Philippine News

June 14 ------ More than 40 years ago, comic actor Vic Sotto and Ice Seguerra first had an onscreen tandem. Sotto was already an established name in the industry, while Seguerra was a little charmer who made popular the duckwalk and whose witty remarks drew laughter during his hosting duties on the longest-running running noontime show, “Eat Bulaga.” Sotto and Seguerra soon became an unbeatable tandem both on television and on the big screen, headlining a number of popular sh

BARCELONA, Spain, June 14 ------ Pope Leo XIV said Christians could not consider themselves such if they "promote war" -- a thinly veiled reference to US President Donald Trump's administration. In a homily at Barcelona's Sagrada Familia basilica, Leo also appeared to refer to migration, saying Christians could not "abandon... those who flee from misery". "We cannot believe in Jesus and promote war. We cannot believe in Jesus and kill the innocent," the pope said in front of

June 14 ------ The Filipinas are set for a competitive start to their preparations for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil as they head to California for a training camp and friendlies early next month. The Philippine Football Federation announced that the Philippine women’s national football team will have a training camp in the US highlighted by friendlies against San Diego-based clubs. The World Cup-bound Filipinas face their stiffest challenge against the San Diego

June 14 ------ The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) predicts a strong likelihood of El Niño developing, raising global concern over intensified climate extremes and widespread economic impacts. Anew WMO El Niño/La Niña Update, issued in June, indicates an 80% likelihood of an El Niño event during June–August 2026. Probabilities for this to continue until at least November are near or above 90%. Although some uncertainty remains about El Niño peak strength and timing, m

MANILA, Philippines, June 14 ------ New retirement, disability, and survivor pensioners will not benefit from the Social Security System’s (SSS) early implementation of the 2026 pension increase this June. They will have to wait until September to receive the increase as only pensioners on record as of May 31, 2026 are covered by the advanced rollout. SSS’ Pension Reform Program (PRP) is a three-year pension adjustment that provides annual increases in monthly pensions from t

June 14 ------ The oil market is telling two distinct stories, and future pricing depends upon which one prevails. In the short run, energy markets are leaning hard on drawdowns, run cuts, refined product inventories and demand destruction in order to keep prices in check. If the situation continues unchanged, falling inventories could drive prices skyward by midsummer. On the other hand, the market faces an oversupply situation as soon as the Strait of Hormuz reopens and a f

MANILA, Philippines, June 14 ------ Philippine boxing hasn’t seen the last of Olympic silver medalist Carlo Paalam just yet. Same with Olympic medal winners Nesthy Petecio, Aira Villegas and Eumir Marcial, who, just like Paalam, are hoping to take one last shot at a medal in the 2028 Los Angeles Games. “Yes, all of them are still capable,” Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines president Marcus Manalo told The STAR. Of the lot, Paalam was the most impressive as ev

June 14 ------ Multi-awarded Irish band The Script has released a new single, “Man in the Arena,” ahead of their album “The User’s Guide to Being Human,” set for release on August 14. The Philippines is also among the stops on their “Man in the Arena Tour,” with two shows scheduled on March 18 and 19, 2027, at the SM Mall of Asia Arena, marking another return to a country where the band has built a loyal fanbase over the years. During a press conference in Manila on May 25, l

LONDON, June 14 ------ As travelers prepare to set off on summer trips, scorching temperatures lie in wait. Above-average temperatures could be on the books this summer, according to forecasters, and a developing El Nino event could spell out warmer weather later in the year or next summer. Sizzling temperatures are more than an inconvenience: They can cause heat exhaustion and life-threatening heat stroke. Travelers can take precautions to have fun with heat preparedness in

MANILA, June 14 ------ The Department of Agriculture (DA) highlighted the expanded food security ties between the Philippines and Japan, which now include the fisheries sector. The partnership is a result of an enhanced Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) signed on the sidelines of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.'s state visit to Japan on May 26-29. In a statement, DA Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said the expanded partnership underscores the fisheries sector's importance

