All articles tagged with #philippines
A tour bus carrying approximately 35 Filipino nationals crashed in Germany on September 27, 2026, killing two people and injuring 19. The vehicle veered off a highway near Buchloe while traveling from Milan to Munich for Oktoberfest. The Philippine consulate is coordinating with German authorities to assist the victims.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. granted an absolute pardon to Mary Jane Veloso on September 24, 2026, officially freeing her from prison in the Philippines. Veloso, a former overseas domestic worker, was convicted of drug smuggling in Indonesia in 2010 and narrowly escaped execution by firing squad in 2015. She was transferred to a Philippine jail in December 2024 and has been held at the Correctional Institution for Women in Mandaluyong City since then. The pardon concludes a 16-year legal battle that became a global cause célèbre, with Veloso maintaining she was tricked into carrying 5.7 pounds of heroin in her luggage.
A gunman opened fire at Banga National High School in the southern Philippines’ South Cotabato province, killing two 14-year-old students and the teenage shooter, and wounding at least eight others. Police secured the campus and began an investigation into the incident.
Three students aged 14–17 were killed and eight others injured in a school shooting in Banga, South Cotabato, Philippines; the 16-year-old suspected gunman died by suicide after opening fire. The incident follows other recent campus shootings in the country, highlighting ongoing concerns over gun safety and illegal firearms despite strict regulations.
A 16-year-old gunman opened fire at Banga National High School in Mindanao, killing two 14-year-old students and injuring eight others before killing himself. Four of the injured are in critical condition. Classes were suspended in Banga as police investigate; the incident marks the Philippines’ third deadly school shooting since June, prompting officials to call for tighter gun safety and support for those affected.
A China Coast Guard vessel rammed a Philippine government resupply boat during a fuel-distribution mission about 54 nautical miles off Palawan, damaging railings and deck but causing no injuries; Manila says the collision was deliberate, while Beijing blames the Philippine vessel for dangerous maneuvers amid a long-running dispute in the South China Sea.
Three students were killed and eight others injured in a school shooting in Banga, South Cotabato, Philippines; the teenage gunman then killed himself. Authorities are investigating amid a pattern of recent school gun incidents and ongoing calls for stricter firearm safety.
A school shooting in Banga, South Cotabato, Philippines left at least three dead (including a 16-year-old student and the suspected gunman) and eight injured, four in critical condition. Authorities say the gunman reportedly shot himself after the attack, with unclear information on how many attackers were involved, as the situation was described as contained.
Former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte appeared in person at the International Criminal Court in The Hague for the first time, facing crimes against humanity charges tied to killings during his anti-drug campaign; prosecutors accuse him of creating, funding and arming death squads, while Duterte says he acted in self-defense. The trial is scheduled to begin on November 30, 2026, despite health concerns raised by his lawyers about memory loss and cognitive decline. Victims’ families and supporters hope the proceedings will bring accountability, and Duterte is the first Asian former head of state to face ICC charges.
BARMM voters in the southern Philippines are casting ballots in their first parliamentary election since 2019, a milestone toward greater autonomy under a 2014 peace deal with the MILF, with about 2.4 million eligible voters for 80 seats. The vote is marred by violence the day before polling, including a shooting in Cotabato City and a bomb blast in Basilan that delayed voting and prompted ballot reprinting. The parliament will elect the regional chief minister in its first session.
Rescuers recovered 41 more charred remains from the MV June Aster ferry near Coron, Palawan, pushing the death toll to 76 with 13 missing; about 130 people were aboard, and forensic teams are identifying victims while investigators probe the fire, which survivors say began after two explosions.
The death toll from the Palawan ferry fire aboard the M/V June Aster has risen to 76 after authorities confirmed 41 more bodies aboard the burnt vessel. Earlier, 30 bodies had arrived as forensic teams began identifying remains, with five recovered earlier. The ship sits about 7.5 km off the coast near Coron; temporary graves are being prepared while DNA testing is used to match belongings to relatives. About 30 passengers (including two Chilean nationals) and 13 crew were rescued, with roughly a dozen people still unaccounted for. The ferry company is cooperating with the investigation.
More than 40 hours after a deadly fire began on the MV June Aster, Philippine rescuers finally boarded the ferry to search for dozens of missing passengers; five people were confirmed dead, 43 rescued, and 84 remain unaccounted for as crews battle toxic fumes and heat. Authorities plan to resume firefighting from the cargo hold and widen the search area while investigators probe manifest discrepancies and cargo loading, with the operator pledging cooperation.
Coast Guard says 30 bodies have been recovered, bringing the death toll to 35 from the MV June Aster ferry fire off Coron; more than 130 people were aboard. Forty-three were rescued, with searches continuing for about 50 missing as toxic fumes and heat hampered recovery. Investigators are probing the fire’s start in the cargo hold, manifest discrepancies, cargo loading integrity, and crew emergency response, with the operator Atienza Interisland Ferries cooperating.
A passenger ferry that caught fire off Coron, Palawan, Philippines, killed at least 35 with 54 missing and 43 survivors; the blaze spread quickly, and rescuers battled heat and smoke to reach the burned ship. The vessel carried 134 people (117 passengers, 17 crew) on a Manila-to-Coron route, and the cause is under investigation, with two Chilean tourists among the survivors.