News & Current Events

They hold the belief that their lies will be true if idiots follow their path. 🤡 Article : Makabayan solons admit they have 'no proof' VP Duterte misused P125-M confidential funds

150,000 classroom shortage 100,072 school buildings that need minor repairs, 89,252 school buildings require major repairs 21,727 school buildings are for condemnation. 224,981 sets of tables and chairs lacking 144,789 teacher shortage 94,540 needed education support personnel PH ranked last in reading and second to the last in both science and mathematics among 79 participating countries 1 out of 4 parents are saying that their children are not learning 9 out of 10 children aged 10 struggle to read and write (DepEd, PBed, and World Bank data) It’s not the rallies. Deal with these, Madam Secretary. Our students deserve better. Sources: PH education in crisis Enrollees still 2.5 million short of DepEd target The Philippines’ Basic...

US considering seeking access to more Philippine bases, admiral says The chief of the US Indo-Pacific command says he and the Philippine military chief, Lieutenant General Romeo Brawner, discussed further expanding the number of bases US forces could access under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement MANILA, Philippines – The US military could be granted access to more bases in the Philippines under a joint defense agreement between the two countries, the chief of the US Indo-Pacific command said on Thursday, September 14, after meeting the head of the Philippines armed forces.

Get rid of Philippines, Chinese university partnerships, CHED urged© Michael Varcas MANILA, Philippines — Filipinos shouldn’t be sleeping with the enemy. In light of China’s repeated incursions in the West Philippine Sea, a House of Representatives lawmaker suggested that it would be best for the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) to remove partnership agreements recently signed between several Philippine and Chinese universities. “The CHED, particularly Chairman Prospero de Vera, should cancel those partnerships. While we have been protesting against continuous Chinese aggression, here we have the CHED going the opposite direction by engaging with Chinese universities,” Cagayan de Oro 2nd District Rep. Rufus Rodriguez said. “He...

Can you believe it's been 20 years already since the world's most resilient torrent website was created? Founded in 2003 by the Swedish anti-copyright group Piratbyrån (“Bureau of Piracy”), the site is still as relevant today as it was back then. The site's creators, it's Admin, 'Winston' and the TPB Crew are all staunch defenders of information piracy and freedom of speech. Censorship is abhorrent and always will be. DMCA takedown notices are never complied with, and often ridiculed by staff. Hollywood has tried and failed to end the site many times, and even googly-eyed non-entity Kanye West once declared war on TPB. Most of the current TPB Crew have been here for well over 10 years, many for much, much longer, and we're proud to be...

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Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 10) – Groups of educators condemned the planned changes of the Department of Education (DepEd) in its Grade 6 Araling Panlipunan curriculum, which they said would spread disinformation and historical distortion. "The alteration of historical terminology is not only distortion but also undermines the truth about one of the darkest periods in Philippine history," the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) said on Sunday. Read More: CNN Philippines

Kawawang Sim Registration. Naging Katawatawa. Ano masasabi niyo mga IT expert natin dito. Saan nag kulang ang mga telcos.

Human rights lawyer Atty. Chel Diokno says that the solution to the problem of inflation is not martial law, but good governance that always puts the interests of the people first.

GCash takes down over 4 million accounts Philstar.com MANILA, Philippines — E-wallet giant GCash has removed more than four million accounts in its platform for engaging in fraudulent and risky transactions that endanger the trust network of the app. Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a cybersecurity forum, G-Xchange president and CEO Oscar Reyes Jr. said the e-wallet blocked over four million users between January 2022 and June 2023. Reyes said these GCash accounts were linked to malicious activities, especially digital fraud, and that they must be stripped of access to the app for safety and security. “When we see transactions that are potentially fraudulent or risky, we are able to block them. We took down more than...

Kabataan Partylist Rep. Raoul Manuel says the highest form of courtesy in the country should be extended to the Filipino people. Manuel made the manifestation following the termination of the House Committee on Appropriations FY 2024 budget briefing of the Office of the President. #BantayBudget2024

Australia to introduce new visa schemes, double scholarships for Filipinos MANILA, Philippines — The Australian government has committed to introducing new work and holiday visa arrangements and providing more international education opportunities for Filipinos to strengthen ties with the Philippines, according to a joint statement by the two nations. In a joint statement on the bilateral meeting between President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, the latter said that the two countries have agreed on the following arrangements to strengthen people-to-people ties: Introduction of new reciprocal work and holiday visa arrangements Doubled number of slots for Filipinos in the Australia Award...

