Oct 27, 2026
BACOLOD CITY—Labor and business leaders in Negros Occidental have expressed dissatisfaction with the daily minimum wage increase of P40 to P45 for private-sector workers in Western Visayas, with labor groups calling the adjustment inadequate and employers warning of higher operating costs and possible price increases. The wage adjustment, approved by the Regional Tripartite Wages and
DAGUPAN CITY—Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas urged the Marcos administration to remain “firm and unyielding” in defending the country’s sovereignty over the West Philippine Sea (WPS), “without provoking hostilities but without cowering in the face of threat.” In a pastoral message issued on Sunday, Villegas said he was lending his voice to fisherfolk in Pangasinan and
We have selected seven stories from the SCMP’s coverage of Asia over the past week that resonated with our readers and shed light on topical issues. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. Filipinos split on Marcos’ sea handling amid row over Chinese envoy’s remarks Filipinos are almost evenly divided over the Marcos administration’s handling of the maritime dispute with China, even as nearly three in four favour diplomacy over confrontation, according to...
KORONADAL CITY—For as little as P5 per grave, youths and adults living beside Koronadal City Public Cemetery earn extra money by cleaning tombs and lighting candles for visitors ahead of “Undas” (All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day). The annual influx of cemetery visitors offers these residents a chance to earn money for their families’
South Korean medical drama Doctor X: Mafia in White has become the latest target of political controversy over how fictional works portray history, after a National Assembly petition demanded a halt to its airing over its depiction of the 1980 Gwangju Uprising. The petition, posted on Saturday on the National Assembly’s petition website, calls for a review of the drama’s production and a halt to its broadcast. It has gathered the 100 supporters required to be made public. The petitioner said...
A Myanmar citizen living in Denmark on Monday filed a complaint with Danish authorities against the country’s ruling military junta for alleged war crimes committed against minorities. The complainant, Ngun Siang Dim, who is from the Chin minority, claims she saw 40 houses burn down in her village in Chin State, in western Myanmar, and that several members of her family and friends were killed or left permanently disabled by landmines laid by the junta. The military junta “has done so many...
A decision by Turkey, Pakistan, Qatar and Indonesia to jointly develop and produce weapons systems marks a major push to reduce reliance on Western armaments that come with political strings attached, observers say. Following the signing of the Badr memorandum of understanding in Doha on Wednesday, the four governments separately said they would work towards integrating their defence industries and supply chains to meet military needs. “By leveraging the capabilities of each country in the field...
The Pentagon has assigned the USS Colorado as the first US nuclear-powered attack submarine to join a rotating force to be based in Western Australia. The 115-metre (380-foot) Virginia-class submarine, armed with land-attack missiles and sophisticated torpedoes, would sail to the new Australian base in late 2027, officials said on Tuesday. The deployment was a “significant milestone” in building up a joint US-Australia-UK deterrence in the Pacific under their Aukus defence pact, the allies said...
In parts of Southeast Asia, unsold homes are piling up as developers struggle to clear housing stock – yet young buyers hoping to land their first property still cannot find an affordable home. The paradox reflects a growing mismatch between the homes being built and what aspiring buyers can afford, according to analysts, who point to speculative investment, financing hurdles and poor locations as factors leaving properties empty even amid demand for affordable housing. In Vietnam, the problem...
Oct 26, 2026
MANILA, Philippines — No bettor won the ₱305.12 million Grand Lotto 6/55 jackpot or the ₱15 million MegaLotto 6/45 jackpot in the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) draws on Monday, Oct. 26, 2026. According to the PCSO results provided, the Grand Lotto 6/55 draw produced the winning combination 27-38-44-51-20-47, with a jackpot prize of ₱305.12
BAGUIO CITY— Police arrested all five regional-level most wanted persons in the Cordillera Administrative Region during manhunt operations conducted across the region in October, the Police Regional Office-Cordillera (PRO-CAR) said. In a report on Monday, Oct. 26, PRO-CAR said the five suspects, listed as the region’s top most wanted persons for the fourth quarter of
CALAPAN CITY, Oriental Mindoro — Environmental and human rights advocates on Monday urged the Marcos administration to adopt a national industrial policy and enact an alternative minerals management law, warning that current mining policies could promote destructive extraction without ensuring Filipinos benefit from mineral resources. At the Oct. 26 launch of Mining Hell Week, Alyansa
