📰 News & Current Affairs

The China Coast Guard (CCG) allegedly deployed water cannons against Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) vessels on Saturday as they were en route to Ayungin Shoal for a resupply mission at the BRP Sierra Madre. The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chartered the indigenous boats in question to transport fuel, food, water, and other supplies to military personnel stationed on BRP Sierra Madre. The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) denounced CCG's "dangerous maneuvers and îllégâl use of water cannons" against their vessels. “The PCG calls on the China Coast Guard to restrain its forces, respect the sovereign rights of the Philippines in its exclusive economic zone and continental shelf, refrain from hampering freedom of navigation, and take...

MANILA, Philippines — With two past presidents having already issued categorical denials, former president Rodrigo Duterte is “the only one left that may have made the promise to China” to remove the BRP Sierra Madre from Ayungin Shoal, House Deputy Minority Leader France Castro said yesterday. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and two sons of Joseph Estrada have denied that the former presidents made any commitment to remove the vessel from Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal. The late president Benigno Aquino III, she added, was unlikely to have made such a promise, as it was his administration that had successfully contested China’s massive maritime claim before the Permanent Court of Arbitration based in The Hague. She said even President Marcos...

‘P10,000 is insulting’: CHR seeks more funds for victims of human rights violations Jodesz Gavilan 'We want to give more if we are able to but we lack the funds for that,' Commission on Human Rights Chairperson Richard Palpal-latoc says as CHR is set to receive only P3.8 million for financial assistance in 2024 MANILA, Philippines – The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) is seeking additional funds to better provide financial assistance to victims of rights violations in the country, including families of those killed under former President Rodrigo Duterte’s bloody war on drugs. The National Expenditure Program (NEP) submitted to Congress by the Department of Budget and...

Senator Christopher "Bong" Go E×ρréššed his support for the proposed 2024 budget of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) during a public hearing on Wednesday, September 20. While endorsing DSWD's proposed 2024 budget during a public hearing, Go sought clarification on the department's role in Malasakit Centers and emphasized the need for effective budget utilization to directly benefit Filipinos in need. "For the record, I am supportive of programs that will help and assist our countrymen in need," said Go. The senator emphasized the importance of ensuring that the budget allocated to the DSWD directly benefits indigent Filipinos. "It is incumbent upon us to ensure that these programs will directly benefit poor...

MANILA, Philippines — The Senate Committee on Ways and Means recommends a three-month phaseout of Philippine offshore gaming operators (Pogos) and the adoption of measures that would stem the job losses that would be caused by such a move. In its 120-page report submitted on Tuesday evening for plenary approval, the Senate panel also sought the collection of taxes due from Pogo firms and the deportation of thousands of foreign Pogo workers, most of whom are Chinese. “Premises considered, the [committee] believes that even without Pogos, the Philippine economy will continue to thrive,” the report noted. Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian E×ρréššed relief that the committee report finally obtained 10 signatures...

AT about this time last year, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla grandly announced the cancellation of the visas of 48,000 foreign workers of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) whose licenses have been revoked by the Philippine Gaming Corp. Revilla said the workers were not deported outright for humanitarian reasons, but that they must voluntarily leave the country. Majority chose to stay as îllégâl aliens, opting to hang around while the government figures out a straightforward solution to the POGO issue. The humanitarian approach definitely isn't working, and the government has switched to a hunt-and-deport strategy, raiding colorum POGOs and booting the workers out of the country. In January, Remulla reported that...

MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang has issued a memorandum shortening work hours in the executive branch on Monday in line with the observance of the 31st National Family Week. According to Memorandum Circular 32, all government work in the executive branch will be suspended from 3 p.m. onwards on Monday (September 25). “The suspension of work in all branches of government, in independent commissions or bodies, and in the private sector is encouraged, so as to afford all Filipino families the full opportunity to celebrate the 31st National Family Week,” read the memorandum signed by Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin. “This Office also encourages all government workers in the Executive branch to fully support the programs and...

THE Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) succeeded in countering China's "bullying" tactics in the West Philippine Sea, forcing the rising world power to "modify its actions" thanks to the "power of technology." Commo. Jay Tarriela, PCG spokesman on the West Philippine Sea, pointed out on Sunday that despite having lesser technological capabilities compared to China, the Philippines was able to compel China to change its tactics. "We firmly believe that the power of technology cannot be solely measured by its sophistication or complexity, but rather by the positive impact it brings to the world," Tarriela said. Furthermore, he noted that it is crucial to emphasize that the decision of the Philippine government to use technology "empowers the...