Philippines condemns Chinese boats' 'îllégâl' actions in Ayungin Shoal Philstar.com MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines condemned "îllégâl" actions by Chinese vessels on Friday after the boats allegedly interfered in another resupply mission to a remote military outpost in the disputed South China Sea. The National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea, which includes key Philippine government agencies, said it "strongly deplores and condemns the continued îllégâl, aggressive, and destabilizing conduct" of Chinese coast guard and "militia" vessels in the waters. On Friday morning, the Philippine Coast Guard escorted supply vessels to Second Thomas Shoal, also known as also known as Ayungin Shoal, in the Spratly Islands, where...

Popular VPN services E×préššVPN, NordVPN, ‘ethical’ proxies used in DDoS attacks Gelo Gonzales Attackers use pools of IP addresses from mainstream VPN services to bypass security protocols that help mitigate site-flooding DDoS attacks MANILA, Philippines – Sweden-based digital forensics nonprofit Quirum on Thursday, September 7, reported that popular virtual private network (VPN) services and proxy providers that claim to use “ethically sourced” IP addresses have been used by attackers for distributed-denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks. VPNs and proxies are used to make oneself anonymous online, by hiding a device’s...

North Korea unveils new tactical nuclear attack submarine Deutsche Welle North Korea has launched its first "tactical nuclear attack submarine" as part of its effort to strengthen its naval force, the state news agency KCNA announced on Friday. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attended the submarine-launching ceremony on Wednesday, according to KCNA. During the festive ceremony that involved confetti and balloons, he stressed "the strategic and tactical plan to continuously enhance the modernity of underwater and surface forces and push forward with the nuclear weaponization of the Navy in the future." On Thursday, Kim inspected the submarine as it was preparing for a test cruise. What is known about new submarine? Submarine...

Tomato price hits as high as P300 per kilo Philstar.com MANILA, Philippines — The retail prices of tomatoes reached as high as P300 per kilo in Marikina City amid shortage in supply. The current price of tomato in Marikina City is higher by P70 compared to its previous price of P230, according to monitoring of the Department of Agriculture. Meanwhile, the retail prices of tomatoes at New Las Piñas City Public Market ranged between P200 and P210 per kilo; Guadalupe Public Market in Makati City, between P180 and P200 per kilo; San Andres Market in Manila, between P200 and P220 per kilo; Quinta Market in Manila, between P180 and P200 per kilo; Pritil Market in Manila, between P180 and P220 per kilo; Pasay City Market, between P170...

Alleged bomb threat in MRT-3 prompts stricter security check ByKristelle Razon Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 8) – The Department of Transportation (DOTr) said it deployed an Inter-Agency Task Force for stricter security checks at the Metro Rail Transit-3 (MRT-3) following an alleged bomb threat recevied early Friday. DOTr-Office for the Transportation Security (OTS) Undersecretary Mao Aplasca confirmed that the supposed bomb threat was sent via email. "Upon receipt of an alleged bomb threat via e-mail early this morning, Transportation Secretary Jaime J. Bautista immediately activated an Inter-Agency Task Force composed of the DOTr Office for the Transportation Security (OTS), Department of Information and Communications...

A screenshot of the sample identification card that the National Bureau of Investigation used to test the registration of SIM cards in different telecommunications companies. MANILA, Philippines — Could a “monkey” register a subscriber identity module (SIM) card? The answer is yes — at least based on the actual test done by a team from the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI). The night before the hearing of the Senate committee on public services on Tuesday, NBI Cybercrime Division Chief Attorney Jeremy Lotoc said they tried to register SIM cards from different telecommunication companies (telcos). “We entered the face of an animal in different names natanggap pa rin [it was also accepted],” Lotoc said. He later showed a...

ISTANBUL, Turkey - A disgraced Turkish crypto founder who fled to Albania and his two brothers have been sentenced to 11,196 years in jail each, the Anadolu state news agency reported Friday. Prosecutors had asked for Thodex boss Faruk Fatih Ozer, 29, to be sentenced to 40,562 years in prison for money laundering, fraud and establishing a criminal organisation. "If I were to establish a criminal organisation, I would not have acted so amateurishly," Anadolu quoted Ozer as telling the court. His two brothers, Serap and Guven, received the same sentence, which was issued late Thursday after a brief trial, Turkish media reports said. Turkey is known for issuing massive prison sentences, which became more common after it abolished the...

The Philippines is supposed to be getting worse and worse. How is it above Thailand and Vietnam? I wonder if it's just the salary of the rich skewing the results since it's an average.

