Philippine News

December 1 ------ AIR travel operations returned to normal after a global system upgrade forced Philippine carriers to briefly ground Airbus A320 and A321 aircraft, prompting flight delays, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) said. Acting Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez said Philippine Airlines (PAL) and Cebu Pacific completed the mandatory software updates on their affected Airbus fleets on Saturday, allowing full resumption of flights. “ PAL finished the softwar

MANILA, Philippines, December 1 ------ China Coast Guard (CCG) ships continued to intrude the West Philippine Sea near the coast of Zambales, according to the Philippine Coast Guard. PCG’s patrol vessel BRP Cabra issued radio challenges to a CCG ship 88 nautical miles from Palauig Point in Zambales, according to a video shared to journalists by Commodore Jay Tarriela, PCG spokesman on WPS issues. “The PCG has repeatedly asserted that the presence of these Chinese Coast Guard

MANILA, Philippines, December 1 ------ A Filipina died in the devastating fire that engulfed multiple high-rise buildings in Tai Po last week, the Philippine consulate general in Hong Kong confirmed. The consulate said overseas Filipino worker Maryann Pascual Esteban, who was earlier reported missing, died in the conflagration. “With great sadness, the Philippine Consulate General in Hong Kong confirms the passing of Ms. Maryann Pascual Esteban, an overseas Filipino worker wh

MANILA, December 1 ------ The second edition of the Trillion Peso March, a program calling for action against corruption, formally concluded at 6:07 PM at the People Power Monument in Quezon City. According to Kiko Aquino Dee, one of the event organizers, this year’s anti-corruption gathering was “a success.” He added that they received no reports of participants straying from the intended message of the program, which aims to end corruption and demand accountability. Initial

November 30 ------ President Marcos has unveiled the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) transparency portal, which he branded as a digital wall against corruption related to the implementation of infrastructure projects in the country. Marcos announced the rollout of the portal on Monday afternoon, Nov. 24, stressing that it was a part of the government's response to the massive flood control corruption. "Ito mas komprehensibo sa ating Sumbong sa Pangulo website d

November 30 ------ San Miguel-backed New NAIA Infra Corp. (NNIC) announced it will start activating new biometric immigration e-gates in phases at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) starting December. In a news release, the NNIC said the planned activation of e-gates at the country's main gateway forms part of its efforts to improve passenger processing. The company said the e-gates are powered by Amadeus, a global travel-technology provider, and will be operated b

MANILA, November 29 ------ Naval and air units from the Philippines and India conducted their second bilateral maritime cooperative activity (MCA) in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) highlighting the growing security partnership between the two nations. In a statement Thursday night, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said the MCA was conducted in one of the most strategically important maritime zones in the region. "The activity aimed to deepen defense cooperation, enhan

MANILA, November 29 ------ The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) is ramping up its delivery efforts of thousands of long-delayed balikbayan boxes abandoned by erring forwarders. In a press briefing, Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac warned overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) to be mindful of the cargo forwarders they entrust with their balikbayan boxes. He said the DMW is working with the Bureau of Customs (BOC) and that in the following days, the department would name

MANILA, Philippines, November 28 ------ A Filipino domestic worker is in critical condition and another is still missing after a massive fire tore through a high-rise residential complex in Hong Kong’s Tai Po district, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said. Foreign Affairs spokesperson Angelica Escalona said both overseas Filipino workers were employed as domestic helpers. One remains confined in the intensive care unit of a local hospital, while authorities continue s

MANILA, November 28 ------ The Philippine Navy is closely monitoring a China Coast Guard (CCG) vessel off the Zambales coastline, an official said. Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad, Navy spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea, said the Chinese ship was observed moving northward off the Zambales coastline at a speed of 8 knots. The vessel was approximately 51 nautical miles west of Botolan at noon. “We do not want to speculate bakit lumapit siya, but we have noticed in the

