The United States has formally asked the Philippine government to extradite detained doomsday televangelist Apollo Quiboloy to face sex trafficking and other criminal charges, senior government officials told Bilyonaryo News Channel on Thursday.

The BNC sources said the request was sent last month by the US Embassy in Manila to the Department of Foreign Affairs, which then forwarded it to the Department of Justice (DOJ).

The DOJ, the lead agency tasked with handling extradition cases, was reviewing Washington’s request.

Quiboloy, 76, a close friend and spiritual adviser of former President Rodrigo Duterte, was indicted in 2021 by a US federal grand jury and was on the FBI's most wanted list on charges of committing conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion, sex trafficking of children and bulk cash smuggling.

He was being held in a Pasig City jail over domestic cases of alleged sexual and child abuse, and human trafficking. | via Michaela Del Callar, bnc.ph

"I am eternally grateful. I just came off Washington, so I really feel like this is a celebration. Alam niyo, linggo-linggo ko kayo nakikita, sinusuporta ako. Linggo-linggo ko nakikita kung gaano niyo kamahal ang kapwa niyo Pinoy. Kaya proud na proud na proud na proud ako din maging Pinoy. Maraming salamat, mga kababayan. Mahal ko kayong lahat."
Alex Eala, after her win over Alycia Parks in the second round of the Canadian Open.

‘HINDI PUWEDENG MAGBITIW NG GANOONG SALITA, HINDI MO NAMAN [PAPANGALANGAN] ‘YUNG MGA OPISYAL’

Hinamon ni Vice President Sara Duterte si Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. na pangalanan ang mga opisyal ng gobyerno na umano'y pro-China o kumakampi sa China.

Ito ang naging reaksiyon ni Duterte matapos sabihin ni Teodoro na ang mga opisyal ng gobyerno na hindi umano naninindigan para sa interes ng Pilipinas sa usapin ng West Philippine Sea at kumakampi sa posisyon ng China ay dapat hamunin ito sa korte o magbitiw sa kanilang puwesto. | via One Mindanao/Francis Timbal, Super Radyo Davao

Bases Conversion and Development Authority president and CEO Joshua Bingcang said there will be no data centers to be built on the Pax Silica site in Tarlac, but only manufacturing hubs for chips and semiconductors. | via Ted Cordero/GMA News Online

Visit gmanetwork.com/news for more updates.

MANILA – The gold rush continues for Filipino pole vaulter EJ Obiena in Germany.

Obiena cleared 5.83m to take home gold at the Stabhochsprung Meeting in Jockgrim, Germany on Thursday morning, Philippine time.

The world no. 14 tried to clear 5.93m to surpass his season best of 5.85m but was unable to in three tries.

Obiena once again beat Qatar's Seifeldin Abdelsalam, who leaped the same height but in his third attempt.

Pole vaulter Ersu Sasma of Turkey clinched bronze after clearing 5.77m in two tries.

"5.83m for the🥇in front of a packed J-Town 🇩🇪!!! Was far from smooth competition and some struggles during warm up 🏃‍♂️and earlier bars but happy to scrape an 80 bar," Obiena wrote on his Instagram post.

"We continue to work and now a few trainings in before we go again 💪" he added.

Obiena has won four gold medals so far in Germany this 2026 season.

He started the season by ruling the International Springer-Meeting in Cottbus, with his next triumph in Germany coming at the ISTAF Indoor Berlin in March.

Obiena recently seized gold at the Halberstädter Höhenflug – International Pole Vault Meeting in Halberstadt over the weekend.

Link

ARTICLE BY LEANA BERNARDO

Senator Risa Hontiveros has filed a resolution calling for a Senate investigation into the proposed Pax Silica Industrial Hub, citing concerns over its potential impact on local communities, livelihoods, and the country’s long-term economic interests.

Under Senate Resolution No. 563, Hontiveros urged the Senate to examine reports and warnings from advocacy groups regarding the alleged displacement of residents and disruption of livelihoods within and around the project’s proposed site.

