Day: March 18, 2025

Northern Samar: The death of three members of the New People’s Army (NPA) during a series of clashes on March 16 in Mapanas, Northern Samar is a big blow to the communist movement in Northern Samar province, considered the last bastion of insurgency in Eastern Visayas. Lt. Col. Joemar Buban, assistant chief of staff of the Philippine Army’s 8th Infantry Division’s Civil Military Operations, said two of the slain combatants have been identified, and the other one is believed to be a ranking leader of the armed group. According to Philippines News Agency, the rebels were remnants of the NPA

La Libertad: One more town in Negros Oriental has been classified under the red category ahead of the May 12 midterm polls, a Commission on Elections (Comelec) official said Tuesday. Lawyer Lionel Marco Castillano, Comelec-Negros Island Region (NIR) director, announced that La Libertad town joined Guihulngan City in this high-risk classification. According to Philippines News Agency, this development follows an incident where members of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) burned heavy equipment in a remote sub-village in La Libertad last month. The Leonardo Panaligan Command, linked to the dismantled Central Negros 1 guerilla front, claimed responsibility

Pasay City: Operatives of the Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) arrested three Chinese nationals for allegedly defrauding a compatriot of PHP7.5 million in Pasay City. In a report on Tuesday, CIDG-National Capital Region (NCR) chief Col. Marlon Quimno stated that the suspects, identified as Changao He, 36; Yong Pin Pang, 32; and Ming Wei Xiong, 33, were apprehended in an entrapment operation along Diosdado Macapagal Boulevard, Barangay 76, shortly after 11 p.m. on Monday. According to Philippines News Agency, the operation was initiated following a complaint from Liang Xiao Hu, 34. Liang reported to the CIDG-NCR that

Manila: The total resources of the Philippine financial sector experienced a significant increase of 7.9% in January, as reported by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP). According to Philippines News Agency, preliminary data released by the BSP on Tuesday indicated that the collective resources of banks and non-bank financial institutions rose to PHP33.66 trillion from PHP31.18 trillion in January 2024. This growth reflects a robust expansion in the financial sector’s capacity. The data revealed that banks’ total resources saw a rise to PHP27.5 trillion, compared to PHP25.62 trillion in the previous year. Universal and commercial banks contributed substantially to this

New Delhi: The Philippines is targeting India as a key partner in its nickel industry as part of a broader strategy to diversify its export markets, Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo announced during an official visit to India. Manalo addressed the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) on Monday, highlighting the Philippines’ position as the world’s largest exporter of nickel ore, with an export value of approximately USD1.95 billion. According to Philippines News Agency, Manalo emphasized that nearly 98 percent of the country’s nickel exports currently go to China, with Japan importing the remaining 2 percent. “We