The US captured Venezuela's president Nicolas Maduro in a military operation early on Saturday morning, culminating a months-long pressure campaign by president Donald Trump's administration that drew condemnation from some international leaders. On Saturday, US forces attacked Venezuela and seized Maduro, who has been widely condemned as an illegitimate leader, and his wife Cilia Flores. What does the law say? International law prohibits the use of force in international relations except for narrow exceptions such as authorization by the U.N. Security Council or in self-defense. The US has not recognized Maduro as the legitimate leader of Venezuela since 2019, following an election the US said was rigged.

Senate to tackle ethics complaintsEmployees enter the Senate of the Philippines as seen in this photo release on August 5, 2024. MANILA, Philippines — Ethics complaints filed last year against senators will be tackled next month by the Senate committee on ethics, its chairman Sen. JV Ejercito said yesterday. He also warned against attempts to pressure or intimidate lawmakers to favor certain complaints, noting that the committee would strictly follow procedure. Separate ethics complaints were filed against Senators Francis Escudero and Risa Hontiveros last year, both of which remain pending before the Senate ethics panel. Asked which ethics complaint was filed first, Ejercito declined to answer, saying there are several complaints involving different senators that still need to be evaluated.

MANILA, Philippines — A 33-year-old Filipina with a criminal record was among several undocumented immigrants arrested by U.S. immigration authorities during New Year celebrations, according to American officials. Empaynado was convicted of burglary, grand theft and battery in Deltona, Florida. According to the Volusia County Corrections, she had already been arrested at least nine times before the New Year arrest. Just months after her release, she faced two charges of grand theft and witness tampering. ICE New Year arrestsOther individuals taken into custody by ICE include undocumented immigrants from Mexico, Honduras, Jamaica, the Dominican Republic and Cuba — all of whom had a criminal record.

Rider dies as car rams 3 motorcycles in BulacanThe fatality was identified as Relly Santuyo of Barangay Panghulo in Malabon City, while those injured were Michelle Silverio and Jocelyn Pasiola. MANILA, Philippines — A rider died while two others were injured when a sport utility vehicle (SUV) rammed three motorcycles at a gasoline station in San Jose del Monte, Bulacan on Friday. The fatality was identified as Relly Santuyo of Barangay Panghulo in Malabon City, while those injured were Michelle Silverio and Jocelyn Pasiola. The victims were waiting for a fuel refill at the Uno Gas Station in Barangay Sto. The victims were rushed to the Ospital ng Lungsod ng San Jose del Monte, where Santuyo was declared dead on arrival.

Lawmakers dared to reveal use of bonusesMANILA, Philippines — For the sake of transparency, congressmen should post on Facebook how they used their P2-million “Christmas bonus,” said Batangas 1st district Rep. Leandro Leviste. He said the “Christmas bonus” and the P18.58-billion MOOE of the House of Representatives for 2026 have become major transparency issues. “Let me make it clear, the issue here is not only the P2 million. He said he was glad Deputy Speaker and Antipolo Rep. Ronaldo Puno and Bicol Saro party-list Terry Ridon admitted receiving P2 million. Puno, however, denied that it was Christmas bonus, saying it was merely “additional funding” for the requirements of lawmakers’ districts.

DPWH: No funding for new flood control projects“The Department of Public Works and Highways clarifies that its proposed 2026 budget contains no funding for new locally-funded flood control projects,” it said in a statement. “The Department of Public Works and Highways clarifies that its proposed 2026 budget contains no funding for new locally-funded flood control projects,” it said in a statement. The DPWH said the P2.49-billion allocation is meant for maintenance and other operating expenses of existing flood control projects, including the national’s government Oplan Kontra Baha program. The zero funding for new flood control projects is in compliance with President Marcos’ directive to streamline the DPWH’s expenditures. The agency has been under scrutiny due to ghost and substandard flood control projects wherein billions of taxpayers’ money were reportedly stolen.

EDITORIAL — Don’t dash the hopesAs in the past, a high percentage of Filipinos said in a survey that they were entering the new year with hope. The survey taken by Social Weather Stations from Nov. 24 to 30, however, showed that the 89 percent was the lowest in 16 years, matching the 89 percent registered in December 2009. The administration received the highest disapproval rating of 69 percent in controlling inflation, with only percent expressing approval. Fighting graft and corruption followed closely, with 68 percent expressing disapproval and 17 percent approving. Also with a high disapproval rating, at 67 percent, was the fight against the widespread sale and use of illegal drugs, with only 14 percent expressing approval.

