📰 News & Current Affairs

Japan says goodbye to pacifism as it re-arms https://www.npr.org/2022/12/16/1143017026/japan-defense-spending-weapons-buildup-rearming Japan says goodbye to pacifism as it re-arms – DW – 01/12/2025

Petitioners led by former executive secretary Victor Rodriguez and Davao City 3rd District Rep. Isidro Ungab have filed a case before the Supreme Court challenging the constitutionality of the General Appropriations Act (GAA) of 2025.The petitioners argued that the 2025 national budget violates several provisions of the Constitution, including: the right to health (PhilHealth zero budget) the prohibition against increasing congressional appropriations beyond the president's recommendations (AKAP, TUPAD causing the budget bloating) he mandate to prioritize education in the national budget (manipulating education budget by merging non-educational agencies) The petition mentions the House of Representatives, the Senate, and Executive...

Source: Marcos admin's Senate slate tops SWS commissioned survey

Hindi ito nababalita. Ongoing rehabilitation / restoration. Last na ginamit ito noong WWII pa. Palapit na ng palapit ang conflict. Air Force plans return to WWII-era Pacific airfield on Tinian Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCfdef7WkAQ

THEY ARE SO BACK CONTEXT: The bandit group has released photos of their ambush on troops from the 32nd Infantry Battalion (32IB) in Barangay Sumisip, Basilan. According to an initial report, the perpetrators are allegedly members of the MILF. They burned a military truck and posed for pictures while the vehicle was engulfed in flames. Two soldiers were killed, and 12 others were wounded during the ambush, which occurred on the afternoon of Wednesday, January 22, 2025. via: North Cotabato News page

Isinusulong ni Surigao del Norte 2nd District representative at House quad-committee lead chairman Rep. Robert Ace Barbers ang pag-uri sa extrajudicial killing #EJK bilang special heinous crime na hiwalay sa murder. Ito ang iginiit ni Barbers sa pagrepresenta niya sa House Bill No. 10986 o ang panukalang Ant-Extrajudicial Killing Act sa pagdinig ng House Committee on Justice nitong Miyerkules, Jan. 22. Isa ito sa mga inihaing panukalang batas ng quadcom noong nakaraang taon. "The intention of the proposal to us is really to elevate the killing perpetrated by state agents higher than the so-called murder, if that is possible," sabi ni Barbers. "'Nanlaban.' That is the common excuse for killing suspects, which, in many cases, we found...

"A total of 11,479 incidents of rape of girls under 16 years of age were reported by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) in 2023, yet not a single case under Republic Act (RA) 11648 was filed that year. "Tell it to SunStar: More than 11,000 rape incidents in 2023 but no case filed

One of the police generals who were ordered arrested over the alleged mishandling of a P6.7-billion drug haul in Tondo, Manila in 2022 has left the country, the Philippine National Police (PNP) confirmed on Monday. https://tinyurl.com/bdemb3fn

NEWS; Taytay, Rizal; TW; Trigger Warning: This post mentions sexual violence, child abuse, crime ⚠️ Authorities in Taytay, Rizal arrested a 26-year-old suspect who allegedly took his one-year-old daughter hostage. According to the police, the hostage-taking took place in Barangay Sta Ana at around 7 p.m. on Saturday. Rizal Provincial Police Office Director Police Colonel Felipe Maraggun said the suspect's live-in partner had previously accused the suspect of repeatedly molesting his 13-year-old stepdaughter. “Ginawa niya halos *** toy yung bata. Tuwing may pagkakaton siya, nire-rape niya,” said the live-in partner. The partner added that the suspect fled to the province, but they did not notice that he went home that Saturday...

Mostly ng international WEBSITE na same ng PHCORNER na seize content na SEIZED! kala ko problem lang sa DNS ko after ilang hours ayun wala na mga sample sites like sellix io and other sites di ko na mention ibang sites may ibang sites dun na same dito im a member for almost 5 years then biglan GG na hahaha question lang may epekto kaya to sa Crypto? kasi mostly ng mga gantong sites is using crypto as payment?

The Philippine Army is set to begin training its soldiers with the U.S. Typhon missile system, which is designed for mid-range strike capabilities. The training is scheduled to take place in mid-February and will involve around 20 soldiers from the Philippine Army's artillery regiment. The exercise is part of the broader U.S.-Philippine military cooperation, particularly in enhancing the Philippines' defense capabilities amid regional security concerns. The Typhon missile system, which includes Tomahawk cruise missiles, was introduced during the "Balikatan" joint exercises in 2024. The system's ability to target long-range threats makes it a significant addition to the Philippines' military arsenal. While China has E×ρréššed objections...

