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GUNNERS.

Ray Parks (right) and Jamie Malonzo in action for Gilas Pilipinas in the 2025 Southeast Asian Games.

MANILA, Philippines – Defending champion Gilas Pilipinas recovered from a slow start to extinguish Malaysia, 83-58, in its 2025 Southeast Asian Games opener at the Nimibutr Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, on Sunday, December 14. Ra

y Parks showed the way with 18 points, half of which came in a blistering 20-0 run to end the first half that paved the way for the Philippines to improve to 1-0 in Group A. Ro

bert Bolick backstopped Parks with 17 points, while Thirdy Ravena added 13 points and 10 rebounds for the hastily-assembled squad that underwent multiple lineup revisions due to the hosts’ flip-flopping on eligibility rules. Gila

s trailed by as many as 7 points in the opening quarter, 15-22, but flipped the switch in the second period, where it outscored Malaysia 26-4 to take a 42-26 lead at halftime. That

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MANILA, Philippines – The House of Representatives and the Senate will continue to reconcile disagreeing provisions of the 2026 national budget on the second day of bicameral conference committee (bicam) meetings on Sunday, December 14. Af

ter reconciling the budgets of the agriculture, education, and health sectors on their first day, the bicam is expected to tackle funding for the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and unprogrammed appropriations on the second day. DP

WH Secretary Vince Dizon earlier appealed to the Senate for increased funding, saying that the upper chamber’s version of the budget only reflected estimates for construction material costs. “The

motion for reconsideration is made to ensure that the detailed process of applying the new CMPD (Construction Materials Price Data) will be followed to avoid inaccurate costing and potential project unimplementability which may lead to underspending and related legal and administrative issues,” the DPWH wrote in a statement. Bookmark

this page to watch Rappler’s livestream of the second day of bicam deliberations at 3 pm. – Rappler.com

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CONSISTENT.

Agatha Wong of the Philippines wins the wushu gold in the women's taijiquan-taijijian in the 2025 Southeast Asian Games.

CHONBURI, Thailand – Agatha Wong has made it a habit of reigning supreme in the Southeast Asian Games. Th

e Filipina wushu star struck gold for the fifth consecutive edition of the regional showpiece as she topped the women’s taijiquan-taijijian event at the Chaeng Watthana Government Complex in Bangkok on Sunday, December 14. Wong

earned 9.773 points in taijiquan and 9.783 points in taijijian for a total of 19.556 points to capture her sixth SEA Games gold overall. The

aspiring doctor has not failed to win a SEA Games gold since topping the taijiquan event in 2017, going on to claim both the taijijian and taijiquan crowns on home soil in 2019, and then defending her taijijian title in 2021. Even

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Rappler’s Life and Style section runs an advice column by couple Jeremy Baer and clinical psychologist Dr. Ma

rgarita Holmes. Je

remy has a master’s degree in law from Oxford University. A ba

nker of 37 years who worked in three continents, he has been training with Dr. Holm

es for the last 10 years as co-lecturer and, occasionally, as co-therapist, especially with clients whose financial concerns intrude into their daily lives. Toge

ther, they have written two books: Love Triangles: Understanding the Macho-Mistress Mentality and Imported Love: Filipino-Foreign Liaisons. I wa

MANILA, Philippines — The combined effects of the shear line, the easterlies and the northeast monsoon, or “amihan” is forecast to bring cloudy and rainy weather all over the country on Sunday, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said. In its

5 a.m. report, Pagasa said the shear line will bring scattered

MANILA, Philippines — For the first time in the country’s history, the traditionally closed-door bicameral conference committee deliberations on the national budget were opened to the public via livestream as the Senate and the House of Representatives convened on Saturday to hammer out differences in their versions of the 2026 General Appropriations Bill (GAB). The

ILIGAN CITY, LANAO DEL NORTE, Philippines — With a quiet smile and clutching a certificate, Niñol, stood among the 27 completers of the English Enrichment Course run by the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) here for its inmates, also called Persons Deprived of Liberty (PDLs). The

y were recognized on Dec. 12 as the

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Education (DepEd) will allocate P1.04 billion for its Special Needs Education program covering persons with disabilities (PWDs) and students from the indigenous peoples (IPs). Ed

ucation Secretary Sonny Angara said the allocation from DepEd’s proposed 2026 budget as approved by the Senate will be used to “reinforce key programs” that

MANILA, Philippines — Yet “another fishing expedition” was how Vice President Sara Duterte thought of the plunder and other criminal charges that were lodged against her over the alleged misuse of the P612.5 million confidential funds granted to her, for which she was impeached last February. In a s

tatement on Saturday, Duterte said the complaint

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine National Police (PNP) reported on Saturday the arrest of 11 most wanted suspects and the seizure of marijuana and other illegal drugs worth nearly P28 million during a half-day of nationwide operations from 10 p.m. on Thursday to 9 a.m. on Friday. PN

P acting chief Police Lt. Ge

n. Jo

se Melencio

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Health (DOH) on Saturday reminded the public to seek early medical consultations once they experience symptoms of leptospirosis, as the agency reported over 700 cases of the illness in Central Visayas from November to December 2025. DO

H Media and Promotion Bureau Director Tina Marasigan said that the DOH’s data,

TACLOBAN CITY, LEYTE, Philippines — Mayor Alfred Romualdez of this city on Saturday vowed strict enforcement of the newly imposed 15-ton load limit at San Juanico Bridge, warning truck drivers against violations as heavier vehicles are once again allowed to cross the vital structure linking the islands of Leyte and Samar. Th

e mayor’s statement came