General

Kuala Lumpur: President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Tuesday emphasized the need to upskill and protect the rights and welfare of Southeast Asian nationals working in Gulf countries. This comes as Marcos noted that over 2.7 million citizens from the 10 Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries live and work in six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member-states, including professionals and skilled workers. According to Philippines News Agency, during his intervention at the 2nd ASEAN-GCC Summit at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre in Malaysia, Marcos stated that the GCC is ‘an important region’ for the Philippines concerning labor mobility because

San Fernando: Gilas Pilipinas Youth scored another blowout win-its biggest yet-in the ongoing 2025 FIBA Asia U16 SEABA Qualifiers. Coming off back-to-back lopsided victories over the last two days, Gilas logged a dominant 101-37 win over Singapore on Monday evening at the Bren Z. Guiao Sports Complex in San Fernando, Pampanga. According to Philippines News Agency, Gilas used another balanced attack to impose their will against the visitors with six players finishing in double-figure scoring led by Evareign Cruz with 14 points. Jhustin Hallare and Ethan Tan-Chi backstopped with 13 and 12 markers, respectively, while John Restificar and Andwele Caba±ero

Iloilo: The Iloilo Provincial Health Office (IPHO) is encouraging the public to be proactive and intensify the observance of the 4S strategy amid the high incidence of dengue, which is expected to rise further with the coming rainy season. In an interview on Tuesday, Dr. Rodney Labis, head of the IPHO health service delivery division, said the Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit recorded 69 new cases during the 20th week of their monitoring. According to Philippines News Agency, this equates to 1,742 cases with nine recorded deaths from January 1 to May 20, marking a 77.2 percent increase over the same

Maguindanao: In response to the intense rains and flooding in Mindanao, Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian on Tuesday ordered the agency’s Field Office 12 – Soccsksargen to immediately deliver 30,000 boxes of family food packs (FFPs) to Maguindanao in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM). This move aligns with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s directive to ensure immediate disaster response to the affected families. According to Philippines News Agency, the DSWD chief directed FO-12 Regional Director Loreto Cabaya Jr. to coordinate the full deployment of the food packs by Wednesday. Assistant Secretary Irene

Malabon: The Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) said on Tuesday its operatives arrested a Chinese national for trading around PHP2 million worth of alleged illicit cigarettes during an operation in Malabon City. According to Philippines News Agency, CIDG Director Maj. Gen. Nicolas Torre III stated that the suspect, identified as Ziqiang, was apprehended for selling cigarettes without proper authorization from the trademark owner at Orange Road in Potrero on May 23. This operation is part of a broader initiative targeting individuals involved in the manufacturing and trading of counterfeit items and the illicit tobacco trade nationwide. Authorities confiscated 33