Delivery Hero, the Berlin-based owner of online food and grocery delivery company foodpanda, is discussing a potential sale of its Asia business, according to the company when MARKETING-INTERACTIVE reached out. The deal is still under negotiations but it was reported that tech platform Grab could pay the equivalent of as much as a billion euros for the unit. "Delivery Hero confirms negotiations with several parties regarding a potential sale of its foodpanda business in selected Southeast Asia markets," it said. "Any discussions or plans are in their preliminary stages." According to German business magazine Wirtschaftswoche, these markets include Singapore, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines and Thailand. Don't miss...

DAVAO CITY, Philippines — Pegging the price of rice at P20 per kilo is “daydreaming” given the law of supply and demand in the world market, former president Rodrigo Duterte said yesterday. Duterte said that retail prices of rice could even reach as high as P90 per kilo. Read More: philstar

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 20) — A leader of the alleged cult Socorro Bayanihan Services, Inc. (SBSI) on Wednesday denied that their group is sexually abusing children, but he confirmed that they conduct early marriages. “The millennials, na-expose sa (get exposed to) social media so sometimes they were caught by their parents in a sexual act, so ganyan ang nangyari kaya nga (that happens that's why) there are few who really were married earlier but (they were never forced) never na pine-pwersa sila,” SBSI Vice President Mamerto Galanida told CNN Philippines’ The Source. He also pointed out that reports from the Commission on Population and Development and the Philippine Statistics Authority show early marriages in the...

Hontiveros calls for Senate probe into 'cult' in Surigao abusing minors Gaea Katreena Cabico - Philstar.com MANILA, Philippines — Over a thousand minors have endured sexual violence, child abuse, and forced marriage at the hands of an alleged cult in Surigao del Norte, Sen. Risa Hontiveros said as she called on the upper house to intervene. “Dear colleagues, a community of children in Socorro, Surigao del Norte is crying for help. These children are our children,” Hontiveros, who chairs the Senate committee on women and children, said in a privilege speech Monday. Hontiveros said that the Socorro Bayanihan Services initially began as a civic organization but later transformed into a cult. The senator played video messages of...

Rep. Stella Quimbo, who has staunchly defended Vice President Sara Duterte's use of confidential funds as above board, bared during Monday's budget plenary debates that the P125 million in confidential funds used in 2022 was spent in just 11 days. This is much shorter than the 19 days that Makabayan lawmakers previously flagged.

US Department of Homeland Security sues Former Comelec Chairman Andres Bautista for money laundering, allegedly received bribe money from top executives of an unnamed poll technology company for the 2016 elections. WASHINGTON, D.C.: The US Justice Department has filed money-laundering charges against Andres Bautista, former chairman of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) in the Philippines, in a case involving four executives from subsidiaries of Smartmatic, the technology firm that provided the Philippines vote counting machines (VCMs) it used for the presidential elections in 2016, according to court documents cited by CNN. The report said Bautista had awarded Smartmatic a $199 million contract to supply 94,000 VCMS for the...

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signs Maharlika Investment Fund bill into law, July 18, 2023. RTVM© RTVM President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. on Tuesday signed into law the Maharlika Investment Fund (MIF) which will tap state assets for investment ventures to generate additional public funds. Republic Act No. 11954 was signed despite apprehensions and concerns on the measure, with some lawmakers pointing out the MIF bill's glaring errors and discrepancies as well as its ambiguous provisions. In his speech, Marcos stressed that the MIF is a bold step towards the country's meaningful economic transformation as the Philippines recovers from the ill effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. "For the first time in the history of the...

MANILA, Philippines — The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) confirmed that the Rozul Reef — an area within West Philippine Sea where Chinese vessels were seen swarming — has been completely stripped off of its naturally occurring corals. AFP Western Command commander Vice Admiral Alberto Carlo shared the alarming observation to the public this Saturday at the "Saturday News Forum" event held in Quezon City. "'Yung swarming areas nila, we pinpointed it. And then when they left, we sent out our divers to do another water survey," said Carlos in a report by the state-run Philippine News Agency. "And then nakita namin na wala nang corals. Nasira na 'yung mga corals and then may mga debris." Rozul Reef, also known as Iroquios Reef...

