Philippine News

November 2 ------ The Philippines and Japan reaffirmed their deepening partnership in defense, economic, and regional cooperation as President Marcos held his first bilateral meeting with newly elected Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae on the sidelines of the 47th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit and Related Summits in Malaysia. During their meeting, Marcos personally congratulated Takaichi on her recent election, saying he looked forward to working

MANILA, Philippines, November 2 ------ The government still disallows Filipino workers from seeking employment in Myanmar, according to the Overseas Workers and Welfare Administration. The OWWA said the deployment ban remains in effect amid the rising number of Filipino victims of human trafficking and illegal recruitment in Myanmar. Most of the illegal recruitment victims were offered jobs as customer service representatives but ended up in scam hubs, the OWWA said. “Avoid j

November 1 ------ President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. said that the signing of the upgraded ASEAN - China free trade agreement would boost employment for Filipinos. "This upgraded agreement supports our MSMEs, strengthens supply chains, and creates new opportunities in the digital and green economy," Marcos, who is in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for the 47th ASEAN Summit and Related Summits, said. "It paves the way for more jobs and growth for our people. Here’s to a stronge

MANILA, November 1 ------ The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) reminded members that benefits for the treatment of influenza and influenza-like illnesses are fully covered under its existing benefit packages. In a statement, PhilHealth president and chief executive officer Edwin Mercado urged members who experience flu-like symptoms to visit their assigned YAKAP (Your Advanced and Kind Access to Primary Care) Clinics for immediate consultation. The PhilHea

October 31 ------ As Undas approaches, local authorities have issued advisories to ensure a smooth and orderly period despite the expected influx of visitors in different cemeteries. Cemetery schedules Here are the schedules of various cemeteries during the Undas 2025 holiday: Caloocan cemeteries Oct. 30: 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Oct. 31 to Nov. 1: 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Nov. 2: 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Pasig Catholic Cemetery: Oct. 31: 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Nov. 1: 6 a.m. 24 hours Nov. 2: 6 a.m. to

MANILA, Philippines, October 31 ------ President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has signed into law a measure banning all offshore gaming operations in the Philippines, as well as other related activities. Republic Act No. 12312, also known as the Anti-Pogo Act of 2025, was signed into law by the President on Oct. 23 but was published only on Oct. 29. The new law makes permanent the executive order Marcos issued on Nov. 5 last year that imposed an immediate ban on all Philippine offsho

MANILA, October 30 ------ The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said that no Filipinos have been reported hurt as Hurricane Melissa swept across Jamaica. About 500 Filipinos are living and working in Jamaica, according to the DFA. “As of 29 October 2025, 5:00 a.m. Philippine time, no casualties or injuries among Filipino nationals have been reported,” it said. The Philippine Embassy in Washington, DC, and the Philippine Honorary Consulate in Kingston, Jamaica, are also cont

MANILA, October 30 ------ The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) intensified its price monitoring activities to ensure that Undas-related goods remain affordable and adequately supplied for consumers. DTI Secretary Cristina Roque led the inspection at a supermarket in Guadalupe, Makati City, where monitoring teams checked the prices and supply of basic necessities and prime commodities, particularly candles and bottled water, which are two of the most purchased items duri

MANILA, Philippines, October 30 ------ The Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) has recommended charges of plunder and bribery against six public officials, including Senators Joel Villanueva and Jinggoy Estrada, for participating in an elaborate scheme devised by Bulacan district engineers to funnel kickbacks from flood control projects. ICI chairman Andres Reyes Jr. personally delivered piles of documentary evidence to the Office of the Ombudsman yesterday to acc

LUCENA CITY, October 30 ------ Taal Volcano in Batangas province recorded 61 seismic activities within 24 hours, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) reported. In its morning bulletin, Phivolcs said 41 volcanic earthquakes were recorded. The quakes were accompanied by 20 volcanic tremors that lasted two to 30 minutes. The 61 seismic events in a single day were the highest number recorded this month. Taal Volcano has been rattled by almost daily ea

