Pope Francis elevates Bishop David as 10th Filipino cardinal

POPE FRANCIS has elevated Diocese of Kalookan (Caloocan) Bishop Pablo Virgilio David to the rank of cardinal, becoming the 10th Filipino to hold the title. 

4 Vietnamese posing as returning tourists barred at NAIA

IMMIGRATION OFFICERS at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) barred four Vietnamese nationals from entering the country who pretended to be revisiting tourists but are suspected of illegally seeking to work in the country.

Seized marijuana kush from Thailand hits over P470-M in last 3 weeks

WITH CRIMINALS taking advantage of balikbayan (repatriate) boxes sent by Filipino workers abroad, the amount of dried marijuana or kush seized by the government authorities has reached over PHP470 million in the last three weeks.

Sto. Niño de Cebu parish warns faithful vs. bogus social media pages

THE BASILICA Minore del Sto. Niño de Cebu on Wednesday warned the public against bogus social media accounts claiming to be connected with it. 

2 firms eligible to bid for 2025 polls transmission system

THE COMMISSION  on Elections (Comelec) on Thursday declared two joint venture (JV) firms as eligible to bid for the Secure Electronic Transmission Services (SETS) project to be utilized in next year's midterm polls.

BOC logs P1.5-B collection surplus in January

THE BUREAU of Customs (BOC) on Tuesday reported that it surpassed its revenue target for January with a surplus of PHP1.5 billion.

ECC restores 3-year prescriptive period for filing of claims

THE EMPLOYEES ’ Compensation Commission (ECC) has restored the three-year prescriptive period to file Employees’ Compensation (EC) claims.

PI proponents in Antique town withdraw signature sheets

A TOWN in Antique has withdrawn its submitted signature sheets before the local office of the Commission on Elections (Comelec). 

BOC seizes P10.5-M smuggled fuel in Bataan gas station

THE BUREAU  of Customs (BOC) on Thursday reported the seizure of PHP10.5 million worth of smuggled fuel in a compound in Bataan province.

DOLE ready to assist displaced workers of CNN PH, Sky Cable

THE DEPARTMENT  of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said Tuesday it is ready to assist more than 300 employees of CNN Philippines and Sky Cable that would be displaced due to their closure.

Comelec may hold simultaneous PI signatures' check, voter sign-up

THE COMMISSION  on Elections (Comelec) on Tuesday revealed a possible plan to lessen the possible impact of People’s Initiative (PI) proceedings on the resumption of voter registration which is set to start next month.

Deeper devotion of faithful seen as Quiapo Church now nat'l shrine

MANILA MAYOR Honey Lacuna on Tuesday expressed hope that the elevation of the Quiapo Church to a national shrine will inspire more Catholics to develop an even more intense devotion.

Comelec vows tight watch vs. multiple registrants during voter sign-up

THE COMMISSION on Elections (Comelec) will tighten its watch against multiple registrants during the resumption of voter registration next month.

Parish distances itself from half-naked men's feast dance

THE SANTO Niño de Tondo Parish in Manila on Tuesday distanced itself from the viral dance performance of half-naked men during the celebration of its feast over the weekend.

“Ang mga grupo na gumagawa nito ay hindi nakaugnay sa angkop na layon ng Lakbayaw at pagpaparangal sa debosyon sa Pintakasing Santo Niño na may katauhan bilang bata na may kababaang loob at masunurin sa Diyos Ama (The groups who made such acts are not connected to the objective of the Lakbayaw and the act of honoring the devotion to the Santo Niño who has the identity of a child who humbles himself and is obedient to the Lord),” parish priest and rector Rev. Msgr. Geronimo Reyes said in a statement posted on the parish's Facebook page.

He said “Lakbayaw” is a combination of the words - lakbay (journey) and sayaw (dance), where devotees dance while holding the Santo Niño image to express gratitude for answered prayers.

“Hindi na po ito ang diwa ng Lakbayaw na dapat magsalarawan ng ating pananampalataya at pasasalamat sa Batang Diyos na Siyang sentro ng ating pagdiriwang (This is not the essence of the Lakbayaw which should reflect our faith and gratitude to the child Jesus Christ, who is the center of our celebration),” Reyes said.

He added that the group who performed the act is not among those who have signed up to officially join the Lakbayaw.

“Malinaw sa nangyayari na ang atensyon ng mga deboto at mananampalataya na dapat ay naka sentro sa ating Mahal na Poong Santo Niño ay inaagaw ng mga ganitong gawain bilang indibidwal (It is clear that acts like this take away the attention of the devotees and the faithful, which instead should be focused on the Santo Niño)," he said.

Reyes noted that the Church would never tolerate activities that would put the Catholic faith in a bad light. (Ferdinand Patinio)

BI urges foreigners to make virtual annual report

 THE BUREAU of Immigration (BI) has encouraged foreign nationals living in the country to register virtually for the annual reporting.

Comelec sets bidding for internet voting system

THE COMMISSION on Elections (Comelec) has set next week the public bidding for the acquisition of an internet voting system for the 2025 polls.

Manila all hands on deck for Sto. Niño feast Sunday

  ALL DEPARTMENTS All departments and bureaus of the local government of Manila are ready for the annual celebration of the Feast of Sto. Niño on Sunday.

Moves to amend Charter to affect voter signup

THE COMMISSION  on Elections (Comelec) on Friday said the move to amend the 1987 Constitution through people's initiative may affect the holding of voter registration for the May 2025 polls, which is set to resume next month.

Grid system in Panay Island stable

AN OFFICIAL  of the Department of Energy (DOE) on Saturday assured that the grid system in Panay Island and its neighboring provinces is stable.

DILG promotes self-reliance among communities through backyard farming

THE DEPARTMENT of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) campaign to keep 42,000 villages nationwide clean and environment-friendly includes making communities self-reliant by planting fruit-bearing trees and vegetables.