Publication

OMBUDSMANBARESPROBEOFCAGAYANLAWMAKERLARA,KIN

The Office of the Ombudsman on Saturday said it had initiated a preliminary investigation of Cagayan Rep. Joseph Lasam Lara and members of his family over alleged financial interests in construction companies that bagged billions of pesos worth of...

BARMM POL, 10 OTHERS UNDER PROBE OVER LAOS DRUG SEIZURE

Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla on Friday identified 11 people, among them a former Bangsamoro official, allegedly behind the botched shipment of 521 kilograms of “shabu” (crystal meth) to the Philippines from Laos on Oct. 1. Reports said the...

BEFORE ‘MALETA,’ DURABOX USED TO HAUL ‘KICKBACKS,’ COURT TOLD

Before they started using suitcases (“maleta”), the alleged bagmen working for then Ako Bicol Rep. Zaldy Co used plastic bins to deliver millions of pesos in cash to various recipients as part of their share from public works kickbacks, a witness told...

DSWD TO ROLL OUT WATER FILTRATION KITS

The government on Wednesday assured the public that water processed using filtration technology is safe to drink as it prepares to roll out water treatment kits next week to help cushion the impact of a “very strong” El Niño. At a Palace briefing,...

ISSUE OVER EVIDENCE LIMIT PERSISTS AS DU30 TRIAL NEARS

A little over a month before the trial of former President Rodrigo Duterte for crimes against humanity begins at the International Criminal Court (ICC), the opposing parties have yet to agree on the volume of the evidence that the prosecution can...

MARCOS, SINGAPORE PM WONG MEET AT F1

President Marcos and Singapore’s Prime Minister Lawrence Wong met on the sidelines of the Formula 1 (F1) Singapore Grand Prix on Sunday, as Mr. Marcos wrapped up his five-day working visit to the city-state. Wong shared a photograph on Facebook...

MARCOS: CHINA ‘FUNDING’ POSES A THREAT, IF TRUE

SINGAPORE—President Marcos on Sunday warned that allegations that Chinese entities funded a Philippine company linked to Vice President Sara Duterte’s husband could pose a threat “at the highest level” to the Philippines, if proved to be true. “The...

RECTO TO AGENCIES: PROCURE EARLY FOR ‘SUPER’ EL NIÑO

Executive Secretary Ralph Recto has directed government agencies to accelerate public spending and begin early procurement for 2027 programs, particularly those aimed at preparing the country for the anticipated “super” El Niño. “We have one more...

ANALYST: VP SARA DIDN’T DECLARE P 817-M WEALTH

A forensic financial analyst has uncovered alleged undisclosed assets and unexplained wealth of the Vice President and her husband worth close to a billion pesos. The amount includes undeclared bank accounts and income from several companies.

PDEA HANDS OUT P9.15-M REWARD TO 28 INFORMANTS

The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) rewarded 28 civilian informants with a total of P9.15 million for information that officials said led to major drug seizures, the dismantling of a clandestine laboratory and the eradication of marijuana...

EDITORIAL: STUBBORN SCOURGE

They’re still here? That’s the incredulous question that immediately pops to mind upon hearing the news that 244 foreigners, most of them Chinese, were arrested last Friday for suspected involvement in Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (Pogo)-related...

RISA: CHINA ‘STATE FIRMS’ AMONG CALE88 FUNDERS

Some of the Chinese firms that sent a total of P319.32 million to Cale88 Foods Corp., a company linked to Vice President Sara Duterte’s husband, lawyer Manases Carpio, are Chinese state-owned enterprises, Senator-judge Risa Hontiveros told the...

APPRECIATION FOR TEACHERS

Public school teachers and education personnel may finally receive their 2024 Performance-Based Bonus (PBB) between October and December as President Marcos on Monday ordered government agencies to speed up the release of the incentive. “The...

