SAN SIMON, Pampanga — The opening of the Farm Fresh milk plant in San Simon town in Pampanga is seen to boost the country’s production and supply of milk and other dairy products.
President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ R. Marcos Jr., who led the inauguration of the facility on Oct. 3, emphasized that it will ensure a more effective milk production, and bring hope for a brighter future to Filipinos.
“With the help of this facility, we can now produce up to 32 million liters of pasteurized milk and 2.4 million liters of yogurt every year,” he said.
Also, the plant will also open new livelihood opportunities for farmers and farm workers in the countryside.
Marcos underscored that this is also part of his administration’s response to the struggles faced by the country’s dairy industry.
“We cannot deny that our dairy industry continues to face several challenges. One of which is our heavy dependence on imported dairy products. Climate change has further strained our ability to produce milk locally. We also need modern facilities that can effectively collect and process dairy products,” he mentioned.
Through the milk plant, Filipino farmers and veterinarians will have more stable and dignified jobs.

More livelihood opportunities for the rural community

Farm Fresh Berhad Founder and Group CEO Loi Tuan Ee underscored that the facility will generate more jobs ranging from manufacturing, office and administration, sales and marketing, and distribution.
“We believe that for a country, you want to develop, you want to be inclusive, and when you want to be inclusive, you have to give opportunity to the rural people… give them jobs, because there are not so many opportunities in the rural area,” he stated.
The milk plant is the first part of Farm Fresh’s dairy investment in the country. It also seeks to build a P1 billion large-scale dairy farm and a processing plant.
“What we want to do is we want a bigger processing plant and incorporate our dairy farm. We have the cows producing the milk and a production plant making the product and then we sell it to the market,” he said.
The company pledged to play its part in addressing the Philippines’ food security, and milk sufficiency level.

Improving the PH’s dairy industry

Meanwhile, Farm Fresh Milk Inc. CEO Shawn Pu stated that the company will aid the Philippines’ dairy farming industry by passing on to the local farmers the farming expertise in Malaysia.
“A few months ago, we had a dairy farming seminar in collaboration with the National Dairy Authority, and we invited more than a hundred farmers in Luzon to join us in the seminar. We shared our technical expertise, what works best in how to handle the milk, the milk hygiene, how ingredients affect the milk quality, and also most importantly, we shared our partnership program,” he narrated.
The company will also buy milk from the farmers at a fair market price to ensure that there is a consistent demand source.
In addition, Pu explained that they will explore how local dairy farmers get the right equipment to make sure that their milk is retaining the best quality that they can.
“For a pasteurized milk industry, it is very important that the cold chain is sustained. You need to make sure of the temperature requirement, all the way from the farm to the table of the consumer. That is something that is really important, and also, we need to enable local dairy farmers to have the capability to do that,” he added.
Farm Fresh will also seek to create partnerships with local universities with agriculture and animal husbandry backgrounds and employ their graduates.
In support of the local milk industry, the Marcos administration is strengthening the implementation of the Dairy Industry Development Program.
It provides loans to farmers, distributes dairy animals, and conducts training from dairy management and dairy husbandry up to breeding.
“Rest assured that this administration continues to pursue programs that would hasten the processing of our dairy products. We are currently studying technologies to increase local milk production and ways to attract more investments in the dairy industry,” Marcos shared.
The national government is also working closely with the private sector to extend support to farmers and farm workers. (PIA 3-Pampanga)

