Philippine Daily Inquirer

‘NIÑO’ HOLDS SWAY

Just days after the massive Jesus Nazareno procession in Manila, the next biggest crowd-drawer for Filipino Catholics is the feast of the Child Jesus, which is held every third Sunday of January. The actual feast is today, but students from Sto. Niño...

P10M OFFERED FOR ANG ARREST

PH-UAE FREE TRADE DEAL HAILED AS 1ST IN MANILA’S MIDEAST TIES

The Philippines entered into its first free trade pact in the Middle East with the signing of a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (Cepa) with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Tuesday. Under the agreement, hailed as a milestone in the...

STILL A BAY VIEW

MANILA’S ‘BEACHFRONT’ Visitors relax at dolomite beach on Sunday. Sections of Metro Manila used to have a beachfront until breakwaters and reclamation were introduced during American rule. The bay area still has much potential for tourism development,...

SENATE PRESIDENT: NO REPLY FROM LONG-ABSENT BATO

Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III has made several attempts to contact Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, who hasn’t responded since he stopped appearing in the Senate in November last year following reports that the International Criminal Court...

THEIR BIGGEST DAY, BAR NONE

11,425 examinees passed.

KEEP IT HOLY, CLEAN AND ORDERLY

Members of the Manila police are briefed outside Quiapo Church on Tuesday prior to deployment for activities leading to the Jan. 9 Feast of Jesus Nazareno (main photo). Replicas of the icon (lower inset) draw devotees two days before the big procession...

REJOICING, OUTRAGE

Venezuelans living in various parts of the Spanish-speaking world celebrate Nicolas Maduro’s ouster on Saturday. Hours after a US predawn attack which led to his capture, Venezuelans celebrate at the Obelisk in Buenos Aires (left) and in Madrid (top)....

NAZARENE DEVOTION SWELLS AHEAD OF FEAST

Devotees of the Black Nazarene flocked to Quiapo Church in Manila on Saturday for the blessing of replicas of the revered image. The activity began at 1:30 p.m. and involved at least 2,000 replicas of the Black Nazarene, which were blessed by Most...

E-TRIKES BANNED ON MAJOR METRO ROADS

The Electric Vehicles Association of the Philippines (EVAP) welcomed the Land Transportation Office’s (LTO) ban on electric tricycles (e-trikes) on major roads in the National Capital Region (NCR), even as it called for a “clearer implementation” of...

SWS: 4 IN 10 FILIPINOS SEE BETTER LIFE IN 2026

Four out of 10 Filipinos expect their quality of life to improve in the next 12 months, based on the results of the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey. The survey, conducted from Nov. 24 to Nov. 30, found that 44 percent of respondents expect...

284 DRUG RAP ACQUITTALSA6 DUE TO POOR POLICE WORK

The Court of Appeals cited poor compliance with the rules on handling evidence as a common reason why convictions get reversed in drug-related cases, some of them filed during the deadly antinarcotics campaign waged by then President Rodrigo Duterte.

DIZON: LEVISTE ‘INSERTIONS’ CLAIM BASELESS, MALICIOUS

Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon on Tuesday rejected allegations made by Batangas Rep. Leandro Leviste linking him to supposed insertions for flood control projects in the national budget. “[Secretary Dizon] categorically denies the baseless and...

STRESSED BY FIRECRACKERS

The number of people injured due to firecrackers has reached over 100, according to the latest data from the Department of Health (DOH), but the figure remains fewer than the data recorded last year. In a report released on Sunday, the DOH revealed...

AGE OF ELEGANCE

Beginning in its heyday in the 1930s, Art Deco in the country became a prominent feature not only in local architecture but even in the design of everyday objects, from soda bottles to cameras to fountain pens. The National Museum of the Philippines...

LAWMAKERS: ICI ‘EFFECTIVELY DEFUNCT’; PREZ MUST EXPLAIN

The Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) is now “effectively defunct” after Commissioner Rossana Fajardo announced she would step down at the end of the year, according to lawmakers pushing for the creation of a more powerful body to...

