Deepest wreck discovered in the Philippines
A U.S. Navy destroyer that engaged a superior Japanese fleet in the largest sea battle of World War II in the Philippines has become the deepest wreck to be discovered, according to explorers.
Philippine government attorney fatally shot in Philadelphia
Philippine officials on Monday were mourning a government attorney fatally shot in Philadelphia and called for the perpetrator to be brought to justice.
Philippine troops kill suspected bomber, capture another
Philippine troops killed a suspected militant and captured another in a brief gunbattle with rebels aligned with the Islamic State group who are blamed for recent bombings in the south, military officials said Thursday. Army troops and police clashed briefly with fighters of the Daulah Islamiyah group on Wednesday in M’lang town in Cotabato province while searching for the people behind recent bombings believed aimed at extorting money from bus companies and other businesses in the south, military officials said. A suspected militant, Monir Lintukan, was killed in the clash and another, Randy Saro, was arrested, army battalion commander Lt. Col. Rommel Mundala said.
We Chat With – KZ Tandingan
Check out our interview with singer KZ Tandingan, who tells us about whether she prefers singing or songwriting, what married life is like, and the artists that she looks up to. Oh, and check out her new single, Winning!
Philippines' Marcos to 'hit the ground running' as president
MANILA (Reuters) -Philippines election winner Ferdinand Marcos Jr said on Wednesday he would hit the ground running as president and was looking very carefully at candidates for his economic team, with infrastructure, jobs and energy prices his priorities. Marcos, the son and namesake of the late dictator who ruled for 20 years before his 1986 overthrow, said his first nominee for his cabinet was Sara Duterte-Carpio, his vice presidential running mate and daughter of incumbent President Rodrigo Duterte. Marcos said political affiliation was not a factor in selecting people to work in his government.
Marcos rule to return to Philippines after election landslide
Ferdinand Marcos Jr, the son and namesake of the Philippines dictator deposed in a 1986 popular uprising, won a presidential election by a huge margin on Monday, according to unofficial results, marking a stunning comeback for the country's most famous political dynasty.Following is reaction to his victory.
John Oliver mocks 'single dumbest story' about Michael Jordan being used as propaganda in Philippines
A story allegedly circulating on social media in the Philippines tells the tale of the former dictator giving Michael Jordan a box of bread more than 50 years ago.
John Oliver breaks down 'the single dumbest story' being pushed in the Philippines about Michael Jordan
On Last Week Tonight With John Oliver Sunday, Oliver brought to light an absolutely insane story currently being passed around on Philippine social media involving a young Michael Jordan. Ahead of Monday’s presidential election, a push has been made to whitewash the brutal and corrupt legacy of former dictator Ferdinand Marcos, whose son, Ferdinand “BongBong” Marcos jr., is a frontrunner. Most of the false narratives revolve around how the family attained their fortune, which they got from defrauding the country. Then there’s the one about then President Marcos spending the holidays in Wilmington, North Carolina where he gave a hungry young Jordan bread in a park. “On December 24th, 1969, the Marcos family was in Wilmington, North Carolina to celebrate the holidays,” Oliver said. “That actually tracks, because if you’re a billionaire from the other side of the world and you want to celebrate the holidays in America, there’s only one place that you’re going, and that’s Wilmington, North Carolina.” As the story goes, Marcos was walking in a park and saw a skinny child begging for food. Marcos proceeded to give the child a whole box of Nutribun, then told the child, “Bring this with you, child, someday you will grow up to be someone important.” That child grew up to be Michael Jordan. Oliver broke down the absurdity. “To be clear, in this story, President Marcos was walking through a park holding bread, specifically Nutribun, a bread mainly sold in the Philippines, meaning Marcos flew to the United States with Nutribun because he was like, ‘What if we get to Wilmington, North Carolina, my favorite holiday destination, and they don’t have any bread there?’” Oliver said. “Then he went to the park and passed, like, ten other kids, thinking, ‘None of you are gonna grow up to be important so you’re not getting any of my park bread.’ Then he saw Michael Jordan and was like, ‘Wait, I’m pretty sure that you are gonna be important. So here, have this bread that I brought with me from the other side of the world.’ And then, that kid grew up to be Michael Jordan, the greatest basketball player who ever lived.” Oliver perfectly summed up the story, while at the same time taking a shot at Jordan’s acting career. “That is the single dumbest story involving a young Michael Jordan I have ever heard,” Oliver said, “and I have seen Space Jam.”
Manila airport ranked worst business class airport in new study
A ranking of business class services provided by airlines and airports is out, based on a study by Bounce luggage storage. The top three airports based on business class experience were the UK’s Heathrow Airport, Japan’s Haneda Airport and Singapore’s Changi Airport. Heathrow, the top airport with an overall score of 7.10 out of 10, had the most business class lounges, with 43. Haneda and Changi airports scored well on the on-time performance of flights, with 86.4% and 82% of flights being on time respectively. Out of 38 ranked airports, the worst business class airport was the Philippines’ Ninoy Aquino International Airport, which scored 0.88 out of 10. The Manila airport was the worst scoring for three categories: its number of destinations, on-time performance, and Skytrax rating. It was followed by London Gatwick and Newark’s Liberty Airport. Elsewhere in Southeast Asia, Malaysia’s Kuala Lumpur International Airport was ranked at 32nd place. Airports were ranked based on lounge facilities, connections, percentage of on-time flights, and Skytrax ratings. Read more about the ranking of airlines and airports based on business class experience here.
