Philippine News

MANILA, Philippines, January 27 ------ Another round of fuel price increases awaits motorists this week, with pump prices set to rise by as much as P1.40 per liter starting today. This week marks the third consecutive fuel price hike of the year, with gasoline up by P0.40 per liter, kerosene by P0.80, and diesel by P1.40. Diesel, however, has been rising since late December, making this its fifth straight week of increases. Shell Pilipinas, CleanFuel, Caltex and Seaoil announ

January 27 ------ A HOMECOMING sweetened by history and sealed with a victory. Alex Eala gave the Filipino crowd a night to remember, overpowering Russia’s Alina Charaeva, 6-1, 6-2 to open her campaign at the WTA 125 Philippine Women’s Open in her first match on home soil in eight years. Eala was just 12 years old when she last competed in the Philippines, then a junior at the 2018 PHINMA-PSC International Juniors Championship. She returned to the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center

JAKARTA, Indonesia, January 27 ------ Chokers. Losers. Those were among the nasty names that have been associated with Aurora Gaming PH throughout the past year or so after repeated heartbreaks and foiled chances, both domestic and abroad. What matters now, though, is what people will be calling them moving forward -- champions of the world. The Northern Lights' long journey full of doubts, setbacks, and tears finally ended in triumph after a sweep of the host country’s darli

January 27 ------ The naval forces of the Philippines and the United States held their 11th bilateral maritime cooperative activity (MCA) in the West Philippine Sea from January 25 to 26, which seeks to boost the interoperability of the two countries in maritime patrolling.  According to EJ Gomez’s report in “24 Oras” on Monday, the Philippine Navy sent one of its newest warships, the guided-missile frigate BRP Antonio Luna (FF-151) as well as the Philippine Coast Guard offsh

MANILA, January 27 ------ Various government agencies launched the "Pambansang Botika at Bakuna para sa Mamamayan", which aims to sell cheaper medicines across the country. This venture is led by the Philippine Pharma Procurement Inc, an attached agency of the Department of Trade and Industry. The first branch will be inside the Diliman Branch of the SSS. Usec. Maria Blanca Kim Lokin, President and CEO of the PPPI, said they aim to make cheaper medicines more accessible even

January 27 ------ DESPITE a gallant stand and a vintage performance from Terrence Romeo, the MLV-Zamboanga Valientes absorbed a heartbreaking 90-92 overtime loss to Syria’s Al Karamah in the 2026 Dubai International Basketball Invitational. Trailing since the middle of the first quarter, the Valientes relied on the 33-year-old Romeo to bring them back into the game with crucial baskets in the dying minutes of regulation that knotted the score at 82-all, leading to extra time.

January 27 ------ The Philippines has posted its best medal haul in the ASEAN Para Games, collecting 45 golds, 37 silvers, and 52 bronzes during the 13th edition of the biennial meet in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand. The Filipino delegates easily surpassed their previous gold-silver-bronze haul of 34-33-50 in the 12th ASEAN Para Games in Cambodia in 2023, making it the country's best medal haul since the tournament's inception in 2001 in Malaysia. Chief of mission Goody Custodi

MANILA, January 27 ------ Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) Commodore Jay Tarriela slammed the “brazen and abrasive” statements released by the Chinese Embassy in Manila against Philippine elected officials. In a statement, Tarriela — the PCG spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea (WPS) —said the embassy’s statements were “blatant disrespect against Philippine elected officials in our own soil.” “As Filipinos, we must recognize that this attack on our sitting Senators by foreign

January 27 ------ As the U.S. military builds up its presence in the Mideast in response to events in Iran, Yemen's Houthi rebel group has issued a new reminder of its ability to conduct strikes on commercial shipping in the Red Sea. The Houthis conducted more than 100 attempted attacks on merchant ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Oman in protest of the Israeli operation in Gaza, sinking four and killing at least 18 seafarers. (The group itself puts the number in excess of 20

January 27 ------ Spain's National Police have taken down a major maritime smuggling ring in a year-long operation, netting more than 100 arrests and more than 10 tons of cocaine. The Central Drug and Organized Crime Unit (UDYCO) believes that the blow is enough to "destabilize" the criminal group, though the mastermind remains at large. Law enforcement officials laid out a map of a sweeping transatlantic crime syndicate involving speedboats, burner phones, payoffs, multiple

