manila standard

At least 28 dead in DR Congo shipwreck

October 16, 2023
 AFP
Kinshasa, DR Congo – At least 28 bodies have been recovered from the Congo river, while dozens more people were reported missing after a boat sank in northwest DR Congo, provincial authorities said Sunday. The large riverboat, which had left the city of Mbandaka for the Bolomba Territory in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s northwest […]
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UN Security Council in talks on resolution on Israel-Hamas war

October 16, 2023
 AFP
United Nations, United States – UN Security Council members held difficult talks Sunday on a possible resolution over the war between Israel and Hamas, with two drafts on the negotiating table, diplomats said. On Friday, Russia circulated a draft that calls for “an immediate, durable and fully respected humanitarian ceasefire” in the war triggered by […]
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PH raises Alert Level 4 over Gaza

October 16, 2023
All 131 Filipinos have left the area as gov’t triggers forced repatriation All 131 Filipinos have left northern Gaza where an Israeli ground attack seemed imminent as the Department of Foreign Affairs raised crisis alert level 4 in the Palestinian enclave on Sunday. The Philippine government, however, is still trying to find ways to implement […]
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LTFRB ‘whistleblower’ asks NBI to postpone probe

October 16, 2023
Former Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) official Jeff Tumbado confirmed that he has received a subpoena from the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), but has requested a postponement of an impending investigation. The NBI subpoena details Tumbado’s allegations of corruption in the LTFRB that he had already recanted. Tumbado is expected to present […]
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House website hacked, defaced

October 16, 2023
The website of the House of Representatives was hacked Sunday, House Secretary General Reginald Velasco said. “Immediate steps have been taken to address the issue,” Velasco said in a statement. He said the House is working closely with the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) and law enforcement […]
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Manibela calls off Palace meeting, begins strike today

October 16, 2023
The leader of the transport group Manibela on Sunday called off a meeting in Malacañang a day before a planned strike, claiming there were corrupt officials involved that he would eventually name. “There are people who do not want to resolve [the issue] since their corruption might get exposed,” said Mar Valbuena, president of the […]
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Palace declares food stamp as flagship program

October 16, 2023
Malacañang has issued Executive Order (EO) No. 44 declaring the “Walang Gutom 2027: Food Stamp Program” as a flagship program of the administration through the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). “The DSWD shall undertake the necessary steps for the successful implementation and expansion of the Food Stamp Program including, but not limited to, […]
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PH issues ‘radio challenges’ vs. Chinese vessel

October 16, 2023
The Armed Forces of the Philippines on Sunday said that one of its transport vessels, BRP Benguet, issued “consecutive radio challenges” to a Chinese naval vessel for shadowing while near the Pag-asa Island on Friday. “The Philippine Navy (PN)’s BRP Benguet warned off and issued consecutive radio challenges to China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy 621 […]
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Lopsided war

October 16, 2023
Now on its 11th day, the war between Israel and Palestine is turning out to be an extremely lopsided one. Hamas, the military arm of Palestine, launched an unprecedented attack on Israel on Saturday, October 7 with thousands of rockets fired into Israel from the Gaza Strip, killing 1,300 Israelis. Hamas fighters also took a […]
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Pfizer cuts earnings outlook on lower Covid-19 drug sales

October 14, 2023
 AFP
The US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer sharply scaled back its earnings outlook for the year, blaming lower-than-expected sales of two drugs used to treat Covid-19, the company said Friday. It now “anticipates full-year 2023 revenues to be in the range of $58.0 to $61.0 billion, versus its previous guidance range of $67.0 to $70.0 billion,” Pfizer […]
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OFWs coming home Monday

October 14, 2023
Leave Israel warzone as DFA confirms 3rd Pinoy death from Hamas attacks The first batch of Filipinos fleeing the war in Israel will head for home on Oct. 16, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said, as it confirmed a third Filipino casualty Friday. The third Filipino killed in the surprise attack by Hamas on […]
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1.1m Gazans given 24 hours to evacuate ahead of ground assault

October 14, 2023
 AFP
Israel on Friday gave Palestinians 24 hours to leave Gaza City ahead of an expected ground offensive in retaliation against Hamas for the deadliest attack in Israeli history. The United Nations said it had been informed of the evacuation order shortly before midnight Thursday, six days after hundreds of Hamas gunmen broke through the militarized […]
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Gov’t on guard against ‘copycat’ terrorist strikes, says DND chief

