Witness: Immigration officials named Chinese passengers cleared under pastillas scam

GMA Network - Oct 21, 2026

High-ranking officials of the Bureau of Immigration (BI) supplied the names of Chinese passengers who were allowed entry to the country without proper inspection in exchange for grease money, also known as the pastillas scam, an Immigration personnel said Wednesday.

Read full article

MORE NEWS

Peruvian tenor Juan Diego Florez on Hong Kong debut, Pavarotti’s regret and singing food

Oct 21, 2026

Peruvian tenor Juan Diego Florez on Hong Kong debut, Pavarotti’s regret and singing food

Before Juan Diego Florez became one of the most celebrated opera tenors of his generation, he was on his way to being a pop star. Music was always part of family life. His father, Ruben Florez, was a respected singer of Peruvian criolla folk music; his mother, Maria Teresa Salom, managed a Lima pub with live music. As a boy, Juan Diego Florez would sometimes be asked to stand in and perform with his guitar. That early exposure gave him his first taste of being on stage, and by his teens, he was...

Beijing’s top Taiwan official meets US think tank to reaffirm red lines

Oct 21, 2026

Beijing’s top Taiwan official meets US think tank to reaffirm red lines

Beijing’s director of the Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO), Song Tao, has held a rare meeting with a delegation of US scholars that pledged to push for the peaceful development of cross-strait ties. During the meeting in Beijing on Tuesday with a delegation from the National Committee on American Foreign Policy (NCAFP) led by its president and CEO, Susan M. Elliott, Song spoke of a broader diplomatic context following high-level summit meetings between Chinese and US leadership. “President Xi Jinping...

Ombudsman suspends DICT Usec Almirol over alleged eGov conflicts of interest

Oct 21, 2026

Ombudsman suspends DICT Usec Almirol over alleged eGov conflicts of interest

The complaints stem from a June 2025 report by the DICT Internal Audit Unit, which flagged possible conflicts of interest involving the hiring of former Multisys personnel as well as the awarding of contracts to other related companies

Australian Politicians Were Already on Edge Before One of Their Own Was Attacked

Oct 21, 2026

Australian Politicians Were Already on Edge Before One of Their Own Was Attacked

Much remains unclear about why a driver ran a car into Helen Haines, a lawmaker. Even so, fellow representatives, especially women, spoke of feeling threatened in a polarized atmosphere.

Hong Kong tours avoid France protest areas as schools cancel planned trips

Oct 21, 2026

Hong Kong tours avoid France protest areas as schools cancel planned trips

Tour operators have changed itineraries and pulled Hong Kong travellers away from protest hotspots in France, while some school groups have cancelled planned trips to the country following the issuance of an official travel warning. EGL Tours chairman and executive director Steve Huen Kwok-chuen said one of the company’s tour groups had encountered protests at the Louvre in Paris on Saturday, with police helping clear a route for their coach to return to the hotel. “Our tour group happened to be...

ASEAN declaration aims for safe, fair recruitment of migrant workers --DMW

Oct 21, 2026

ASEAN declaration aims for safe, fair recruitment of migrant workers --DMW

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is crafting a declaration that calls for stronger regional action against fraudulent online recruitment and safer migration amid the prevalence of human trafficking across the region, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) said Wednesday.

Government trying to take VP Sara down? Palace calls claim laughable

Oct 21, 2026

Government trying to take VP Sara down? Palace calls claim laughable

The Palace on Wednesday thumbed down Vice President Sara Duterte"s claim that the government had a strategy to take her down.

Why US Secretary of State Rubio is skipping New Delhi for an Indian oil refinery

Oct 21, 2026

Why US Secretary of State Rubio is skipping New Delhi for an Indian oil refinery

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s visit to India’s Jamnagar this week – home to the world’s largest oil refining complex – signals energy cooperation as the anchor for bilateral ties even as broader policy friction frays relations, according to analysts. On Tuesday, Rubio indicated that India’s largest private company, Reliance Industries, which owns the Jamnagar oil refinery complex, will buy more Venezuelan oil. “India is a refining superpower. They have the capability to refine heavy crude....

Ombudsman suspends DICT exec over alleged conflict of interest in P1.55B contracts

Oct 21, 2026

Ombudsman suspends DICT exec over alleged conflict of interest in P1.55B contracts

The Office of the Ombudsman on Wednesday placed Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) Undersecretary for E-Government David Almirol Jr. under a six-month preventive suspension over an alleged conflict of interest involving government contracts worth around P1.55 billion.

Senate to immediately execute suspension orders vs Estrada, Marcoleta -- Win Gatchalian

Oct 21, 2026

Senate to immediately execute suspension orders vs Estrada, Marcoleta -- Win Gatchalian

Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian said Wednesday the upper chamber will immediately implement the preventive suspension orders for Senators Jinggoy Estrada and Rodante Marcoleta once received from the Sandiganbayan.

Hong Kong’s Election Committee race: should you care? Here’s what you need to know

Oct 21, 2026

Hong Kong’s Election Committee race: should you care? Here’s what you need to know

Nominations have closed for Hong Kong’s Election Committee election, setting the stage for the November 22 poll. The poll, the second since Beijing overhauled the city’s electoral system to ensure patriots rule Hong Kong, will return 1,500 members who will nominate and vote in next year’s chief executive election. Here’s all you need to know about the 2026 Election Committee Subsector Ordinary Elections, now that nominations have closed: from the hopefuls’ line-up and the heavyweights in the...

RECOMMENDED

The Life Voyager

The Life Voyager puts travel news into perspective, bringing you unique and secluded side to popular travel destinations you never know exist.

ABOUT US
NEWSLETTER

Copyright © 2015 - 2026 The Life Voyager. All Rights Reserved.