Philippines, Japan sign pact to allow military resupplyForeign Affairs Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro and Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi signed in Manila the Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement (ACSA). MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines and Japan signed yesterday defense agreements, including one allowing their forces to resupply fuel, ammunition and other necessities during joint training and operations. “The Philippines faces important sea lanes including the South China Sea and the Luzon Strait and plays an important role in regional security. Japan has been providing support to promote peace, stability, development and growth in Mindanao for many years.

BTS gave a teaser of its new album, ARIRANG, on Apple Music, addressing their global fans directly. "We are so excited to share our new album, ARIRANG. This album reflects the combination of our journey to date as BTS. Released by BIGHIT MUSIC, ARIRANG will have four versions: Rooted in Korea Ver., Rooted in Music Ver., Living Legend Ver., and Weverse Albums Ver. Following their album launch, BTS will be kicking off their massive two-year global tour on April 9 in Goyang, South Korea.

Several valuable Pokemon cards were stolen in a gunpoint robbery at a New York store, US police said, with about $100,000 worth of merchandise reportedly taken. Pokemon cards bearing "little monsters" attract children as well as adult superfans and collectors, with billions printed and some selling for millions of dollars. Earlier this month, around $300,000 worth of Pokemon cards were stolen in another armed robbery in California. The store listed several cards as stolen, each stored in protective plastic cases called "slabs" that verify their authenticity. The stolen cards include those of famous Pokemon characters like Pikachu, the large yellow mouse with a lightning bolt-shaped tail.

The Philippine National Police (PNP) has set up tracker teams to locate and serve the order in all identified locations of Ang’s whereabouts. Demystifying the ‘little president’THE designation “little president” that has often been attached to the Office of the Executive Secretary is not one that Lucas Bersamin finds particularly appropriate. The position of executive secretary (ES) is paradoxically one of the most high-profile positions in government while being the one of the least-understood by the public, and evidently even by other government officials. It has its legal basis in the 1987 Administrative Code of the Philippines, which provides a very detailed description of the authority and duties of the executive secretary. Tiglao talks about the Atong Ang saga, while Tatad asks if an impeachment against the President is possible.

Lubog sa utangOur national debt has hovered around 62 percent of GDP in recent years. There is no better way of delivering this worrisome message than this tagalog description of our situation: lubog sa utang or drowning in debt. In 2022, our national debt grew by 14.4 percent from 2021 while GDP grew by 7.6 percent. In 2023, national debt grew by 8.9 percent while GDP grew by 5.5 percent. In 2024, national debt grew by 9.8 percent while GDP grew by 5.6 percent.

Power giants bidding for Meralco’s 200-MW baseload supply dealIn a pre-bid conference yesterday, Meralco named 15 companies that have indicated their intent to supply its baseload renewable energy requirements for a four-year period. In a pre-bid conference yesterday, Meralco named 15 companies that have indicated their intent to supply its baseload renewable energy requirements for a four-year period. The power supply agreement resulting from this competitive selection process (CSP) will help Meralco meet its Renewable Portfolio Standards obligations. Traded in the renewable energy market (REM), RECs are currently capped at P241.56 per megawatt-hour by the Energy Regulatory Commission. The REM is the venue for buying and selling RECs equivalent to an amount of electricity generated from renewable power facilities.

Jonvic asks Marcos Jr. : Fire BFP chiefWhen asked for the whereabouts of Fernandez, Remulla said he has not talked with the BFP chief after the latter allegedly offered him kickbacks in the purchase of fire trucks last December. MANILA, Philippines — Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla has asked President Marcos to remove Bureau of Fire Protection chief (BFP) Jesus Fernandez from his post over alleged involvement in corruption. When asked for the whereabouts of Fernandez, Remulla said he has not talked with the BFP chief after the latter allegedly offered him kickbacks in the purchase of fire trucks last December. He said he is set to receive the results of the police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group’s fact-finding probe into alleged corruption in the BFP. Fernandez and 19 other BFP officials will face charges for their alleged involvement in bid rigging, kickbacks and overpriced sale of fire extinguishers.

Guard electrocuted while picking mangoesCAMP VICENTE LIM, Laguna , Philippines — A security guard died after a metal stick he was using to pick mangoes accidentally touched a live wire in Bacoor, Cavite on Wednesday. The victim, whose name was not immediately available, was found lifeless on top of a tree in Barangay Molino IV. A resident reported the incident to village officials who contacted the police. Probers said the resident heard an explosion believed caused by the contact between the metal and the power line. The explosion disrupted power supply in the area.