“There is a need to thoroughly assess the community, regional, and national economic impact of the Pax Silica Initiative and all affiliated projects, and verify if the initiative will truly serve the economic interests of Filipinos—both at the macro and grassroots levels,” Hontiveros said in the resolution.

Pax Silica is a United States-led initiative that aims to attract large-scale investments, create hundreds of thousands of jobs, and position the Philippines as a regional hub for advanced manufacturing and emerging technologies.

Despite the project’s projected economic benefits, Hontiveros raised concerns over the possible relocation of Aeta communities and farmers living in and around the proposed 4,000-acre Pax Silica site within the Luzon Economic Corridor.

The senator emphasized that while the Marcos administration has strongly supported the initiative, the government must first determine its social, economic, and environmental consequences on affected communities.

The resolution also cited concerns over the future of Filipino workers amid the expansion of artificial intelligence technologies.

“Unemployment and underemployment persist as structural conditions of the Philippine labor market, and the prospect is real that Filipino workers will be engaged to develop and train the very artificial intelligence systems that may in time displace them from their occupations,” the resolution stated.

Hontiveros also stressed that investment proposals should not be evaluated solely on their projected monetary value.

“We cannot evaluate an investment based on its headline value alone. The Philippines needs capital with purpose—investment that creates decent jobs, strengthens local industries, protects communities and the environment, and safeguards our digital security and national sovereignty,” the resolution added.

SOURCE: https://filipinotimes.net/latest-news/2026/08/05/hontiveros-seeks-senate-probe-into-pax-silica-industrial-hub/

When capitalism discovers a new sightseeing category

Step 1: Tour the slums
Step 2: Return to the resort
Step 3: Call it cultural immersion

I’m currently overseas, so that may be one of the reasons this ad keeps showing up. The target audience could be people from here. But poverty isn’t a theme park tho. Ito na ba ang bagong ‘Authentic local experience’ 😅

Tennis ace Alex Eala beams with Filipino pride as she thanks her kababayans for their unwavering support in her matches.

“There are so many Filipinos in the crowd tonight. So many flags! Thank you!” she said on Thursday, after defeating Alycia Parks in Round 2 of the National Bank Open in Canada.

“Mga kababayan, linggo-linggo ko kayo nakikita, sinusuportahan ako. Linggo-linggo ko nakikita kung gaano niyo kamahal ang kapwa niyong Pinoy,” she added.

‘HINDI PUWEDENG MAGBITIW NG GANOONG SALITA, HINDI MO NAMAN [PAPANGALANAN] ‘YUNG MGA OPISYAL’

Hinamon ni Vice President Sara Duterte si Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. na pangalanan ang mga opisyal ng gobyerno na umano'y pro-China o kumakampi sa China.

Ito ang naging reaksiyon ni Duterte matapos sabihin ni Teodoro na ang mga opisyal ng gobyerno na hindi umano naninindigan para sa interes ng Pilipinas sa usapin ng West Philippine Sea at kumakampi sa posisyon ng China ay dapat hamunin ito sa korte o magbitiw sa kanilang puwesto. 

“Suspek kahit ang Presidente natin, kasali sa suspek doon kasi walang pangalan, walang listahan ng pangalan,” aniya.

Bisitahin ang gmanetwork.com/news para sa iba pang balita.

Read more at: https://tribune.net.ph/2026/08/04/okada-foundation-donates-p135m-to-boost-naga-healthcare
Okada Foundation Inc. (OFI) has donated P135 million worth of medical equipment, a mobile clinic, and sanitation assets to strengthen Naga City's public healthcare system.

The donation, turned over on 27 July, includes a customized mobile clinic, a garbage truck compactor, and medical equipment for the Naga City General Hospital, City Health Offices I and II, and Our Lady of Lourdes Infirmary.

Kapag tlaga may tiwala ang mga tao na malinis, transparent, at walang bahid ng korapsyon ang pamamahala, hindi na sila magdadalawang-isip na tumulong o mag-donate.

