📰 News & Current Affairs

The Philippine Embassy in Lebanon on Friday night (PH time) issued an advisory to Filipino citizens for them to leave Lebanon immediately while the airport is still open amid tensions. Source: Filipinos in Lebanon strongly urged to evacuate while airport is still open

Context: Ganito sila kaconfident dahil malamya ang kapulisan. Pinakita pa sa vlogs mga halaman.

Rampant killing by riding in tandem https://www.facebook.com/reel/868371978542050?mibextid=8HI2vyzhxhZ0rFJs

.. The recent skirmish at Scarborough Shoal, where Chinese Air Force aircraft allegedly dropped flares in the path of a Philippine Air Force NC-212i plane, is a significant and alarming event in the ongoing maritime tensions and disputes in the South China Sea (SCS) between the Philippines and China. Nevertheless, it is indeed puzzling why the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. would choose to engage in such a high-risk and provocative action, where a Philippine Air Force aircraft deliberately entered the airspace over Scarborough Shoal — especially considering that the shoal is under de facto Chinese control. The Chinese response to such a move from the Philippines was predictably swift and firm, given their established...

.. The recent skirmish at Scarborough Shoal, where Chinese Air Force aircraft allegedly dropped flares in the path of a Philippine Air Force NC-212i plane, is a significant and alarming event in the ongoing maritime tensions and disputes in the South China Sea (SCS) between the Philippines and China. Nevertheless, it is indeed puzzling why the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. would choose to engage in such a high-risk and provocative action, where a Philippine Air Force aircraft deliberately entered the airspace over Scarborough Shoal — especially considering that the shoal is under de facto Chinese control. The Chinese response to such a move from the Philippines was predictably swift and firm, given their established...

The Ke Xue San Hao was sighted surveying the areas south and east of Escoda (Sabina) Shoal in the West Philippine Sea beginning July 25. Sources: Another Chinese research ship monitored in Philippine EEZ

Six Chinese workers of îllégâl Philippine offshore gaming operators line up at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 2 to board a Philippine Airlines flight to Wuhan, China yesterday after the Bureau of Immigration ordered their deportation. Edd Gumban BACOLOR, Pampanga — More than 2,300 Chinese nationals have been repatriated from the Philippines over issues related to îllégâl Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs) since 2022, according to the Bureau of Immigration. From 2022 to 2024, at least 2,379 Chinese nationals have been deported, around half or 1,207 of whom were asked to leave the country in connection to their employment at POGO hubs. "But there were also Chinese nationals who were sent home because they...

After Vice President Sara Duterte resigned as education secretary, more Filipinos than ever during her term were unsatisfied with her performance, a new Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey found. Source: After quitting DepEd, Sara Duterte's satisfaction rating plunges to lowest – SWS

Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Barbers INQUIRER FILE PHOTO / NIÑO JESUS ORBETA BACOLOR, Pampanga — Despite delivering a bombshell testimony, former Bureau of Customs (BOC) intelligence officer Jimmy Guban’s claims linking personalities to the missing shabu shipment in 2018 will still be assessed by the committee to determine their validity. Surigao del Norte 2nd District Rep. Robert Ace Barbers made this clarification on Friday, in an interview with reporters after the House of Representatives quad-committee’s first hearing ended. According to Barbers, Guban’s claims will still be studied if it will be used in the final committee report. “We will really weigh this information, you can expect that the committee will not come up with...

FILE PHOTO: Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa. Senate PRIB MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Bato dela Rosa said he feels like people from the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. are actively working with the “leftists” and “yellows” to pin down former President Rodrigo Duterte and his allies. The former top cop turned senator said it pains him to think about this scenario. “Isipin mo, there seems to be — I really can feel it – that there is an alliance between this government, mga makakaliwa, at mga yellow. Nagkakasama-sama na sila just to pin down the Duterte people so it pains me a lot,” he told reporters in a virtual press conference on Friday. (Think about it, there seems to be — I really can feel it — that there is an...

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) has invalidated the certificate of land and ownership awards (CLOAs) distributed by former president Rodrigo Duterte to members of the Ati community in Boracay. In an interview with The STAR, Agrarian Reform Secretary Conrado Estrella III said the CLOAs covering 1,300 square meters were awarded to members of the Ati in June 2019 while the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law or Republic Act 6657 ended on June 30, 2014. “Nothing was revoked. First, the CLOA that was awarded has no legal leg to stand (on), no legal basis,” Estrella said. Estrella added that the lands cannot be covered under CARP unless a notice of coverage was issued after the June 30, 2014 deadline. Members...

