Try GOLD - Free
'A stronger national defense builds a stronger economy'
The Philippine Star
|October 10, 2025
Sen. Win Gatchalian, chair of the Senate finance committee, has vowed to boost defense spending by almost doubling the country’s defense budget by 2028.
He said the defense allocation should reach two percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), aligning the Philippines with international standards set by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization or NATO countries.
“As long as I am the chairman of the Senate finance committee, I will commit to reach that two percent by 2028,” Gatchalian declared during the budget hearing for the Department of National Defense (DND) and its attached agencies on Tuesday.
This story is from the October 10, 2025 edition of The Philippine Star.
Subscribe to Magzter GOLD to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 10,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
MORE STORIES FROM The Philippine Star
The Philippine Star
ERC OKS P14-B grid link for world's largest solar farm
The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) has approved the P14.2-billion grid integration of Pangilinan-led Meralco PowerGen Corp. (MGEN)'s MTerra Solar, which is poised to become the world's largest integrated solar farm.
1 mins
October 11, 2025
The Philippine Star
EPIC UNIVERSE DELIVERS A MONSTER MASH-UP
Sitting in a whirling cart, the Creature from the Black Lagoon lunging at you from the gooey depths...
3 mins
October 11, 2025
The Philippine Star
JULIA MICHAELS ON HEARTBREAK, HEALING AND FINDING FREEDOM
FROM CO-WRITING MASSIVE POP HITS for Selena Gomez, Justin Bieber, Ed Sheeran and Sabrina Carpenter to carving out her own lane as a performer, Julia Michaels has found her sweet spot in music-making — one fueled by lyrical and emotional honesty.
5 mins
October 11, 2025
The Philippine Star
Magnitude 7.4 quake jolts Davao region
More than a week after a strong earthquake jolted Cebu, another powerful magnitude 7.4 temblor struck off the coast of Manay, Davao Oriental at 9:43 a.m. yesterday, shaking wide areas of Mindanao and the Visayas, according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs).
6 mins
October 11, 2025
The Philippine Star
DPWH suspends all road reblocking projects
Due to allegations of corruption, the Department of Public Worksand Highways (DPWH) yesterday suspended a indefinitely all road reblocking activities.
1 mins
October 11, 2025
The Philippine Star
SEC mulls term limits for PSE broker directors
After formalizing plans to enforce a mandatory term limit for independent directors of publicly listed companies, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is now looking at putting a term limit for broker directors of the Philippine Stock Exchange Inc. (PSE).
2 mins
October 11, 2025
The Philippine Star
Venezuelan democracy activist wins Nobel Peace Prize
The Nobel Peace Prize was awarded on Friday to Venezuela’s opposition leader and democracy activist Maria Corina Machado, the Norwegian Nobel Committee said.
1 mins
October 11, 2025
The Philippine Star
Magalong: No coup, just frustrations
As rumors swirl that he is being eyed to head a civilian-mili-tary junta, Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong yesterday said there is no brewing coup, although he acknowledged discontent within the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), particularly among retired and junior officers.
1 mins
October 11, 2025
The Philippine Star
GCash sets up insurance coverage for commuters
E-wallet pioneer GCash has rolled out a new insurance product designed for commuters as accidents are becoming more prevalent in public transport, particularly on the road.
1 mins
October 11, 2025
The Philippine Star
Corruption risks economic, credit rating fallout – MVP
Business titan Manuel V. Pangilinan has raised concerns over widespread corruption in the Philippines, warning that it could seriously impact the country’s economic growth and jeopardize its credit ratings.
1 mins
October 11, 2025
Listen
Translate
Change font size