Philippine News

MANILA, October 27 ------ Several Kapamilya stars won at the 27th Gawad PASADO Awards held at Manila Tytana Colleges in Pasay City. Among those recognized as winners were: • Jericho Rosales – PinakaPASADOng Aktor sa Telebisyon 2024 (Lavender Fields) • Janine Gutierrez – PinakaPASADOng Aktres sa Telebisyon 2024 (Lavender Fields) • Jodi Sta. Maria – PinakaPASADOng Aktres sa Telebisyon 2024 (Lavender Fields) • Zia Grace – PinakaPASADOng Batang Aktres sa Telebisyon (Saving Grace)

October 27 ------ Philippine screen icon Hilda Koronel makes her much-anticipated return to cinema with the world premiere of Jun Robles Lana’s “Sisa,” selected for the Official Competition of the 29th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival (PÖFF, Pimedate Ööde Filmifestival) this November. Renowned for her roles in Lino Brocka’s masterpieces “Insiang” and “Maynila sa mga Kuko ng Liwanag,” Koronel has been one of the country’s most celebrated actresses for over four decades befor

October 27 ------ Actress and singer Alexa Ilacad knows what it’s like to grow up under the spotlight. Starting her career at just eight years old on the kiddie sketch show “Goin’ Bulilit,” Ilacad has since evolved into one of her generation’s most versatile stars — known for her breakout roles in “The Killer Bride,” “Run to Me,” and “Pira-Pirasong Paraiso,” as well as her rising music career that showcases her soulful vocals and emotional songwriting. Now, the young star bri

KUALA LUMPUR, October 27 ------ President Marcos joined world leaders here at the opening of the 47th Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit, and met separately with leaders of Cambodia, Thailand, Canada, Japan, the European Union and the United Nations. Marcos, accompanied by First Lady Liza Marcos, was welcomed by the head of the host country, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Center. During the plenary session, Marcos stressed th

October 27 ------ Thirty-three volcanic earthquakes were recorded at Taal Volcano in Batangas on Sunday, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) said.  The volcano also had three minor eruptions on Sunday — one phreatic and two phreatomagmatic events lasting from 1 to 4 minutes long. Phreatomagmatic eruptions are caused by the interaction of magma and water, according to PHIVOLCS. These eruptions normally consist of multiple explosive events, and the

October 27 ------ Private hospitals have reported an increase in cases of influenza-like illnesses (ILI) nationwide, although it has since begun plateauing. Dr. Jose Rene de Grano, the head of the Private Hospitals Association of the Philippines, Inc. (PHAPI), said in a Super Radyo dzBB interview that they have seen a roughly 10 percent rise in ILI cases since three to four weeks ago, with the majority of these cases being pediatric, geriatric, or with comorbidities. However,

MANILA, Philippines, October 27 ------ CAVITEX announced that the Toll Regulatory Board (TRB) has approved toll rate adjustments for the Manila-Cavite Expressway, following petitions filed by joint venture partners CAVITEX Infrastructure Corp. (CIC) and the Philippine Reclamation Authority (PRA) in 2020 and 2023. In a statement posted on Facebook, CAVITEX said that the new toll rates will take effect on October 28 after the TRB granted provisionally approved rates to support

KINGSTON, Jamaica, October 27 ------ Hurricane Melissa has developed into a Category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of up to 140 mph (220kmh) and is expected to strengthen as it heads towards Jamaica, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said. Melissa is about 110 miles (180 km) south of Kingston and expected to make landfall in Jamaica Monday night or Tuesday morning and hit southeastern Cuba late Tuesday, the NHC said, with catastrophic floods, landslides and

KUALA LUMPUR, October 27 ------ US President Donald Trump has co-signed a ceasefire agreement between Thailand and Cambodia in Malaysia, the first stop on his Asia tour, which will culminate in talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. The deal was signed by Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet together with Trump and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, following a bloody border dispute this year. The agreement will see the release of

KYIV, Ukraine, October 27 ------ Russian missile and drone attacks on Ukraine overnight into Saturday killed at least four people and wounded 20, officials said and prompted fresh pleas from Ukraine's president for Western air defense systems. In the capital, Kyiv, two people were killed and 13 were wounded in a ballistic missile attack in the early hours of Saturday, Kyiv's police said. A fire broke out in a non-residential building in one location, while debris from interce

