Southeast Asia's most populous metropolis ranks its 2nd smartest city

VNExpress - Sep 17, 2026

Indonesia's capital Jakarta has emerged as one of Southeast Asia's leading intelligent urban centers, ranking second in the region in an assessment of cities using AI and digital technology to enhance urban life.

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DOE scraps coal bid, plans rebid in weeks as Semirara contract nears expiry

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‘We’ll rebid in a few weeks. New rules, new bidding,’ Energy Secretary Sharon Garin tells Rappler as Semirara’s contract nears its July 2027 expiry

House summons Meta’s Zuckerberg over child safety, defers action on 2027 DICT budget

Sep 17, 2026

The DICT says Meta Platforms 'continues to fall short of its responsibility and commitment to youth safety,' and authorities will take steps to remedy that in the Philippines

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What’s going on in the news today, with updates at 9am, 2pm, 6pm, and 9pm.

Marcos: Work progress on Metro Manila subway at 60%

Sep 17, 2026

MANILA, Philippines — The Metro Manila Subway Project (MMSP) is almost 60 percent complete, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said on Wednesday at the groundbreaking for the subway’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) Terminal 3 station in Pasay City. Work on the Naia Terminal 3 station, which will be located beneath the open parking area, is

Exclusion of motorcycles, trikes from P60-B incentive for EVs questioned

Sep 17, 2026

Ahead of its planned rollout, the Philippines’ P60-billion incentive scheme for electric vehicle (EV) manufacturers is facing pushback from a leading industry group, which questioned why the program is focused on four-wheeled vehicles and excluded motorcycles and tricycles. Electric Vehicle Association of the Philippines (Evap) president Willy Tee Ten said he was puzzled as to

Marcos wants anti-political dynasty bill passed during his term

Sep 17, 2026

Marcos wants anti-political dynasty bill passed during his term

7 CIW officials, personnel face charges over missing trust fund

Sep 17, 2026

MANILA, Philippines — Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) Director Gen. Gregorio Pio Catapang Jr. on Wednesday ordered the filing of criminal, administrative and civil cases against two former Correctional Institution for Women (CIW) superintendents and five other personnel over alleged irregularities in the handling of funds for persons deprived of liberty (PDLs). In a statement, Catapang

Proposed 2027 budget for PDEA’s 240 working dogs only P2.9M

Sep 17, 2026

MANILA, Philippines — PhilReca party-list Rep. Presley de Jesus on Wednesday objected to what he described as the “very low” proposed allocation in next year’s budget for the training and care of Narcotic Detection Dogs or K9s under the care of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA). According to De Jesus, the role played by

Under 24-hour hospital stay covered – PhilHealth

Sep 17, 2026

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) is expanding its benefit packages to cover inpatient admissions of less than 24 hours beginning on Sept. 18, provided they meet the prescribed qualifications and requirements. In line with Republic Act No. 11223 (Universal Health Care Act) and PhilHealth Circular No. 2026-0013 dated Sept. 11, members

N Sembilan govt gazetting change of ruler, says MB

Sep 17, 2026

UPDATED 2.34PM | Exco instructed state secretary to proceed, Ismail says.

Duterte diehard, De Lima mocker gets Palace job

Sep 17, 2026

MANILA, Philippines — A ranking position in Malacañang awaits a vlogger who had switched sides from being a Duterte defender to a Marcos supporter, who once poked fun at Sen. Leila de Lima following her arrest, and who had been convicted of violating the Data Privacy Act. In an appointment letter dated Sept. 1, President

Marcoleta solicited campaign donation from co-accused in plunder raps --witness

Sep 17, 2026

Marcoleta solicited campaign donation from co-accused in plunder raps --witness

SC to Congress: ‘Injustice’ to delay anti-dynasty law

Sep 17, 2026

MANILA, Philippines — The Supreme Court has directed Congress to finally ban political dynasties, describing its refusal to perform its constitutional duty for the last 39 years as a “grave abuse of discretion” and “manifest injustice.” The high court did not set a timeframe for the enactment of a game-changing law in the country’s political

DOJ on Robin Padilla feeling 'discriminated:' We are duty bound to act on complaints

Sep 17, 2026

The Department of Justice (DOJ) said Thursday that it is duty-bound to act on complaints filed with the agency, following Senator Robin Padilla"s remarks that he felt “discriminated” against over his obstruction of justice case.

