SAN ANTONIO, Nueva Ecija–The Central Luzon police director has been sued by this town’s mayor for allegedly disrupting the enforcement of the local quarantine when he removed the San Antonio chief of police. Mayor Arvin Salonga filed criminal and administrative complaints against Police Brig. Gen. Rhodel Sermonia, director of Police Regional Office 3 in Camp… Keep Reading

MANILA, Philippines — Two resource persons, who were formerly connected with the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth), have exposed alleged “fraudulent schemes” inside the agency, which were conducted by its employees and officials, in collusion with doctors and hospitals, and even banks. This was what the Department of Justice (DOJ) had reported as Task Force… Keep Reading

CITY OF MALOLOS — Bulacan’s top university has conducted a survey to find out if its 38,000 students prefer printed lessons, online classroom sessions, or a fusion of the two modes of home learning for the new school year which starts on Sept. 14. The survey is still ongoing, but initial results suggest that many… Keep Reading

  BAGUIO CITY — About 30,000 fully-grown marijuana plants found at a 5,000 square-meter farm in the Kalinga town of Tinglayan were burned on Friday (Aug. 14), police said.   A joint team from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) and the Cordillera police discovered the marijuana plantation at Loccong village but no cultivator was… Keep Reading

ZAMBALES, Philippines — New Olongapo City coronavirus disease (COVID-19) patients may have been infected in the workplace, according to the latest health report there. Olongapo Mayor Rolen Paulino Jr. said the city recorded 14 new COVID-19 patients on Friday (Aug. 14), bringing the number of active cases there to 50. A private hospital and a… Keep Reading

TOKYO — Japan on Saturday marked the 75th anniversary of its surrender in World War II, with Emperor Naruhito expressing “deep remorse” over his country’s wartime actions at a somber annual ceremony curtailed by the coronavirus pandemic.           Naruhito pledged to reflect on the war’s events and expressed hope that the… Keep Reading

PENABLACA, Cagayan – Two suspected timber poachers were caught transporting 500-board feet of illegally cut lumber through on Saturday (August 15), police said. Francisco and Joel Dalumay, of Minanga village, were in the van carrying the lumber worth P25,000, which was flagged down at a checkpoint in Sisim village, said Police Colonel Ariel Quilang, Cagayan… Keep Reading

      MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Saturday announced that voter registration will resume on September 1,2020, except in areas which may be under enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) on modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) due to the COVID-19 pandemic.           PRESS RELEASE: COMELEC Resumes Voter Registration… Keep Reading

TUGUEGARAO CITY — Police arrested a construction worker in a drug buy-bust operation on Saturday in this city.   Regie Narag, 30, a resident of Peablanca, Cagayan was arrested after selling a sachet of shabu (crystal meth) to an undercover police officer in Barangay Pengue-Ruyu, police said.   Narag is currently detained at theTuguegarao City… Keep Reading

CEBU CITY — Stephanie (not her real name) badly needed to work to earn money for her family. But the worker from a town in Cebu province was not able to go to work on Wednesday since she did not have a work travel pass (WTP) issued by the provincial government to enable her to… Keep Reading

MANILA, Philippines — Malacaang on Saturday said that it welcomes the Supreme Court’s final decision allowing Filipino death row convict Mary Jane Veloso, who has been in detention in Indonesia since 2010, to testify against her recruiters.         “Nagagalak po kami dyan, at least makikita natin na si Miss Veloso po ay… Keep Reading

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Friday gave the Chinese company ByteDance 90 days to divest itself of any assets used to support the popular TikTok app in the United States.           Trump’s executive order said there is “credible evidence that leads me to believe that ByteDance … might take action… Keep Reading

SEOUL, South Korea — New coronavirus cases in South Korea have reached the highest level in five months, and authorities fear infections are getting out of control in the Seoul region, which is home to half the country’s 51 million people.         Officials reported 166 newly confirmed cases Saturday. That was the… Keep Reading

  MANILA, Philippines — Although he is the son of boxing legend and Senator Manny Pacquiao, up and coming rapper Michael Pacquiao admitted that he wants to prove that he can make a name on his own.     “I wanted to prove that I can. I have talent and I have something. I don’t… Keep Reading

CEBU CITY — A group that envisions “a just world for children” has called on authorities to exercise caution in handling minors accused of violating the quarantine protocols.         The Children’s Legal Bureau (CLB), a non-governmental organization based in Cebu City, said children should be protected at all costs and the detention… Keep Reading

