Day: April 27, 2025

Asingan: Visitors and residents here shared more than 700 trays of “kankanen” (native rice cakes) during Saturday’s celebration of the Kankanen Festival. According to Philippines News Agency, Mayor Calos Lopez Jr. stated that the town’s 21 barangays, including 27 schools and 10 civic society organizations, collaborated to produce the native rice cakes for the event. In less than 30 minutes, the more than 700 trays, or “bilao,” of “kankanen” was consumed. “Everybody’s excited to taste the different kankanen. This year, aside from biko (‘inkalti’ in Ilocano), there are also suman, palitaw, tupig, latik, puto, bitso-bitso, and others,” Mayor Lopez remarked.

Manila: The United States (US) has deployed its NMESIS (Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System), an anti-ship missile system, during the ongoing Balikatan Exercise in the Philippines. According to Philippines News Agency, chief of the Balikatan Exercise Combined Joint Information Bureau, NMESIS was deployed Saturday to test troops’ capability to position the system for the Maritime Key Terrain Security Operations (MKTSO) – North events. NMESIS is a highly mobile, land-based coastal defense weapon designed to engage and neutralize hostile surface vessels. It has an operational range of approximately 180 to 200 nautical miles. It provides the combined and joint forces with

Bandar Abbas: At least eight people lost their lives and 750 others were injured following a massive explosion at Shahid Rajaee Port, located near Bandar Abbas in southern Iran. The catastrophic event has sent shockwaves throughout the region, with the blast obliterating nearby areas and impacting several industries in the western part of Bandar Abbas. According to Philippines News Agency, the explosion is believed to have been triggered by a gas tanker, although official confirmation is pending. Videos circulating online capture the chaos, showing a thick plume of smoke billowing from the site. In the aftermath, six individuals remain unaccounted

Manila: The Philippine Navy confirmed Sunday the presence of Chinese warships near joint Philippine-United States naval exercises off the coast of Zambales but emphasized that training operations proceeded without disruption. The Navy reported that three vessels from the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLA-N) were detected on Saturday approximately 60 nautical miles west of Palauig, Zambales. According to Philippines News Agency, these included a Jiangkai II-class frigate (bow number 579), an unidentified vessel (bow number 500), and a Dongdiao II-class auxiliary surveillance ship (bow number 797). The sightings occurred during a Division Tactics drill conducted by the BRP Ramon Alcaraz

Manila: Pope Francis was laid to rest on Saturday in Rome, but his teachings and example of leadership remain. On Holy Thursday 2013, Pope Francis bent low to wash and kissed the feet of prisoners, women and Muslims, breaking a long-standing tradition involving 12 Catholic men, often priests. The bold move provided the world a glimpse into the kind of pope he would be for the next 12 years: a servant leader. According to Philippines News Agency, while leadership is often defined by power and prestige, Pope Francis made a transformative difference when it came to governing the Roman Catholic