On Tuesday, the Sandiganbayan found Maslog guilty of graft, sentencing her to six to ten years in prison under Republic Act 3019. Maslog had posed as an agent for a textbook publisher, defrauding the then-Department of Education, Culture, and Sports (DECS). Maslog, who allegedly faked her death in 2019 to evade prosecution, was arrested by the NBI in September 2024 for her role in an investment scam. She reportedly continued using a false identity until the real Jessica Francisco filed a complaint. The Sandiganbayan is also reviewing her temporary release from NBI custody on January 6 due to an alleged release order. The court has directed the NBI to submit a progress report clarifying the matter. Maslog remains in detention as...

Two neighboring pawnshops along Calderon Street in downtown Cebu City were robbed by six armed men on Thursday morning, August 8. Source: https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/588914/2-pawnshops-in-downtown-cebu-city-robbed-in-broad-daylight

From January 8 to January 16, 2025 these are the rape crimes that we were able to compile. We are sure there are more, but these are just what we found online as reported by the media. THIS IS VERY VERY ALARMING AND DISTURBING.

Technological change, geoeconomic fragmentation, economic uncertainty, demographic shifts and the green transition – individually and in combination are among the major drivers expected to shape and transform the global labour market by 2030. The Future of Jobs Report 2025 brings together the perspective of over 1,000 leading global employers—collectively representing more than 14 million workers across 22 industry clusters and 55 economies from around the world—to examine how these macrotrends impact jobs and skills, and the workforce transformation strategies employers plan to embark on in response, across the 2025 to 2030 timeframe. Link...

Two boys in Mabalacat City, Pampanga were taken under the custody of the Department of Social Welfare and Development after another minor, a six-year-old girl, alleged they have assaulted her sexually. The two boys are eight and 10 years old. Based on police investigation, the girl was playing at a section of a basketball court with her younger sibling when the two boys allegedly grabbed her and dragged her to a grassy area nearby. That was where the boys allegedly assaulted her. “‘Yung 10 years old, allegedly hinila niya ‘yung biktima na six years old doon sa grass portion ng barangay, and then doon na nga po ay allegedly ni-rape ‘yung bata,” PCOL. Jay Dimaandal, Provincial Director of the Pampanga Police Provincial Office (PPO)...

Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin said on Friday that the Office of the President would not be held liable if the issue of the supposed blank items in the bicameral conference committee report on the 2025 national budget will be brought before the Supreme Court.

In an interview posted on social media Saturday, Ungab said that certain budget items for the Department of Agriculture (DA) and unprogrammed appropriations were missing amounts. He emphasized that these gaps couldn’t be attributed to typographical or printing errors. “These are not just ordinary figures; these are billions of pesos… There are many pages like this… This means there is a discrepancy, so how did this discrepancy happen?” said Ungab, a former chair of the House Appropriations Committee. Source: Duterte claims discrepancies on panel report on nat‘l budget - Manila Standard

BREAKING: Former President Rodrigo Duterte is facing a disbarment case filed by families of extrajudicial killing victims and human rights advocates. The case was submitted before the Supreme Court on Friday, January 17. | via INQUIRER.net #CDNDigital READ STORY: Former President Duterte: Disbarment case filed against him

Joe Biden in the final minutes of his presidency on Monday issued pardons to five more members of his family—his brother James and wife Sarah, his younger sister Valerie Biden Owens and husband John T. Owens, and his brother Francis Biden—after he says they were "subjected to unrelenting attacks and threats" motivated by a desire to hurt him. Source: Biden Pardons Five More Family Members—Minutes Before Leaving Office

The 47th president will set to work almost immediately with a series of presidential decrees intended to drastically reduce the number of migrants entering the country. “First, I will declare a national emergency at our southern border,” Trump said. “All îllégâl entry will immediately be halted, and we will begin the process of returning millions and millions of criminal aliens back to the places from which they came. “I will send troops to the southern border to repel the disastrous invasion of our country,” he said. Source: Trump says to declare national emergency, use military at Mexico border

