A Filipina was among at least 10 people arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) during operations on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said Friday.
Thousands of devotees gathered at Quiapo Church in Manila on Saturday afternoon for the blessing of replicas of the image of the Black Nazarene, church officials said.
Quezon City police report that a bride-to-be who went missing days before her scheduled wedding in Manila has been found and is being brought back to the city. QCPD investigators say they identified her with the help of family members and coordinated with other police units to locate her. Authorities are set to interview the woman, reconstruct the timeline of her disappearance, and determine whether any criminal activity occurred. Police have withheld her identity for privacy and state they will release further details after completing initial investigation steps.
United States Ambassador to the Philippines MaryKay Carlson will complete her tour in Manila in January 2026, the US Embassy confirmed, amid reports of wider ambassadorial changes. Carlson, who has served in the Philippines since July 2022 after more than 40 years in the US State Department, will leave at the normal end of her posting. Former Florida businessman Lee Lipton, appointed by President Donald Trump as the next US ambassador to the Philippines, awaits confirmation by the US Senate. Philippine Ambassador to Washington Jose Manuel Romualdez welcomed Lipton’s nomination. The transition at the US mission comes as Australia, the European Union, Israel, the United Kingdom, and China also install new ambassadors in Manila following the completion of previous envoys’ tours of duty.
Filipino engineer and Silicon Valley pioneer Diosdado “Dado” Banatao died on Dec. 25, 2024, at age 79 in Stanford, California. Banatao earned recognition for key contributions to microchip and computer technology that helped shape the modern personal computer industry. His work in Silicon Valley and his continued ties to the Philippines highlighted his role as one of the most influential Filipino figures in global technology. Authorities and family confirmed his death, as tributes from technology and academic communities noted his decades-long impact on engineering and innovation.
The Social Security System (SSS) in the Philippines announced it will implement another pension increase, launch a micro-loan program, and maintain its emergency loan facility in 2026. SSS President and CEO Robert Joseph Montes De Claro said the state pension fund will also open new local branches and foreign representative offices in Madrid, San Francisco, and Macau. The agency plans to hire about 1,800 additional personnel to strengthen frontline and digital services and to improve response to member assistance requests and complaints.
The Philippine Statistics Authority reported that the Philippines’ trade deficit narrowed to $3.51 billion in November 2025, down 28.8 percent from a year earlier, as exports grew 21.3 percent to $6.91 billion and imports slipped 2.0 percent to $10.423 billion. Total external trade reached $17.33 billion for the month, while year-to-date trade from January to November rose to $199.99 billion. Electronics remained the country’s top export and import product, and Hong Kong and China led as the Philippines’ main export market and import source, respectively.
Philippine authorities on Saturday said one of the suspects in the Bondi Beach mass shooting in Sydney, Australia, visited a gun shop in Davao City during a nearly month-long stay in Mindanao, as investigators examined the men’s movements, contacts, and activities before the attack that killed 15 people.
The Department of Health (DOH) in the Philippines reports a rise in hypertension cases among young Filipinos, linking the trend to higher consumption of ultra-processed, salty, fatty and sugary foods, especially during the holidays. Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa and National Nutrition Council official Dr. Eileen Blanco cite increasing emergency room cases involving youth with high blood pressure, heart attacks and strokes. The DOH urges the public to prepare healthier meals with more vegetables, fruits and lean proteins, to read nutrition labels and to limit daily salt intake to less than one teaspoon as part of efforts to prevent hypertension and related complications.
The Philippine National Police seized an estimated P143 million worth of alleged smuggled cigarettes and intercepted two unregistered trailer trucks along G. Araneta Avenue in Quezon City on December 19, 2024. Police said the shipment, reportedly picked up from Bauan, Batangas and bound for Valenzuela City, led to an entrapment operation at Camp Olivas in Pampanga, where three suspects were arrested after allegedly offering P5 million to secure the release of the cargo. Authorities coordinated with the Bureau of Customs and prepared charges for attempted bribery and possible customs and revenue violations.