MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) announced on Sunday, March 15, that a total of 1,315 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and their dependents affected by the crisis in the Middle East have been assisted by the government and safely returned to the Philippines. According to the DMW, from March 5 to March 14, the figure included 1,022 OFWs and 293 dependents who were stranded or repatriated under the Bagong Pilipinas Repatriation Program of the administration. Cacdac added that the government continues to coordinate with various agencies to ensure that affected Filipino migrant workers abroad receive immediate assistance. The evacuation efforts come as tensions in the region continue to rise following airstrikes launched by the United States and Israel against Iran. The Department of Foreign Affairs estimates 2.4 million Filipinos live and work across the Middle East.

DSWD: Payout for trike drivers starts on TuesdayMANILA, Philippines — The government, through the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), will launch on Tuesday the first wave of its cash distribution program, initially targeting the transport sector with Metro Manila tricycle drivers as first recipients. “An estimated 139,000 tricycle drivers will receive financial assistance from DSWD starting on March 17,” DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian said yesterday. “We will ensure financial assistance distribution is insulated from any form of political interferences,” she said. Each beneficiary will be required to bring a photocopy and original copy of their driver’s license at the payout venue. Instead of shouldering their own operation costs, some TNVS drivers have opted to quit to be personal or family drivers, so employers could cover their fuel expenses.

A war with no end? With the dramatic increase in crude oil prices, what will follow are drastic increases in fuel oils, power costs, petrochemicals and fertilizers. The best-case scenario is that Trump will immediately end all the bombing and declare victory. Hopefully, the end will see a scenario closer to the best-case scenario, rather than the worst case. I believe that this war will end very badly for the United States.

‘Duterte enjoying rights not afforded to EJK victims’MANILA, Philippines — Victims in the crimes against humanity case at the International Criminal Court (ICC) have appealed to Filipinos to respect their right to seek justice, saying their murdered relatives were not accorded due process and other rights currently enjoyed by former president Rodrigo Duterte. “While the families of Mr. Duterte can visit him and hug him, our clients can only touch the cold graves of their murdered loved ones. Thus, the victims pray that the Filipino people respect and join the victims’ quest for truth and justice for their murdered loved ones,” they added. The lawyers stressed that Duterte was not subjected to any criminal investigation in the Philippines despite the thousands of victims killed in his government’s anti-drug campaign. Duterte is currently detained at the ICC Detention Center at The Hague in the Netherlands.

More than 400 OFWs from UAE arrive in Philippines amid Middle East conflictMANILA, Philippines — A total of 442 Filipinos from the United Arab Emirates arrived in the Philippines on Saturday afternoon, March 14, aboard a government-arranged charter flight as tensions continue to escalate in the Middle East. Among those on board was DMW chief Hans Leo Cacdac, who accompanied the returning Filipinos on the flight. The returning Filipinos, including more than 200 overseas Filipino workers, were welcomed at the airport by representatives from several government agencies led by the DMW. Government officials said the returning Filipinos will receive immediate assistance, including health checks, welfare support and reintegration services. The Department of Foreign Affairs estimates 2.4 million Filipinos live and work across the Middle East.

Senate OK on fuel excise tax bill seenBefore Congress goes on recessMANILA, Philippines — The Senate is aiming to pass the proposed measure granting President Marcos the power to suspend or reduce fuel excise taxes before this week’s congressional recess, with lawmakers hoping to skip the bicameral conference by directly adopting either the House or the Senate version to expedite the bill’s signing into law. Cayetano said the Senate is waiting for the House of Representatives to formally transmit its approved version of the bill. Meanwhile, Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson said he will push for amending the National Internal Revenue Code, in order to shorten the current three-month waiting period before suspending the excise tax on fuel. “We cannot wait three months before suspending the imposition of an excise tax,” he told radio dzMM yesterday, stressing that he will push for the amendment during plenary debates this week. “So as big as P10 per liter can be shaved off the prices of petroleum products once the excise tax is suspended.

Sara: Clueless and out of her depthThey say crises define leadership. Vice President Sara Duterte falls into the latter category. In an interview with a fake news outfit owned by jailed accused human trafficker Apollo Quiboloy, Sara offered her “solutions” to the crisis. In the same telecast, Sara called for the creation of a “committee” to monitor the prices of basic goods. But what we saw instead was a Vice President who appeared not to understand the very words she was reading.

Lacson: Bonoan dangled P500 million to get CA nodMANILA, Philippines — Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson yesterday flagged the use of the Commission on Appointments (CA) hearing of former Department of Public Works and Highways secretary Manuel Bonoan to allegedly insert P500 million in flood control projects that may have been lost to corruption. Speaking to dzMM yesterday, Lacson said his Blue Ribbon committee probe on flood control corruption may be winding down, but his investigative work on inspecting ghost or substandard projects does not stop there. “The flood control issue is a longer story. It looks like he kept the P500 million to himself,” Lacson said without naming anyone. He said it is still a “work in progress,” using Bernardo’s records, trying to validate the list of P500 million worth of flood control and other infrastructure projects which were allegedly dangled to House members in exchange for Bonoan’s confirmation.

