BACOLOD CITY — About 1,800 police officers will be fielded to secure the MassKara Festival here, which kicks off on Oct. 1 and runs until Oct. 18. The festival peaks on Oct. 16 with the Electric MassKara, followed by the arena and street dancing competitions for schools and barangays on Oct. 17 and Oct. 18.

Vehicles, officers seen at Langgak Duta home in KL today.

Each case must be handled separately based on the issues and investigations involved, Halim says.

MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang on Friday said Sen. Pia Cayetano need not panic if she has done nothing wrong. This was after Cayetano said she “fears” for her liberty and right to speak after discovering that the National Bureau of Investigation tracked her travel movements and return from Singapore. Citing NBI Director Melvin Matibag’s recent

SAN ILDEFONSO, Ilocos Sur — A total of 32 leptospirosis cases, including one death, have been recorded in nearby Ilocos Norte this year, according to the Provincial Epidemiology Surveillance Unit (PESU). Of the reported cases, 26 were classified as suspect cases, three as probable cases, and three as confirmed cases. One death was also recorded,

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of National Defense (DND) on Friday welcomed the House of Representatives’ approval of the proposed New Espionage Act, which, the agency described as “critical and [a] long-overdue modernization of antiquated laws.” House Bill 9642 was approved on third and final reading Thursday night by 247 favorable votes against 10 unfavorable.

MANILA, Philippines — The University of the Philippines (UP) will push for amendments to its P26.5-billion budget for next year—a huge cut from its original proposed budget, which its leader said could jeopardize the completion of long-delayed infrastructure projects and the capacity-building of its research program. UP President Angelo Jimenez told reporters on Friday they

MANILA, Philippines — The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has tapped Meta to trace the individuals behind at least 30 social media accounts mocking the disability and sexual orientation of Akbayan Rep. Percival Cendaña, Director Melvin Matibag said. This is in response to the Sept. 15 complaint filed by Cendaña — a stroke survivor and

MANILA, Philippines — The Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR), a monitor of the state of the Philippine press in the last 37 years, announced on Friday that it is winding down operations due to funding issues. CMFR said that while it weathered different political environments and challenges since its founding as a nonstock,

MANILA, Philippines — The Office of the Ombudsman has initiated a preliminary investigation focusing on members of the Villar family and executives of the water utility firm that they previously owned for possible violations of the anti-graft law. In a statement on Friday, the Ombudsman said criminal and administrative complaints against Senators Mark and Camille

BANGA, SOUTH COTABATO — Another shooting rampage in school involving a teenage attacker, this time in this town some 15 kilometers from the provincial capital of Koronadal City, left three students dead and six others wounded on Friday. The 1 p.m. attack at Banga National High School was the third fatal campus attack in as

COTABATO CITY — A tribal leader who will serve as a member of the regular Bangsamoro Parliament expressed optimism that the long-neglected concerns of indigenous peoples (IPs) in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) will finally be heard and addressed now that non-Moro indigenous peoples (NMIPs) have representation in the regional legislature. “Our

Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla said Saturday he will be delaying his planned trip to France for a follow up on an Interpol red notice request against former party-list lawmaker Zaldy Co, following the fatal shooting incident at Banga National High School in South Cotabato.

BAGUIO CITY — A giant crocheted mandala measuring 6 meters (19 feet) in diameter has earned Baguio artist Adelaida Guia a Guinness World Records title for the largest mandala crocheted by a single person. Guia received an email on Thursday, Sept. 17, informing her that she had officially set the record with her 29-square-meter creation.

TAGBILARAN CITY—The Bohol provincial government is fast-tracking the procurement of a P5-million cloud-seeding operation as prolonged heat and below-normal water levels threaten thousands of hectares of farmland across the province. Provincial Administrator Asteria Caberte said during the full-council meeting of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC) on Thursday that the contract could

Forms provided for asset declaration, Halim says.

Ateneo professor Melay Abao writes about the life and times of Etta Rosales, the former communist who became a lawmaker and eventually headed the Commission on Human Rights

Once set on either the U.K. or the U.S., a Vietnamese student changed his mind and went on to win a place at China's Tsinghua, one of the country's most prestigious universities.

A 59-year-old man was killed in Ho Chi Minh City when a large tree branch snapped during a thunderstorm and crushed the motorbike he was riding with his wife on Friday evening.

'What exactly is Umno trying to show solidarity with?'

Transportation advocates lay out potential risks posed by proposed expressways, including the controversial SALEX

The hacks, which occurred in May during a cybersecurity test, were conducted by Irregular, an independent company that conducts cybersecurity evaluations

What’s going on in the news today, with updates at 11am, 2pm, and 6pm.

'We are very positive about the market, and we do see people are still very interested to travel,' Singapore Airlines general manager Liewei Tai tells Rappler

UPDATED 11.30AM | 'Legally, constitutionally impossible for Anwar and govt to escape.'

The National Maritime Council on Saturday said the ramming done by the China Coast Guard on a vessel of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources in the West Philippine Sea placed civilian lives at risk.

MANILA, Philippines — The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has tightened audit requirements for companies with government contracts as scrutiny of public infrastructure projects intensifies amid the flood control scandal. Under SEC Memorandum Circular No. 26, Series of 2026, the corporate regulator amended its accreditation guidelines to strengthen the quality of audit work and ensure

MANILA, Philippines — Asian economies that run wide current-account deficits and have yet to benefit significantly from the artificial intelligence (AI) boom, such as the Philippines, could be more sensitive to expectations of higher US interest rates, the Australia and New Zealand Banking Group (ANZ) said. In a note on Friday, Khoon Goh, head of

Another round of big-time increase in pump prices are expected to be implemented in the coming week.

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) expects the blockbuster listing of GCash operator Mynt Inc. to spur market activity and bring more retail investors into local stocks as it cleared what could become the largest initial public offering (IPO) in its history. On Friday, PSE president and CEO Ramon Monzon said, “We welcome this