Manila Standard
CAPTIVATING.
Performers reenact bamboo planting and harvesting, adorned in intricate and delicate costumes as the Tultugan Festival brings Maasin’s heritage to life. Inset photo shows Ilonggos and visitors coming together for ‘AweSM Iloilo 2026,’ where joy, color,...
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Senate panel to start hearing on priority measure next week
THE Marcos administration has started to review provisions for a proposed anti-dynasty bill, a key reform which the President last month said should be prioritized by Congress. “This is now being studied, and if a good framework can be developed...
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Remulla: Co sending ‘feelers’
FORMER congressman Elizaldy “Zaldy” Co has sent “feelers” seeking a possible dialogue with the Ombudsman through intermediaries, including priests known to him, regarding his involvement in anomalous flood control projects, Interior Secretary Juanito...
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Bong Revilla jailed in QC on malversation charge
FORMER senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. was ordered detained at the Quezon City Jail’s Male Dormitory in Payatas on Tuesday following a malversation of public funds case filed with the Sandiganbayan, despite posting bail for a separate graft charge at...
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NBI arrests Hernandez, Mendoza in case vs. ex-Sen. Revilla
NATIONAL Bureau of Investigation (NBI) agents arrested former DPWH engineers Bryce Hernandez and Jaypee Mendoza at the Senate last night. The Sandiganbayan Third Division had earlier issued warrants for former senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. and six...
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Bonoan back, to face probe
FORMER Public Works Secretary Manuel Bonoan made a surprise return to the country yesterday, about a month ahead of schedule, and will attend today’s hearing of the Senate Blue Ribbon committee. In a statement, the Bureau of Immigration said Bonoan...
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ICI nearing end of its mandate, says PBBM
THE Independent Commission for Infrastructure is nearing the completion of its mandate, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said Friday, noting that its future would depend on how much work remains to be done. “It depends on how much work they still have...
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HONORING OFWS.
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. praised OFWs in the United Arab Emirates as a source of honor and pride for the country during a gathering of the Filipino community in Abu Dhabi, recognizing their significant contributions to the development of the...
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Flood infra witnesses told: Don't be deceived
MALACAÑANG on Monday cautioned potential witnesses in flood control mess cases against being misled by alleged promises of protection. Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Claire Castro issued the statement following a social media post...
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Race against time: Death toll rises to 6 in landfill collapse, 32 remain missing
HARD hat-wearing rescue workers and backhoes dug through rubble in search of survivors on Saturday in the shadow of a mountain of garbage that buried dozens of landfill employees in Cebu City, killing at least six. About 50 sanitation workers were...
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PBBM orders PhilHealth amnesty for non-payers
PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has ordered the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) to implement a general amnesty and a onetime interest waiver this year to help employers and selfemployed members settle unpaid contributions. Mr....
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No letup in getting ‘big fish’
PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is himself waiting for key resolutions from the Office of the Ombudsman and the Department of Justice on anomalous flood control projects, the Palace said as it assured the public that more cases will be filed amid...
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PBBM vetoes P92.5b unprogrammed funds
PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signed into law this year’s P6.793 trillion national budget, vetoing almost P92.5 billion in unprogrammed funds while putting tighter controls on public spending, including barring politicians from distributing cash and...
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Attack on Venezuela stirring up oil prices
CONSUMERS should brace for higher pump prices following the United States' attack and capture of President Nicolas Maduro on oil-rich Venezuela, the Department of Energy (DOE) said yesterday. Rino Abad, director of the DOE’s Oil Industry Management...
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TRUMP: VENEZUELA’S MADURO CAPTURED IN ‘LARGE-SCALE’ US STRIKE
WEST Palm Beach—President Donald Trump said Saturday that US forces had captured Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro after launching a “largescale strike” on the South American country. Trump’s stunning announcement follows months of steadily mounting US...
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Fabella Hospital welcomes ‘New Year babies’ Yuri, Zamara
BABY boy Yuri and baby girl Zamara came bouncing into the world just as the clock struck midnight, heralding the arrival of the new year at the Dr. Jose Fabella Memorial Hospital in Manila. Sally Alburo delivered Yuri, her second child, while Jenylyn...
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SWS: More Pinoys expect better life quality in 2026
NEARLY half (44 percent) of Filipino adults expect their quality of life to improve over the next 12 months, a November survey by the Social Weather Stations showed. At least 89 percent of adult Filipinos are also entering the New Year with hope...
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Children most affected by firecracker blasts
THE Department of Health (DOH) on Tuesday reported 140 firework-related injuries recorded nationwide from Dec. 21 to 30, based on monitoring from 62 sentinel hospitals. Children aged 5 to 14 accounted for 78 cases, or 58% of the total, underscoring...
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MARTYR HERO.
