Philippine News

MANILA, June 7 ------ The Armed Forces of the Philippines monitored a total of 82 Chinese naval and coast guard vessels in the West Philippine Sea in May. The ships from the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLA-N) and China Coast Guard (CCG) were seen in the following features: - Bajo de Masinloc – 39 vessels (16 PLA-N, 23 CCG) - Ayungin Shoal – 17 vessels (5 PLA-N, 12 CCG) - Escoda Shoal – 10 vessels (6 PLA-N, 4 CCG) - Pag-asa Island – 16 vessels (4 PLA-N, 12 CCG) "These figur

MANILA, Philippines, June 7 ------ Lower water bills are seen for customers of Maynilad Water Services Inc. starting next month while those serviced by Manila Water should expect no rate adjustments. In an advisory, the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System Regulatory Office (MWSS-RO) announced a reduction of P0.12 per cubic meter in the rates of west zone concessionaire Maynilad. The figure is equivalent to a decrease of P0.34 in the bills of Maynilad customers consumi

MANILA, Philippines, June 6 ------ Inflation slowed to 6.8% in May from 7.2% in April as transport and food prices eased despite ongoing energy-related pressures linked to the conflict in the Middle East, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said. The latest inflation rate was lower than the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas' forecast range of 7.1% to 7.9% for the month. Despite the slowdown, inflation remained above the government's target range of 2% to 4% and stayed near it

MANILA, June 6 ------ A mixed movement in fuel prices is expected next week following renewed tensions in the Middle East, a stakeholder said. Based on the last 3 trading days in the Mean of Platts Singapore (MOPS) from June 2 to June 4, the following price movements are expected next week. - Diesel: P4 to P4.50 increase - Gasoline: P1 to P1.50 rollback Petroleum products rebounded last week following reports of stalled peace negotiations. Also affecting prices are fears on i

MANILA, Philippines, June 5 ------ Senators allied with Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano forced their way into the plenary hall to proceed with the “Blue Ribbon committee” hearing that they had vowed to launch to give 18 men claiming to be former Marines the platform to repeat their allegations that they delivered suitcases of cash to several lawmakers and administration officials, including President Marcos. Cayetano’s sister Senator Pia and Sen. Robinhood Padilla met the 18 at the

SUBIC, Zambales, June 5 ------ The Philippines dispatched navy and coast guard vessels to Hawaii for Rim of the Pacific Exercise (RIMPAC) 2026, the world’s largest multinational maritime warfare exercise. In Zambales, BRP Miguel Malvar, the Philippine Navy’s newest and most heavily armed class of guided-missile corvettes, set sail with at least 138 personnel aboard. Meanwhile, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) sent off its offshore patrol vessel BRP Gabriela Silang in a separa

MANILA, Philippines, June 5 ------ The United States is looking to impose new tariffs of at least 10 percent on goods coming from the Philippines and 59 other economies for failing to curb imports produced with forced labor. In a statement, the US Trade Representative (USTR) said it is proposing additional duties ranging from 10 to 12.5 percent on goods from 60 economies for their inability to effectively prevent the entry of goods produced with forced labor into their respec

MANILA, June 5 ------ The Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) has served another warrant of arrest for Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, former Public Works Secretary Manuel Bonoan, and several co-accused in connection with a graft case. In a statement, the Philippine National Police (PNP) said the warrant was issued by the Sandiganbayan Fifth Division on June 1, 2026 for alleged violation of Section 3(e) of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act. The court recommended ba

June 4 ------ Senator Sherwin Gatchalian was elected Senate President Pro Tempore after the Senate reconvened Wednesday, paving the way for the minority bloc-led senators in attendance to declare him the acting Senate President. Gatchalian was installed Wednesday after the upper chamber reached a quorum following the appearance of Senator Francis "Chiz" Escudero. As the new Senate President Pro Tempore, Gatchalian replaced Senator Loren Legarda. Escudero was the only majori

MANILA, Philippines, June 4 ------ The Philippines did not secure the non-permanent seat on the United Nations (UN) Security Council for the 2027-2028 term. The Philippines was up against Kyrgyzstan for the lone seat in the Asia-Pacific region. The voting of the UN General Assembly, which took place on Wednesday, June 3 (Philippine time), saw Kyrgyzstan initially listing a 105-85 win in the first round, 110-81 in the second round, and 123-68 in the third round. A candidate