CEBU CITY – – The city government will resume on Monday, August 17, operations against “spaghetti wires” or entangled cables in the communication and electric lines hanging below the recommended level of 20 feet.       The Technical Infrastructure Committee (TIC) of the city, together with the telecommunication companies, will lead the cleanup which… Keep Reading

      MANILA, Philippines — Three provinces in Luzon, Iloilo City as well as parts of Cebu, will be under general community quarantine (GCQ) due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic until the end of August, Malacaang announced Saturday morning.   In a press briefing, presidential spokesman Harry Roque said that the Luzon… Keep Reading

    MANILA, Philippines — Cloudy skies and isolated rain shower will prevail nationwide on Saturday, the state weather bureau said.         In its 4 a.m. live weather update, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said that the inter-tropical convergence zone (ITCZ) is still affecting the weather condition in… Keep Reading

WASHINGTON — A major union representing U.S. postal workers has endorsed Democrat Joe Biden for president, a move that comes as President Donald Trump has acknowledged starving the postal service of money in order to make it more difficult to vote by mail in November’s election.       The National Association of Letter Carriers,… Keep Reading

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Postal Service is warning states coast to coast that it cannot guarantee all ballots cast by mail for the November election will arrive in time to be counted, even if mailed by state deadlines, raising the possibility that millions of voters could be disenfranchised.         Voters and lawmakers… Keep Reading

A man in Makati City has resorted to locking his home’s front door to prevent his children from taking a peek or going outside. It pains him to see food pass by the street where he and his family live knowing he can’t afford them. Every day, vendors selling snacks and meals line the street… Keep Reading

COTABATO CITY – – Former Moro revolutionary leader Dimasangkay “Dimas” Alangadi Pundato died on Thursday, August 13 in his residence in Marawi City, an official of the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF) said. He was 72.   “The NCMF officials and employees extend our deepest sympathy to the bereaved family. Inna lillahi wa inna… Keep Reading

UNITED NATIONS — The United States said Friday the U.N. Security Council has rejected an American resolution to indefinitely extend the U.N. arms embargo on Iran.         U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced the defeat of the resolution ahead of a council meeting to reveal the vote. Russia and China strongly… Keep Reading

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Israeli aircraft and tanks hit several militant sites in the Gaza Strip late Friday, responding to explosive-laden incendiary balloons launched across the frontier into Israeli territory. Palestinian medics said a woman and a 3-year-old girl were slightly injured by shrapnel during airstrikes in the northern and central Gaza Strip. In… Keep Reading

UNITED NATIONS — The U.N. Security Council was finishing voting Friday on a U.S.-sponsored resolution to indefinitely extend the arms embargo on Iran, with veto-wielding Russia and China strongly opposed to it and likely abstentions from America’s European allies. The United States called for the vote on Thursday evening and the results will be announced… Keep Reading

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil — Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro received the best approval rating of his term Friday, boosted by his popularity among recipients of coronavirus stimulus payments despite the carnage the pandemic has caused in Brazil. The far-right leader’s approval rating surged five points from June to 37 percent, while his disapproval rating plunged… Keep Reading

SEATTLE — U.S. authorities on Friday gave wildlife managers in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho permission to start killing hundreds of sea lions in the Columbia River basin in hopes of helping struggling salmon and steelhead trout. The bulky marine mammals long ago figured out that they could feast on the migrating fish where they bottleneck… Keep Reading

MIAMI — A 17-year-old South Florida boy is facing sex trafficking charges after being accused of selling a 14-year-old girl on social media. Miami Springs police officers were called to the Runway Motel on Tuesday night to check on a teenage girl who had run away from home after a family dispute, the Miami-Dade State… Keep Reading

Beirut, Lebanon — Lebanon’s Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah Friday called for the formation of a national unity government days after the cabinet resigned amid fury over last week’s devastating Beirut blast. The August 4 explosion that killed more than 170 people and ravaged swathes of Beirut has ignited calls at home and abroad for political… Keep Reading

LOS ANGELES — California is withering under a heatwave that has brought dangerously high temperatures, increased wildfire danger, and fears of coronavirus spread as people flock to beaches and recreation areas. High-pressure building over Western states pushed temperatures into triple digits across the state by midday Friday. Los Angeles opened cooling centers, but with limited… Keep Reading