MANILA, Philippines — Filipino consumers can expect no further price increases on basic goods until the end of the year, as manufacturers have agreed to hold off on raising prices despite mounting input costs amid still-elevated oil prices. Trade Secretary Cristina Roque said on Thursday that manufacturers of basic necessities and prime commodities (BNPCs) made

MANILA, Philippines — Every drop counts, so conserve water by cutting into half the volume normally used for taking a bath and brushing one’s teeth, or collecting rainwater for other household tasks. This was the advice of University of the Philippines Resilience Institute (UPRI) executive director Mahar Lagmay and Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chair

MANILA, Philippines – Filipino-American chess Grandmaster Wesley So topped the 2026 United States Chess Championship for the fourth time, beating top American players, including world-ranked number three and five-time US champion Fabiano Caruana, who ruled the four previous tournaments. In the final tie-break game that was livestreamed,  Caruana made a risky, if not dubious, move by advancing his bishop too early and leaving a central pawn exposed.  So immediately took the free pawn and with it, a lot of territory on the chess board.  So castled his king on the queen-side and advanced his king-side pawns toward Caruana’s castled king.  Caruana attempted to counter-attack on the queen-side, but So continued to push his pawns forward and threatened to expose Caruana’s king.   Caruana resigned after So’s 33rd move.  So’s journey to glory was not without glitches, however, as he unexpectedly lost to tail-ender Sam Sevian in the penultimate 11th round.  A draw would have been enough to clinch the championship but the loss enabled Fabiano Caruana, who played well in the second half of the tournament, to catch up with So.  So and Caruana then met in a “tie-breaker” where they played two games with quicker thinking time – forcing more errors and increasing psychological pressure for both players. In the first two rounds of the tournament, So was on fire as he won against 2018 US champion Sam Shankland and Jeffrey Xiong.  Then So beat up-and-coming young grandmasters Andy Woodward and Ray Robson in dramatic come-from-behind victories. Caruana won the US Chess Championship in 2016, and 2022 to 2025.  So won the US Championship in 2017, 2020, and 2021. The US Chess Championship is considered the “toughest tournament” in the world today, with the strongest players from all over the world gravitating toward the United States. In August, So had also won the prestigious Sinquefield Cup participated by top grandmasters from all over the world.  Then in September, he played in the World Chess Olympiad as part of the United States team.

MANILA, Philippines — The alleged kickbacks delivered to former Ako Bicol party list Rep. Zaldy Co from then Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) engineer Henry Alcantara came with “acknowledgment receipts,” a witness told the Sandiganbayan antigraft court on Thursday. Wirt Walter Rosales, who used to be Alcantara’s personal assistant, said the single biggest

MANILA, Philippines — A Senate bill seeks to exempt common areas within residential subdivisions and condominiums from real property taxes (RPT) to ease the financial burden on millions of middle-class homeowners. Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero filed Senate Bill No. 2569, which proposes an amendment to Section 234 of Republic Act No. 7160 or the Local

MANILA, Philippines — Senators on Thursday sought the Department of Budget and Management’s (DBM) recommendations on how to adjust the proposed P7.2-trillion 2027 national budget following the Supreme Court’s ruling striking down key provisions of previous spending laws. At the House of Representatives, a dispute erupted over whether the chamber should recall its approved version

Remulla rejected claims linking Sandro Marcos to the intercepted drug shipment; there are also no PNP or PDEA statements about the two officials' alleged involvement

US and South Korean officials see the chances fading of ⁠a meeting between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un this year, according to five people with knowledge of the situation. Trump, the only US president to have met a North Korean leader, has been eager to jump-start talks with North Korea, but Pyongyang has shown little interest in diplomacy aimed at containing its nuclear programme. The US has received no response from North Korea on holding a Trump-Kim meeting, and...

MANILA, Philippines — The Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) will challenge the Supreme Court’s ruling invalidating specific provisions of the 2024 and 2025 national budgets and restricting the release of unprogrammed funds under the 2026 budget, questioning whether the high court committed “judicial overreach” by imposing safeguards that encroach on the budgetary powers of

Check out the NCAA Season 102 seniors" basketball standings after the crossover phase, along with the league"s leading scorers, rebounders, playmakers, and defensive players.

Nxled is starting the habit of hosting a block party in the PVL All-Filipino Conference Siklab Series. The Chameleons remain unbeaten in the season-opening tournament of the league’s 10th anniversary, but the most eye-popping statistic so far, especially in the last two games, is the number of points they have gotten off stoppages at the

Fille Cainglet-Cayetano, wife of former Taguig City Mayor Lino Cayetano, announced that they are expecting their fourth child.

Barangay Ginebra will have to pick its poison on Friday when, barring a monumental collapse, it formalizes its entry to the quarterfinals at the close of the PBA Governors’ Cup group stage. The Gin Kings take on the Blackwater Bossing at 7:30 p.m. at Ynares Center in Antipolo, needing a win to avoid losing by

Some 2,000km away from Ramkarpal's constituency, another lawyer-turned-politician says the police's action 'bikin telinga panas'.

