📰 News & Current Affairs

President Rodrigo R. Duterte on Thursday night said he will issue a memorandum to prevent Cabinet members from participating in the ongoing Senate investigation into the government’s controversial pandemic deals. Mr. Duterte made the announcement after Senate Blue Ribbon Committee chair Richard J. Gordon said that the probe — which focuses on the government’s procurement of overpriced medical supplies from a firm whose track record is questionable — will continue “until kingdom come.” “I have ordered Executive Secretary Medialdea… I will issue a memorandum so that all members of the executive department will no longer obey your summons,” the tough-talking leader said in a pre-taped Cabinet meeting. Mr. Duterte claimed that “there is...

SEOUL -- North Korea has intensified efforts to distance South Korea from the U.S., as leader Kim Jong Un announces plans to reopen a communications hotline between Pyongyang and Seoul. In a speech to the Supreme People's Assembly on Wednesday, Kim said he intends to restore the link in early October. The rubber-stamp parliament that day appointed Kim Yo Jong, the leader's sister, to the country's top ruling body, the State Affairs Commission. Kim Yo Jong has been active in South Korea policy and is expected to wield even greater influence on interactions with Seoul in her new post. She issued a statement on Sept. 24 suggesting the possibility of a bilateral summit and a formal end to the Korean War. The lack of improvement in...

POWER CRISIS An employee enters an industrial park in Houjie, in Dongguan China’s southern Guangdong Province, on Sept. 30, 2021, an area hit by power restrictions. AFP PHOTO Beijing, China: China's top state-owned energy companies have been ordered to ensure there are adequate fuel supplies for the approaching winter at all costs, a report said on Friday, as the country battles a power crisis that threatens to hit growth in the world's number two economy. The country has been hit by widespread power cuts that have closed or partially closed factories, hitting production and global supply chains. The crisis has been caused by a confluence of factors, including rising overseas demand, as economies reopen, record coal prices, state...

Sabi ni bong go, kaya sya tatakbo as vice president, kahit nominated as president ng political party nila, yun ay dahil wala siya interés maging presidente. Sino ba papalit sa presidente kung sakali? 😂😂😂 Napakaobvious na may nagpapabebe na naman kagaya ng 2016. Kunyare di daw tatakbo last minute substitution pala. Aiyeeee! 😁

Senator Christopher “Bong” Go, also President Rodrigo Duterte’s long-time aide, on Saturday filed his certificate of candidacy for vice president in a surprise move on Day 2 of COC filing. Go was accompanied by Duterte during when he formalized his vice presidential bid at the Sofitel Hotel in Pasay City, the venue for filing for national posts, at 3 p.m. This move is a deviation from the previous 2022 national elections plans of the ruling party, the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) under the faction of Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi. Last September, Cusi, also the PDP-Laban president, announced that the neophyte lawmaker was nominated to run for presidency while Duterte would be his running mate. Go, however...

PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte withdrew from the vice presidential race and had Sen. Christopher Lawrence "Bong" Go replace him instead. Duterte accompanied Go who filed his certificate of candidacy for vice president at the Sofitel Manila in Pasay City on Saturday. Go was originally nominated for president by the group of Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi of the ruling Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Laban (PDP-Laban) and Duterte for vice president. Cusi and Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea were present. Sauce: https://www.msn.com/en-ph/news/national/duterte-withdraws-from-vp-race-go-to-run-for-vice-president/ar-AAP3TGO?ocid=msedgntp

President Rodrigo Duterte announced on Saturday his retirement from politics. Duterte made the announcement minutes after his longtime aide, Senator Bong Go, filed his certificate of candidacy for Vice President in Eleksyon 2022. Duterte said the “overwhelming sentiment” of the Filipino people pushed him to withdraw his supposed vice-presidential run in Eleksyon 2022. “I would like to address myself to the entire nation. The universal sentiment of the Filipino as reflected on surveys, on many forums and caucuses, and meetings to discuss what I should do in my life, the overwhelming sentiment of the Filipinos is I’m not qualified, it would be a violation of the Constitution, to circumvent the law, the spirit of the Constitution,”...

MANILA, Philippines — San Miguel Food and Beverage Inc. (SMFB) is shutting down its operations in Indonesia to focus on its Philippine business. In a disclosure yesterday, SMFB said it is rationalizing its processed meats business in Indonesia operating under PT San Miguel Foods Indonesia and operations will cease at the end of October. The company would focus on expansion in the Philippines, SMFB said in its disclosure. PT SMFI is a 75-25 percent joint venture between SMFB and PT Hero Intiputra. In the Philippines, SMFB’s brands are San Miguel Pale Pilsen, San Mig Light and Red Horse for beer; Ginebra San Miguel for gin; Magnolia for chicken, ice cream and dairy products; Monterey for fresh and marinated meats; Purefoods and...

