General

Manila: The Commission on Elections (Comelec) officially proclaimed the 12 winning senators on Saturday, just five days after the national and local midterm elections. According to Philippines News Agency, the proclamation ceremony was led by Comelec Chairperson George Garcia and held at The Manila Hotel Tent City. Incumbent Senator Christopher ‘Bong’ Go topped the list with 27,121,073 votes. The ceremony involved each commissioner reading a Certificate of Proclamation for the senators-elect, who were called to the stage to receive their certificates. Reelectionist Senator Imee Marcos, who secured the 12th spot with 13,339,227 votes, was the first to be proclaimed. She

Baguio City: Anita Ticar, the mother of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) ‘Siklab-Laya’ Class of 2025 valedictorian, 2nd Lt. Jessie Ticar Jr., expressed her hopes that her son and his fellow graduates will serve the country with dedication. Ticar Jr. joined the academy with the aim of lifting his family out of poverty, and his achievements have exceeded expectations. According to Philippines News Agency, Ticar conveyed her pride and gratitude during the graduation ceremony at Fort del Pilar in Baguio City. She prayed for divine guidance for her son and the 265 other graduates as they embark on their careers

Manila: The long voting queues that formed early in the morning on May 12 are being viewed as a “positive” sign that Filipinos were eager to participate in this year’s national and local elections, as stated by the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV). According to Philippines News Agency, PPCRV spokesperson Ana Singson highlighted in an interview on Monday afternoon that the group observed voters queuing up until 8 a.m., which marked a shift from previous election patterns. Singson noted that in past years, it was uncommon to see long lines in the morning, with queues typically forming between

Pasay City: The law-mandated Random Manual Audit (RMA) for the May 12 midterm elections is set to start on Wednesday in Pasay City, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) announced on Monday. The auditing process, which involves the manual examination of ballots to validate the results from vote-counting machines (VCM), will take place at the Citadines Bay City Manila and cover 762 clustered precincts and online voting posts. According to Philippines News Agency, Dir. Abigail Claire Llacuna of the Comelec Education and Information Department, who is also part of the technical working group for the RMA, stated that they aim to

Bicol: The Police Regional Office in Bicol (PRO-5) has successfully confiscated illegal drugs valued at PHP2.6 million during a weeklong operation conducted from May 5 to 11. This operation led to the arrest of 21 individuals, including four high-value targets and 17 street-level individuals. According to Philippines News Agency, PRO-5 Director Brig. Gen. Andre Dizon reported that law enforcement officers seized 392.884 grams of shabu and 1.60 grams of marijuana during the operation. The province of Albay recorded the highest value of confiscated illegal drugs, amounting to PHP1.71 million, followed by Naga City with PHP877,296. Other provinces reported lower values,