“Any information leading to the conclusive arrest of Atong Ang will merit a P10-million reward, no questions asked,” Remulla told a news briefing in Quezon City. “Atong Ang, we can consider him as the number one most wanted in the Philippines right now,” Remulla said. Police failed to serve arrest warrants against Ang after he was not found in several properties linked to him, authorities said. As of now, only the Santa Cruz RTC has issued arrest warrants. “I believe sloppy investigations and flawed cases led to failure of justice in those cases, so I hope these missing sabungeros cases will not implode during preliminary investigation and trial,” he added.

Learning from MistakesThese things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us. 1 Corinthians 10:11To help avoid future financial mistakes, such as those in 1929 and 2008 that brought down the world’s economy, the Library of Mistakes was founded in Edinburgh, Scotland. Paul reminded the Corinthians that one way to avoid yielding to temptation and to have a strong spiritual life is to learn from the mistakes of God’s people in the past. Paul presented these historical “examples” from Scripture to help believers in Jesus avoid repeating Israel’s mistakes (v. 11). How can we learn from our mistakes as well as the mistakes of others?

Philippines, Japan sign new defense pact amid fraying relations with ChinaForeign Affairs Secretary Theresa Lazaro (left) and Japanese Foreign Minister Motegi Toshimitsu (right) sign the Acquisition and Cross Servicing Agreement (ACSA) in a bilateral meeting in Manila, Jan. 15, 2026. MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines and Japan took another step in their expanding defense ties on Thursday, January 15, signing a new pact that will allow their militaries to share supplies and services during joint exercises and operations. Expanding assistanceLazaro said in a statement after the meeting that Japan committed ¥900 million (approximately ?341 million) in Official Security Assistance for 2026 to help modernize the AFP's capabilities. Lazaro thanked Japan for its economic and security assistance. "The signing of these agreements reflect the close and evolving collaboration between the Philippines and Japan under our Strengthened Strategic Partnership," she said.

VP Impeachment 2.0Unlike his predecessor, the new Senate chief has promised to act “forthwith” on any impeachment complaint transmitted to the chamber by the House of Representatives. But whether VP Impeachment 2.0 will prosper is a big if. And public outrage can still propel the Senate impeachment trial toward a conviction. For VP Impeachment 2.0, it may help that there’s a new Speaker, and Bodjie Dy is not seen as a presidential contender. It’s all about accountability, according to those who have announced plans to continue pursuing VP Sara for her use of confidential funds and her video rant channeling cinema’s killer Chucky doll.

Sugar millers nix automatic import privilegeIn a statement, the Philippine Sugar Millers Association (PSMA) expressed its opposition to any proposed order seeking to link domestic sugar buying or exports to an automatic import privilege. MANILA, Philippines — A group of sugar millers has renewed its call to halt any guaranteed import replenishment scheme for raw sugar, warning that it could drown the local industry in oversupply. In a statement, the Philippine Sugar Millers Association (PSMA) expressed its opposition to any proposed order seeking to link domestic sugar buying or exports to an automatic import privilege. Latest SRA data showed that farmgate prices of raw sugar stood at P2,174 per 50-kilo bag as of Dec. 21, 2025. Recently, Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. approved the export of 100,000 metric tons of raw sugar to the US to support farmgate prices and reduce domestic supplies.

Regulatory overlap leaves graduates unprepared – EDCOM 2While the CHED, PRC and TESDA were established to regulate distinct segments of the education-to-employment pipeline, their enabling laws grant parallel and, in some cases, competing regulatory powers, EDCOM 2 noted. While the CHED, PRC and TESDA were established to regulate distinct segments of the education-to-employment pipeline, their enabling laws grant parallel and, in some cases, competing regulatory powers, EDCOM 2 noted. Republic Act 7722, or the Higher Education Act of 1994, vests the CHED with authority over higher education programs, curricula and quality assurance. RA 8981, or the PRC Modernization Act of 2000, expanded the PRC’s role beyond licensure to include oversight of professional standards, continuing professional development and coordination with educational institutions. While RA 7722 authorizes the CHED to prescribe minimum standards for higher education programs, nine professional laws prescribe program length, structure and required facilities, EDCOM 2 pointed out.

No politics in canceled contracts of Leviste firms – DOEMANILA, Philippines — Energy Secretary Sharon Garin has maintained that politics is not the reason why renewable energy contracts tied to firms owned by Batangas Rep. Leandro Leviste were canceled. Over the past two years, the DOE has canceled 33 of 43 contracts awarded to Solar Philippines Power Plant Holdings Inc. for being deemed “zombie contracts,” with the firm incurring penalties of P24 billion. These deals account for more than 11,400 megawatts of the total capacity of all contracts terminated in 2024 and 2025. She admitted that the terminated contracts are “not good” in the country’s renewable energy targets. “Yes, it’s not good, but we’ll reach our targets because we have foreseen this and we have plans to make up for the terminated contracts,” Garin said.