World owes Filipino workers protection, Gibo tells European leadersDefense Secretary Gilberto C. Teodoro Jr. delivers his keynote address at the 2026 Paris Defence and Strategy Forum on March 25, 2026. MANILA, Philippines — Countries that rely on Filipino workers to staff their hospitals, man their ships and care for their elderly have a duty to help protect them, Defense Secretary Gibo Teodoro Jr. told a gathering of European defense leaders on Wednesday, March 25, as the war in the Middle East continues to affect over two million Filipino workers. "One in three are healthcare professionals, form (sic) the backbone of providing healthcare to both Europeans and Americans," Teodoro said. "And this obligation is simply, we should work together to protect them, to protect their home countries, under a shared vision of international law." Teodoro also used the Paris address to call out China directly.

Dutch bet conquers tough ICTSI Kiteboarding finaleMANILA, Philippines -- Cohan van Dijk of the Netherlands delivered a world-class performance in punishing conditions, carving out a dramatic victory over Japan’s Hiro Karamon and Thailand’s Joseph Weston to reign supreme in the men’s Freestyle division of the ICTSI Philippine Kiteboarding Tour Season 11 at Aqua Resort in Boracay recently. Extreme weather ultimately derailed the White Fleet foil racing finale. Even without the foil racing finale, the event delivered high-intensity action across divisions, with riders pushing their limits through powered kite loops, massive boosts and technical handle passes under extreme pressure. Tournament director Mars Gersbach emphasized the magnitude of the event, sponsored by ICTSI, noting the complexity of running multiple fleets in such unforgiving conditions. Boracay’s Roy Ross triumphed in the Novice class, and Turkey’s Hazal Kugu led the women’s Novice division – capping a wind-driven, high-skill finale.

'Get out': Verstappen bans reporter from Japan press conferenceRed Bull's Dutch driver Max Verstappen prepares for the race prior to the Formula One Hungarian Grand Prix at the Hungaroring circuit in Mogyorod near Budapest, Hungary, on August 3, 2025. SUZUKA, Japan — Max Verstappen sparked a verbal confrontation ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix on Thursday when he refused to start his press conference until a British journalist left the room. Richards asked Verstappen if his demand was because of a question he had asked the driver last season, to which the four-time world champion replied "yes" and told him to "get out". He left and Verstappen continued with the press conference. The question centered on the impact of a penalty that Verstappen had picked up for ramming Mercedes driver George Russell at the Spanish Grand Prix in June.

Iran bans sports teams from attending games in 'hostile' countriesThe FIFA World Cup Trophy is displayed on a podium during the draw for the 2026 FIFA Football World Cup taking place in the US, Canada and Mexico, at the Kennedy Center, in Washington, DC, on December 5, 2025. TEHRAN, Iran — Iran on Thursday (Friday, Manila time) announced a ban on sending sports teams to events in countries considered "hostile", ahead of a scheduled game between an Iranian and an Emirati club in Saudi Arabia. It comes nearly a month after US-Israeli attacks on Iran sparked the Middle East war on February 28. The move comes months before the 2026 World Cup, which is being co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada in June. Iran have qualified for the tournament, and their matches against New ?Zealand, Belgium and Egypt were scheduled to be played in the United States.

BEIJING, China — China warned the United States on Thursday against bringing "conflict and the chaos of war" to the Asia-Pacific, after Washington and its allies said they would weigh building a weapons base in the Philippines. A US-led intergovernmental defence group agreed last week to assess funding for a new ammunition assembly and production line in the Philippines, according to a joint statement. China's foreign ministry warned on Thursday that a potential ammunition facility would destabilise the region and "backfire". "If the relevant country is willing to be a powder keg and ammunition depot, it will only backfire on itself," he said, when asked about the potential new facility. Beijing and Manila have clashed frequently in recent years over disputed territories in the South China Sea.

More casualties to come? Actually, two casualties never got to play a game. Omot, 31, played for South Sudan at the 2023 FIBA World Cup in Manila and scored 13 points in an 87-68 win over Gilas. Actually, two casualties never got to play a game. The list of casualties includes Macau head coach Garrett Kelly who was jettisoned after the Black Knights fell to 0-3.

Private hospitals mull 5% fee hike“Some hospitals are thinking of raising the cost by at least five percent to cover the increase in fuel prices, prices of goods, medicines, supplies, transportation and utilities,” said Jose Rene de Grano, president of the Private Hospitals Association of the Philippines Inc. (PHAPI). MANILA, Philippines — Citing the rising costs of fuel and other basic commodities, including medical supplies, a group of private hospitals is looking at implementing a five-percent increase in hospital fees. “Some hospitals are thinking of raising the cost by at least five percent to cover the increase in fuel prices, prices of goods, medicines, supplies, transportation and utilities,” said Jose Rene de Grano, president of the Private Hospitals Association of the Philippines Inc. (PHAPI). Some hospitals have shifted to renewable energy to augment power utility, but it is a bit expensive, De Grano said. Implementation of the fee hike by most PHAPI member hospitals is inevitable, he said.