June 4 ------ Opposition coalition Tindig Pilipinas and rights groups on Wednesday trooped to the Office of the Ombudsman and filed a complaint for obstruction of justice against Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano, Senator Robin Padilla and suspended acting Senate sergeant-at-arms Mao Aplasca over the May 13 shooting incident at the Senate. Complainants Francis Joseph "Kiko" Aquino Dee, Sylvia Estrada Claudio, Cielo Magno, Fr. Flavie Villanueva, and Randy delos Santos, th

MANILA, Philippines, June 4 ------ Two tropical cyclones are expected to enter the Philippine area of responsibility this month, according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration. PAGASA weather specialist Benison Estareja said the cyclones may move closer to Eastern Visayas and Bicol. As the weather systems enter PAR, these will move northwestward and to Southern Tagalog and may make landfall either in Metro Manila or Central Luz

June 3 ------ THE 11-member Senate minority bloc sought the resignation of Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano for dereliction of duty, after he led a boycott of Tuesday’s session, despite having two session days left before Congress adjourns sine die on June 6. In a statement issued by the so-called “solid bloc,” 11 senators slammed Cayetano for telling his group mates — now down to 10 — to boycott Tuesday’s session. "What happened today was a clear abandonment of respo

June 3 ------ The Philippines is now verifying reports of an alleged structure being built by China at Bajo de Masinloc in the West Philippine Sea (WPS). In a statement on Tuesday, maritime monitoring group SeaLight shared satellite images of the alleged structure, which is around 10 meters in diameter. “Now SeaLight has obtained commercial satellite imagery captured on 28 May 2026 by Satellogic via our imagery partners at SkyfiApp, showing the southern entrance to Scarboro

MANILA, Philippines, June 3 ------ A new low-pressure area (LPA) has been spotted outside the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR), roughly 495 kilometers northwest of Pagasa Island, Kalayaan in Palawan, the national weather bureau said on Wednesday. Weather specialist Aldczar Aurelio of the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said in a 5 a.m. briefing that the LPA could enter PAR either Thursday or Friday. He said Pagasa

June 3 ------ THE Sandiganbayan Second Division on Tuesday reset the arraignment of Sen. Jinggoy Estrada and former Public Works and Highways secretary Manuel Bonoan on the graft charge they are facing to June 4. The court said this would enable it to “fully thresh out" Estrada's motion seeking to void the charge sheet, dismiss the case, and, in the alternative, remand the case to the Office of the Ombudsman. Bonoan's lawyer manifested to the court that the former secretary

MANILA, Philippines, June 2 ------ Oil companies will implement significant rollbacks today, offering motorists a reprieve after weeks of price hikes. The Department of Energy (DOE) has set the minimum rollback for diesel at P9.26 per liter, gasoline at P4.76 per liter and kerosene at P10.86 per liter. Energy Secretary Sharon Garin said some oil players took the initiative to implement advanced rollbacks, while others staggered the decreases or lowered prices even further. Th

MANILA, June 2 ------ Sen. Jinggoy Estrada was detained at the Quezon City Jail in Payatas following his voluntary surrender to face the arrest warrant for his plunder case tied to the flood control controversy. Former senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr., who is facing a flood control-related malversation case, is detained in the same jail. The Department of the Interior and Local Government, in a statement, said based on a Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) report, E

MANILA, Philippines, June 2 ------ The Philippines and Vietnam agreed to strengthen defense ties to help bolster maritime security in the region and maintain peace in the disputed South China Sea. The Southeast Asian countries are among the nations in the region -- including China -- to lay claims to the Spratly chain, which sits near vital shipping lanes and is reputedly rich in minerals. After a meeting with his Vietnamese counterpart To Lam in Manila, Filipino President Fe

MANILA, Philippines, June 2 ------ The National Bureau of Investigation has issued subpoenas to four people to shed light on the disappearance of Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa. NBI Director Melvin Matibag yesterday said those asked to appear this week for questioning are suspended Senate sergeant-at-arms Mao Aplasca, Pasay police chief Col. Joselito de Sesto, Sen. Robinhood Padilla’s deputy chief of staff Jean Robles and Padilla’s uncle Virgilio Cariño. Authorities have been s