Author: WWC NEWSDESK

Philippines

Western Visayas LGUs Are Being Told to Stock Up on Something Disasters Can’t Wait For — And Iloilo Still Has a Big Target to Reach

ILOILO CITY, Philippines — When a major accident, typhoon, disease outbreak or other emergency strikes, hospitals may have little time to search for blood donors. That is why authorities in Western Visayas are pushing local governments to treat blood supply not merely as a hospital concern, but as an essential part of disaster preparedness. The Department of the Interior and Local Government in Western Visayas has urged local government units across the region to regularly support voluntary bl

August 26, 2026

Philippines

Sara Duterte Impeachment Trial Day 19: Hostile Witness Returns as Confidential Funds Take Center Stage

MANILA, Philippines — The impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte enters Day 19 on Wednesday, August 26, with a key Office of the Vice President official set to return to the witness stand as senators continue examining allegations involving the use of confidential funds. The Senate impeachment court is scheduled to resume the testimony of Lemuel Ortonio, OVP assistant secretary and assistant chief of staff, who was declared a hostile witness during the previous day's proceedings. Ort

August 26, 2026

Singapore

More Than 28kg of Cocaine Found Hidden on Vessel Transiting Singapore — Weeks After Another Ship Yielded 8kg

SINGAPORE — A routine-looking commercial vessel passing through Singapore waters has become the centre of another major maritime drug investigation after authorities discovered more than 28kg of cocaine concealed deep inside the ship’s seawater filtration system. The discovery, announced by Singapore police on Tuesday, August 25, is the latest in a series of cocaine seizures involving commercial vessels travelling through the city-state’s busy maritime routes. Police Coast Guard officers board

August 25, 2026

Philippines

13-Year-Old Boy Vanished After Swimming at Baseco Beach—7 Days Later, His Remains Were Found in an Unexpected Place

MANILA, Philippines — A week-long search for 13-year-old Rhomel Baluyot ended in tragedy after authorities found his remains at a landfill in Navotas, near the boundary with Obando, Bulacan. Rhomel had been reported missing after swimming with a friend at Baseco Beach in Manila. According to reports, he was swept away by strong currents during the southwest monsoon, or Habagat. His friend survived the incident. Authorities eventually located the boy's body at the Navotas landfill on Sunday eve

August 25, 2026

Business

Singapore Shoppers Can Get Up to S$3 Back Every Saturday From Aug. 29 — But There’s a Catch

SINGAPORE — A popular weekend savings perk is coming back, and Singapore shoppers may want to check their PayLah! app before paying for their next hawker meal, market purchase or heartland shopping trip. DBS is bringing back its PayLah! S$3 Cashback campaign from Saturday, Aug. 29, giving eligible customers the chance to receive up to S$3 cashback every Saturday at participating hawker stalls, wet markets, coffee shops and heartland shops. But there is one important detail: the cashback is ava

August 25, 2026

Singapore

Singapore Tests New Ceramic-Membrane Technology That Could Cut Desalination Pre-Treatment Energy by 50%

SINGAPORE — Singapore is testing a new ceramic-membrane technology that could significantly reduce the energy needed to prepare seawater for desalination, in a move that could reshape how the city-state produces one of its key sources of water. The large-scale trial at PUB’s Tuas Desalination Plant is examining whether flat-sheet ceramic membranes developed by Japanese technology company Meiden can replace parts of the conventional multi-stage pre-treatment process used before seawater undergoe

August 25, 2026

Philippines

San Lazaro’s Leptospirosis Patients Jumped From 22 to More Than 130 in Days — And Health Officials Warn the Surge May Not Be Over

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Red Cross has deployed medical personnel to San Lazaro Hospital as a sharp rise in leptospirosis patients following recent flooding pushes one of Metro Manila’s key infectious-disease hospitals beyond its normal capacity. The Philippine Red Cross sent 17 medical and support personnel to San Lazaro Hospital on Tuesday, August 25, after the hospital sought additional manpower amid the growing number of patients being treated for the potentially deadly bacteria

August 25, 2026

Philippines

Jinggoy Estrada Pinayagang Lumabas ng Kulungan Para sa Knee X-Ray—Pero May Mahigpit na Utos ang Sandiganbayan

MANILA, Philippines — Pinayagan ng Sandiganbayan ang nakakulong na si Sen. Jinggoy Estrada na pansamantalang lumabas ng detention facility upang sumailalim sa X-ray examination ng kanyang mga tuhod, matapos umanong lumala ang pananakit na nagpapahirap sa kanya sa paglalakad. Sa resolusyon ng Sandiganbayan Fifth Division, pinayagan si Estrada na magtungo sa Cardinal Santos Medical Center sa San Juan sa Miyerkules, Agosto 26, para sa nakatakdang medical procedure. Gayunman, hindi ito isang malaya

August 25, 2026

Business

At Least 1 in 4 Former NFL Players Who Died From 2016 to 2021 Had CTE, Study Finds

New research is putting football’s long-term brain health crisis back under the spotlight — and scientists say the real figure could be considerably higher. A new study has found that at least one in four former NFL players who died between 2016 and 2021 had chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative brain disease associated with repeated head impacts. Researchers examined a group of 878 former NFL players who died during the six-year period. Of those, 235 had donated their brains

August 25, 2026

Philippines

Legarda Pushes Stronger EEZ Protection—But Will Filipinos Finally Benefit From the West Philippine Sea?

MANILA, Philippines — Senator Loren Legarda is calling on Congress to strengthen laws protecting the Philippines' vast marine resources, arguing that the country must do more than simply assert its rights in the West Philippine Sea—it must ensure that Filipinos can safely and sustainably benefit from the resources within the nation's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). Legarda said lawmakers should establish a clear legal and policy framework that would allow the Philippines to develop and manage it

August 25, 2026