MANILA, October 29 ------ The Philippine peso weakened further and hit a historic low of P59.13 to the US dollar at the close of Tuesday's trading. The peso, which earlier fell to a record intraday low of P59.2 to the greenback, has been described as one of the worst performers in Southeast Asia this month. The last time it tested the P59-to-the-dollar level was on December 19 last year. The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) meanwhile, said the recent corruption scandals may

MANILA, October 29 ------ Several Chinese vessels were spotted again inside the Philippines’ Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) during a maritime domain awareness flight conducted by the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) on Tuesday morning, October 28. The PCG was conducting a regular monitoring operation over the West Philippine Sea when it sighted China Coast Guard vessel 3316 about 59 nautical miles west of Iba, Zambales. A People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLA-N) warship bearing bow n

MANILA, Philippines, October 29 ------ A magnitude 4.7 earthquake hit the waters off Cagwait, Surigao del Sur, on Wednesday morning, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) reported. The quake was recorded at 7:01 a.m., 29 kilometers northeast of Cagwait, Phivolcs said. According to Phivolcs, the quake was tectonic in origin, with a depth of 10 kilometers. Phivolcs reported an instrumental intensity in Tandag City, Surigao del Sur, but no damage or a

MANILA, Philippines, October 29 ------ Two public cemeteries in Manila have launched online platforms that allow users to locate graves and tombs of their departed loved ones. The websites of the Manila North Cemetery in Sta. Cruz district and the Manila South Cemetery in Makati both feature search engines that can be used by relatives to find the exact location of burial sites. Through the “Memorial Search” function on www.manilanorthcemetery.ph, users can view the name, dat

MANILA, Philippines, October 28 ------ Pump prices of petroleum products are set to climb by as much as P2 per liter today as tensions abroad continue to rattle the global oil market. In separate advisories, Petron, Jetti and Seaoil announced a per-liter price hike of P1.20 for gasoline, P2 for diesel and P1.70 for kerosene. With these adjustments, the year-to-date net increases for gasoline, diesel and kerosene now stand at P16.30, P19.15 and P6.55 per liter, respectively. A

WASHINGTON, October 28 ------ Two US Navy aircraft crashed into the South China Sea in separate incidents officials said, with no fatalities reported. The first crash involved an MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopter, which “went down in the waters of the South China Sea while conducting routine operations from the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz,” according to a statement from the US Navy’s Pacific Fleet. All three crewmembers aboard the helicopter were recovered by search and rescue teams

MANILA, Philippines, October 28 ------ The peso weakened against the dollar for the eighth straight trading day yesterday, sinking to its lowest level in 10 months due to the renewed strength of the greenback, weaker local market sentiment and expectations of further monetary easing by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP). Data from the Bankers Association of the Philippines showed the peso closed at 58.9 versus the dollar yesterday after shedding 27.5 centavos from Friday’s

MANILA, Philippines, October 28 ------ Nine senators are set to disclose their net worth today, in accordance with the move of the Office of the Ombudsman to restore public access to government officials’ statement of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALN). Senate Secretary Renato Bantug said the senators who have agreed to give copies of their SALNs to the press are Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson, Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri, Bam Aquino, Pia Cayetano, J

KUALA LUMPUR, October 27 ------ President Marcos joined world leaders here at the opening of the 47th Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit, and met separately with leaders of Cambodia, Thailand, Canada, Japan, the European Union and the United Nations. Marcos, accompanied by First Lady Liza Marcos, was welcomed by the head of the host country, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Center. During the plenary session, Marcos stressed th

October 27 ------ Thirty-three volcanic earthquakes were recorded at Taal Volcano in Batangas on Sunday, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) said.  The volcano also had three minor eruptions on Sunday — one phreatic and two phreatomagmatic events lasting from 1 to 4 minutes long. Phreatomagmatic eruptions are caused by the interaction of magma and water, according to PHIVOLCS. These eruptions normally consist of multiple explosive events, and the