Romualdez, in wheelchair, pleads not guilty in plunder case

Sep 17, 2026

MANILA, Philippines — Former Speaker Martin Romualdez appeared before the Sandiganbayan via videoconference and pleaded not guilty to charges of plunder at his arraignment on Wednesday. During the proceedings, the court also asked him to explain in 10 days why he should not be placed under preventive suspension as a Leyte congressman, in compliance with

Impeachment court subpoenas Baste Duterte

Sep 17, 2026

MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte’s brother, Davao City Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte, has been summoned by the Senate impeachment court as a witness sought by the prosecution in the case over her alleged unexplained wealth. The court’s presiding officer, Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero, issued a subpoena on Wednesday for the younger Duterte to

3 of 4 ex-justices: Votes to convict in impeachment trial not fixed at 16

Sep 17, 2026

MANILA, Philippines — Three of four retired Supreme Court justices told the Senate impeachment court on Wednesday that the two-thirds vote required to convict an impeached official should not necessarily be fixed at 16, while retired Associate Justice Adolfo Azcuna maintained that the Constitution requires the full membership of the Senate to be used in

The Villafuertes of CamSur: A tale of political survival and reinvention

Sep 17, 2026

The Villafuertes have figured in well-publicized teleserye-like dramas: from family feuds, celebrity marriages, social media tit for tat, to political wranglings, reinvention, and shifting political alliances

PNP eyes int'l cooperation vs Romualdez co-accused Joselyn Serenio

Sep 17, 2026

The Philippine National Police (PNP) on Thursday said it may seek international cooperation to locate a co-accused of former House Speaker Martin Romualdez outside the country.

Lahar threat from Kanlaon forces evacuations

Sep 17, 2026

BACOLOD CITY, NEGROS OCCIDENTAL, Philippines — Heavy rains triggered lahar flows along the slopes of Kanlaon Volcano on Tuesday, prompting 167 residents in Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental to preemptively flee their homes, an Office of Civil Defense (OCD) official said Wednesday. The OCD had asked the Negros Occidental provincial government to assist with a

Quirino governor dies at 48; remembered for 25-year public service

Sep 17, 2026

CABARROGUIS, QUIRINO, Philippines — Quirino Gov. Dakila Carlo “Dax” Cua passed away on Tuesday evening, ending a quarter-century career in public service marked by youth leadership, legislative reforms and local governance advocacy. He was 48. His family appealed for prayers and support as they mourned his death and prepare to bring his remains home to

In Palawan, kin of ferry fire victims still seek answers a week after tragedy

Sep 17, 2026

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, PALAWAN, Philippines — One week after the fire that engulfed MV June Aster in the waters off Coron, Palawan, families of the victims remain anxiously waiting for answers as authorities continue to search for 12 missing people and investigate the cause of the deadly blaze. The death of a survivor on Tuesday afternoon

World View with Marites Vitug: Inside the fight against POGOs

Sep 17, 2026

Rappler editor-at-large Marites Vitug speaks to former PAOCC officials Winnie Quidato and Winston Casio about their book, The Rogue Compound: POGOs, Human Trafficking, and the Fight to Reclaim the Philippines

Can impeachment court decisions be appealed to SC?

Sep 17, 2026

Former associate justice Azcuna says the Supreme Court may reverse the Senate's ruling on the conviction threshold, but retired chief justice Panganiban says the High Court should not intervene

N Sembilan crisis: Customary council says Tuanku Muhriz still ruler, ex-MB, lawyers cry treason

Sep 17, 2026

They note the state exco's earlier backing of the state ruler and an interim court injunction to preserve status quo.

Carpio will seek SC help if Congress passes House's anti-political dynasty bill

Sep 17, 2026

Retired Supreme Court (SC) Associate Justice Antonio Carpio on Thursday said they will seek recourse from the High Court should Congress pass the controversial anti-political dynasty bill principally authored by Speaker Faustino “Bojie” Dy III and House Majority Leader Ferdinand Alexander “Sandro” Marcos.

From Hermès bags to $20M penthouse, Singapore sells off its biggest money laundering haul

Sep 17, 2026

Singapore has opened online bidding on hundreds of luxury handbags and jewelry pieces seized in its largest money laundering case, launching a series of 15 auctions that will run through May 2027.

Romualdez co-accused, personal assistant Joselyn Serenio has left PH

Sep 17, 2026

The co-accused and personal assistant of Leyte Representative and former House Speaker Martin Romauldez in his plunder case has left the Philippines, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) said Thursday.

Australia to ban international students from bringing partners and children

Sep 17, 2026

Australia will stop foreign students from bringing their partners and children to accompany them while they study and tighten rules for temporary migrants to switch visas, media reported on Thursday, ahead of a minister's ‌speech on immigration changes.