Scammer impersonates PNP official to solicit moneyIn a statement, the PNP said the scammer is using Banac’s name and falsely presenting a PNP Academy Class of 1992 seal in asking for money through the messaging app Viber. MANILA, Philippines — Scammers are using the name of Lt. Gen. Bernard Banac, the second highest ranking officer of the Philippine National Police, to solicit money from unsuspecting people, the PNP warned. In a statement, the PNP said the scammer is using Banac’s name and falsely presenting a PNP Academy Class of 1992 seal in asking for money through the messaging app Viber. It also urged the public to ignore and report unsolicited messages requesting money using the identities of police officials. The Anti-Cybercrime Group and PNP intelligence units are investigating to identify the people using Banac’s name.

The OG of marketingIn an age of AI, growth hacks and endless “hacks,” it’s easy to forget that marketing had a working system long before algorithms and large language models appeared. That’s why I’ve been following the work of Mark Schaefer, one of the world’s most respected marketing thinkers. In a recent episode of his podcast The Marketing Companion with Andy Crestodina, he revisits what he calls the “OG fundamentals” of marketing – timeless ideas that still drive results, even as tools and platforms change. We now optimize for everything – Google, social media, conversion, open rates – but as Schaefer points out:“The soul of marketing is still your brand.”Tactics change weekly. When you gather customers, partners, and peers in a room, you’re not just “doing marketing.” You’re building trust, memory and belonging.

‘GenAI reshaping IT-BPM industry’BSP warns of urgent need for reskillingMANILA, Philippines — Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) is expected to augment rather than displace jobs in the Philippine information technology and business process management (IT-BPM) industry in the near term, according to a report by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP). The IT-BPM industry remains a major pillar of the Philippine economy. Of the total, 1.6 million workers or 88.5 percent were employed in contact center and business process services. But industry data suggest a more nuanced impact. Proper investments in technology and human capital will be critical in allowing the IT-BPM industry to move up the value chain amid rapid technological change.

First Gen supplies renewable energy to pharma distributorFirst Gen has signed an agreement to supply at least 145 kilowatts of geothermal energy to Dyna Drug Corp.’s warehouse facilities in Pasig and Quezon City. MANILA, Philippines — A pharmaceutical wholesaler and distributor has tapped the Lopez family’s First Gen Corp. to power its two facilities in Metro Manila with renewable energy. First Gen has signed an agreement to supply at least 145 kilowatts of geothermal energy to Dyna Drug Corp.’s warehouse facilities in Pasig and Quezon City. “It is our privilege to support Dyna Drug in achieving their sustainability goals. “We are committed to deepening our partnership with Dyna Drug as they continue their decarbonization journey,” Vega added.

Chilling effectA bill has been introduced in the Lower House by ACT Teachers Party List Rep. Antonio Tinio and Kabataan Party-List Rep. Renee Louise Co decriminalizing libel. With the passage of RA 10175, and its criminalization of cyberlibel, the threat to the people’s right to free expression and free press has even become more serious and real,” it said. There is very little to support the majority view that the law will not continue to have this effect on speech. It said that the right to free speech empowers citizens to hold public officers accountable because public office is a public trust. “Being sensitive has no place in this line of service, more so when allowing otherwise has the potential to create a chilling effect on the public, that is, citizens will be afraid to criticize public officers.

Marcos warned: P633-B 'hard, soft, shadow pork' in 2026 budgetMANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has two days to decide on the P6.793-trillion national budget, with watchdog groups warning that over P633 billion could fuel corruption or patronage politics without a veto or executive order. In a letter addressed to Marcos himself, the People’s Budget Coalition and Roundtable for Inclusive Development said the 2026 national budget is riddled with three types of pork: hard, soft and shadow pork. The “hard pork,” they said, involves roughly P180 billion worth of infrastructure projects that are at risk of being repeated or overpriced. Soft pork to rights-based programsFor “soft pork,” which they define as politician-mediated and discretionary programs, the watchdogs urged that the P210 billion in “ayuda” or cash dole-outs be redesigned as rights-based and rules-based programs. Still, the reforms must go further, including stronger civil society participation and the creation of an Open Budget Transparency Server, an idea already partly realized through BetterGov’s public budget dashboard, the group noted.

2026: Year of the big fish? Is 2026 going to be the year of the big fish? Imagine if more big fish go into hiding. First, the President should once and for all arrest and jail all the big fish implicated in the flood control corruption scandal. Will 2026 finally be the year you actually catch the big fish, or the year you spectacularly free-fall?

Without hope, there can be no peace in an increasingly armed worldTo many of us diplomats in Washington, DC, the continuing war in Ukraine remains one of the most sobering reminders that peace, once taken for granted in much of the world, is never permanent. Like my diplomatic colleagues, I continue to hope that a peace pact can still be achieved. Shaped by the trauma of World War II, postwar Germany built its identity on economic strength, diplomacy and a deliberate reluctance to project military power. Full?scale world war is no longer an abstract concept confined to history books – it is a possibility that responsible leaders must work tirelessly to prevent. Hope alone is not a strategy – yet without hope, there can be no peace at all.