Philippine News

MANILA, Philippines, December 30 ------ Actress Andrea Brillantes ranked No. 4 in the TC Candler and The Independent Critics’ “100 Most Beautiful Faces of 2025.” Andrea, who ranked No. 1 last year, led the 10 Filipinas who made the list. The Filipinas who made the cut this year were actresses and singers, including a BINI member and a Filipina member of K-pop group UNIS. Here are the Filipinas who entered the 100 list: - Andrea Brillantes (No. 4) - Alexa Ilacad (No. 37) - Liz

December 30 ------ In a watershed moment for Philippine cinema and global disability representation, the romance drama I’mPerfect was crowned Best Picture at the 51st Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) Gabi ng Parangal held at the Dusit Hotel in Makati City. Produced by Nathan Studios and directed by Sigrid Andrea Bernardo, the film shattered glass ceilings by being the first mainstream Filipino feature to star two leads with Down syndrome—Krystel Go and Earl Amaba—in a romant

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, December 30 ------ Undisputed super bantamweight champion Naoya Inoue outpointed Alan David Picasso to set up a potential pound-for-pound super fight with Junto Nakatani. Three-weight world champion Nakatani also beat Sebastian Hernandez Reyes on points on the card in Saudi Arabia after making his debut in the division. The two victories set up a much-anticipated clash in 2026 that would be the biggest fight in Japanese boxing history. “Both of us had a

December 30 ------ The bicameral conference committee on Sunday approved and adopted the report on the disagreeing provisions of the General Appropriations Bill (GAB), which outlines the P6.793-trillion national budget for 2026. Several lawmakers from both the Senate and the House of Representatives signed the bicameral report on the proposed national budget at the Philippine International Convention Center, where the marathon deliberations were held. House Committee on Appro

December 30 ------ The notable thing was the timing. In back-to-back strikes on Russian air power from 18 to 20 December, the Ukrainian state security agency, the vaunted SBU, launched long-range attack drones at Russian warplanes at Belbek air base in occupied Crimea, 240 km from the front line. Imagery from the nighttime or early morning attacks indicates that the drones hit a Mikoyan MiG-31 interceptor and two Sukhoi Su-27 fighters. The drone strikes on Russian warplanes w

December 30 ------ China said it is conducting "major" military exercises around Taiwan, with live firing activities to be conducted across five zones in waters and airspace near the self-governed island claimed by Beijing. "The PLA Eastern Theater Command is dispatching its Army, Navy, Air Force and Rocket Force troops to conduct joint military drills code-named 'Justice Mission 2025'," said a statement from Senior Colonel Shi Yi, spokesman of the force, using an acronym for

December 29 ------ A judge in U.S. District Court in Hawaii rejected a lawsuit by the cruise industry and vendors seeking an injunction against extending for the first time Hawaii’s tax on transient visitors to cruise ships. Known as the “Green Fee,” the state in May enacted an increase to the tax and for the first time included cruise ship passengers, saying the state needs more tools to deal with climate change. Hawaii asserts that Act 96 of 2025 establishes the Green Fee,

December 29 ------ Iranian officials announced the seizure of an unidentified tanker, which they claimed was smuggling fuel. They are calling this latest interception a “significant blow” to the ongoing problem of fuel smuggling in the region. The unnamed vessel was reportedly stopped by the Iranian forces in the area of the Strait of Hormuz and Qeshm, an island in the Persian Gulf near the entrance to the strait. The Iranians are claiming that the vessel was transporting the

December 29 ------ On its first voyage following the controversial the death of a passenger two months ago, the expedition cruise ship Coral Adventurer went aground off Papua New Guinea during a Christmas cruise. The operating company has confirmed that the ship ran aground on a reef near Dreghafen Point off the east coast of the island, about 15 nautical miles from Lae. Strong currents were a likely contributing factor, according to Travel and Tour World. The 80 passengers a

December 29 ------ Clippership, a U.S.-headquartered company developing autonomous wind-powered ships, has signed a construction contract for its first 24-meter class zero emission autonomous wind-powered cargo vessel with Dutch shipyard KM Yachtbuilders. The vessel features twin, foldable rigid wings for primary wind propulsion, is designed for open-ocean autonomy, and has a cargo capacity of up to 75 Euro-pallets within its climate-controlled cargo hold. Naval architecture