Philippines hits gas at Malampaya amid energy crisisMANILA, Philippines — Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Thursday, March 26, announced that the Philippines has successfully struck gas in the Malampaya gas fields at the Camago-3 well. In a video statement, Marcos said that the Camago-3 well produces up to 60 million standard cubic feet of gas per day. “It is the second major milestone under our $893 million Malampaya Phase 4 campaign, and it is significantly larger than our first. Camago-3 holds an estimated 2.5 times more recoverable gas than the Malampaya East 1 discovery,” Marcos said. “So together, these two wells are projected to extend the life of the Malampaya gas field by an estimated six years,” he added,Marcos said that this discovery spells steadier and cheaper power, noting that Malampaya gas costs P4.80 per kilowatt hour, while imported liquefied natural gas costs P10.30.

A female employee at a Pokemon merchandise shop was stabbed to death in Tokyo's commercial ​district on Thursday, and the suspected assailant ‌also died after stabbing himself, shocking shoppers during children's spring break season in Japan. Broadcaster TV Asahi said the woman was a staff member of the Pokemon Center store in ​the building and the perpetrator was wielding knives ​in both hands. The motive remains unclear, local media reported. A spokesperson for the Pokemon Co, which operates about two dozen stores ​in Japan selling merchandise from the popular ​franchise, ⁠was not immediately available for comment when contacted by Reuters. Strict gun controls in Japan mean knife attacks are ⁠a ​more common form of public ​violence, with multiple stabbing incidents on trains and at railway stations in the past ​few years.

China open to reviving South China Sea oil talks, but tells Philippines to 'show sincerity'President Marcos congratulates China President Xi Jinping at the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Gyeongju, South Korea, as the latter was named chairman of next year’s meet. MANILA, Philippines — China said its "door to dialogue" on joint oil and gas development in the South China Sea remains open, but told the Philippines it must first "demonstrate sincerity" before negotiations can resume. The exchange is the most concrete signal from both Beijing and Manila of a potential restart of energy talks that collapsed four years ago. In the Bloomberg interview, Marcos acknowledged that territorial disputes have long blocked progress on any oil exploration talks between the two countries. Why talks collapsed the first timeJoint energy exploration in the South China Sea has a long and fraught history between Manila and Beijing.

EO on excise tax cut out by mid-AprilMANILA, Philippines — It’s going to be a long wait: President Marcos is likely to issue the order to suspend or reduce the fuel excise tax only in mid-April. No tax cut figure yetThe government is still determining the amount of reduction in fuel excise tax as it continues to consider other possible measures to alleviate the plight of sectors vulnerable to price hikes triggered by the Middle East war. Oil players also expressed their approval of a proposal in the Senate to remove the 12 percent value-added tax (VAT) on petroleum products. You cannot run a country or a business with uncertainty of fuel supply,” Gatchalian said. If the oil companies are saying they’re suffering much, then it’s up to the government to move,” Gatchalian said.

Wall Street's main indexes fell sharply on Thursday and the Nasdaq confirmed a correction as investors worried about escalation in the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran, which has sent oil prices soaring and exacerbated inflation concerns. The lack of clear signs of progress sent oil prices soaring, with U.S. crude futures settling up 4.6% compared with a 5.7% advance for Brent futures. "There's a lot of conflicting signals, and it's really the fog of war, the uncertainty of all of it that's driving this." Earlier, data showed new applications for U.S. unemployment benefits rose slightly last week, suggesting a stable labor market and giving the Fed scope to hold rates steady while monitoring the impact of the Iran war. U.S.-listed shares of gold miners, including Sibanye Stillwater SBSW.N and Harmony Gold HMY.N, fell as bullion prices lost ground.

After that, we don’t know if the excise tax will be suspended or merely lowered. Oil companies are being asked to absorb some of the losses by tempering the eye-watering jumps in pump prices. Their reaction boils down to, why doesn’t the government instead absorb the impact, by suspending both the excise tax and the EVAT? This crisis is highlighting the failure of successive administrations to build a strategic national oil reserve, as stipulated in the Oil Deregulation Law. If BBM waits until mid-April or later to grant the excise tax relief, whether or not the Middle East conflict is over, he risks being tagged as too late the hero.

+ 4At least 24 people died after a passenger bus carrying around 40 passengers plunged into the Padma River while attempting to board a ferry in Bangladesh, officials said on Thursday. The bus overturned and sank nearly 30 feet into the river, according to police and the Fire Service and Civil Defence. Rescuers recovered 22 bodies from inside the submerged bus, including six men, 11 women and five children, Fire Service official Talha Bin Zasim said. Twenty-four people have been confirmed dead so far, including two women who died after being rescued, he said. Four fire service units and 10 divers were leading the search and rescue efforts, supported by the army, police, coast guard and local authorities.

DepEd: Trimester calendar up to private schoolsStudents line up to enter Araullo High School in Manila on January 15, 2024. MANILA, Philippines — Private schools are free to have their own calendar structures, according to Education Secretary Sonny Angara, amid the statement of the Coordinating Council of Private Educational Associations (COCOPEA) that private schools are not required to adopt the three-term school calendar. “Private schools are not really covered. The DepEd (Department of Education) graduation is on March 30 and 31, private schools don’t, others in May, in June, so private schools are really more flexible,” Angara said in a chance interview in Quezon City. COCOPEA managing director Joseph Noel Estrada said that while some private schools are implementing the scheme, a law is necessary to cover all schools offering basic education.