Workers clean ‘The Martyrdom of Dr. Jose Rizal’ monument by National Artist for Architecture, Ildedonso Paez Santos, inside the Rizal Park in Manila yesterday in preparation for today’s commemoration of the 129th death anniversary of national hero Jose...
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Trace Cabral files source — Palace
MALACAÑANG yesterday said that the real source of the so-called “Cabral Files,” which Batangas 1st District Representative Leandro Leviste claims was handed to him by the late Public Works Undersecretary Cathy Cabral, must be ascertained in view of...
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Dizon rebuffs Leviste on validity of ‘Cabral list’
PUBLIC Works Secretary Vince Dizon has rejected claims he has validated the so-called “Cabral list” in the possession of Batangas Rep. Leandro Leviste. “For the record, I have not authenticated any document in the possession of Cong. [Leviste],...
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Gatchalian rejects ‘Cabral list’
SENATOR Sherwin Gatchalian added his voice in rejecting claims of Batangas Rep. Leandro Leviste that all senators and congressmen, both district and partylist, made insertions in the 2025 budget of the Department of Public Works and...
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Leviste makes public portion of ‘Cabral list’
BATANGAS Rep. Leandro Leviste on Wednesday made a partial disclosure of the so-called "Cabral list," but limited it to a summary of the "allocable" funds that district representatives recommended for the 2025 budget of the Department of Public Works...
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Giant lanterns light up X’mas in PH
IN THE Christmas-mad Philippines, thousands cheer as hand-crafted lanterns towering six meters (20 feet) high light up the night sky in San Fernando, northwest of the country’s capital. The dazzling display of lights, accompanied by religious and...
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'Cabral list explosive: More lawmakers, top officials'
BATANGAS Rep. Leandro Leviste yesterday claimed that the list handed over to him by the recently deceased former Public Works Undersecretary Maria Catalina “Cathy” Cabral is a potential bombshell because it contains the names of more highly placed...
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Autopsy shows no foul play in Cabral’s death
INITIAL autopsy results indicate that former Public Works undersecretary Maria Catalina “Cathy” Cabral died from blunt force trauma from her fall, with no signs of foul play, Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla on Saturday said. “The initial reports...
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Bicam averts reenacted budget
ANEW spending plan for 2026 is now assured after the bicameral conference committee ironed out differing provisions in the proposed 2026 national budget, including the restoration of more than half of the slashed budget of the Department of Public...
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Bicam moves to avert reenacted nat’l budget
MEMBERS of the bicameral conference committee moved to finish deliberations of the proposed 2026 national budget today at the earliest to avoid a reenacted budget, with the Senate now inclined to restore a part of the P45 billion slashed from the...
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PBBM urges Congress: Avoid reenacted budget
PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. does not want a reenacted budget for 2026, as Malacañang warned that several government projects could face delays if the proposed General Appropriations Act is not approved on time. At least three senators, however,...
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PBBM: Deploy forces to WPS
PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has ordered the deployment of forces in “strategic locations” across the West Philippine Sea to protect Filipino fishermen after China utilized water cannons near Escoda (Sabina) Shoal off Palawan last week. Palace Press...
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Senate vows pork-free budget
THE Senate is prepared to “fight to the very end” to ensure that the 2026 budget is free of pork-barrel-type provisions, Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson said yesterday. In particular, Lacson and Senator Erwin Tulfo jointly flagged sharp...
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Plunder rap filed vs. VP over confi funds
CIVIL society leaders on Friday filed a plunder complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte and 15 other officials before the Office of the Ombudsman over the alleged misuse of P612.5 million in confidential funds of the OVP and the Department of...
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PH HARVESTS 5 GOLDS, 5 SILVERS, 19 BRONZES ON DAY 3 OF SEAG
BANGKOK—The Philippines banked on the brute force of jiu-jitsu and the fluid motion of artistic gymnastics to deliver the good tidings in the form of three gold medals for the Philippines in Day 3 of the 33rd Southeast Asian Games here on Thursday. At...
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Gov’t cancels Zaldy Co’s passport—PBBM
THE government has cancelled the passport of former Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Zaldy Co, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said as he ordered the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Philippine National Police to track the fugitive ex-lawmaker and bring...
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PBBM backs 4 key reform bills
PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has called on Congress to prioritize four key reform measures, including proposals for an Anti-Political Dynasty Act and the creation of an Independent People’s Commission that would act against corruption across...
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‘ICC arrest order vs. Bato out’
THE International Criminal Court has already released the arrest warrant against Senator Ronald Dela Rosa in connection with the crimes against humanity case against former President Rodrigo Duterte, former presidential spokesman Harry Roque said. The...
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HAIL MAMA MARY.
