The National Security Council (NSC) is stepping up preventive measures in the southern border provinces alongside peace talks, seeking to prevent further incidents and rebuild public trust.
Oct 19, 2026
MANILA, Philippines — The Office of the Ombudsman on Sunday said it dismissed all administrative charges against a Santa Maria town mayor which stemmed from alleged lapses in securing ballot boxes from the 2022 elections. Santa Maria Mayor Ma. Rocelle “Cindy” Carolino was cleared of grave misconduct, gross neglect of duty, and serious dishonesty. On
BACOLOD CITY, NEGROS OCCIDENTAL, Philippines — The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has distributed P553.89 million in financial assistance to 53,829 sugarcane farmers and farm workers affected by the red-striped soft scale insect (RSSI) infestation across Negros Island as of Oct. 16. DSWD Regional Director Arwin Razo said Monday that the beneficiaries included
The US State Department announced on Monday that it was imposing sweeping sanctions under the Protecting American Intellectual Property Act (PAIPA) on five Chinese entities suspected of stealing trade secrets from American companies. The targets include Shanghai Zhisuan Technology, founded by former Google software engineer Ding Linwei, venture capital firm MiraclePlus and three related entities. Ding was convicted of seven counts of trade secret theft in January. A federal judge subsequently...
MANILA, Philippines — A prosecution witness told the Sandiganbayan on Monday that he personally saw four “maleta” (suitcases) in Co’s office back when he was still a businessman and not yet a member of the House of Representatives. Larry Bellen, who worked as an executive aide of ex-Ako Bicol representative beginning in 2018, made this
The US and China are racing to secure concrete investment deals ahead of their leaders’ meeting in Shenzhen next month, even as both sides engage in a contest over leverage in extending their broad trade agreement. Multiple sources told the South China Morning Post that intense negotiations would continue in coming weeks, with Washington and Beijing still facing hurdles to finalising a complex package of institutional frameworks and economic agreements. The sources, who spoke on condition of...
MANILA, Philippines — No bettor won the ₱284.69-million Grand Lotto 6/55 jackpot or the ₱15-million MegaLotto 6/45 jackpot in the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) draws on Monday, Oct. 19, 2026. According to the PCSO results, the Grand Lotto 6/55 winning combination was 14-52-49-39-35-05, with a jackpot prize of ₱284.69 million. No ticket matched all
Citing national security concerns, the US government has ordered federal civilian agencies to remove DeepSeek products and any third-party services developed using the Chinese artificial intelligence model from their information systems. In a notice made public on Monday, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) also barred agencies from acquiring DeepSeek products and services, including those developed by affiliated entities. The notice said that using the company’s products “may result in...
MANILA, Philippines — Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte said the city has no outstanding debt, highlighting the local government’s financial standing in her eighth year as local executive. Belmonte, in her State of the City Address on Monday, Oct. 19, declared that since the start of her stint in 2019, “we have continuously strengthened our
MANILA, Philippines — Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian stressed the need for sustained military modernization and stronger cyberwarfare capabilities, saying the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) should be prepared for evolving security threats. Gatchalian, during the Senate finance subcommittee hearing on the 2027 budget of the Department of National Defense (DND) and its attached agencies
SAN ILDEFONSO, Ilocos Sur — A 19-year-old man was arrested after allegedly selling marijuana to an undercover police officer during a buy-bust operation in San Nicolas, Ilocos Norte, on Sunday, Oct. 18. The suspect was arrested in Barangay 3, San Ildefonso, during a joint anti-illegal drug operation led by the San Nicolas Municipal Police Station.
In New York last month, US-China talks on artificial intelligence opened up a path of cooperation. This was affirmed by the Xi-Trump summit in Washington where both presidents agreed to establish a formal AI dialogue and hotline. With the next AI meeting set to happen in November, it is imperative that both countries further cooperation. The AI ecosystem is in flux. American tech companies are draining their coffers as they commit vast sums to chips, data centres and energy before the revenue...
Asian-Americans are laser-focused on the economy and healthcare costs and increasingly disenchanted with US President Donald Trump and his Republican Party leading into the highly consequential November 3 midterm elections, according to a survey released on Monday. While the general trend among Asian-American and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) mirrors the broader US electorate, the minority community’s views are frequently more pronounced, seen in part because they have been the object of more raids,...