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26 January

Link-based phishing surges in Phl

Phishing attacks that rely on malicious links have emerged as the fastest-growing digital threat in the Philippines, based on findings from the Whoscall 2025 Philippines Scam Report. The study, released by Gogolook Philippines—the cybersecurity firm behind the Whoscall anti-scam app—showed a sharp rise in risky URLs, climbing from 13,602 in the first quarter to 49,431 by the end of 2025, nearly …

26 January

Palace leaves Co surrender to Ombudsman

Malacañang clarified last week that any move by fugitive former lawmaker Zaldy Co to surrender or cooperate with authorities now rests entirely with the Office of the Ombudsman, as the administration reiterated its hands-off stance on the probe into alleged anomalous flood control projects. Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said the government is willing to listen if Co’s statements could …

26 January

Higher informant reward to help expose tax evaders, smugglers

A bill seeking to substantially increase cash rewards for informants is expected to give a major boost to the enforcement capabilities of the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) and the Bureau of Customs (BOC), as it aims to motivate the public to expose large-scale tax evasion and smuggling operations, Sen. Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada said Thursday. Estrada, author of Senate Bill …

26 January

AFP dismisses disinformation vs. Brawner

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Thursday rejected allegations that AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. violated the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) Honor Code and received some ₱15 billion for supposed “ghost projects,” branding the claims as false and part of a continuing disinformation campaign against the military. In a statement, the AFP cautioned the public …

26 January

Recto rallies LGUs for 2026 budget rollout

Executive Secretary Ralph Recto met with leaders of various local government leagues to reinforce coordination on the proper, timely, and accountable use of funds allocated under the 2026 national budget. In a statement last week, Recto said the dialogue was in line with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s directive “to truly make local government units (LGUs) not as mere recipients …

26 January

Watching the wrong fires

While impeachment complaints against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Vice President Sara Duterte dominate headlines and political chatter, Filipinos risk missing a far larger and more consequential development beyond our shores. In an era of sharpening great-power rivalry, global flashpoints—real or emerging—have a way of reshaping priorities overnight. If the world’s attention is drawn to a crisis in the North …

26 January

Optics over accountability

The spectacle of accountability in the Philippines has become selective, theatrical and ultimately hollow. A former senator sits in jail. So does a wealthy, well-connected contractor, whose husband was detained in the Senate holding cell. These images are paraded as proof that no one is above the law. Yet, behind the carefully staged optics lies a more disturbing reality: the system …

26 January

The First Lady, Two Visions of Governance, and the Meaning of Progress”

LOVE FOR ALLBy Virginia Rodriguez When the First Lady stepped into Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport, the visit quickly became more than a ceremonial tour. It turned into a moment of political reflection—an encounter with what purposeful, disciplined, and forward-looking leadership can achieve when vision is matched by execution. What greeted First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos was not infrastructure designed …

26 January

Even Presidents Get Sick

REALPOLITIKBy Benjie Alejandro When President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. quipped, “Rumors of my death are highly exaggerated,” after being hospitalized, the remark carried humor but also a sobering truth: even the highest leader of the land is not exempt from fatigue, illness, and the need for rest. It was a reminder that beneath the title of “President,” there is still a …

26 January

God, please, not P60 to the dollar — Marcos

By DIEGO C. CAGAHASTIAN When President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. met with Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Eli Remolona Jr. in Malacañang on Tuesday, the Palace spokeswoman tried to scrape the bottom of the economic cauldron to come up with something worth reporting to the press. Undersecretary Claire Castro of the Presidential Communication Office had to make do with …

TimeLine Layout

January, 2026