Blue Ribbon leads inquiry into flood control messMANILA, Philippines — What started as a Senate Blue Ribbon committee (BRC) investigation on the top 15 flood control contractors earlier flagged by President Marcos has turned into a highly publicized trial against massive corruption in the government’s infrastructure projects. The DPWH engineers admitted to gambling away their illegal proceeds to launder their dirty money. DPWH engineers named Sens. Jinggoy Estrada and Joel Villanueva as having endorsed flood control projects. Ramon Revilla Jr. shrugged off the claim, even as Bernardo’s most detailed portion in his affidavit concerned the former senator, alleging that he personally delivered to their Cavite mansion boxes containing flood control kickbacks that bankrolled Revilla’s (failed) midterm reelection.

Philippines opens limited route tapping Mongolian marketMANILA, Philippines — The Philippines is opening a new tourism front in Central and North Asia with the arrival of its first charter flight from Mongolia. A special charter flight operated by Hunnu Air touched down at Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1 at 7:20 a.m. on December 26, carrying 126 passengers, most of them Mongolian nationals. Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco said the charter flight aligns with the administration's push to diversify visitor markets beyond the traditional sources. It is also a push for air connectivity as a key driver of tourism growth. "With no direct commercial flight route between the two countries, Mongolian travelers transit through third countries, often requiring additional visas, to reach the Philippines," the DOT said.

PNP deploys over 56,000 police for New Year's EveMembers of the Manila Police District (MPD) prepare for deployment at their headquarters in Ermita, Manila on Jan. 3, 2025. MANILA, Philippines — More than 56,000 policemen were deployed for the celebration of New Year’s Eve, the Philippine National Police (PNP) said. In a statement on Monday, December 29, the PNP said that a total of 56,785 personnel have been deployed nationwide. The PNP also said that it seized 79,953 pieces of illegal firecrackers, valued at approximately P1,224,909 as of December 28. In addition to regulating firecrackers, the PNP has increased the number of checkpoints and patrols to discourage crime and maintain road safety during the holiday travel surge.

Pinoys most thankful for good health in 2025 – SWSShoppers purchase New Year-themed decorations at Divisoria in Manila on December 28, 2025 in preparation for the coming celebration. MANILA, Philippines — Like in previous years, most Filipinos are thankful for good health this Christmas season, a survey by Social Weather Stations (SWS) showed. The survey, conducted from Nov. 24 to 30, found that 45 percent of the respondents were thankful for good health this Christmas and New Year. The survey respondents were given an open-ended question and were allowed to give up to two answers. One percent or less answered having no worries or problems, having a house, having good friends, surviving an illness or tragedy and having a love life or spouse.

Congress ratifies P6.793-trillion budget, up for Marcos approvalMANILA, Philippines — Both the Senate and the House of Representatives have ratified the 2026 national budget, clearing the way for President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to sign the P6.793-trillion spending plan into law. Lawmakers approved the bicameral conference committee report in separate plenary sessions at the Senate and House on Monday, December 29. The swift ratification comes a day after bicam delegates signed the report that reconciles the House and Senate's differences over the 2026 budget. Marcos is expected to sign the budget on January 5. Several minority lawmakers voted against the final budget due to what they see as "pork" allocations kept in the spending plan.

Suansing denies offering P150-M incentives for 2026 budget votesRep. Mikaela Suansing (Nueva Ejica) speaks upon signing the bicameral conference committee report on the 2026 General Appropriations Bill, or the proposed national budget on Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025. He had claimed a staff member from Suansing's office allegedly offered him P151 million in budget allocations as informal "incentives" before the House's final reading of the 2026 budget in October. The House approved the 2026 budget on final reading on October 13. The House is set to reconvene briefly today to ratify the bicameral conference committee report on the P6.793-trillion budget for 2026. The bicameral conference committee signed the report Sunday, December 28, after reconciling disagreements between the House and Senate versions of the budget.