October 14, 2023
The Department of National Defense (DND) on Friday said it is on guard against “copycat” attacks by local Hamas sympathizers following Saturday’s terrorist attack on Israel. “We are monitoring possible spillover or copycat effects but we have not yet seen anything so far,” Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro said on the sidelines of the launching of […]
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Rody threatens to kill legislator to help Sara get CIF—Colmenares

October 14, 2023
Former President Rodrigo Duterte is threatening members of Congress with harm, in particular a militant lawmaker, just so his daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio, can get confidential and intelligence funds (CIF) for her offices, a former legislator said Friday. Neri Colmenares, chairman of the Makabayang Koalisyon ng Mamamayan (Makabayan) and Bayan Muna party-list, condemned Duterte’s […]
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Asiad gold to stay with PH despite Brownlee dope test

October 14, 2023
The Asian Games basketball gold medal will stay with the Philippines even as naturalized player Justin Brownlee, who tested positive for a banned substance, faces a two-year suspension if he fails the confirmatory doping test. “The gold remains with us,” Philippine Olympic Committee president Rep. Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino said on Friday, moments after receiving the […]
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Marcos to DICT: Beef up defenses vs. cybercriminals

October 14, 2023
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has ordered the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) to beef up its defense against cybercriminals, as he expressed concern over recent data leaks in government agencies. “Yesterday, the President called up and he’s really very afraid of what’s happening here. And he actually told us that we should really […]
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SM San Pedro Opens

October 14, 2023
SM Center San Pedro, SM’s 84th mall, officially opens its doors to Laguna residents on Friday following a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Pictured from left are SM Engineering Design and Development Corp. President Hans Sy Jr., SM Supermalls President Steven Tan, Laguna Vice Gov. Karen Agapay, Bishop Leo Murphy Drona, San Pedro City Mayor Art Joseph Francis […]
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Justice summons bribe whistleblower to meet with NBI

October 14, 2023
The Department of Justice has required former Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) executive Jefferson Tumbado to appear before the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) on Monday to shed light on the corruption allegations at the agency. This developed as the transport group Malayang Alyansa ng Bus Employees at Laborers (Manibela), which  supported Tumbado’s […]
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DND: Congress to amend AFP laws

October 14, 2023
Congress vowed to amend the modernization and procurement laws of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, along with the Self-Reliant Defense Posture (SRDP) program, Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Gilberto C. Teodoro Jr. said Friday. “Congress has promised us two things —the amendment of the modernization law and the procurement law of the Armed […]
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Support for Palestine

October 12, 2023
 AFP
Protesters take part in a rally to show their support for the Palestinian people in Quezon City on October 11. The death toll from five days of ferocious fighting between Hamas and Israel rose sharply overnight as Israel kept up its bombardment of Gaza, after recovering the dead from the last communities near the border […]
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All Saints Day prep

October 12, 2023

A carver etches named on a tombstone for the recently departed at the Barangka Cemetery in Marikina City on Wednesday, in preparation for the coming All Saints Day.
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PH plans Israel repatriation

October 12, 2023
The government hoisted Alert Level 2 over Israel to halt new deployments as authorities began identifying exit routes for a possible repatriation or evacuation mission. The administration on Wednesday also said there is still no need to order the mandatory repatriation of Filipinos in Israel, even as the fighting between Israeli troops and Hamas terrorists […]
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PBBM mourns 2 dead Pinoys, 3rd casualty possible

October 12, 2023
Two Filipinos were killed following the attack of Hamas terrorists on Israel, while a third fatality is being confirmed, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Wednesday. President Marcos condemned the deaths as he mourned the overseas Filipino workers who died while working in the Jewish state and vowed to continue supporting his affected countrymen. […]
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No confidential funds with House, per COA; Rody seeks transparency

October 12, 2023
The House of Representatives on Wednesday said it has no confidential and intelligence funds and that all its spending is aboveboard based on the report of the Commission on Audit. This was as former President Rodrigo Duterte challenged the House to be transparent in its spending a day after lawmakers slashed the P650 million CIF […]
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Survey: CIF must go to intelligence, surveillance, defense agencies only

