Philippine News

MANILA, Philippines, January 7 ------ Albay province’s Mayon Volcano was raised to Alert Level 3 less than a week after being placed under Alert Level 2 on New Year’s Day. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said “very slow extrusion of shallow degassed magma is ongoing and is incrementally increasing in rate,” or an “effusive magmatic eruption is taking place.” An effusive or non-explosive magmatic eruption is “dominated by the outpouring of lav

MANILA, Philippines, January 7 ------ President Marcos has declared Jan. 9 as a special non-working day in the city of Manila for the celebration of the Feast of the Black Nazarene. In issuing Proclamation No. 1126, Marcos said millions of devotees are expected to join the religious event. The declaration of a special non-working day aims “to ensure the orderly procession of devotees and to facilitate the flow of traffic” in Manila. Executive Secretary Ralph Recto signed the

MANILA, Philippines, January 7 ------ The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) yesterday assured the public that while it expects China to continue its illegal presence and activities in the region, the military will increase and sustain its operations to secure and defend the West Philippine Sea. Combined and joint naval exercises with allied nations will also continue as the military now considers maritime cooperative activities as “part of our operational design” instead

MANILA, Philippines, January 7 ------ Australian authorities have found no evidence that the suspects in the December 14 Bondi Beach mass shooting incident received military-style training during their month-long stay in the Philippines. This confirmation that the two gunmen had acted alone was shared by Australian Federal Police Commissioner Krissy Barret on December 30, and welcomed by the Philippines' Department of Foreign Affairs. "There is no evidence to suggest they rec

MANILA, Philippines, January 6 ------ Fuel prices are set to move in opposite directions today, reflecting recent geopolitical developments that rattled global oil markets. In separate advisories, major oil companies announced an upward adjustment of P0.20 and P0.10 per liter for diesel and kerosene prices, respectively. Gasoline prices, on the other hand, will go down by P0.10 per liter. Jetti, Petron, Seaoil and PTT Philippines will implement these adjustments this week. Bo

MANILA, January 6 ------ President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr signed into law the PHP6.793-trillion national budget for 2026, vetoing PHP92.5 billion worth of items under the Unprogrammed Appropriations to tighten safeguards on public spending and reinforce fiscal discipline. The signing of Republic Act 12314, or the General Appropriations Act (GAA) of 2026, was held at Malacañan Palace. In his speech, Marcos said the challenges of 2025, including climate-related disruptions, eco

MANILA, Philippines, January 6 ------ The Philippines called on the United States and Venezuela to exercise restraint following the capture of President Nicolás Maduro in a US military operation in Venezuela’s capital Caracas. In a statement, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said the Philippines is closely monitoring the evolving situation in Venezuela. “The Philippines urges concerned parties to resolve disputes through peaceful means, and to exercise restraint to pre

MANILA, Philippines, January 6 ------ The peso slid back to the 59-per-dollar level yesterday as investors turned cautious following fresh geopolitical tensions after the United States launched a military strike against Venezuela over the weekend. Data from the Bankers Association of the Philippines showed that the local currency weakened by 28.9 centavos to settle at 59.13 against the greenback yesterday from its 58.841 finish on Friday. Yesterday’s close was still stronger

MANILA, January 5 ------ The US Navy said it rescued three Filipino fishermen in the South China Sea on New Year’s Day. The crew of the USNS Cesar Chavez (T-AKE 14) spotted the Filipinos’ distressed fishing vessel and launched a rigid-hulled inflatable boat to recover the fishermen around 12:45 p.m. on January 1. The three individuals were brought aboard Cesar Chavez, evaluated by the ship’s medical staff, and were found to be in good health. The group said their vessel’s eng

MANILA, January 5 ------ The Armed Forces of the Philippines is gearing up for this year’s anticipated activities in the pipeline as it ends a “very fruitful” 2025. AFP spokesperson Colonel Francel Margareth Padilla said they will continue their prioritization in multifaceted modernization as they confront modern challenges. “Tinututukan natin pa rin ‘yung modernization natin. So with that, we have a focus on maritime, aerial assets and cybersecurity and of course, disaster

