Marcos promotes 15 PCG officersPresident Marcos approved the promotion of the 15 officials, following the recommendation of acting Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez. MANILA, Philippines — Fifteen officers of the Philippine Coast Guard, including its spokesperson, were promoted to the rank of commodore in recognition of their leadership and contributions to public service, the PCG announced yesterday. President Marcos approved the promotion of the 15 officials, following the recommendation of acting Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez. Among those promoted is PCG spokesperson Commodore Noemie Cayabyab, who has been at the forefront of communicating the agency’s operational updates and emergency response efforts to the public and media. Also promoted are Captains Jane Gesulgon, Jonathan Marfil, Glen Daraug, Lejanie Dy, Jerome Cayabyab, Jimmy Naisod, Joselito Maluyo, Julian Bayawa Jr., Dann August Cariño, Richard Paragas, Cynthia Esquivias, Jose Mari Cucharo, Rolando Lorenzana and Laurel Paul Mariano Jr.

Best picture Oscar winners of past 20 yearsIn this file photo taken on February 21, 2008 Oscar statuettes are displayed at the "Meet The Oscars" exhibit before the 80th annual Academy Awards in Hollywood, California. HOLLYWOOD, United States — The following is a list of the best picture Oscar winners from the last 20 years, ahead of Sunday's 98th Academy Awards in Hollywood. This year, 10 films are in contention for the top prize: "Bugonia," "F1: The Movie," "Frankenstein," "Hamnet," "Marty Supreme," "One Battle After Another," "The Secret Agent," "Sentimental Value," "Sinners," and "Train Dreams." 2025 - "Anora"2024 - "Oppenheimer"2023 - "Everything Everywhere All at Once"2022 - "CODA"2021 - "Nomadland"2020 - "Parasite"2019 - "Green Book"2018 - "The Shape of Water"2017 - "Moonlight"2016 - "Spotlight"2015 - "Birdman"2014 - "12 Years A Slave"2013 - "Argo"2012 - "The Artist"2011 - "The King's Speech"2010 - "The Hurt Locker"2009 - "Slumdog Millionaire"2008 - "No Country for Old Men"2007 - "The Departed"2006 - "Crash"RELATED: Oscar 2026 nominees in main categories

Remains of Filipina killed in Israel airstrike returned to PhilippinesThe casket of Filipina caregiver Mary Ann De Vera, killed in a missile attack in Israel, is brought back to the Philippines on March 14, 2026. MANILA, Philippines — The remains of an overseas Filipino worker who was killed in a missile attack in Israel have been repatriated to the Philippines, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) said Saturday. Israeli Ambassador to the Philippines Dana Kursh also attended the arrival and said Israel has committed to providing lifetime support to De Vera’s family. "Ito ay bilang pagkilala sa katapangan at sakripisyong ipinamalas ni Mary Ann habang ginagampanan ang kanyang tungkulin bilang OFW," the DMW said. (This was in recognition of the courage and sacrifice Mary Ann showed while carrying out her duties as an overseas Filipino worker.)

Here are the stories of The Manila Times for Saturday, March 14, 2026. And it warned on Thursday that it would “set the region’s oil and gas on fire” if its own energy infrastructure and ports were targeted. After fuel prices, water rates could surge nextALREADY burdened by a spike in fuel prices, the public must brace for an impending increase in their water bill. The Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System Regulatory Office (MWSS) said on Friday water rates will go up in the second quarter, which starts in April. Contreras says excellence requires knowing the limits of exposure, while Remoto talks about gay children’s book “for the ages”.

Sabalenka outduels Noskova to reach third Indian Wells finalINDIAN WELLS, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 13: Aryna Sabalenka returns against Linda Noskova of Czech Republic during their Women's Singles Semifinals match on Day 10 of the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells Tennis Garden on March 13, 2026 in Indian Wells, California. INDIAN WELLS, United States — World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka roared into her third Indian Wells WTA 1000 final on Friday (Saturday, Manila time) overpowering 14th-ranked Czech Linda Noskova 6-3, 6-4. Kazakhstan's Rybakina, who also beat Sabalenka in the 2023 Indian Wells final, faced ninth-ranked Ukrainian veteran Elina Svitolina in the other semifinal. Sabalenka broke Noskova to open the second and was on her way.

WATCH: Palace hits back at Sara Duterte over oil price criticismMANILA, Philippines — Malacañang pushed back against Vice President Sara Duterte's criticism of the government's response to rising oil prices linked to tensions in the Middle East. Palace Press Officer Claire Castro questioned Duterte's claim that the administration failed to prepare for the possibility of a global oil crisis. The vice president earlier said the government should have begun preparing as early as 2022 for potential conflict in Iran. "Kung siya'y may alam as early as 2022 at hindi man lang niya ito binanggit diretso sa ating mga kababayan, sino ang hindi nagtrabaho? "Kung hindi niya ito sinabi, definitely this is a breach of public trust," she said.

