🇵🇭 Philippines

Latest Dispatches

• Palace extends birthday wishes to President Marcos as he turns 69 — Malacañang on Sunday extended wishes for good health and divine protection to President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on his 69th birthday, while calling on Filipinos to support the administration's agenda.
• Marcos mandates stricter building code enforcement nationwide — President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has directed government agencies and local officials to strengthen enforcement of construction standards across the country. The move aims to bolster the nation's infrastructure resilience against natural disasters including earthquakes and floods.
• Police seize P17.6 million in contraband cigarettes in Pangasinan — Authorities in Pangasinan intercepted a van carrying a large shipment of smuggled cigarettes worth an estimated P17.65 million on Thursday. The discovery marks another significant seizure in the region's ongoing crackdown on illegal tobacco trade.
• Maguindanao Sur towns surrender firearms collected from residents — Three municipalities in Maguindanao del Sur have turned over six high-powered weapons, including a .50 caliber machine gun, to military authorities. The firearms were collected from constituents across Shariff Aguak, Ampatuan, and Sultan sa Barongis.
• Senate chief urges targeted class suspensions to mitigate learning disruptions — Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian has called for more granular approaches to class cancellations as weather-related disruptions continue to affect Philippine schools. The proposal aims to balance student safety with the need to minimize educational losses.
• Identification of Ferry Fire Victims Begins as Death Toll Could Rise — Authorities in Palawan have launched the difficult task of identifying bodies recovered from the MV June Aster as families await news of missing passengers. The Philippine Coast Guard warned Saturday that the confirmed death toll of 35 may increase.
• Ombudsman to visit France seeking information on Co, Legarda — Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla will travel to France to gather information on former Representative Zaldy Co and Senator Loren Legarda, who are reportedly abroad. The planned trip aims to lay groundwork for their potential return, though success is not guaranteed.
• Senate Impeachment Court: 11 votes needed to overturn conviction threshold — The Senate impeachment court's spokesperson has clarified the voting requirement for potentially reversing an earlier decision that set the conviction threshold at 16 votes in the Vice President Sara Duterte trial.
• PGH pledges impartial medical evaluation of detained former Speaker — The Philippine General Hospital has assembled a specialist team to assess the health condition of former Speaker Martin Romualdez following his arrest on plunder charges. PGH assured it would conduct the examination with objectivity and professional standards.
• Philippine transport group plans strike over looming fuel price hikes — Manibela, a major transport coalition, will stage a nationwide strike on September 14-15 to oppose anticipated increases in fuel costs. The action comes as pump prices already approach P100 per liter in some areas.
• Historical Marker Honors Marinduque's Revolutionary Legacy — The National Historical Institute has unveiled a commemorative marker in Torrijos, Marinduque, recognizing the pivotal role of the Marinduque Revolutionary Force during the Philippine-American War.
• Resil Mojares: From Fiction Writer to Cebu's Premier Historian — Resil Mojares carved out a distinguished career as one of the Philippines' most influential historians and custodian of Cebu's cultural memory, but his path to prominence began in the creative and journalistic worlds. The respected scholar's multifaceted early career—spanning fiction writing, journalism, and political engagement—shaped his approach to preserving regional history.