MANILA, November 28 ------ President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr announced that he spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to explore deeper cooperation in food security, agriculture, and digitalization. In a Facebook post, Marcos said the discussion with Zelenskyy reaffirmed the Philippines and Ukraine’s bilateral relations and opened doors for expanded collaboration in priority sectors. “I spoke with President Volodymyr Zelensky today to reaffirm our warm relations an

November 28 ------ Former president Rodrigo Duterte has waived his right to appear at the International Criminal Court’s hearing today, November 28, where the Court will deliver its judgment on the Defense’s appeal of Pre-Trial Chamber I’s earlier decision denying his interim release. The Defense formally placed on record Duterte’s signed waiver of his right to be physically or virtually present at the said hearing. The filing was submitted by Defense Counsel Nicholas Kaufman

MANILA, Philippines, November 27 ------ Seven congressmen who are owners of construction firms that have contracts with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) have been recommended for prosecution by the Independent Commission for Infrastructure. Also, on ICI’s list – the eighth – was resigned party-list representative and fugitive Zaldy Co. The lawmakers – mockingly called “cong-tractors” – “appeared” to have violated the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act and

MANILA, November 27 ------ Tropical cyclone Verbena (international name Koto) has exited the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) and is forecast to continue intensifying within the next 12 hours, the weather bureau said in its 5 a.m. bulletin. The cyclone has intensified, packing maximum sustained winds of 110 kph near the center, and gustiness of up to 135 kph, according to the advisory of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (

MANILA, November 27 ------ The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said that there have been no confirmed reports "at this time" of Filipinos killed or injured in the level 5 fire in Hong Kong. "The DFA, through the Philippine Consulate General in Hong Kong, has not, as of this time, received any confirmed reports of Filipinos killed or injured as a result of the Level 5 fire at a residential complex in Tai Po in New Territories, Hong Kong," it said. However, the DFA said it

MANILA, November 27 ------ Filipinos traveling abroad can now apply online for travel tax exemption, the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA) said. TIEZA said it is enhancing its Online Travel Tax Services System (OTTSS) to help millions of passengers. TIEZA Chief Operating Officer Mark Lapid said that in line with the government’s ease of doing business initiatives, TIEZA now supports the online application for the Travel Tax Exemption Certificate and

MANILA, November 26 ------ Tropical cyclone Verbena, which intensified into a tropical storm (TS) on Tuesday night, continues to intensify and could possibly reach the severe tropical storm category this afternoon, the weather bureau said. In its 5 a.m. bulletin, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said Verbena packs maximum sustained winds of 85 kph near the center and gustiness of up to 105 kph. It was last tracked 130 k

MANILA, Philippines, November 26 ------ At least 30 Chinese military and coast guard vessels were seen swarming four features in the West Philippine Sea as of yesterday, the Philippine Navy said. Based on the Navy's monitoring, at least four Chinese warships and eight coast guard ships were spotted near Scarborough Shoal (Bajo de Masinloc), while seven vessels were seen near Ayungin Shoal. Six more vessels were seen at Escoda Shoal, while five China Coast Guard ships were spo

MANILA, November 26 ------ President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Tuesday welcomed the five newly designated non-resident ambassadors from Tunisia, Paraguay, Burkina Faso, the Marshall Islands, and Serbia, affirming the Philippines’ commitment to deepening bilateral relations and international cooperation. Marcos received the credentials of Ambassadors Mohamed Trabelsi (Tunisia), Miguel Angel Ubaldino Romero Alvarez (Paraguay), Bibata Nebie/Ouedraogo (Burkina Faso), Anjanette K

November 26 ------ A magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck Davao Oriental at 6:45 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 25, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) reported. In its initial bulletin, Phivolcs said the quake’s epicenter was located 41 kilometers southeast of Governor Generoso, at a depth of 26 kilometers. Instruments recorded the tremor at Intensity II (slightly felt) in Kiamba, Sarangani. Phivolcs said the earthquake was tectonic in origin, caused by the m