Former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte gestures as he delivers a message during the proclamation rally for his political party PDP-Laban's senatorial candidates ahead of the midterm elections, at Club Filipino in San Juan, Metro Manila, Philippines, February 13, 2025. REUTERS/Eloisa Lopez
The Alibaba logo is seen in this illustration taken on January 29, 2025. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration
Young couple Nicole Coprada and John Rey Zabella didn’t hire a professional photographer for their 5th-anniversary hike to Mt. John Rey Zabella and Nicole Coprada Courtesy of Nicole CopradaMaking the first move The couple met in 2021. Nicole followed John Rey using Instagram’s suggested friends, but it wasn't until a week later that they started talking. Eventually, they moved to Metro Manila for work—Nicole, 24, working at an automotive company, while John Rey, 25, is a criminology graduate. As they reached the summit, John Rey told their group's drone operator that he would be proposing.
Ex-Fifa chief Blatter joins calls for fan boycott of World Cup in the USSepp Blatter is the latest international football figure to call into question the suitability of the United States as a host country.
Photo by ANDY BUCHANAN / AFP This photo taken on January 15, 2026 shows senior tour coordinator Carol Drummond posing for a photo at Dumfries House, headquarters of the King's Foundation near Cumnock, south of Glasgow, Scotland.
Nearly 60 kilos of marijuana seized in Tawi-TawiThe 58 kilos of marijuana seized from cohort Filipino and Malaysian dealers entrapped in Bongao, Tawi-Tawi are now in the custody of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. COTABATO CITY, Philippines — Members of the Bangsamoro parliament are to set up anti-narcotics measures for regional application in support of efforts of the police and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency in preventing the trafficking of illegal drugs in all five provinces and three cities in the autonomous region. Yacob, who had studied Sharia jurisprudence at the International Islamic University of Madinah in Saudi Arabia, said addiction to illegal drugs is “haram,” or forbidden in Islam. Recites said local executives, among them Gov. Ysmael Sali, officials of different units in Tawi-Tawi of the Police Regional Office-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region, and the Navy’s 4th Marine Battalion supported the operation that resulted in the detention of the duo and confiscation of P79.8 million worth of marijuana from them.
Marcos free to attend or forgo House impeachment hearingsMANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. may or may not attend the House justice committee hearings on the impeachment complaints filed against him. Should the justice committee find the complaints sufficient in form and substance, then the panel will submit a committee report to the plenary for voting. If the panel recommends impeaching Marcos, a one-third vote of all House members is required for it to proceed to trial. Since the complaints were already referred to the justice committee, the impeachment proceedings are deemed initiated, and the one-year bar rule has been triggered. This means no other impeachment complaints against the president will be entertained for a year.
"The service enables applicants to complete the entire visa submission process without leaving the comfort of their home or their location." Most notably, the " Visa at Your Doorstep " service registered a 62% increase in demand. According to Atul Lall, regional head of VFS Global North Asia, the landscape of visa applications in the Philippines is shifting rapidly toward personalized solutions. Visa at Your Doorstep allows applicants to submit their visa application, including biometrics, from their home or any location. "Visa applicants have been more receptive to services such as Premium Lounge and Prime Time, which offer flexibility and personalization to submit their visas with ease," Lall said.
Photo by ZAIN JAAFAR / AFP Commuters walk past members of Israeli security forces during a military raid in the neighbourhood of Kafr Aqab near Ramallah, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on January 26, 2026.
Military verifying Ukraine report of Filipino killed fighting for RussiaUkrainian priests stand as mourners light flares during the funeral ceremony of Artur Vilchynskyi, a Ukrainian soldier of the "Barracuda" air reconnaissance unit who was recently killed in action in the Chernihiv region, at the National Military Memorial Cemetery near Kyiv on November 28, 2025, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. MANILA, Philippines — The Armed Forces of the Philippines is trying to confirm reports that a Filipino was killed while fighting for Russia in Ukraine. The report says Patrick was serving in Russia's 283rd Regiment when he was killed during an assault near Novoselivka village. Ukraine's Defense Intelligence says data from Patrick's devices showed he got one week of training before being sent to fight. Ukrainian officials have said Russia is recruiting thousands of foreign nationals to fight in Ukraine, often through deception.
Aleson Shipping Lines' fleet grounded after Basilan RoRo sinkingMANILA, Philippines — The operations of Aleson Shipping Lines has been suspended following the sinking of the MV Trisha Kerstin 3, which left at least 18 people dead, including a 6-month-old baby. The Aleson's MV Trisha Kerstin 3 was en route to Jolo, Sulu when it sank in the waters off Basilan. Pending the investigation, Aleson Shipping Lines is not allowed to operate passenger vessels. "We are grounding the entire passenger fleet of Aleson Shipping Lines," Lopez said. Aleson Shipping Lines has been involved in at least 32 maritime incidents since 2019, Lopez added.