DPWH LISTS AFFECTED AREAS IN EDSA REHAB

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has advised motorists to keep track of areas affected by the rehabilitation of Edsa, which started at 11 p.m. on Christmas Eve. From Dec. 24 until Jan. 5 next year, work on Metro Manila’s busiest...

MAKABAYAN: SECRET FUNDS SWELL TO P 12B IN ’26 BUDGET

A coalition of progressive groups in the House of Representatives sounded the alarm over a multibillion-peso surge in confidential and intelligence funds (CIF) in the proposed 2026 national budget now awaiting President Marcos’ signature, warning that...

CHRISTMAS BY THE LAKE

Families flock on Tuesday to TLC Playpark in Taguig City which opened on Saturday. The seasonal theme park located near Laguna Lake in Barangay Lower Bicutan features a giant slide, pirate ship, swings and seesaws, among other selfie-tempting...

SLOW DAY AT NAIA

NO HASSLE Passengers at Terminal 3 of Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) check the departure schedules for international and local flights on Sunday. With many travelers from Metro Manila having left for their destinations, the airport was less...

TRIUMPH ON HOSTILE TURF

Robert Bolick (center) and the rest of Gilas Pilipinas have the the laugh in hostile territory Friday night after winning the men’s basketball gold medal against Thailand in the 33rd Southeast Asian Games in Bangkok. The national team overcame roster...

CABRAL’S DEATH LEAVES QUESTIONS UNANSWERED

Officials on Friday scrambled to recover whatever evidence of corruption may have been left behind by former Public Works Undersecretary Maria Catalina Cabral, who died on a riverside below a mountain road, leaving many questions about her role in the...

1ST SEAG GOLD CROWNS EALA’S AWESOME YEAR

ACING A DREAM Tennis sensation Alex Eala caps a sterling season with a gold medal in women’s singles at the 33rd Southeast Asian Games in Bangkok, becoming the first Filipino in 26 years to win the regional title. The rising star says the SEAG gold has...

EDSA REHAB FINALLY A GO

NOT SO PAINFUL, PROMISE Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon and Metropolitan Manila Development Authority Chair Romando Artes on Wednesday present the updated rehabilitation plan for Edsa, where 40,000 vehicles pass daily (inset photo). They promised...

PALACE BACKS DPWH PLEA TO RESTORE ₱45B IN BUDGET

The last-ditch effort of Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon to restore about P45 billion of the Department of Public Works and Highways’ (DPWH) proposed budget for 2026 to properly implement projects of the agency has the blessing of President Marcos,...

BISHOP SLAMS BICAM MOVE ON ‘HEALTH PORK BARREL’

A Church leader has called on lawmakers to “renounce pork once and for all” as he criticized the decision of the bicameral conference committee to increase the budget of the Department of Health’s (DOH) Medical Assistance to Indigent and Financially...

ISLAND OF ILLUSIONS

Visitors enjoy the immersive visual experience offered by Art in Island, a mixed media art museum in Cubao, Quezon City. Photo taken on Dec. 10 seems to give a preview of the upcoming holiday revelry, albeit in a scenic, pastel-colored world that...

PLUNDER RAPS VS VP SARA REVIVE SECRET FUND ISSUE

The Vice President, awaiting a Supreme Court decision on whether she can be tried by the Senate impeachment court, is facing criminal complaints for plunder, graft and malversation for allegedly misusing P612.5 million in confidential funds.

‘FUGITIVE’ CO, ET AL. WILL STILL BE TRIED FOR 3 SEPARATE CASES–COURT

The Sandiganbayan’s Fifth Division has rejected a motion to consolidate the graft and malversation cases of former Ako Bicol Rep. Elizaldy Co and his 15 coaccused over an alleged substandard road dike project in Oriental Mindoro, which means the cases...

SEAG QUEST

Team Philippines, with tennis star Alex Eala as flag bearer along with volleyball standout Bryan Bagunas, is formally welcomed at the 33rd Southeast Asian Games (SEAG) during Tuesday night’s opening ceremony at Rajamangala National Stadium in Bangkok,...

