I feel like the luckiest person in the world because I get to be part of Ice's celebration of journey and love through Becoming Ice. ‘Becoming Ice’ concert series hits Davao on April 28. From one chapter to the next chapter — it is a journey, a movement from love to love. Slowing down with his movie career, he began discovering another love — music. Grab your tickets at SM Tickets online: http://bit.ly/BecomingIceDavao.
MJ Phillips PVL PHOTOPetro Gazz middle blocker Mar-Jana 'MJ' Phillips got picked fifth overall by the Gwangju AI Peppers on Friday, April 21 in the first-ever 2023 KOVO Women's Asian Quota Draft of the Korean V-League. Phillips, the second best middle blocker of the 2023 PVL All-Filipino Conference, is the first and lone Filipino to have been picked in the said draft. You'll see a lot of grit, of passion, and a lot of hard hitting balls [from me]." Phillips, who helped lead Petro Gazz to a 2022 PVL Reinforced Conference championship and a 2023 All-Filipino Conference runner-up finish, is set to join a Gwangju team that finished deadlast in the 2023 Korean V-League season. The AI Peppers tallied a 5-31 win-loss card with 14 points in the seven-team league.
(AFP)The Philippines and China pledged on Saturday to work together to resolve their maritime differences in the South China Sea, where the two have competing claims, and to deepen bilateral ties. Manila's relations with Beijing are more than just their differences over the South China Sea, Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo said as he began talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang in Manila. The two neighbors need to work together to continue a tradition of friendship, deepen cooperation and properly resolve differences, Qin said in his opening remarks. More than 17,000 Philippine and U.S. soldiers are conducting their largest ever joint military drills in the Southeast Asian country, drawing criticism from Beijing, Manila's rival in the South China Sea. Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia and the Philippines have competing claims in portions of the waterway.
Philippine Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo meets China's Foreign Minister Qin Gang for talks in Manila that included Taiwan and disputes in the South China Sea. (AFP)The Philippines' top diplomat has expressed his concern to Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang over escalating tensions in waters around Taiwan, Manila said on Saturday. China claims Taiwan as its territory and has vowed to bring the island under its control one day, by force if necessary. China and the Philippines are also locked in a bitter maritime dispute in the strategic South China Sea. Manalo said differences in the South China Sea "are not the sum total" of relations between the two nations, which have agreed to manage disagreements through dialogue and cooperation.
6 more BIFF bomb-makers yield to ArmyThe six members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Liberation Front yielded assault rifles and a grenade launcher to the Army’s 34th Infantry Battalion. Major Gen. Alex Rillera, commander of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, Saturday the six BIFF members agreed to surrender through the backdoor intercession of officials of the Army’s 34 Infantry Battalion and Brig. The six surrenderees had confessed to their having fabricated IEDs that the BIFF had used in recent bombings in central Mindanao. Rillera said Midsayap Mayor Rolly Sacdalan had assured to help reintroduce the six erstwhile BIFF terrorists to mainstream society. A total of 289 BIFF members had surrendered to units of the 6th ID in different towns in the provinces of Cotabato, South Cotabato, Maguindanao, Sultan Kudarat and Sarangani since 2022.
SRINAGAR, India: Suspected rebels killed five soldiers in disputed Indian-administered Kashmir on Thursday when they opened fire and threw explosives at an army truck, a military statement said. Videos from the scene showed an army vehicle engulfed in flames on a highway in the mountainous area. Anger against Indian rule in Kashmir has simmered since 2019, when New Delhi canceled the region's partial autonomy. Since 1989, rebel groups have fought some 500,000 Indian soldiers deployed in the Indian-controlled territory, demanding independence or a merger with Pakistan. Tens of thousands of civilians, soldiers and rebels have been killed so far.
Customs seized 45 kg of the drug “ice” worth about HK$28.5 million in a thermoforming machine arriving from Mexico on Sunday but had yet to arrest anyone connected to the case. In the early hours of Sunday (Apr 16), customs officers inspected air cargo, declared to be a thermoforming machine weighing 340 kg, which would be further flown to Australia after transiting in Hong Kong. The drugs were valued at about HK$28.5 million, and the case was passed to customs’ drug investigation group. There were 225 drug trafficking cases in the first quarter of 2023, up 43 percent from 157 logged in the same period last year. Customs believed the figures reflected that drug trafficking syndicates were trying to switch their delivery methods and increase the number of trafficking activities as countries and cities reopened earlier this year.
