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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…

Metro Manila, Philippines – The Office of the Ombudsman filed a non-bailable plunder charge against Senator Rodante Marcoleta before the Sandiganbayan on Friday, July 3, in relation to ₱75 million in campaign donations he received while serving as a public official. Also named in the charge sheet were three private individuals who donated cash to Marcoleta when he was the representative of the Social Amelioration and Genuine Intervention on Poverty (SAGIP) party-list. They are former Anakalusugan representative Mike Defensor, Joseph Espiritu, and Aristotle Viray. The Ombudsman also filed a separate case against Marcoleta and the three individuals for allegedly violating Presidential Decree No. 46, which prohibits public officials from receiving gifts on any occasion and bars private individuals from giving them. The Sandiganbayan earlier issued a precautionary hold departure order against the four, barring them from leaving the country. In March, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) cleared Marcoleta of any…

Metro Manila, Philippines – The Department of Justice (DOJ) on Thursday, July 2, said it is studying the possibility of applying anti-terrorism laws to nihilistic violent extremism (NVE) groups, following reports that one such network may have groomed the Tacloban school shooters.   During a Wednesday, July 1, hearing on rising school violence, Senator Risa Hontiveros shared investigators’ findings that an NVE group named “764” could have influenced the two Tacloban suspects. The younger suspect, Nash, interacted with social media users supposedly linked to 764.  The US Department of Justice considered 764 a terrorist network and a national security threat, while Canada and New Zealand designated them as a terrorist group.  The DOJ said the country does not have a legal framework to address NVE groups. “Yung terrorism, pag aralan natin kung maaaring masakop ‘don itong NVE lalo na kung magkaroon ng mass casualty event. Kasi nga yung mga ibang bansa…