MANILA, Philippines — Filipino boxing legend Manny Pacquiao may return to the boxing ring on Dec. 11, 2026, one week before he turns 48 years old. Promoter Eddie Hearn has confirmed that talks for a fight between Pacquiao and former world champion Joe Cordina of Great Britain are “well advanced.”  “We’ve agreed terms to face Pacquiao, but we don’t know if it’s happening,” Hearn said at a media event on Thursday. “From our side, we’ve agreed to do it.” The fight could be placed in the undercard of the Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua heavyweight clash. Pacquiao last fought in July 2025 which ended in a draw against Mario Barrios. Cordina, a former IBF super-featherweight champion, was slated to fight American Abdullah Mason for the WBO lightweight title in Cleveland in July, but was denied a US visa. This would be Pacquiao’s first fight against a British opponent since he beat Ricky Hatton in Las Vegas in 2009. Early this year, Pacquiao made headlines for a rematch against Floyd Mayweather but that bout was postponed indefinitely in June.

Kapuso actress Glaiza De Castro feels the warm support of family and friends as he starts a new chapter as a mom.

Clyde Mondilla gunned down 10 birdies in a third round eight-under-par 64, leapfrogging to the top of the P2.5-million ICTSI South Pacific Championship and moving within another solid round of ending a two-year title-less spell. The long-hitting ace from Bukidnon had two three-putt miscues as the only blackeyes in an otherwise superlative effort, as his

A rare escalation this month exposed the increasingly lethal arsenals the two Koreas are building up across the world’s most heavily fortified border.

Jose Rizal University and Letran strengthened their positions in the NCAA Season 102 men’s basketball tournament on Tuesday, taking contrasting routes to victory at San Juan Arena. Allen Laurenaria delivered the winning basket with 1.3 seconds remaining in overtime as the Heavy Bombers escaped Perpetual Help, 72-70, to tighten their grip on Group A’s top

MANILA, Philippines — Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri challenged Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. to crack down on pork price manipulators, smugglers and excessive meat imports. He urged Tiu Laurel to demonstrate his strong leadership as thousands of backyard hog raisers struggle with falling farmgate prices while consumers continue paying considerably more

The Philippine National Bank (PNB) on Friday reported a 15% growth in its net income for the first nine months of the year, as lending posted double-digit growth during the period.

COTABATO CITY — Some 1,500 supporters of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) gathered at the city plaza here on Thursday to air their call for the elected Bangsamoro parties and district and sectoral representatives to unite in a “rainbow coalition” headed by the erstwhile revolutionary group’s leader, Ahod “Al Haj Murad” Ebrahim. The rally

The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) said the Visayas grid will be placed under Red Alert on Friday afternoon, while the Mindanao grid will be under Yellow Alert due to the unavailability of coal plants and outages affecting multiple plants.

MANILA, Philippines — Agricultural damage throughout the country due to the El Niño phenomenon has climbed to P8.57 billion, a 24.7-percent increase from the P6.87 billion recorded in September. According to the Oct. 21 bulletin of the Department of Agriculture (DA), the dry spell affected the livelihood of 288,058 farmers in different regions across the

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored just 17 points to snap an NBA-record streak but the Oklahoma City Thunder knocked off the Denver Nuggets 96-84 at home Thursday.

BAGUIO CITY — A 1970s mulberry enterprise in Benguet province is getting a new lease on life, thanks to a government initiative to rebuild the country’s sericulture industry and ensure a local supply of silk. Science Secretary Renato Solidum said the old Benguet operation had been designated the north Luzon sericulture hub under the government’s

Davao City 1st District Representative Paolo "Pulong" Duterte on Friday filed a libel and cyberlibel complaint against National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Director Melvin Matibag, and dismissed policeman Rodulfo Gracioso Jr. over the claims of cash delivery to their family. GMA Network executives and journalists were also included in the complaint.

The head of the Asian Football Confederation said ⁠on Friday the regional body would support Gianni Infantino’s bid for re-election as Fifa president. Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa, the AFC president, had previously backed opposition to Infantino’s failed plan to sell ‌off the commercial rights to Fifa tournaments, including the World Cup, to private investors. He had joined with the presidents of Uefa and Concacaf to pen an open letter calling the Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE) plan...

Bersama co-leader's lawyers believe there are strong grounds to bring a lawsuit.

China has unveiled a revised rule for regulating outbound investment, requiring investors to report major adverse developments more diligently, including foreign demands to hand over technology or dispose of stakes. The new rule, announced by the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) on Thursday, aimed to better prevent and mitigate rising overseas risks and protect Chinese interests, according to the government agency. “In recent years, a small number of countries and regions have...