MANILA – The Philippines’ second guided Malvar-class missile frigate, which will be called BRP Diego Silang (FFG-07) once commissioned, has arrived in the country, the Philippine Navy (PN) announced on Tuesday.
In a statement, PN public affairs office chief Captain Benjo Negranza said the warship was formally welcomed by the PN’s first guided-missile frigate, the BRP Jose Rizal (FF-150), as it sailed into Philippine waters on Monday.
“The soon-to-be BRP Diego Silang will undergo final preparations, acceptance procedures and commissioning before officially joining the PN’s active fleet,” Negranza said.
Once it joins the fleet, Negranza said BRP Diego Silang will “greatly enhance” the PN’s operational readiness, maritime domain protection, and capability to uphold a free, secure, and rules-based international order.
Aside from its meeting procedures with BRP Jose Rizal, BRP Diego Silang also conducted the same maneuvers with the Philippine Coast Guard’s (PCG) offshore patrol vessel, the BRP Gabriela Silang (OPV-8301), off Zambales.
Negranza said the activity is a significant event for both services.
“More than a routine encounter, the meeting of these vessels honors the legacy of Diego and Gabriela Silang, symbolizing the spirit of heroism and unity that guides the PN and PCG in safeguarding the nation’s sovereignty,” he said.
Negranza added that the coordinated procedure also reinforced fleet interoperability, operational readiness, and the PN’s modernization efforts, while highlighting the human side of service and the shared dedication of generations of maritime officers.
Philippine Fleet commander, Rear Adm. Joe Anthony Orbe supervised the procedure while his son, PCG Ensign Joshua Orbe, participated aboard BRP Gabriela Silang as part of his ongoing schooling on ship familiarization.
Like its sister ship, BRP Miguel Malvar, which arrived on April 8 and was commissioned on May 20, BRP Diego Silang weighs 3,200 gross tons, measures 118.4 meters, and has a beam of 14.9 meters.
It also has a range of 4,500 nautical miles and a cruising speed of 15 knots.
Before the arrival of the BRP Miguel Malvar, the most modern ships in the PN inventory were the two Jose Rizal-class frigates: BRP Jose Rizal and BRP Antonio Luna (FFG-151). (PNA)

MANILA – The Philippines and the United States have approved more than 500 joint military activities for 2026 during the recent Mutual Defense Board-Security Engagement Board (MDB-SEB).
The annual MDB-SEB, held at Camp Smith, Hawaii on Aug. 7 and 8, was co-chaired by Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief Gen. Romeo Brawner and US Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) Commander Adm. Samuel Paparo.
In a statement on Tuesday, INDOPACOM said the two officials signed the annual 8-Star memo and activities list, approving guidance and plans for continued collaboration, including Exercise “Balikatan” for 2026.
The INDOPACOM said the joint engagements xinclude large-scale exercises and smaller subject matter expert exchanges.
During their meeting, Brawner and Paparo renewed commitment to “bolster deterrence in the Indo-Pacific region and achieve peace through strength” by deepening cooperation and interoperability, the INDOPACOM said.
It added that US-Philippine military partnership has grown over the past year, citing the success of bilateral and multilateral maritime cooperative activities in Philippine waters.
The INDOPACOM also said the successful completion of the MDB-SEB “furthers cooperation between the US and the Philippines and renews their shared commitment to the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty.”
The Mutual Defense Board was created in 1958 while the Security Engagement Board was established in 2006.
The two boards serve as the framework that direct and enable defense and security cooperation between the US and Philippine militaries. (PNA)

MANILA – The Philippines is urging the United States to consider the country as its potential manufacturer of US warships, as Washington, DC seeks to fortify its fleet over the next 30 years.
“Subic, obviously the (former) Hanjin Subic Shipyard, is (in) shipbuilding operation and we’re sure it could possibly be part of what the United States is looking at,” Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose Manuel Romualdez said Thursday in an interview on the sidelines of the US – Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Business Council meeting.
According to Romualdez, the US aims to revive its long-stalled shipbuilding industry, while the Philippines’ shipbuilding operations are already active.
“(The US) wants to increase their shipbuilding industry. It’s been sort of like on hold for many years, decades, and now they are reviving it. Ours is already operating right now,” he said.
The envoy said proposals to build US Navy ships in the Subic shipyard, now called the Agila Subic multi-use facility, have been brought up in previous meetings with the Pentagon.
In 2022, US-based Cerberus Capital Management acquired the previously distressed property, with most of its area leased out to tenants and projected to employ a workforce of 4,000 by 2025.
The facility currently houses four major tenants, including HD Hyundai Heavy Industries Philippines, which plans to be fully operational next year.
In the meeting, Romualdez encouraged US stakeholders to expand defense industrial partnerships with the Philippines while they invest in other key sectors.
“Economic strength is the foundation of strategic strength. When US companies invest here, it’s not just about returns on capital. It’s about returns on alliance,” he said, adding that a stronger Philippine economy means a more capable and dependable US defense partner.
On top of shipbuilding, the US and the Philippines are also in discussions on “defense manufacturing plants” in the country, including those for ammunition and drone production.
As the US develops its national defense strategy, US Ambassador to the Philippines MaryKay Carlson said Washington, DC anticipates a “continued positive upward trajectory” on defense and security ties in the next years.
The US-ASEAN Business Council gathered 35 US companies in the Philippines from Aug. 11 to 14, its largest business mission to the country.
It also brought the Aerospace, Defense, and Security (ADS) Mission to the Philippines, with 26 leading US companies across the defense and security sectors participating.
“With close to 60 companies joining this historic back-to-back business missions, the US private sector demonstrates its steady, deep, and enduring commitment to the Philippines as a key partner in the region,” said US-ASEAN Business Council Senior Vice President and Regional Managing Director Ted Osius.
“The US-Philippines relationship is a unique one, and our delegation reflects our collective commitment to supporting the Philippines’ long-term economic growth, innovation, and regional competitiveness.” (PNA)