NASA carefully testing palang dahil plan nila magland ng tao sa Moon with Artemis III, so kung failed ang Artemis II, dipa sila makaka apak sa buwan. Pero bakit nuon ang dali lang naman nakapunta with Apollo missions??? something is wrong with Man on Moon conspiracy. NASA Kennedy Ready for Artemis II Moon Mission Ground Systems Testing Artemis II will be the first flight with crew aboard NASA’s deep space exploration system: the Orion spacecraft, Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and the ground systems at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. During their mission, four astronauts will confirm all of the spacecraft’s systems operate as designed with people aboard in the actual environment of deep space, over the course of...

mga lods musta yung VOG (Volcanic Smog) sa area nyo?

mutagenesisx plhbg1 try nyo basahin to para mahimasmasan kayo sa propaganda, i quoted the conclusion only pero the whole article is a good read The Propaganda Multiplier Conclusion In this case study, the geopolitical coverage in nine leading European newspapers was examined for diversity and journalistic performance using the example of the Syrian war. The results confirm the high dependence on the global news agencies (63% to 90%, excluding commentaries and interviews) and the lack of own investigative research, as well as the rather biased commenting on events in favor of the US/NATO side (82% positive; 2% negative), whose stories were not checked by the newspapers for any propaganda.

=AZVnae3RntU__IXUrO2O9SXLNFhZmJAzh1ujpTX3i0b7dtbiGSuH05wgXvyk0BgObkSXHZrFXFqbfCZ_xqhseK2iJVTb84VkP37NDr1e-A4uROnj6FAcICdB6Agn3twSxmlTwJQAIuSxH1DuvwdzefnHyEE6N6uN4AUQWYWFlgMEcnBctM3RYkKeE19KyxscEfhSjAgdn0S9ytLzDofTbxYe&tn=*NK-R']#WalangPasok ngayong araw, September 22, 2023 sa mga sumusunod na lugar dahil sa epekto ng volcanic smog ng Bulkang Taal. Manatiling nakatutok sa Unang Hirit para sa =AZVnae3RntU__IXUrO2O9SXLNFhZmJAzh1ujpTX3i0b7dtbiGSuH05wgXvyk0BgObkSXHZrFXFqbfCZ_xqhseK2iJVTb84VkP37NDr1e-A4uROnj6FAcICdB6Agn3twSxmlTwJQAIuSxH1DuvwdzefnHyEE6N6uN4AUQWYWFlgMEcnBctM3RYkKeE19KyxscEfhSjAgdn0S9ytLzDofTbxYe&tn=*NK-R']#WalangPasok announcement. Maulan na umaga po at ingat po tayo sa mga kapit bahay ko dito sa laguna...

A California mom had all four limbs amputated after she ate some tilapia that was contaminated with deadly bacteria, her friends say. Laura Barajas, 40, underwent the life-saving surgery on Thursday after a months-long stay in the hospital. “It’s just been really heavy on all of us. It’s terrible. This could’ve happened to any of us,” Barajas’ friend Anna Messina told KRON. Messina said Barajas, who has a 6-year-old son, became sick days after eating the fish that she had purchased at a local market in San Jose and made for herself at home. “She almost lost her life. She was on a respirator,” Messina said. “They put her into a medically induced coma. Her fingers were black, her feet were black, her bottom lip was black. She had...

US gov't sues Andres Bautista for money laundering after ex-wife flags P1-B wealth US and Taiwan banks under US was used for the acts Bautista for money laundering after ex-wife flags P1-B wealth MANILA, Philippines – The US government sued former Philippine elections chief Andres Bautista for money laundering and conspiracy after his estranged wife, Patricia Paz Bautista, flagged his alleged ill-gotten wealth worth P1 billion ($17.57 million). Bautista’s allegedly anomalous dealings were related to the Philippines’ presidential elections in 2016. The Department of Homeland Security’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) filed the case against Bautista at the US District Court in the Southern District of Florida on Monday, September...

Hindi respeto, kundi accountability ang hinihingi ni Senador Risa Hontiveros at ng publiko mula kay Bise Presidente Sara Duterte kaugnay sa hinihinging confidential funds ng kaniyang opisina.

The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) on Thursday said it has approved the release of P12.259 billion to the National Housing Authority (NHA). advertisement The amount will cover for the housing assistance to calamity victims and the payment of resettlement of informal settler families in Western Visayas, the DBM said in a statement. Broken down, P12.059 billion of the funds released will be for the housing assistance of calamity victims (HAPCV). Meanwhile, the remaining P200 million will be for the construction of four units of five-storey, low-rise residential buildings in Region VI, which will be the resettlement for informal settler families. “Housing remains a priority for President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. as he...

