Category: Politics

Philippines

COA Flags P279 Million in Child Care Funds — But Can Agencies Explain Where the Money Went?

MANILA, Philippines — State auditors have flagged approximately P279 million in child care-related funds, raising fresh concerns over the monitoring, liquidation and accountability of government money intended to support early childhood care and development. The Commission on Audit's findings, reported by BusinessWorld on September 3, put renewed attention on how funds transferred to implementing agencies and local government units are tracked and eventually accounted for. The audit observation

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Philippines

Philippine Coast Guard Turns to Spain and Airbus for Its Next Fleet Upgrade — But No Purchase Has Been Announced Yet

MANILA — The Philippine Coast Guard's modernization drive is opening another door in Europe. The PCG has explored possible cooperation with the Spanish government and Airbus Defence and Space as it seeks to strengthen the aircraft, ships and technology available for maritime surveillance, search and rescue and other Coast Guard missions, according to a Sept. 6 report by Manila Bulletin. The development comes as the Philippines rapidly expands one of the most consequential Coast Guard moderniza

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Philippines

‘Marcos’ Office Budget Is Being Slashed 64% to ₱10.15 Billion — But One ₱4.5-Billion Allocation Barely Changes”

MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s office is preparing to operate next year with nearly two-thirds less money than it received in 2026. But there is a striking detail buried inside the dramatically smaller budget: the President’s confidential and intelligence funds are barely changing. The Office of the President is proposing a ₱10.156-billion budget for 2027, compared with approximately ₱28.029 billion under the 2026 General Appropriations Act. That translates to a reduct

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Philippines

Marcos Just Put 4Ps Students First for College Subsidies — But Free Tuition Was Never the Biggest Cost

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines already made tuition free for millions of students in public colleges. Now the government is confronting a harder problem: what happens when a student can enter college for free—but still cannot afford to stay there? President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has signed Republic Act No. 12325, a major expansion of the country's Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education framework that redirects government subsidies toward financially disadvantaged students and ext

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Philippines

Palace Budget Slashed by 64% for 2027—Recto Says Operations Won’t Be Affected, But One Issue Is Drawing Fire

MANILA, Philippines — The Office of the President (OP) is seeking a significantly smaller budget for 2027, but Executive Secretary Ralph Recto insists the sharp reduction will not hamper Malacañang’s ability to run government operations. Recto said the Palace can continue overseeing government agencies, responding to emergencies, supporting public services, monitoring economic programs and protecting national interests despite the proposed ₱10.156-billion budget, which is about 64% lower than t

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Philippines

BARMM Is Days Away From Its First Parliamentary Election — But What Happens After the Votes Could Decide the Future of the Peace Process

COTABATO CITY, Philippines — After decades of armed conflict, negotiations, ceasefires and political transition, the Bangsamoro is approaching a moment its peace process was ultimately designed to produce: an elected regional government chosen at the ballot box. On September 14, 2026, roughly 2.39 million registered voters are expected to participate in the first regular parliamentary elections of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, or BARMM. But with election day only days a

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Politics

Europe Just Put Satellites Into Orbit From Continental Soil — But SpaceX Still Dominates the Launch Race

ANDØYA, Norway — Eighteen months ago, Germany's Isar Aerospace watched its first Spectrum rocket lose control shortly after takeoff and plunge back toward the Norwegian coast. On Saturday night, the company's second rocket did something dramatically different. It reached orbit. Spectrum lifted off from the Arctic Andøya Spaceport at 10:12 p.m. Central European Summer Time on Sept. 5, successfully reaching orbit and deploying payloads on a mission Isar Aerospace called “Onward and Upward.” Th

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Politics

Trump’s Iran Strategy Takes a Dangerous Turn—Could the War Become America’s Next “Forever War”?

WASHINGTON — What began as a campaign that U.S. President Donald Trump had portrayed as a short military operation is increasingly raising a very different question: What if the war with Iran has no clear ending? Six months into the conflict, the Trump administration is confronting a difficult strategic dilemma. Washington has demonstrated that it can repeatedly destroy Iranian military infrastructure, but eliminating Iran’s ability to rebuild those capabilities is a far more difficult proposit

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Philippines

Iloilo’s ₱92-Million Water Pipeline Is Coming Two Years Early — But the Bigger Supply Test Begins in 2027

ILOILO CITY — A new water line running more than five kilometers from Iloilo City into Oton may look like a project built primarily for one subdivision. The numbers suggest something much bigger. Metro Pacific Iloilo Water Inc. (MPIW) and Iloilo Southprime Developers Inc., operating as WeeComm, have signed an agreement to build a 5,137-meter transmission pipeline from the Mandurriao area to Emerald Estates in Barangay Cagbang, Oton. Panay News reported that the project will give Emerald Estat

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China

China Just Sent Its ‘National Team’ Back Into the Stock Market With $8.9 Billion — But the Problem Beijing Can’t Buy Away Is Getting Bigger

BEIJING — China has once again reached for one of its most powerful tools for calming a falling stock market: state money. After a brutal technology-led selloff erased roughly 10 trillion yuan, or about $1.48 trillion, from mainland Chinese market value in two weeks, two major state-owned investment groups disclosed that they had deployed around 60 billion yuan — approximately $8.9 billion — into Chinese shares. The intervention helped stabilize markets temporarily. But it also exposed a much

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