Philippine News

March 16 ------ Getting a clear picture of what traffic is currently passing through the Strait of Hormuz is difficult at present for the external observer. The US military and the Omani coast guard will have a complete picture, but ship trackers used to dependency on AIS signals are now deprived of their primary source of information, as vessels passing through the strait are clearly not wishing to advertise their presence and are traveling with AIS systems switched off. How

March 16 ------ Sea-Intelligence conducted a network stress test simulating the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz. The objective was to quantify the deep-sea vessel capacity scheduled to leave the Persian Gulf, while excluding local feeder vessels that were not intended to exit the region. As explained by Sea-Intelligence, to calculate this potentially trapped capacity, carriers’ published schedules were analyzed and applied to two scenarios. Under the Baseline Scenar

March 16 ------ InterManager has expressed serious concern about the worsening security situation affecting commercial shipping in the Middle East Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz. In light of the recent attacks on merchant vessels in the region, InterManager is urging ship managers, owners and operators to exercise extreme caution and carefully evaluate whether transit through the Strait of Hormuz is necessary at this time. The safety and wellbeing of seafarers must remain the

March 16 ------ The Philippine Coast Guard responded to the reports of a capsized cargo ship in Cebu province on March 11. It was able to rescue the crew of the vessel, but reports that one dockworker was killed in the incident. A small inter-island cargo ship named Theresa I was docked at the APO Cement Port in Naga City, Cebu. It was conducting a loading operation, which involved a de-ballasting procedure. The vessel lost stability, rolling to one side, which caused the car

March 16 ------ The seven celebrity performers went all out with their transformations ahead of the much-anticipated Grand Showdown of "Your Face Sounds Familiar." Serving Cuban-Mexican beauty realness, Dia Mate stepped into the shoes of Camila Cabello, the voice behind the hit "Havana." Meanwhile, Rufa Mae Quinto took us on a throwback trip to the '80s as she transformed into Tiffany, performing the classic ‘hugot’ piece "All This Time." We honestly think Nick Jonas would be

MANILA, Philippines, March 16 ------ Former Miss Universe Philippines Gazini Ganados has been announced as the country’s delegate to the inaugural Miss Grand International (MGI) All Stars pageant in Thailand, a new international competition featuring returning beauty queens from around the world. The MGI Organization confirmed the announcement on its official Instagram page, introducing the 30-year-old Filipino-Palestinian as part of the first batch of contestants for the sp

March 16 ------ Geneva Cruz has finally earned her college degree, more than three decades after she first began pursuing higher education. On Instagram, the singer and actress proudly shared a photo of herself wearing a graduation toga and holding her cap, and tagged the Philippine Christian University (PCU). “As I approach my golden age in less than a month, I realize that some of my dreams are still coming true. Thirty-three years in the making, but I finally did it! Look,

March 16 ------ “Pinoy Big Brother: Celebrity Collab Edition 2.0” premiered last October, bringing together 20 Gen Z artists from GMA’s Sparkle and ABS-CBN’s Star Magic. After months of challenges and nominations, the season culminated last Feb. 28. Taking home the title of Big Winners were Lella Ford (Star Magic) and Caprice Cayetano (Sparkle), the daughter of celebrity chef Jorge Mendez, Cibo’s executive chef and creative director. Securing the second-place spots were Kryst

March 16 ------ Oil prices extended gains as the US-Israeli war against Iran entered a third week, putting oil infrastructure at risk and keeping the Strait of Hormuz shut in the biggest disruption to global supplies ever. Brent crude futures jumped US$2.01, or 1.95 per cent, to US$105.15 a barrel by 11.38 pm GMT after settling US$2.68 higher. US West Texas Intermediate crude climbed US$1.61, or 1.63 per cent, to US$100.32 a barrel, after gaining nearly US$3 in the previous s

March 16 ------ The Trump administration plans to announce as early as this week that multiple countries have agreed to form a coalition that will escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing US officials. US President Donald Trump has warned that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) faces a “very bad” future if US allies fail to assist in opening up the strait, in an interview with the Financial Times published on Sunday. Trump