In this May 22, 2024 file photo, then Bamban Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo appears at a Senate inquiry into offshore gaming operators. Senate PH MANILA, Philippines — The camp of dismissed mayor Alice Guo of Bamban, Tarlac is asking the Department of Justice (DOJ) to junk the human trafficking complaint lodged against her, saying it was a “politically motivated smear campaign” aimed to tarnish her reputation. The former mayor likewise claimed that the basis for her implication in human trafficking were “mere electric bills and documents” of Baofu Land Development Inc., which leased its property to an offshore gaming hub. Guo asked the DOJ investigating panel yesterday to reopen the case and admit her attached sworn statement. In a...

Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Teodoro Herbosa urged Metro Manila local governments to help address leptospirosis cases by attending to poor waste management, which increases the population of rats—the vector of the disease. Source: DOH: Garbage issues worsen leptospirosis

Photo shows former Customs intel officer Jimmy Guban during a senate inquiry. The STAR / Geremy Pintolo MANILA, Philippines (Updated 6:18 p.m.) — Jimmy Guban, a former Customs officer who served as a key witness in a shabu smuggling controversy under former President Rodrigo Duterte, has resurfaced to confess that it was Rep. Paolo Duterte (First District, Davao City), Manases Carpio and Michael Yang who owned the magnetic lifters that were found to have concealed P11-billion worth of îllégâl drugs in 2018. Guban told the House quad-committee on Friday during its first inquiry that he lied about the persons responsible for the îllégâl shipment of shabu during his testimony to the Senate in 2018 because of threats to his and his...

Photo shows former Bureau of Customs intelligence officer Jimmy Guban testifying during a Senate hearing in 2018. Edd Gumban MANILA, Philippines — A former intelligence officer of the Bureau of Customs yesterday linked Davao City Rep. Paolo “Polong” Duterte to the smuggling of îllégâl drugs, including P11 billion worth of methamphetamine hydrochloride or shabu confiscated in 2018. Also implicated by Jimmy Guban during the second joint hearing of the House of Representatives’ so-called quad committee were lawyer Manases Carpio, the husband of Vice President Sara Duterte, and Chinese businessman Michael Yang, who served as economic adviser of former president Rodrigo Duterte. The quad committee is composed of the House panels on...

Incarcerated former Bureau of Customs (BOC) intelligence officer Jimmy Guban has linked members of the Duterte family in the alleged mass importation of îllégâl drugs, particularly a P6,8-billion "shabu" shipment in 2018. READ: Surprise House joint panel witness links ‘Pulong’, VP Sara’s husband to P6.8-B shabu shipment in 2018

A police officer was arrested in Barangay Langub, Asturias, Cebu, after he was accused of raping his minor daughter on several occasions. Police Major Windell Abellana, public information officer of Cebu Police Provincial Office (CPPO), said the arrest was prompted by a complaint filed by the victim and her mother. (Name of the suspect are withheld to protect the identity of the victim and her family) Abellana said the mother and the minor went to Liloan Police Station to report the alleged rape prompting the police operatives to conduct a hot pursuit operation. The 42-year-old suspect who holds the rank of patrolman in the Philippine National Police (PNP) organization was no longer in their house when the responding police...

A former officer of the Bureau of Customs on Friday testified before a joint congressional hearing that he had been told that the multi-billion-peso shabu shipment seized in 2018 belonged to Davao City Rep. Paolo Duterte, Vice President Sara Duterte's husband Mans Carpio, and former presidential economic adviser Michael Yang.