‘LARGEST POGO BUST’: 244 NABBED IN ZAMBOANGA SIBUGAY RAIDS

PAGADIAN CITY—A total of 244 foreigners, mostly Chinese nationals, were arrested on Friday in what authorities called the “largest Pogo bust” yet, two years after the ban on Philippine offshore gaming operators (Pogos). Law enforcement authorities...

BASTE UNDER OATH: NEVER TALKED BIZ WITH VP SIS

Davao City Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte faced sustained prosecution questioning on Tuesday over 19 city government contracts worth P33.2 million awarded to GenCorp Industries Inc., a company his sister, Vice President Sara Duterte, declared as a...

LACSON TO DIZON: TELL TRUTH ON ‘GHOST’ PROJECTS

Sen. Panfilo Lacson on Monday urged Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon to tell the truth about 68 infrastructure projects the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) had flagged in Taguig City, saying any cover-up attempt could make them...

POTENTIAL SOURCE OF URANIUM FOUND IN CAMARINES NORTE

scientists have identified a potential uranium resource in Camarines Norte which they hope can help fuel the country’s ambitions for nuclear energy, the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (PNRI) said on Friday. Researchers from the University of...

NEW LAW ON BARANGAY, SK POLLS, TERMS UNDER FIRE

Several groups intend to question Republic Act No. 12326 before the Supreme Court, raising red flags over the law extending the term of office of barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan officials to November 2028. They suspect it was done to consolidate...

MARY JANE FINALLY FREE

Sixteen years after her imprisonment and suspended execution in Indonesia, and two years after her transfer to a Philippine jail, drug trafficking convict Mary Jane Veloso received absolute pardon from President Marcos and regained her freedom Friday...

YULO GIVES PH FIRST GOLD IN 2OTH ASIAD

Carlos Yulo had already become an Olympic and world champion, but one major medal was still missing from his collection. He finally claimed it on Thursday, winning the men’s floor exercise at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games with a dramatic victory that...

IMPEACH COURT NEEDS FEWER VOTES TO CONVICT

Following the Senate impeachment court’s decision to lower the conviction threshold, Vice President Sara Duterte’s defense team said she reserved her right to exhaust all legal remedies, including raising the issue before the Supreme Court. “Going up...

FIRM, BOC PERSONNEL TAGGED IN P17.5-M VEGGIE SMUGGLING

ENDING CONFLICT

Peace advocates raise white umbrellas to symbolize protection against the continuous “rain of war and militarism” as they mark the International Day of Peace at Bantayog ng mga Bayani in Quezon City on Monday.

HEALING A WOUND

The Gilas Pilipinas women’s team did what its more prominent male counterparts couldn’t pull off in the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. In a first in Team Philippines’ participation at the Games, the female dribblers are again in the quarterfinals of...

CAMPUS SHOOTER ‘PLANNED ATTACK, WARNED CLASSMATES’

According to the town mayor of Banga, South Cotabato, group-chat conversations recorded on the student’s phone indicated that he originally set his attack on the local high school for Sept. 3. Some of his classmates apparently knew about the plan and...

PCG: CHINA’S ‘RAMMING’ OF BFAR BOAT CLOSEST TO PH COAST EVER

The China Coast Guard’s (CCG) “intentional ramming” of a Philippine fisheries vessel just 100 kilometers off Palawan on Friday was the closest such incident to the Philippine coast on record, according to the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG). The Chinese...

MEALS AND MINDS

President Marcos and other officials oversee the feeding program of the Department of Education at Sta. Barbara West Central School in Pangasinan on Thursday. The program, which aims to improve child health and academic performance through healthy...

DU30 APPEARS AT ICC FOR 2ND TIME, FACING PILE OF EVIDENCE

LAWMAKER, AS PWD, GOES TO NBI OVER ONLINE INSULTS

Akbayan Rep. Perci Cendaña filed a complaint to the National Bureau of Investigation alongside persons with disabilities (PWD) advocates to investigate numerous online posts that ridiculed his facial features resulting from his disability, along with...

