A Filipino mother and daughter were sent to prison in the United States after authorities uncovered a brazen “ghost purchase” scam that allegedly stole more than half a million dollars meant for students in the Northern Mariana Islands. Judge Ramona Manglona of the District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands sentenced Clarissa Adlawan, 55, to four years in prison, while her daughter, Giselle Butalid, 34, was sentenced to one and a half years behind bars after both admitte

NEW YORK - Thousands of lawful permanent residents or green card holders across the United States are now under closer scrutiny as the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement expand immigration enforcement operations targeting deportable immigrants including longtime permanent residents. Immigration lawyers warned that many Filipinos with old criminal records, unresolved legal problems, or questionable immigration histories could now

NEW YORK - Federal agents arrested a Filipino American former New York City Public Advocate candidate over an alleged scheme to illegally obtain $1 million in taxpayer-funded campaign money. Fil-Am Angela Aquino was charged by federal prosecutors in Brooklyn with wire fraud after authorities accused her of manipulating campaign finance records to qualify for New York City’s public matching funds program. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New

The Senate formally received the Articles of Impeachment against Vice President Sara Duterte on Wednesday evening, marking a major development in the impeachment proceedings against the country’s second-highest official. Senate Secretary Mark Llandro “Dong” L. Mendoza and Deputy Secretary for Legislation Atty. Marivic Laurel Garcia received the impeachment documents from House Secretary General Cheloy Velicaria-Garafil at the Senate at around 7:22 p.m. The transmittal include

The dramatic return of Ronald dela Rosa to the Senate after more than six months of absence amid an alleged International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant has become one of the key developments surrounding the rise of Alan Peter Cayetano as the new Senate president. Dela Rosa resurfaced at the Senate on May 11 after reportedly going into hiding following reports that the ICC had issued a warrant against him over his alleged role in former President Rodrigo Duterte’s bloody

The University of the Philippines Broadcasting Association (UPBA) has issued a strongly worded statement against Senator Loren Legarda after she joined the newly formed Senate majority bloc that installed Alan Peter Cayetano as Senate President amid the looming impeachment proceedings against Vice President Sara Duterte. In its statement titled “A Challenge to Our Alumna, Senator Legarda,” the organization accused the Senate of being reorganized to potentially weaken or derai

Veteran journalist and longtime DZRH reporter Misael Gonzales Jr., popularly known as “Boy” Gonzales, passed away Monday morning, May 11, after suffering a stroke. He was 67. But beyond the death of the veteran Manila beat reporter, the tragedy has also raised serious questions over the alleged negligence and lack of emergency care in several Manila hospitals where Gonzales was brought while in critical condition. According to a report aired on DZRH’s “Damdaming Bayan,” Gonza

Days after the dramatic arrest of Franco Mabanta and four associates, the Peanut Gallery Media Network fought back by releasing a bombshell episode titled “MartinLooterFund,” denying allegations that they attempted to extort former House Speaker Martin Romualdez. PGMN described the operation as a “malicious entrapment” and claimed Mabanta was allegedly lured into the situation. “Franco was the one who was repeatedly approached, courted for two weeks, consistently lied to, and

Members of the P-pop girl group BINI were honored at the Senate of the Philippines following their historic performance at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival held in Indio, California last April. The group personally received Senate Resolution No. 46, formally recognizing their achievement as the first Filipino act to perform at Coachella one of the world’s most prestigious and influential music festivals that features internationally acclaimed artists and draws tho

Instead of a warm welcome home, a 66-year-old Filipino-Canadian national was met by police officers and handcuffs after landing at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 1 from Vancouver, Canada on May 6, 2026. The elderly passenger was immediately arrested in a coordinated law enforcement operation after authorities discovered he was allegedly wanted for rape. Personnel from the Philippine National Police Aviation Security Group (PNP AVSEGROUP), Bureau of Immigra