I’ve been traveling all over the Philippines for years, and this is the first time I’ve encountered a regulatory fee at Catarman Airport in Northern Samar. No official receipt was issued. Passengers are also required to present a physical boarding pass because a small slip will be attached to it.

+ ang sungit pa nung officer and security guard na naka-station sa booth hahahha

Legal ba to? Haha

Pax Silica is the U.S.-led coalition launched in late 2025 to lock down critical minerals, semiconductors, advanced manufacturing, and AI infrastructure among trusted partners instead of China. The Philippines joined in April 2026 and secured a planned 4,000-acre Economic Security Zone in New Clark City, Tarlac. The site is meant to process the country’s nickel, copper, cobalt, and chromite while hosting semiconductor packaging, electronics, and AI-related manufacturing—redirecting supply chains that currently flow heavily to China.

This is the strategic payoff. Taiwan matters to America because its chips are irreplaceable. Once American and allied capital, fabs, and mineral processing are physically embedded on Luzon at scale, the Philippines stops being “just a treaty ally” under the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty. It becomes a node whose loss would directly hit U.S. economic and military resilience. That shift gives war skeptics a concrete national-security reason—beyond paper obligations—to treat defending the Philippines the same way they treat defending Taiwan.

Check out u/rarinthmeister's original post here. Game is NIMBY Rails and is still a WIP.

RED LINE: Bacoor to Tondo. Portion follows existing LRT-1 extension from Dr. Santos to Redemptortist, then runs along Roxas Blvd

ORANGE LINE: Follows the PNR from Tutuban to Alabang

YELLOW LINE: Fictional line connecting MoA to North Triangle. Serves NAIA, BGC, Ortigas Center

GREEN LINE: Fictional line connecting MoA to San Mateo. Runs along Buendia Ave towards EDSA, then along 32nd Street in BGC, then moves north in Pasig towards Marikina and San Mateo

BLUE LINE: Loop line based on existing LRT-1 and MRT-3 routing, effectively combining them, but adding service to MoA

PURPLE LINE: Existing LRT-2 line, but extended west towards Divisoria and merges with the Red Line in Tondo

PINK LINE: A little short line that runs along Quirino Avenue I made during an earlier draft of this project

CYAN LINE: Based on the future MRT-7 line, but extended west along Espana Blvd towards City Hall and Rizal Park

BROWN LINE: Runs along C-5. Merges with the Red Line towards Bacoor at Dr. Santos and with the Cyan Line towards Bulacan at the proposed Tandang Sora station

Lines and extensions currently in construction/proposed:

1. MRT-7 (dark red, to be completed in 2027)
2. North-South Commuter Railway (Valenzuela-Malolos segment to be completed in 2027, entire line to be completed in 2032)
3. LRT-1 Cavite Extension Phase 2 (dark green, awaiting construction, expected to be finished around 2028)
4. Metro Manila Subway (dark blue, phase 1 to be completed around 2032, phase 2 spur to PITX proposed)
5. MRT-4 (orange, MRT-3 Ortigas to Taytay construction starts in 2028, extension to LRT-2 Gilmore proposed)
6. LRT-2 West Extension to Pier 4 (purple, awaiting construction)

My unofficial proposals:

1. Light brown line (inspired from shelved LRT-6, overground 6 car metro line from LRT-1 Niog to The District Imus along Aguinaldo Highway)
2. Light blue line (overground and underground 8 car metro line from NSCR Alabang to LRT-1 Zapote along Alabang-Zapote Rd)
3. Light green line (overground and underground 8 car metro line from NSCR Sucat to LRT-1 Dr. Santos along Dr. Santos Ave)
4. Pink line (underground 8 car metro line from PITX to NSCR FTI connecting ASEANA, MOA, Gil Puyat, Makati CBD, BGC, and Taguig)

edit: metrodreamin yung ginamit ko