HONORING MAMA MARY

HOLY DAY OF OBLIGATION Devotees take their selfies with the image of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the background at the Manila Cathedral on Monday, the feast of the Immaculate Conception, a holy day of obligation in the Roman Catholic calendar. Cardinal...

PHILHEALTH FUND RESTORED VIA DRAFT 2026 BUDGET

The vice chair of the appropriations committee of the House of Representatives said the panel has already carried out the only legal and constitutional remedy to return P60 billion to the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) as ordered by the...

ROLLING OUT HOLIDAY CHEER

Malacañang gathers children on Saturday for an early Christmas treat, with President Marcos and first lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, also joined on the kiddie train by son William Vincent (in last car), leading the traditional gift-giving in time for the...

MARKETING LESSON FOR THE GOV’T

SINGSON RESIGNS FROM ICI, CITES STRESS, SECURITY RISKS

Rogelio Singson, one of the three members of the Independent Commission for Infrastructure tasked by President Marcos with investigating corruption in public infrastructure projects, particularly flood control, resigned on Wednesday for security...

DPWH DISTRICT ENGINEERS GIVEN ‘TOO MUCH POWER’

District engineers of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) were given “too much power” and control over how much and when public funds are released to contractors or implementers of infrastructure projects. The head of the Independent...

MARCOS TO NEW AFP OFFICERS: STAY LOYAL TO REPUBLIC

Amid persistent talk of destabilization, President Marcos on Monday reminded incoming officers of the Armed Forces of the Philippines to steer clear of partisan politics and stay loyal to the government. The President is facing the biggest crisis of...

SMALLER CROWD, SHORTER PROGRAM IN NOV. 30 MARCH VS CORRUPTION

Protesters gathered on Sunday for the Baha sa Luneta 2.0 rally that saw a smaller number of attendees and a shorter program compared to the Sept. 21 mass gathering. Malacañang, nevertheless, said it felt the people’s anger and their impatience. “To...

‘NINE-JA’ MOVES

The National University Pep Squad puts on a show with the acrobatics and attitude of the Japanese ninja during Saturday’s UAAP Cheerdance Competition at Mall of Asia Arena, where it bagged its ninth championship to become the winningest team in the...

SOME 100K WORKERS AFFECTED BY ‘SLOWDOWN’ IN PUBLIC WORKS

An estimated 100,000 workers have been affected after several companies mainly in the construction business had their licenses revoked for being linked to the public works corruption scandal. Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian gave this figure as the matter came...

BIZ CLAMOR: LIFESTYLE CHECKS, NOT JUST SALN

Six big business and civil society groups have called on the government to impose mandatory lifestyle checks on public officials, arguing that their statements of assets, liabilities, and net worth (SALNs) alone are not enough to sniff out...

SOLAR SPREAD IN CAVITE

LOUD AND CLEAR

There will be no calls for the resignation of public officials at the Trillion Peso March against corruption and political dynasties to be held on Nov. 30, Kidapawan Bishop Colin Bagaforo said at a press briefing on Monday. “Our advocacy here at the...

ACCUSED IN FLOOD WORKS MESS MISSING; MANHUNT ON

Local law enforcers are tracking down five of the 18 accused individuals in an alleged flood control anomaly in Mindoro after the police serving arrest warrants failed to find them at their known addresses. They are all implicated in a substandard...

PRESIDENT LAUNCHES P2-B CLEANUP OF METRO MANILA WATERWAYS

President Marcos on Wednesday oversaw the launch of a massive intercity operation to unclog and desilt waterways across Metro Manila, citing a study estimating that such efforts could reduce flooding in the capital region by up to 60 percent. On the...

‘UWAN’ DEATH TOLL HITS 25; 2M DISPLACED IN 15 REGIONS

At least 25 deaths were reported on Tuesday due to Typhoon “Uwan” (international name: Fung-Wong) which battered parts of Luzon and the Bicol region with strong winds and heavy rains, and displaced more than 2.4 million individuals. Office of Civil...

