Army gives decent wake for 2 NPA rebels abandoned by comrades
Some two unidentified slain guerrillas of the New People’s Army (NPA) were given a decent wake by the military and local government in San Isidro, Northern Samar, days after their comrades abandoned them in a clash with government forces.
Philippine News Agency

[OPINION] Ber months: When CPP exploits natural disasters to the hilt
IT is almost the end of August and by experience, this is when the country begins to experience stronger typhoons and monsoon rains. These natural phenomena bring to us natural disasters almost incessantly until January of next year. Undoubtedly, these have made us a resilient people. This piece, however, is not about resilience but about how other people and Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) allied organizations have exploited our situation, to bring more misery to our communities via a man-made one - conflict.
Manila Times

Peace talks

450 families return home in Lanao Norte after soldiers-Maute clash
Around 450 families that were evacuated in Lanao del Norte following a recent clash between government soldiers and the Maute fighters are now safe to return to their homes.
Manila Bulletin

10 Maute terrorists meted 40-yr jail term for abduction, murder
The Taguig Regional Trial Court sentenced 10 members of the extremist Maute Group to up to 40 years imprisonment for the kidnapping of six saw mill workers, two of whom were beheaded, in Butig, Lanao del Sur in 2016.
Manila Standard

2 Abu gunmen killed, 7 others captured in Sabah clash
Two Abu Sayyaf terrorists were killed and more had been captured in separate operations in Sabah, according to the Malaysian daily The Star.
Manila Times

6 more BIFF extremists surrender in Maguindanao
Six more members of the outlawed Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) yielded to the military in this province on Wednesday afternoon.
Philippine News Agency

MARAWI 

[OPINION] All roads lead to a better Marawi
Four years ago, the siege in Marawi City, Lanao del Sur, left a trail of death and destruction. What was once a lively and culturally vibrant city was turned into complete ruins after five months of battle. There was massive displacement of communities and loss of livelihoods and income.
Manila Bulletin

SOUTHEAST ASIA AND THE WORLD

Taliban says several killed in explosions outside Kabul airport
At least 13 people have been killed in two powerful explosions outside Kabul’s international airport, a Taliban official has said, amid a huge and chaotic evacuation effort from Afghanistan.
Al Jazeera

Afghans told to avoid Kabul airport as Islamic State threat emerges
The United States and allies urged people to move away from Kabul airport on Thursday due to the threat of an Islamic State terror attack as Western troops hurry to evacuate as many Afghans as possible before an Aug. 31 deadline.
Philippine Daily Inquirer

Senate OKs bill postponing BARMM polls
The Senate passed on second reading on Wednesday a bill seeking to postpone the first regular elections in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
Philippine Star

DOH: Delta variant detected in all regions except BARMM
The highly contagious Delta variant of COVID-19 has been detected in all regions in the Philippines, except in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, the Department of Health said on Thursday.
Philippine Star

MAGUINDANAO AND COTABATO CITY 

4 suspects fall, P1.8-M 'shabu' seized in Maguindanao
Four suspected big-time drug peddlers were arrested, and some PHP1.8 million worth of shabu was seized during separate entrapment operations in this province Wednesday afternoon.
Philippine News Agency

LANAO PROVINCES

Lanao Norte residents find refuge as Army, 'Dawlah' clash
Some 400 families or 2,000 individuals in Tangcal, Lanao del Norte fled to a safer place after Army soldiers encountered some 30 members of the ISIS-Dawlah Islamiya terrorists in the hinterlands of Lanao del Sur.
Philippine News Agency

BASILAN

SULU 

TAWI-TAWI 

500 grams of shabu seized, 3 suspects arrested in Muntinlupa PDEA bust
Around 500 grams of suspected crystal meth or shabu were seized Wednesday from three suspects in Muntinlupa City, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) said Thursday.
Philippine Daily Inquirer

QC cops arrest 4 drug suspects; P800K worth of ‘shabu’ seized in buy-bust ops
Anti-narcotics operatives arrested four suspected drug pushers in separate buy-busts operations in Quezon City on Wednesday and seized a total of P816,000 worth of “shabu” or crystal meth.
Philippine Daily Inquirer