Albay town mayor tells 5,400 Mayon evacuees to decamp LEGAZPI CITY (PNA) – The mayor of Santo Domingo town in Albay province has ordered the 1,588 families, or 5,419 individuals, who have been staying in various evacuation centers in the town for the past three months due to the effusive eruption of Mayon Volcano to return home. In an interview on Friday, September 8, Mayor Joseling Aguas said Mount Mayon is still under Alert Level 3 but has been showing decreasing signs of restiveness in the past two weeks, based on the monitoring of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs). "Lahat po decamp na natin effective today. We're all just making some reminders and preparations. Hindi naman po dahil decamp na, hindi...

U.S military in talks to develop port in Philippines facing Taiwan MANILA, Philippines – The U.S. military is in talks to develop a civilian port in the remote northernmost islands of the Philippines, the local governor and two other officials told Reuters, a move that would boost American access to strategically located islands facing Taiwan. Read more: U.S military in talks to develop port in Philippines facing Taiwan Follow us: @inquirerdotnet on Twitter | inquirerdotnet on Facebook

Everyone in this photo are either gold medalists, world champions, won a prestigious award/medal/trophy, or household names in their field.

DSWD to provide aid to small traders affected by cap on rice prices Gaea Katreena Cabico - Philstar.com MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Social Welfare and Development will provide cash assistance to small rice retailers who will be affected by the imposition of a cap on rice prices, its chief said Tuesday. The price ceiling, which takes effect Tuesday, aims to reduce the retail prices of the staple item and penalize hoarding. But agricultural groups and economists said the price control could hurt farmers and traders. DSWD chief Rex Gatchalian said the agency will utilize its sustainable livelihood program to aid small rice traders and retailers. He said the financial assistance will be capped at P15,000 per retailer...

Warrant of arrest out for Arnie Teves et al over Degamo slay By JOAHNA LEI CASILAO, GMA Integrated News A Manila court has issued a warrant of arrest against expelled Negros Oriental Representative Arnolfo “Arnie” Teves Jr. and others over the killing of Negros Oriental Governor Roel Degamo. advertisement In a 6-page order, the Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 51 issued an e-warrant of arrest against Teves, Angelo Palagtiw, a certain “Gie Ann” or “Jie An,” and Captain Lloyd Cruz Garcia II. The court also issued a commitment order on the transfer of Nigel Electona from the Manila City Jail to Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig. Meanwhile, it reset the arraignment and pre-trial conference to October 4, 2023, Wednesday. GMA News Online...

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines’ stepped-up relationship with the United States is the “right thing” and part of the former colony’s defense strategy against perceived bully states, according to Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose Manuel Romualdez. Read more: Philstar

DepEd flagged over P10 billion unliquidated cash advances https://www.philstar.com/authors/1805074/elizabeth-marcelo MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Audit (COA) has flagged the Department of Education (DepEd) over the accumulation of unliquidated cash advances (CAs) by its central office (CO) and several regional offices (ROs), which stood at P10.183 billion as of the end of 2022. “The existence of substantial accumulated unliquidated cash advances is attributable to the lapses in the controls placed by management in the granting, liquidation and monitoring of CAs in disregard of the existing rules and regulations and pertinent DepEd guidelines relative thereto,” the COA said in its 2022 annual audit report on the DepEd...

Archaeologists unearth ancient nose jewelry, made from human bone, amid Maya ruins in Mexico By Claire Voon (CNN) — Archaeologists working in the ruins of Palenque, an ancient city in the southeastern Mexican state of Chiapas, have found a centuries-old, intricately carved Mayan nose ornament made of human bone. The curved artefact, which measures just over 6 centimeters long and 5 centimeters wide (or roughly 2.4 by 2 inches), offers insight into ancient funerary traditions; it is believed to have been worn by priests during ceremonies in which they embodied the Mayan deity K’awiil, also known as God K, who is associated with lightning, fertility and abundance. It is also an important example of Mayan...

A woman in Fujian province in southern China was arrested after she bit and chewed an anti-theft cable at an Apple store to s†éál an iPhone 14 Plus priced at $960 (Rs 79,414), as per a report in South China Morning Post. The woman surnamed Qiu, was caught by police half an hour after leaving the shop with the device. In the video of the CCTV camera going viral on Chinese social media platforms, Ms Qiu is seen standing in front of the display stand of smartphone. She then leans on the counter and places her right hand on a phone. After a brief examination of the gadget, she nibbles on the security cable multiple times before placing the phone in her bag and leaving the store. The store manager, Wang, stated that an alarm was activated...