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The Philippines has become the first country in Southeast Asia to roll out satellite-to-phone technology, following a partnership between the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), Globe Telecom, and satellite provider Starlink that allows ordinary LTE mobile phones to connect directly to satellites for calls, text, and mobile data, even without cell towers. The DICT announced that the technology enables standard LTE-enabled mobile phones to access voice, messaging, video, […]

Cebu Governor Pamela Baricuatro has denied allegations linking her to the one-year suspension of Minglanilla Mayor Rajiv Enad, saying she had no involvement in the case and warning that attempts are being made to destabilize local governance in the province. Baricuatro issued the denial in a statement posted on her official Facebook page on Friday, February 6, 2026, after social media posts circulated claiming she played a role in the […]

Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco has ordered the removal of any Department of Tourism (DOT) materials bearing her image and directed regional offices to stop producing similar materials, following criticism raised during a Senate hearing over alleged self-promotion. Frasco made the announcement on Wednesday during a Kapihan sa Manila Bay briefing, a day after Sen. Raffy Tulfo questioned what he described as the widespread appearance of her photos in tourism-related materials. […]

Cebu City remains unprepared to immediately divert its garbage to Aloguinsan and Toledo as alternative disposal sites following the closure of the Binaliw landfill, with city officials still assessing the financial and logistical implications of hauling waste outside the city. Mayor Nestor Archival said on Friday, January 30, 2026, that the City Government is continuing to reorganize its budget and evaluate hauling and tipping fees before committing to transporting garbage […]

A driver and personal assistant of actress Rhian Ramos has filed a complaint before the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) accusing Ramos and her companions, beauty queen Michelle Dee and Samantha Panlilio, of illegal detention and acts of torture stemming from an alleged assault inside a Makati condominium in January. The complainant, Bonifacio Baro, personally went to the NBI accompanied by Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC) president Boy Evangelista, […]

At least 18 people, including a six-month-old infant, were killed after a passenger ferry bound for Jolo, Sulu sank in waters off Basilan province early Monday, January 26, while more than 300 others were rescued, authorities said. The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) confirmed that 316 passengers were rescued from the MV Trisha Kerstin 3, operated by Aleson Shipping Lines, which departed Zamboanga City at 9:20 p.m. Sunday. The vessel went […]

Mayor Akmad Mitra Ampatuan of Shariff Aguak survived an ambush on Sunday morning, January 25, marking the third attempt on his life, while two of his security escorts were wounded in the attack, authorities and local officials said. The ambush occurred at around 6:30 a.m. along a road in Barangay Poblacion, Shariff Aguak, as Ampatuan was traveling in a black Toyota Land Cruiser as part of a two-vehicle convoy. The […]

More than 5,000 security personnel from the Philippine National Police (PNP), Armed Forces of the Philippines, and other government agencies have been deployed across Central Visayas to secure the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit and related meetings scheduled from late January until the end of the month. The deployment was formally launched during a send-off ceremony on Saturday, January 24, 2026, at Citi de Mari in the South […]

Two foreign vloggers—an Estonian and a Russian national—have been arrested in separate operations for alleged violations involving harassment and threats against Filipinos, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) said on Thursday, January 22, 2026. Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla presented the suspects to the media, stressing that their arrests should serve as a warning to foreign visitors who abuse Filipino hospitality. “Let this be an […]

Cebu City police recovered 154 mobile phones believed to be stolen in the city, including units lost during the Sinulog Festival, after tracing the devices to a cellphone repair and secondhand gadget shop along Leon Kilat Street, Barangay Pahina Central. The recovery was the result of an anti-fencing operation conducted by the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) and its Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit two days after the Sinulog festivities, […]