Suzuki welcomes 2024 with big cheers, big deals for Ertiga Hybrid and S-PressoDon't miss out on Suzuki’s January promo and drive home your dream car! Suzuki Philippines is kicking off 2024 with unbeatable offers on two of their standout cars—the Ertiga Hybrid and the S-Presso. According to Norihide Takei, Suzuki Philippines director and general manager for the automobile division, “We understand that owning a car is a top priority for many Filipino families. For more information, check out any authorized Suzuki Auto dealerships nationwide or visit http://suzuki.com.ph/auto/. For daily updates on Suzuki, please like Suzuki Auto PH’s Facebook page, follow them on Twitter and Instagram at @suzukiautoph.

The Vatican declaration restated traditional church teaching that marriage is a lifelong union between a man and woman. But it allowed priests to offer spontaneous, non-liturgical blessings to same-sex couples seeking God’s grace in their lives, provided such blessings aren’t confused with the rites and rituals of a wedding. READ: Vatican says no heresy in allowing blessings for same-sex couples after pushback by some bishopsIn his statement, Ambongo said it wasn’t appropriate for African priests to offer such blessings because of the scandal and confusion it would create. READ: EXPLAINER: How can Catholic priests bless same-sex unions? He admitted that it may not apply to some parts of the world and that further “pastoral reflection” might be necessary.

A man was arrested in a suspected money laundering case involving about HK$7.4 million after a follow-up investigation on a live coral smuggling case identified in 2022 by customs. The man was arrested for money laundering. Customs detected a sea smuggling case in July 2022, with three men arrested and seized a batch of goods including suspected scheduled live corals that worth around HK$800,000. The funds, about HK$7.4 million in total, were suspected to be crime proceeds connected with the smuggling case. The man arrested today has been released on bail pending investigation.

China views Taiwan as a renegade province and has never renounced the use of force to take it one day. In a statement on Thursday, China's Taiwan Affairs Office said if Lai "comes to power, he will further push for 'Taiwan independence' separatist activities [and create] turbulence in the Taiwan Strait." Lai, who had once called himself a "pragmatic worker for Taiwan's independence," has taken a softer line on the issue on the campaign trail. "Accepting China's 'one-China' principle is not true peace," he added, referring to Beijing's doctrine that Taiwan is a part of China. Chinese President Xi Jinping said in a recent address that unifying Taiwan with China was an "inevitability."

Bulusan Volcano shows signs of increased activitiesIn this June 6, 2022 photo, smoke rises from Bulusan volcano (C) as seen from Sorsogon City, Sorsogon province. MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said Thursday it is closely monitoring Bulusan Volcano in Sorsogon following an increase in seismic activities. “The seismic parameters indicate shallow hydrothermal activity is underway and may lead to steam-driven or phreatic eruption,” the institute said. Last week, the Phivolcs also reported increased activities at Bulusan. Bulusan is under Alert Level 1, which means it is in a state of low-level unrest, with an increased likelihood of stream-driven or phreatic eruptions.

Ralph Recto named as new Finance secretarySenate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto filed a resolution seeking legal mechanisms against deep fakes to strengthen the government’s “implementation of cybercrime and data privacy laws, safeguarding the privacy, information and identity of all Filipinos and protecting the integrity of Philippine social, political, economic and financial institutions.”MANILA, Philippines — House Deputy Speaker Ralph Recto has been named as the new secretary of the Department of Finance, according to lawmakers. In a statement, Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri said that he welcomes Recto’s appointment as the new Finance chief, remarking that Recto was known in the Senate as the “resident numbers genius.”"More than most, he understands how to bridge the gap between the abstractions of mathematics and the very concrete realities that we face as a nation," Zubiri said. Diokno was handpicked as Marcos' fiscal chief in May 2022 and before that had served as governor of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas from 2019 to 2022. In September 2023, Diokno admitted to reporters that the president did not consult his economic managers before implementing a controversial price ceiling on rice, saying that he was “shocked” by the executive order implementing the measure when it came out. Diokno said that while price ceilings don’t work in “ideal market conditions,” the presence of price manipulators like smugglers and hoarders led to the president’s decision.

(UPDATE) THE Sandiganbayan's Second Division rejected the appeal of former Health secretary Janette Garin to drop the charges against her related to the government's purchase of Dengvaxia vaccines. In a nine-page resolution promulgated on Wednesday, the court thumbed down Garin's motion to quash or dismiss the case filed by the Office of the Ombudsman. It also said that Garin and her co-accused were charged under two separate charge sheets, each pertaining to only one offense. In the same resolution, the Second Division threw out the consolidated motion to quash filed by Bayugo and Ducusin, the motion to quash by Lecciones, and the motion to dismiss by Hartigan-Go. In a statement in 2023, Garin, now a congresswoman representing Iloilo, said her conscience was clear.

