Manila Bulletin - May 3, 2025

In this issue

Comelec begins final testing, sealing of ACMs for May polls

Toddler survives SCTEX crash; LTFRB suspends 15 Solid North buses

A two-year-old boy was among the survivors of a multiple-vehicle collision at the Subic-Clark Tarlac Expressway SCTEX toll plaza on Labor Day.

3 mins

Duterte's lawyers question ICC's jurisdiction

Former president Rodrigo Duterte’s defense team has formally challenged the International Criminal Court’s jurisdiction over alleged crimes committed during his presidency.

2 mins

Palace: P20/kilo of rice can be sustained until December

Malacañang said the selling of P20 per kilo of rice in Kadiwa Stores can be sustained until December this year and potentially until 2026.

2 mins

Comelec begins final testing, sealing of ACMs for May polls

Palace: Kanlaon unrest won’t stop elections

6 mins

Labor Day peaceful - PNP

The Philippine National Police (PNP) said Labor Day was peaceful and orderly despite 15,000 rallyists staging mass protests across the country.

1 min

Oil price rollback next week

Motorists can expect some relief at the gas pumps as fuel price rollbacks are anticipated in early May.

1 min

Australian university fetes UST Rector

In a celebration of academic distinction and ecclesial leadership, the University of Notre Dame Australia (UNDA) conferred the honorary degree of Doctor of Letters upon the Very Reverend Fr. Richard G. Ang, OP, Rector Magnificus of the University of Santo Tomas (UST) in Manila.

1 min

Palace says President won't intervene in Garcia suspension

While President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. came out with a statement calling for fair treatment for Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia, Malacanang said yesterday that he will not intervene in the local official's suspension.

1 min

SC cites IBP's legal aid lawyers in Comelec's 'Kontra Bigay' campaign

The Supreme Court (SC) paid tribute to the legal aid lawyers from the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) for providing free legal services to Filipinos, particularly to the marginalized and the underprivileged.

2 mins

Student wanted for carnapping nabbed in Mandaluyong

A 22-year-old senior high school student was arrested for stealing his friend’s motorcycle in Barangay Plainview, Mandaluyong City on April 29, the Eastern Police District (EPD) said on Friday, May 2.

1 min

Binay renews call to tax exempt overtime pay, other bonuses

Makati City Mayor and senatorial aspirant Abby Binay on Thursday, May 1, renewed her call to tax exempt overtime pay and bonuses like the 13th month pay, to promote financial security among government and private sector workers and their families.

2 mins

UN official urges Israel to lift aid blockade to Gaza, calls it 'cruel collective punishment'

The United Nations' emergency relief coordinator urged Israel on Thursday to lift its blockade of aid into the Gaza Strip, saying the halting of humanitarian aid amounts to \"cruel collective punishment.\"

2 mins

Brazilian nun who was the world's oldest person has died at 116

Sister Inah Canabarro, a Brazilian nun and teacher who was the world’s oldest person, has died at 116, her religious congregation said.

1 min

Trump nominates Mike Waltz for UN ambassador in major shake-up of national security team

President Donald Trump said Thursday that he is nominating national security adviser Mike Waltz as United Nations ambassador while Secretary of State Marco Rubio would take over Waltz's duties on an interim role.

1 min

South Korea's ex-Prime Minister Han says he will seek the presidency in June election

South Korea's former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said Friday he will run in next month’s presidential election and would seek to lessen the powers of the office and ease strife-ridden domestic politics if he wins.

2 mins

San Juan declared the first drug-cleared city in NCR

San Juan City Mayor Francis Zamora on Friday, May 2, elatedly announced that the city has been officially declared as the first drug-cleared city in Metro Manila by the Regional Oversight Committee on Barangay Drug Clearing composed of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), Philippine National Police (PNP), and Department of Health (DOH).

1 min

Isko denies vote- buying allegations, calls them 'baseless'

Manila mayoral candidate Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso denied on Wednesday, April 30, allegations of vote-buying, following the issuance of a show-cause order (SCO) by the Commission on Elections (Comelec).

1 min

Philippines and Japan at 70: A stronger strategic bond

On the eve of the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the Philippines and Japan in 2026, the recent bilateral meeting between President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru marks a significant milestone in the evolution of a dynamic and deepening partnership.

2 mins

Our 'Papabile

Now that he’s a front-running candidate for a position that could soon make him a very famous man throughout the world, Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle of the Philippines will need more than the usual prayers from his family, friends, and the Filipino nation.

1 min

Master, show us the father

Philip and James, like the rest of the Apostles, live and walk with Jesus.

2 mins

From Manila to the Vatican

When the Vatican announced that Pope Francis had died, people were again fascinated that it took major wire agencies, international print and broadcast media “only minutes” to release long-form obit stories and video packages about him.

3 mins

What's shaping voter choices in the May 2025

Latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey sheds light on the critical issues and advocacies that could sway Filipino voters

1 min

When trials, failures strike us

There was a “fake news” that Jesus Christ had risen from the dead because the grave was borrowed.

