Context.ph

The Philippine retail sector continues to expand, but growth is easing as weaker consumer spending and global uncertainties slow mall recovery and reshape expansion plans.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. late Wednesday appealed for calm after gunshots triggered a commotion inside the Senate complex, saying authorities were moving swiftly to identify those behind the incident and secure all evidence. “We will get to the bottom of this,” said Marcos in a video message. "We do not yet know who tried to enter the Senate, but we are collecting all evidence.”  He said he has dispatched Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla and Philippine National Police chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez to lead the investigation. The President said he had spoken with his former Senate colleague, Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano, to call for sobriety amid rising political tensions. Marcos said he also ordered the National Bureau of Investigation to stand down following the Supreme Court’s directive for the government to respond to Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa’s petition against the execution of an International Criminal Court arrest warrant tied to the Duterte drug war killings.

Live broadcasts within the Senate building showed commotion within the second floor, with gun shots heard and uniformed personnel armed with long fire arms and clad in bulletproof vests trying to secure the area. It remains unclear what happened, with security personnel refusing to reply to media queries.

The Department of Agriculture (Philippines) and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources have signed new agreements with Papua New Guinea and the Marshall Islands to strengthen cooperation in the fisheries sector.