Devotees accompany various Marian icons during the annual Grand Marian Procession inside Intramuros, Manila yesterday, marking the celebration of the Feast of the Immaculate Conception — one of the country’s most prominent religious traditions. Norman...
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GIFT-GIVING.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. leads the ‘Balik Sigla, Bigay Saya 2025 Nationwide Gift-Giving’ at the Kalayaan Grounds in Malacañan Palace on December 6, 2025 that gathered over 3,000 attendees, including children from the Department of Social Welfare...
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Return P60b in excess funds to PhilHealth—SC
THE Supreme Court has ordered the return of P60 billion in remitted funds to the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) through the 2026 General Appropriations Act (GAA). "The SC, through the ponencia of Associate Justice Amy C....
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‘Fighting corruption like a major cancer surgery’
PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said the country is going through a "difficulty" now as he likened the fight against corruption to "a very major surgery...to excise a cancer." "When you have to excise a cancer out of such a complicated system, you need...
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Singson quits as ICI commissioner—Reyes
FORMER Public Works chief Rogelio Singson has resigned from the Independent Commission for Infrastructure effective December 15, ICI chairman Andres Reyes Jr. said in a statement yesterday. "He mentioned the very intense and stressful ICI work has...
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ICI livestream begins; Sandro, Pulong invited to next hearings
THE Independent Commission for Infrastructure began livestreaming its proceedings for the first time yesterday, with Laguna 4th District Rep. Benjamin Agarao Jr. and officials from the Land Bank of the Philippines appearing before the body. The ICI...
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OFWs urged: Help us catch Co
IN A bid to tighten the net around former Ako Bicol Rep. Zaldy Co, the government is asking overseas Filipinos to take a photo of the fugitive ex-lawmaker and post it online. Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla made the appeal on Monday as he said Co is...
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Marcos: Honor Bonifacio’s selflessness
PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. encouraged Filipinos to embody the patriotism and selflessness of Andres Bonifacio as the nation commemorated the revolutionary hero’s 161st birth anniversary on Saturday.
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All systems go for rallies today
TWO major protest movements will call for accountability and justice amid corruption issues hounding government flood control projects today, even as they diverge on how systemic change can be effected. In Manila, progressive groups will stage the...
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65 die, 19 OFWs hurt in HK apartment complex blaze—DMW
AT LEAST 65 were killed, 70 injured including 19 Filipinos, and 250 people listed as missing in the massive fire that swept through a high-rise residential complex in Hong Kong, authorities said yesterday. Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Cacdac urged...
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ICI: Charge 8 ‘cong-tractors’
THE Independent Commission for Infrastructure has recommended the filing of criminal and administrative charges against former Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Zaldy Co and seven incumbent congressmen over their alleged involvement in government...
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‘Co part of destab plotters’
HOUSE Majority Leader and Ilocos Norte Rep. Sandro Marcos on Tuesday pushed back against resigned Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Zaldy Co, branding him as the new “champion of the DDS cabal” and accusing him peddling lies from abroad to destabilize the...
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7 more accused in flood control scam arrested
SEVEN more co-accused of former Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Zaldy Co have been arrested over the questionable P289.5-million road dike project in Oriental Mindoro. Along with Dennis Abagon, a member of the Bids and Awards Committee of Department of...
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PBBM: Massive cleanup to reduce floods by 60%
PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Wednesday led the launch of Oplan Kontra Baha, a massive clearing and cleaning operation targeting heavily silted and trash-choked waterways across Greater Metro Manila to reduce chronic flooding in the capital and...
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Uwan kills 25, Tino deaths now hit 232
RESCUERS using backhoes and chainsaws began digging across Luzon on Tuesday as floodwaters receded in hundreds of villages and the Typhoon Uwan’s death toll climbed to 25. Uwan, which left a trail of devastation as a super typhoon over the weekend,...
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5 dead as ‘Uwan’ exits PH
ENTIRE villages lay submerged and scores of towns remained without electricity yesterday as Typhoon Uwan left the Philippines after killing at least five people and displacing more than a million. Uwan, with a footprint that spanned nearly the entire...
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‘Uwan’ batters PH, crosses Luzon
SUPER Typhoon Uwan claimed its first fatality yesterday, even before the vast weather disturbance’s full fury was felt across the country. In an update early Sunday evening, the Office of Civil Defense reported that an individual was killed and...
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Forced evacuations begin as ‘Uwan’ gains strength
RESCUE work was suspended and preemptive evacuations began yesterday as Typhoon “Uwan” bore down on the country, days after another typhoon (“Tino”) killed at least 204 people. “Uwan,” expected to be a super typhoon before making landfall, bears a...
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Enormous storm ‘Uwan’ to unleash heavy rains
THE looming Super Typhoon “Uwan” will bring heavy to intense rains that may affect around 8.4 million people across Luzon and Visayas. The Office of the Civil Defense said the storm’s adverse effects would be massive with its diameter spanning from...