VIOLENCE, FRAUD MAR BARMM ELECTIONS ON A ‘LESSER SCALE’

COTABATO CITY—At least four people died while 20 others were injured in shooting and other violent incidents as the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) finally held its first parliamentary elections on Monday. While the combined...

INDIA’S iSON GROUP SETS PH EXPANSION

An Indian conglomerate is infusing $75 million (P4.7 billion) for its current operations and future expansion in the Philippines, which are expected to generate about 2,000 jobs, Malacañang said on Sunday. The commitment was made by the iSON Group...

EXPECTATIONS HIGH AHEAD OF HISTORIC BARMM POLLS

WAO, LANAO DEL SUR—Expectations are high that Monday’s first regular parliamentary election in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) will be peaceful, orderly and less marred by fraud, even as polling officials contend with...

ARRAIGNMENT DEFERRED, BUT VP’S ATTACKS ON HER ‘THREAT’ TARGET RESUME

The arraignment of Vice President Sara Duterte in her grave threats case was postponed indefinitely, but her brief court appearance saw yet another display of her hostility toward the main target of those alleged threats, President Marcos. The Vice...

5 DEAD, 86 MISSING IN FERRY FIRE OFF PALAWAN

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY—At least five people were killed and 86 remain missing after a fire broke out on a passenger ferry as it was nearing the tourist town of Coron in Palawan province on Wednesday night, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said on...

OMBUDSMAN OPPOSING ROMUALDEZ HOSPITAL STAY

The Office of the Ombudsman will oppose the motion of former Speaker Martin Romualdez for extended hospital confinement following his arrest, and plans to ask government doctors to assess whether his declared illnesses could be managed outside the...

CHINESE NOTE INTERRUPTS TEODORO AT SEOUL FORUM

Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. on Tuesday accused China of “actual coercion, bullying and aggression” in the South China Sea (SCS) after a note reiterating Beijing’s rejection of the 2016 arbitral ruling was delivered to him while he was...

ROMUALDEZ ARRESTED IN HOSPITAL FOR PLUNDER

Warrant issued by Sandiganbayan served on Monday to former Speaker Martin Romualdez at Cardinal Santos Medical Center. His lawyers asked the court to let him remain in confinement, citing his ailments, including his ‘documented cardiac history.’

PROBE ON TAGUIG

The word war continues between Sen. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson and Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano, with the former saying the investigation of flood control anomalies must be thorough and “not hasty or sloppy.” This was in response to...

MOVIE IN HER MIND: LEA SALONGA GETS HOLLYWOOD STAR

—Lea Salonga made history on Friday when she became the first Filipino to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The star on the storied boulevard in Tinseltown is the latest accolade for Salonga, whose many honors in her 45-year career include...

TEMPORARY NLEX FIX

PULILAN, BULACAN—Traffic along flood-hit sections of the North Luzon Expressway (NLEx) began to normalize, with motorists now facing only about 11 minutes of slow-moving traffic in the affected portions of Pampanga, NLEx Corp. said on Friday. This was...

PH DRILLS SEEK TO SAFEGUARD STUDENTS FROM ARMED INTRUDERS

As an alarm reverberated throughout a Philippine high school on Thursday, students scrambled behind locked doors and police swept corridors in a drill aimed at preparing for an attack once unthinkable in the Southeast Asian country. About 3,000 junior...

POA ADMITS HE ALSO FACES LIABILITY IF VP FOUND GUILTY

Despite saying he had little personal knowledge of how confidential funds were used, the former chief of staff of Vice President Sara Duterte acknowledged the ‘possible’ legal action against him if his boss is proven to have misused the money.

STUCK ON NLEX: ‘AS IF WE WENT ABROAD’

These detours are not the happy kind. Several netizens shared their experiences of driving for hours over the weekend due to heavy traffic along the North Luzon Expressway (NLEx), amid flooding brought by days of torrential rains. Many towns in...

