19+ min ago (1380+ words) President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. launches on November 24 the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Transparency Portal to provide the public access to comprehensive information on government infrastructure projects nationwide. Both Malaca'ang and President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. want you to remember one thing, at least in the context of a flood control scandal that's engulfed most of the government: that it was he who started it all. It's a point Malaca'ang likes to emphasize, whether it be in Palace press releases or in chance interviews and press conferences with Marcos himself. A November 13 release based on a Marcos press conference ran with the title: "PBBM-initiated probe into flood control corruption sees results; persons charged to see jail before Christmas." In a November 26 press statement about Marcos' claims that embattled former lawmaker Zaldy Co had tried to blackmail him, the Presidential…...

36+ min ago (845+ words) These announcements follow a predictable script. They are designed to soothe public anxiety, create an appearance of control, and project an image of administrative competence. To argue that 500 pesos is enough is to treat Noche Buena as a technical puzzle that can be solved by removing costly items. Ham, queso de bola, fruit salad, spaghetti sauce, even bread. As long as one reaches the lowest possible total, the state suggests that the celebration remains intact and that a Filipino family should be able to produce a respectable Christmas meal. When the state compresses this meaning into a 500-peso budget, it tells families to shrink their aspirations. It reframes celebration as a minimalist exercise rather than a cultural practice rooted in care, obligation, and continuity. It sends the message that the only valid celebrations are those that are cheap enough to…...

39+ min ago (486+ words) RED HOT. Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) gestures towards guard Luguentz Dort (5) after a basket against the Phoenix Suns during the second half at Paycom Center. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 26 points and the Oklahoma City Thunder increased their winning streak to 12 with a 123-115 victory over the host Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday, November 30 (Monday, December 1, Manila time). Chet Holmgren added 19 points and 9 rebounds as the defending champion Thunder won for the 20th time in 21 games this season. Their lone loss came at Portland on November 5 when they blew a 22-point lead and lost 121-119. Oklahoma City is off to the NBA's best start since the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors won their first 21 games as part of a 24-0 start. Jaylen Williams added 16 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists in his second game since his return from two wrist surgeries. Ajay Mitchell had 17 points and fellow reserve…...

48+ min ago (655+ words) MARCH. Members of various civil society and religious groups walk under the intense heat as they participate in the 2nd Trillion Peso March movement from the EDSA Shrine to the People Power Monument in Quezon City on Sunday, November 30, 2025. MANILA, Philippines " The Trillion Peso March Movement gathered for the second time at the People Power Monument in Quezon City on Sunday, November 30, with a call to end political dynasties. Several groups marched from the EDSA Shrine to the People Power Monument to stage the protest, which coincided with the 162nd birth anniversary of Philippine hero Andres Bonifacio. Protesters reiterated their appeal to hold accountable the government officials involved in anomalous flood control projects and further demanded to stop political dynasties. "Sa lalong madaling panahon, inaasahan natin na dapat panindigan din ng gobyerno na kanilang i-certify as urgent ang ating anti-political dynasty bill....

48+ min ago (655+ words) MARCH. Members of various civil society and religious groups walk under the intense heat as they participate in the 2nd Trillion Peso March movement from the EDSA Shrine to the People Power Monument in Quezon City on Sunday, November 30, 2025. MANILA, Philippines " The Trillion Peso March Movement gathered for the second time at the People Power Monument in Quezon City on Sunday, November 30, with a call to end political dynasties. Several groups marched from the EDSA Shrine to the People Power Monument to stage the protest, which coincided with the 162nd birth anniversary of Philippine hero Andres Bonifacio. Protesters reiterated their appeal to hold accountable the government officials involved in anomalous flood control projects and further demanded to stop political dynasties. "Sa lalong madaling panahon, inaasahan natin na dapat panindigan din ng gobyerno na kanilang i-certify as urgent ang ating anti-political dynasty bill....

