highest level ever recorded, and continue to post positive growth of 2.4 to 2.5% in the first six to seven months of 2026 despite the ongoing Middle East crisis. Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac explained…
For the first time, OFWs now have legal protection fund: ₱6 billion disbursed, 130,000 workers helped, says DMW chief
The Aksyon Fund—a dedicated legal, medical, and financial assistance fund for overseas Filipino workers—was launched for the first time in 2023 under the Marcos administration, with no equivalent program ever existing under the defunct Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) or any…
Marcos adds ₱3 billion to OFW emergency fund as DMW budget more than doubles since 2023
The Department of Migrant Workers’ (DMW) budget has more than doubled from ₱4.3 billion when it was established in 2023 to ₱10 billion in 2026, after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. added ₱3 billion to the agency’s Aksyon Fund this year on top of ₱2 billion already allocated under the 2026 General…
Transport workers keep fuel subsidy, service contracting, and ₱176M modernization fund under BBM’s 2027 budget
Transport workers will continue to benefit from the fuel subsidy under the Uplift framework, ongoing service contracting, and ₱176 million for the Public Transport Modernization Program under the Marcos administration’s proposed 2027 national budget, Budget Secretary Kim Robert De Leon said…
What’s in the 2027 budget for farmers: ₱30 billion rice program, ₱46 billion for irrigation, ₱16 billion for farm roads, ₱4.5 billion for crop insurance
The Marcos administration’s proposed 2027 national budget grows the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) allocation by 12.66% from the current year, with major provisions covering rice programs, irrigation, farm-to-market roads, and crop insurance for 2.3 million small farmers and fisherfolk, Budget…