Philippines News Today April 16, 2023

Here are the latest news and events that happened today, Sunday, April 16, 2023.

Bato backtracks on virtual appearance for Teves

Senator Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa withdrew his earlier approval to have Representative Arnie Teves appear virtually before a Monday Senate committee hearing on the killing of Negros Oriental Governor Roel Degamo. In Maki Pulido's Sunday 24 Oras Weekend report, dela Rosa said that the Senate Public Order and Dangerous Drugs Committee, which he chairs, would instead decide on Teves' possible See more...

DSWD awaits release of funds for inflation ayuda

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) is waiting for the Department of Finance (DOF) to release the P9.7-billion funding for financial assistance for households hit by inflation. According to DSWD Assistant Secretary Rommel Lopez, the department is processing the release which would extend P1,000 cash aid to some 9.3 million households amid the continuous acceleration of inflation, as See more...

Marcos wants 83 maritime schools reevaluated in 2 years

Commission on Higher Education chairman Prospero de Vera III said Sunday President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos tasked them to finish the reevaluation of the 83 maritime schools in the country in two years’ time. In a Super Radyo dzBB interview, De Vera said CHED has committed to evaluate the maritime schools again to check their standard compliance in light of the See more...

New PH pageant offers P1M cash prize 'in full, no installments'

MANILA — A new local pageant, Miss Cosmo World Philippines, is beckoning to aspiring beauties. What sets it apart in the dime-a-dozen beauty contests is its grand prize of P1 million for the winner. “We are giving it in full, no installments,“ reigning Miss Cosmo World Meiji Cruz told ABS-CBN News over the weekend at the launch of the pageant’s See more...

LTO removes periodic medical exam requirement for driver's license holders

Holders of driver's licenses with a five-year and 10-year validity do not need to undergo periodic medical examinations, the Land Transportation Office (LTO) said on Sunday. LTO chief Jay Art Tugade ordered the requirement to be removed to ease the burden on motorists, the agency said. Under existing rules, holders of driver's licenses with five-year validity have to secure medical See more...

Puerto Galera still unaffected by Mindoro oil spill —mayor

The local government of Puerto Galera said Saturday that its municipal waters have remained uncontaminated by the massive oil spill from the oil tanker that sank in late February off Naujan town in Oriental Mindoro. Citing a report from the Office of the Civil Defense (OCD), Puerto Galera Mayor Rocky Ilagan said that the oil slick has reached 84 barangays See more...

Kris Aquino credits 'excellent team of doctors' for improving health

Amid her ongoing battle against autoimmune diseases, former Kapamilya TV host Kris Aquino wrote an appreciation post for her team of doctors, saying she admires their “excellence and real compassion.” “This is an overdue GRATITUDE post. I know it’s because of your prayers that God helped lead me to an excellent team of doctors: Dr. Sudhir Gupta, his daughter Dr. See more...

Dionne Monsanto opens up about returning to acting via 'Unbreak My Heart'

MANILA – Dionne Monsanto opened up about her return to acting as part of the cast of “Unbreak My Heart,” a product of the partnership among GMA, ABS-CBN, and Viu. In an exclusive interview with Push, Monsanto said she was surprised at how much she ended up missing acting, admitting that she hadn't anticipated feeling that way. “Momentarily returning See more...

Gary V marks 40th showbiz anniversary on 'ASAP'

Gary Valenciano celebrated his 40th anniversary in the entertainment industry in a grand way on “ASAP Natin To,” Sunday. As part of the special segment that the long-running variety show put together for him, Valenciano performed special song numbers with his peers and many of the up-and-coming young artists he’s mentored over the years. These include Ogie Alcasid, Regine Velasquez, See more...

Select BPI services unavailable for 12 hours on April 23

Select services of the Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) will be temporarily unavailable for 12 hours next Sunday, April 23, 2023, as the lender is set to undergo a scheduled systems maintenance. In an advisory, BPI said its automated teller machines (ATMs), cash accept machines (CAMs) debit cards, e-commerce transactions, and mobile number updates will be unavailable from 12 See more...

Puerto Galera 'in status quo' amid conflicting reports on town's water safety

MANILA — The local government of Puerto Galera on Saturday said it would maintain the status quo and wait for the advice of national agencies amid conflicting reports on the waters of the popular tourist destination. In a statement, the town's mayor Rocky Ilagan said he would rather wait for official positions from the Department of Health and the Department See more...

