📰 News & Current Affairs

Combo photos show Vice President Sara Duterte gesturing while answering questions from the House appropriations panel during the deliberations on the proposed 2025 budget for the Office of the Vice President yesterday. Miguel De Guzman MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte went ballistic during yesterday’s House of Representatives appropriations committee hearing on her office’s proposed P2.037-billion budget for 2025 as she brushed aside almost all questions thrown at her by lawmakers. In her opening speech, Duterte went on the offensive as she mentioned several issues that had been previously raised against her, including her security personnel, the confidential funds in her 2024 budget, the children’s book she had written...

MANILA, Philippines — In the wake of the Philippine National Police's decision to pull out 75 members of her security detail, Vice President Sara Duterte on Tuesday appealed for protection for her family. A day after some senators voiced their support for Duterte following the pullout of Police Security and Protection Group personnel from her detail, the vice president said she wants nothing but her family’s safety. “I have only one request from you: the safety of my family. Do not allow any violence to befall my mother, husband and four children, either in person or on the internet. And, in any case, do not turn a blind eye to anyone who would do harm against them,” Duterte said in a statement. The vice president has three children...

PNP chief Gen. Rommel Francisco Marbil. Senators grill PNP chief MANILA, Philippines — Senators Ronald dela Rosa and Robinhood Padilla yesterday grilled the Philippine National Police chief on the recall of Vice President Sara Duterte’s PNP security detail. Under a strong “appeal” by Dela Rosa, PNP chief Gen. Rommel Marbil committed to reinstate at least the police escorts who have been detailed with the Dutertes for a long time and “trusted” by the Vice President. Dela Rosa and Padilla, allies of former president Rodrigo Duterte, questioned Marbil’s decision to reassign the Vice President’s police security personnel. Padilla asked Marbil if there was political pressure behind his move. “There is no political pressure. What we are...

MANILA, Philippines — Stressing that it is better to focus on their personnel who were affected by Typhoon Carina, Philippine National Police chief Gen. Rommel Francisco Marbil opted to ignore the tirades of Vice President Sara Duterte, who cried “political harassment” over the removal of 75 PNP members from her security detail. Marbil’s stand on the issue was relayed yesterday by PNP public information officer Col. Jean Fajardo, who said that Marbil is busy attending to the needs of PNP personnel who were victims of Carina’s onslaught last week. The PNP chief visited two police officers who were wounded in a shootout with a wanted fugitive in San Juan, Batangas on Sunday. “He preferred to focus on the needs of our police and not to...

Vice President Sara Duterte leaves for Munich, Germany yesterday with her family on an Emirates Air flight at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport. STAR / File MANILA, Philippines — The photo of Vice President Sara Duterte at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport during the onslaught of Typhoon Carina did not come from the Manila International Airport Authority, Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista said on Monday. Bautista clarified that the photo of the vice president was not taken from the airport's CCTV (closed-circuit television) footage. "Hindi galing sa CCTV 'yun ng MIAA (That didn't come from the CCTV of MIAA)," Bautista told reporters. This comes after Duterte alleged in an open letter on July 29 that "video footage" of...

Vice President Sara Duterte and Sen. Risa Hontiveros engage in a tense exchange during the Senate hearing on the OVP’s budget for next year. Duterte later said the House was out to impeach her, and that she had no plan to seek the presidency in 2028. MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte had a heated exchange with Senate Deputy Minority Leader Risa Hontiveros yesterday during the Senate finance committee’s public hearing on the P2.037-billion budget requested by the Office of the Vice President (OVP) for 2025. During the hearing of the panel chaired by Sen. Grace Poe, Hontiveros asked Duterte about the P10-million allocation for a book titled “Isang Kaibigan” and bearing Duterte’s name, to be distributed by the OVP for...

This photo shows Vice President Sara Duterte. MANILA, Philippines — Lawmakers from the House of Representatives on Wednesday again denied Vice President Sara Duterte's allegation that the lower chamber is preparing an impeachment case against her, saying that efforts to access the audit report of her confidential and intelligence expenditures are "part of the regular budgeting process." During a press conference, Rep. Francisco Paolo Ortega (La Union, 1st District) also challenged Duterte to name her "friends" in the House who informed her of the alleged impeachment case being readied against her. "Perhaps she should just identify her friends who made the claims so that those friends can confirm if the information they are receiving...

