Inquirer Breaking News

MANILA, Philippines --- The proclamation of winning partylist groups was put on hold to wait for the voting results in Lanao del Sur where special elections in some areas will be held. The supervisory committee of the National Board of Canvassers (NBOC) recommended that the proclamation of the winning partylist groups be put on hold as the results from Lanao del Sur "will greatly affect the determination of the winning partylist groups and the number of seats to which each is entitled." "[It is recommended that] the proclamation for the winning partylist groups be done only after receipt of the results from the province of Lanao del Sur," the supervisory committee said. The Comm...

Keep on reading: Proclamation of winning partylist groups on hold to wait for Lanao del Sur votes

BACOLOD CITY --- Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson urged the mayors of the province on Monday, May 16, to step up their COVID-19 vaccination drives since the elections were over. Seven local governments in Negros Occidental are under Alert Level 1, while 24 others will remain under Alert Level 2 from May 16-31, Lacson said. Sagay, Victorias, and La Carlota cities, and the municipalities of EB Magalona, Pulupandan, San Enrique, and Candoni remain under Alert Level 1. Bacolod City also remains under Alert Level 1 until the end of May. Negros Occidental still has the lowest vaccinated target population in Western Visayas, the Department of Health (DOH) in Western Vi...

Keep on reading: Negros Occidental guv asks mayors to boost COVID-19 vax drive

BACOLOD CITY --- Former vice governor Emilio "Dino" Yulo, who was elected as representative of the fifth district of Negros Occidental, stressed the need to open up more road networks to remote villages on Monday, May 16. "More roads in those areas will bring more progress and peace to the fifth district," said Yulo, who reiterated his support for the revival of the Negros Island Region. Yulo, who defeated incumbent Rep. Marilou Arroyo, said he took his oath before the governor to emphasize the need for unity. During the campaign, Yulo said he reached out to as many people as he could and visited remote villages where he saw the need for roads to reach those areas. "Openi...

Keep on reading: More road networks to remote villages of Negros Occidental needed – official

MANILA, Philippines --- "Learn to respect the will of the people." This was what the camp of presumptive president Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has to say to petitioners asking the Supreme Court to reverse the decision of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) dismissing the plea to cancel the certificate of candidacy (COC) of the late dictator's son. In the petition, civic leaders have asked the Supreme Court to stop the Senate and House of Representatives from canvassing the votes cast for Marcos. Marcos' camp has yet to receive a copy of the petition, but his spokesman Atty. Vic Rodriguez appealed to the petitioners to stop "pushing for your agenda of animosity." "I think these...

Keep on reading: Marcos DQ petitioners told: ‘Learn to respect will of the Filipino people’

MANILA, Philippines --- Senator Grace Poe lauded the signing of the Foundling Recognition and Protection Act into law on Tuesday, marking it as a "victory for both the adopted children and the adopting parent." "As I have said before, this is a victory for both the adopted children and the adopting parents. May it provide them with the peace of mind and closure that some of them seek until this very day," said Poe. "May it also remind them that regardless of where they came from, they are just as important and worthy as anybody else," she added. Poe said this in a statement after recounting her experiences as a foundling herself --- as the adopted daughter of the late actor Fern...

Keep on reading: Signing of Foundling law ‘a victory for both adopted children, parents,’ says Poe

MANILA, Philippines - Eric Cray achieved his fifth straight gold medal in the 400-meter hurdles in the 31st Southeast Asian Games on Tuesday at My Dinh Stadium in Vietnam. The 33-year-old remained dominant in the event, finishing in 50.410 seconds to win the title for the fifth consecutive biennial meet since his first in 2013. Cray beat his closest challenger Lich Quanch Cong of Vietnam by 0.410 ticks. Cong settled for silver, clocking 50.820, while Singapore's Jun Jie Calvin Quek placed third with a time of 51.190. Cray's teammate Francis Medina missed the podium, placing fifth (51.770) behind Vietnam's Son Nguyen Duc (51.440). The is the Philippines' fourth gold in ...

Keep on reading: SEA Games: Eric Cray wins 400m hurdles gold for 5th straight time

Moms are the guiding light of every family. Their unwavering love, support, and sacrifice for their families are unmatched -- from juggling work, running a household, and taking care of kids; they power through for the sake of their loved ones, and that's what makes them heroes of our home. Although the first Sunday of May is usually celebrated as Mother's Day, at SM we believe that every day in May is Mother's Day because one day of celebration is never enough to thank her for. Here are 10 ways to celebrate our #SuperMoms today and every day till the end of May or even beyond: Treat her to a scrumptious meal. Be the ladies who lunch at SM or surprise her with dinner at her f...