US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order to begin the process of withdrawing the US from the World Health Organization (WHO). Carrying out this executive action on day one makes it more likely the US will formally leave the global agency. The order said the US was withdrawing "due to the organization's mishandling of the Covid-19 pandemic that arose out of Wuhan, China, and other global health crises, its failure to adopt urgently needed reforms, and its inability to demonstrate independence from the inappropriate political influence of WHO member states". Source: Trump orders US to leave World Health Organization

"Over the weekend, I finally read in detail SB 1979. And I was shocked and I was appalled by some of the elements of that. Because this is, all this woke that they are trying to bring into our system. You will teach four-year-olds how to ********te. That every child has the right to try different sexualities. This is ridiculous, this is abhorrent. This is a travesty of what *** education should be to the children. What about the parents? Wala na silang karapatan na sila ang magdecide kung ano at kailan tuturuan ‘yung bata? Yung mga sinama nila na woke na absurdities are abhorrent to me. And I am already guaranteeing, hindi pa napasa ito, pero if this bill is passed in that form, I guarantee all parents, teachers, and children, I will...

Some TikTok users reported the app has started working again—just over 12 hours after service was suspended. Trump had announced earlier he will sign an executive order Monday delaying the TikTok ban and called for the platform to be taken over by a joint venture with U.S. and current owners, also urging companies to prevent TikTok from “going dark” and vowing “no liability” for any tech firms that act before Monday. Source: TikTok Ban Live Updates: Trump Says ‘TikTok Is Back’ In Victory Rally As App Restores Access

The Office of the Vice President (OVP) confirmed that no funds were allocated for its Medical and Burial Assistance Program under the 2025 General Appropriations Act (GAA). "There is no approved budget for the Medical and Burial Assistance Program of the Office of the Vice President under the 2025 General Appropriations Act (GAA). We apologize for the inconvenience," the OVP stated on Wednesday, January 15. The 2025 GAA provided the OVP with a total budget of ₱733,198,000, allocating ₱117,087,000 for General Administration and Support and ₱616,111,000 for Socio-Economic Program Delivery.

A cursory reading of the bill readily shows that the bill clashes with the constitutional child-rearing rights of parents over their minor children. This is evident in the bill's provision which provides minors the access to se̾xual and reproductive health care, which is composed of a full range of methods, techniques, services and health facilities — without the need for parental consent. All of this implies that se̾x by minors is permitted under a state policy that substitutes the will of the state over that of the parents. Source: Proposed sexuality education law interferes with parents', schools' rights

Metro Manila traffic has supposedly improved according to a recent study—it’s now reportedly better than traffic in Davao City, actually—but that doesn’t mean it’s all well and good in the capital. Traffic is still an issue, and it’s still something that needs a lot of work. For its part, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) is looking at shifting work hours for national government agencies to 7am-4pm instead of the usual 8am-5 pm. You may recall that this isn’t a new policy, as local government units in NCR have already been following this schedule since last year. By adjusting work hours, affected commuters and motorists will have to hit the road earlier both in the morning going to work and in the afternoon when...

In a bid to bring down the price of rice, the country is likely to be placed under a food security emergency by next week. Read more: PH to be placed under food security emergency

{WARNING, VIOLENT/GRAPHIC CONTENT!} FATHER, Beheaded By Son. A son killed his father in brutal ways, around 6 am, January 19 in Purok 1A-Gapas, Barangay Madaum, Tagum City. According to the initial report, the son alias Bal stabbed his father alias Loloy. The suspect was not satisfied, he beheaded his father and emptied the internal organs and put them in the box. The suspect who is said to be mentally retarded was arrested immediately. (Explanation: The suspect who was arrested is the one in the picture)

Nakita ko Lang sa Twitter 😂 Malacañang suspends classes and government work in the City of Manila on January 13 for the Iglesia Ni Cristo's "National Peace Rally"

JUST IN: BATA NA NAWALAN, NATAGPUANG WALANG BUHAY AT WALANG ULO! REGIONAL NEWS: Isang 6 na taong gulang na batang lalaki na iniulat na nawawala ng 9 na araw ay natagpuan nang wala nang buhay at walang ulo sa isang ilog sa Sitio Mangga, Brgy. Libjo, Tabogon, Cebu kaninang January 17, 2025. Ang biktima ay nakilalang si John Jio Caballes, 6 na taong gulang, at iniulat na nawawala noong nakaraang linggo kaya't hinanap siya ng mga awtoridad. Patuloy pa ang imbestigasyon upang malaman ang sanhi ng pagkamatay ng bata.