Category: Philippines

Entertainment

Marco Gallo, L.A. Aguinaldo Put Their Love Lives in Best Friends’ Hands in New Dating Show ‘Wingman’

MANILA — Filipino personalities Marco Gallo and L.A. Aguinaldo are taking a very public shot at romance, but there is a catch: on their new reality show, the people helping steer their love lives may have almost as much influence as the singles themselves. Gallo and Aguinaldo are among eight singles from around Southeast Asia joining “Wingman,” Mediacorp’s new digital-first reality dating series, which premieres on September 10, 2026. Unlike the usual dating-show setup, every contestant enters

September 2, 2026

Business

Tigbauan Poultry Farm Ordered Shut — But Linobayan Residents Say the Real Fight Is Far From Over

ILOILO, Philippines — A suspension order has temporarily stopped operations at a controversial poultry farm in Tigbauan, Iloilo, but residents of neighboring Barangay Linobayan say temporary relief is no longer enough. Their demand is now unmistakable: they want GT Poultry Farm permanently closed. The dispute, driven by long-running complaints of foul odor and fly infestation allegedly linked to the facility in Barangay Sipitan, has escalated far beyond an ordinary neighborhood nuisance case.

September 2, 2026

Philippines

Western Visayas Contraceptive Use Hits 44.9% — But One Number Shows the Family Planning Story Isn’t Over

ILOILO CITY — Western Visayas is undergoing a quiet but significant demographic shift, with more married women using modern contraceptives and the region’s fertility rate falling further, according to the latest government survey. Modern contraceptive use among currently married women aged 15 to 49 in Western Visayas reached 44.9 percent in 2025, slightly above the 44.5-percent national average, figures from the 2025 National Demographic and Health Survey show. The comparable PSA Region VI seri

September 2, 2026

Philippines

TALISAY ATTACK: Two Wounded, 16-Year-Old Escapes Unhurt After Group Allegedly Strikes on Motorcycle — Police Hunt for Answers

TALISAY CITY, Negros Occidental — A late-night attack in Talisay City left two young men injured while a 16-year-old boy who was with them escaped unharmed, after several unidentified individuals allegedly confronted and assaulted them early Monday morning. The incident happened at about 1:15 a.m. on August 31 at Bangga Bat-os in Barangay Zone 9, according to the Talisay City Police Station. Police identified the injured victims only by the aliases “Gringo,” 24, and “Jonas,” 18, both residents

September 2, 2026

Philippines

Antique Seafarer Finally Comes Home 43 Days After Deadly Black Sea Strike — But His Death Raises a Bigger Question

ANTIQUE, Philippines — After more than six weeks of uncertainty, appeals and painful waiting, Filipino seafarer Jude Prado Pagunsan has finally returned home to Antique. But not in the homecoming his family had prayed for. The remains of the 37-year-old seafarer from Sitio Wayang, Barangay Ubos in Valderrama, Antique arrived at Iloilo International Airport on August 30, more than a month after the commercial vessel he was serving aboard was caught in a deadly Russian attack in the Black Sea ne

September 2, 2026

Entertainment

Manila International Book Fair 2026: The Philippines’ Biggest Book Gathering Returns With 165+ Exhibitors, Author Events and a New Reading Experience

MANILA, Philippines — September 2, 2026 — Book lovers, students, educators, writers and publishers are getting ready for one of the Philippines’ biggest annual literary gatherings as the Manila International Book Fair (MIBF) 2026 returns to the SMX Convention Center Manila from September 9 to 13. Now in its 47th edition, the five-day event will bring together more than 165 exhibitors, hundreds of titles and a packed programme of book launches, author signings, workshops, panels, storytelling se

September 2, 2026

Entertainment

Tatler Philippines Turns 25: How a Magazine Helped Redefine Power, Culture and Influence in the Philippines

MANILA, Philippines — Twenty-five years after its Philippine edition first appeared, Tatler Philippines is looking back on a quarter-century of personalities, cultural shifts and changing definitions of influence — from traditional high society to a much broader generation of entrepreneurs, artists, athletes, innovators and social changemakers. The magazine launched its Philippine edition in September 2001, entering a country at the beginning of a new millennium when social status and influence

September 2, 2026

China

Two Chinese Nationals Get Life Over ₱1.62-B Shabu Shipment Hidden in Tea Bags

MANILA, Philippines — What looked like hundreds of ordinary tea packs turned out to be one of the biggest pieces of evidence in a billion-peso drug importation case — and nearly six years after the shipment was intercepted, two Chinese nationals have been sentenced to life imprisonment. The Pasay City Regional Trial Court Branch 116 found Jason Ang and James Soriano guilty beyond reasonable doubt of illegally importing more than 239 kilograms of methamphetamine hydrochloride, or shabu, into the

September 2, 2026

Entertainment

Frank Rivera’s Ambon, Ulan, Baha Returns to the Metropolitan Theater — and Its 50-Year-Old Warning Feels Uncomfortably Current

MANILA, Philippines — Nearly five decades after Frank G. Rivera first created Ambon, Ulan, Baha, the award-winning Filipino ethno-pop-rock modern zarzuela is returning to the Metropolitan Theater with a message that feels strikingly relevant to a country repeatedly confronting floods, landslides, deforestation and climate-related disasters. The production will run September 26 and 27, 2026, marking a remarkable return to the same historic venue where the musical was staged in 1992 as the final

September 2, 2026

Philippines

PAVIA CRACKS DOWN: 7 Motorcycles Clamped on Day One — And the Fines Could Get Much Bigger

PAVIA, Iloilo — Motorists in Pavia are being put on notice: illegal parking is no longer being treated lightly. Seven motorcycles were already clamped on the first day of enforcement of the municipality’s new wheel-clamping ordinance, signaling the start of a stricter campaign against vehicles parked in designated no-parking areas. The Pavia Public Safety and Transportation Management Office (PSTMO) reported that the seven motorcycles had been clamped as of noon on September 1, the day Municip

September 2, 2026