BACOLOD CITY, NEGROS OCCIDENTAL, Philippines — Two soldiers, a militiaman and a civilian were wounded in a brief encounter between government troops and suspected New People’s Army (NPA) rebels in Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental, on Saturday night, Oct. 17. Brig. Gen. Ted Dumosmog, commander of the Army’s 303rd Infantry Brigade, said troops from the 94th

MANILA, Philippines — Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano on Sunday urged Filipinos to be “pro-Philippines” amid the latest word war between Manila and Beijing over Chinese Ambassador Jing Quan’s remarks about China’s ability to defeat the Philippines by force. Cayetano stressed that the Philippines is not looking for trouble. “[W]e are not looking for

BACOLOD CITY, NEGROS OCCIDENTAL, Philippines — Thousands of residents and tourists filled the streets of Bacolod over the weekend as dancers in colorful costumes and the festival’s signature smiling masks brought the 2026 MassKara Festival street dancing and arena competitions to life. The festivities culminated in performances at the SM City Bacolod grounds, where competing

MANILA, Philippines — No bettor won the ₱410.97-million Ultra Lotto 6/58 jackpot or the ₱54.63-million Super Lotto 6/49 jackpot in the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) draws on Sunday, Oct. 18, 2026. According to the PCSO results provided, the Ultra Lotto 6/58 draw produced the winning combination 54-19-52-35-17-24, with a jackpot prize of ₱410.97 million.

SAN ILDEFONSO, Ilocos Sur — A 27-year-old motorcycle driver was killed while his 21-year-old passenger was injured in a road crash in Barangay Manangat, Caoayan town, in this province on Sunday, Oct. 18. Police said the two victims, both residents of Barangay Fuerte in Caoayan, were riding a white-and-blue Honda Click 125 motorcycle along the

COTABATO CITY — Authorities seized suspected shabu worth P3.4 million and allegedly smuggled cigarettes valued at more than P1.24 million, or a total of P4.6 million, in separate operations in Tawi-Tawi and Maguindanao del Sur in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) on Oct. 16 and 17, respectively. Brig. Gen. Christopher Abecia, regional

CALAPAN CITY, Oriental Mindoro — The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) transported on Sunday the remains of 10 identified victims of the fire-ravaged passenger vessel M/V June Aster from Coron to El Nido, Palawan, as authorities continued efforts to return the dead to their families. The PCG vessel BRP Suluan (MRRV-4406) left the Port of Coron