MANILA, December 29 ------ Barangay Ginebra broke the hearts of the Converge FiberXers pulling off a thrilling 99-98 win in their do-or-die quarterfinal game in the PBA Season 50 Philippine Cup at the Araneta Coliseum. Stephen Holt was the hero for the Gin Kings, drilling the game-winning three-pointer at the buzzer in overtime to complete a hard-earned victory. With the result, Ginebra is headed to the semifinals of the conference, where they will play San Miguel in a best-o

December 29 ------ Filipina tennis star Alex Eala played a doubles match under unusual circumstances at the 2025 MGM Macau Tennis Masters. Eala teamed up with China's Jerry Shang in the mixed doubles, where they were supposed to play against a tandem that included world No. 9 Mirra Andreeva. The Russian star was forced to withdraw due to illness, however, and Eala wound up playing in a lighthearted doubles match against two male opponents. She and Yang took on the pair of Yib

WASHINGTON, December 29 ------ Milwaukee's Giannis Antetokounmpo made a triumphant return from an eight-game NBA injury layoff while San Antonio's win streak was ended at eight games by the Utah Jazz. Antetokounmpo scored 29 points and grabbed eight rebounds in 25 minutes to lead the Bucks in a 112-103 victory at Chicago, snapping the Bulls' five-game win streak. The 31-year-old Greek star, a two-time NBA Most Valuable Player, made 10-of-15 shots from the floor and 8-of-10 fr

MANILA, Philippines, December 29 ------ Prime prospect Kenneth Llover extended his rampage in the bantamweight division, while Johnriel Casimero started his climb back to relevance as they both won via knockout at the Aichi Sky Expo in Tokoname, Japan. The unbeaten Llover scored a second-round knockout of Ayati Sailike to handily retain his Oriental Pacific Boxing Federation crown. Touted to become the next Filipino world champion, Llover first dropped Sailike with a combinat

MANILA, December 29 ------ Vice Ganda and her movie "Call Me Mother" nabbed major honors in the 51st Metro Manila Film Festival Gabi ng Parangal. Vice was named Best Actor for her outstanding performance in the box office hit movie. In her acceptance speech, Vice Ganda said she didn't prepare anything because she wasn't expecting to win. "Mas inexpect kong hindi mananalo, mas inexpect kong hindi nakikita, mas inexpect ko yung nagugustuhan pero hindi pinipili, o mas nasasanay

December 29 ------ Carla Abellana is now married to her non-showbiz partner, Dr. Reginald Santos. The Kapuso actress exchanged vows with her doctor-fiancé choosing a private and intimate ceremony that reflected how she has kept her relationship away from the public eye. The wedding, officiated by Alfonso, Cavite mayor Randy Salamat, was attended by their families and closest friends, with moments from the special day later shared online by their loved ones. In the photos uplo

MANILA, Philippines, December 29 ------ Barbie Forteza joins acting greats Charo Santos and Boots Anson Roa-Rodrigo in a drama penned and directed by Brillante Mendoza. The film’s recently released teaser opens with Forteza narrating lines from Pablo Neruda’s poem “Tonight I Can Write (The Saddest Lines),” setting a reflective tone anchored on love, memory and loss. “Tonight I can write the saddest lines / The night is starry and the stars are blue and shiver in the distance,

NEW YORK, December 29 ------ Outside the Paley Museum on West 52nd Street, about 50 fans lined barricades in hopes of spotting members of the “Stranger Things” cast. They had come from as far as Texas and started arriving at 2 p.m., clutching posters, playbills and, in one case, a purse with Hawkins High School pins. Inside, half a dozen cast members, including Finn Wolfhard, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Maya Hawke and Natalia Dyer, walked a red carpet as the show’s uno

MANILA, Philippines, December 29 ------ In a rare display of compassion, Chinese navy members came to the aid of a distressed Filipino fisherman in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) on Christmas Day. The Chinese embassy in Manila shared videos of how Chinese troops in a rigid hull inflatable boat provided bottled water and food to a man that had a “help me” sign aboard a small fishing boat marked Akia Shanae. The Filipino fisherman can be heard repeatedly saying thank you to the

MANILA, Philippines, December 29 ------ As many Filipinos are preparing for the New Year’s celebration, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) released the updated list of fireworks as certified by the DTI – Bureau of Philippine Standards (BPS). DTI said that the following manufacturers and their brands are issued with a valid Philippine Standards (PS) Certification Mark License: - PS License Q-1469: Diamond Fireworks Inc. (brand: Diamond) - Q-1253: Dragon Fireworks Incor