Author: Jericho Zafra

MANILA, Philippines — Aside from the $500 million in military aid from the United States, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) is getting P50 billion for modernization next year, adding that more funds will be needed to achieve its full modernization. The AFP’s budget is P10 billion more than this year, aimed at upgrading hardware and systems amid escalating tensions in the West Philippine Sea. “This additional funding will enable the AFP to continue its efforts in acquiring advanced technologies, improving our capabilities in land, air, and sea operations, and addressing current security challenges,” AFP spokesperson Col. Francel Margareth…

MANILA, Philippines — Three more Chinese nationals wanted in their country were arrested by Philippine authorities but they cannot be deported yet due because they have to face charges filed against them in the country, Bureau of Immigration (BI) said. In a situation report Sunday, Immigration Commissioner Norman Tansingco said that operatives from the BI’s Fugitive Search Unit (FSU) arrested three individuals on August 13 in Barangay Tambo, Parañaque City. The three suspects were identified as Jun Chen, 28, Hongru Zhang, 26, and Hao Zhen, 27. Tansingco said that the arrest was carried out under a mission order following a…

MANILA, Philippines — At least 13 ships have been deployed in Sabina Shoal by China in just six hours, surrounding the country’s BRP Teresa Magbanua which has been posted in the shoal since April, former US Air Force official and former defense attaché Ray Powell said Monday. “PRC (People’s Republic of China) ships [are] now deploying south of Sabina Shoal [for the] past 6 hours,” he said in an X (formerly Twitter) post. Powell is actively monitoring China’s presence in the disputed waters and its movements in the maritime territories of other neighboring countries. Over [the] past week China has…

MANILA, Philippines — Citing the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the 2016 arbitral award, the Philippines refuted China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs for claiming that Escoda Shoal is part of China’s Nansha Islands, saying the disputed shoal is a maritime territory with the country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ). On Friday, Beijing’s Foreign Ministry claimed that the unauthorized entry and extended presence of Philippine Coast Guard vessels in the lagoon of Xianbin Jiao (the Chinese name for Escoda Shoal) constitute a serious violation of China’s sovereignty. This action, according to China, contravenes the Declaration on…

MANILA, Philippines — Personal remittances from overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) increased by 2.55 percent in June, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas said. The 2.5 percent increase was translated to $3.21 billion in June 2024, higher compared to $3.13 billion in the same month last year. “The increase in personal remittances in June 2024 was due to higher remittances sent by 1) land-based workers with work contracts of one year or more and 2) sea- and land-based workers with work contracts of less than one year,” the BSP statement said Thursday. From January to June 2024, OFWs sent $18.10 billion in remittances.…

MANILA, Philippines — There are no new cases of monkeypox in the Philippines despite alarm from an international health organization, the Department of Health said. The report comes after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the monkeypox as a public health emergency and an international concern. This is the second time the WHO has raised the alarm for monkeypox. “We have recorded a total of nine mpox cases so far, with no new cases added. The last case we detected was in December 2023,” DOH Spokesperson Albert Domingo said in mixed English and Filipino in a Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon briefing.…

MANILA, Philippines — Japan will now help the United States and Philippine authorities salvage the oil inside the sunken tanker in Bataan, Japanese Ambassador Kazuya Endo said. “Japan will continue to work closely with the Philippines to mitigate the spread of marine pollution and restore the marine environment,” Enzo said Thursday. In a state media report, the Japanese Embassy said that they are still assessing the damage to determine the type of aid they can provide. “We are still in the process of assessing the latest situation of the incident and evaluating the extent of the damage caused by this…

Humans and dogs have a way to attract other people. Some dogs tend to captivate other dog owners or pet lovers with their cute furs, some for their aggressive instincts that help protect their “hoomans” as they call it. But how much of them actually mirrors their owners? In a study published in Applied Animal Behaviour Science, researchers had pet owners assess both their own personalities and those of their dogs using “The Big Five” personality dimensions: neuroticism (anxiety and fear tendencies), extraversion (sociability), conscientiousness (organization and responsibility), Agreeableness (friendliness and compassion), and openness (creativity and openness to new experiences).…

MANILA, Philippines — The Supreme Court has released Thursday its guidelines on academic honesty for the 2024 Bar Examinations. The 2024 Bar exams, chaired by Associate Justice Mario Lopez, are scheduled for September 8, 11, and 15. In its 29-page bulletin, the SC said examiners are required to sign the “Honor Code” and submit the completed form on the first day of the examinations, saying that failure to do so may lead to examinees being denied access to the local testing centers. “The legal profession should not be a haven for misfits and cheats,” said Lopez. Continuing the practice from…

MANILA, Philippines — Overseas FIlipino Workers (OFWs) in distress could get up to P100,000 in financial assistance, according to the Department of Migrant Workers. According to the DMMW Department Order No. 05 series of 2024, the financial aid that these distressed OFWs could get vary depending on the situation of the OFW and his/her family. The standard amount of assistance is set at P50,000, P75,000, and P100,000. OFWs and their family could get P100,000 if the next of kin of OFWs who died in the host country due to natural or accidental causes, as well as those of OFWs who…