MANILA, Philippines — The House of Representatives on Wednesday mourned the passing of Quirino Governor and former lawmaker Dakila Carlo “Dax” Cua who passed away at the age of 48 on Tuesday evening.  Cua served as Quirino governor from 2007 to 2010, and from 2019 until his death. He was also the representative of Quirino’s

[Updated Sept. 16, 2026, 4:38 p.m.] MANILA, Philippines — Three out of the four retired Supreme Court justices invited as “amici curiae” or “friends of the court” to Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial on Wednesday agreed that the minimum number of votes needed for conviction is not automatically set at 16. The three who

MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang on Wednesday urged protesters planning to join the Sept. 21 rallies to remain peaceful as they air their grievances. At a briefing, Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said police units have heightened security preparations for the rallies set for Sept. 21, which marks the 54th anniversary of the declaration of martial

MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. does not consider political affiliations when appointing officials as long as they can help improve government services. The Palace made the statement amid questions over the president’s decision to bring former Diehard Duterte Supporter (DDS) blogger Rey Joseph “RJ” Nieto into Malacañang. Palace press officer Claire Castro said on

MANILA, Philippines – Following an interjection by Senator-judge Joel Villanueva, retired Chief Justice Artemio Panganiban clarified that he was speaking from the perspective of the Filipino people, rather than that of trial judges. Panganiban emphasized that senator-judges may frame their questions from a legislative viewpoint, but his concern was whether the impeachment proceedings would ultimately

MANILA, Philippines – Retired Chief Justice Artemio Panganiban told the Senate impeachment court on Wednesday that the Supreme Court (SC) could not decide on the impeachment voting threshold on Vice President Sara Duterte’s trial where three senator-judges have been absent from all proceedings thus far. This comes after Senator-judge Erwin Tulfo asked the amici curiae

MANILA, Philippines—The Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) ordered the filing of charges against two officials and five other personnel at the Correctional Institution for Women (CIW) over more than P6 million in missing funds and administrative irregularities. In a statement on Wednesday, BuCor Director General Gregorio Catapang Jr. approved the recommendation to initiate administrative proceedings against

The presidents of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan gathered in Seoul on Wednesday for the first Korea-Central Asia Summit, elevating their partnership that began with the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1992 to the highest level. Held under the slogan "Walking Together Toward the Future: Partnership for Trust and Prosperity," the summit aims to chart a shared path forward in trade, supply chains, digital innovation and people-to-people exchanges, opening a new chapter built on three decades of cooperation. Kazakhstan Central Asia's largest economy and major energy producer Capital: Astana Population: 20.59 million (ethnic Korean population: 122,554) President: Kassym-Jomart Tokayev Establishment of diplomatic relations with Korea: Jan. 28, 1992 Trade volume: $4.36 billion (2025) Exports to Kazakhstan: $3 billion Imports from Kazakhstan: $1.36 billion Kyrgyz Republic Mountainous terrain with significant water resources and gold production Capital: Bishkek Population: 7.37 million (ethnic Korean population: 18,434) President: Sadyr Japarov Establishment of diplomatic

Korea and five Central Asian nations are set to hold their first-ever summit in Seoul on Wednesday, elevating nearly two decades of institutional cooperation to the leadership level as both sides seek closer ties in critical minerals, supply chains and Eurasian connectivity. Korean President Lee Jae Myung will host Kazakhstan's Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Kyrgyzstan's Sadyr Japarov, Tajikistan's Emomali Rahmon, Turkmenistan's Serdar Berdimuhamedov and Uzbekistan's Shavkat Mirziyoyev for the meeting under the slogan “Walking Together Toward the Future: Partnership for Trust and Prosperity.” The six leaders are expected to adopt a joint Seoul Declaration outlining an expanded framework for cooperation. Why Central Asia matters now The summit comes at a time of intensifying global interest in Central Asia. With a combined population of some 80 million, the region's energy reserves, mineral wealth and position at the crossroads of major continental trade routes have drawn a wave of summit-level diplomacy from the world's largest economies in recent years. The result is a new diplomatic norm

Seoul city buses will operate normally Wednesday after labor and management reached a last-minute wage agreement early in the morning, averting a strike that had been scheduled to begin at 4 a.m. The two sides reached the agreement at around 1:50 a.m. after nearly 12 hours of negotiations at the Seoul Regional Labor Relations Commission. Under the deal, wages will rise 3.2 percent in 2026, up 0.3 percentage point from last year's 2.9 percent increase. The two sides, however, left unresolved a key dispute over the number of monthly working hours used to calculate ordinary wages. They agreed to determine the calculation standard after a related Supreme Court ruling expected later this year. The Seoul Metropolitan Government said it has lifted emergency transportation measures prepared for the strike and that public transportation will operate as usual.