Chinese envoy tells Philippines government: Let’s talkMANILA, Philippines — China’s top diplomat urged the Philippines to talk with China in order to find ways to manage differences, while admitting that winning a confrontation with a smaller neighbor risks losing a long-term relationship. In his remarks at a Lunar New Year reception on Tuesday, Chinese Ambassador Jing Quan suggested that the two sides sit down and talk. Let’s talk. The Chinese embassy in Manila retaliated, banning 16 people from Kalayaan, including local officials led by Mayor Beltzasar Alindogan. Kalayaan is the country’s only municipality located inside the WPS and is considered the frontline of Philippine sovereignty in the area.

New era, same fiery fight for NUMANILA, Philippines — The road to the UAAP volleyball supremacy still has to go through National U. Pundits, however, see a wide-open race, with La Salle and Santo Tomas tipped to be the biggest threats to NU’s throne. But the Lady Bulldogs of returning coach Regine Diego will march into the battlepit confident that they have what it takes to battle – and wage a fight as champs. The Lady Bulldogs last season completed a back-to-back feat for their third overall crown in the last four seasons, giving their “Big 4” a sweet swan song. Expected to stand in the NU’s way are La Salle and Santo Tomas, which took turns in challenging the Lady Bulldogs in their four straight finals.

I wore a totally different hat and perhaps one of the most meaningful to me: that of a descendant of a Philippine-American War hero. It was a moment that linked my family’s story to a larger national narrative, offering a rare opportunity to share my roots and reflect on how they continue to shape the person I am today. “My name is Agapito Del Rosario Zaldarriaga, son of Cristina Baby Sicangco Del Rosario Zaldarriaga, grandson of Agapito Abad Santos Del Rosario. She led guerrillas, negotiated with American forces and helped stabilize Angeles after the war.”The deeper discussion at the forum centered on the Philippine-American War. Forgetting this is forgetting the sacrifices of martyrs like Kapitan Bikong, whose courage helped secure the freedoms we now enjoy.

Philippines falls in corruption index, among worst in SEAMANILA, Philippines — Mirroring trends observed in other parts of the world, perceived levels of public sector corruption in the Philippines worsened in 2025, coinciding with the widespread scandal surrounding flood control projects. The Philippines ranked 120th among the 182 countries and territories included in the 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) released by Berlin-based Transparency International (TI) on Tuesday, down six notches from the 2024 edition of the annual report. The Philippines’ score was only higher than Cambodia’s and Myanmar’s’ among its Southeast Asian neighbors. Reacting to the 2025 CPI, Malacañang said the Philippines’ lower score was expected because of President Marcos’ exposé of anomalies in flood control projects. “The vast majority of countries are failing to keep corruption under control: 122 out of 182 score under 50 in the index,” the report read.

Tulfo confronts Meta over Marcos deepfake proliferationSenator Raffy Tulfo urged the Department of Agriculture (DA) to strengthen farmer and fisherfolk cooperatives, reforms in the DA’s Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture (RSBSA), and faster delivery of government support to the sector during a Senate committee hearing on agriculture on January 26, 2026. MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Raffy Tulfo grilled officials of Meta yesterday over the tech giant’s failure to swiftly remove a malicious deepfake photo of President Marcos that has been circulating on Facebook for over a week. “Why not take it down immediately?” an irate Tulfo asked Meta executives. Why would the President of the Republic of the Philippines be disrespected like this and you allow it?” he added. He explained that the image Tulfo’s team found was likely a repost from a different account, and he requested the specific link so Meta could immediately review and remove it.

Palace: Sara is talented in spreading falsehoodsIn a Facebook post on Aug. 5, 2025, Vice President Sara Duterte shared photos of her administering the oath of office to newly elected officials of the Island Garden City of Samal, Davao del Norte. This was Malacañang’s reaction to Vice President Sara Duterte’s claim that she has stopped talking to her senator allies because the Marcos administration threatens or harasses those who help or speak to her. The Beverly Hills police clarified that the report, which circulated on social media, had been altered, according to the Philippine consulate in Los Angeles. “It’s another storytelling lie... We do not know when their talent for spreading fake news originated,” Castro said at a press briefing yesterday. The Vice President resigned as education secretary and vice chairperson of the government’s anti-insurgency task force in June 2024, after her relationship with the Marcoses soured.

Palace: Marcos respects China diplomats’ opinionsPresidential Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro made the remarks after the Chinese embassy on Tuesday denounced the resolution approved by the Senate condemning embassy officials for their statements against Philippine officials speaking out on WPS issues. “The President respects freedom of expression. She declined to comment, however, when asked whether she sees the condemnation of the Senate resolution by the Chinese embassy a way to silence the chamber. In a statement, Chinese embassy spokesman Ji Lingpeng called the Senate resolution a “political stunt” and accused the legislators of repeatedly resorting to “threats” and “intimidation” against Chinese diplomats. Reacting to the embassy statement, Senate President Vicente Sotto III said it was the Chinese diplomats who were disrespectful and needed rebuke.