LIVE UPDATES: Impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte

Sep 17, 2026

Bookmark this page for Rappler's comprehensive coverage of Vice President Sara Duterte's impeachment trial at the Senate

Only 21 senators qualified to vote in Sara Duterte impeachment -- Carpio

Sep 17, 2026

For retired Supreme Court (SC) Associate Justice Antonio Carpio, only 21 senator-judges are qualified to vote in the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.

16 or lower? Ex-SC justices guide impeachment court on conviction threshold issue

Sep 17, 2026

The amici curiae give solicited advice to the impeachment court on the crucial issue

Unhealthy air quality recorded in 28 areas nationwide

Sep 17, 2026

Perak seems to be the hardest-hit state today, with several areas recording in the 180 range.

Part of donor's tax for Marcoleta's P75M campaign fund paid by his employee --witness

Sep 17, 2026

Part of the donor's tax for the P75 million worth of funds donated to Senator Rodante Marcoleta was paid by his employee, a witness told the Sandiganbayan on Thursday.

OpenAI’s rogue agents probed Hugging Face for weaknesses 2 months before major hack

Sep 17, 2026

The newly uncovered malicious activity shows that the rogue agents' efforts to find a way into Hugging Face began earlier than was publicly known

Peninsula politicians should learn from Borneo, Anwar says as stony-faced Zahid looks on

Sep 17, 2026

Jabs in Malaysia Day address come amid tensions in Putrajaya.

AI transforming, not cutting PH outsourcing jobs – study

Sep 17, 2026

The artificial intelligence (AI) boom has not yet caused a decline in the Philippines’ service-export revenues or employment, ING Bank N.V. said, arguing that AI is so far changing what gets outsourced rather than reducing demand for outsourced work. In a report, Deepali Bhargava, head of Asia-Pacific research at ING, said there was evidence that

Gov’t spending yet to pick up pace

Sep 17, 2026

MANILA, Philippines — Government budget releases remained slightly behind last year’s pace by end-August, putting greater pressure on agencies to accelerate spending in the remaining months of 2026. Latest data from the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) showed that allotment releases had reached 94.1 percent, or P6.391 trillion of the P6.793-trillion budget in the

DBS bets on strong PH growth rebound but flags energy risk

Sep 17, 2026

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines has the potential to grow by an average of 5.8 percent a year from 2026 through 2035, according to DBS Bank Ltd., though it warned that the country’s heavy reliance on imported energy could weigh on that expansion. In a report copublished with Bain & Company and Vriens & Partners,

Toyota protests exclusion of hybrid cars from TNVS slots

Sep 17, 2026

MANILA, Philippines — Toyota Motor Philippines Corp., is questioning the exclusion of hybrid electric vehicles (EVs) from the 7,500 new ride-hailing slots in Metro Manila opened by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB). Under Memorandum Circular No. 2026-084, which took effect on Aug. 27, the LTFRB allocated additional Transport Network Vehicle Service (TNVS) slots

Southeast Asia's most populous metropolis ranks its 2nd smartest city

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DOE scraps coal bid, plans rebid in weeks as Semirara contract nears expiry

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N Sembilan govt gazetting change of ruler, says MB

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Marcoleta solicited campaign donation from co-accused in plunder raps --witness

SC to Congress: ‘Injustice’ to delay anti-dynasty law

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Romualdez, in wheelchair, pleads not guilty in plunder case

Impeachment court subpoenas Baste Duterte

3 of 4 ex-justices: Votes to convict in impeachment trial not fixed at 16

The Villafuertes of CamSur: A tale of political survival and reinvention

PNP eyes int'l cooperation vs Romualdez co-accused Joselyn Serenio

Lahar threat from Kanlaon forces evacuations

Quirino governor dies at 48; remembered for 25-year public service

In Palawan, kin of ferry fire victims still seek answers a week after tragedy

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Can impeachment court decisions be appealed to SC?

N Sembilan crisis: Customary council says Tuanku Muhriz still ruler, ex-MB, lawyers cry treason

Carpio will seek SC help if Congress passes House's anti-political dynasty bill

From Hermès bags to $20M penthouse, Singapore sells off its biggest money laundering haul

Romualdez co-accused, personal assistant Joselyn Serenio has left PH

Australia to ban international students from bringing partners and children

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Part of donor's tax for Marcoleta's P75M campaign fund paid by his employee --witness

OpenAI’s rogue agents probed Hugging Face for weaknesses 2 months before major hack

Peninsula politicians should learn from Borneo, Anwar says as stony-faced Zahid looks on

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Gov’t spending yet to pick up pace

DBS bets on strong PH growth rebound but flags energy risk

Toyota protests exclusion of hybrid cars from TNVS slots

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