"President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has named Sen. Sonny Angara as the new secretary of the Department of Education." Source: Sonny Angara is new DepEd secretary

President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has appointed Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Undersecretary for Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) Development Ma. Cristina Aldeguer-Roque as acting Trade chief, Malacañang announced on Friday. Source: Marcos names Aldeguer-Roque as acting DTI secretary

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Thursday appointed four new associate justices to fill vacancies in the Court of Appeals (CA), including the sister of Armed Forces of the Philippines chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. Source: Marcos names 4 CA justices, including military chief’s sister

File photo shows Gen. Oscar Albayalde, who stepped down from his post as the chief of the Philippine National Police. The STAR / Boy Santos, File MANILA, Philippines — A former chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP) said he had never seen the name of President Marcos in the drug watchlist of the Duterte administration, whose supporters recently released a supposed video recording of him using îllégâl drugs. “I didn’t see his name,” former PNP chief Oscar Albayalde said in an interview over ANC yesterday, referring to the drugs watchlist, which reportedly included names of government officials and other high-profile personalities. The PNP and National Bureau of Investigation would later dismiss as fake the video clip supposedly...

“According to my source, Alice Guo went to Singapore, where she met with her parents Lin Wen Yi and Guo Jian Zhing. The couple flew in from China on July 28, 2024. It seemed like a reunion because they were also with Wesley Guo and Cassandra Ong,” Hontiveros said, speaking partly in Filipino. Source: Alice Guo has left the Philippines – Hontiveros

Bamban Mayor Alice Guo attends a Senate hearing on alleged human trafficking and POGO operations on May 22, 2023. The STAR / Jesse Bustos MANILA, Philippines — The Office of the Ombudsman has dismissed suspended Bamban Mayor Alice Guo from service due to her alleged involvement in the îllégâl activities of a Philippine offshore gaming operation (POGO) hub in the Tarlac town. “Needless to stress, when respondent Guo started to discharge her duties and responsibilities as Municipal Mayor, she remained to be the real, true and actual President of Baofu Land Development, Inc., and stands to benefit from the continued operations Hongsheng and Zun Yuan,” the Ombudsman’s resolution dated August 12 read. The Ombudsman raised several concerns...

Composite photo shows Bamban Mayor Alice Guo at a Senate public hearing and the site of the raided POGO Zun Yuan Technology Inc. in Bamban, Tarlac. Senate PRIB; Google Streetview MANILA, Philippines — Alice Guo, the suspended mayor turned fugitive, continued to cover the expenses of Philippine offshore gaming operators even after authorities raided a hub, Sen. Risa Hontiveros said on Tuesday. Hontiveros, who chairs the Senate panel probing POGOs, suggested that the finding is proof that the Bamban, Tarlac mayor was a "beneficial owner" of Zun Yuan Technology Inc., the site of which was raided twice over the past year. "She continued to pay for the utilities, bills, and salaries of the workers at the POGO hub," Hontiveros said in...

Interviewed by the Inquirer after the five-hour proceedings, Hontiveros declined to elaborate on the alleged payoff. “We’re still checking on it,” the senator said. Source: Alice Guo, siblings gave ‘P200-M’ bribe to leave PH – Hontiveros

A what seems like tug of war between the Senate and the Tarlac Regional Trial Court over the custody of dismissed Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo is in the offing. This was after the Tarlac RTC issued an arrest warrant against Guo, which would take precedence over the one issued by the Senate. Source: Senate or Tarlac RTC? Alice Guo custody in question

In this Facebook photo posted on Jan. 30, 2024 shows Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo attending the 2024 Agri Trade Fair opening ceremony. Facebook / Mayor Alice Leal Guo MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has notified the Interpol regarding the case of dismissed Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo. This was revealed by Sen. Risa Hontiveros during a press conference on Wednesday, where she stated that Guo, her siblings Wesley and Shiela, and Porac-based Lucky South representative Cassandra Ong have been reported by the DFA to the Philippine Center on Transnational Crime and Interpol. "Nagsisimula nang lumiit talaga ang mundong ginagalawan nina Guo Hua Ping at ng pamilya niya dahil hindi lamang sa Philippine...

Matatandaang si Sen. Risa Hontiveros ang nagsabing nasa ibang bansa na si Alice Guo noon pang Hulyo, na nagpunta sa Malaysia, Singapore, at huli nga raw ay sa Indonesia. Source: 'Friends kayo, Your Honor?' Sen. Risa, kasama sa isang pic si Alice Guo

UNA SA #DZRH! BREAKING: Alice Guo nahuli na sa Jakarta, Indonesia, ayon sa mapagkakatiwalaang source. Abangan ang detalye ukol sa ulat na ito. | DZRH News https://x.com/dzrhnews/status/1831109642207781203

Dismissed Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo has been arrested in Jakarta, Indonesia, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) said on Wednesday, September 4. Source: Alice Guo arrested in Jakarta

