Context Dispatch

The Bureau of Customs’ Enforcement and SecurityService (ESS) celebrated its 37th anniversary with a report highlighting significant accomplishments in border protection and anti-smuggling operations.

American drug companies, led by Moderna and Novavax, suffered significant stock market losses on Monday after the top vaccine official of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced his resignation.

Myanmar reported that the devastating 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck its second-largest city, Mandalay, on Friday killed at least 144 people and injured 732 more. A 6.4 magnitude aftershock also caused further damage to buildings and infrastructure. Myanmar's ruling junta welcomed international assistance to help hasten recovery from the disaster. In neighboring Thailand, a state of emergency was declared, and Bangkok was designated as a disaster area. Thai authorities confirmed that eight people were killed by the earthquake, with one of the most horrifying images being the collapse of a high-rise building still under construction.

Senator Imee Marcos’ fence-sitting appears to be undermining her re-election bid. The latest Stratbase-Social Weather Station survey, conducted from March 15-20, showed her support has dropped to 19 percent, down from 24 percent in February and 28 percent in January. Following the release of the survey results, Senator Marcos announced her withdrawal from the alliance supported by her brother, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., citing her disagreement with his administration's decision to allow the ICC to arrest former President Rodrigo Duterte. The poll was conducted just days after Duterte was arrested and flown to The Hague to face charges of crimes against humanity.

GT Capital Holdings Inc. reported a consolidated net income of P28.8 billion for the full year 2024, slightly lower than P29.3 billion in the previous year.  However, excluding non-recurring gains from lot sales and incentives under the Comprehensive Automotive Resurgence Strategy (CARS) program, GT Capital's core net income grew by 11 percent, driven by the record-breaking earnings of its key operating subsidiaries.