Day: September 18, 2025

Manila: Philippine National Police (PNP) acting chief Lt. Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. has ordered heightened security preparations for the upcoming inaugural parliamentary elections in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), scheduled for October 13. This development comes despite a temporary restraining order from the Supreme Court, which has halted the implementation of a regional law reallocating seven parliamentary seats originally designated for Sulu province. According to Philippines News Agency, the Supreme Court’s 2024 ruling established that Sulu is not part of BARMM, leading the Commission on Elections to suspend its preparations for the polls. Nartatez, however, reassured

Manila: The first day of the three-day transport strike was generally peaceful and orderly, with no untoward incidents monitored, the Philippine National Police said Thursday. ‘We attribute this orderly conduct of the transport strike to the close coordination and cooperation among transport groups, law enforcement agencies, and other government offices,” Philippine National Police (PNP) acting chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said in a statement. He said the PNP will continue to monitor the next two days of the transport strike and provide assistance to commuters who will be affected. ‘Hindi natin pipigilan ang mga protesta pero nakaalalay lamang tayo

Manila: The Department of Justice on Thursday conducted its first hearing of the preliminary investigation into the missing ‘sabungeros’ (cockfight enthusiasts) case, with gaming tycoon Atong Ang, one of the figures embroiled in the controversy, failing to personally attend the proceedings. According to Philippines News Agency, Ang was represented in the proceedings by his counsel Gabriel Villareal, who said they were not able to file a counter-affidavit, having received the subpoena only a few days ago. “There are also missing parts of the subpoena, such as the USB drive mentioned in it,” he said. One of the 60 individuals named

Manila: The Department of Education (DepEd) on Thursday strongly denounced the killing of former DepEd Palawan legal officer Joshua Lavega Abrina, who was shot dead inside his home in Puerto Princesa City on Wednesday night. According to Philippines News Agency, Education Secretary Sonny Angara condemned the ‘senseless violence’ that caused grief not only to Abrina’s family and colleagues but also to the education community. ‘We condemn in the strongest possible terms this senseless act of violence against a member of our institution and the legal profession,’ he said, highlighting Abrina’s dedication and service in upholding learners’ rights. Angara also urged

Manila: The Marcos administration’s anti-drug campaign has successfully seized PHP87.19 billion worth of narcotics since July 2022, as reported by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) on Thursday. The seized drugs included 11,680.81 kilograms of shabu, 100.57 kilograms of cocaine, 144,927 kilograms of ecstasy tablets, and 7,767.16 kilograms of dried marijuana leaves and bricks, all confiscated from July 2022 to August this year. According to Philippines News Agency, PDEA conducted 120,787 operations nationwide during this period, leading to the arrest of 162,597 suspects, including 10,342 high-value targets. PDEA Director General, Undersecretary Isagani Nerez, emphasized the significance of these operations as