The Philippine Star - December 02, 2023

In this issue

December 02, 2023

SMNI anchor apologizes for report on Speaker's travel expenses

The Davao City-based Sonshine Media Network Inc. (SMNI) has apologized over its “unverified” reports that Speaker Martin Romualdez had spent some P1.8 billion for travel.

2 mins

PCG surveillance base opens on Pagasa Island

The Philippine Coast Guard inaugurated a new monitoring base yesterday on a remote island occupied by Filipino forces in the West Philippine Sea as the government ramps up efforts to counter China’s increasingly aggressive actions in the strategic waterway.

2 mins

Senate eyes 7-9% pay contribution for MUP pension

New entrants in the military and uniformed personnel services will contribute seven to nine percent of their base and longevity pay, according to the latest version of the bill that seeks to reform the MUP pension system.

1 min

BBM vowS to bring home 17 hostages

The Philippine government will exhaust all remedies available to bring home safely the 17 Filipino seafarers held hostage by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi militants in the Red Sea, President Marcos said yesterday, as authorities bared plans to expand the list of high-risk areas in one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes.

3 mins

Cybercrime cases up 400% in 2023 - PNP

Cybercrime-related incidents in the country increased by 400 percent compared to the same period last year, the Department of Justice (DOJ) reported yesterday.

1 min

BI: No entry ban on ICC probers

Unless they are blacklisted by the courts or deemed as undesirable aliens, investigators from the International Criminal Court (ICC) looking into the conduct of the war on drugs under Rodrigo Duterte are free to enter the country.

4 mins

Former 4Ps beneficiary among topnotchers of midwives exam

A child of a former beneficiary-family of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD)’s Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) ranked ninth in the November 2023 licensure examination for midwives.

1 min

Marcos apologizes to OFWs for canceling UAE trip

Despite President Marcos' last-minute cancellation of his trip to the United Arab Emirates, the gathering with the Filipino community here pushed through on Thursday night and was filled with fun and performances.

2 mins

Mixed movements in pump prices seen next week

Another round of mixed adjustments in pump prices could be implemented by oil companies next week, while cooking gas prices will remain the same this month.

1 min

21,000 MT imported onions to arrive by yearend

Some 21,000 metric tons of imported onions should arrive on or before Dec. 31, the Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Plant Industry (DA-BPI) said on Friday amid the spike in the retail price of the bulbs that has reached as high as P220 per kilo.

2 mins

QCPD to gun-toting cop: Surrender all firearms

Lt. Col. Mark Julio Abong, who has been dismissed from the Philippine National Police (PNP) by the Department of the Interior and Local Government, was ordered by the Quezon City Police District (QCPD) yesterday to surrender any firearms still in his possession or face the full force of the law.

1 min

'NPA rebel' caught at NAIA

A suspected New People’s Army (NPA) rebel was arrested at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1 on Wednesday, police announced yesterday.

1 min

BI to blacklist 459 aliens over fake firms

The Bureau of Immigration will blacklist 459 foreigners found to have used fake companies in their application for work visas, BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco said yesterday.

2 mins

'Stop Angat Dam water release'

Citing the need for \"extra reserves\" for El Niño, water release from Angat Dam should be stopped, according to the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS).

1 min

War with Russia in new phase - Zelensky

Ukrainian dent Volodymyr Zelensky says the war with Russia is in a new stage, with winter expected to complicate fighting after a summer counteroffensive that failed to produce desired results due to enduring shortages of weapons and ground forces.

1 min

Fighting resumes in Gaza Strip

Fighting resumed in Gaza yesterday immediately after the expiry of a week-long truce between Israel and Hamas, with the first fatalities reported minutes later, according to health officials in the Palestinian territory.

1 min

Climate, Gaza crises share spotlight in COP28

World leaders are taking center stage at the United Nations climate talks in Dubai, under pressure to step up efforts to limit global warming as the IsraelHamas conflict casts a shadow over the summit.

1 min

Japan scours seabed for US Osprey wreckage

Japan’s coast guard yesterday scoured the seabed for the wreckage of an Osprey US military aircraft that crashed this week, with still no sign of seven missing airmen.

1 min

Red Lions reach finals vs Cardinals

The mighty San Beda basketball machine is back in a familiar place where it gets a chance to do what it has done multiple times win NCAA championships.

1 min

Giant Lanterns go for kill in Bacoor

On the cusp of history, Pampanga visits Bacoor for Game 3 today with the Giant Lanterns bidding to complete a sweep and capture the MPBL Fifth Season crown at the Strike Gym in Cavite.

1 min

BSP: Inflation cooled further in November

The increase in the prices of essential goods and services likely eased for the second straight month as November inflation is expected to settle within the four to 4.8 percent target range, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) said.

2 mins

Stocks turn green on rate cut hopes

Local stocks halted a two-day downtrend yesterday to open December on a positive note, with the benchmark Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEI) finishing at 6,245.18, up by 21.45 points or 0.34 percent.

1 min

Ayala named Asia's most sustainable company

Ayala Corp., the country's oldest conglomerate, has received the prized recognition at the 2023 Asia Corporate Excellence and Sustainability Awards (ACES).

1 min

Higher biodiesel blend looms - DOE

The Department of Energy (DOE) plans to push through next year the long-delayed increase in coco methyl ester (CME) content of biodiesel.

1 min

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The Philippine STAR is the flagship title of the country's largest and most successful print media enterprise, the Philstar Media Group. Owned and published by Philstar Daily Inc., The Philippine STAR is a vaunted pillar of Philippine journalism whose integrity is anchored on the Biblical motto, “Truth Shall Prevail”. The Philippine STAR is a two-time winner of the prestigious Newspaper of the Year award given by the Rotary Club of Manila.