‘UWAN’ LEAVES 8 DEAD, 1.2M DISPLACED

The state weather bureau on Monday eased storm signals in several areas across the country as Superyphoon “Uwan” (international name: Fung-wong) weakened further, leaving 1.2 million people displaced, at least eight people dead and many towns and...

ALMOST 1M EVACUATED AS ‘UWAN’ SLAMS LUZON

Almost 1 million people across Luzon and the Visayas were preemptively evacuated as Supertyphoon “Uwan” (international name: Fung-wong), whose 1,800-kilometer reach spanned almost the entire Philippines, continued to pose “life-threatening” effects,...

MAGSAYSAY AWARDEE PUSHES FOR ‘TRUTH COMMISSION’ ON DU30 DRUG WAR

Ramon Magsaysay Award winner Fr. Flaviano “Flavie” Villanueva expressed support for the creation of a “truth commission” on the Duterte drug war, saying it would lead to deeper transparency and accountability over the thousands of extrajudicial...

CARDINAL DAVID, KIN OF DRUG WAR VICTIMS WANT TRUTH BODY

Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David, bishop of the Diocese of Kalookan, on Friday called on President Marcos to establish a National Truth and Reconciliation Commission to exact accountability from those responsible for the bloody drug war of his...

ANOTHER GHOST PROJECT: BONOAN PROBED ANEW

Former Public Works Secretary Manuel Bonoan was found liable for another “non-existent” flood control project in Bulacan worth P95.04 million two days after the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) had recommended administrative charges...

‘TINO’ LEAVES 130 DEAD

Typhoon “Tino” (international name: Kalmaegi) has once more highlighted the failure of billions of pesos worth of flood control projects as it left hundreds of people dead, many from widespread flooding that trapped people on their roofs and swept away...

‘TINO’ DID THIS

Typhoon “Tino” (international name: Kalmaegi) tore through central and southern Philippines on Tuesday, leaving a trail of devastation in many areas, killing at least five people and displacing tens of thousands. It unleashed flash floods with a force...

HOUSE OF GRAINS

LOCAL RICE BOOST A worker stacks sacks of locally produced rice at a warehouse of the National Food Authority in Valenzuela City on Monday. President Marcos has approved the extension of the rice import ban until the end of the year to help stabilize...

CANADA 5TH ALLY TO INK DEFENSE DEAL WITH PH

The Philippines and Canada signed on Sunday a Status of Visiting Forces Agreement (SOFVFA) that would allow their forces to hold joint battle-readiness drills and expand a network of security alliances to deter aggression. Defense Secretary Gilberto...

SURPRISE!

President Marcos surprises Chinese President Xi Jinping when, without much ado, he shook his hand to congratulate China for taking its turn to serve as chair of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) forum next year at the close of the Apec...

SEC ACTS VS ‘PREDATORY’A8 LENDERS, EYES RATE CAPS

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is taking tougher measures against schemes that have victimized and trapped thousands of Filipinos in “cycles of debt,” as it plans to impose limits on interest rates and other fees charged by lending and...

‘SECRET DECISION’ REVERSING SENATOR’S DISMISSAL BARED

The Office of the Ombudsman on Thursday released the copy of the controversial “secret decision” to reverse an order to dismiss Sen. Joel Villanueva from public office over the alleged misuse of his Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) in 2008...

ICI WANTS PLUNDER RAPS VS JINGGOY, JOEL, ZALDY, ET AL.

It’s as though the pork barrel scam never went away: The scheme to pocket billions in public funds intended for flood control projects starts and ends with the proponent—the lawmaker. Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) Chair Andres Reyes...

ASEAN, CHINA SIGN UPGRADED FREE TRADE DEAL

MANILA’S TURN President Marcos receives the gavel from Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, marking the formal turnover of the chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean). Children perform a number promoting international...

MARCOS TAKES A SWIPE AT CHINA DURING SUMMIT

Marcos has used the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Summit and related leaders’ meetings here to criticize China’s illegal activities in the South China Sea. He also took advantage of the summits to inform leaders of different nations,...