JAKARTA, Indonesia, June 13 ------ Climate change-fueled landslides wiped out nearly one in ten of the world's rarest great ape species on Indonesia's Sumatra island, scientists said. A single weather event last November pushed the Tapanuli orangutan of which there are fewer than 800 left in the wild -- even closer to extinction, according to a study published in the science journal Current Biology. An estimated 58 Tapanuli orangutans died as a result of mudslides triggered b

June 13 ------ The European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) has released the Seafarer Statistics in the EU report, where it explores various statistics and trends regarding seafarers during the year 2024. The report draws on data from certificates and endorsements registered by EU Member States, as well as Iceland and Norway, up to 31 December 2024. The information was subsequently transferred to and recorded in the STCW Information System (STCW-IS) by 31 December 2025, providi

June 13 ------ The number of Chinese vessels monitored in several features in the West Philippine Sea slightly declined to 41 over the past week, down from 44 in the previous week, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said. In an update, AFP spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad said vessels from the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) and China Coast Guard (CCG) were observed from June 2 to 8 in the following areas: - Ayungin Shoal

June 13 ------ CHOG Moral and Prince Cariño spearhead the Gilas Pilipinas U18 12-man roster which will see action in the Fiba U18 Asia Cup SEABA Qualifiers in Krabi, Thailand. The federation announced the final roster as coach Juno Sauler made his final cuts for the team. Moral, the popular guard from Pampanga, and Cariño of Far Eastern University-Diliman are expected to lead the fight starting on Wednesday as the Philippines shoots for a ticket in the continental tourney in

June 13 ------ Dolphy may have gone away, but his legacy lives on especially in the last family sitcom that he helmed, and which is now being revived through the collective effort of the cast and crew of “Home Along Da Riles, Da Reunion” movie. The trailer brings back the hilarious Cosme brood on the big screen, sans their patriarch Kevin Cosme, played by Dolphy, as his children try to live as normally as they could without his guiding hand on the notoriously wacky railway ne

MANILA, June 13 ------ The Philippines, through the Department of Migrant Workers, together with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Executive Bureau, other governments, international organizations and development partners, has launched a dedicated platform that would enable cross-regional engagement between countries of origin and destination to benefit millions of migrant workers along the Asia-Gulf migration corridor. In a news release on Wednesday, the DMW said the initiat

June 13 ------ PHILIPPINE baseball will be busy in 2026 highlighted by the men’s team’s participation in the Asian Games and East Asia Cup, and the women’s maiden appearance in the Women’s World Cup. The Philippine Amateur Baseball Association (PABA) said it is also scheduled to compete in Asian Championships for U12 and U18, aside from the three major international tournaments this year, and the return of the sport as part of the Batang Pinoy program. “All in all, very busy

June 13 ------ It would be "unwise" to assume that the situation in the Strait of Hormuz will return to how it was before the Iran war, the head of French shipping group CMA CGM said. CMA CGM, the world's third-largest container line, is among firms with vessels stranded inside the Gulf since the start of the conflict that has virtually closed the waterway, which carries a fifth of global oil and LNG supply. "Even if a solution for peace is implemented in the coming weeks, th

June 13 ------ Sandara Park has a new career milestone. The 2NE1 member and Pambansang Krung Krung ng Pilipinas has launched her first record label, Aradnas. According to Soompi on Thursday, Aradnas announced Sandara is set to drop a new single, "Reprism," under the new label. “Sandara Park is making a new beginning with her own label ARADNAS. She will release a new single album titled ‘rePRISM’ on June 20. Starting with this, she plans to continue various activities, includi

GENEVA, Switzerland, June 13 ------ Nuclear-armed countries swelled their spending on atomic weapons by a fifth last year to a record high of nearly $119 billion, with plans to ramp up those investments for decades, campaigners said. The world's nine nuclear-armed states jointly increased their spending on their arsenals by nearly $17 billion last year, according to a new report from the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons. At a time of growing geopolitical tens