Context Dispatch

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday accepted the voluntary resignations of Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin and Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman after their implication in a flood control anomaly, signaling a swift shake-up in Malacañang. Press Officer Claire Castro announced that Finance Secretary Ralph Recto will step in as Executive Secretary, while Budget Undersecretary Rolando Toledo has been named Officer-in-Charge of the Department of Budget and Management. To fill the vacuum at Finance, Presidential Adviser on Economic Affairs Frederick Go will take over Recto’s former post, marking a rapid realignment of the administration’s top economic managers.

The government has confiscated more than P3.5 million worth of substandard steel products since the start of the year, tightening its crackdown on unsafe...

Australia has pledged AU$3 million (P115.9 million) in humanitarian assistance to support the Philippines’ response to Typhoons Tino and Uwan.

Former Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, who at 101 still served as chief legal adviser to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., passed away on Thursday, his daughter Katrina Ponce Enrile announced. “With profound love and gratitude, my father peacefully returned to his Creator on November 13, 2025, at 4:21 p.m., surrounded by our family at home,” she said, adding that it was her father’s wish to take his final breath in their residence. JPE, as he is known, was hospitalized earlier this week, battling pneumonia. The family requested privacy as they grieve, with details of public viewing to follow. Enrile served several presidents, including the late Ferdinand Marcos Sr. and Corazon Aquino—both as Defense Secretary. The Senate expressed sorrow and, following tradition, suspended deliberation on the government’s 2026 budget following the passing of its former leader, a figure both vilified for his role during the Martial Law years and revered for EDSA People’s Power Revolution.

Super Typhoon Uwan (Fung Wong), a monstrous storm spanning 1,600 kilometers, is moving swiftly at 30 kilometers an hour toward Central and Northern Luzon, threatening Metro Manila and parts of the Visayas still reeling from TC Tina. With maximum sustained winds of 185 km/h and gusts reaching 230 km/h, PAGASA has raised Signal No. 5 over Aurora, Catanduanes, and the Camarines provinces. Authorities warn of life-threatening storm surges and widespread flooding as Uwan makes landfall late Sunday before exiting by Monday night. Pre-emptive evacuations are underway, and disaster response teams remain on full alert for the super typhoon’s destructive onslaught. Uwan threatens an area with a population of over 61 million, with over 5 million living coastal areas.