MANILA, Philippines, January 5 ------ The local stock market opened the first trading day of the year on a strong footing, climbing its way back above the 6,100 level as investors went on a buying spree. The benchmark Philippine Stock Exchange index surged by 1.36 percent, or 82.14 points, to finish yesterday’s session at 6,135.06. The broader All Shares index also posted significant gains, rising by 1.26 percent or 43.81 points to 3,517.05. Luis Limlingan of Regina Capital s

MANILA, January 5 ------ The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Friday it is closely monitoring the situation and welfare of an estimated 800 Filipinos in Iran following recent protests in the host country. "There are no Filipinos reported to be affected," the DFA said in a statement. "Members of the Filipino community are advised to avoid unnecessary movements, especially into crowded areas." Foreign affairs officials have urged Filipinos in Tehran and other affected a

MANILA, January 4 ------ The Philippines is "deeply concerned" about China's military drills around Taiwan, which it believes can "undermine regional peace and stability." In a statement, Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro said China's military and coast guard actions around Taiwan are "further creating cracks in an already fragile geopolitical environment." China launched missiles and deployed dozens of fighter jets, navy ships and coastguard vessels around the island on Mond

MANILA, Philippines, January 4 ------ Minimum wage earners and household workers or kasambahay in Northern Mindanao will receive an increase in their daily or monthly salary effective Jan. 16, the Department of Labor and Employment announced. The DOLE said the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB) granted an increase of P39 in the daily pay of workers both in the non-agriculture and agriculture sectors. The wage adjustment will be given in two tranches. “Th

MANILA, January 3 ------ Oil prices are set to go down next week based on three-day trade monitoring in the Mean of Platts Singapore, the Department of Energy said. DOE Oil Industry Management Bureau Assistant Director Rodela Romero said the following price cuts may be expected next week: Gasoline - P0.50 per liter Diesel - P0.15 per liter Kerosene - P0.20 per liter Romero said the decreases are not likely to widen as the costs of businesses are still excluded. "Mukhang hindi

MANILA, Philippines, January 3 ------ The Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) recorded 52.02 million passengers last year, the highest ever, signaling that Philippine air travel is far from slowing down. Airport operator New NAIA Infrastructure Corp. (NNIC) said the gateway posted a passenger volume of 52.02 million in 2025, breaking the 50.1 million in 2024. The NAIA also registered its busiest month in history in December 2025, when the airport handled 4.86 million gu

MANILA, Philippines, January 2 ------ The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) deployed an aircraft to challenge a Chinese research ship that serves as a base for submersible vessels after it was spotted about 19 nautical miles off Cagayan province. The pilot issued multiple radio challenges to the CRV Tan Suo Er Hao, seeking to confirm whether it was conducting marine research without Manila’s consent, which would violate Philippine and international law, but received no response, t

MANILA, January 2 ------ President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. called on Filipinos to embrace discipline, empathy, and shared responsibility as the country welcomed the New Year 2026. In his New Year message, Marcos said the start of another year offers Filipinos the opportunity to reflect on past lessons and look ahead with renewed purpose. “I join Filipinos all over the world as we welcome the New Year 2026,” the President said. “The coming of another year is always a moment fo

January 2 ------ The Land Transportation Office (LTO) will begin enforcing the ban on e-trikes and e-bikes on major thoroughfares in Metro Manila today. The LTO made the announcement on New Year’s Day, or a month after it announced the deferment of the implementation of the prohibition on light electric vehicles (LEVs) in December. In a statement, the agency said e-trikes and e-bikes will not be allowed on key roads such as the Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA), C-5 Road,

MANILA, January 2 ------ Fewer firecracker-related injuries were seen in the 2026 New Year celebrations, the Department of Health (DOH) said. In a statement, the DOH said 235 cases of firework-related Injuries were recorded from December 21, 2025 till 4 a.m. on January 1, 2026. Another 62 injuries were recorded on New Year's Day itself. The DOH said this is 42 percent lower than the 403 seen in the same period last year. The health department said it hopes the lower count wil