Philippines

DepEd Will Roll Out Active-Threat Drills Nationwide on August 25—But the Most Crucial Part Happens After Students Escape

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Education (DepEd) is set to begin rolling out active-threat drills in schools nationwide on August 25, expanding emergency-response protocols as the country confronts renewed concerns over violence inside campuses. The planned exercises will test how schools respond to a “human-induced threat,” including how quickly students and personnel can secure themselves, evacuate when safe, coordinate with police and medical responders, and eventually reunite child

August 20, 2026

Philippines

DOJ Says ‘Mentors’ May Be Targeting Kids Through Violent Gaming Spaces—But What Happens After They Enter the Group Chat Is More Alarming

MANILA, Philippines — The government is investigating a disturbing possibility behind the growing concern over youth violence in the Philippines: children spending time in violent online gaming spaces may be deliberately identified, contacted and groomed by outsiders who later draw them into private groups centered on increasingly extreme behavior. Justice Secretary Fredderick Vida said Thursday, August 20, that authorities are working to verify information about supposed online “mentors” who e

August 20, 2026

Philippines

Ateneo Zamboanga Shooter Slipped Past Security Through an Open PWD Ramp—But the Senate Probe Exposed an Even Bigger Gap at the Gate

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines — The deadly shooting at Ateneo de Zamboanga University is raising an increasingly troubling question: How did an armed student get past a campus that already had guards and security checkpoints? A school official has now disclosed that the student linked to the August 18 attack entered the Junior High School building through an accessibility ramp normally used by persons with disabilities, allowing him to avoid the regular security screening at the building entrance

August 20, 2026

Philippines

Barker ng Jeep Sinaksak Umano ng Kaibigan Dahil sa Selos—Pero Ibang-Iba ang Kuwento ng Suspek

QUEZON CITY — Nauwi umano sa pananaksak ang alitan ng dalawang magkaibigan sa Barangay Commonwealth, Quezon City, matapos masugatan ang isang 40-anyos na barker ng jeep sa insidenteng iniimbestigahan ng pulisya bilang posibleng kaso ng selos. Ayon sa ulat ng GMA Integrated News, nangyari ang insidente bandang 8 p.m. noong Miyerkoles, Agosto 19, habang nasa lugar kung saan nagtatrabaho bilang barker ang biktima. Dinala sa ospital ang lalaki matapos magtamo ng saksak sa kaliwang braso. Patuloy u

August 20, 2026

Philippines

Iran War Sends Filipinos Racing Into Solar as Power Bills Surge—But One Barrier Could Keep Millions From Joining the Boom

MANILA, Philippines — The global energy crisis triggered by the continuing conflict involving Iran is reshaping how Filipinos think about electricity, with households, businesses and power developers increasingly turning to solar energy as protection against volatile imported fuel prices. The Philippines has emerged as one of the biggest beneficiaries of the global shift toward solar, not because electricity has suddenly become cheap—but because conventional power has become increasingly expens

August 20, 2026

Business

Digital Payments Just Hit 64.7% in the Philippines—But One Change Could Push Cash Aside Even Faster

MANILA — The Philippines’ long-promised cashless future may no longer be a distant goal. Digital payments reportedly accounted for 64.7% of Philippine retail transactions in 2025, according to a Nikkei Asia report, pushing the country deeper into territory once considered ambitious for an economy where cash, over-the-counter payments and physical bank branches dominated everyday transactions for decades. If sustained, the shift would mean nearly two out of every three retail-payment transactio

August 20, 2026

Philippines

Neneng Is Moving Away From the Philippines—So Why Could the Worst of the Rain Still Be Far From Over?

MANILA, Philippines — Tropical Depression Neneng is moving away from the Philippines and could soon exit the Philippine Area of Responsibility, but for millions of Filipinos enduring another day of rain, the bigger threat is not the storm itself. It is the southwest monsoon, or Habagat. Persistent monsoon rains continued to soak Metro Manila and large parts of Luzon on Thursday, August 20, as authorities dealt with flooding, evacuations and a mounting human and economic toll from weeks of seve

August 20, 2026

Philippines

Marcos Says 13 Pumping Stations Could Help Fight Metro Manila Floods by Next Year—But One Problem Could Still Render Them Useless

MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is pushing for the completion of 13 pumping stations in and around Metro Manila as the government races to strengthen the capital region's defenses against worsening floods—but officials acknowledge that pumps alone will not solve a decades-old problem involving outdated drainage, clogged waterways, garbage and increasingly intense rainfall. Marcos said Thursday that the pumping stations are expected to be completed as part of the government'

August 20, 2026

Philippines

A Road Dike Collapsed in Occidental Mindoro, Isolating Mangyan Communities—But the Bigger Threat Could Be What Happens to Thousands of Rice Fields

STA. CRUZ, Occidental Mindoro — A collapsed road dike in Occidental Mindoro has cut off Mangyan communities and placed vast rice-growing areas at risk, raising fears that the damage from weeks of severe weather could spread from flooded roads to farms, food supplies and rural livelihoods. ABS-CBN News reported on August 20 that the damaged structure has left Indigenous Mangyan communities isolated while threatening thousands of rice fields in Sta. Cruz, Occidental Mindoro. The incident comes as

August 20, 2026

Philippines

Guteza Takes Back Romualdez Cash Claims—Then Names Marcoleta and Defensor in New Affidavit

MANILA, Philippines — The flood-control corruption investigation has taken another dramatic turn after former Marine and ex-security aide Orly Guteza withdrew his earlier testimony linking former House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez to alleged cash deliveries, prompting Senate Blue Ribbon Committee chairman Sen. Erwin Tulfo to suggest that the witness may have had a change of heart. Guteza’s recantation emerged after months of controversy surrounding his September 2025 appearance before the

August 20, 2026