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Metro Manila, Philippines – Former acting Senate Sergeant-at-Arms Mao Aplasca has been dismissed from government service, Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla announced on Saturday. Speaking on his radio program, Remulla said he signed Aplasca’s dismissal order on Monday, June 30, and that the decision would be released publicly in the coming days. He did not disclose the reason for the dismissal. “Noong Monday, pinirmahan ko na yung dismissal order ni Aplasca from the service,” said Remulla. [Translation: Last Monday, I signed Aplasca’s dismissal order from the service.] “Ilalabas namin ang desisyon para makita ng tao dahil mahirap na magpaliwanag,” he added.  [Translation: We will make the decision public so people can see it, because it would be difficult to keep explaining it.] On May 18, the Office of the Ombudsman placed Aplasca under a six-month preventive suspension as it investigated the standoff at the Senate between in-house security and agents of…

(Reuters via Field Level Media) – The celebrity wedding of the decade took place on Friday when Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce married pop superstar Taylor Swift at Madison Square Garden in New York. The officiant was actor Adam Sandler, a friend of the couple. The best man was Travis Kelce’s brother, Jason Kelce, a former Philadelphia Eagles All-Pro center. Taylor Swift’s brother, Austin Swift, was her “man of honor,” according to a press release from Swift’s representatives, who noted that the ceremony featured no bridesmaids nor groomsmen. The video boards outside the arena read “JUST&T MARRIED!” following the ceremony, which reportedly was attended by around 1,000 guests. According to People, among those believed to have been at the nuptials were Gigi Hadid and Bradley Cooper, Ed Sheeran, Miranda Lambert, Hugh Grant, Zoe Kravitz, Jason Sudeikis, Jimmy Fallon, Tommy Hilfiger and Selena Gomez. The couple got engaged in…

Vancouver, Canada – President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said the Philippines’ transition to upper-middle-income status marks a major milestone that will also require it to rely less on foreign grants and more on long-term investment. Speaking with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney after their bilateral meeting on Thursday, July 2, Marcos said the World Bank reclassification reflects years of economic reforms and modernization. “I think, in terms of economic growth and being able to identify the sectors in our economy and in our government that need to be amended, modified and modernized, that is what led to the World Bank giving us that recognition,” Marcos said. He said the country’s new economic status changes how development partners engage with the Philippines. “Now that changes the rules a little bit for us because we have to become less dependent on just straight-out foreign grants,” Marcos said. He said he does not expect…

Vancouver, Canada – The Philippines and Canada elevated bilateral relations to a Strategic Partnership, marking a major upgrade in ties that will deepen cooperation in defense, trade, investment and people-to-people exchanges. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced the move on Thursday, July 2, following bilateral talks in Vancouver. The two leaders said the decision was in response to growing geopolitical and economic challenges in the Indo-Pacific. “We have tasked our foreign ministers to draw up a plan of action to pursue our shared commitment to work together in adapting to shifting global realities, addressing shared challenges, and building capacities for a future-ready partnership,” Marcos said during a joint press statement. The two leaders said the new framework builds on recent milestones, including the signing of the Philippines-Canada Status of Visiting Forces Agreement, the Mutual Logistics Support Arrangement, the launch of free trade negotiations, and expanded…

New York, July 2 – Pop music megastar Taylor Swift and National Football League player Travis Kelce are married, the New York Post’s Page Six reported on Thursday, citing multiple unnamed sources amid preparations for an expected celebration at New York’s Madison Square Garden. The couple, both 36, exchanged vows in front of a “tiny group of loved ones,” the outlet said. It did not say when or where the nuptials took place, though it noted Swift’s private jet recently spent time in Nashville, the city where she lived early in her career. Swift’s publicist did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and Reuters could not confirm the Page Six report. As workers scrambled to prepare Madison Square Garden on Thursday for what was expected to be a lavish celebration for the megastars, the pair showed some support for New York: The singer’s publicity team on Thursday said that Kelce and Swift had donated $26 million to several charities in the city and elsewhere this week. Neither…