Philippine News

MANILA, November 25 ------ Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal No. 1 is still hoisted in some areas as Tropical Depression (TD) Verbena maintained its strength, the weather bureau said. The TD packs maximum sustained winds of 55 kph near the center, and gustiness of up to 90 kph, according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA). As of 4 a.m., the cyclone was located over the coastal waters of Pinamungahan, Cebu, moving northwestw

MANILA, November 25 ------ Prices of gasoline will be rolled back by PHP0.20 per liter today, but diesel prices will increase by PHP0.60 per liter and kerosene by PHP1.30 per liter. In separate advisories, Seaoil and Petron said they will implement the price adjustments effective 6 a.m. on Nov. 25. Jetti Petroleum and PTT Philippines, in separate advisories, said they will also adjust prices of their respective products on the same day and the same time, except for kerosene,

MANILA, Philippines, November 25 ------ The Department of Health (DOH) reminded Filipinos to clean their surroundings and seek early medical care upon experiencing symptoms of dengue, as the agency reported over 14,000 cases of the illness over two weeks in October. In an episode of dzMM Teleradyo, Health Promotion Bureau Director Tina Marasigan said the agency recorded 14,038 dengue cases from October 12 to 25, 2025. She noted that this was 8 percent lower than the 15,182 ta

MANILA, November 25 ------ The Philippine passports of Cassandra Li Ong and lawyer Harry Roque have been cancelled, Prosecutor General Richard Anthony Fadullon said. Ong and Roque are facing human trafficking cases. Department of Justice spokesperson Atty. Polo Martinez added that aside from accused Roque and Ong, the passports of Ronelyn Baterna, Dennis Cunanan and Mercides Macabasa were also ordered cancelled by the Pasig City Regional Trial Court Branch 157. Martinez note

MANILA, Philippines, November 24 ------ The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) shadowed the two China Coast Guard (CCG) vessels operating near Panatag Shoal during a routine maritime patrol in the West Philippine Sea (WPS). PCG vessel BRP Cabra repeatedly issued radio challenges, ordering the two Chinese ships to depart Philippine waters, according to PCG spokesperson for the WPS Commodore Jay Tarriela. “The challenge cited violations of the Philippine Maritime Zones Act, the Unite

MANILA, Philippines, November 24 ------ The low pressure area (LPA) inside the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) developed into a tropical depression at 2 am on Monday, November 24. It was given the local name Verbena, as the country’s 22nd tropical cyclone for 2025. It is also the third tropical cyclone for November, after Typhoon Tino (Kalmaegi) and Super Typhoon Uwan (Fung-wong). In a briefing past 5 am on Monday, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronom

MANILA, November 24 ------ The Philippine Fleet is tightening its naval embrace with Japan as both countries accelerate security cooperation amid Beijing’s growing assertiveness in the West Philippine Sea and wider Indo-Pacific. Rear Adm. Joe Anthony Orbe, commander of the Philippine Fleet, led a delegation to Japan this week for a string of high-level engagements with the Japan Self-Defense Fleet (JSDF) and the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) — a visit that comes a

MANILA, Philippines, November 24 ------ Immigration personnel stationed at international airports and seaports are under heightened alert for former Ako Bicol party-list representative Zaldy Co and 15 of his co-accused. Their names have been encoded into the Bureau of Immigration’s centralized derogatory database, ensuring that frontline officers can immediately flag, verify and respond should any of them attempt to depart from or enter the Philippines, BI Commissioner Joel A

MANILA, November 23 ------ The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) has been setting up new offices and appointing labor attachés to expand global reach and strengthen protection and welfare programs for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs). In an interview over local Filipino program in Hong Kong on Monday, Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac said the DMW, being one of the youngest departments, is literally building its workforce, moving from “building the house” to “delive

MANILA, November 23 ------ The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) is providing financial support of up to PHP135,000 for premature babies born between 24 weeks and less than 32 weeks of gestational age under its Z Benefits package. In an advisory coinciding with the global observance of World Prematurity Day, PhilHealth said the Z Benefit aims to help parents manage the high medical costs associated with caring for extremely premature or small newborns. The