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PH under state of calamity
PRESIDENT Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has placed the entire country under a state of national calamity following the severe devastation left by Typhoon “Tino,” which tore through several regions in the Visayas and Mimaropa, leaving extensive damage and...
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‘Tino’ death toll rises to 92
THE death toll from Typhoon “Tino” (Kalmaegi) was reported to have risen to at least 92 individuals, even if the official figure from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) yesterday afternoon stood at only 66...
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26 dead amid Tino’s onslaught
• Super typhoon may enter PAR this weekend AT LEAST 26 people were killed and hundreds of thousands displaced as rains driven by Typhoon “Tino” (Kalmaegi) flooded swathes of Visayas and parts of Mindanao on Tuesday.
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READY FOR ‘TINO’.
Typhoon ‘Tino’ makes its presence felt before hitting land, forcing thousands to seek refuge in evacuation centers in Bais City, Negros Oriental, left photo, and caves in Marabut, Samar(inset), and flooding towns, right photo, in Agusan del Norte.
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Gov’t orders fishing ban in Bais amid URC spill
FISHING has been banned in 13 coastal barangays in Bais City, Negros Oriental after a containment dike of a distillery of the Universal Robina Corporation (URC) collapsed and spilled molasses wastewater into the bay, according to the Department of...
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Marcos assures Xi of reg’l cooperation
PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. assured Chinese President Xi Jinping of “meaningful partnership and cooperation” in the region as China assumed chairmanship of the 2026 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC). Mr. Marcos approached the Chinese leader...
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Millions of Pinoys troop to cemeteries for Undas
MILLIONS of Filipinos will visit the tombs of the departed loved ones at cemeteries across the country during Undas – a collective term to refer to All Saints’ Day (Todos Los Santos) today and All Souls’ Day tomorrow. Over 1 million are expected to...
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‘Slash cost of all govt infra’
PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. expanded his earlier order for the Department of Public Works and Highways to slash bloated infrastructure costs by as much as 50 percent, directing all government agencies to adopt the same pricing reform to curb...
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ICI: Charge Villanueva, Estrada, Co, 3 others
THE Independent Commission for Infrastructure on Wednesday recommended the filing of criminal and administrative complaints against Senators Joel Villanueva and Jinggoy Estrada, resigned Ako Bicol partylist representative Zaldy Co, and three others...
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Manila Heading court: heading Guteza affidavit heading heading was falsified head Blue Ribbon to summon Guteza to attend Nov. 14 hearing
A MANILA Regional trial court ruled that the affidavit of “surprise” Senate witness Orly Guteza on the alleged kickbacks from flood-control projects was falsified, with a forged signature of the lawyer in the notarization. In an 11-page order,...
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‘Villanueva not yet off the hook’
OMBUDSMAN Jesus Crispin Remulla said his office is eyeing to refile the graft case against Senator Joel Villanueva over the misuse of his P10-million “pork barrel” or Priority Development Assistance Fund when he was then a CIBAC party-list...
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PH ready with initiatives to benefit ASEAN—PBBM
KUALA Lumpur— President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. asserted Sunday that the Philippines is ready to assume the chairship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 2026, with particular focus on advancing practical, inclusive, and measurable...
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PBBM orders 50% cut in infra material cost
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. yesterday ordered the Department of Public Works and Highways to cut the cost of construction materials for infrastructure projects by 50 percent to ensure the proper use of public funds. He said the DPWH had discovered...
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‘Flood infra culprits to spend Xmas in jail’
• DOJ: One month to finish PI, start filing of cases • Hernandez drops state witness bid––Ombudsman SEVERAL personalities involved in allegedly anomalous flood-control projects may spend Christmas behind bars as the Department of Public Works and...
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DPWH files 2 graft raps vs. 22 people at OMB
THE Department of Public Works and Highways yesterday filed two non-bailable cases of malversation, graft, and falsification of public funds before the Office of the Ombudsman over two anomalous floodcontrol projects in Davao Occidental and La...
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ICI to start livestream of hearings next week
THE Independent Commission for Infrastructure will livestream its hearings on the flood control controversy beginning next week, ICI chairman Andres Reyes Jr. said during yesterday’s Senate hearing. "We will try our best to be able to do a full-blast...
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ICI to file more cases with OMB
THE Independent Commission on Infrastructure said it will file dozens of cases with the Office of the Ombudsman in the next three to four weeks in connection with ghost and botched flood-control projects. “We will be filing at least 15 referrals with...
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Jail ready for flood infra culprits
THE jail facility for individuals who will be indicted for their involvement in anomalous flood control projects is now ready, Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla on Monday said. Remulla, who inspected the New Quezon City Jail in Payatas, said he...
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