Philippines

8 Rescued After Motorboat Capsizes Off Antique—But One Passenger Did Not Survive

CALAPAN CITY, Philippines — A sea journey from Antique to Occidental Mindoro turned tragic after a motorboat capsized off Liwagao Island in Caluya, Antique, leaving one person dead and eight others rescued by authorities. The incident involving the MB San Agustin IV unfolded after the vessel failed to reach its expected destination in San Jose, Occidental Mindoro, prompting its owner to alert the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) when communication with the boat could no longer be established. The

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Philippines

Filipino-Americans Fear Trump’s Immigration Crackdown Is Going Too Far — Now Even a White House Game Is Sparking Outrage

WASHINGTON — For many Filipino-Americans, the fear surrounding Donald Trump's widening immigration crackdown is no longer limited to border raids, detention centres and deportation orders. Now, even video games are part of the controversy. A series of arcade-style games released through the White House website — including one that allows players to chase migrants and another centred on building a border wall — has sparked anger among immigrant advocates and renewed fears within Filipino-Americ

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Philippines

Palace Budget Slashed 64% for 2027 — But Recto Says Malacañang Can Still “Do More”

MANILA, Philippines — The Office of the President is seeking a dramatically smaller budget for 2027, but Executive Secretary Ralph Recto says the 64% reduction will not cripple Malacañang's ability to run the government. The proposed budget for the Office of the President (OP) stands at approximately ₱10.156 billion for 2027, down sharply from the roughly ₱28 billion allocated to the office in 2026. Recto defended the lower spending plan, saying the reduction reflects lower operational require

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Philippines

5% Pay Hike Coming for Police, Soldiers in 2027 — But That’s Not All They’re Getting

MANILA, Philippines — More than 583,000 military and uniformed personnel (MUPs) are set to receive a 5% increase in base pay beginning January 1, 2027, under the government's proposed next round of compensation adjustments. The increase will cover personnel including members of the Philippine National Police (PNP) and Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), with the government also maintaining a PHP350 daily subsistence allowance. The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) said the pay adjus

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Philippines

Sara Duterte Says She Fears for Her Life — Adiong Calls It ‘Ironic,’ but One Question About Her Security Is Still Unanswered

MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte’s declaration that she fears for her life has opened another volatile front in her escalating legal and political confrontation with the Marcos administration, with a House impeachment prosecutor questioning what he described as the “irony” of her security concerns while she herself faces criminal charges involving alleged threats. Lanao del Sur Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong, spokesperson for the House prosecution panel in Duterte’s ongoing impeachment

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Philippines

Palace Tells Sara Duterte the PNP Won’t Be Used Against Her — But Her Security Claims Aren’t Going Away

MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang is trying to defuse an increasingly combustible dispute between Vice President Sara Duterte and the country's police establishment, assuring her and her allies that the Philippine National Police will not be turned into a political weapon against them. The statement came after Duterte publicly declared that she feared for her life, worried about the safety of her children and did not trust the PNP as she appeared at the Quezon City Hall of Justice on September 5

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Entertainment

Barbie Forteza Unleashes Her ‘Wildest’ Role Yet in ‘Saving Cherry’ — But the Bigger Test Has Nothing to Do With Her Acting

MANILA, Philippines — Barbie Forteza has spent years proving she can carry comedy, historical drama and emotionally demanding television roles. Now, “Saving Cherry” is asking her to do something slightly different: tear apart the screen image audiences already think they know. In Regal Entertainment’s new comedy-drama, Forteza plays Cherry Valdez, a conservative newlywed who carefully saved herself for marriage—only to discover on her wedding night that her husband, Jude, played by Khalil Ram

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Business

Philippines Welcomes 4.11 Million Visitors in Eight Months — But the Race to 7 Million Just Got Much Harder

MANILA, Philippines — More international travelers are coming to the Philippines this year, but the country will have to accelerate sharply over the final four months of 2026 if it wants to reach its ambitious 7-million visitor stretch goal. The Philippines recorded 4,112,488 international visitor arrivals from January through August, up roughly 3.7% from 3.97 million during the same period in 2025, according to Department of Tourism data. That is genuine growth. But the numbers also reveal a

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Business

Marikina’s Innovation Hub Is Getting a BOI One-Stop Shop — But the Bigger Test Is Whether Startups Can Turn Access Into Investment

MARIKINA CITY — Filipino entrepreneurs trying to navigate government requirements may soon be able to access key investment services without making another trip to Makati or jumping between multiple agency websites. The Board of Investments and National Development Company have signed a memorandum of understanding to establish a government One-Stop Shop through a self-service digital kiosk at the Philippine Innovation Hub–Marikina Enterprise Center. The objective sounds straightforward: put i

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Philippines

150+ Filipino Founders Joined This E-Commerce Program — But Launching Their Stores May Be the Easy Part

MANILA, Philippines — Starting an online business in the Philippines has arguably never been easier. A product can be sourced in days. A store can be opened on a marketplace in hours. Social-media advertising can put a new brand in front of thousands of potential customers almost immediately. But turning that accessibility into a company that actually survives is becoming considerably harder. That is the gap Philippine-founded LaunchStrong says it is trying to address as the e-commerce mentor

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