MANILA, Philippines — The proposed dry run for a new traffic scheme that will be implemented along ADB Avenue in Ortigas Center is set begin on the last week of September, Department of Transportation (DOTr) announced on Thursday. “Please expect noticeable changes in traffic flow due to some lane reconfiguration, but rest assured that this is done to improve the safety and convenience of all,” said DOTr in a Facebook post. The exact date, time, and duration of the practice are not yet being disclosed by the department. According to DOTr, the dry run is in preparation of the active transport improvement project in the area called Active Transport Program. It is being implemented by Department of Public Works and Highways – National...

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 21) — Third telco player DITO Telecommunity has tapped a long-term loan deal to finance its network buildup and pay off debt. In a disclosure Thursday, its parent company DITO CME Holdings said the telco carrier signed a $3.9-billion, 15-year finance facility with a group of multinational banks. DITO CME, led by Davao businessman Dennis A. Uy, said the agreement is considered "one of the largest long-term debt arranged and syndicated by a group of multinational banks for a Philippine corporation." Fresh funds will go to repaying another loan facility amounting to $1.3 billion, while portions of the proceeds would also support DITO Telecommunity's network expansion. More budget for the network...

A dismissed police officer wanted for killing a military officer was finally captured in Rizal province after almost three decades in hiding. Fugitive Joel Consuelo Villanueva, who held a rank of Senior Police Officer 1 (now master sergeant), was arrested at 6:30 a.m. on Tuesday at his daughter’s house in a subdivision in Cainta, Rizal. Villanueva was among the country’s most wanted persons and carried a P275,000 bounty. He was convicted and jailed in 1991, but managed to escape from the Lucena City Jail in 1995. He was recaptured the following year, but once again escaped while undergoing a medical examination. Authorities said Villanueva would remain in police custody while awaiting a court order on where he should be detained...

MANILA – France has reiterated its support to the ongoing Armed Forces of the Philippines Modernization Program (AFPMP) including the development of the country's submarine force, the Department of National Defense (DND) said Wednesday. This came following French Ambassador-designate Marie Fontanel-Lassalle's introductory call to DND Secretary Gilberto C. Teodoro Jr. on Sept. 14. "Emphasizing France’s role as a partner in the Indo-Pacific region, Ambassador-designate Fontanel reiterated France’s offer to support the AFPMP, including (French defense manufacturer) Naval Group’s readiness to assist in building a Philippine submarine force," DND spokesperson Arsenio Andolong said in a statement. Andolong was referring to the Naval...

A lone winner bagged the Ultra Lotto 6/58 jackpot worth over P77 million on Tuesday. The bettor won P77,455,718.40 with the combination 07-10-09-13-21-19. There was no winner in the other major lotto draws, the Super Lotto 6/49 and the Lotto 6/42. The combination 02-33-38-17-28-41 would have won for a Super Lotto 6/49 bettor P63,053,989.60. The combination 33-34-24-04-11-05 would have won for a Lotto 6/42 bettor P18,121,104. The last time the Ultra Lotto 6/58 jackpot was won was on August 11 when a lone winner bagged the P49.5 million prize with the combination 50-46-57-40-04-19. The immediate previous Ultra Lotto 6/58 draw on August 8 also produced a jackpot winner who bagged P87,051,450.20 with the combination...

Today, Sept. 21, marks the 51st year of dictator Ferdinand Marcos’ declaration of martial law — described by many Filipinos as one of the darkest chapters in Philippine history. #NeverAgain #NeverForget READ: Marcos’ martial law: Golden age for corruption, abuses Fast Facts: The Marcos martial law regime

MANILA, Philippines — Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista called for a strong action against a security officer who was caught on closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage swallowing $300 in $100 bills allegedly stolen from a departing Chinese passenger at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA). Read More: Maximum penalty urged vs NAIA officer who swallowed stolen $300

Giving confiscated rice to poor families 'best deterrent' vs smuggling, says lawmaker MANILA, Philippines – President Marcos' decision to give away smuggled and hoarded rice to poor families would be the “best deterrent” against smuggling. This is according to Bulacan 6th District Rep. Salvador Pleyto, who said the President's decision would mean “confiscated smuggled rice can no longer be rescued by bribes.” The latest action taken by the President took effect in Tungawan, Zamboanga Sibugay where confiscated rice was distributed to the residents and the local government units in the province. “By giving them to the people, it has been placed beyond the reach of those who have illegally brought them in,” said Pleyto, a member...