House to treat Sara impeach cases like MarcosMANILA, Philippines — The same constitutional standards applied in the impeachment cases against President Marcos would be used by the House of Representatives in dealing with the cases against Vice President Sara Duterte, committee on justice chairperson Rep. Gerville Luistro said yesterday. “It is not yet in the justice committee. That’s why we haven’t seen yet these impeachment complaints. She said impeachment complaints must first be referred by the plenary to the justice committee before the latter can make its move. She also explained that the impeachment complaints against the Vice President were not taken up last Monday because they were still with the Office of the Speaker.

Rescued Philippines hawk-eagle released in Aurora forestHandout photo shows an official of the municipal environment and natural resources office in Baler holding the raptor prior to its release into the wild. BALER, Aurora, Philippines — A Philippine hawk-eagle rescued by a farmer in this town over the weekend has been released back to the wild. Officials of the municipal environment and natural resources office (MENRO) said the eagle was found sick and weak in a field in Barangay Suklayin on Feb. 7. The MENRO turned over the eagle to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), where the raptor was examined and treated. Wildlife experts say that every rescued hawk?eagle contributes to the survival of the species, which remains at risk due to deforestation and other threats.

Probe on Mollenido murder case resetSlain policewoman Senior M/Sgt. Diane Marie Mollenido and her eight-year-old son John Ysmael are laid to rest on Thursday. MANILA, Philippines — The preliminary investigation into the killing of policewoman Diane Mollenido and her eight-year-old son, John Ysmael, hit a snag yesterday after the counsel of the alleged masterminds withdrew from representing the suspects. Gannaban said they were not able to get an explanation on why the couple’s counsel refused to represent them in the case. Dy was the one who allegedly assisted the Panganibans in disposing of the bodies of Mollenido and her son in Pulilan, Bulacan and Victoria, Tarlac.

Palace hits back at Roque, says Marcos has no colon cancerMANILA, Philippines — Malacañang on Wednesday, February 11, thumbed down claims that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has colon cancer, saying that such speculation would hurt the government and the economy. Rumors of Marcos having colon cancer stemmed from former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque questioning the Palace on whether the president had a colostomy bag, which is used to collect bodily waste. Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said that such rumors were detrimental to the government, the president and the economy. Castro called Roque a “fake news peddler.”“Huwag na po tayong maniwala. Discussions on Marcos’ health had intensified after the president was diagnosed with diverticulitis, causing him to miss several work commitments.

Discayas' Rolls-Royce sold for P29 million at auctionAn image of the Rolls-Royce Cullinan displayed on screen during the Bureau of Customs auction on Feb. 11, 2026. It was sold on its third auction attempt to Baguio-based Igorot Stone Kingdom Inc., represented by founder Pio Velasco, for P29,026,000. The winning bid was slightly above its floor price of P29,025,132.58. Its floor price was initially set at P45.314 million in November 2025, then lowered to P36.28 million in December 2025. Also left unsold were the following vehicles:Lincoln Navigator (2024), floor price P8,642,319.86GMC Yukon Denali (2022), floor price P6,759,673.35Cadillac Escalade (2021), floor price P7,747,289.21Maserati Levante Modena (2022), floor price P4,091,916.72GMC Yukon XL Denali (2022), floor price P6,759,673.35Cadillac Escalade ESV (2022), floor price P8,278,445.48Bentley Bentayga (2022), floor price P11,103,040.30The Bentley Bentayga and the Rolls-Royce had both been offered three times after failing to draw bids in the first two auctions.

Marcos: Classroom building brought down to the local levelPresident Ferdinand Marcos Jr. leads the signing ceremony of a memorandum of agreement between the Department of Education and various provinces to build more classrooms on Feb. 11, 2026. MANILA, Philippines — A formal agreement has been signed allowing local government units (LGUs) to take the lead in building classrooms in their respective areas—effectively decentralizing the process from the national government. The president is confident that decentralizing classroom building will allow greater accountability on the local level, and avoid instances of ghost projects, as was seen with the DPWH. While this will not immediately close the classroom gap, Marcos said that other solutions, such as private-public partnerships, are also underway. Because we cannot wait another five or ten years to ensure that every student has a comfortable classroom,” Marcos said.

Trillion Peso March part 3 set on 'People Power' anniversaryCaritas Philippines with civil society organizations during the press conference on Feb. 11, 2026 for Trillion Peso March part 3. MANILA, Philippines — Part three of the Trillion Peso March is set to take place on February 25, coinciding with the anniversary of the People Power Revolution. The anti-corruption rally will be organized by Caritas Philippines, the social action arm of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines, along with civil society organizations such as the Trillion Peso March Movement. On February 25, the Trillion Peso March will consist of "several activities in multiple points along EDSA" starting at 7 a.m. The first Trillion Peso March took place on Sept. 21, 2025, as a protest against corruption.

Baboon siblings get jealous just like human kids: scientistsFILE PHOTO: Baboons preen each other at the Paris Zoological Park in the Bois de Vincennes in the east of Paris, France, October 23, 1995. REUTERS/Mal Langsdon/File Photo