FLOOD CONTROL PROJECTS FAIL CENTRAL LUZON FOLK

SAN ANTONIO, ZAMBALES— Flood control measures in Central Luzon region, including an ongoing river dredging program for the past seven years and the construction of flood control structures along major waterways, have proved ineffective in the past days...

DPWH STOPS TAGUIG RECLAMATION PROJECTS

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has ordered a halt to these allegedly illegal projects and will meet with ‘stakeholders to determine the way forward.’ Sen. Panfilo Lacson has identified some projects in his inquiry since last month.

WEEKS OF FLOODING, SLIDES KILL OVER 30

Four tropical cyclones entering the Philippine area of responsibility in less than a month have taken their toll on 10 regions, mostly in Luzon, as they enhanced monsoon rains that spelled misery for around 8 million people. Damage to infrastructure...

META SHARING USER DATA TO HELP PH FLAG THREATS

American technology firm Meta Platforms Inc., which owns Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, has made a commitment to the Philippine government to remove harmful artificial intelligence (AI)-generated deepfakes from its platforms and cooperate with...

HIMALAYAN ‘TSUNAMI’: OVER 350 DEAD, 1.4K MISSING

A Filipino was reported to be among the more than a thousand people missing in the flash floods and landslides that occurred on the Nepal-Tibet border, where the confirmed death toll had reached at least 359 people as of Thursday. The lone Filipino...

AIDE: ONLY SARA, LACHICA KNEW WHERE FUNDS WENT

Lemuel Ortonio, the third ranking official in the Office of the Vice President, testified Wednesday that only Vice President Sara Duterte and her former security chief, Col. Raymund Lachica, knew how the P500-million OVP confidential funds were spent.

LACHICA ‘PREPARED TO TELL TRUTH’ IF CALLED TO TESTIFY

Army Col. Raymund Dante Lachica, whose name has repeatedly cropped up in the investigation of Vice President Sara Duterte’s alleged misuse of confidential funds, has declared his readiness to “tell the truth” if called to testify in her impeachment...

GOV’T RELEASES P1-B FUND FOR PROJECT NOAH

The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has released P1 billion to the University of the Philippines (UP) for Project Noah’s artificial intelligence (AI)-powered flood forecasting and real-time hazard monitoring. The DBM made the announcement as...

HOUSE PROSECUTION BACKS MOVE TO HASTEN VP TRIAL

The House prosecution panel said on Sunday it was ready to revise the schedule of Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial, trim its witness list and work with the defense, in a bid to hasten the proceedings but not at the expense of due...

‘WE NEED TO LISTEN TO THE YOUTH’

NINOY DAY A CALL TO PROTECT FREEDOM, DEEPEN UNITY–MARCOS

President Marcos on Friday commemorated Ninoy Aquino Day by calling on Filipinos to continue drawing inspiration from the late senator in safeguarding the country’s freedom and charting its progress. It marked the fifth time for the Marcos...

PUMP-PRIMING

President Marcos, along with Metropolitan Manila Development Authority Chair Don Artes, inspects the pumping station at Tripa de Gallina in Pasay City on Thursday, which was put to the test by recent flash floods. The government is planning 13 more...

30 NCR SITES EYED AS RAIN BASINS

The government has picked 30 sites where large rain catchment structures can be built to ease the perennial flooding problem in the National Capital Region (NCR), according to President Marcos. The sites, which were identified by Dutch engineering...

ATENEO DE ZAMBOANGA SHOOTING: 2 STUDENTS DEAD

Police say the shooter, a Grade 9 student who wielded two firearms, killed a schoolmate before turning the gun on himself. The government considers a review of campus security protocols as attack comes two months after a similar incident in Tacloban.

WITNESS: SECURITY CHIEF GOT P 125M ON VP’S ORDER

Vice President Sara Duterte personally ordered the release of P125 million in confidential funds to her security chief in December 2022, Gina Acosta, a former special disbursing officer (SDO) of the Office of the Vice President (OVP), told the...

