President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has issued an executive order increasing pork import volumes as the African Swine Fever (ASF) continues to affect the local hog industry. Under Executive Order No. 116, signed on May 19, 2026, the minimum access volume (MAV) for pork imports will increase from 54,210 metric tons (MT) to 204,210 MT to help ensure affordable prices and augment local…
Filipino workers are the second happiest employees in the Asia-Pacific region, according to a study by online job platform Jobstreet by SEEK. The latest Workplace Happiness Index: Philippines 2025 was based on a regional survey conducted by Jobstreet from October to November 2025 involving more than 10,500 employed individuals across the Asia-Pacific region, including 1,000 Filipino workers aged 18 to 64 nationwide.…
SEOUL, May 21 (Reuters) – Chinese President Xi Jinping may visit North Korea as early as next week and will try to act as a mediator between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump, South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported, quoting a senior government official. Another government source was cited by Yonhap as saying a team of Chinese…
In the middle of one of the most turbulent weeks in recent Philippine political history, former Senator Gregorio “Gringo” Honasan reached back four decades to find the model of leadership the country needs right now—and the name he came up was a former president who once spent two hours over dinner talking to his political enemies, one by one, and paid for…
With the perceived ouster of career health officials, Malacañang now stands accused of putting institutional stability and expert leadership at risk for political convenience. The uproar follows the exit of Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Singh-Vergeire and other veteran DOH officials in what appears to be a politically motivated shake-up. About 55 professional medical groups signed a joint statement expressing concerns of what…
The Laguna Lake is fast deteriorating into the country’s “biggest septic tank,” Biñan City Rep. Walfredo “Arman” Dimaguila Jr. warned on Saturday, August 2. In an interview on DZRH News’ Special on Saturday, Rep. Dimaguila urged the Marcos Jr. administration to take urgent and science-based action to rehabilitate the vital water body affecting millions across Southern Luzon and Metro Manila. “Magkakaroon na…
The Iran war is showing why the Philippines can’t afford to neglect its farmers
A war thousands of kilometers away is beginning to ripple through something as basic as the Filipino dining table. The conflict involving Iran has pushed oil prices higher, disrupted key shipping routes, and strained global supply chains—especially for fertilizer, a critical input for food production. Farmers are already feeling the pressure. Fertilizer prices have surged by as much as 30% to 40%,…