MANILA, Philippines, November 22 ------ The Department of Public Works and Highways and the Independent Commission for Infrastructure recommended, the filing of plunder and graft charges against former House Speaker Martin Romualdez and former lawmaker Zaldy Co before the Office of the Ombudsman. The referral of charges was made in tandem with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s order — publicly shared in a news release — for both agencies to turn over all evidence gathered in t

NEGROS OCCIDENTAL, Philippines, November 22 ------ The daily minimum wage in Western Visayas, including Negros Occidental in the Negros Island Region (NIR), increased by P37 up to P40 but both business and labor groups are unhappy, with one saying the adjustment falls short of expectations. Wage Order No. RBVI-29, approved by the National Wages and Productivity Commission (NWPC), now applies to Aklan, Antique, Capiz, Iloilo, Guimaras, and Iloilo City under Western Visayas or

MANILA, November 21 ------ The Pasig Regional Trial Court has found ousted Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo guilty of qualified human trafficking over her ties to a Philippine Offshore Gaming Operation (POGO) hub in the town. The court sentenced Guo and her 7 co-accused to life imprisonment and fined them P2 million on top of monetary reparations for victims. The court also ordered the forfeiture of the Baofu Compound, the site of the Chinese-operated online gambling center whe

MANILA, Philippines, November 21 ------ Filipinos in need of emergency care can now avail themselves of the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. ambulance service package. The PhilHealth ambulance service packages range from Basic Life Support Ambulance, priced at P4,100, to Advanced Life Support Ambulance costing P4,600, and the Physician-managed Advanced Life Support Ambulance, priced at P6,100. A separate coverage for the maintenance and fuel costs of ambulance service is als

November 21 ------ The Philippines has welcomed the opposition of the G7 foreign ministers to the use of force and coercion in the South China Sea and for reaffirming the importance of a free and open Indo-Pacific based on the rule of law. "The Philippines welcomes the Joint Statement of G7 Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Niagara published last 12 November 2025 that, among others, reaffirmed the importance of a free and open Indo-Pacific based on the rule of law, and expressed

November 21 ------ The summit crater of Kanlaon Volcano in Negros Island emitted ash again on Friday morning, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) reported. According to Phivolcs, the ash emission began at 7:12 a.m. and ceased at 7:20 a.m. “This event generated grayish plumes that rose 75 meters above the crater before drifting to the west-southwest,” Phivolcs said. The agency noted that the grayish plumes over Kanlaon were recorded by the Kanlaon

MANILA, Philippines, November 20 ------ The Armed Forces of the Philippines said it did not monitor Chinese bomber formations in the West Philippine Sea during a joint maritime exercise with the United States and Japan last week, contradicting a report by Chinese state media. “There was no monitored such formations in our maritime domain during the conduct of MMCA in the WPS,” Col. Xerxes Trinidad, AFP public affairs chief, told Philstar.com in a message. Trinidad was asked f

November 20 ------ The Philippines and Palestine agree to strengthen their bilateral relations through the signing of a memorandum of understanding on political consultations that will establish a structured mechanism to identify areas of cooperation and mutual interests. Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro and Palestinian Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Minister Dr. Varsen Aghabekian Shahin held a bilateral meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 18, as part of

MANILA, Philippines, November 20 ------ The Senate has approved the Department of Agriculture’s proposed P184.1-billion budget for 2026, a move the DA said would strengthen initiatives to improve food security and support rural development. During plenary debates Tuesday night, senators expressed willingness to consider higher allocations for the DA during the upcoming bicameral conference committee. Under the approved proposal, the Office of the Secretary will receive P140.0

MALOLOS, Philippines, November 20 ------ The elevation in Angat Dam in Bulacan has gone beyond the reservoir’s normal high-water level of 212 meters, but operators are not keen on opening the spillways. Maria Teresa Serra, chief of the Angat Dam flood forecasting and warning division, told The STAR that as of 8 a.m. yesterday, Angat’s elevation was 212.52 meters, up by 31 centimeters than the previous day’s 212.21 meters. Serra attributed the increase in the water elevation t