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MANILA, Philippines — The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) on Friday expressed support for the graft and administrative complaints against 14 local and barangay officials in Iloilo City over alleged irregularities in the distribution of cash assistance. Th

e Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) lodged the complaints against the officials at

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COMPLAINT.

DSWD files complaints with the Office of the Ombudsman against officials allegedly involved in cash assistance mess.

MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) filed complaints with the Office of the Ombudsman against Iloilo City local officials tagged in an alleged cash aid corruption. So

cial Welfare Secretary Rex Gatchalian said on Thursday, December 11, that they filed 11 set of complaints — both criminal and administrative — against local officials that include barangay chairpersons, kagawads (council members), treasurers, and other appointed officials. There

are 14 complainants, according to the DSWD chief. The le

gal actions stemmed from a report submitted to Gatchalian, mentioning multiple complaints from Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) beneficiaries from Iloilo City. Accord

The Commission on Audit (COA) has called out the Department of Health (DOH) after auditors found expired and nearly-expired drugs and medicines amounting to P34.8 million, and other inventories worth P99.4 million, which could place them at risk of possible wastage.

In its annual audit report for the DOH in 2024, COA cited the review

MANILA, Philippines — Over 70,700 police officers will be deployed across the country to secure the 2025 holiday season, the Philippine National Police (PNP) said. In

a statement on Wednesday, the PNP particularly noted that it was sending out 12,695 personnel to places of worship; 7,838 to major thoroughfares; 6,691 to commercial areas; and 6,530

MANILA, Philippines — The Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) was privatized not because there are no public funds to facilitate its rehabilitation, but due to the government’s decision to put it at the tail end of its priorities, ACT Teachers party-list Rep. Anto

nio Tinio said on Wednesday. Tini

o, during the investigation launched by the House of

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Here are today’s headlines – the latest news in the Philippines and around the world: Pres

ident Ferdinand Marcos Jr. orders authorities to track down resigned lawmaker Zaldy Co, whose passport is now canceled. The

Department of Justice announces on Tuesday, December 9, it will file two kidnapping cases against gaming tycoon Charlie ‘Atong’ Ang and 24 others in relation to the missing sabungeros case. Some Gra

de 5 students in the Philippines continue to have ‘very low proficiency’ in reading and mathematics. This, accord

ing to a learning assessment program conducted in Southeast Asia. Cambodia pul

ls out of the 2025 Southeast Asian Games on Wednesday, December 10, citing ‘safety reasons’ with the escalation of border conflicts with host Thailand. Filipino tennis

ace Alex Eala and volleyball star Bryan Bagunas lead the Philippine delegation as flag bearers at the 2025 Southeast Asian Games opening ceremony in Thailand. —Rappler.com

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JUSTICE.

Jayson dela Rosa during a press conference at the National Police Commission on December 10, 2025.

MANILA, Philippines – The National Police Commission (Napolcom) ordered the dismissal of seven Caloocan cops involved in the illegal arrest of a father whose son died after contracting leptospirosis while looking for him. Na

polcom vice chairperson and executive officer Rafael Vicente Calinisan announced on Wednesday, December 10, that the commission’s en banc ordered the dismissal of the following police officers from service over grave misconduct, grave dishonesty, incompetence, oppression, and conduct unbecoming of a police officer: Cali

nisan said they found substantial evidence against cops, finding them liable for the arrest and prolonged detention of Jayson dela Rosa in July 2025. Not

knowing that he was under police custody, his wife as well as his son, Angelo, looked for him amid rain and floods. Ange

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LONDON, United Kingdom – British novelist Sophie Kinsella, the author of the bestselling Shopaholic series of books, has died aged 55 following illness, a statement posted to her Instagram account said on Wednesday, December 10. Ki

nsella, whose real name was Madeleine Wickham, sold over 50 million books worldwide, including a popular series following the life of a fictional shopping-addicted woman in London. So

me of the Shopaholic books were later adapted into a movie. Th

e author was diagnosed with glioblastoma, a form of aggressive brain cancer, in 2022. “S

he died peacefully, with her final days filled with her true loves: family and music and warmth and Christmas and joy,” Wednesday’s statement said. “Despite

her illness, which she bore with unimaginable courage, Sophie counted herself truly blessed – to have such wonderful family and friends, and to have had the extraordinary success of her writing career.” – Rappler.com

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QUARTET.

Swimmers Kayla Sanchez, Xiandi Chua, Chloe Isleta, and Heather White of the Philippines win the women's 4x100m freestyle relay in the 2025 Southeast Asian Games.

CHONBURI, Thailand – Olympic medalist Kayla Sanchez enjoyed a splendid Southeast Asian Games debut as she, Xiandi Chua, Chloe Isleta, and Heather White swam their way to the gold medal in the women’s 4x100m freestyle relay at the SAT Swimming Pool in Bangkok on Wednesday, December 10. Sanc

hez, Chua, Isleta, and White — the Philippines’ second gold medalist after poomsae standout Justin Kobe Macario — clocked 3 minutes and 44.26 seconds to end the years-long reign of Singapore, which ruled the event in each of the past five SEA Games. The quarte

t also eclipsed the times of Singapore’s gold-winning squads in the 2021 Vietnam (3:45.71) and 2023 Cambodia (3:44.29) editions. Singapore se

ttled for silver for the first time since 2013 with a time of 3:46.53, while Vietnam bagged bronze with 3:47.47. The women’s

MANILA, Philippines — No jackpot was won in Wednesday’s Grand Lotto 6/55 draw, as the top prize climbed to about ₱195.8 million, according to the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office. The

Grand Lotto 6/55 winning combination was 53-30-06-17-11-45, with no ticket holder hitting the jackpot. The

prize stood at roughly ₱195.8 million. In the

Mega Lotto