Garin: Leviste guilty of conflict of interestMANILA, Philippines — Energy Secretary Sharon Garin said Batangas 1st district Rep. Leandro Leviste is guilty of conflict of interest for his failure to divest from the solar power firm that he formed prior to his election in Congress. “Under the 1987 Constitution, especially as a franchise holder, when you get a privilege or a contract, you should divest. That should be made prior, you can get elected, but before you even sit and take your oath, you should no longer be involved because that’s conflict of interest,” she explained. Garin disclosed that upon verification with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Leviste remains the owner of Solar Philippines. Of that figure, Leviste’s Solar Philippines held contracts amounting to 12,000 megawatts or 60 percent of the energy department projections, Garin said, owing to the fact that such company “failed to meet targets and derailed the agency’s plans.”

Sara faces 2nd plunder complaintFormer senator Antonio Trillanes IV and members of civil soci- ety group The Silent Majority file a plunder complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte before the ombudsman in Quezon City yesterday. “Through this complaint, we are calling on Ombudsman Boying Remulla to give attention to this case. The complainants also cited the affidavit of former military agent Ramil Madriaga, the alleged bagman of the Vice President. This marked the second plunder complaint against Duterte at the ombudsman. The first complaint was filed last December by several civil society organizations, mainly focusing on her alleged misuse of confidential funds.

CICC to lift ban on Grok AICICC executive director Renato Paraiso said the decision to lift the ban, which started on Jan. 16, came after xAI, Grok’s developer, reached out to the government and pledged to modify the tool specifically for the local market. CICC executive director Renato Paraiso said the decision to lift the ban, which started on Jan. 16, came after xAI, Grok’s developer, reached out to the government and pledged to modify the tool specifically for the local market. Even after the ban is lifted, Paraiso said they would closely monitor the app to ensure it complies with the country’s regulations. The CICC and xAI are expected to meet to discuss the resumption of the tool in the country. DICT is also intensifying the rollout of its Bayanihan SIM Project to widen access to free WiFi and digital services, particularly in remote schools and communities.

Ping: Minority report on flood control ‘disrespects’ Blue Ribbon NeilSenate President Pro Tempore Ping Lacson, chair of the Blue Ribbon Committee, leads the launch of the probe into extortion and other abuses at the Bureau of Internal Revenue on Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025. MANILA, Philippines — Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson described as invalid and disrespectful the so-called minority report on the flood control controversy, stressing that only the Blue Ribbon committee can issue an official committee report under Senate rules. He noted that the minority report was backed by only six of nine minority senators and did not carry the authority of the committee. “So there is no other place for that ‘minority report’ but the trash bin,” he noted. She said the majority at that time agreed that the minority report will be attached to the “mother committee” report.

‘ICI investigative work nearing completion’“As of now, all other cases referred to us are nearing completion,” Rodolfo Azurin Jr. told reporters on Wednesday. MANILA, Philippines — The Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) is about to be done with its investigative work, according to special adviser Rodolfo Azurin Jr.“As of now, all other cases referred to us are nearing completion,” Azurin told reporters on Wednesday. As for other cases that may still be referred to the ICI, Azurin said, “It will definitely be acted upon by the ICI as soon as possible.”The ICI is in the process of summarizing its “accomplishments” from September to December 2025 in a report to be submitted to the Office of the President. Despite the controversies surrounding the commission that Marcos himself conceived, the ICI is still keeping its head up. “The morale of our people is still OK,” Azurin said.

South Korea to delay US$20 billion investment in US, Bloomberg saysA South Korean war veteran holds the national flag during a ceremony commemorating the 70th anniversary of the Korean War, near the demilitarized zone separating the two Koreas, in Cheorwon, South Korea, June 25, 2020. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji

Eala confirms Philippine Open entryThe Philippines’ Alexandra Eala hits a return to USA's Alycia Parks during their women's singles match on Day 2 of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne on January 19, 2026. Filipina tennis ace Alex Eala will be participating in the Philippine Women’s Open next week, she confirmed on Wednesday. Eala touched down in the Philippines early Wednesday evening after her Australian Open debut. In a statement posted on the Philippine Women’s Open Facebook page, the 20-year-old tennis star said she will be seeing action in the historic tournament. Eala, before the Australian Open, said that it is a “dream” to have a home tournament.