MANILA – Two Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) ships — BRP Datu Pagbuaya and BRP Datu Bankaw — were forced to suspend their marine scientific research (MSR) and sand sampling in the Pag-Asa cays after harassment by China Coast Guard vessels and a People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) helicopter on Friday morning.
The encounter involved CCG vessels 4106, 5103 and 4202; four small CCG boats; and a PLAN chopper with tail number 24, as the two Filipino vessels were en route to the West Philippine Sea (WPS) features.
The BFAR mission was supposed to conduct research and collect samples from cays 2 (Sandy Cay) and 3 sandbanks or sandbars located some five to six nautical miles off Pag-asa Island.
“As a result of this continuous harassment and the disregard for safety exhibited by the Chinese maritime forces, BFAR and PCG (Philippine Coast Guard) have regrettably suspended their survey operations and were unable to collect sand samples at Sandy Cays,” PCG spokesperson for the WPS Jay Tarriela said Saturday.
The three CCG ships made “aggressive maneuvers,” which he called a “blatant disregard for the Convention on the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea, 1972 (COLREGs).”
The CCG also deployed four small boats to harass two BFAR rigid hull inflatable boats (RHIBs) that were transporting manpower to the Sandy Cays.
The PLAN helicopter, on the other hand, hovered at an “unsafe altitude” above the BFAR RHIBs, which created hazardous conditions for the personnel onboard due to the propeller wash.
In a news forum in Quezon City, Tarriela described the latest act as “aggressive and escalatory.”
It was the second time the PLAN deployed a helicopter to hover over a government asset this year, the first when the Philippines was countering China’s illegal patrol some 70 nautical miles off Zambales.
“As far as the coast guard is concerned, and together with the BFAR, this kind of action on the part of the People’s Republic of China is always considered to be aggressive and escalatory,” Tarriela said.
“On our part, we are not going to carry out actions that will instigate more provocative actions or more provocative response,” he added.
Tarriela said the Philippines had been conducting regular sand sampling in the area after previously discovering that the Pag-Asa Island cays are in a degraded state.
In the same forum, Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Ed De Vega said China should expect another diplomatic protest after the incident.
“When incidents like this happen… China knows this, this should be no different,” he said. (PNA)

MANILA – Foreign missions in the Philippines on Friday extended their condolences to the country and the families of the two Filipino seafarers killed by a Houthi missile strike in the Gulf of Aden on March 6.
French Ambassador Marie Fontanel said France “strongly condemns the lethal attack” by the Houthis on the commercial vessel True Confidence.
“My sincere condolences to the Philippines for the tragic loss of 2 Filipino seafarers,” she said in a post on X. “Houthi attacks on international maritime traffic reached a new level. They must cease.”
The Japanese Embassy in Manila also stood in solidarity with the country, saying Tokyo is committed to working with the Philippines in advocating a peaceful resolution to conflicts, as well as lasting peace and stability across the world.
“Our sincere condolences to the families of the two Filipino seafarers lost to a tragic missile attack. Deep respect for their commitment abroad. Japan is steadfast in partnering with Philippines to foster lasting peace and stability worldwide,” Japan Ambassador-designate to the Philippines Kazuya Endo said.
Canadian Ambassador David Hartman and German Ambassador Andreas Michael Pfaffernoschke also sent their thoughts to the victims’ kin in separate posts on X.
“Germany expresses its sincere condolences to the families of the victims. With the Philippines and all partners, we aim to achieve a peaceful and enduring solution to this conflict,” Pfaffernoschke said.
The US Central Command reported on Thursday that the Barbados-flagged bulk carrier M/V True Confidence was hit by a Houthi-launched anti-ship ballistic missile at approximately 11:30 a.m. (Sanaa time) on March 6 while transiting the Gulf of Aden.
On the same day, the Philippine government confirmed that two Filipino seafarers died while three were seriously injured.
True Confidence was carrying 20 crewmembers, including 15 Filipinos, when the missile struck it.
A total of three were killed, making the missile launch the first fatal strike by the Houthis since it began attacking commercial ships in response to the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
Department of Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Eduardo Jose de Vega earlier said the 13 surviving Filipinos and other crewmembers were rescued by the Indian Navy and were brought to Djibouti. (PNA)