March 16 ------ Ukraine is prepared to cooperate with any future Hungarian leadership willing to maintain constructive relations and avoid aligning with Russia, President Volodymyr Zelensky said, criticizing the current government in Budapest for what he described as anti-Ukrainian policies. Speaking to journalists, Zelensky argued that Hungary’s current leadership has fostered hostility toward Ukraine, a development he said harms relations between neighboring countries. Hung

March 16 ------ Russia faces a projected $100 billion budget deficit in 2026, but the shortfall could be covered if sanctions on Russian oil are weakened, President Volodymyr Zelensky said. Speaking to journalists, Zelensky said Moscow has already generated significant revenue from oil exports in recent weeks, highlighting how quickly the deficit could shrink if restrictions on energy sales are loosened. Oil revenue could offset deficit According to Ukrinform, Zelensky stated

MONTALBAN, March 16 ------ NLEX dealt LA Tenorio and Magnolia a second straight loss, 112-105, as the Road Warriors remained undefeated in the PBA Season 50 Commissioner’s Cup at the Ynares Center. Import Cady Lalanne had a double-double of 24 points and 10 rebounds and new acquisition Schonny Winston finished with 14, including a corner three that beat the shot clock and gave NLEX a 111-103 lead in the final 47 seconds. The Road Warriors improved to 2-0 with their second str

INDIAN WELLS, United States, March 16 ------ World No. 2 Jannik Sinner surged home to beat Daniil Medvedev, 7-6 (8/6), 7-6 (7/4) to capture his first Indian Wells ATP Masters 1000 crown. Four-time Grand Slam champion Sinner won his first title of 2026, rallying from 0-4 down in the second-set tiebreaker to seal the win against a resurgent Medvedev, winner of the title in Dubai last month who was riding a nine-match ATP winning streak. That included an upset semifinal triumph

March 16 ------ THE Filipinas lost in their first of three chances to make it to the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027 after their 7-0 loss to Japan in the quarterfinals of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup at the Stadium Australia in Sydney. Philippines second-string goalkeeper Nina Meollo held her own for most of the first half until she conceded a 45th-minute goal from Mina Tanaka. Toko Koga then scored two of her two goals during extra time for a 2-0 Japan lead, and they never looked b

MANILA, March 16 ------ Gilas Pilipinas Women dropped to a 0-4 slate in the FIBA Women's World Cup Qualifying Tournament after succumbing to South Korea, 105-74, at the Astroballe in Lyon, France. Gilas Women managed to keep in step with the World No. 15 squad with an 11-0 run, but a Jihyun Park layup tied the ball game at 17-all late in the opening frame. From there, the South Korean squad went on a 19-0 run to eventually build a lead of 22 points at halftime. Gilas Women tr

MANILA, March 16 ------ Two Filipino nationals were reportedly among foreign nationals arrested by authorities in the United Arab Emirates for allegedly posting harmful digital content related to the strikes. In a statement, the Philippine Embassy in Abu Dhabi and the Consulate General in Dubai said they are closely monitoring reports that Filipino nationals are among those arrested for "sharing videos and other online content related to the recent attacks and air defense int

MANILA, March 16 ------ The Kanlaon Volcano has once again erupted, marking its third recorded eruption this year, according to Phivolcs. The eruption was described as "moderately explosive," and lasted for about a minute. The height of its plume reached 5,000 meters, Phivolcs Director Teresito Bacolcol said in DZMM TeleRadyo's Story Outlook. "In a span of one month, pangatlo na ito but ineexpect natin itong ganitong klaseng activities sa Alert Level 2 status ng Kanlaon Volca

MANILA, Philippines, March 16 ------ Rice prices have increased and may continue to do so as market speculations swirl over supply disruptions and fuel price surges driven by the escalating war in the Middle East. Industry sources told that rice prices have increased by about P2 per kilo following the first wave of fuel price hikes last week. Prices may increase again this week as fuel firms are set to raise pump prices by almost P20 per liter. Department of Agriculture (DA)

MANILA, Philippines, March 16 ------ The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board has approved the fare increases of provincial buses and other public utility vehicles (PUV) amid ongoing oil price hikes. The LTFRB granted a provisional fare hike on provincial public utility buses (PUBs) effective March 14. Provincial PUBs, deluxe and super deluxe buses went up to P0.35 per kilometer, while luxury buses were bumped to P0.45 per kilometer. The base fare of ordinary