Your social media postings could result in visa refusal
Your social media postings could result in visa refusalThe US Department of State (DOS) announced that as of Dec. 15, 2025, US embassies will more intensely examine visa applicants’ “online presence” for H-1B, H4, F, M and J non-immigrants. However, this social media vetting could easily apply to applicants for immigrant visas as well. Visa applicants are instructed to adjust the privacy settings on all of their social media profiles to “public” to enable the US government to review their postings. Screening a person’s social media postings is yet another part of President Trump’s “extreme vetting,” to search out and catch people who may be coming to the US, intending to engage in illegal activities, terrorism, etc. But there still is a reason to be concerned about social media postings.
Source:Philippine Star
January 24, 2026 16:34 UTC
When the Bar results speak beyond numbers
When the Bar results speak beyond numbersThe 2025 Bar passers emerging from the environment of DivinaLaw carry with them more than fresh titles. When the results of the 2025 Bar Examinations were released, they did more than announce who had passed. When law schools perform well, they do more than produce passers; they replenish the ranks of those entrusted with these responsibilities. A generation that chose the hard wayListening to the new lawyers speak, a pattern emerges. Perhaps this is why the country still pauses when the Bar results are released.
Source:Philippine Star
January 24, 2026 16:34 UTC
After reform talks, BIR readies audit restart
After reform talks, BIR readies audit restartIn a public-private consultation held on Jan. 21 under the BIR Partnership with the Multi-Sectoral Group (BIR-PMSG), the agency presented proposed reforms and new guidelines that will govern the conduct of audits once operations restart. The discussion was led by the Technical Working Group Review Committee on Assessment Integrity and Audit Reform (TWGRC-AIAR), headed by Deputy Commissioner Marissa O. Cabreros. The BIR also outlined changes in audit selection, noting that non-mandatory audits will now be risk-based and system-assisted. BIR Commissioner Charlito Martin Mendoza said the audit reforms form a core part of BIR D.A.R.E.S., the bureau’s five-point priority reform and legacy agenda, which stands for Digital and Data Transformation, Audit Reform and Accountability, Revenue Collection and Base Protection, Employee Empowerment and Welfare Promotion and Service Excellence and Stakeholder Engagement. He stressed that audit reform is a key pillar of the institution’s broader, phased transformation.
Source:Philippine Star
January 24, 2026 16:34 UTC
Obiena resumes quest
Obiena resumes questMANILA, Philippines — EJ Obiena is bidding to reenter the world top 10 pole vault rankings after slipping from No. He started his drive at the ISTAF Indoor Championships, a World Athletics Tour Silver, in Dusseldorf, Germany, last night (early this morning, Manila time) with results not available at presstime. The start of the World Indoor Tour Gold for me is in Karsruhe, Germany, on Feb. 8. I’m invited to join the event but it conflicts with the Asian Indoor Championships in Tianjin, China, on Feb. 6-8. The Tour Gold has bigger points than Tianjin.”Obiena aims to qualify for the World Indoor Championships in Kujawy Pomorze, Poland, on March 20-22 and is building up points to make it.
Source:Philippine Star
January 24, 2026 16:34 UTC
Rape suspect nabbed at NAIA
Rape suspect nabbed at NAIAActing PNP chief Lt. Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said personnel from the NAIA police station 1 arrested the foreigner at around 11:46 p.m.MANILA, Philippines — A South Korean wanted for rape in Manila was arrested at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1 in Pasay City on Friday night, the Philippine National Police reported. Acting PNP chief Lt. Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said personnel from the NAIA police station 1 arrested the foreigner at around 11:46 p.m. He did not disclose the suspect’s name, but said the Korean is facing a rape case before a Manila court, which has not granted bail. He emphasized that the operation reflects the importance of police presence in airports to prevent wanted persons from eluding justice. “Our responsibility is to ensure that justice is pursued and that victims are given the protection they deserve,” Nartatez said.
Source:Philippine Star
January 24, 2026 16:34 UTC
Hotel101 Global eyeing $300 million from US share sale
Hotel101 Global eyeing $300 million from US share saleThe approximately P17.7-bilion capital raising initiative is the second major step of Hotel101 Global in tapping the US capital market since making history in June last year by becoming the first Filipino-owned company to be listed and traded on the US Nasdaq. MANILA, Philippines — Hotel101 Global Holdings Corp., the Nasdaq-listed subsidiary of DoubleDragon Corp., is preparing to raise as much as $300 million from the issuance of perpetual convertible preferred shares in the United States. Hotel101 Global has a market capitalization of $2.3 billion as of Jan. 16. Hotel101 Global is targeting to secure commitments for a substantial portfolio of rooms across multiple countries this year, primarily through joint ventures and licensing agreements with established local partners. The company is targeting to operate one million rooms across 100 countries worldwide under its global growth strategy.
Source:Philippine Star
January 24, 2026 16:34 UTC
Inclusion’s next mile
It’s won mile after mile of consistent pacing, mental grit, strategic breaks and a relentless eye on the finish line. According to the 2025 Global Findex report, about 50.2 percent of adult Filipinos had financial accounts by the end of 2024. These targets are the major signposts for inclusion’s next mile. Design that speaks native languages, embraces local context, and minimizes fraud anxiety; the very features highlighted in the Mastercard-RCBC financial health research. As EVP and chief innovation and inclusion officer of RCBC, he has driven large-scale digital initiatives that advanced financial inclusion.