LOOK: Kim Chiu, Denise Laurel take snaps with Treasure members

Kim Chiu and Denise Laurel became lucky fangirls after getting the chance to take photos with the members of K-pop boy band Treasure, who recently held a 2-day concert in the Philippines. Chiu took to Instagram to share her photo with members Jihoon, Jaehyuk and Asahi. "OMG! Side-by-side with Treasure," Chiu wrote in the caption. In true fangirl fashion, Chiu See more...

Hontiveros wants China envoy recalled over anti-Taiwan advice

Senator Ana Theresia “Risa” Hontiveros-Baraquel over the weekend urged Malacañang to call on China to recall their representative to the Philippines Huang Xilian, following his remarks pushing the Philippines to oppose independence Taiwan. In a statement released Sunday, Hontiveros said the country should push for Huang to return to China, along with its ships, and artificial islands in the West See more...

'Maria Clara at Ibarra' reigns as the #1 TV show in PH on Netflix

"Maria Clara at Ibarra" is No. 1 on Netflix! Since the hit Kapuso historical drama became available for streaming on Netflix last Friday, the show has been trending again. As of writing, "Maria Clara at Ibarra" hit the No. 1 spot in Philippine TV shows on the streaming giant platform. "Maria Clara at Ibarra," starring Barbie Forteza, David Licauco, Julie See more...

Group calls for safer driving to protect children

A public interest law group on Sunday called on motorists to practice safer driving to prevent road-related accidents that at times involve children. During the Department of Health’s (DOH) Pista ng Kalusugan event at the Quezon City Memorial Circle, ImagineLaw disclosed that at least 1,670 children and youth in the country are killed by road crashes every year. ImagineLaw project See more...

Less than half of Philippine SIMs registered before Apr 26 deadline

More than half the total number of subscriber identity module (SIM) cards in the country have yet to be registered with their respective public telecommunications entities (PTEs), a little over a week into the April 26 deadline. Data released by the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) on Sunday indicated that 69,828,115 SIM cards have been registered as of See more...

Parts of NCR, Cavite face week-long water service interruption

Customers of water concessionaire Maynilad Water Services Inc. in portions of Metro Manila and Cavite should brace for a week-long water service interruption beginning this Sunday. In an advisory, Maynilad said the water service interruption in parts of Las Piñas City, Muntinlupa City, Parañaque City, Pasay City, Bacoor City, and Imus City will take place from April 16 to April See more...

'Cleantramuros': Volunteerism keeps 'Walled City' litter-free

MANILA — The Intramuros Administration is spearheading “Cleantramuros,” a volunteer program that aims to promote the culture of cleanliness inside the Walled City and beyond. Around 15 volunteered in the clean-up drive on Sunday, according to Jeffrey Yap, OIC of the Urban Planning and Committee Development of Intramuros Administration. Most of the litter swept by volunteers were food waste and See more...

Former BuCor Chief Bantag, Deputy Zulueta now considered fugitives

Former Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) Chief Gerald Bantag and former Deputy Officer Ricardo Zulueta are now considered fugitives given the outstanding warrants of arrest filed against them, the Philippine National Police (PNP) said on Sunday. According to PNP Public Information Office chief Police Colonel Redrico Maranan, authorities were searching for Bantag and Zulueta following the warrants of arrest issued against See more...

China's economy expected to rebound as zero-Covid era fades

BEIJING — China is expected to announce an economic rebound on Tuesday, when Beijing releases its first quarterly GDP figures since abolishing growth-sapping Covid restrictions late last year. The Asian giant's virus containment policy -- an unstinting regime of strict quarantines, mass testing and travel curbs -- strongly constrained normal economic activity before it was abruptly ditched in December. The See more...

This Gen Z band gets inspiration from Eraserheads

Composed of artists 15 to 17 years old, Gen Z band Sam’s Script considers the iconic Eraserheads as its source of inspiration for its music. Having recently performed at Quezon City Science High School for its “Harana: Himig ng Awiting Pag-ibig” event, Sam's Script is aiming to perform on bigger stages. During the show, Sam’s Script performed Juan Karlos’ See more...

Sunny, hot conditions expected this week in most of PH: PAGASA

MANILA - Sunny and hot weather may be expected this week in most parts of the Philippines, state weather bureau PAGASA said Sunday. In its weather outlook for April 17 to 23, PAGASA said there is no weather disturbance expected to enter the Philippine area of responsibility this week. Warm and humid easterlies will also prevail this week, it added. See more...

