MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang on Wednesday said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is inclined to support a proposal to suspend real property tax hikes amid private-sector concerns that higher valuations could increase property owners’ financial burden. Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said the Department of Finance (DOF) had already begun taking action on the issue following

MANILA, Philippines — The Quezon City police have recovered a Mitsubishi Montero during a follow-up operation in Mandaluyong City, they said on Wednesday.  In a report, the Quezon City Police District (QCPD) said its operatives seized the 2024 Mitsubishi Montero in response to a victim’s complaint filed at the District Anti-Carnapping Unit on Sept. 17.

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY — A cascading “collapse” of family guidance, school security, and government regulation is turning Philippine classrooms into killing fields, a criminology expert said on Wednesday. Dr. Gerry Caño, president of the Asian Criminology Society and Professional Criminology Associations in the Philippines, criticized the Philippine National Police (PNP) and state agencies for

MANILA, Philippines — Senate finance panel vice chair Sen. Pia Cayetano confirmed with the National Privacy Commission (NPC) on Wednesday whether it could investigate the publishing of her flight details. She inquired about the matter after her flight details were made public when she and her brother, Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano, took a trip to

MANILA, Philippines — Kamanggagawa Party-list Rep. Elijah San Fernando criticized the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) for its proposed funding for the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) for 2027. The lawmaker on Wednesday emphasized that the proposal is not even enough to sustain the university’s operations next year.  During the House sponsorship and

MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang on Wednesday dismissed Caloocan City Rep. Edgar Erice’s description of the almost P60-billion Local Government Support Fund (LGSF) as a “presidential pork barrel,” calling it an attempt to stir controversy. Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said Erice was free to challenge the legality of the LGSF before the Supreme Court but

MANILA, Philippines — Even if the Senate Impeachment Court has ruled to allow a lower number of votes to convict Vice President Sara Duterte, the job of the prosecution panel would not be easier as there are no changes to its role of presenting evidence, Akbayan party-list Rep. Chel Diokno said. Diokno, a member of the House

CALASIAO, Pangasinan — The police in the Ilocos region confiscated a total of 41.82 grams of suspected shabu worth an estimated P297,976 in a series of anti-illegal drugs operations in four provinces on last Tuesday, Sept. 22 The operations were conducted in Pangasinan, La Union, Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur, with Pangasinan accounting for the

Ma Yansong, China’s reigning starchitect, lets his buildings wrapped in nature do the shouting.

MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte’s defense team on Wednesday said raising the recent ruling modifying the two-thirds conviction threshold before the Supreme Court (SC) is a “real possibility.” However, Defense spokesperson Atty. Michael Poa said this would still depend on their discussions with Duterte. READ: Senate impeach court reduces conviction threshold “‘Yung pag-akyat

MANILA, Philippines — The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has opened a new clearance center in Kabankalan, Negros Occidental. In a press release on Wednesday, the bureau said the facility aims to enhance additional accessibility to its services. Inaugurated on Sept. 8, the new outlet is located at the Old Public Market in Barangay 4.

MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is open to amendments to the anti-espionage law, which seeks to expand the scope of the existing law, Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said. The House approved on third and final reading House Bill  9642, or the proposed “New Espionage Act,” after gaining 247 affirmative votes, 10 negative votes, and no abstentions.  The

MANILA, Philippines — Many erring personnel of the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR)  have been investigated and charged in connection with alleged abuses linked to the issuance of letters of authority (LOAs),  according to BIR Commissioner Charlito Martin Mendoza. Mendoza mentioned this in response to Sen. JV Ejercito’s query at a budget hearing in the Senate on

IRIGA CITY, CAMARINES SUR — Former Iriga City Mayor Madelaine Arlene Yorobe Alfelor has been detained while a second former city official was arrested on Tuesday (September 22). These action happened on the strength of an arrest warrant issued by the Fourth Division of the Sandiganbayan over the alleged 2022 malversation of P31 million in

MANILA, Philippines — A very strong El Niño is likely to emerge between September and December 2026 and may continue until the first half of 2027, the state weather bureau said on Wednesday. Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) Climate Monitoring and Prediction Section chief Ana Liza Solis said that based on climate

MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang on Wednesday said Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla may be called out over his incorrect pronouncement about former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque’s asylum bid. On Tuesday evening, Remulla admitted that he was wrong when he earlier announced that Roque’s asylum bid had been rejected, saying the correct status was that the application remained

BAGUIO CITY — For 15 farmers and fisherfolk in Luna, Apayao, a 400-square-meter fishpond is becoming more than a source of tilapia. It is a step toward building a livelihood they can sustain on their own. The ST Tilapia Productions Association harvested its first batch of fish Sept. 3, yielding 57.8 kilograms and P9,826 in gross

MANILA, Philippines — The Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) on Wednesday allowed online platform Reddit to establish a presence in the country beyond the initial 24-hour deadline in a bid to strengthen cooperation. The move follows the CICC’s earlier directive to Reddit and Discord to set up offices in the country as part of

MABALACAT CITY — Policemen arrested a patrolman for firing his service firearm into the air during an argument with his father before midnight on Tuesday in Victoria, Tarlac.  The incident took place at 11:50 p.m. in Rigor Compound, Barangay San Nicolas, the Central Luzon police said in a report on Wednesday. “Initial investigation showed that

CALAPAN CITY, Oriental Mindoro — Two women were arrested, and around 112 grams of suspected shabu worth an estimated P761,600 were seized in a drug bust operation in Naujan town on Tuesday, authorities said. A 33-year-old assistant cook from Barangay Sto. Niño, Calapan City, and a 36-year-old unemployed woman from Barangay Mahabang Parang in Naujan

CALAPAN CITY — Police arrested a 25-year-old man and seized an estimated ₱560,000 worth of what they suspect to be smuggled cigarettes in a buy-bust operation in Puerto Princesa City on Tuesday.  The suspect was arrested after allegedly selling one box containing 50 reams of New Berlin cigarettes to an undercover police officer for P20,000.

