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(GMA News) President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has given Bureau of Customs (BOC) Commissioner Yogi Filemon Ruiz the marching orders to address five issues saddling the agency, according to Jun Veneracion’s “24 Oras” report on Monday.

“Five orders that are my marching orders. Number one, no drugs, absolutely no drugs. Number two, no guns. Number three, eliminate agricultural smuggling. Number four, increase revenue generation. Number five, go full automation and digitalization,” Ruiz said.

Before his designation as commissioner, Ruiz was the head of the Enforcement and Security Service (ESS) of the agency for almost five years since 2017.

He also spearheaded several enforcement projects and handled the operations that contributed to the intensified anti-smuggling campaign… Read More

(Radio Free Asia) In his first speech before the joint houses of Congress, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. promised on Monday to protect the Philippines’ territorial integrity from China, while also asking lawmakers to back programs for boosting an economy ravaged by COVID-19 lockdowns.

The new Philippine president delivered his more than hour-long State of the Nation Address mostly in English, unlike his immediate predecessor who usually addressed lawmakers in Tagalog.

“I do not intend to diminish the risks and challenges that we face in this turbulent time in global history, and yet, I see sunlight filtering through these dark clouds,” Marcos said. “The state of the nation is sound.”

As he discussed China’s renewed encroachment into Philippine-claimed waters in the South China Sea, Marcos did not mention Beijing by name but declared he would protect his country’s territorial integrity.

“We live in difficult times brought about by some forces of our own making, but certainly, also by forces that are beyond our control,” Marcos said in the nationally televised address. “But we have, and we will continue to find solutions… Read More

(Manila Bulletin) True to their message of unity during the May national elections campaign, Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte on Monday, July 25, promised to work with her running-mate, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., in the realization of his administration’s development agenda which he discussed during his first State of the Nation Address (SONA).

In her reaction to the President’s SONA, the Vice President lauded the current administration’s direction in continuing the gains of her father’s governance.

“As Vice President and Secretary of the Department of Education (DepEd), the nation can expect my 100 percent commitment to the achievement of the plans and programs that both offices have framed for the sectors that we serve,” she said, adding that she will ensure that the interest and welfare of Filipinos “will come first before everything else.”

As education chief, Duterte shared that she will implement the long-term remedy detailed by the Basic Education Development Plan 2030 (BEDP 2030) of the previous administration, which meant the DepEd needs to collaborate with the national government, local government units, local communities, the private sector, and international partners “to pool resources to increase investments in education that will benefit the entire education sector, particularly our learners.”.. Read More

(Manila Bulletin) Online shopping and rewards platform ShopBack said it gave back P927 million to over 5.2 million users nationwide after seven years of operating in the Philippines.

Already, ShopBack has over 600 partner merchants in the country, across industries ranging from travel, fashion, tech, and marketplaces.

So far, its online shopping partner merchants, including Lazada, SHEIN, Shopee, Agoda, Klook and Samsung, have realized over P23.5 Billion in Gross Merchandise Value.

Last year, ShopBack also launched its vouchers product line to allow shoppers to save more and earn additional cashback when they purchase vouchers from merchants like FoodPanda, Metromart PureGo, and more.

“Since our launch in 2015, our primary goal has always been empower customers to be smarter shoppers,” said Prashant Kala, ShopBack Regional Director, APAC.

“With the ongoing travel resurgence, new brands onboard, and vouchers being launched, we are happy to continue serving our Filipino customers in the years to come,” he added.

“Partnering with ShopBack, you are able to use their channels to communicate your campaigns to a different set of users, and that in itself, is a very big value,” according to FoodPanda’s Head of Strategic Partnerships, Amer Bakshi.

“Because you are able to cross-promote on their channel, there’s a certain monetary value added to it where you could actually bring their customer onto your platform, which is the best part of it,” he elaborated.

“What we actually saw as the winning factor was integrating a lot of various channels,” confirmed Karla Suguitan, the Director of Brand and Community of Edamama Philippines… Read More

(SunStar) A GROUP has reminded the public about the negative impacts or dangers of diabetes, which has long-term complications on the person who has it.

The Cebu chapter of the Diabetes Philippines Inc. has conducted a lecture and awareness program as part of the culminating activity of the Diabetes Awareness Week 2022 (fourth week of July), which carried the theme “Say NO to XXX, NO to Xtra Rice, NO to Xtra Calories, NO to Xtra Pounds” at the Barangay Guadalupe Sports Complex in Cebu City on Saturday morning, July 23, 2022

Diabetologist Dr. Marissa Garcia, president of the Diabetes Philippines-Cebu Chapter, advised the public to be conscious of what they eat—avoid, if not, eat moderately, food with too much carbohydrate such as bread, rice, noodles and pasta as these are major causes of diabetes.

Garcia defined diabetes as chronic or long lasting with negative impacts on the body when a person’s blood sugar increases because the body’s insulin or a hormone from the pancreas could no longer control the increase of blood sugar… Read More

(Interaksyon) These Filipino hosts are taking their home styling and decorating ideas to the next level to inspire and draw travelers into their homes away from home.

Airbnb, an online platform specializing in lodging and rentals, recently launched an OMG! Category, which “currently has one of the highest rates of engagement amongst guests.”

Check out these Airbnb homes to book your next barkada or family trip that will cater to your adventurous and sustainable sides.

Of course, you also can very much enjoy these homes–alone!

Vintage Airstream Suite on Top of a Hill
This vintage camper trailer, located in Calaca, Batangas, is the very first Airstream accommodation in the country. With a queen-sized bed, a kitchenette, a dining room, and a balcony, visitors can camp on top of a hill while enjoying all the comforts of home… Read More

(Raw Story) A sketch worth hundreds of thousands, a children’s book and a ‘missing’ masterpiece… In the past three months, three unique artworks by Spanish artist Pablo Picasso have been found, in strange and unexpected circumstances. Is this a coincidence or not?

When the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr, won a landslide victory in May, 2022, he went to visit the home of his mother Imelda, former first lady and wife of the late dictator, Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

In a video showing mother congratulating son, one detail in Imelda’s opulent home stood out. On the wall, was a distinctive painting of an abstract nude rendered in blues and greens, on a red and orange bed. It was unmistakably Pablo Picasso’s “Femme Couchée VI”.

The painting was one of more than 200 that Imelda and Marcos senior acquired while the dictator was in power, using money siphoned from the Philippines to Switzerland. By the time he was deposed in 1986, he had plundered as much as $10 billion… Read More

(CNN Philippines) Metro Manila — The Department of Education (DepEd) is amending its strict order for the full return to face-to-face classes after President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. said hybrid learning can continue in “very specific areas.”

Malacañang did not give details on the parameters that will allow online classes.

The president said during a Cabinet meeting that he prefers that students attend in-person classes, but he instructed the DepEd to prepare the learning devices and other supplies that may be needed for blended learning.

Vice President and DepEd Secretary Sara Duterte, who previously didn’t yield to appeals for blended learning, said they will craft a plan for in-person classes to be approved by Marcos.

“The President agreed that a plan should be made with a caveat that face-to-face classes shall be the priority and blended modality shall be considered only in specific schools and areas with special circumstances,” she said in a statement Wednesday… Read More