MANILA: President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. (inset) on Tuesday instructed the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to “enhance” its social pension program and maintain its cash aid program for poor Filipinos as prices of basic commodities continued to rise.

SINGAPORE: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim urged Singapore to examine the reclamations carried out in the Batu Puteh area to ensure they were not affecting the environment and the country’s borders with Malaysia.

JAKARTA: President Joko Widodo officially kicked off Indonesia’s 2023 Asean Chairmanship at the launching event in Hotel Indonesia Roundabout here, Sunday.

SINGAPORE: Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Zambry Abdul Kadir is confident that bilateral issues involving Malaysia and Singapore will continue to be discussed in a “constructive and productive context.” It is very important for both countries to hold a discussion session or negotiation that can provide good results “not for one side but for both sides.” Zambry said this to the Malaysian media at a ‘Meet and Greet’ session late Sunday – immediately after meeting with his Singaporean counterpart Dr Vivian Balakrishnan.

JAKARTA: Foreign ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) are scheduled to meet here on February 3-4, according to the Asean Secretariat.

JAKARTA: The Indonesian Medical Association (IDI) has emphasised the importance of continuing the administration of Covid-19 vaccines for the community given the unpredictable transmission of the virus.

MANILA: The Department of Justice (DOJ) on Saturday told the International Criminal Court (ICC) that the Philippines will carry out its “own” investigation into the deaths associated with the anti-illegal drugs campaign waged by former president Rodrigo Duterte.

JAKARTA: Vice President Ma’ruf Amin has emphasised that recent incidents involving the destruction of the Quran in Sweden and the Netherlands cannot be condoned as freedom of expression.

MANILA: President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr’s youngest son Vincent has been introduced to members of the House as “special assistant” to Speaker Martin Romualdez, although it is yet unclear if he has been officially named to the post.

MANILA: The Philippines’ economic growth beat expectations last year, expanding to its fastest pace in 46 years on the back of strong consumer spending despite rising  inflation, officials said Thursday.