Source:Philippine Star
January 24, 2026 16:34 UTC
BIR seizes P516 million illicit cigarettes; Senate eyes probe
BIR seizes P516 million illicit cigarettes; Senate eyes probeArmed with mission orders, BIR and HPG personnel found truckloads of unregistered cigarettes in a storage facility in Barangay Gen. T. de Leon. MANILA, Philippines — Bureau of Internal Revenue and Highway Patrol Group operatives seized smuggled cigarettes valued at P516.79 million in Valenzuela on Friday. Armed with mission orders, BIR and HPG personnel found truckloads of unregistered cigarettes in a storage facility in Barangay Gen. T. de Leon. “It signals the BIR’s renewed and intensified commitment to combating tax evasion and illicit tobacco trade,” the agency said in a statement. Senate probeMeanwhile, Senate finance committee chair Sherwin Gatchalian believed politicians are in cahoots with rogue law enforcers to smuggle illicit cigarettes and cheat the government of sin taxes.
Source:Philippine Star
January 24, 2026 16:32 UTC
Philippines tourism expects ‘big boost’ from ASEAN chairmanship – DOT
Philippines tourism expects ‘big boost’ from ASEAN chairmanship – DOTMANILA, Philippines — After a lackluster 2025, the tourism industry is expected to get a “big boost” from the country’s chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) this year, according to Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco. “Historically, our numbers are not that big, that’s why we look on having a more visible presence in the ASEAN,” Frasco told reporters last week. She noted that tourist arrivals from other ASEAN member-states were not as high as those from other countries. Based on Bureau of Immigration records of tourist arrivals in 2025, Singapore posted the biggest among ASEAN but only ninth among the Philippines’ 10 top sources of tourists, at 115,341 travelers. She noted that the Philippines has recovered “less than 50 percent” of the pre-pandemic tourist arrivals from China.
Source:Philippine Star
January 24, 2026 16:32 UTC
‘Receipt of impeach complaint not a walk-in transaction’
‘Receipt of impeach complaint not a walk-in transaction’MANILA, Philippines — Lanao del Sur 1st district Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong yesterday defended the decision of the Office of the Secretary General not to receive an impeachment complaint in the absence of secretary general Cheloy Garafil, stressing that the action is required by House rules and long-standing parliamentary practice. “The receipt of an impeachment complaint is not a casual or clerical transaction. It is a formal constitutional act that must strictly comply with House rules. “The secretary general is required, upon receipt, to determine whether the complaint is complete and whether it complies with constitutional and rules-based requirements on form, including verification, endorsements and accompanying documents,” Adiong said. He further explained that the consequences of official receipt are significant.
Source:Philippine Star
January 24, 2026 16:32 UTC
MRT-7, PNR commuter project may open in 2027
MRT-7, PNR commuter project may open in 2027Metro Rail Transit Line 7 (MRT-7) train cars were seen parked inside a depot in Quezon City on Wednesday, June 4, 2025. MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Transportation hopes to launch two rail projects – Metro Rail Transit Line 7 or MRT-7 and the Philippine National Railway (PNR) North-South Commuter Railway – by next year, the DOTr announced. The MRT-7 is composed of 12 stations from North Caloocan to North Avenue in Quezon City and could carry a daily average of 500,000 passengers. Meanwhile, Lopez said a segment of the PNR North-South Commuter Railway project from Valenzuela City to Malolos City in Bulacan would be open by 2027. He noted that the project is 90 percent complete with the remaining 10 percent slowed by right of way issues, which the DOTr would resolve “by the second quarter of 2026.”
Source:Philippine Star
January 24, 2026 16:08 UTC
Survivors unlikely in New Zealand landslide, police say
Survivors unlikely in New Zealand landslide, police sayThe portion of cliff that gave way at the scene of a landslide triggered by heavy rains on January 23, in Mount Maunganui, New Zealand, January 24, 2026. REUTERS/David Rowland/Pool
Source:The Standard
January 24, 2026 15:37 UTC
Fixing Philippine education won’t work until we redesign it
Fixing Philippine education won’t work until we redesign itThis photo taken on March 21, 2025, shows students gathering for a physical education class at a high school in Baseco, Manila. The result is a persistent misalignment between what schools require and what teacher education institutions supply. The country’s trifocalized education structure has entrenched institutional silos, weakening coordination across basic education, higher education and technical–vocational training. While important legislation has already resulted from the Commission’s work, laws alone cannot transform an education system unless they are animated by a clear vision of what that system is meant to become. Dr. Feliece I. Yeban, is professor of human rights education at Philippine Normal University, the National Center for Teacher Education.
Source:Philippine Star
January 24, 2026 14:58 UTC
Arrested Russian vlogger says he spread HIV scare to 'become a meme'
Nikita Chekhov, the Russian vlogger who was arrested by the Bureau of Immigration for threatening to spread HIV in the Philippines, explained that he only did the act to become a meme on social media. I've been making TikToks for Filipino audience too," he said. "I was getting many comments like ‘stop spreading your viruses, foreigner,’ ‘passport bro,’ ‘lbh,’ ‘HIV alert.’ Just for being me. And that’s how I came up with ‘Spread HIV’ thing—I literally said out loud what Filipinos were saying to me. "I do not have HIV and do not have intentions to spread it.
Source:Philippine Star
January 24, 2026 09:59 UTC
A roadmap for forward-looking leadership
While they pose significant risks to national stability and development, they also present opportunities for reform, resilience and long-term growth if addressed with foresight and effective leadership. By combining rigorous analysis with practical recommendations, the volume serves both as a roadmap and as a call for forward-looking leadership capable of addressing complex, long-term challenges. Sustainable development, competitiveness, and national security should function as mutually reinforcing objectives, rather than being pursued as distinct or independent goals. Finally, the book turns to the need to enhance geostrategic thinking and national security amid the rapidly evolving Indo-Pacific landscape. This book urges national leaders and key decision makers to adopt a forward-looking mindset by planning beyond electoral cycles and short-term political timelines.
Source:Philippine Star
January 24, 2026 09:58 UTC