Keep on reading: Make every day of May Mother’s Day at SM Supermalls

MANILA, Philippines --- Presumptive president Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is wooing former Labor chief Bienvenido Laguesma and migrant workers advocate Susan "Toots" Ople to join his Cabinet, his camp said Tuesday. His spokesman Vic Rodriguez said Marcos is eyeing Laguesma as his Secretary of the Department of Labor and Employment while he is courting Ople to lead the newly created Department of Migrant Workers. Rodriguez said Marcos met and talked with the two before going on his "private" trip to Australia for a "much-needed rest and vacation." "Ito 'yung mga taong respetado sa larangan ng labor and employment na kanyang kinausap at tinanong kung nais maglingkod sa gobyerno, sa i...

Keep on reading: Marcos eyes Laguesma, Toots Ople to head labor, migrant workers departments

Andrea Brillantes spoke about how she has become unbothered by bashing, explaining that she is already used to it after years in the showbiz industry. Brillantes opened up on what she feels towards her bashers after talent manager-comedian Ogie Diaz asked her how she handles them, as seen on Diaz's YouTube channel today, May 17. Diaz noted that the actress is always a subject of controversy, to which Brillantes agreed. "Hindi naman po sa manhid. It's just that hindi lang po naaapektuhan sa kanila. Lalo na parang more than 10 years na ako sa industriya kaya sanay na sanay na po ako," she said. "Nasasaktan pa rin naman ako pero at this time, hindi talaga po nakakaapekto sa akin."...

Keep on reading: Andrea Brillantes no longer affected by bashers: ‘Sanay na sanay na ako’

BAC NINH -- Second seed Alex Eala started her campaign in the women's singles tennis event of the 31st Southeast Asian Games with an impressive win Tuesday at the Hanaka Sports and Service Center here. Eala, 16, blasted Phonphatehep Philavong of Laos 6-2, 6-1 to advance to the quarterfinals, while teammate Janaila Rose Prulla also made it to the quarterfinals without sweating it, scoring a walkover victory against Malaylack Pathummakuronen of Laos due to medical reason. Eala will face Singaporean Lynelle En Tong Lim in the next round while Prulla will take on top seed Chanelle Vang Nguyen of host Vietnam. Defending men's doubles champion Francis Casey Alcantara and Jeson Pat...

Keep on reading: SEA Games: Alex Eala cruises to women’s singles quarterfinal

MANILA, Philippines --- The implementation of a closure order against Megaworld Corp. has been suspended by the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) after company representatives assured "full cooperation" with the taxman. In a media advisory on Tuesday afternoon signed by BIR National Capital Region Director Eduardo Pagulayan Jr., the agency said the closure order purportedly for implementation on Wednesday, March 18, was "held in abeyance." "The activity tomorrow (May 18, 2022) is being held in abeyance until further notice. Representatives from Megaworld Corporation manifested their full cooperation with all the requirements of the Bureau of Internal Revenue," BIR said. The c...

Keep on reading: Closure order vs Megaworld Corp halted as firm vows cooperation with BIR – exec

Robi Domingo expressed his feelings on the results of the May 9 elections, stressing that he has no regrets for standing up for what he believes in. The "Pinoy Big Brother" host talked about the elections as he showed a photo of himself in the Makati campaign rally of Vice President Leni Robredo and Sen. Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan via his Instagram page yesterday, May 16. Both Robredo and Pangilinan are lagging behind in the partial and unofficial count by the Commission on Elections (Comelec). "Walang pagsisisi dahil kami'y tumindig / Ipinaglaban ang pinaniniwalaan gamit ang tinig," Domingo said. "Salamat sa mga Tropang nagkapit-bisig / Dahil pinakita niyo sa amin ang pag-asa a...

Keep on reading: Robi Domingo pens poem post-elections: ‘Walang pagsisisi dahil kami’y tumindig’

MANILA, Philippines --- The camp of presumptive president Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. on Tuesday confirmed his trip to Australia, saying it was a "private trip" with family for a "much-needed rest and vacation." His spokesman, Atty. Vic Rodriguez, said Marcos just wanted to enjoy his few days as "Citizen Bongbong." "It's more of a private trip, a private visit for a much-needed rest and vacation for Bongbong Marcos and I think he would just want to enjoy the remaining few days before he assumes officially his office as President of the Republic," he said in a press conference. "Pinipilit na lang niya i-enjoy, momentarily, 'yung kanyang pagiging Citizen Bongbong," he adde...

