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.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo arrives in Manila on Tuesday for a three-day official visit to the Philippines. The plane carrying the Indonesian leader landed at around 8:05 p.m at the Villamor Air Base in Pasay City where he was warmly welcomed by Philippine government officials. Video by Malcañang Press Corps

MANILA, Philippines: ASIAN Games gold medalists Margarita 'Meggie' Ochoa and Annie Ramirez, along with Asian champion Carlos Yulo will be among the recipients of Major Awards in the San Miguel Corporation-Philippine Sportswriters Association (SMC-PSA) Awards Night on January 29. Ochoa and Ramirez accounted for half of the gold tally of Team Philippines in the 19th edition of the Asiad in Hangzhou, China by topping the women's 48 kg and -57 kg respectively, as jiu-jitsu scored a double in the continental showpiece.

As a result, to align our calendar with the Earth’s orbit, an extra day is added every four years at the end of February, known as Leap Day, accounting for the nearly 24 hours accumulated over that period. The newspaper’s name, translating to “Sapper’s Candle,” is derived from a comic book character in France who was born on Leap Day. Copies sell for 4.80 euros (around P291.50) per issue, and each Leap Day, the paper enjoys considerable popularity, selling about 150,000 copies. Extremely unlucky: In Scotland, there’s a belief that those born on Leap Day — also called “leaplings” — are destined for a life of hardship. Astrologers often associate those born under the Pisces sign, which includes Leap Day, with talents and good looks.

Watchdog raises alarm over PNP clampdown on 'fake news' vloggersMANILA, Philippines — Moves by the Philippine National Police to punish online content creators allegedly spreading disinformation to "destabilize" the Marcos administration should be viewed with caution due to the police's history of interfering with free speech, according to media watchdog Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR). "The report about the police's intent to interfere with the media and the public forum creates a climate of fear. Leaders of both the PNP and AFP have denied supporting a destabilization plan against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., with PNP spokesperson Col. Jean Fajardo saying that while content creators have the right to free speech, "we are also asking them to spare the PNP." The PNP said that it will file criminal complaints against the vloggers and ask social media companies Facebook and YouTube to remove the "fake" destabilization plot videos, Fajardo said on Saturday. In 2022, alternative news site Kodao Productions reported the Baguio City police's red-tagging of journalists as part of their counterinsurgency campaign.