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Metro Manila, Philippines – A number of senators said on Tuesday, June 9, they have received information about possible threats to the Senate premises, prompting a scaling up of security measures. In a statement, acting Senate President Win Gatchalian said National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Director Melvin Matibag disclosed the information about a potential threat to the facility during the consultative meeting of the blue ribbon committee on the flood control scandal on Monday, June 8. Gatchalian said he will meet with the Senate executive committee including the sergeant at arms for security adjustments. “The security and safety of all senators and all Senate employees is paramount. We will make sure that our work environment is safe and secure,” he said. Meanwhile, Senator Vicente Sotto III, a former Senate president, told reporters as much about the security situation. “The threat is a clear and present danger therefore serious considerations must…

Metro Manila, Philippines – President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has ordered the Philippine Navy to further strengthen its capabilities, warning that the country’s surrounding waters have become arenas of growing competition and conflict amid rising geopolitical tensions in the Indo-Pacific. Speaking during the Philippine Navy’s 128th anniversary celebration at Naval Station Jose Andrada in Manila, June 9, Marcos said a stronger and more modern Navy is essential to protecting Philippine interests, particularly in the West Philippine Sea, as the regional security environment becomes increasingly complex. “Strengthening the Philippine Navy’s capabilities remains essential to protecting our interests in the West Philippine Sea in light of the broader realities of our time,” Marcos said. The president said rapid economic and political developments have transformed the Indo-Pacific into the world’s geopolitical and economic center of gravity, bringing with it new security challenges. “The seas around us are arenas of competition and of conflict,” Marcos…

Metro Manila, Philippines –  Governments and diplomatic missions around the world have expressed sympathy and solidarity with the Philippines following the magnitude 7.8 earthquake that struck Mindanao on Monday, June 8, killing dozens of people, injuring hundreds and causing extensive damage across several provinces in the southern part of the country. The messages of support came as authorities continued search, rescue and relief operations in affected communities, while President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered a whole-of-government response to the disaster. The United States said it is prepared to support Philippine-led relief efforts. “The U.S. Embassy extends its deepest sympathies to all those affected by the earthquake in Mindanao on June 8, 2026. We continue to monitor the situation closely in coordination with Philippine authorities and stand ready to support Philippine-led response efforts,” the U.S. Embassy in Manila said in a statement. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi also conveyed her condolences to…

Metro Manila, Philippines – Former police lieutenant colonel Rafael Dumlao III has been arrested for the 2016 kidnapping and killing of South Korean businessman Jee Ick-joo, Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla announced on Tuesday, June 9. Law enforcement authorities apprehended Dumlao at 5:00 a.m. on Tuesday while he was asleep inside a residence in Quezon City, concluding a three-week surveillance operation. Seized from his possession was a firearm registered under another individual’s name. Remulla confirmed that Dumlao’s arrest follows his conviction for kidnapping with homicide, extortion, and carnapping in relation to Jee’s death. In October 2016, Jee was abducted from his home in Angeles City, Pampanga, by rogue police officers under the guise of an anti-drug operation. When the suspects failed to secure ransom from his family, the businessman was strangled to death inside the Philippine National Police headquarters in Camp Crame. His body was later cremated, and his ashes were…

Metro Manila, Philippines –  The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) reported that the death toll has reached 37 following the powerful magnitude 7.8 earthquake that shook Sarangani province on Monday, June 8. According to government figures, 33 of the fatalities were recorded in SOCCSKSARGEN, while four deaths were reported in the Davao region. Meanwhile, at least 479 people were injured. These casualties remain subject to validation as search, rescue, and assessment operations continue across the affected areas. The General Santos City government has declared a state of calamity following the devastating tremor. Powerful aftershocks also continue to jolt the region. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) recorded a magnitude 5.2 earthquake off Sarangani at 7:38 a.m. on Tuesday, June 9.  State seismologists noted that over 1,000 aftershocks have been detected since Monday morning.