Philippine News

January 26 ------ Fifteen survivors and the remains of two deceased crew members of the ill-fated M/V Devon Bay were brought to Manila on Monday morning. They were on board the Philippine Coast Guard vessel BRP Teresa Magbanua which docked at Pier 13 in the Port Area. PCG Commandant Admiral Ronnie Gil Galvan and representatives of the Department of Migrant Workers, Bureau of Quarantine, and the agent of M/V Devon Bay were at the site upon their arrival. Personnel from a funer

MANILA, Philippines, January 26 ------ A ferry with more than 350 people onboard sank Monday morning off Basilan in southern Philippines, leaving at least 15 dead and 28 still missing, the coast guard said. The MV Trisha Kerstin 3 issued a distress signal around 1:50 am (1750 GMT Sunday), a bit over four hours after it departed the Port of Zamboanga City on the southwestern tip of Mindanao, the coast guard said in a statement. At least 316 people had so far been rescued, Rome

January 26 ------ The busiest port in the U.S., Los Angeles, is feeling the pressures of a redrawn global trade map due to shifting policies. While recording flat growth in container throughput in 2025, a year the port contends was characterized by uncertainty and volatility, it still achieved its third-best year in history in its 118-year history. Despite maintaining its position as the top U.S. port for the 26th consecutive year and the only North American port to exceed 10

January 26 ------ Frontline plc (NYSE and OSE: FRO) entered into one-year time charter-out agreements for seven of its VLCCs. The charters will commence during the period from late-January to April 2026 at a rate of $76,900 per day per vessel. “We are in unprecedented times, and these are charter-out-levels not seen for decades," said Lars H. Barstad, CEO, Frontline Management AS. "Frontline remains largely spot exposed after these contracts become effective, retaining upsid

MANILA, January 26 ------ CJ Perez was the hero in crunch time as the San Miguel Beermen seized a 2-1 lead over TNT Tropang 5G in the PBA Season 50 Philippine Cup Finals. Perez poured in seven clutch points in the final minute to lift the Beermen to a 95-89 victory in Game 3 of the best-of-seven affair at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City, marking their second straight win in the series. “I just want to win,” said Perez, who also scored all but three of his 20 points in th

MANILA, Philippines, January 26 ------ Filipino pole vault star EJ Obiena got off a promising start to his 2026 campaign. Obiena bagged bronze in the ISTAF Indoor Dusseldorf in Germany as he began his redemption season following a roller-coaster 2025 that saw him fall out of the world top 10. He cleared 5.65 meters to finish behind Menno Vloon of the Netherlands and Sam Kendricks of the United States in the eight-man competition. Vloon vaulted 5.75m for the gold, while Kendri

MANILA, January 26 ------ The lone Filipina tennis player left in the qualifying rounds of the Philippine Women's Open (PWO) bowed out at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center in Manila. Stefi Aludo fell to Japan's Sakura Hosogi, 6-1, 6-2, in the final round of the qualifiers. The 17-year-old Aludo tried to keep in step with the more experienced Hosogi throughout the match, when she finally broke serve to get on board 3-1 in the first set. The Japanese player ended the Filipina's

January 26 ------ Para athletics continued to deliver for the Philippines, adding more gold medals to the country’s tally as the ASEAN Para Games in Thailand approaches its closing. On Saturday, Alyana Nuñez captured the gold medal in the women’s shot put F11, setting a new Games record with a throw of 7.85 meters. It was her second gold medal of the meet. Cendy Asusano likewise established a new Games record in the women’s javelin F54, posting a throw of 15.42 meters to secu

January 26 ------ Jencel Manansala Caña was crowned Miss Universe Philippines Province of Cavite; Tyra Jane Godino, Miss Universe Philippines Dasmariñas City, and Felicia Fran Aldana, Miss Universe Philippines Bacoor City. These newly crowned queens are now gearing up to compete at the national level, promising to bring forward Cavite’s signature beauty, intellect, and determination. The local search was spearheaded by renowned designer and director Norman Malagueño Acuba, al

January 26 ------ More than a month since Chelsea Fernandez blew pageant fans away with her impressive performance on the 2025 Miss Cosmo stage, the pride of the Philippines is finally coming home. The pageant veteran snagged the lone runner-up spot at the conclusion of the international pageant’s second edition held in Ho Chi Minh City on Dec. 20. Yolina Linduist from the United States edged her out of the crown. “A Proud Homecoming for the Philippines [Philippine flag emoji