Manila—On February 21, the Philippines and the United States governments inaugurated the National Virtual Training Center (NVTC) in Silang, Cavite that will improve and expand the training of public health personnel, veterinarian health workers, and first responders in addressing biological and chemical threats.
Designed, constructed, and equipped through funding from the U.S. Defense Threat Reduction Agency’s (DTRA) Biological Threat Reduction Program (BTRP) and Chemical Security Elimination (CSE) Program, the NVTC is a multi-million dollar advanced training and practical laboratory facility that will increase the quantity and quality of training programs that cover multiple disciplines of chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear security. Through the NVTC, the Philippines will enhance its capacity to train current and future generations of laboratory specialists and first responders in detecting and preventing threats arising from weapons of mass destruction (WMDs).
“This facility will house a lecture hall for classroom-setting trainings, a practical biological diagnostics laboratory classroom for hands-on biosafety and biosecurity trainings, and a virtual reality room equipped with headsets to provide an opportunity to train virtually on a chemical security curriculum,” DTRA Program Manager Corey Erff said.
The inauguration of the NVTC was attended by Philippines Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Undersecretary Serafin Barretto Jr., National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA) Director General Ricardo De Leon, Philippine Public Safety College (PPSC) President Ferdinando Sevilla, and representatives from the Department of Health, the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the Office of the President, and the University of the Philippines.
“The NVTC will be a tool for the country to address emerging threats and provide continuing education to public safety practitioners following international standards,” NICA Director General De Leon said. “The NVTC will help to achieve the goal of having a peaceful and safe nation, resilient against Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) threats and free from WMDs”.
The DILG and PPSC will oversee the operations of the NVTC, which will be open for use by all government departments and academic and industry partners.
DTRA’s BTRP and CSE programs are working with Philippine government agencies to develop an operational framework to ensure the facility promotes long-term, sustainable threat reduction efforts.
“The construction of the NVTC, and any future collaboration, is carried out by the United States government in close collaboration with the Philippine government, ensuring strict adherence to Philippine laws. By working together, these projects will continue to ensure the safety and well-being of Filipino citizens,” Erff added.

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has named lawyer Richard Santos Clarin as chairperson of the Games and Amusement Board (GAB).
“Na-appoint as chairman ng Games and Amusement Board si Mr. Richard Santos Clarin (Mr. Richard Santos Clarin has been appointed chairman of the Games and Amusement Board),” Malacañang press briefer Daphne Oseña-Paez said on Thursday.
The GAB regulates and supervises professional sports and allied activities to combat and prevent the existence and proliferation of illegal bookie joints and other forms of organized illegal gambling connected with all play-for-pay sports and amusement games.
It also exercises supervision and regulation over the operation and conduct of professional sports and their activities to promote and maintain orderly, honest and fair conduct of games; provide protection to the betting public and patrons, practicing licensees in the professional sport concerned; and make professional sports activities a stable base for revenue generation.
Oseña-Paez also said the President also appointed eight new members of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) board of directors– Allan Troy Dandan Baquir, who represents the national government, and Edelberto “Bert” Salgo Mozo and Tomas Fausto Lahom III, who both represent the business and investment sectors.
Meanwhile, acting members representing the private sector are Honorario Kagabio Aliado III, Jose Marie Balandra Ponce, Kenneth Lemuel Go Rementilla, Amable Banco Tolentino and Maria Cecilia Bobadila Vidare.
Under Sec. 13 (c) of Republic Act (RA) No. 7227, or the Bases Conversion and Development Act of 1992, the SBMA Board of Directors must be composed of 15 members from different sectors.
There must be two representatives from the national government; five representatives from the private sector coming from the present naval stations, public works center, ship repair facility, naval supply depot and naval air stations; and the remaining must be composed of representatives from the business and investment sectors.
The SBMA is the operating and implementing arm of the Philippine government for the development of the 670 square kilometer area of Subic Bay Freeport (SBF) into a self-sustaining tourism, industrial, commercial, financial and investment center to generate employment opportunities.
The SBF was the former US Naval facility in Subic Bay. (PNA)