October 27 ------ Slovakia will not take part in any European Union programmed aimed at financing military help for Ukraine in its fight against Russia's invasion, Prime Minister Robert Fico said. Slovakia stopped state military aid for Ukraine when Fico's government came to power in 2023 but has still allowed commercial sales. Fico differs with European Union states on the war, saying a solution is not on the battlefield. EU leaders agreed to meet Ukraine's "pressing financi

MANILA, Philippines, October 26 ------ The Philippines and Japan have committed to enhancing cooperation in agricultural trade and technology, with Manila pressing Tokyo to remove tariffs on Philippine bananas and improve market access for pomelo, and Japan seeking to export fresh grapes to the Philippine market. Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. and Japanese Agriculture Minister Koizumi Shinjiro met on the sidelines of the 47th ASEAN Agriculture and Forestry Min

October 26 ------ Energy efficiency measures can reduce the total cost of the maritime energy transition by up to $220 billion per year, according to a new report released by the World Bank. As explained, improving the energy efficiency of the global merchant fleet is insufficient to meet the IMO’s policy objectives alone. Therefore, green fuels, such as methanol and ammonia, will be indispensable in 2040 and 2050, but are more expensive than conventional fuels. A cost-effici

MANILA, October 26 ------ Thirdy Ravena and Mike Phillips are set for a Gilas Pilipinas return, while Kymani Ladi is expected to make his national team debut in the 33rd Southeast Asian Games. This was what SEA Games Gilas head coach Norman Black revealed during an appearance in Power & Play, with the team adding more to its roster which already features Justin Brownlee, Angelo Kouame, Matthew Wright, and Ray Parks Jr. Also, there are Jason Brickman, Veejay Pre, and Filipino-

PARIS, October 26 ------ Artificial intelligence (AI) assistants such as ChatGPT made errors about half the time when asked about news events, according to a vast study by European public broadcasters released. The mistakes included confusing news with parody, getting dates wrong, or simply inventing events. The report by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) looked at four widely used assistants: OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Microsoft’s Copilot, Google’s Gemini, and Perplexity. Overa

October 26 ------ With the ‘'ber months in full swing, a new OPM holiday ballad steps into the season’s sentimental soundscape. Titled “Ngayong Pasko’y Ikaw Pa Rin,” the original Christmas single is performed by Jojo Mendrez, written by award-winning songwriter Jonathan Manalo, and released under Star Music. Known in the industry as the “Revival King,” Mendrez has long been recognized for breathing new life into classic Filipino hits. His renditions of “Magkabilang Mundo,” “S

October 26 ------ In the past two years, India has announced massive investments in its nuclear energy capacity. The focus currently is to design small modular reactors (SMRs) intended for use in off-grid sites in remote areas. However, local media reports this week indicate that the government wants to extend deployment of the SMRs to commercial shipping. India’s Bhabha Atomic Research Center (BARC), run by the government, is developing two SMR designs of 55 MWe (megawatt el

October 26 ------ Arkin Magalona, son of the legendary Master Rapper Francis Magalona, is on a quest to make his mark as a hip-hop artist with the release of his debut single “Shake Dat Thang.” The new single comes with Arkin’s signing with Sony Music Entertainment, as announced by the music label in a press statement. It was also announced that he will take on the moniker Barq as he carves his own path in the music scene. “I’m just getting started, and I can’t wait to share

MANILA, Philippines, October 26 ------ The Philippine men’s softball will train in Ishikawa, Japan for two weeks as it embarks on a mission to reclaim the Southeast Asian Games gold medal it lost when the country hosted the biennial event six years ago in Clark, Pampanga. There, Amateur Softball Association of the Philippines chief Jean Henri Lhuillier said the Blu Boys would play a series of tune-up games as part of their preparation for the Thailand SEA Games set December 9

MANILA, October 26 ------ Minimum wage earners in the SOCCSKSARGEN region will get an increase in November, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) announced. The minimum hourly rate for non-agriculture and retail, and service sectors in Cotabato, Sarangani, South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, and General Santos City will increase by P30, bringing the minimum wage to P460 a day or P11,998 per month upon full implementation of all tranches. The minimum rate for the agricultu