Rappler Philippines

We know by now that Vice President Sara Duterte has some links to Jollibee because the company she declared in her Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN) has franchises of the fast-food giant. But just how many branches does Gencorp Industries Inc. (Gencorp) operate? During the impeachment trial on Friday, October 9, the prosecution presented receipts from Jollibee branches in Davao City showing Gencorp as the owner. RISIBO. A composite of five receipts of Jollibee

MANILA, Philippines – A financial forensic analyst called as a witness by the prosecution told the impeachment court on Friday, October 9, that Vice President Sara Duterte’s undeclared wealth tops P800 million. Alexander Cabrera, a certified public accountant and a lawyer who is chairman emeritus of PwC Philippines, said that based on his review of voluminous financial records of the Vice President and her husband, Mans Carpio, the couple has around P817 million in undisclosed assets a

MANILA, Philippines – Senator-judges on Friday, October 9, scrutinized the financial records and workforce of Cale88 Foods Corporation, a company linked to Vice President Sara Duterte‘s husband, Manases Carpio.  On Day 37 of Duterte’s impeachment trial, Senator-judge Joel Villanueva raised concerns over Cale88’s 2024 general information sheet, which listed only two employees despite the company reporting P150.6 million in sales and P6.13 million in losses. “This is

MANILA, Philippines – Commission on Human Rights (CHR) Chairperson Richard Palpal-latoc and three other individuals are facing a graft complaint before the Office of the Ombudsman over alleged corruption involving a month-long training. The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) filed the complaint on Friday, October 9, for alleged violation of Section 3(e) of Republic Act No. 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act. Other respondents are as follows: Onesimo Cuyco Maria Teresa

Makati has been gaining popularity (not that it has ever been out of its game), but social media, especially TikTok, has given the city a brand-new personality. Trends like “Salcedo girlie” and “United States of Makati” show just how many interesting things the city has to offer. All of a sudden, the routines locals have had for years have been given names and tied to certain aesthetics. But when you have lived here for most of your life, what feels like a spectacle to others can simply be th

VATICAN CITY – Pope Leo XIV approved Filipino Cardinal Luis Tagle‘s election as the dean of the Catholic Church’s college of cardinals, the Vatican said on Friday, October 9, in the first selection of an Asian cleric to lead the elite group that one day will choose Leo’s successor. A former archbishop of Manila, Tagle has served as a senior Vatican official since 2020. He was widely seen as a likely papal candidate in the May 2025 conclave that elected Leo to lead the Church

MANILA, Philippines – Familiar names, including incumbent justices of the Court of Appeals (CA), are among the candidates for the next Supreme Court (SC) associate justice, based on the list made public by the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) on Friday, October 9. In total, there are 19 bets for the position that will be vacated by Associate Justice Amy Lazaro Javier who will retire on November 16. The new applicants are: Aldwin Flora Alegre (Deputy Commissioner, Bureau of Immigration)

OSLO, Sweden – Navi Pillay, a former International Criminal Court judge who oversaw a UN report that concluded that Israel committed genocide in Gaza, won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday, October 9, “for her efforts to promote peace and international law.” This year’s Nobel Peace Prize underlined the importance of maintaining an organised international order, the committee said in its citation. “The system of international law is under tremendous pressure, and its

CEBU, Philippines – Two children and one senior citizen died after soil collapsed from an upland area in Barangay Pulangbato, Cebu City on Friday, October 9. Pulangbato Barangay Councilor Kaven Seno told Rappler in an interview that heavy rains since the first week of October had softened the soil in the village’s upland area which later resulted in a landslide. According to Cebu City Councilor Dave Tumulak, a family of four was buried in the debris due to the incident. Tumulak said tha

MANILA, Philippines – In her first one-on-one interview since receiving an absolute pardon, former overseas Filipino worker Mary Jane Veloso sits down with Rappler’s Jairo Bolledo on Friday, September 25, to discuss her newly attained freedom. Veloso was granted an absolute pardon by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Thursday, September 24, paving the way for her freedom after 16 years of detention. Fourteen of those years were spent in an Indonesian prison, and nearly two at the Correc