Paetongtarn Shinawatra has become Thailand’s youngest-ever prime minister after parliament confirmed her nomination by the ruling coalition of her Pheu Thai party. Source: Paetongtarn Shinawatra becomes Thailand’s next PM, youngest ever

There are no new cases of mpox in the Philippines, the Department of Health (DOH) said Thursday, after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a global public health emergency for the second time in two years due to the infectious disease. Source: https://news.abs-cbn.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/2024/8/15/no-new-case-of-mpox-in-ph-says-doh-1613

The wife of the police officer who was killed during a rescue operation for kidnap victims in Pampanga said a policeman shot her husband. According to police reports, members of the Philippine National Police’s Anti-Kidnapping Group were conducting a rescue operation for two abducted Chinese nationals on Aug. 3 in Angeles City when the shooting ensued. Staff Sergeant Nelson Santiago was hit and later pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital, while Police Chief Master Sergeant Eden Accede was wounded. When asked if her information came from the police, Mary Rose said “no,” adding that her family and relatives conducted their information gathering on the case. “Lunes (Aug. 5) ko na po nalaman dahil di nila ako makausap nung Sabado...

LOOK: Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Benhur Abalos, together with PNP Chief Dir. Gen. Rommel Francisco Marbil observed the simulation of the E911 services at the PNP Command Center in Camp Crame, Quezon City on Friday, August 16. The E911 is a next-generation emergency call system designed to provide faster, more accurate, and efficient responses to emergencies. Unlike the traditional 911 system, E911 utilizes advanced technology to pinpoint caller location, handle multiple forms of communication, and integrate with other emergency services such as fire departments, medical responders, and other relevant agencies to coordinate efforts. 📸: Mark Balmores | MB

Bond, James Bond--the Pinoy version and there will be a lot of them. The Civil Security Group of the Philippine National Police (PNP-CSG) is eyeing to tap around 575,000 security guards in the country as the government’s eyes and ears not only to further improve the peace and order situation in the country but also in addressing national security-related concerns that include espionage and îllégâl presence of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs).

DeathNote Breach a subdomain of the website through E-LGU System. https://newsbytes.ph/2024/08/11/häçkers-claim-to-have-breached-egov-ph-super-app-elgu-system/ Update:

Scientists in Germany have found fungi that can eat plastic, which could help tackle the global problem of plastic pollution. Source: German Scientists Discover Plastic-Eating Fungi for Waste Reduction - GKToday

Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. on Tuesday reaffirmed the government’s commitment to acquire multi-role fighter jets following China’s recent air harassment in the West Philippine Sea. Source: https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/8/14/teodoro-reaffirms-commitment-to-acquire-fighter-jets-after-china-s-flare-use-1320

MANILA, Philippines — Smartmatic founder Roger Piñate and a former vice president of the election technology provider have surrendered to authorities in the United States to face charges against them, the Miami Herald reported on Tuesday. According to the report, Piñate and former Smartmatic vice president for hardware development Jorge Miguel Vasquez surrendered to face charges in a Miami federal court on Monday. The two were among the four indicted by a federal grand jury last week over an alleged bribery and money laundering scheme in relation to the 2016 elections in the Philippines. Smartmatic founder, ex-VP surrender in US

US lawmakers are calling for an investigation into routers manufactured by Chinese-owned TP-Link Technologies and sold in the US – over concerns the company’s WiFi devices can be used by China to launch state-sponsored häçking campaigns. Source: https://cybernews.com/security/tp-link-chinese-routers-national-security-risk-us-lawmakers/

A Russian parliamentary deputy said on Friday that the Western-backed Ukrainian incursion has brought the world close to an all-out global war, Russia's RIA news agency reported. Source: https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russian-mp-says-ukrainian-incursion-could-lead-global-war-ria-reports-2024-08-16/

Former Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo cannot seek reelection in the 2025 midterm elections if she fails to secure a temporary restraining order (TRO) from the Court of Appeals (CA), stopping the implementation of the dismissal order against her by the Office of the Ombudsman. Source: https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1231170

BREAKING NEWS: MISSING CHILD IN BACOLOD CITY, FOUND DEAD IN LA CARLOTA CITY. It is confirmed that the body found buried in La Carlota this morning is PEARL JOY GALVE. This was confirmed by her mother who personally went to the area and confirmed that the short the victim was wearing is the one she gave to her daughter. Pearl Joy, 15 years old, went missing since July 29. She is a Grade 10 student from Sum-ag National High School, Bacolod City making her parent wonder how she got to La Carlota City.

US officials are assessing how the incursion might reshape the political and military dynamics of the war, as well as the implications for Washington’s long-shifting stance on how Ukraine can use American-supplied arms. Source: Ukraine's surprise advance into Russia a dilemma for Biden