Missing bride-to-be found, says QCPDMANILA, Philippines — The missing bride-to-be reported gone days before her wedding has been found, ending a nearly three-week search that drew widespread public attention. In a Facebook post on Monday, December 29, the Quezon City Police District said officers are en route to fetch Sherra de Juan, accompanied by her family. The QCPD said the trip back to Metro Manila would take around three hours but did not disclose the exact location where De Juan was found. On Interaksyon: ‘Bring Sherra home’: Accounting firm seeks help to find staffer missing before weddingWhat came beforeDe Juan was reported missing by her fiancé, Mark Arjay Reyes, after she disappeared just four days before their planned wedding on December 14. As the search intensified, Reyes appealed for public assistance and offered a P150,000 reward for information that would lead to her location.

Russia says Ukraine tried to attack Putin's residence but Kyiv says Moscow is lying

List of certified fireworks brands, according to DTIMANILA, Philippines — The Department of Trade and Industry has released a registry of certified fireworks manufacturers that passed government quality checks, as it renewed its call for the public to buy only from licensed and properly labeled brands ahead of the New Year. In an advisory, the DTI reminded consumers to avoid generic or unlabeled fireworks, warning that uncertified products pose higher safety risks. Avoid generic fireworks without labels identifying the manufacturer,” the DTI said. Certified fireworks manufacturersThe following manufacturers were listed by the DTI as having met quality standards:PS LICENSE COMPANY BRAND Q-1469 DIAMOND FIREWORKS INC. DIAMOND Q-1253 DRAGON FIREWORKS INCORPORATED DRAGON FIREWORKS Q-5708 DREAMLIGHT FIREWORKS MANUFACTURING DREAMLIGHT FIREWORKS Q-6482 F.R.T. FIREWORKS FRT Q-5443 JPL MANUFACTURING FIREWORKS JPL FIREWORKS Q-1903 LEEGENDARY FIREWORKS INC. LF FIREWORKS Q-5248 MARIBEL STA.

Russia says Ukraine tried to attack Putin's residence but Kyiv says Moscow is lying

Russia says Ukraine tried to attack Putin's residence but Kyiv says Moscow is lying

Record label ADOR has terminated its exclusive contract with NewJeans member Danielle June Marsh. The agency shared updates regarding the K-pop girl group's status on Dec. 29, saying that it dropped Danielle as a member of NewJeans. "In Danielle's case, we determined that it would be difficult to continue together as a NewJeans member and an ADOR artist, and today we notified her of the termination of her exclusive contract," ADOR's statement, as translated by K-entertainment outlet Soompi, read. Moreover, the company aims to take legal action against a member of Danielle's family and former ADOR CEO Min Hee Jin for "precipitating" the dispute between the label and the group. We have also agreed to find an opportunity to address the various controversies that arose during the dispute and are discussing the timing and manner."

Vlogger Jeraldine Blackman opened up about the loss of her biological father, whom she saw only last July after more than 20 years. "My father that I've only seen in July, that I hadn't met for more than 20 years, just passed away on Christmas Day." In a separate video, she recounted that her father wasn't present in her life since childhood. The vlogger began creating content in 2022, sharing glimpses of her life with The Blackman Family and their lighthearted moments, including skits and pranks online. She and her former husband Joshua Blackman met in 2015 and tied the knot two years later.

The bride-to-be who went missing for weeks has been located, according to police. “Immediately, binigyan po natin ng instruction na samahan agad, sunduin na po is Ms. Sherra sa Pangasinan,” he said. The bride-to-be's dad, Jose de Juan, shared his reaction to the news with the media outlet. De Juan's disappearanceDe Juan and Reyes were supposed to get married on Dec. 14. This didn't alarm him initially, since, according to him, de Juan normally went to the market around that time of the day.

Ombudsman says Leviste showed partial files while Cabral was aliveMANILA, Philippines — Only portions of the so-called “Cabral files” were shown to the Office of the Ombudsman while former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Undersecretary Maria Catalina Cabral was still alive, contradicting claims that the full set of documents had already been turned over, the Ombudsman said. Clavano said this differs from Leviste’s earlier public statements that the full Cabral files had already been shown to the Ombudsman. Just a part of itClavano stressed that the Cabral files are only one component of a broader investigation into alleged anomalies in infrastructure spending. Questions over source of documentsClavano said several individuals have since come forward claiming to possess copies of the Cabral files. On December 21, days after Cabral's death, Leviste claimed that Cabral personally gave him the files on September 4, days before her death.