ON TO THE NEXT AFTER TABUENA TRIUMPH

CABUYAO—The target seemed so modest at the start of last week for Miguel Tabuena: Play in the International Series Philippines and do well. He hit that one with conviction after a performance to be remembered. And now, as a champ of the circuit’s...

NO PLACE LIKE HOME FOR A CONTENDER

CABUYAO—Miguel Tabuena did what he set out for on moving day. And after playing flawlessly for the first time this week, he uttered a phrase that could define how the International Series Philippines could turn out: with a non-golfing host country...

ENRILE, REYES, NAPOLES CLEARED IN ‘PORK’ CASE

The Sandiganbayan on Friday acquitted former Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile of 15 graft charges in connection with the alleged diversion of P172.8 million of his pork barrel funds, clearing all criminal complaints against the 101-year-old...

‘SECRET DECISION’ HALTS VILLANUEVA DISMISSAL

A “secret decision” by former Ombudsman Samuel Martires has prompted his successor, Jesus Crispin Remulla, to scrap a plan to seek the ouster of Sen. Joel Villanueva for the senator’s alleged involvement in the pork barrel scam over a decade...

FINALLY, ICI TO LIVESTREAM PROCEEDINGS

The Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) on Wednesday said it would livestream its investigative proceedings on the anomalous flood control projects beginning next week. The ICI chair, retired Supreme Court Associate Justice Andres Reyes...

1 RFID STICKER NOW USABLE FOR ALL LUZON TOLLWAYS

After years of planning and delays, the government on Tuesday finally unveiled a program that is seen to address motorists’ wish of seamless, cash-free travel through any of the expressways in Luzon and Metro Manila through a single RFID...

BLANKET CUT IN PUBLIC WORKS PROJECTS PROPOSED

MAN ON HOT SEAT Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon on Monday faces the Senate finance committee deliberating on the proposed budget for the Department of Public Works and Highways, the embattled agency to which he was appointed on Aug. 31. While he is...

BACK-TO-BACK WIN FOR PH IN MISS GRAND INT’L PAGEANT

The Philippines asserted its dominance as an international pageant powerhouse through another historic win, posting back-to-back victories in the Miss Grand International competition in Thailand on Saturday night. Kapampangan broadcaster Emma Tiglao...

THE BETTER GREEN

The 18-hectare Intramuros Golf Course, photographed in this drone shot taken on Saturday, will soon be transformed into the Intramuros Forest Park—an urban greening initiative being pushed by Malacañang and the local government that will turn one of...

QUAKE-HIT NORTHERN CEBU BEGINS REHAB PHASE

TENT CITY CHECK President Marcos, with Philippine Red Cross (PRC) chair and former Sen. Richard Gordon behind him on Friday, visits the PRC shelters in Bogo City for families displaced by the magnitude 6.9 earthquake that struck northern Cebu on Sept....

JONVIC TAGS ZALDY IN P 500-M PNP BUDGET ‘INSERTION’

A P500-million “insertion” in the intelligence fund of the Philippine National Police for 2025 was discovered and subsequently returned to the Office of the President, according to Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla. In a Senate hearing on Thursday,...

‘MANANANGGAL’ IN MARIKINA AMONG 297 UNFINISHED HEALTH CENTERS

Like a “manananggal”—the female vampire of Philippine myth who grows batwings to prowl the night skies, but only with her upper body taking flight and leaving the lower half standing stiff on the ground. That’s how Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa...

ROMUALDEZ DENIES KICKBACK ALLEGATIONS IN ICI HEARING

Facing the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) on Tuesday, former Speaker Martin Romualdez denied allegations that he received kickbacks in exchange for infrastructure projects. This was disclosed by ICI Executive Director Brian Hosaka...

CHINESE FLEET ‘CLOSEST’ EVER TO PAG-ASA ISLAND

Chinese maritime forces operated “very close” to Pag-asa (Thitu) Island over the weekend, deploying a flotilla to harass Sunday’s humanitarian mission for local fishermen, Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesperson for West Philippine Sea Commodore Jay...