2 mins

Africans say a Black pope would be nice to have

If the next pope is from sub-Saharan Africa, he would be the first in Catholic Church history.

3 mins

SITG probes Dayang murder

The Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFOMS) said that a Special Investigation Task Group (SITG) has been created to investigate the recent murder of veteran journalist Juan “Johnny” Dayang in Aklan province.

1 min

Cops nab 4 cellphone thieves

49 units recovered from suspects

1 min

Polls proceed as scheduled in Negros

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has affirmed that the May 12 mid-term elections will proceed as scheduled across Negros Island amid the threat of Kanlaon Volcano.

1 min

Teenage girl murdered in Cagayan de Oro City

Police arrested a 62-year-old man for allegedly killing a 17-year-old girl in Barangay Lapasan, Cagayan de Oro City on Wednesday, April 30.

1 min

Caraga minimum daily wage now at P435

The Caraga Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board announced a P20 increase for minimum wage earners starting on Thursday, May 1.

1 min

4 Negros Island LGUs to receive P204 M for Kanlaon response

Four local government units (LGUs) in Negros Island are set to receive P203.8 million in additional funding from the national government to support ongoing response efforts related to Kanlaon Volcano.

1 min

Palace: ₱20/kilo of rice can be sustained until December

1

1 min

Toddler survives SCTEX crash; LTFRB suspends 15 Solid North buses

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3 mins

Bigger Tour of Luzon next year

A bigger and better follow-up edition awaits cyclists after the successful revival of the Tour of Luzon that concluded on Thursday, May 1, in Baguio City.

1 min

Going for the clincher

Semis favorites NU, La Salle eye quick route to UAAP finals

1 min

Priva target missed by wide margin in Q1

The national government had raised a total of P321 million in the first three months of 2025, barely making up one percent of its P101-billion privatization target for the year.

2 mins

Midterm polls fuel surge in manufacturing growth

While Philippine factory growth bounced back in April partly due to the upcoming midterm elections, experts believe manufacturing expansion will slow down after the elections.

1 min

BOI intensifies efforts to attract green funds

The Philippines is committed to becoming a regional powerhouse for smart and sustainable industries through ease of doing business that would facilitate a higher influx of investments, according to the Board of Investments (BOI).

1 min

Trump shuts down MCC aid to PH

With United States (US) President Donald Trump shutting down the Millennium Challenge Corp. (MCC), the threshold program that the US aid agency had been developing with the Philippines will no longer push through.

2 mins

Lower SSS loan rates start in Q3

State-run Social Security System (SSS) said the private sector and Filipinos working abroad will benefit from lower interest rates on salary and calamity loans starting the third quarter of the year, with the reduction to single-digit rates set to take effect in July.

1 min

Think tank: PH inflation to hit 5-year low

Inflation would likely fall to a five-year low in 2025, providing policy space for more interest rate cuts supportive of economic growth, according to the think tank Capital Economics.

2 mins

Sec Bank seals deal with HCPH

Security Bank Corporation has completed its P10.37 billion acquisition of a 25 percent stake in HC Consumer Finance Philippines, Inc. (HCPH), also known as Home Credit Philippines, the country’s leading consumer financing company.

1 min

PH Resorts banks on alliances to pay off loans, buyback land

Davao tycoon Dennis A. Uy’s PH Resorts Group Holdings Inc. is relying on potential partnerships with EEI Corporation and AppleOne Group of Cebu to pay off debts, including that of its Bohol resort, and buy back land for its Mactan casino project.

1 min

Sustainable healthcare gains momentum at 2nd Manila Bulletin Sustainability Focus Session

Leaders and health brands highlight how the industry is pushing for sustainability in the country

3 mins

Nutrition and access to medicine for a sustainable universal healthcare

Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa delivers his key message at the Manila Bulletin's 2nd Sustainability Focus Session

2 mins

Chinabank's Q1 profit increases

China Banking Corporation (Chinabank), the country's fourth largest private bank, is reaping the fruits of its digital transformation as it has been a key growth driver leading to the improvement in first quarter profits.

1 min

What's coming to theaters and streaming from May to August

Ethan Hunt's last mission? A new Superman? Happy Gilmore as a dad? Three genre-spanning Pedro Pascal movies, including a romance, a superhero movie and an A24 Ari Aster thriller? Hollywood is pulling out the stops this summer movie season, which kicks off with the release Marvel's \"Thunderbolts (asterisk)\" on May 2.

4 mins

Marvel's most wanted: A review of 'Thunderbolts'

The latest entry from Marvel Studios is not just another Avengers-adjacent action flick; it’s the ensemble of the ragtag band of misfits.

2 mins

A return to the Lechon Diva's table

Dedet de la Fuente serves up a bold, story-driven tasting menu rooted in Filipino tradition and unfiltered joy

3 mins

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