"This is a very sad day for my team and everyone here," said Dee Byrne, president of Palisades Tahoe, her voice emotional. People through the parking area of the Alpine Base Area at Palisades Tahoe during a winter storm Friday, Feb. 24, 2023, in Alpine Meadows, California. AP PHOTO People through the parking area of the Alpine Base Area at Palisades Tahoe during a winter storm Friday, Feb. 24, 2023, in Alpine Meadows, California. The death Wednesday was the first US avalanche fatality of the season, according to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center, which monitors nationwide. A 2020 avalanche at Alpine Meadows killed one skier and seriously injured another a day after a major storm.

(UPDATE) PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Indonesian President Joko Widodo on Wednesday agreed to boost defense cooperation and agreements on border cooperation between Manila and Jakarta as they discussed developments in the South China Sea. Marcos and Widodo held a bilateral meeting in Malacañang, where they agreed to continue the two countries' cooperation on political and security matters. To stronger ties President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. toasts Indonesian President Joko Widodo at the state luncheon held at Malacañang on Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2024. Widodo said he and Marcos also agreed to strengthen the border and trade cooperation between Indonesia and the Philippines. Marcos and Widodo witnessed the exchange of MoU on energy cooperation between the Department of Energy and Indonesia's Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources after their bilateral meeting.

DA to draft procurement guidelines for agricultural crisesMANILA, Philippines — The Department of Agriculture (DA) announced on Wednesday that they are in the process of drafting the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) for a law clause, seeking to stabilize necessities and commodities supply while protecting consumers from unjustified price hikes during food shortages. 7581, also known as the Price Act. “Secretary Tiu Laurel ordered the TWG to develop a clear and concise set of rules to implement Section 9 of the Price Act,” the DA said in a statement. The DA also said that it will work with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and other government agencies in crafting the IRR. An IRR is generally a set of rules defined by an appointed government agency that serve as guidelines for the implementation of a law.

JAKARTA: Indonesia's Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki erupted again on Wednesday, spewing ash clouds 2 kilometers (6,561 feet) above its peak as authorities raised the volcano's alert status to the highest level. Map of Indonesia locating Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki on the island of Flores. The Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation Center, or PVMBG, raised on Tuesday night Lewotobi Laki-Laki's alert level to 4 after it was raised to the second-highest level last week and imposed an exclusion zone of 4 to 5 km around the crater. He added that people should wear masks "to prevent the dangers of volcanic ash to the respiratory system." Indonesian authorities on Tuesday increased the alert status of Mount Marapi, located on the country's western Sumatra island, to the second-highest level and imposed a 4.5-km exclusion zone from its crater.

Causative verb. The English language has, in fact, evolved a special verb form to make people avoid acknowledging responsibility—if only for the moment—when caught in such situations. That verb form is the causative verb, which carries out an action that causes another action to happen. Factitive verb. Like the causative verb, another type of verb that exhibits peculiar behavior is the so-called factitive verb.

The family of overseas Filipino worker (OFW) Mary Jane Veloso and Migrante International gather on Mendiola Bridge near Malacanan Palace on Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2024, seeking freedom for the jailed OFW in Indonesia. Veloso is serving a life sentence for drug trafficking. They appealed to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to discuss Veloso's case with Indonesian President Joko Widodo who is in the country for a three-day official visit. Video by Claire Mondares

Social workers to assess medical aid for poor — DOHMANILA, Philippines — The access of indigent patients to medical assistance rests solely on the assessment of social workers, the Department of Health (DOH) clarified Wednesday, after the agency was linked in the latest push to amend the Constitution. Marcos also alleged that districts that deliver a high number of signatures will reportedly get P10 million from the DOH’s medical assistance program. The DOH guidelines state that funds of the Medical Assistance to Indigent and Financially Incapacitated Patients (MAIFIP) Program cover medicines, services, and other medical products as prescribed by licensed physicians or health professionals. To avail medical assistance under the program, patients or their authorized representatives shall submit documents to the Medical Social Service or the designated officer of the health facility. The registered social worker of the health facility will then assess the eligibility of patients and process the medical assistance.

January 9 proposed as national feast of the Black Nazarene to VaticanA kid attempts to reach the glass which carries the Black Nazarene during the Traslacion on Jan. 9, 2024. MANILA, Philippines — The Archdiocese of Manila has petitioned the Vatican to officially recognize January 9 as the annual national feast of the Black Nazarene, as reported by the news division of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP News). (It is our prayer that when we meet again next time, the Church will designate January 9 as a national feast in honor of our beloved Black Nazarene.) RELATED: LIST: Route of the Black Nazarene for Traslacion 2024. If approved by the Vatican, the Feast of the Black Nazarene will be celebrated by all the churches of the Catholic Church in the Philippines.