The Philippine Consulate General in Honolulu, led by Consul General Arman R. Talbo, commemorated the 129th Anniversary of the Martyrdom of Dr. José P. Rizal with a solemn wreath and lei offering ceremony at the Philippine Consulate grounds. The Rizal Day activity was held in partnership with the Knights of Rizal under the leadership of Area Commander Jerry Felicitas, together with the Aloha Chapter, Hawaii Chapter, and Maysa Ohana Chapter. Members of the Filipino community an

Investigators from the Basud Municipal Police Station and the Provincial Investigation and Detective Management Unit (PIDMU) have traced the origin of the body found dumped at the Pinagwarasan Bridge in Purok 1, Barangay Pinagwarasan, Basud, Camarines Norte, following information provided by a tricycle driver and a bus conductor who unknowingly transported the container where the victim was allegedly placed. According to police, the tricycle driver surfaced after seeing repor

A 12-year-old boy was killed after his right hand was blown off and he sustained severe injuries to his leg and thigh when an illegal firecracker exploded, while another child was injured in the same incident in Tondo, Manila on Sunday night. The tragic incident happened at around 8:30 p.m. at the corner of Lorenzo Street and Abad Santos Avenue, according to the Manila Police District (MPD). Authorities said the two children were playing in the area when they discovered a fir

Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo “Ping” Lacson urged President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. to stay out of the investigation into alleged irregularities in flood control projects of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH). Lacson made the call during a radio interview when asked if he believes the Marcos administration is being selective about who should be investigated and charged in the controversial flood control scandal. “Honestly, I think that’s possibl

Former Miss Universe CEO Anne Jakrajutatip is facing up to two years in prison after a court in Thailand found her guilty of fraud in connection with a 30-million-baht (approximately ₱56.7 million) corporate bond investment. According to a report by the Bangkok Post, the Bangkok South Kwaeng Court handed down the ruling after Jakrajutatip failed to appear in court, prompting judges to proceed with the case despite her absence. Court records show that the South Bangkok Crimina

Batangas 1st District Rep. Leandro Legarda Leviste has claimed that members of the House of Representatives are set to receive massive incentives once the bicameral conference committee report on the 2026 national budget is ratified on Monday, December 29. Leviste alleged that as much as ₱10 billion has been earmarked for incentives or bonuses for lawmakers, reportedly sourced from the House’s Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOE). “On the day of the budget approval

The Makabayan bloc slammed President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. for failing to jail any high-ranking government officials linked to the controversial flood control scandal before Christmas, despite his earlier promise. The group said Marcos’ self-imposed deadline has passed with no “big fish” arrested, calling the pledge a public relations stunt. “So much for the promise that someone would spend Christmas in jail. The Filipino people were misled,” the bloc said. “The Pre

The Philippine Navy confirmed that it monitored and challenged a Chinese warship spotted “loitering” off the coast of Zambales, prompting a calibrated maritime response. According to the Navy, the vessel was identified as a Jiangkai II–class frigate of the People’s Liberation Army Navy, bearing bow number 569. The ship was detected approximately 41 nautical miles southwest of Capones Island, within waters closely monitored by Philippine authorities. Upon initial detection, th

The Supreme Court of the Philippines has affirmed the murder conviction of three police officers for the killing of Kian delos Santos, a 17-year-old student fatally shot during an anti-drug operation in Caloocan City in 2017. In a Decision written by Associate Justice Jhosep Y. Lopez, the Court’s Second Division found police officers Arnel Oares, Jeremias Pereda, and Jerwin Cruz guilty of murder. The High Court sentenced the three to reclusion perpetua, or up to 40 years in p

Philippine lawmaker Antonio Tinio has called for the immediate return of former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Manuel Bonoan, insisting he must face investigation over alleged large-scale irregularities in flood control projects. Tinio said Bonoan, as DPWH secretary at the time, held ultimate authority over project approvals and funding releases, stressing that no allocation could be approved and no public funds could move without Bonoan’s knowledge

NEW YORK CITY - Top business leaders, investors, and entrepreneurs from across the U.S. Northeast and Midwest converged at the Philippine Center in Manhattan on December 17 as the Philippine Trade and Investment Center–New York (PTIC New York) hosted Impact Social: A Year-End Networking Mixer , an event aimed at strengthening trade, investment, and cross-sector partnerships between the United States and the Philippines. Organized in collaboration with Planet X Studios and Th

Contractor Sarah Discaya and eight engineers from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) are now behind bars after being implicated in a ₱96.5-million “ghost” flood control project in Jose Abad Santos, Davao Occidental. Discaya was escorted by NBI-Central Visayas agents upon her arrival at Mactan Cebu International Airport late Friday night, December 19. Within hours, she and her co-accused were hauled before the Lapu-Lapu City court and ordered detained. Judge Ne

Authorities are investigating the death of former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Undersecretary Maria Catalina Cabral, whose body was recovered from a steep ravine along Kennon Road an incident drawing heightened public scrutiny given her past role in overseeing major flood control projects that have been the subject of ongoing controversy. Police said Cabral was found at around 8:00 p.m. on December 18, approximately 20 to 30 meters below a highway near the B

Philippine Congresswoman Leila de Lima has called for an immediate and comprehensive investigation into reports that iron ore extracted from the coastal town of Jose Panganiban in Camarines Norte province may have been shipped to China, raising concerns over legality, environmental impact, and government oversight. De Lima said reports of several vessels positioned near the shoreline allegedly preparing to transport iron ore overseas must be thoroughly examined, stressing th

Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo “Ping” Lacson has raised a red flag over what he called a ₱33-billion “pork barrel” insertion in the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) 2026 budget this time hidden under farm-to-market roads (FMRs). Lacson blasted the massive allocation, saying the DA proposal fails to identify where the roads will actually be built, as it contains no grid coordinates a red flag he warned mirrors the same scheme used in the now-exposed “ghost” flood-control

Three Filipino fishermen were injured after Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) and Chinese Maritime Militia (CMM) vessels blasted water cannons and harassed around 20 Filipino fishing boats operating lawfully near Escoda Shoal in the West Philippine Sea, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said. The PCG said the attack happened on December 12, when CCG vessels 21559 and 21562, backed by CMM ships, carried out aggressive blocking maneuvers and fired high-pressure water cannons at Filipino

Vice President Sara Duterte on Friday hit back at mounting accusations against her, branding the investigations as “fishing expeditions” designed to manufacture grounds for impeachment rather than uncover the truth. In a statement, Duterte accused the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability of conducting a “full-blown fishing expedition” last year, alleging that lawmakers searched for anything that could be twisted into impeachment charges. She further cl

Multiple criminal and administrative complaints have been filed with the Office of the Ombudsman against Vice President Sara Duterte and several officials of the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and the Department of Education (DepEd) over the alleged misuse of ₱612.5 million in confidential funds. The cases were filed on Friday, December 12, by civil society groups and Church leaders, who accused Duterte and her subordinates of serious violations involving public funds. Th

President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has ordered a worldwide manhunt for fugitive and former Ako Bicol Party-list Representative Elizaldy “Zaldy” Co—one of those implicated in the multibillion-peso flood control scandal at the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH). In his “Ulat sa Bayan” video message, the President said he has directed the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) to coordinate with Philippine embassies in var

Officials who could potentially implicate President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in kickbacks and anomalous government projects are allegedly using resignation as a “convenient escape hatch.” This was the statement of the Makabayan bloc in the House of Representatives following the resignation of Justice Undersecretary Jojo Cadiz on Friday. “He is not an ordinary employee he is a former Senate staff member of President Marcos Jr., a trusted associate now accused of being the bagman f