3 suspects nabbed in P350,000 shabu bust in Pasay City
Pasay City police seized more than P350,000 worth of shabu (methamphetamine hydrochloride) and arrested three suspects listed in the police drug watch list in a buy-bust operation Wednesday afternoon.
Manila Bulletin

Recovery and Rehabilitation

3 nabbed for kidnap of 2 Chinese
Two Chinese nationals and their Filipino cohort were arrested after they allegedly kidnapped two other Chinese in Pasay on Wednesday.
Philippine Star

ILLEGAL GAMBLING

ILLICIT FINANCIAL TRANSACTIONS/ EXTORTION

COVID-19

Businessman sued for falsification
Up to 12 counts of falsification of public documents were filed by the city government of Kidapawan against a massage-parlor owner in the city. According to Jose Paolo Evangelista, city legal officer, the case stemmed from alleged tampering of medical clearances by the owner for his 12 employees in order to be prioritized for Covid-19 vaccination. 
Manila Times

NHA turns over ‘dream’ houses to Ata Manobos in Davao Norte
A total of 100 housing units have been turned over to members of the Ata Manobo tribe in Davao del Norte by the National Housing Authority-11.
Philippine News Agency

Press Freedom/ Freedom of expression

Martial Law 

COVID-19

Cases

Philippines reports 16,313 more COVID-19 cases
Health authorities on Thursday listed 16,313 new coronavirus cases to push the Philippines' total to 1,899,200.
Philippine Star

PH’s new COVID-19 cases rise by 20%; 10 regions at high risk
New COVID-19 cases in the country have increased by 20 percent in the previous week as 10 regions, including Metro Manila, are now under a high-risk classification for COVID-19, the Department of Health (DOH) said Thursday.
Philippine Daily Inquirer

Department of Health

COVID-19 cases in PH still expected to increase in coming weeks — DOH
The Department of Health (DOH) said that the country will still see sharp uptick in new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases in the coming weeks.
Manila Bulletin

COVID-19 vaccines may be commercially available by Q1 of 2022 — FDA
COVID-19 vaccines may become commercially available in the country by the first quarter of 2022, the chief of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said Thursday.
Philippine Daily Inquirer

IATF/NTF COVID-19

Palace: Gov’t favors granular lockdowns over quarantine restrictions
The COVID-19 task force for the management of the pandemic is now leaning towards the use of granular lockdowns instead of placing areas under community quarantine classifications, Malacañang said Thursday.
Philippine Daily Inquirer

Regions

Luzon including NCR

'Bakuna bubble' in NCR for safe business operations, greater mobility proposed
Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship and Go Negosyo Founder Joey Concepcion has proposed a “bakuna (vaccine) bubble” setup that would allow unvaccinated persons considerable movement and access to establishments within the National Capital Region (NCR).
Manila Bulletin

Visayas

COVID-19 cases in Western Visayas top 100,000
The total number of COVID-19 infections in Western Visayas has breached the 100,000 mark as the surge in cases, believed to be due to the Delta variant, continues.
Philippine Daily Inquirer

Mindanao

Zambales logs first case of COVID-19 Delta variant
The province has recorded its first case of the more transmissible Delta variant of the new coronavirus, an official said Thursday.
Philippine Daily Inquirer

World 

Diplomatic, Development and Private Sector 

Incidents and Violations

Editorial, Analysis, Opinion and Features

OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT

Duterte hits ‘posturing’ of senators, says investigations result to nothing
President Rodrigo Duterte has criticized the “posturing” of some senators, calling on the public not to believe their investigations as it only result to nothing—”no recommendation, no charges filed, no persons jailed.”
Philippine Daily Inquirer

OFFICE OF THE VICE PRESIDENT

Robredo’s office, hailed for pandemic efforts, seeks P702.04-M budget in 2022
The office of Vice President Leni Robredo, the Philippine opposition leader who has been praised for her efficient pandemic response programs, is proposing P702.04 million in the 2022 national budget. 
Rappler