October 12, 2023
A clear majority of Filipinos believe confidential funds should be allocated only to government agencies that are directly involved in intelligence gathering, surveillance and in the development of defense capability of the Philippines. In a third quarter survey by The Issues and Advocacy Center (The CENTER), some 52 percent said only government agencies performing functions […]
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LTFRB ‘whistleblower’ recants; Bautista denies graft allegations

October 12, 2023
The whistleblower who accused the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board of having a “bribing system” yesterday recanted his claim that corruption went up as high as the Department of Transportation and Malacañang. Jeff Tumbado, who claimed to be a former head executive assistant of suspended LTFRB chief Teofilo Guadiz III, said his earlier claim […]
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1 in 3 Pinoys say life quality better than in ’22 — SWS

October 12, 2023
One in three adult Filipinos believe they have a better quality of life now compared to a year ago, a Social Weather Stations survey showed. Some 22 percent said they experienced worsening conditions, while 45 percent reported no change from the previous year. This resulted in a net gainer score of 11 percent which is […]
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Panel okays OP funds in 21 mins.

October 12, 2023
The Office of the President (OP) breezed through committee-level budget deliberations in the Senate on Wednesday, with no lawmaker asking the office represented by Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin questions on its 2024 spending plan. It took the Senate finance committee, headed by Senator Sonny Angara, only around 21 minutes to tackle the OP’s budget request […]
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PSA also reports data breach to privacy agency

October 12, 2023
The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) sent a breach notification to the National Privacy Commission (NPC) on Tuesday, two weeks after the NPC reported the data breach on the  Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) servers. The NPC said it cannot disclose any information yet on the PSA incident, as it will still need to verify the […]
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Marcos: Locate all Filipinos in Israel

October 9, 2023
Gov’t forms task force as it verifies reports of Pinoys kidnapped during Hamas attack President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has ordered the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) to locate and account for all Filipinos in Israel, where attacks by the Palestinian group Hamas on Saturday triggered Israeli airstrikes over the Gaza Strip. Hamas launched a massive […]
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Israel warns of ‘long, difficult war’ vs. Hamas

October 9, 2023
 AFP
Jerusalem, Undefined­­—Israeli forces battled holdout Hamas fighters and pounded targets in the Gaza Strip on Sunday as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned of a “long and difficult” war ahead after the Palestinian militants launched a massive surprise attack. The Hamas attack came half a century after the outbreak of the 1973 Arab-Israeli war, stunning Israel […]
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Four previous Israel-Gaza wars in past 15 years

October 9, 2023
 AFP
Israel has already fought four wars with Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip since its forces and settlers withdrew from the coastal territory in 2005 —in 2008, 2012, 2014 and 2021. Here are the key flare-ups: 2008: ‘Cast Lead’ On December 27, 2008, Israel launched a campaign of air strikes against militants in Gaza, dubbed […]
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Religious Fervor

October 9, 2023
Devotees rejoice as the image of the La Naval leaves the Sto. Domingo Church in Quezon City for a procession on Sunday, Oct. 8, 2023. Danny Pata
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Fare hike takes effect

October 9, 2023

A jeepney conductor holds a signage showing the new minimum fare effective Sunday, Oct. 8, 2023, after the government approved a P1 hike following a series of oil price increases. Manny Palmero
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Use excess RCEF collections to help rice farmers—Marcos

October 9, 2023
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has ordered the Department of Agriculture to use the excess collections of the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) to help rice farmers. The President, in a meeting with Agriculture officials recently, said that the excess collections beyond the P10 billion requirement of the RCEF should be used to provide rice farmers […]
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30-day ‘walk for climate justice’ begins

October 9, 2023
Forty climate advocates set out on a 30-day walk from Rizal Park in Manila to Tacloban City, Leyte, to commemorate the 10th anniversary of Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) on Sunday. “We don’t want another Yolanda to happen. This is why we are pushing to end fossil fuels, and more importantly, demanding reparations from polluter countries. We […]
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‘Foreign aircraft expected in WPS resupply missions’

October 9, 2023
The Armed Forces of the Philippines on Saturday said the continued presence of foreign aircraft could be expected in future resupply missions in the West Philippine Sea. “We can expect that because I think that is also important,” AFP spokesperson Col. Medel Aguilar said in a television interview. A foreign aircraft from an unknown country […]
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