Franco Mabanta, founder of Peanut Gallery Media Network and a prominent social media personality known for his political commentaries online, was arrested by the National Bureau of Investigation over an alleged extortion case involving former House Speaker Martin Romualdez. NBI Director Melvin Matibag confirmed Mabanta’s arrest on Wednesday. Authorities said Mabanta was apprehended during an entrapment operation allegedly linked to a ₱350-million extortion complaint. Reports

CANVA LOS ANGELES - Filipinos are among the 144 caregivers who stand to receive compensation after California labor authorities penalized a home care agency more than $4.4 million for labor violations involving worker misclassification. The California Labor Commissioner’s Office (LCO) cited Hart Placement Agency Inc., based in Canoga Park, along with its owners Annie Ghaw and Hartmann Ghaw, for misclassifying caregivers as independent contractors. Of the total $4,423,450 in p

A Filipino police officer is now facing a storm of serious allegations after being arrested over multiple sexual assault charges allegedly committed while on duty. Christopher John Oallesma, 26, a five-year member of the Honolulu Police Department, was taken into custody on April 28 after a Hawaii grand jury indicted him on eight counts of sexual assault. He is also facing charges of official misconduct, obstruction of justice, and use of a computer in the commission of a cri

An American fugitive accused of serious crimes back home has been tracked down and arrested in Danao City, Cebu, immigration authorities confirmed. The 44-year-old foreign national was collared on April 29 in a joint operation by the Bureau of Immigration’s Fugitive Search Unit (FSU), local police, and U.S. authorities. Authorities said the American is wanted in Texas for allegedly threatening to release intimate visual material and for attempted aggravated assault with a dea

LEGASPI CITY - Residents in several communities surrounding Mayon Volcano experienced ash fall on Saturday afternoon following a lava flow collapse that generated a pyroclastic density current (PDC) along the volcano’s southwestern slopes. The event occurred at approximately 5:38 PM and was captured by the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) Quick Response Team. According to PHIVOLCS, the PDC was produced by the collapse of advancing lava flows, send

A 62-year-old female passenger with a decade-old warrant of arrest was apprehended upon arrival at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 on May 1, 2026, authorities said. The Bureau of Immigration (BI) intercepted the passenger after confirming that she was the subject of an outstanding warrant for estafa, with recommended bail set at ₱20,000. Immigration officers immediately coordinated with NAIA Police Station 3 to verify the warrant and initiate proper legal

NEW YORK - Adrian Cruz, currently serving as Deputy Consul General at the Philippine Consulate General in New York, has been reassigned to the Philippine Embassy in Vientiane, where he will take on the dual role of Deputy Chief of Mission and Consul General. The reassignment marks a significant step in his diplomatic career. In his new post, he will serve as the second-ranking official at the embassy while overseeing consular operations for Filipinos in Laos. The move comes a

The U.S. Embassy in Manila has issued a security alert advising American citizens to exercise extreme caution following intensified military operations by the Armed Forces of the Philippines against the New People’s Army in several parts of the country. The advisory covers rural and mountainous areas in Leyte, Mindoro, Negros, and Samar, where recent clashes between government troops and NPA fighters have turned deadly. The embassy said U.S. citizens have been present in area

ICE PHOTO A Filipino national is among five suspects rounded up in a sweeping crackdown by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement targeting some of the most dangerous undocumented criminals across the United States. Authorities said all those arrested are convicted offenders linked to heinous crimes, including murder, sexual offenses involving a minor, and attempted murder, raising serious public safety concerns. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security identified the Filip

NEW YORK - Friendster, one of the earliest pioneers of social networking, is making an unexpected return more than a decade after fading from the digital landscape this time with a focus on simplicity, real-world interaction, and a break from ad-driven algorithms. The revived platform is currently available as an iOS app and is being developed by Philadelphia-based programmer Mike Carson. In a recent blog post, Carson shared that he acquired the Friendster domain and secured