MANILA, Philippines — The Marikina local government said it is eyeing to further expand its leather goods industry in time for the Christmas season as it kicked off its annual shoe bazaar on Friday. Known as the Shoe Capital of the country, the Marikina commenced its Christmas Shoe Bazaar, this time with the intent of

BAGUIO CITY — Students from seven educational institutions in Baguio City and Benguet staged a mass walkout on Friday, Nov. 13, to protest against Pax Silica ahead of U.S. President Donald Trump’s visit to the Philippines. Organizers described the activity as peaceful. Participants from the University of the Philippines Baguio, University of the Cordilleras, Saint

COTABATO CITY —- The new head of the education ministry in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) has sought a fresh probe into allegations teaching positions are being sold, an old issue that kept hounding the agency until today. Member of the Parliament and education minister Naguib Sinarimbo said that recent complaints pointed

MANILA, Philippines — The newly appointed Commissioner Rolando Ligon plans to accelerate the Bureau of Internal Revenue’s (BIR) digital modernization program with a multi-year overhaul of its core information technology systems. In a statement a day after Ligon’s appointment, the BIR said the new commissioner plans to initiate a five-year program to upgrade its computer infrastructure

BUTUAN CITY, Agusan del Norte — Science and Technology Secretary Renato Solidum Jr. has challenged local startups, universities, and local governments to move beyond simply launching new ventures and focus instead on scaling up, commercializing research, and building “future-proof” enterprises. Delivering the keynote message at the 10th National Technology Business Incubation (TBI) Summit at the

TACLOBAN CITY — The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) in Eastern Visayas destroyed more than 5.5 kilograms of dangerous drugs, with an estimated street value of P37.7 million, during a destruction activity held on Thursday, November 12, at Heaven’s Gateway Chapel in Campetik, Palo, Leyte. The activity involved the destruction of confiscated drug evidence and

MANILA, Philippines — Over 30 civil society groups across Asia warned that Japan’s $10-billion energy financing drive for Southeast Asian economies could deepen the Philippines’ reliance on fossil fuels despite efforts to accelerate renewables buildout. The organizations said on Friday that pushing for further tie-ups with Japan could make Filipino consumers more vulnerable to oil

COTABATO CITY – Police authorities recovered an improvised bomb left along the roadside in Shariff Aguak town, Maguindanao del Sur on Friday, Nov. 13. Colonel John Mangahis, Maguindanao del Sur police director, said the Shariff Aguak municipal police station was alerted by a concerned resident who noticed the unattended package. Police personnel were then dispatched

TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol – The League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP)-Bohol Chapter has asked the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to remove a requirement for local government units (LGUs) to have obligated at least 75 percent of their annual development fund as of September 30 to qualify for the 2026 Collective Negotiation Agreement

LEGAZPI CITY — A new lava dome has been spotted inside the summit crater of Mayon Volcano, prompting warnings of possible renewed volcanic activity, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said Friday, Nov. 13. The dome was first observed Friday morning through a close-up camera monitoring system at the Mayon Volcano Observatory. “Lava

MANILA, Philippines — The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) will provide the “necessary assistance” in the potential extradition of Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) founder Apollo Quiboloy. According to the NBI, the assistance to be provided by the agency will depend on the instructions of the Department of Justice (DOJ). READ: Extradition warrant, HDO issued

NLEX Corporation has expanded its electric vehicle (EV) charging network along its expressways, giving motorists more options to recharge while traveling between Metro Manila and Central Luzon.

ZAMBOANGA CITY — A police special task group is pursuing leads and gathering forensic evidence in the fatal ambush of a Basilan-based judge who was gunned down while heading to the port here on Thursday, a regional police official said. Lt. Col. Shellamie Chang, spokesperson of the Police Regional Office 9 (PRO 9), said the

MANILA, Philippines — The supposed preference of Vice President Sara Duterte’s camp for a longer trial comes off as masochism for Manila Rep. Joel Chua, as the defense lawyers seem to enjoy seeing themselves ‘beaten and bloodied’ continuously. Chua, a member of the prosecution panel, said this during a press briefing on Friday as he

BUTUAN CITY — More patients in the Caraga region can now avail of hospital care without out-of-pocket expenses after nine private hospitals signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) and the Department of Health (DOH) to implement the ‘No Balance Billing’ (NBB) policy. Dr. Beverly Lorraine Ho, PhilHealth acting

MANILA, Philippines — A total of P213.75 million worth of “commissions” were delivered to a hotel in Manila allegedly for Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) District Engineer Henry Alcantara testified before the Sandiganbayan Second Division on Friday. Speaking as a witness for the prosecution in the continuation of Estrada’s