AUDIT, GRAFT, AND CORRUPTION

BUDGET, FINANCE, and TAXATION

BUSINESS, ECONOMY AND INVESTMENT

Economic losses down to P74 billion a week
Economic losses due to lockdown measures in Metro Manila and nearby provinces have gone down to P74 billion per week and may decline further to as low as P8 billion if restrictions are fully relaxed.
Philippine Star

BUILD, BUILD, BUILD and PUBLIC WORKS

CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS

DISASTER AND EMERGENCY RESPONSE

DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

DEFENSE AND SECURITY

Armed Forces of the Philippines

Philippine National Police

‘Justice finally served’ for murdered Sonya Gregorio and son Frank – PNP
“Justice is finally served” following the conviction of Jonel Nuezca for killing mother and son Sonya and Frank Anthony Gregorio, Philippine National Police (PNP) chief General Guillermo Eleazar said on Thursday.
Philippine Daily Inquirer

EDUCATION

DepEd hits 9M enrollment mark for SY 2021-2022
The enrollment in basic education has reached over nine million nationwide, the Department of Education (DepEd) on Thursday, Aug. 26, said.
Manila Bulletin

INFORMATION, COMMUNICATION AND TECHNOLOGY  

StaySafe app useless? DICT told to explain
Malacañang wants the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) to explain why the health department thinks that the StaySafe application had very limited effect on COVID-19 contact tracing efforts.
Philippine Star

ELECTION RELATED

Presidential bid for Bongbong possible in 2022 – Imee Marcos
Former Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos is considering running for the presidency in the 2022 polls, his sister, Senator Imee Marcos, said Thursday.
Philippine Daily Inquirer

Duterte's latest quote: 'I will run as VP; things are clear now' — Roque
President Duterte’s motivation for running for vice president next year is his “unfinished business” with the problems of illegal drugs and corruption.
Manila Bulletin

Pacquiao camp: 'It's a go' for presidency for now; VP run an unlikely option
Sen. Manny Pacquiao's plan to run for president in the 2022 elections "might be a go," but the final decision will be made in about a month, the boxer-turned-politician's close ally said Thursday.
CNN Philippines

ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES

DENR's order to destroy fishing structures in Manila Bay to affect 15,000 fisherfolks
The decision of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources’ (DENR) to dismantle fishing and aquaculture structures in Manila Bay is feared to negatively impact the livelihood of as many as 15,000 fisherfolks and coastal residents.
Manila Bulletin

LABOR

More vaccines for construction, factory workers secured — Bello
More workers in economically-active industries will be protected against coronavirus disease (COVID-19) after the government’s pandemic task force approved the request of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) for additional vaccines for them.
Manila Bulletin

LEGISLATIVE

Senate of the Philippines

Senators vouch for bill raising age of sexual consent
Senators are vouching that the passage into law of the bill raising the age of sexual consent to determine statutory rape and other acts of sexual abuse and exploitation will eventually leave an enduring legacy for children.
Manila Bulletin

House of Representatives

House starts deliberation on proposed P5.024 trillion 2022 budget
The House of Representatives started its deliberation on the proposed P5.024 trillion 2022 national budget on Thursday.
Philippine Daily Inquirer

Solon to DOH: We extended Bayanihan 2, why didn’t you release benefits?
A lawmaker has questioned the health department’s basis for not fully distributing the meal allowance for health workers, saying that the law providing the appropriation has already expired but they actually passed another law to extend it.
Philippine Daily Inquirer

LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS (LGUs)

OFFICIAL DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE

FOREIGN RELATIONS  

West Philippine Sea

FOOD AND AGRICULTURE

HOUSING and SETTLEMENT

POVERTY

SOCIAL WELFARE AND DEVELOPMENT

TRANSPORTATION

TOURISM

WATER and ENERGY

Aboitiz units to build power transmission poles in Batangas
TWO Aboitiz-led firms specializing in construction and power distribution have forged a deal to build 73 overhead transmission poles in Lipa City and Malvar, Batangas to help stabilize power supply in the areas.
Business World