MANILA, Philippines, January 26 ------ A decade apart has provided more insight for Rachelle Ann Go as she adds more depth as the ill-fated Fantine now that she is a mother herself in the Manila show of “Les Misérables World Tour Spectacular.” Rachelle returns to the Manila stage as one of the iconic roles of the hugely popular Cameron Macintosh musical, this time staged as a musical concert at The Theatre in Solaire, Parañaque City, until March 1. Rachelle was a relative new

January 26 ------ Several Kapuso programs and stars have earned nominations at the upcoming 7th Village Pipol Choice Awards (VPCA), with GMA Network vying for the TV Station of the Year award. The 7th VP Choice Awards Red Carpet and Awards Night will be held on April 29. Here is the complete list of Kapuso shows and personalities nominated: Entertainment – TV Category TV Station of the Year • GMA TV Series of the Year • Encantadia Chronicles: Sang’gre (GMA) • Beauty Empire (G

MANILA, Philippines, January 26 ------ The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) thanks China Coast Guard for the rescue of distressed crewmen of the Singaporean-flagged cargo vessel MV Devon Bay, even as the PCG continued to search for four Filipino seafarers still missing. PCG spokesperson Capt. Noemie Cayabyab said the agency received a report at about 10:30 a.m. on Friday that a China Coast Guard vessel passing near the reported incident area had conducted rescue operations. “Seve

MANILA, January 26 ------ Amid tension between the Philippines and China over the West Philippine Sea, the Armed Forces of the Philippines strengthened its presence by conducting a monitoring patrol at the Malampaya Natural Gas Power Project. The facility remains the country’s most critical energy infrastructure in the West Philippine Sea. The intensified patrol came after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. announced on January 19 the discovery of a “significant” gas field within

January 26 ------ THE Philippine Embassy in Myanmar warned Filipinos against accepting suspicious job offers in Myanmar. In an advisory, the embassy warned Filipinos against “fraudulent recruitment schemes that may lead to human trafficking, particularly those linked to scam hub operations in mainland Southeast Asia.” It said that many Filipinos “have already fallen victim to these deceptive schemes, resulting in exploitation, detention, and other serious consequences.” The e

MANILA, January 26 ------ The Bureau of Customs (BOC) is looking to deliver thousands of "balikbayan" boxes abandoned in a Manila port to the families of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in two months. “Hopefully within 60 days, but we are not sure how fast our forwarders (can do it). What is important is we will release these containers in the next few days," BOC Commissioner Ariel Nepomuceno said in an interview during the inspection of more than 100 container vans loaded w

WASHINGTON, January 26 ------ More than 850,000 customers in the United States as far west as New Mexico, were without electricity, and over 10,000 flights were cancelled during a monster winter storm that paralyzed eastern and southern states with heavy snow and ice. As snow, freezing rain, and dangerously frigid temperatures swept into the eastern two-thirds of the nation on Sunday, the number of power outages continued to rise. As of 10.47 am EST (11.47pm, Singapore time)

TOKYO, January 26 ------ Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi dissolved the lower house of parliament paving the way for an early election on Feb. 8. The move is an attempt to capitalize on her popularity to help the governing party regain ground after major losses in recent years, but it will delay parliamentary approval for a budget that aims at boosting a struggling economy and addressing soaring prices. Takaichi, elected in October as Japan's first female leader, has be

KYIV, January 26 ------ Two days of talks involving representatives from Ukraine, Russia, and the United States wrapped up with “constructive” discussions on “possible parameters" for ending the war, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said. Negotiators will return to the United Arab Emirates for the next round on Feb. 1, according to a US official who described the meetings as upbeat and positive. The talks are the first known instance that officials from the Trump admini

DAVOS, Switzerland, January 26 ------ Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky blasted his European allies for what he portrayed as the continent’s slow, fragmented and inadequate response to Russia’s invasion nearly four years ago and its continued international aggression. Addressing the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Zelensky listed a litany of grievances and criticisms of Europe that he said have left Ukraine at the mercy of Russian President Vladimir Putin ami