President Marcos joins Muslim community in celebrating Eid’l FitrA Muslim boy enters the Marikina Mosque in Barangay Tumana for Eid’l Fitr prayers yesterday. Eid’l Fitr marks the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan. MANILA, Philippines — President Marcos joined yesterday the Muslim community in the Philippines and abroad in celebrating Eid’l Fitr or the culmination of the holy month of Ramadan. Marcos has declared April 21 a regular holiday througout the country in observance of Eid’l Fitr through Proclamation 201. The religious holiday is celebrated by Muslims worldwide because it marks the end of the month-long, dawn-to-sunset fasting of Ramadan.
Higher heat indexAn official of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) on Friday warned that a higher heat index is expected in May amid the dry season. “We expect that during the month of May, that’s the time we record a higher heat index,” Villafuerte said. Tomorrow the heat index in Butuan City could reach 46 degrees Celsius; Tacloban City, 43 degrees Celsius; Daet, Camarines Sur and Tagbilaran, Bohol, 42 degrees Celsius. Other areas with high heat index were Butuan City, Agusan del Norte, Masbate City, Masbate and Zamboanga City with 42 degrees Celsius. The weather bureau defines heat index as a measure of how hot it really feels outside, when humidity and other factors are considered along with the temperature.
Ten men and two women were arrested by police over 26 scams in which they cheated about HK$1.8 million out of sellers on trading platforms and social media with cheques that could not be deposited into bank accounts. The suspects, aged 19 to 70, were arrested for obtaining property by deception during police’s Operation Tunnellight from Tuesday to Thursday (Apr 18-20). At the same time, the fraudsters would deposit an invalid cheque into the seller’s bank account to lure them into believing their deal was done. The sellers finally reported to the police after they found the cheque was fake or wouldn't clear into the bank account. Citizens are encouraged to use Scameter – the police’s one-stop scam and pitfall search engine – to check suspicious buyers' or sellers' phone numbers and social media accounts.
In the second set, Laguna-Dasmariñas posted a 5-2 decision in the blitz and an 11-3 triumph in the rapid game. Laguna-Dasmariñas will face on Saturday the Magic Mandaluyong Tigers, which escaped with a close victory over the Manila Indios Bravos on Wednesday. The Mandaluyong team of Atty. The Tigers, however, bounced back with a 16-5 win in the second set to tie the score at 2-all. "They're a team (Manila Indios Bravos) that fights hard," said Magic Mandaluyong Tigers coach Lourecel Hernandez Ecot.
(UPDATE) SOUTH Korean singer Moon Bin of the boy band Astro died on Wednesday, the band's record label Fantagio said. He was found dead in his home in Gangnam, Seoul. The singer was only 25 years old. "On April 19, Astro member Moon Bin suddenly left us and has now become a star in the sky," the label wrote. The four-man band became a sensation for their songs "Baby" and "All Night."
Three people aged 28 to 35 were arrested by police over a scam in which they used citizens’ credit card information – stolen through phishing messages – and spent over HK$1.5 million on shopping. They would then tell citizens their membership points accumulated were about to expire and lure citizens to visit certain links and enter their credit card information, including the card validation code (CVC/CVV). After citizens entered the information, they received notifications from the bank the same day that their credit cards were suspected to be stolen. Meanwhile, the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB) received complaints from citizens regarding credit card theft. They also slammed banks for failing to intervene in time and put suspicious transactions on hold when the credit limit was exceeded.
Clarin to spearhead Asian boxingMANILA, Philippines — GAB chairman Atty. Richard Clarin said yesterday it’s time for Asian boxing to consolidate and form a strong union in safeguarding the rights of fighters while creating more opportunities for growth on a global scale. Clarin said although the WBC has an affiliate Asian Boxing Council, his vision is to form an independent Asian body governed by Asians. Others don’t have federations yet and I’m willing to create for them so they can join the Asian council. I’ve talked to (MP Promotions head) Sean Gibbons on boxing concerns abroad and met legendary referee Frank Garza in Tokyo.
Bantag says he wishes to surrender — RemullaMANILA, Philippines — Former Corrections chief Gerald Bantag, who is facing warrants over the killing of radio broadcaster Percy Lapid and the middleman in the case, has sent feelers for surrender, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said Thursday. The justice secretary said Bantag did not give any conditions for surrender, but only asked if it was possible to turn himself in. Remulla refused to disclose the identity of his colleague who received the call from Bantag some five or six days ago. He however said he will make a follow-up on whether Bantag made any other gesture following the surrender feelers. The national police have formed tracker teams to locate Bantag, Zulueta and other accused in the case.