1+ hour, 7+ min ago (334+ words) SERMON. Cagayan de Oro Archbishop Jose Cabantan delivers a sermon during a Mass at the Saint Augustine Cathedral. CAGAYAN DE ORO, Philippines " Cagayan de Oro Archbishop Jose Cabantan said the Church must lead the campaign for transparency and accountability by setting an example in managing its finances, amid rising public outcry against corruption in government. Cabantan said the Church should be transparent by discussing its finances and economic activities with lay leaders and Church-based organizations. "Corruption is not just a political issue. It is also a moral and spiritual issue and the Church should lead by setting an example," Cabantan said. Cabantan led about 400 parishioners in a rally at Gaston Park in Cagayan de Oro on Saturday, November 29, ahead of Sunday's Trillion-Peso March Against Corruption on Sunday. Church leaders in Cagayan de Oro decided to hold their protest ahead of…...

2+ hour, 31+ min ago (872+ words) ON TOP. The NU Pep Squad completes a historic UAAP title romp. MANILA, Philippines " "Your UAAP Cheerdance Competition champion" the NU Pep Squad!" Since 2013, that phrase has been bellowed out not once, not twice, but nine different times. Yet, the status quo had not always been this way. When the UST Salinggawi Dance Troupe won its record-setting eighth CDC title in 2006, NU already had nine " no, not titles, nor podium finishes, but nine straight last-place crash-outs, eventually ballooning to a dubious, likely unbreakable record of 12 consecutive bottom-ranked efforts. By 2012 in UAAP Season 75, the UP Pep Squad had caught up to UST with a record eighth championship of its own, capping off a three-peat run from 2010. Lost in the rightfully royal revelry of a new cheerdance dynasty, however, was a curious little detail. There it was, little league laughingstock NU Pep,…...

4+ hour, 8+ min ago (281+ words) ANTI-GRAFT COURT. The Sandiganbayan in Quezon City, June 30, 2018. MANILA, Philippines " The Office of the Ombudsman has filed charges with the anti-graft court Sandiganbayan against a former Cebu City administrator and 10 other officials for malversation of public funds amounting to P239.73 million and one count of violating the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act. The officials, including former administrator Floro Casas Jr., were accused of approving inflated garbage disposal bills, leading to overpayments of more than P239.7 million. The city government allegedly paid P1,800 per ton, three times the contracted rate of P600 per ton. The cases, approved by former acting ombudsman Dante Vargas on October 6 following a recommendation from Graft Investigation and Prosecution Officer Carla Chaves-Gonzaga, were raffled to the Sandiganbayan's 6th and 1st divisions on Friday, November 28. Prosecutors asked the court to set bail at P90,000 each for all accused in the graft case, while recommending no…...

4+ hour, 15+ min ago (1112+ words) RESIGN. Filipinos shout and raise placards during an anti-corruption protest over widespread corruption allegations linked to government infrastructure projects, on Bonifacio Day in Manila on November 30, 2025. MANILA, Philippines " The call was clear in Luneta on Sunday, November 30: President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Vice President Sara Duterte should resign. It was the dominant call of the giant posters and the speeches on stage, all of which almost did not happen because of a police blockade. Overnight before Sunday, the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) announced that the protesters cannot mount a rally in Luneta without a permit. Rally organizers led by the progressive group Bayan insisted they have secured the clearance from the office of Manila Mayor Isko Moreno, which later dribbled the jurisdiction to the MMDA and the National Parks Development Committee (NPDC). "Ano ang nangyari kagabi biglang may…...

6+ hour, 1+ min ago (717+ words) MOURNING. People paste sticky notes with well-wishes for those affected by the deadly fire at the Wang Fuk Court housing complex, in'Tai'Po, Hong Kong on November 30, 2025. Lam Yik/Reuters More than a thousand people turned out on Sunday, November 30, to pay tribute to the victims of Hong Kong's deadliest fire in more than 75 years, as Beijing warned it would use a national security law to crack down on any "anti-China" protest in the wake of the fire. The cause of the blaze, which killed 128 people and left 150 still missing at a high-rise apartment complex, remains under investigation, amid public anger and dismay over missed fire risk warnings and evidence of unsafe construction practices. Mourners waited in a queue stretching for more than a kilometre along the banks of a canal near the burnt-out Wang Fuk Court housing complex to lay…...