Good day. Here are the stories of The Manila Times for Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. Today’s episode is brought to you by Wilcon Depot, The Philippines’ leading home improvement and construction supplies retailer—your Trusted Building Partner. READ: Lacson to ‘turn up heat’ on corruption SENATE President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson on Friday pledged to step up his campaign against corruption in 2026, saying public outrage over the misuse of taxpayers’ money has reached a level that national leaders can no longer ignore. Invoking the symbolism of the upcoming Year of the Fire Horse, Lacson said he intends to “turn up the heat” on corruption, and hopes President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will do the same during his remaining years in office. Lacson returned to the Senate last year, three years after leaving the chamber in 2022. He is now Senate President Pro Tempore, one of the chamber’s highest posts. He said that heightened public awareness would likely lead to more scrutiny of government spending in the coming year. READ: US urges China to exercise restraint as tensions rise over Taiwan THE United States has urged China to cease its destabilizing military activities and threatening rhetoric toward Taiwan, warning it could heighten tensions in the Indo-Pacific region.In a press statement shared by the US Embassy in Manila on Thursday, Thomas Pigott, principal deputy spokesman for the US Department of State, said Washington remains deeply concerned over Beijing’s increasing military pressure not only on Taiwan but also on other countries in the region.He called on Beijing to instead “engage in meaningful dialogue.”  The statement comes amid recent Chinese military drills, patrols and aircraft incursions near Taiwan, which Beijing claims as part of its territory. Taiwan, a self-governed democracy of more than 23 million people, rejects China’s sovereignty claims, while the US maintains unofficial relations with Taipei and is its primary security partner. READ: Pope opens 2026 with plea for peace in war-torn countries POPE Leo XIV opened 2026 on Thursday with a plea for peace, singling out in particular countries “bloodied by conflict” and families wounded by violence. Leo celebrated a New Year’s Day Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica and then delivered a special noontime prayer from his studio overlooking the piazza, which was full of pilgrims and tourists on the bright, chilly day. Leo noted that Jan. 1 marks the church’s World Day of Peace and used the occasion to issue “a prayer first, among nations bloodied by conflict and suffering and within our homes, in families wounded by violence or pain.” After a busy Christmas season, Leo has a few days of rest before he celebrates the church’s Epiphany holiday on Jan. 6. On that day, too, he officially closes out the 2025 Holy Year, the once-every-quarter-century celebration that brought millions of pilgrims to Rome.  Immediately thereafter, he is to preside over a two-day meeting of the entire College of Cardinals, the princes of the church who elected him pope, as well as those who are over age 80 and didn’t participate in the conclave but still remain part of the college. Leo is resurrecting a tradition largely eschewed by Pope Francis to convene cardinals every so often to seek their counsel on how to govern the 1.4-billion-strong Catholic Church. READ: Holiday road crash injuries up 82 percent INJURIES from road crashes during this year’s Christmas season were 82 percent higher than last year’s figure, the Department of Health (DOH) reported on Friday. From Dec. 21, 2025 to Jan. 2, there were 1,113 road crash injuries, 71 percent of which involved motorcycles, which resulted in five deaths. The DOH said 135 of those involved in the crashes were under the influence of alcohol, and 965 were not using any protective gear, such as helmets and seatbelts. Road crash injuries are among the cases the DOH monitored during the holiday season, along with firework-related injuries, noncommunicable diseases and mental health cases. READ: Swiss investigators rush to ID New Year fire victims INVESTIGATORS raced on Friday to identify the victims of a fire that ripped through a bar in the Swiss Alps town of Crans-Montana, turning a New Year’s celebration into one of the country’s worst tragedies. It is not yet clear what set off the blaze at Le Constellation, killing around 40 people and injuring about 115 others, many seriously. Bystanders described scenes of panic and chaos as people tried to break the windows to escape and others, covered in burns, poured into the street. Swiss police warned it could take days or even weeks to identify everyone who perished, an agonizing wait for family and friends. The exact number of people who were at the bar when it went up in flames remains unclear, and police have not specified how many are still missing. Le Constellation had a capacity of 300 people, plus another 40 people on its terrace, according to the Crans-Montana website. Swiss President Guy Parmelin, who took over on Thursday, called the fire “a calamity of unprecedented, terrifying proportions,” and announced that flags would be flown at half-mast for five days. The fire broke out around 1:30 a.m. (0030 GMT) Thursday at Le Constellation, a bar popular with young tourists. In Business READ: PH factories post yearend rebound DOMESTIC manufacturing activity rebounded in December as companies ramped up purchases of raw materials to meet a rise in new orders, S&P Global said on Friday. The manufacturing purchasing managers index (PMI) rose to 50.2 from 47.4 in November, rising above the neutral 50.0 mark separating a contraction from growth. The improvement, however, was described as “tepid” as output and employment downturns continued and foreign demand plunged. New orders rose for the first time since August, prompting efforts to raise capacity. While job shedding extended its run to two months, the decline moderated as some firms hired workers to meet demand. The rise in job orders, which S&P global said was “modest but the most pronounced since April,” also softened a decline in output that, however, has now lasted for four months — the longest since 2021. Topping Sports READ: Durant leads Rockets to 4th straight victory KEVIN Durant had 22 points and a season-high 11 assists, Amen Thompson scored 23 points and the Houston Rockets beat the Brooklyn Nets, 120-96, on Thursday (Friday in Manila) for their fourth straight victory. Alperen Sengun had 20 points, six rebounds and six assists after a two-game absence for the Rockets, who started fast in both halves to win in Brooklyn for the first time in seven years. Tari Eason finished with 15 points and nine rebounds, and Jabari Smith Jr. and Reed Sheppard each scored 14 points. Cam Thomas scored 21 points for the Nets, who dropped their second straight after winning three in a row for the only time this season. Ziaire Williams added 14. READ: Venus back at Australian Open SEVEN-TIME Grand Slam singles champion Venus Williams has received a wild-card entry for the Australian Open beginning Jan. 18 in Melbourne. The tournament said Friday that the 45-year-old Williams would make a return to Melbourne Park 28 years after her first appearance. In 1998, she defeated her younger sister Serena in the second round before losing in the quarterfinals to fellow American Lindsay Davenport. Venus had announced in November that she would play in Auckland, New Zealand, where she also received a wild card, two weeks before the Australian Open. The Australian Open said Williams was also entered to play a tournament in Hobart, Australia a week later and just before play begins at Melbourne Park. She last appeared in Melbourne in 2021 and has finished runner-up in the women’s singles twice, losing to Serena in the finals in 2003 and 2017. READ: Opinion and Editorial In its editorial, Times puts forward a worthwhile proposal to reduce electric bills. Read the full version on print and digital or listen to the Voice of the Times. Featured columnists on the front page are Antonio Contreras, Yen Makabenta and Danton Remoto. Contreras writes about the tourism we should stop envying, and the advantage we haven’t learned to see; Makabenta on reordering priorities, namely reform, renewal and regeneration; and Remoto on ‘The Essex Serpent’ and other tales. 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