On January 11, the United States government, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), launched a five-year, one billion peso ($18 million) partnership with the Philippine government to help small and medium enterprises (SMEs) transition to mature e-commerce businesses.
The Strengthening Private Enterprises for the Digital Economy (SPEED) project will expand the participation of Philippine SMEs in the country’s emerging e-commerce ecosystem by improving their capacity to adopt digital technologies; supporting the integration of SMEs and e-commerce platforms in logistical supply chains; increasing the use of e-payment systems and other fintech innovations; and strengthening consumer awareness and protection.
SPEED supports the U.S. government’s goal to help the Philippines develop a robust, secure, and resilient digital economy as a key to drive post-pandemic recovery and long-term economic growth for the country.
“As we all know, COVID-19 has fundamentally altered the way we do things, accelerating the shift toward e-commerce, digital platforms, and the digital economy of the post-pandemic world,” Ambassador Carlson said at the launching event attended by Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Secretary Alfredo Pascual, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Felipe Medalla, and partners from government and the private sector. “SPEED signals the U.S. government’s strong commitment to supporting the Philippine government’s vision of a digital Philippines.”
“Key in DTI’s support to scale MSMEs is to help them overcome constraints to their access to technology. We aim to enable MSMEs to embrace digital transformation. This way, I believe DTI and USAID’s directions to enhance SME capacities align,” DTI Secretary Pascual said. In his remarks, he also emphasized DTI’s support to the development of the government’s E-commerce Adoption Platform, and their planned Supply Chain Digitalization Project that aims to digitize logistics and supply chains around the country.
“The BSP is optimistic that the programs under SPEED will further support the BSP’s Digital Payments Transformation Roadmap objective to convert at least 50 percent of retail payment transactions to digital form by the end of 2023,” BSP Governor Medalla noted. “Collaborations and partnerships such as this will contribute toward a more resilient and stronger Philippine economy that promotes a high quality of life for all Filipinos.”
During the event, private sector partners led by the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry also launched the Philippine E-Commerce Alliance. Established with the support of USAID, this private sector-led coalition will facilitate the development of a national business agenda for digital transformation and inclusion.

Two globally endangered black-faced spoonbills (Platalea minor) have been spotted here this week.
Rhoel Marcelo, ecosystem management specialist of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in Ilocos Norte, on Tuesday showed to the media a photo of the birds with their long black spoon-shaped bills and faces covered in black skin instead of avian feathers.
“The spoonbill is the only species that has the most restricted distribution and the only one regarded as globally endangered,” he said.
Marcelo said the photo of the spoonbill was taken by Richard Ruiz, a member of the Wild Bird Club of the Philippines based in this city.
Ruiz said he was monitoring a private fish pond in Barangay Gabu that is frequented by migratory ducks and birds when he noticed two larger birds that were mixed among a faraway flock of smaller Black-winged stilts.
The birder had previously spotted a mandarin duck, another sign of migratory birds going off their usual path.
“This [spoonbill] is one of the species that we are monitoring in the DENR. We are glad that someone was able to document it in the province,” he said, adding that the birds might have come from Hong Kong or mainland China.
According to the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), only less than 2,700 Black-faced Spoonbills remain worldwide. They are listed as endangered and one of the protected species in China, Taiwan, North Korea, South Korea and Japan.
Last Jan. 13, the DENR and the Wild Bird Club of the Philippines conducted the Asian Waterbird census at the Paoay Lake Natural Park in Ilocos Norte.
Based on the latest bird census, the Paoay Lake is frequented by a variety of bird species like the Little Grebe, Great Egret, Little Egret, Cattle Egret, Philippine Duck, Tufted Duck, White-browed Crake, Common Kingfisher, White-collared Kingfisher, White-throated Kingfisher and Great Cormorant.
This year, Marcelo reported that they were able to count 3,792 waterbirds from 22 species.
Compared to last year’s 3,794, Marcelo said they were able to document new migrants this year such as the Brown Booby and the Cinnamon Bittern including a returning Whiskered Tern which was last recorded at the Paoay Lake wetlands in 2015 and 2016.
According to the DENR, the presence of waterbirds is one of the key indicators on whether wetlands, such as mangrove areas, are still ecologically healthy. (PNA)