The DOE under Secretary Sharon Garin has committed to ensure energy resiliency and affordability through targeted state interventions, particularly the streamlining of the implementation of lifeline subsidies rate program (LSRP) and the expediting of approvals for net metering applications. By offsetting household electricity consumption with self-generated renewable energy, net metering reduces dependence on grid power and lowers monthly electricity expenses over time. An LGU’s failure to act on these requests within the prescribed period automatically treats an application for net metering as deemed approved which allows applicants to proceed to the next stage. The same circular also required all grid-connected distribution utilities to standardize and simplify documentary requirements for net metering applications. By automating and simplifying registration for qualified 4Ps households, the secretary emphasized that red tape is reduced, thereby ensuring that assistance reaches those who need it most — faster, fairer and at scale.

Middle East war: Winners, losersThere will be no winners in this ongoing war that has upended the world, perhaps even more than the COVID-19 pandemic did, despite the bravado and bluster of the US and Israel. OFW remittances, 18 percent of which come from the Middle East, will surely tumble and translate into slower spending in the Philippines. In the report, migrant groups raised alarm about the kafala system in the Middle East, which ties Filipino workers to their employers who often keep the OFWs’ passports. Silver liningFor perpetrators of the flood control mess, however, this deadly and brutal war seems to be a silver lining. Meantime, one cannot blame the public for losing interest in the scandal as the more pressing concerns on the impact of Middle East war creep into our daily lives.

2 nabbed over Cagayan gold buyers’ murderThis photo shows a picture of a hand in handcuffs. MANILA, Philippines — Two men have been arrested in connection with the murder of three gold buyers in Lal-lo, Cagayan on Thursday. The arrest came after the PNP launched a manhunt for people who robbed and killed gold buyers Salic, Mutalib and Janisah, all surnamed Amerol. Teresa, a remote village where the gold was supposedly located. Probers found out that the assailants returned to the town proper in the victims’ car to supposedly look for two others who stayed behind.

PCP cautions public vs unregistered diabetes drugsThe Philippine College of Physicians (PCP) raised its concern on the increasing promotion, sale and use of compounded GLP-1 receptor agonists, including the compounded versions of semaglutide and tirzepatide used in treating type 2 diabetes and obesity. MANILA, Philippines — A group of health experts warned the public against the use of drugs being marketed for the treatment of type 2 diabetes and obesity but are compounded and unregistered with the Food and Drug Administration. The Philippine College of Physicians (PCP) raised its concern on the increasing promotion, sale and use of compounded GLP-1 receptor agonists, including the compounded versions of semaglutide and tirzepatide used in treating type 2 diabetes and obesity. The group noted that international regulatory agencies and pharmacovigilance reports have identified serious dangers associated with compounded GLP-1 receptor agonists that have not undergone proper regulatory review. “Unlike approved medicines, these compounded products have not undergone rigorous clinical trials, manufacturing oversight or regulatory evaluation required by the Food and Drug Administration,” the PCP said.

Sabalenka seals rematch with RybakinaINDIAN WELLS, California — Aryna Sabalenka roared past Linda Noskova on Friday to book an Indian Wells title showdown with Australian Open champion Elena Rybakina. Sabalenka beat 14th-ranked Czech Noskova 6-3, 6-4 and Rybakina downed Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina 7-5, 6-4 to set up a mouth-watering rematch of their Melbourne final. Rybakina also beat Sabalenka in the 2023 championship match in Indian Wells – where the Belarusian star has come up empty in two prior trips to the final. “I want that match,” said Sabalenka, who has been in imperious form in the California desert this year. Although she trails Sabalenka 8-7 in their career head-to-head, she has won their last two meetings, in the title match of last year’s WTA Finals and at the Australian Open – where she claimed her second Grand Slam crown.

MPIC’s mWell bags global innovation awardThe country’s fully integrated health and wellness mega app won the GLOMO Award for Best Mobile Innovation Supporting Emergency or Humanitarian Situations under the Tech4Good Category at the Mobile World Congress 2026 in Barcelona, Spain. MANILA, Philippines — Metro Pacific Health Tech’s mWell has secured another Global Mobile (GLOMO) Award for innovation in health care, bringing Philippine health technology to the global stage. The country’s fully integrated health and wellness mega app won the GLOMO Award for Best Mobile Innovation Supporting Emergency or Humanitarian Situations under the Tech4Good Category at the Mobile World Congress 2026 in Barcelona, Spain. It also marks the second GLOMO win following its 2023 award for Best Mobile Innovation for Digital Life. “Our goal is simple: ensure health care is within reach for communities that need it most,” she said.

ASEAN vows to keep markets open amid risksTrade Secretary Ma. Roque said the current landscape requires the region to go beyond keeping markets open, but also strengthening its coordination and foresight for better response. Recognizing the impact of the prolonged Middle East conflict on the economy and jobs, the ASEAN economic ministers vowed to keep markets open to mitigate effects on the region. “We remain committed to keeping the ASEAN market open for trade and investment, by maintaining a transparent and predictable regional economic architecture,” the ASEAN economic ministers said in a joint statement. The economic ministers also emphasized the importance of strengthening regional energy security and resilience through continued collaboration.