With all the aftermarket add-ons and packages available to truck owners these days, you really need to do a lot if you really want to stand out. If you’re having trouble finding inspiration for how to take your Toyota Hilux the extra mile in terms of aesthetics, this might help. This beast you see before you is a product of RAD Bumpers in Thailand. It’s called the RAD Pathfinder Hilux, and its look is enough to compete with gnarlier designs like that of the Ford Ranger Raptor. © Provided by Top Gear PhilippinesPHOTO BY RAD Bumpers It’s going to cost you if you want to slap this package onto your ride, though. Without the suspension enhancements, the bodykit costs 170,000 Thai baht (over P250,000). And if you want those rugged 20-inch...

Controversial broadcaster Raffy Tulfo pushed through with his senatorial bid a day after saying goodbye to his top-rated shows. Tulfo on October 1 exited TV5’s newscast program called “Frontline Pilipinas” and his public service program “Idol in Action” to seek government office. He filed his COC for senator at 2 p.m. at the Sofitel Hotel Manila in Pasay City on Saturday, October 2. Tulfo was accompanied by his wife Rep. Jocelyn Tulfo (ACT-CIS). When asked why he opted to run as an independent candidate, Tulfo revealed that he was previously asked by Sen. Manny Pacquiao’s camp and Sen. Ping Lacson to join them. He, however, denied their requests. “Hindi lang sa Lacson group, maging sa Pacquiao group at marami pang iba. Pero...

Wala nang dapat ipag-alala ang mga taga-hanga at supporters ni Jennylyn Mercado. Maayos na ang kanyang kalagayan matapos magkaroon ng medical emergency sa lock-in taping ng Love.Die.Repeat, ang upcoming drama series ng GMA-7 na pinagbibidahan nila ni Xian Lim. Inilabas ngayong Sabado nang umaga ng manager ni Jennylyn na si Becky Aguila ang opisyal na pahayag nito sa kanyang Facebook page tungkol sa kasalukuyang sitwasyon ng 34-year-old actress. Pinasalamatan din niya ang lahat ng mga nag-alala para sa kapakanan ni Jennylyn. "First of all, we would like to E×ρréšš our gratitude to everyone who showed their concern over our artist, Jennylyn Mercado. "We would like to assure the public that she is in good condition and in good health...

SENATE Minority Leader Franklin Drilon has politely turned down an offer from the Liberal Party (LP) to be the running mate of Vice President Maria Leonor "Leni" Robredo should she decide to run for the presidency in 2022. Drilon said that he would retire from politics, stressing that he has been in government long enough and that he wants to "give others a chance". "I'm not running for any position, I have served enough, I think I have contributed. Let's give others a chance," Drilon said. Drilon is one of the "Big 3" graduating in mid-2022 after two successive six-year terms in the 24-member Senate. The two others are Senate President Vicente Sotto 3rd and Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto. Sotto is seeking the vice...

SEOUL — South Korean Internet service provider SK Broadband has sued Netflix to pay for costs from increased network traffic and maintenance work because of a surge of viewers to the U.S. firm’s content, an SK spokesperson said on Friday. The move comes after a Seoul court said Netflix should “reasonably” give something in return to the internet service provider for network usage, and multiple South Korean lawmakers have spoken out against content providers who do not pay for network usage despite generating explosive traffic. Netflix said it will review SK Broadband’s claim, and seek dialogue and explore ways in the meantime to work with SK Broadband to ensure customers are not affected. The popularity of the hit series “Squid Game”...

Nagpaalam na si Raffy Tulfo sa Idol in Action, ang kanyang public service show sa TV5 na nag-umpisa noong June 8, 2020 at natutunghayan mula Lunes hanggang Biyernes. Nangyari ang pagpapaalam ni Raffy sa Idol in Action ngayong Biyernes, October 1, 2021. Bago matapos ang araw, may mahalaga siyang announcement tungkol sa mangyayari sa kanyang popular radio program, ang Wanted sa Radyo, at sa partisipasyon niya sa Frontline Pilipinas, ang kanyang newscast program sa TV5. "Saan man po kami makarating, kayo po palagi ay nasa isipan namin. "Huwag ho kayong mag-alala, lalo pong lalakas ang Raffy Tulfo in Action, that I promise you. Trust me," bahagi ng farewell speech ni Raffy. Pinasalamatan ni Raffy ang lahat ng executives ng TV5, sa...

SENATE Minority Leader Franklin Drilon has politely turned down an offer from the Liberal Party (LP) to be the running mate of Vice President Maria Leonor "Leni" Robredo should she decide to run for the presidency in 2022. Drilon said that he would retire from politics, stressing that he has been in government long enough and that he wants to "give others a chance". "I'm not running for any position, I have served enough, I think I have contributed. Let's give others a chance," Drilon said. Drilon is one of the "Big 3" graduating in mid-2022 after two successive six-year terms in the 24-member Senate. The two others are Senate President Vicente Sotto 3rd and Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto. Sotto is seeking the vice...