A Tarlac court has issued an arrest warrant against dismissed Bamban, Tarlac mayor Alice Guo for graft charges, the Philippine National Police (PNP) confirmed on Thursday, September 5. Source: Alice Guo ordered arrested by Tarlac court

The Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) has secured a freeze order from the Court of Appeals (CA) for the assets of suspended Mayor Alice Leal Guo and other individuals allegedly involved in the îllégâl operations of Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGO). Source: Court of Appeals orders asset freeze on suspended Mayor Alice Guo | Philippine News Agency

“I have seen and felt the needs of our people and the serious gaps in addressing their problems. Reform is an understatement of what needs to be done and I am ready to take on that challenge to uplift Caloocan and its people. Today, I am announcing my candidacy for mayor of Caloocan City,” he said. Source: Trillanes to run for Caloocan City mayor

INFO State auditors flag irregularities in Vice President Sara Duterte's confidential funds in 2022 MANILA, Philippines – The Commission on Audit (COA) has disallowed P73 million worth of confidential funds in the 2022 budget of the Office of the Vice President (OVP). State auditors submitted this finding to the House committee on appropriations, which was cited by House Deputy Minority Leader France Castro during the deliberations of the 2025 proposed budget of the OVP on Tuesday, August 27. “I have here a report about the notice of disallowance. According to the notice of disallowance, the COA has disallowed P73 million out of P125 million confidential funds used by the OVP in 2022. So, this is 58.63% of the P125 million. So, can...

Vice President Sara Duterte has stood firm that there was no misuse of confidential funds of the Office of the Vice President (OVP) in 2022. The Vice President made the remark after House Deputy Minority Leader France Castro said Friday that Duterte’s alleged failure to comply with the rules for 2022's P73 million confidential funds was a ground for impeachment. “There was no misuse of any funds. There is, however, [an] unending political attack by the Makabayan-Romualdez-Marcos alliance to mask the real problem of the country right now,” Duterte told GMA Integrated News' Jonathan Andal. “This is the sad plight of the poor and the hungry because of the unabated rise of food prices. Ordinary citizens’ principles are not for sale, ayuda...

A 20-year-old senior high school student was arrested by the police during a buy-bust operation in Taguig on Sept. 12. The operation was conducted by the Taguig Police’s Drug Enforcement Unit at about 9:20 p.m. on Bagong Kalsada Street in Barangay Ususan. Southern Police District chief Brig. Gen. Leon Victor Rosete said the student was tagged by the police as a high value individual (HVI). Police operatives seized 126.2 grams of suspected shabu valued at P858,160, buy-bust money consisting of a genuine P1,000 bill on top of P29,000 boodle money and a cell phone. The student will be charged for violation of Republic Act 9165 (Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002).

Chooks to Go sparked a heated reaction among netizens following the arrest of Pastor Apollo Quiboloy. While some were offended by what they saw as a direct reference to the incident, others voiced their support for the brand. Source: Witty or offensive? Chooks to Go’s Quiboloy ad ignites online debate

THE Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) said on Wednesday it is preparing to help around 27,000 workers bound to lose their jobs once the total ban on Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) takes effect by end-December. Source: Nearly 27,000 to be affected by POGO ban, says DoLE - BusinessWorld Online

Nakita ko lang, isa lang nasabi ko. "The irony of life" Yung nagbibigay ka palagi ng health advice tapos ikaw mismo tinamaan ng seyosong sakit.

JUST IN: In a statement on Saturday, the Presidential Communications Office said the party at the Pasay City hotel was "thrown by his old friends" and "to his surprise and appreciation, music was provided by Duran Duran." The PCO was responding to vlogger Sass Sassot's claim that Mr. Marcos had a private party at the Manila Marriott Hotel to celebrate his 67th birthday and that Duran Duran performed at the party. | via Julie Aurelio, Philippine Daily Inquirer

A kindergartner was killed after he was hammered while sleeping inside his house in Mandaon, Masbate. The suspect, a neighbor, however, was immediately arrested. According to the police, the victim was sleeping alongside his aunt when the suspect entered the house and hammered the boy with a steel hammer. He was brought to the hospital, but was declared dead on arrival.

“In light of these recent developments, i call on this esteemed body to consider a resolution of support for the US offer to ****** our resupply missions. This proposal is not merely a matter of convenience; it is a significant step in asserting our rights under international law and challenging the persistent encroachments by the PRC (People’s Republic of China),” Tulfo said. Source: https://politiko.com.ph/2024/09/10/erwin-tulfo-to-govt-accept-us-******-for-wps-resupply-missions/headlines/