MANILA, Philippines – There is usually a tinge of regret when athletes fall agonizingly short of a medal, especially in a prestigious competition like the Asian Games, but skateboarder Jericho Francisco feels no such thing. Just the fact that he enjoyed himself and competed without pressure is enough for the Filipino even as he finished fourth in the men’s park final at the Aichi Sky Expo in Nagoya, Japan, on Friday, September 25. Francisco earned a best score of 84.41 out of his four runs

Here are today’s headlines – the latest news in the Philippines and around the world: Mary Jane Veloso finally free after 16 years  Former OFW Mary Jane Veloso walks free after 16 years in jail, following her pardon by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Friday September 25. China ‘hinders’ PH resupply mission to Ayungin Shoal  For the first time since Manila and Beijing signed a “provisional understanding,” Chinese maritime forces quote-unquote “hindered” a mission to the BR

MANILA, Philippines – Senator Win Gatchalian flagged 7,107 projects worth P251.81 billion in the proposed 2027 budget of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH). Among the red flags Gatchalian raised during the Senate budget hearing on Friday, September 25, were: Projects without station limits or bridge IDs: P83.67 billion for 2,570 projects Duplicated projects: P3.94 billion for 189 projects Projects reappearing from the 2026 General Appropriations Act in the 2027 Natio

MANILA, Philippines – Winning is a family affair for Eldrew and Carlos Yulo. After his older brother Carlos captured back-to-back artistic gymnastics golds in floor exercise and vault, Eldrew also shone in the 2026 Asian Games as he bagged the bronze in horizontal bar at the Nagoya General Gymnasium in Japan on Friday, September 25. The younger Yulo completed the podium after a tiebreaker with Kazakhstan’s Milad Karimi, scoring 13.666 points to conclude his first Asian Games stint i

MANILA, Philippines – After more than a decade in detention, Mary Jane Veloso, the woman who suffered in jail after she was allegedly tricked by recruiters into becoming a drug mule, is finally walking free. The former overseas Filipino worker and human trafficking victim was released from the Correctional Institution for Women (CIW) in Mandaluyong City on Friday night, September 25. This comes a day after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. granted her absolute pardon on Thursday, September 24

MANILA, Philippines – Gilas Women fell short of the Philippines’ third gold medal in the 2026 Asian Games after a stinging 21-11 loss to host Japan in the women’s 3×3 basketball final at the Kinjo Futo Station Square Venue in Nagoya on Friday, September 25. Kacey dela Rosa put the the Filipinas on her back with 6 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 blocks, but the Japanese proved too much to handle, pulling away for the convincing win behind their hot shooting from beyond the arc. Yuki Hirashit

MANILA, Philippines – President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has ordered the full suspension of excise taxes on liquid petroleum gas (LPG) and kerosene as high global oil prices continue to hit the wallets of Filipino consumers; the relief, however, does not extend to gasoline or diesel. Marcos issued Executive Order No. 125 on Friday, September 25, following a recommendation from the Development Budget Coordination Committee (DBCC). The order will take effect immediately upon publication in the Offi

It’s been more than a year since President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. tapped Vince Dizon to lead and clean up the corruption-tainted Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH). But during the agency’s budget hearing at the Senate on Friday, September 25, Senator Imee Marcos raised a rather basic question: Is Dizon still legally in charge of DPWH? Citing the Administrative Code of 1987, Marcos pointed out that a temporary designation in an acting capacity should not exceed one year. The safeg

MANILA, Philippines – It may not have been the perfect ending, but Carlos Yulo has already given the country plenty of reasons to celebrate. Yulo fell short of a third artistic gymnastics medal as he wrapped up his campaign in the 2026 Asian Games with a fourth-place finish in the men’s parallel bars at the Nagoya General Gymnasium on Friday, September 25. The double Olympic gold medalist registered 14.3 points, just barely missing out on a bronze that would have been the cherry on top of

Here are today’s headlines – the latest news in the Philippines and around the world:  Supreme Court acquits Imelda Marcos in 7 counts of graft  The Supreme Court 1st Division acquits the mother of Philippine president Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Imelda Marcos, in her graft cases related to Swiss foundations. How Martin Romualdez avoided jail by going to hospital  Former House speaker Martin Romualdez avoids detention by getting hospitalized despite his arrest for a non-bailable