Author: Jericho Zafra

MANILA, Philippines — Despite recording a number of inbound tourists in the country, Forbes Advisor listed Manila as the fifth riskiest city in the world under certain circumstances. In May, President Ferdinand Marcos said that the Philippines recorded 5.45 million inbound tourists in 2023 alone. This is more than double the 2.65 million visitors recorded in 2022 as per the government data. But the recent Forbes report showed that Manila has shown to be one of the riskiest cities to travel for tourists across the globe. In its report released on Wednesday, Forbes said that the city has the most…

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) reported that China Coast Guard (CCG) 5901, the world’s largest coast guard ship known as “The Monster,” remains anchored at Escoda Shoal as of Wednesday morning. At a forum, PCG spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea (WPS), Commodore Jay Tarriela, said that as of 7:30 in the morning, the China-flagged vessel has remained at Escoda or Sabina Shoal since July 3. The shoal is situated 75 nautical miles, or approximately 140 kilometers, off the coast of Palawan, and is considered to be within the country’s 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ). “We have…

SHORTLY after the Clark International Airport Corporation (CIAC) revealed plans to construct a stadium in Clark capable of catering major concerts featuring international performers like Taylor Swift, concerns arose among Filipinos that it might encroach upon the traditional lands of Indigenous Peoples (IPs) that are supposed to be untouched and unharmed. CIAC President and CEO Arrey Perez said that the stadium will be located within walking distance from Clark International Airport in Pampanga. The project is expected to cost P32 billion and cover an area of approximately 40 hectares and is projected to be finished by 2028. However, following this…

MANILA, Philippines — The majority of the Filipino public’s trust and approval among the highest leaders in the country remain high although President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s rating declined, local polling firm Pulse Asia said Wednesday. The result came less than a week before the third state of the nation address of Marcos where Duterte is reportedly skipping the annual address of the country’s highest elected official. Recent data revealed a two-point rise in Vice President Sara Duterte’s approval rating, increasing from 67 percent in March to 69 percent in June. Her trust rating remained steady at 71 percentage points for…

MANILA, Philippines — Despite the increasing number of issues surrounding the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs), the National Security Council (NSC) is keen that the latter is still not a national security concern in the country. Speaking before a Senate panel, NSC Assistant Director General Francis Jude Lauengco said he is supporting legislative measures to ban online gambling and tax POGOs, calling them serious national security concerns. He said that the bureau has seen the “extent” of criminal activities in several hubs including human trafficking, fraud, and prostitution, among others, and is now consulting with the concerned agencies including the…

MANILA, Philippines — House assistant minority leader and Gabriela Women’s Party representative Arlene Brosas said Tuesday she is running for the 2025 Senatorial elections. “This decision is driven by the urgent need to defend women’s rights against the ongoing onslaught of patriarchal and women’s policies,” Brosas said. Brosas is the second senatorial candidate from the Makabayan coalition, which has pledged to field a full 12-member Senate slate for next year’s midterm elections. ACT Teachers Rep. France Castro was the first to declare her Senate candidacy earlier this month. At a press conference, Brosas pledged to be the “real voice of…

MANILA, Philippines — Filipino drag queen Eva Le Queen is set to fire up the international scene after her successful introduction at RuPaul’s Drag Race Global All-Stars. In an X post, RuPaul’s Drag Race revealed the new set of queens vying for the next global drag superstar. “Drag Race: Global All-Stars” is set to air on August 16 exclusively on Paramount Plus. Of the 12 drag contenders, one is Eva Le Queen, a Filipino drag queen who was known for competing on season 1 of Drag Race Philippines where she was one of the top 4 finishers last 2022. “Call…

MANILA, Philippines — Around 200,000 residents in the country are now affected by the bad weather brought upon by southwest monsoon rains or “Habagat,” the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) reported Tuesday. In a status report released at 8 a.m. on July 16, the agency said that heavy rains and flooding from the southwest monsoon, known locally as the habagat, have affected 93,743 families, or 221,435 individuals, in 363 barangays in the country. Habagat are warm, moist winds from the southwest that bring rain to the western part of the country from May to September. It said…

MANILA, Philippines — A number of mental health problems and respiratory diseases are now hounding detention facilities in the country, the Department of Health said. In a press briefing DOH spokesperson Albert Domingo said diseases commonly found in detention facilities include upper respiratory tract infections, skin conditions, stress-related mental health issues, allergies, and ailments linked to hygiene, sanitation, and nutrition “When we talk about communicable diseases, we talk about airflow, we talk about close contact, and those things are rather limited when it comes to places of detention. In addition to that are skin diseases; you also have stress, you…

WHEN nearly half of election returns had already been tallied less than two hours after the May 2022 national elections, former Information and Communications Technology Secretary Eliseo Rio knew something was wrong. He knew right on the spot that there was “cheating” in the manner of transmitting the votes knowing the state of the Philippine IT infrastructure. During the first hour after the May 9 polls closed, over 20 million votes had already been cast, the fastest in the history of Philippine elections. “It was really impossible,” said Rio, citing that he knew Philippine telecommunication companies could not perform at…