BUDGET SCRUTINY FLAGS BALLOONING LGU FUND

Former Finance Undersecretary Cielo Magno warns that Malacañang’s increasing Local Government Support Fund, now at close to P60 billion, could be used for political patronage ahead of the 2028 polls and must be allotted under clear guidelines.

ATOM HITS MARCOS CLAIM ON ‘ILL-GOTTEN’ WEALTH

The August Twenty-One Movement (Atom) on Saturday slammed President Marcos for claiming that his family’s wealth was not ill-gotten and it lamented that not one member of his family has spent a day in jail since his father and namesake was toppled in...

TRUTH BODY ON DRUG WAR STARTS WITH A MOTHER’S TALE OF WOE

The nongovernmental Truth Commission inquiry into the drug war killings during the Duterte administration opened its first hearing on Friday with the testimony of the mother of a 19-year-old disabled man, who was shot dead by masked gunmen in 2017 on...

DOE BARES POTENTIAL SITES OF 7 NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS

SEVERAL AREAS IN LUZON UNDER STATE OF CALAMITY

CALUMPIT, BULACAN—The combined fury of the seasonal monsoon and recent weather disturbances like Tropical Depressions “Luis” and “Maymay” has taken a toll on communities that are still ill-equipped to solve flooding. That includes this Bulacan town...

FLOOD CONTROL BACK IN PALACE’S 2027 BUDGET PROPOSAL

Flood control spending, an item removed from this year’s budget, has been included in the proposed P7.2-trillion national budget for 2027 that the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) submitted to the House of Representatives on...

‘HOLY (FLOOD)WATER’

Parishioner Efren Cruz surveys the flooded nave of Sto. Niño Parish Church in the City of San Fernando, Pampanga, on Monday. The weather bureau warns that the southwest monsoon may bring torrential rainfall through Tuesday, threatening low-lying...

CRITICAL RISE

BRINK OF OVERFLOW An inspector at La Mesa Dam goes out in the rain on Sunday to monitor the water level (inset) now past the reservoir’s 79.50-meter threshold and approaching its 80.15-meter spilling level, amid the continuing monsoon rains. Any...

EALA: BEYOND THE FAIRY TALE

It was a Monday afternoon in Washington, DC, but the loudest cheers came from half a world away. Philippine flags fluttered in the stands. Chants of “Let’s go, Alex!” echoed through the stadium, and tournament officials marveled at a Monday final...

GRIM PROTEST

A policeman checks an area along Gil Puyat Avenue in Makati City where a wooden casket was left by unidentified people early Friday. Photos of Chinese officials and a red banner with the statement “Greedy! Salot!” are left beside the casket, one of...

OBSTRUCTION AS ATTRACTION

Water bursts from an open manhole along J.P. Rizal Avenue in Makati City, drawing a smile from a passing jeepney driver who may still have a long, soggy day ahead of him as “Maymay” enhanced monsoon rains in Metro Manila and other parts of Luzon on...

DEFENDING IP DOMAIN

Representatives of 19 indigenous peoples (IPs) gather in Quezon City on Wednesday to show their collective stand against the revised guidelines adopted by the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples on how they are to deal with business activities...

SHE FEELS THE LOVE: FANS BOOST EALA TO 1ST WTA TITLE

The 21-year-old tennis star again made Filipinos cheer (and stay awake in the wee hours) with her dominant closeout of a rain-delayed match against the formidable Jessica Pegula in Washington.

BOXES OF EVIDENCE

Lawyer Roderick Wamil (top photo, on witness stand), former state auditor for the Commission on Audit’s (COA) Intelligence and Confidential Fund Audit Office, testifies as the Senate impeachment court on Monday tackles Vice President Sara Duterte’s use...

ERC ORDERS ₱9.5-B REFUND TO MERALCO CUSTOMERS

More than 8 million consumers of Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) are poised to benefit from a slight reduction in electricity costs with the rollout of a P9.5-billion refund. In its decision dated July 31, the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) ordered...