DOH logs 443 new COVID-19 cases; active tally rises to 9,569

The Department of Health reported 443 new COVID-19 cases nationwide on Sunday, bringing the country's COVID-19 total to 4,085,969. The number of active infections rose by 89 cases to 9,569, the highest total in eight days for the 16th straight day of more than 9,000 active cases, according to GMA Integrated News Research. Total recoveries increased by 339 cases to See more...

Kim Chiu celebrates birthday on 'ASAP' with hot dance number

Summer just got hotter as Kim Chiu sizzled on the “ASAP Natin ‘To” dance floor with a performance where she was joined by G-Force, AC Bonifacio, Maymay Entrata, Gab Valenciano, and members of Hori7on. Chiu’s special number marked her on the variety show, where she has been a long-time mainstay. “I am just very grateful sa lahat ng mga opportunities See more...

Mag-pinsan na dawit sa illegal recruitment timbog

Natimbog ng mga awtoridad ang mag-pinsan na dawit sa ilegal na pag-aalok ng trabaho sa Canada at nakatangay umano ng P1 milyon mula sa kanilang mga biktima. Sa bisa ng warrant of arrest, hinuli ng mga pulis noong Sabado sa Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 ang isa sa mga suspek, na kakauwi lang galing Macau. Ikinanta siya ng kaniyang See more...

After China's 'veiled threat,' NSC assures Philippines' non-interference in Taiwan

MANILA — The National Security Council (NSC) on Sunday maintained that the Philippines "has no intention" of interfering in China's affairs with Taiwan, a day after Chinese Ambassador Huang Xilian blasted the United States' expanded access to Philippine military bases under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA). In a statement, NSC spokesperson Jonathan Malaya asserted the Philippines would "not allow See more...

WATCH: Bride-to-be Maja Salvador's bachelorette party

MANILA – The closest friends of actress Maja Salvador recently threw her a bachelorette party before she ties the knot with her fiancé, Rambo Nuñez. Salvador herself shared a peek into the blue-themed event, which began with an intimate dinner followed by a full-blown party. Among the celebrities who graced the party were Kathryn Bernardo, Miles Ocampo, Kakai Bautista, Pooh, See more...

Donny Pangilinan open to portray superhero, vigilante roles in the future

MANILA — “Superhero na maganda, parang vigilante.” This was actor Donny Pangilinan's answer when asked what other roles he wants to portray in the future. In a press conference held Sunday, Pangilinan said that the world of acting is a never-ending journey and he can never anticipate what character he may be doing next. “Marami, marami akong gustong i-take. See more...

10,000 dumalo sa Angels Walk for Autism sa Pasay

Aabot sa 10,000 tao ang dumalo sa isang event para sa mga batang may autism ngayong Linggo sa Pasay City. Ito ang unang beses na muling isinagawa ng Autism Society Philippines ang awareness campaign na Angels Walk for Autism, matapos mahinto simual 2020 dahil sa COVID-19 pandemic. "Transformation" ang tema ng pagdiriwang ngayong 2023 dahil bukod sa pagbibigay ng kamalayan See more...

BJMP facilities congestion rate down to 367% from 600% –spox

The Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) said Sunday that the congestion rate as to the number persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) per cell in its facilities has gone down to 367% from 600%. Interviewed on Super Radyo dzBB, BJMP spokesperson Jail Chief Inspector Jayrex Bustinera said that around 126,000 PDLs are currently cramped inside its 478 jail facilities See more...

Police working on fresh leads amid probe on drug pilferage

MANILA (UPDATED) -- The Philippine National Police on Sunday said it is open to expanding its Special Investigation Task Group (SITG) to probe deeper into the 990 kilos seized in drug raid in Manila last year. This, after the SITG led by PNP Directorate for Investigation and Detective Management Director Maj. Gen. Eliseo Cruz publicized its recommendations into the alleged See more...

Uptick in COVID-19 cases in Manila noted; expert warns of possible effect of new subvariant

MANILA -- Manila City Mayor Honey Lacuna on Sunday confirmed that a slight increase of COVID-19 cases has been observed last week in the city. A total of 79 positive cases were recorded, according to Lacuna. Most of the positive cases were of mild symptoms and asymptomatic. Three of them are in the hospital. Lacuna says the number is not See more...

LTO scraps periodic medical exam requirement for license holders

MANILA — The Land Transportation Office (LTO) on Sunday said it would no longer require periodic medical examinations for driver's license holders. In a statement, LTO chief Jay Art Tugade said he ordered the scrapping over the said requirement to "ease the burden" of motorists having to undergo periodic medical clearances to keep their licenses. Tugade cited studies showing that See more...