MANILA, Philippines — San Miguel Corp.’s power arm signaled strong interest in the government’s coal mine auction and even praised the Department of Energy (DOE) for its controversial asset-surrender rule, a provision that has drawn the ire of incumbent operator Semirara Mining and Power Corp. (SMPC). Of the seven companies that attended a new pre-bid

MANILA, Philippines — Broadcast giant GMA Network Inc. slipped into the red in the third quarter of 2026, with sluggish advertising spending and the absence of election-related placements weighing on its revenues. In a disclosure on Friday, the company said it had incurred a consolidated net loss of P77.36 million from July to September, reversing the

ILIGAN CITY — Children with cancer in Iligan City can now receive free treatment closer to home following the opening of a pediatric oncology unit at the local government-run Gregorio T. Lluch Memorial Hospital (GTLMH) on Thursday, Nov. 12. The Iligan City Information Office said the new facility was established to address the difficulties faced

MANILA, Philippines — San Miguel Corp. (SMC) reported a 40-percent drop in net income to P47.3 billion in the first nine months of 2026, weighed down by unrealized foreign exchange losses and a high year-earlier base. The conglomerate said its 2025 results included a one-time gain from the Chromite transaction. Excluding that gain and other

MANILA, Philippines — JG Summit Holdings Inc.’s net income attributable to equity holders of the parent fell 33 percent to P12.5 billion in the first nine months of 2026, as higher jet fuel costs and a weaker peso weighed on its airline business. On Friday, the Gokongwei-led conglomerate pointed said the peso’s depreciation increased foreign exchange

CALAPAN CITY, Oriental Mindoro — The ecumenical network Philippine-Misereor Partnership Inc. (PMPI) has backed a call for the Marinduque provincial government to initiate a comprehensive ecological rehabilitation and restoration plan for communities and ecosystems damaged by decades of mining operations by Marcopper Mining Corp. In a statement issued on Thursday (Nov. 12), PMPI supported Resolution

MANILA, Philippines — Twenty charging points were added across the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) amid a growing number of electric and hybrid vehicles, its operator announced Friday. According to NLEX Corp. in a statement, six of its service stops have been equipped with 20 EV charging points as of November 2026. READ: Toll board orders

MANILA, Philippines — ABS-CBN Corp. saw its losses widen by nearly a third in the first nine months of 2026, as weaker advertising demand and a shrinking cable subscriber base were further aggravated by “challenging market conditions” In a disclosure on Friday, the media company reported a consolidated net loss of P2.95 billion from January to

MANILA, Philippines — Local stocks fell for a third straight session on Friday, closing at their lowest level this year as a weaker peso and a downgrade to the country’s growth outlook weighed on sentiment. The benchmark Philippine Stock Exchange Index (PSEi) shed 67.06 points, or 1.18 percent, to close at 5,593.49, slipping below 5,600. READ:

Shopee, the largest e-commerce platform in Southeast Asia and Taiwan and a leading e-commerce platform in Brazil, has launched  ShopeeFood, its food delivery service, in the Philippines. The service is now available in Metro Manila, making the Philippines the fifth Southeast Asian market where Shopee offers food delivery as part of its broader marketplace offering.

MANILA, Philippines — Mounting foreign exchange losses and higher interest expenses hit DITO CME Holdings Corp. in the first nine months of 2026, during which its net loss attributable to shareholders ballooned to P17.1 billion. That marked a 77-percent jump from the attributable net loss of P9.65 billion in the same period last year. READ: DITO

MANILA, Philipppines — PNB Holdings Corp. grew net income 16 percent to P317.02 million in the first nine months of 2026 as the company broadened its commercial offerings to attract more customers to its buildings. On Friday, the real estate company said in a disclosure that consolidated revenues rose 5 percent to P940.35 million. READ: PNB

BACOLOD CITY — A 27-year-old Police Non-Commissioned Officer (PNCO) died after his firearm was accidentally discharged at 12:30 a.m. on Friday in Barangay Caranoche, Santa Catalina, Negros Oriental. According to an initial investigation by the Santa Catalina Municipal Police Station, personnel responded to the scene after a concerned citizen reported the incident. Witness accounts indicate

MANILA, Philippines — A bill seeking to make the 1987 Constitution more accessible through translations into Filipino, major regional languages, Arabic, and Spanish has been refiled in the Senate. Senate Bill No. 2600, or the proposed Constitutional Translation and Access Act, seeks to establish a framework to complete outstanding translations of the country’s fundamental law