Context Dispatch

The Bureau of Customs (BOC) in the Port of Davao turned over 2,954 abandoned balikbayan boxes to the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) for distribution to their intended recipients -- the families of Overseas Filipino Workers. These boxes, originally sent by OFWs to their loved ones, were left unclaimed after being mishandled and abandoned by unscrupulous freight forwarders. Their distribution to their intended recipients follows President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s directive to the BOC to ensure its services remain people-centered and responsive to the needs of Filipino families.

In a high-level working lunch, Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya and Philippine Foreign Secretary Enrique A. Manalo reinforced strategic cooperation between their nations, signaling growing political alignment and economic interdependence amid regional tensions.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said Wednesday that government, through the Department of Agriculture, is looking at imposing a floor price for palay to ensure farmers profitability and sustain their intention to plant and produce more rice.

The Bureau of Customs (BOC) and global fashion brand Guess intensified their campaign against counterfeit goods following the seizure of over 1.7 million fake items worth an estimated P15.8 billion in Divisoria, Manila—marking one of the country’s biggest anti-counterfeiting operations to date.

The appointment of Ma. Theresa Lazaro as Secretary of Foreign Affairs has been welcomed as a strategic affirmation of the Philippines’ assertive foreign policy in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), according to the think tank Stratbase Institute.