You’ve likely heard of food trucks, but have you heard of a fully functioning kitchen inside a jeepney? Transport drivers and their families from Pasig City were able to receive a free meal from a jeepney soup kitchen thanks to Rise Against Hunger Philippines (RAHP), the first and only national foodbank in the country. © Provided by Coconuts The project is in support of Kain Tayo Pilipinas movement, a private sector initiative to help solve the hunger problem experienced by more than 30 million Filipinos. © Provided by Coconuts The mobile soup kitchen project is able to serve 500 people each day. The pilot was launched at the Pasig Elementary School, where PUV drivers and their families were treated to bowls of arroz caldo and...

Around 600,000 workers were re-employed in September, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said on Saturday. He disclosed this after the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) recently reported that unemployment rose to 3.88 million in August amid the implementation of a stricter lockdown to curb the more transmissible Delta coronavirus variant. “Ngayon lumuluwag na, mukhang mga 600,000 plus na napare-employ,” Bello said in a Dobol B TV interview. (The number has been decreasing. There are more than 600,000 who were re-employed.) The Labor chief on Friday said "labor force participation bounced back for an increase of 3.375 million." “This indicates jobseekers’ confidence to enter the labor market and become economically active,” he...

A United States bankruptcy court has allowed Philippine Airlines, Inc. to access the remainder of its debtor-in-possession (DIP) financing of $505 million. US bankruptcy court judge Shelley C. Chapman issued the “final order” authorizing PAL to obtain “post-petition financing” on Sept. 30 after the “second day hearing” held that day, according to court documents from PAL’s claims agent Kurtzman Carson Consultants LLC. PAL’s DIP financing is composed of a multi-draw term loan facility of $250 million — access to $20 million of which was approved by the bankruptcy court recently — and another multi-draw term loan of $255 million. PAL in a press release said the long-term equity and debt financing, as part of the flag carrier’s...

A group of private hospitals E×ρréššed concern that there may not be enough healthcare workers in the country in the next few months, particularly nurses as they choose to work abroad due to higher compensation, according to the report of June Veneracion on "24 Oras"on Friday. The Philippine Nurses Association (PNA) bared that the salary of the nurses in the country is very low compared to other countries. “Hindi naman po kasi kami humihingi ng sobra, ang hinihingi lang namin yung tama para sa ating mga nurses (We are not asking for too much, we are just asking for the right and just for our nurses),” Melbert Reyes, president of the PNA, said. The PNA also said that there are some hospitals in the provinces where the nurses receive a...

Just a week after International Coastal Cleanup Day, a grisly sight welcomes migratory birds to Manila Bay’s mangrove forest in the Tanza mudflats. Tangled in the roots of the mangroves are heaps of garbage, mostly single-use plastics. Diuvs De Jesus, a marine scientist at Oceana, photographed the site on September 25. De Jesus studied B.S. Biology in U.P. Diliman and took up an M.S. degree in Marine Science major in Marine Biology at U.P. Marine Science Institute. Photo by Diuvs De Jesus. "Spending millions for the dolomite beach in the disguise of cleanup when other parts of Manila Bay's mangroves and mudflats are threatened by plastic pollution and reclamation? Development in exchange for destroying our ecosystems?" De Jesus...

MANILA - The Department of Justice (DOJ) should proceed with the preliminary investigation on criminal charges filed against leaders of the Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) by expelled minister Isaias Samson and his family. The camp of Samson made this call yesterday as the protest rally staged by members of the INC at the intersection of EDSA and Shaw Boulevard continued to grow. “We urged the DOJ to already docket the case for the conduct of preliminary investigation to accord our clients their right to due process of law,” Samson’s lawyer Trixie Cruz-Angeles told The STAR. Angeles explained that the complaint for serious îllégâl detention, harassment, grave threats and coercion filed by Samson, his wife Myrna Dionela and son Isaias Jr. was...

THE PILOT run of the new lockdown system in Metro Manila has been extended until mid-October, the presidential palace announced late Thursday, but some business establishments will be allowed expanded operations. The country’s pandemic task force, in its meeting held September 30, has decided to extend the pilot implementation of the Alert Levels System in the National Capital Region (NCR) until October 15, Palace Spokesman Herminio L. Roque, Jr. said in a statement. The government on Sept. 16 started enforcing granular lockdowns with five alert levels in the NCR. Metro Manila was placed under Alert Level 4, the second highest level, until Sept 30. In his statement, Mr. Roque said the task force also approved a recommendation to...

President Rodrigo R. Duterte signed into law Republic Act. No. 11591, a measure extending voter registration for the 2022 polls by 30 days. “The last day of registration of voters for the 2022 national and local elections shall be 30 days after the effectivity of this Act,” it said. The law will take effect immediately after its publication in the Official Gazette or a newspaper of general circulation.

