President Duterte and Chinese President Xi Jinping during bilateral talks discussed the possibility of prisoner swapping between Filipinos and Chinese arrested in relation to drug crimes in both countries. “One of the problems we have here that has accumulated through the years is the number of Filipinos who have been detained because of being drug […]
President Rodrigo Duterte signed on May 16 Executive Order No. 26, which imposes a nationwide ban on smoking in public places. Saying that public health takes precedence over commercial or business interests, Duterte also ordered the creation of a smoke-free task force to help carry out the provisions of the order. The Department of Health […]
Officials of St. John’s Institute, also known as Hua Ming, will bring the issue of stripping of the school’s Catholic status by Bacolod Bishop Patricio Buzon to the Vatican. The officials led by Board of Trustees chairman Benjamin Lopue Jr. expressed their dismay over Buzon’s decision. On May 10, Buzon declared SJI is no longer […]
Two government workers were released by their Abu Sayyaf kidnappers in Sulu on April 30 amid relentless military operations against the bandit group. Driver Alidznur Halis and his helper Aljima Ahari, employees of the Department of Public Works and Highways first engineering district in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, were recovered by government troops […]
A Chinese man, wanted in his country for allegedly committing economic crimes, was recently arrested as he was about to leave for Hong Kong. Bureau of Immigration port operations division chief Marc Red Marinas said Weng Wenmin, 51, was intercepted by immigration officers at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 (NAIA-3). When Weng presented […]
President Duterte is open to holding joint military drills with China as the administration seeks closer ties with Beijing despite conflicting maritime claims in the West Philippine Sea. Duterte’s statement came a week before the start of joint exercises between the Philippines and the United States, which have been scaled down after the President rejected […]
Four Philippine islands, with Palawan as No. 1, were voted as the top four friendliest in the world based on a survey by New York-based magazine, Travel + Leisure. “While the politics of the nation have grown ever-more volatile, the people of the islands remain friendly to visitors exploring their scenic home. For many travelers, […]
This year, 2017, is the 600th anniversary of the voyage of the Sultan of Sulu to China. To commemorate this historic undertaking, the intrepid team of 40 Filipino adventurers led by Art Valdez will retrace that journey on board three balangays the second week of May and return in June before the southwest monsoon starts. […]
Kidnapped Filipino sailor Noel Besconde was beheaded after he became ill while in the custody of the Abu Sayyaf bandits, led by Hatib Sawadjaan. A crew member of the F/B Remona siezed in the Celebes Sea in December, Besconde’s execution in Patikul, Sulu was confirmed by the Armed Forces of the Philippines after it got […]
Tsinoy Caviteño Wesley So, 23, is the newest chess champion in the United States. So, who now lives in Minnetonka, Minnesota, won the US chess championship over opponent Alexander Onischuk, a 41-year-old Ukrainian-born grandmaster who lives in Texas, and won the US championship in 2006. He became the new US champ on April 11 at […]