Moody’s Investors Service has downgraded the United States’ sovereign credit rating one notch from Aaa to Aa1, citing growing concerns over the country’s fiscal outlook, including surging debt levels and rising interest obligations.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. recently met with regional managers and key officials of the National Food Authority (NFA) to ensure the rice sold under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s P20-per-kilo rice program meets high quality standards.
According data from the Philippine Statistics Authority, the number of working children aged 5 to 17 dropped to 863,000 in 2024 from 1.09 million in 2023 and 1.48 million in 2022. This marks a significant milestone in the country’s fight against child labor, bringing figures even lower than the pandemic-era low of 872,300 in 2020.
Alleged continued inaction by port authorities in Eastern Visayas have sent transport and trade and commerce authorities in Region 8 looking for solutions to the chaos created by the closure of the San Juanico Bridge to vehicular traffic exceeding three tons.
Foreign investment approvals plunged 82 percent in the first quarter to a total P27.99 billion compared to P155.26 billion in the same period last year, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).