Hindi pa tapos ang political career ng aktor at former Laguna governor na si ER Ejercito dahil muli siyang sasabak sa mundo ng pulitika. Kinumpirma ni ER ang plano niyang pagkandidato bilang alkalde ng Calamba City, Laguna sa eleksyon na gaganapin sa May 9, 2022. Base ito sa sagot ni ER sa isang netizen na nagtanong kung anong posisyon ang tatakbuhan niya sa Laguna. Gamit ang official Facebook account, sagot ni ER: "Mayor po ng Calamba." Nag-post na si ER sa kanyang official Facebook page ng ad para sa kampanya niya. Ang kanyang tagline: "KAMPEON NG MASA AGILA NG LAGUNA." © Provided by PEP.ph Bago siya nahalal na gobernador ng lalawigan ng Laguna noong June 2010, siyam na taong (2001-2010) umupo si ER bilang alkalde ng Pagsanjan...

The House of Representatives approved on Thursday evening the proposed P5.024-trillion national budget for 2022, which is aimed at driving the economy’s recovery from the coronavirus pandemic. In a vote of 238-6 with no abstentions, congressmen on Thursday evening approved House Bill 10153 or the 2022 General Appropriations Act on third and final reading before adjourning for a month-long break to allow for the filing of certificates of candidacy for next year’s elections. The proposed spending plan, which is 11.5% more than this year’s budget and the highest on record, is the last under President Rodrigo R. Duterte, whose term ends in June 2022. Mr. Duterte on Wednesday certified it as urgent, allowing the legislators to approve the...

San Miguel Food and Beverage, Inc. (SMFB) on Friday said its processed meats business in Indonesia will stop operations by the end of this month, as it focuses on expanding in its home country. In a disclosure to the stock exchange, the company said it is “rationalizing” its processed meats business in Indonesia, which is operating under its joint venture PT San Miguel Foods Indonesia (PT SMFI), as it “streamlines its businesses to focus on expansion in the Philippines.” “PT SMFI will cease operations effective October 31, 2021,” the company said. PT SMFI is a Halal-certified processed meats manufacturer of Farmhouse and Vida sausages, burgers, meatballs, cold cuts, and food service products in Indonesia, according to the website of...

Una na si Mr. Pacman para sa pagka presidente. sure na sure na ano sa tingin nyo

CELINE Pialago, the spokesman of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), will resign on Friday to run as a party-list representative in the 2022 Elections. Pialago confirmed to The Manila Times that she will file her certificate of nomination and acceptance of the Malasakit Movement Partylist on October 6. A former beauty pageant contestant, Pialago worked as a former media officer at the Department of the Interior and Local Government and the House of Representatives. She also worked as a media officer during the failed bid of 2016 presidential aspirant Manuel "Mar" Roxas 2nd. Aside from being the current MMDA spokesman, Pialago is also the youth sector spokesman of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed...

I am so happy that, even I really don't have time, I make this thread just for the very good news! The ICC, the International Criminal Court, will start an investigation regarding the abuses of the so-called war on drugs of duterte... Even if I know this will take years cguro, I am very happy !!! The ICC announced Wednesday that the body's Pre-Trial Chamber I judges granted the request. An ICC statement said the chamber assessed that Duterte's "so-called 'war on drugs' campaign cannot be seen as a legitimate law enforcement operation and the killings neither as legitimate nor as mere excesses in an otherwise legitimate operation." "Rather," the judges found, "the available material indicates, to the required standard, that a...

SEN. Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan on Friday revealed that another newly incorporated firm bagged deals to supply the government medical supplies worth P7.6 billion. Pangilinan made the revelation during the 10th hybrid public hearing by the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee on the "intrinsic overpricing" of medical supplies in multi-billion-peso contracts awarded by the Procurement Service-Department of Budget and Management (PS-DBM). Pangilinan identified the firm as "Element Trade Limited," which had a ρáíd up capital of $10,000. "Element'' was incorporated in April 2020, he said. Senators are at loggerheads with Malacanang over the award by PS-DBM of about P11 billion contract to Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corp., a retailer, in March 2020...

President Rodrigo Duterte said he would soon bar his Cabinet officials from attending the Senate inquiry into the alleged misuse of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) response funds. In his pre-recorded public address aired on Thursday night, Duterte has ordered Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea to issue a memorandum directing those from the Executive department to no longer obey the Senate panel's summons. This, as he criticized Sen. Richard Gordon's "undemocratic" remark that he will continue the Senate inquiry "until kingdom come." "I will issue a memorandum na lahat ng nasa (that everyone in the) Executive Department will no longer obey your summons," Duterte said. "You are overstepping your jurisdiction on this. There is...