Experts: MAIFIP still prone to meddling by politiciansThe network, Universal Health Care (UHC) Collective, said DOH Administrative Order 2026-0031 did not explicitly ban political intervention. MANILA, Philippines — Despite the issuance of new guidelines for the Medical Assistance for Indigent and Financially Incapacitated Patients or MAIFIP program of the Department of Health, a network of health development experts said the DOH program remains prone to meddling by politicians. Perez stressed that the “new” MAIFIP does not improve the chances of the poor to access health care. “Surveys have shown that 20 to 30 percent of those needing health care stay at home and delay care,” Perez said. Earlier, the DOH said the updated MAIFIP guidelines seek to enforce the ban on guarantee letters issued by elected public officials to cover patients’ hospital bills.

Court denies Jinggoy bid to produce PDAF recordsMANILA, Philippines — Sen. Jinggoy Estrada once again failed in his bid to have the Sandiganbayan order the Office of the Ombudsman to produce documents on the investigation into the graft cases related to the misuse of the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) or pork barrel of lawmakers. The anti-graft court’s Fifth Division denied Estrada’s motion for reconsideration and affirmed its Jan. 27 ruling, denying the senator’s plea to have the documents forwarded. Estrada, who is facing 11 graft cases due to his involvement in the PDAF scam, asked the court to “transmit the complete preliminary investigation records,” particularly the testimonies of his co-accused including detained former senator Ramon Revilla Jr., the late Juan Ponce Enrile and their witnesses. This, Estrada said, would enable his camp to “effectively cross-examine the witnesses” as part of defense evidence. Sandiganbayan Associate Justices Zaldy Trespeses and Gener Gito concurred.

NAIA named among best airports for layover foodThe NAIA ranked seventh for its 131 restaurants and cafe options. MANILA, Philippines — The United Kingdom-based Airport Parking and Hotels named the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) as one of the world’s best layover hubs for food. The NAIA ranked seventh for its 131 restaurants and cafe options. Singapore’s Changi Airport performed the strongest among the list with its 247 dining varieties during a layover. The travel authority evaluated the dining options, food prices, lounges and overall passenger experiences in 50 airports around the world.

3 killed over P1.2 million gold dealPolice identified the fatalities as Salic, Mutalib and Janisah, all surnamed Amerol, who were residents of a Muslim community in Tuguegarao. BAGUIO CITY, Philippines —Three gold buyers were shot dead by unidentified assailants in Lal-lo, Cagayan on Thursday. Probers said the victims traveled to Lal-lo to meet a man who offered to sell them gold worth P1.2 million. Upon arrival at the town proper, their contact reportedly said that the gold was located in the remote village of Sta. Probers found out that the assailants returned to the town proper in the victims’ vehicle to look for those who stayed behind.

The global economy will collapse before Iran’s will to fight does. The global economy is suffering from the worst oil blockade ever. Tehran announced it would mine the Strait of Hormuz, through which over 20 percent of global oil passes. The global economy is now broken in precisely those places that will require longest to heal. How much more punishment can the global economy take?

It included saying it’s where the president resides, where meetings are held, and that the image is printed on our currency. While the internet is a very vast tool, it’s also leading some of our young users in the wrong direction. It’s but timely for the education sector to step in and rethink how to enter the world of their students with the advent of technology. It’s unclear yet how the education sector will pan out in our country. When that happens, education once again becomes the easiest item to trim, even if it should be the last.

Ayala posts record earnings in 2025Ayala’s core net income, which excludes one-off items, grew by seven percent year-on-year to an all-time high of P48.3 billion in 2025. MANILA, Philippines — Earnings of Ayala Corp., the country’s oldest conglomerate, soared to a record high last year on the back of higher earnings from its banking and property businesses alongside the collective turnaround of non-core business units. Ayala’s core net income, which excludes one-off items, grew by seven percent year-on-year to an all-time high of P48.3 billion in 2025. Accounting for one-offs, Ayala’s net income skyrocketed by 46 percent to P61.4 billion, mainly driven by Mynt-related revaluation gains and Ayala Land Inc.’s sale of its share in the Alabang Commercial Center. Ayala CEO Cezar Consing said the group’s strong performance in 2025 reflects the resilience of its core segments and the steady progress of its emerging businesses.

Fintechs preparing shift away from OTPsLito Villanueva, founding chairman of FinTech Alliance PH, said industry players are ready to comply with the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP)’s directive to adopt more advanced security tools that will gradually replace OTP-based verification. MANILA, Philippines — Financial technology firms in the Philippines are prepared to transition away from one-time passwords (OTPs) as regulators push stronger authentication systems to curb rising digital fraud. “The fintech industry is ready to comply,” Villanueva said in a chance interview. “We have no choice but to comply.”The BSP has given banks and financial institutions until June 30 to phase out SMS-based OTPs and shift to stronger authentication methods, including biometric verification. While OTPs have long been the standard method for verifying online financial transactions, Villanueva said many fraud cases stem from consumers unknowingly sharing these codes with scammers.

When good intentions become bad economicsEvery few years, a proposal emerges in Congress that sounds noble at first but collapses under the weight of economic reality. The latest is the push for a national legislated minimum wage increase of P200 per day championed by Kamanggagawa Party-List Rep. Eli San Fernando. Fernando is pushing for the passage of House Bill 94 or the National Minimum Wage Act that seeks to create a single, uniform, national minimum wage instead of regional wage increases as determined by regional wage boards. And in every year of the transition period, every region shall increase its minimum wage by at least 20 percent of the gap between its current regional minimum wage and the national minimum wage. The danger of proposals like the national wage bill is not that they aim too high.