Philippines pulls Hollywood action flick from cinemas over South China Sea map
The Philippines has pulled the plug on all domestic screenings of a Hollywood film called "Uncharted", over a scene showing a disputed map of the South China Sea, the foreign ministry said on Wednesday. The move comes shortly after Vietnam, another claimant in the South China Sea, also banned the Sony Pictures action movie, which stars Tom Holland and Mark Wahlberg. It was released in the Philippines on Feb. 23.
We Chat With – Bea Lorenzo
Filipino singer Bea Lorenzo recently collaborated with Singapore's Benjamin Kheng on their new single, "Good for a Time". She told us how the collab came about and what kind of songs she likes to write: "Over the years I've developed a love for songwriting that is honest – I like the vulnerability of it. I like the idea that it can be like a conversation. That's what I love about music." Bea also played us a snippet of music on her kalimba instrument. Hear more from Bea in our interview with her! Check out the longer, full interview on Yahoo Southeast Asia's YouTube channel.
FEATURE-Philippine 'Avengers' battle disinformation before election
At St. Francis of Assisi church in Manila, as parishioners kneel and bow their heads in prayer at Sunday mass, the lector appeals for a safe, peaceful and honest presidential election. The May 9 election to pick the nation's president, vice president, senators, and fill 300 lower house seats and 18,000 local posts, is seen as highly consequential, with the son of an ousted dictator, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, pitted against an incumbent vice president, Maria Leonor "Leni" Robredo. For Angelique Mendoza, a 61-year-old retiree, it is only fitting that church leaders have joined the fight against disinformation, as citizens face a barrage of falsehoods on social media platforms, as they did before 2016's election.
Fintech Voyager raises $210 million to become 2nd Philippine 'unicorn'
Philippine technology startup Voyager Innovations said on Tuesday it has raised $210 million in its latest funding round, making the company the country's second "unicorn" with a valuation of more than $1 billion. Voyager, which serves 47 million people through its consumer platforms that include e-wallet and digital payments, said the fresh capital will fund its digital banking venture and other services like cryptocurrency and micro-investments. SIG Venture Capital, the Asian venture capital arm of SIG, Singapore-based global investor EDBI, and investment holding company First Pacific Company Ltd, participated in the funding round as new investors, Voyager said.
We Chat With - BGYO
What does BGYO stand for? Who in the boy band is scared of reptiles? Who likes only laing for vegetables? What are they inspired by? Find out in our interview with P-pop group BGYO, comprising Akira, Gelo, JL, Mikki, and Nate, who debuted in 2021. Check out the longer, full interview on Yahoo Southeast Asia's YouTube channel.
3 killed in Philippine army attack on Muslim militant camp
Philippine troops backed by fighter jets attacked a remote camp of Muslim militants linked to the Islamic State group on Tuesday in a predawn assault in the country’s south that left two insurgents and a soldier dead, military officials said. Two soldiers were wounded in the assault on the camp of about 50 Dawlah Islamiya group fighters near the town of Maguing in Lanao del Sur province. Air force fighter jets dropped a dozen bombs as army troops launched a ground attack, said regional military commander Lt. Gen. Alfredo Rosario Jr.
Helicopter flying to pick up Philippine police chief crashes
A Philippine police helicopter crashed Monday as it was flying to pick up the country's police chief on a resort island, killing a crew member and injuring the two pilots, officials said. The Airbus H125 helicopter went missing after taking off from Manila and was found two hours later to have crashed in Quezon province, police officials said. Police and firefighters reached the crash site and rescued the pilot and co-pilot, who were taken to a hospital with injuries, but the third crew member was pinned in the wreckage and died while rescuers were trying to revive him, they said.
Today in History
In 1986, President Ferdinand Marcos fled the Philippines after 20 years of rule in the wake of a tainted election; Corazon Aquino assumed the presidency.
Gunmen kill 9 in road ambush in southern Philippine town
Gunmen in the southern Philippines killed a Muslim rebel and eight of his companions in a road ambush Saturday that authorities said was apparently sparked by a land dispute. Several attackers raked two SUVs with assault rifle fire in an early morning ambush in an isolated farming village in Guindulungan town in Maguindanao province, killing nine people and wounding three others who were on their way to a meeting to resolve a longstanding clan dispute, police and local officials said. One of those killed in Saturday's ambush was Peges Mamasainged, a member of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, the largest Muslim rebel group in the south of the predominantly Roman Catholic nation that signed a peace deal with the government in 2014.
Philippines' Duterte defends $565-million gas deal after senate endorses complaint
Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte on Friday defended the sale of an oil and gas concession to a firm controlled by a tycoon ally after a senate panel approved the filing of charges against energy ministry officials. "I am convinced that this was a private transaction between private entities that must be respected," Duterte said, adding that the national interest has been protected. Udenna Corp, a company owned by Dennis Uy, a friend of Duterte, acquired https://www.reuters.com/article/us-philippines-chevron-malampaya-idUSKBN1XN1AG Chevron Corp's 45% in the country's Malampaya gas-to-power project worth $565 million in 2019.
Meta's 'free' internet is costing people money in developing countries
Some people using Meta's free internet service are being charged for it, and the company is still trying to fix the problem, according to documents shared with the Wall Street Journal.
