General

Makati City: The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Monday made a blanket call on countries to refrain from conducting actions that complicate the situation in the South China Sea while negotiations on a Code of Conduct (COC) on the South China Sea are ongoing. The statement comes following local reports bearing photos of the China Coast Guard raising a Chinese flag on the Sandy Cay, saying Beijing has enforced ‘maritime management and exercised sovereign jurisdiction’ over the feature. According to Philippines News Agency, in an interview on the sidelines of the Philippines-hosted High-Level Conference of Middle Income Countries in

Manila: The Department of Transportation (DOTr) has issued a directive to all airlines to ensure that their personnel do not engage in the deliberate tampering of passenger passports. This order follows reports of alleged incidents involving “punit (rip) passport.” According to Philippines News Agency, DOTr Secretary Vince Dizon announced that the directive was communicated to the airlines during a meeting last week. He warned that if such incidents are confirmed, both airlines and their personnel would face sanctions. Last week, a passenger on Cebu Pacific was denied boarding for a flight to Bali, Indonesia, after airline staff determined that the

Sulu: The 1102nd Infantry ‘Ganarul’ Brigade (1102Bde), based in Sulu province, has significantly enhanced its operational capabilities in coastal areas with the activation of two new motorboats. Brig. Gen. Alaric Avelino delos Santos, commander of the 1102Bde, stated that the operational test and evaluation of the two motorboats on Monday were successful. According to Philippines News Agency, one of the motorboats is a newly constructed gray vessel, while the other is a white, second-hand acquisition. The newly built motorboat was christened as Ganarul Uno, and the acquired one was named Ganarul Dos. Delos Santos emphasized that this milestone strengthens the

Zamboanga City: The city government on Monday handed over 44 motorcycle units to the local police and military forces to enhance their capabilities in maintaining peace and order. According to Philippines News Agency, all but two of the 44 new motorcycles are designated for the Zamboanga City Police Office. The Marine Battalion Landing Team-1 and Task Force Zamboanga received one unit each. Mayor John Dalipe stated that the acquisition of the motorcycles cost PHP10.47 million, with each unit priced at PHP238,000, funded from the capital outlay of the city’s 2025 executive budget. Mayor Dalipe advised security personnel to maintain the

Bataan: Central Luzon police announced the arrest of three high-value targets and the seizure of PHP2.1 million worth of illegal drugs during two separate buy-bust operations in Bataan over the weekend. According to Philippines News Agency, the Police Regional Office 3 (PRO-3) reported that the first operation took place on Saturday in Abucay town. During this operation, two suspects were apprehended and 66.5 grams of suspected shabu, valued at PHP452,200, were confiscated. A subsequent operation in Balanga City on Sunday led to the arrest of another suspect and the seizure of 250 grams of suspected shabu, with an estimated value