Liam Demafelix
Reporting from the TSR newsroom.
MPD probing source of illegal firecracker used by minor
Manila City Mayor Francisco Isko Moreno Domagoso on Tuesday, December 30, said the Manila Police District (MPD) is investigating where a minor obtained an illegal firecracker involved in a recent incident. Domagoso said authorities are tracing the source of the prohibited item to determine…
‘Manila finished strong’: Isko Moreno cites fiscal recovery, restored frontline services, renewed investor confidence in 2025 year-end report
Manila City Mayor Francisco “Isko” Moreno Domagoso said the city ended 2025 on stronger ground after stabilizing city finances, restoring frontline services, and rebuilding investor confidence in the first six months of his administration. In a Facebook Live year-end report aired from Manila City…
ICI resignations show probe has failed; Marcos ‘doesn’t mean what he is saying’: Rep. Erice
House Minority Leader and Caloocan City 2nd District Rep. Edgar Erice on Friday, December 26, said the resignation of Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) Commissioner Rossana Fajardo confirms that the body created to probe corruption in public works has failed. In a text message to The…
Lacson warns vs Palace ‘cover-up’ over DPWH budget insertions: ‘Nakakasira ng Pasko’
Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo “Ping” Lacson on Thursday, December 25, warned that Malacañang’s dismissal of allegations on multibillion-peso Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) budget insertions as “hearsay” could be construed as a possible “cover-up,” saying the controversy has…
PESO chief files plunder, graft raps vs ex-Manila officials over ₱319.3M KASAMA funds
Public Employment Service Office (PESO) acting manager John Hiroshi Umeda Jr. on Tuesday, December 23, filed criminal and administrative complaints before the Office of the Ombudsman accusing several former Manila city officials of plunder, malversation, graft, falsification, and other offenses…
Manila RTC denies Lei Lacuna’s bid to regain Liga post
The Manila Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 181 on Monday, December 22, denied former Liga ng mga Barangay–Manila president Leilani Lacuna’s bid to immediately regain her post, saying doing so would already decide the case even before a full trial is held. In a six-page order, Manila RTC Branch…
Atty. Paul Vega takes oath as youngest City Treasurer of Manila
Atty. Paul S. Vega, REE, has taken his oath of office as City Treasurer of Manila before Mayor Francisco “Isko” Moreno Domagoso, becoming the youngest to hold the post in the nation’s capital. Atty. Vega took his oath of office before Domagoso on Monday, December 22, formally assuming leadership…
Chinese Ambassador Jing Quan pays courtesy call on Manila Mayor Isko Moreno
Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Jing Quan, a career diplomat with extensive Washington experience, paid a courtesy call on Manila City Mayor Francisco “Isko” Moreno Domagoso on Monday morning, December 22. Jing, 50, is a native of Hancheng in China’s Shaanxi Province and holds a master’s…
Lacson rejects ‘Senate pork’ claims, says funds realigned for uniformed personnel allowances
Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo “Ping” Lacson on Wednesday, December 17, dismissed claims of an alleged ₱17.9-billion Senate pork barrel in the proposed 2026 national budget, saying the amounts were realigned to increase subsistence allowances for uniformed personnel. Lacson said accusations…
Urong sulong! EDSA rehab caught in cycle of announcements, suspensions, resets
Plans to rehabilitate Epifanio delos Santos Avenue (EDSA), the longest and most congested highway in the metropolis, have been repeatedly revised in 2025, as start dates were announced, halted, and rescheduled by the government. The shifting plans unfolded over several months through press…
Trump brands fentanyl a ‘weapon of mass destruction’ in drug war escalation
US President Donald Trump on Monday, December 15, signed an executive order declaring fentanyl a “weapon of mass destruction,” dramatically expanding U.S. government authority to combat the synthetic opioid blamed for tens of thousands of overdose deaths annually. The unprecedented designation…
Paldong paldo! Isko Moreno announces ₱648.8M in cash aid, incentives for PLM and UdM students, LGU workers, health personnel
Manila City Mayor Francisco “Isko” Moreno Domagoso on Monday, December 15, announced the release of ₱648.84 million in cash assistance, benefits, and incentives covering students, city employees, health workers, and contract personnel during the flag-raising ceremony at Manila City Hall. Before…
Ping Lacson refuses to sign 2026 budget bicam report over ‘medical aid,’ farm-to-market roads
Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo “Ping” Lacson said he will refuse to sign the bicameral conference committee report on the 2026 national budget unless provisions granting a massive increase for the Medical Assistance to Indigent and Financially Incapacitated Patients (MAIFIP) and billions for…
Marcos approves up to ₱20,000 service recognition incentive for government workers in 2025
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has approved a one-time Service Recognition Incentive (SRI) of up to ₱20,000 for government employees in 2025 to recognize their contributions to national development goals and the administration’s socioeconomic agenda. Under Administrative Order No. 40 dated…
EXCLUSIVE: ‘Nilaglag ako ni Bistek,’ says ex-QC administrator after Bautista graft acquittal
Former Quezon City administrator Aldrin Cuña believes he was left to face the graft case on his own after then mayor Herbert Bautista pursued a separate legal strategy, according to a source quoting Cuña’s remarks. The Sandiganbayan Third Division on Friday, December 13 acquitted Bautista of graft…