Keep on reading: Marcos on ‘private trip’ to Australia for ‘much-needed rest, vacation’

A famous quote that goes, "Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up," is attributed to Spanish painter and co-founder of the Cubist movement Pablo Picasso. Before we became jaded with this thing called life or before our thoughts became muddled with day-to-day survival, our imaginations once ran wild playing house with our dolls, pretending to drive cars that are actually just huge carton boxes, or creating stories of princes and princesses in our minds. For 17-year-old writerMarga Monserrate, it was only a matter of time before the tales in her head were translated into paper---and later on, a whole novel titledIt Was A Pleasure to Be Yours, Arab...

Keep on reading: Robinsons Magnolia supports young writers with book launch of Marga Monserrate

MANILA, Philippines --- The Department of Transportation (DOTr) on Tuesday said more than 13 million passengers have availed the free ride program of the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3) since March 28. According to the DOTr in a statement, a total of 13,150,386 commuters availed of the program from March 28 to May 16. The initial program was implemented from March 28 to April 30, with a total of 8,472,637 passengers recorded. This, however, was further increased by 4,677,749, as of May 16, when the MRT-3 extended its free rides until May 30. READ: Free MRT-3 rides extended until May 30 Apart from the free ride extension, MRT-3 also started operating its four sets of 4-car C...

Keep on reading: Over 13 million people availed MRT-3 free rides — DOTr

LOS ANGELES --- "Aquaman" actor Amber Heard will face more questioning on Tuesday from attorneys for her ex-husband, Johnny Depp, the Hollywood star she has accused of physical and emotional abuse before and during their brief marriage. The "Pirates of the Caribbean" actor, 58, is suing Heard for $50 million, saying she defamed him when she claimed she was a victim of domestic abuse. Heard, 36, has countersued for $100 million, arguing that Depp smeared her by calling her a liar. On Monday, she told jurors it was "torture" to see her claims being questioned and to have to defend herself to the public. "I want to move on," she said through tears. "I want Johnny to move on too...

Keep on reading: Johnny Depp’s lawyers to resume questioning of ex-wife in defamation fight

SAN ANTONIO, Zambales---The coastal waters of this province and three other provinces in Central Luzon remained free of the toxic red tide, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) in Central Luzon said Monday, May 16. Citing its latest laboratory test on shellfish samples, BFAR said all types of shellfish gathered from the coastal waters of Zambales, Bataan, Pampanga, and Bulacan are safe for human consumption. BFAR regularly collects samples from these areas to determine the presence of toxic microorganisms that cause paralytic shellfish poisoning. In Zambales, Masinloc Bay is one of the areas that BFAR regularly monitors for the presence of red tide toxins. Red...

Keep on reading: Zambales, 3 other Central Luzon provinces stay safe from red tide

MANILA, Philippines --- A total of 75,107 election returns (ERs) have so far been received by poll watchdog Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) on Tuesday. According to PPCRV in an update that as of 10:30 a.m, the number is equivalent to 69.68 percent of the total ERs. These will be used by the poll watchdog to verify--- through the help of hundreds of volunteer encoders--- if they match with the electronic results from the Commission on Elections' (Comelec) transparency server. The total ERs received consist of 45,271 ERs from North and South Luzon, 10,033 from Metro Manila, 13,751 were from Visayas and 6,052 were from Mindanao. On the other hand, no ERs f...

Keep on reading: Total election returns at PPCRV now at 69.68%

The red carpet is ready for the opening of the 75th Cannes Film Festival on Tuesday, with Oscar winner Forest Whitaker as the first guest of honor and a French zombie comedy to kick off proceedings. The masks are off, health passes are no longer needed and the world's leading cinema get-together is ready to party after two years in which the pandemic put a dampener on proceedings. Whitaker, the 60-year-old star of "The Last King of Scotland" and cult films such as "Ghost Dog" and recent TV hit "Godfather of Harlem," will pick up an honorary Palme d'Or at the opening ceremony on the Cote d'Azur.   He won an acting award at the festival back in 1988 for his role as...

Keep on reading: Cannes film fest launches with veterans and zombies

  Russia and Ukraine are not holding talks "in any form", Interfax news agency cited Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko as saying on Tuesday. "No, negotiations are not going on. Ukraine has practically withdrawn from the negotiation process," Interfax cited Rudenko as saying. RELATED STORIES Russia's Lavrov says Finland, Sweden joining Nato makes 'no big difference' Ukraine restarts gas distribution stations, supplies in Kharkiv Nato expects Turkey not to hold up Finland, Sweden membership War in Ukraine: Latest developments Flood saves Ukrainian village from Russian occupation Ukraine counter-attacks Russian forces in the east...

Keep on reading: Russia says talks with Ukraine are not going on ‘in any form’ – Ifax