January 27 ------ Finland's Border Guard hopes to prevent damage to critical undersea infrastructure in the Gulf of Finland with a maritime surveillance center it plans to set up in cooperation with other Baltic Sea states and the EU Commission, it said on Monday. The Baltic Sea region has been on high alert after a string of power cable, telecom link and gas pipeline outages since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. The most recent incident occurred on New Year's Eve when Finnis

January 27 ------ Spanish automated wind-assisted propulsion system specialist bound4blue has installed the first eSAIL units on the first of five tankers owned by Danish Maersk Tankers. Four 24-meter ‘plug and play’ suction sails were fitted on Maersk Trieste, completing the first stage of an agreement that will see a total of 20 units installed across five advanced medium-range (MR) tankers. “For the tanker industry, progress on emissions reduction requires concrete investm

January 27 ------ Catriona Gray is grateful to mark another year as the arts ambassador of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), and is ready to continue what she started with the government agency. Gray expressed her gratitude to the NCCA in an Instagram post on Sunday, January 25, sharing snippets of her recent appearance at the agency’s National Arts Month event in Intramuros. “Honored to be serving my seventh year as @nccaofficial Arts Ambassador. To ki

January 27 ------ The 2026 Dinagyang Festival once again proved its status as a gold standard for Philippine tourism for its deep cultural roots with the energy of a world-class event. As Iloilo City came alive with the sound of drums, vibrant costumes, and devotion to the Santo Niño, Megaworld’s Iloilo Business Park became the center of events. For years now, the township has served as the “home of Dinagyang’s biggest celebrations.” One of the weekend’s standout events was

MANILA, January 27 ------ Despite being the son of veteran actors Gladys Reyes and Christopher Roxas, Christof is carving out his own name, firmly setting his sights on a music career he calls his true “home base.” Raised in a household steeped in acting, Christof says music has always been his first love. Influenced by legendary artists like Billy Joel and Paul McCartney, he admits songwriting did not come naturally at first. “It wasn’t first nature to me, ‘yung song writing

MANILA, Philippines, January 27 ------ Kris Aquino has teased a possible return to interviewing through a video podcast, which she described as a potential “birthday gift” to her supporters, as she continues to recover from a recent medical ordeal. In a social media update posted on Monday, Aquino shared, “With the correct safety protocols, pwede akong mag taped as live video podcast. I miss doing interviews! Will you watch and subscribe? Like this post if you want my podcast

NEW YORK, January 27 ------ Global stocks advanced for a fourth straight session as investors awaited earnings from a bevy of U.S. megacaps, while the yen strengthened against the dollar as investors looked for any signs of intervention in the Japanese currency. In addition, gold advanced to the top of $5,100 an ounce for the first time, as a swath of geopolitical tensions continues to weigh on the U.S. dollar. On Wall Street, U.S. stocks closed higher, buoyed in part by gain

PARIS, January 27 ------ French President Emmanuel Macron says he wants his government to fast-track the legal process to ensure that a ban on social media for children under the age of 15 can enter into force in September at the start of the next school year. In a video released late Saturday by French broadcaster BFM-TV, Macron said he had asked his government to initiate an accelerated procedure so that the proposed legislation can move as quickly as possible and be passed

January 27 ------ UKRAINE President Volodymyr Zelensky said that a US security guarantees document for Ukraine is “100% ready” after two days of talks involving representatives from Ukraine, the US and Russia. Speaking to journalists in Vilnius during a visit to Lithuania, Zelenskyy said Ukraine is waiting for its partners to set a signing date, after which the document would go to the US Congress and Ukrainian parliament for ratification. Zelensky also emphasized Ukraine’s p

January 27 ------ Germany’s foreign minister accused Russia of blocking progress toward peace by clinging to territorial demands during US-backed talks aimed at ending the war in Ukraine. Speaking in Latvia, Johann Wadephul said what emerged from negotiations in Abu Dhabi was “only Russia’s stubborn insistence on the crucial territorial issue.” “And if there is no flexibility here, I fear that the negotiations may still take a long time or may not be successful at this stage,