COTABATO CITY  – The Police Regional Office – Region 12 (PRO-12) created a Special Investigation Task Group (SITG) to fast-track the investigation into the deadly shooting at Banga National High School (BNHS) in South Cotabato, a police official said Wednesday. Brig. Gen. Alan Manibog, PRO-12 regional director, said the SITG-Banga was formed not only to speed

An explosive news report says election commission members objected to the measures that excluded millions of people from voting, which critics say favor the government.

MANILA, Philippines — A budget of P500 million is still needed to complete the construction of the stalled nine-story academic building in the main campus of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP), Pinoy Workers party-list Rep,. Karl Josef Legazpi on Wednesday.  PUP earlier said the building would be executed in three phases and expected to

Lian Yunzhi of China solved a Rubik’s Cube five times in an average of 4.27 seconds, setting a women’s world record.

MANILA, Philippines — Senate Impeachment Court Presiding Officer Francis Escudero said Wednesday that while he opposes lowering the number of votes needed to convict Vice President Sara Duterte, the other senator-judges can overturn his decision. The court had decided to restrict some of its members from voting on Duterte’s fate, effectively lowering the threshold for

LUCENA CITY — The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in the Calabarzon region is evaluating more than 79,000 families in Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, and Quezon provinces as potential beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps). These families were identified as poor based on the 2024 Community-Based Monitoring System (CBMS) of the

All-Star forward Kawhi Leonard has agreed to a two-year, $115 million contract extension with the Toronto Raptors, plus a player option for the 2028-29 season, ESPN reported on Tuesday.

FILIPINO tennis ace Alexandra “Alex” Eala faces Russian Tatiana Prozorova in the round of 16 to begin her campaign at the WTA 500 Singapore Tennis Open at The Kallang on Thursday. The time and court for the second-round match were not yet available as of writing. Earning a first-round bye as the No. 3 seed, world No. 18 Eala finally sees action nearly three weeks after her third-round exit at the US Open. Eala fell to world No. 13 Jokic, 5-7, 6-3, 5-7, on Sept. 6. Meanwhile, world No. 180 Tatiana Prozorova defeated No. 152 Sofia Costoulas of Belgium in their first-round clash, 5-7, 7-6(2), 6-2, to earn the right to face Eala. The 22-year-old Prozorova said the 21-year-old is like an octopus when it comes to court coverage. “It’s a good opponent. Well, I can say most times she’s aggressive, but I can adjust during a match to what my opponent is doing. I can manage my game style in a way and adapt to her style,” said Prozorova. “I’m trying to be a little smarter than the opponent. There are a lot of challenges. She’s very good. She’s like an octopus. She runs from side to side, and she puts a lot of pressure on her opponent. Even if she is in a very uncomfortable situation, she will hit it as strongly as she can.” In a media availability where she was asked what she is looking forward to in the tournament, Eala mentions the Filipino community and the Southeast Asian culture. “I used to compete here very often as a kid,” said Eala, who will compete at the Asian Games in Japan right after Singapore. “There’s obviously a very huge Filipino community. I do have close relatives here that whenever I was in town, I’d go see. I think just Southeast Asian culture in general is very close-knit. “We find that sense of community in each other. So even the Southeast Asian women on tour, I find myself gravitating toward. We can relate on things like SEA Games, and we know that that doesn’t happen for all the other players.”

NINTH place was never the original dream for Alas Pilipinas Women at the Aichi-Nagoya 20th Asian Games, where they set out to contend for a medal. However, after early losses in group play ended their quarterfinal hopes, it became the highest possible finish — and one they claimed with authority. Head coach Taka Minowa challenged the team to reset their focus after dropping matches to powerhouse China (18-25, 22-25, 8-25) and Kazakhstan (29-27, 24-26, 25-23, 25-19). Shifted into the classification stage, the Filipinas were given a new objective: win out and secure ninth place. They executed the plan flawlessly, sweeping all three of their remaining matches. After decisive victories over Qatar (25-8, 25-2, 25-9) and Mongolia (25-13, 25-11, 25-20), Alas Pilipinas capped off their tournament with a straight-sets win against Hong Kong, 25-21, 25-9, 30-28, at the Okazaki Chuo Sogo Park Gymnasium on Tuesday night. Though missing out on the quarterfinals highlighted areas requiring growth — particularly consistency against elite opponents — the team views the experience as a crucial stepping stone. “Actually, we’re happy. Although that wasn’t our overall goal in the Asian Games, we’re happy with all our wins ... what we accomplished as a team and, of course, the learning experience,” said outside hitter Angel Canino, who reflected positively on her first Asian Games appearance alongside her veteran teammates. “It’s a huge achievement individually ... such an amazing experience to be with my older teammates and to be part of the Philippine national team, because some of them are people I really look up to,” she added. Bella Belen echoed the sentiment, noting that competing against the continent’s top squads exposed the gap they need to bridge moving forward. “It’s different. The level of play is really different. We learned so much, especially us younger players,” Belen shared. “We know there’s still room to improve. We need to elevate our level of play even more.” While the ninth-place finish fell short of their initial podium ambitions, the sweep in the placement round provided both progress and momentum. With young core players like Canino and Belen already setting their sights on future international tournaments, Alas Pilipinas leaves Nagoya with valuable experience and a clearer path toward becoming a true contender in Asia.