Arsenal make it six out of six with easy win over Club Brugge

What are the military assets in the Arctic? Chief of Joint Arctic Command, Major General Soren Andersen speaks to members of the Danish and French armed forces during a military drill as Danish, Swedish, and Norwegian home guard units together with Danish, German and French troops take part in joint military drills in Kangerlussuaq, Greenland, September 17, 2025. REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane/File Photo

Philippines to end short-lived ban on Musk's Grok chatbotxAI and Grok logos are seen in this illustration taken, February 16, 2025. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

Zaldy Co sent 'surrender feelers' through priests — DILG chiefFormer Rep. Elizaldy Co admits inserting P100 billion in the 2025 budget in a video released on Friday, Nov. 14, 2025 while abroad. MANILA, Philippines — Fugitive former lawmaker Zaldy Co has sent "surrender feelers" to the government, Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla said. In an interview with reporters on Wednesday, January 21, Remulla said Co expressed his intent to surrender through Catholic priest "friends," who relayed his feelers to the Office of the Ombudsman. "He sent feelers through some of the priests he knew. A friend of a friend reached out," he added.

The Philippines will restore access to Elon Musk's AI chatbot Grok following commitments from its developer to remove image-manipulation tools that previously raised child safety concerns, its cybercrime investigation unit said on Wednesday, Jan. 21. "The Grok AI app has reached out to us and stated that its platform will no longer use any content manipulation," the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center said in a statement. "Even after lifting the ban, the CICC will still closely monitor the app to ensure they comply with the rules and regulations in our country," it added. The Philippines last week blocked Grok amid concerns about its ability to generate sexualized images, including content that could pose child safety risks. The move to block came as governments and regulators from Europe to Asia cracked down on sexually explicit content generated by Grok on the social media platform X, launching probes, imposing bans, and demanding safeguards.

Unlike Sara Duterte’s, Marcos impeach complaint sent to Speaker's office in daysPresident Ferdinand Marcos Jr. during a phone call with then US President Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba. MANILA, Philippines — Unlike the impeachment complaints filed against Vice President Sara Duterte, the one lodged against President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. was transmitted to the House speaker's office just two calendar days after filing. “Pursuant to established procedure, the Office of the Secretary General has transmitted the verified impeachment complaint to the Office of Speaker Faustino ‘Bojie’ G. Dy III for appropriate action,” she said in a statement. This, however, wasn't exactly the case with the three impeachment complaints filed against Duterte in December 2024. Garafil said her office ensured the complaint was properly filed and recorded before forwarding it to the Speaker's office.

Lacson: Minority report on flood control scam belongs in ‘trash’Senate President Pro Tempore Ping Lacson presides as the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee resumes its public inquiry into the multi-billion-peso flood control anomaly on Jan. 19, 2026. Several minority senators published a separate report on the flood control corruption mess. "So there is no other place for that 'minority report' but the trash bin,” the veteran senator said. Meanwhile, Senate President Tito Sotto also dismissed the minority report, saying that an official minority report comes after the committee report. The minority senators’ report holds no official weight until then, Sotto said, calling it a mere “media report.”“It’s for the media.

Philippines lifts Grok ban xAI pledge to stop deepfakesThis photograph shows a smartphone bearing the logo of Grok, a generative artificial intelligence chatbot developed by US artificial intelligence company xAI in front of the X (formerly Twitter) logo in Brussels on January 12, 2026. MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines will restore access to Elon Musk's Grok AI after the developer committed to modifying the tool to prevent the creation of deepfakes, the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) said. "The Grok AI app has reached out to us and stated that its platform will no longer use any content manipulation. Other countries have also restricted access to Grok AI following reports that users exploited the tool to sexualize children, often using the faces of real individuals. Paraiso said representatives from the CICC and xAI will formally meet to finalize the conditions for restoring Grok AI access in the Philippines.