Free dialysis centers to open soon in Cebu City

Free dialysis centers to open soon in Cebu City

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Cebu City residents battling kidney disease may no longer have to shoulder the steep costs of dialysis as two new centers offering free treatment are set to open soon in Barangays Talamban and Guadalupe. The city government formalized the rollout on August 29, with the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement […]... Keep on reading: Free dialysis centers to open soon in Cebu City

Filipino fulfills dream of performing with K-pop group before home fans

Filipino fulfills dream of performing with K-pop group before home fans

MANILA, Philippines — Rising K-pop group AHOF is set to hold its first fan concert in the Philippines, with Filipino member JL calling the milestone a personal dream fulfilled. The nine-member boy group — composed of Steven, Seo Jeongwoo, Cha Woongki, Zhang Shuaibo, Park Han, JL, Park Juwon, Chih En, and Daisuke — will meet Filipino fans for the first time at their “1st Philippine FanCon Rendezvous in Manila” today, at 7 p.m. at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. In a media conference on Friday ahead of the sold-out show, JL said, “This is a dream come true. I always say that I come home here alone. I see comments from fans hoping that next time I’ll be with the members. Now, we’re all finally here together. It wasn’t easy, especially knowing how supportive Filipinos are… but the kind of support and love we’re receiving makes us very happy and more passionate about doing our activities here.” Their FanCon sold out in just 30 minutes, an achievement that even surprised the members themselves. “JL showed us how big Araneta Coliseum is, and we wondered if we could fill it. But we were shocked because it sold out. We can’t believe it. We’re super excited to perform in JL’s hometown,” said Cha Woongki. Formed through SBS’s global survival program “Universe League” in 2024, AHOF — short for All-time Hall Of Famer — debuted in January with their mini album Who We Are and lead single “Rendezvous.” The group quickly earned rookie awards, including the ENA Rising Star Award and the K-World Dream Super Rookie Award, and set a record of 360,985 first-week album sales, ranking among the top five K-pop boy group debuts of all time. Under F&F Entertainment, they are also called “monster rookies” for having already won fans worldwide with their performances and charm. For JL, being able to share his homecoming with the group makes the moment even more special. His bandmates credited him for introducing them to Filipino culture. “When it comes to words, he taught us mahal kita (I love you) and maraming salamat po (thank you very much). For food, he made us try pancit canton, which is really delicious. He also showed us lots of memes and poses,” said Jeongwoo. “He taught us to use po. He said every sentence should end with po. Because he taught me that, I sometimes add po even to Korean or Japanese words,” added Daisuke. “JL said the fast food here in the Philippines is really good. But the first thing I tried was the sweet yellow mangoes,” Woongki shared. Looking ahead, the group said they were still exploring their identity through different genres and concepts, but JL emphasized that they want to keep their connection with fans authentic. “One of the things we hold on to as a group is that, as much as possible, everything we do, we want it to be natural because that way, we can connect with our fans not only through music,” JL said. AHOF will also hold a fan-signing event on Aug. 31, 4 p.m., at the Main Atrium of Robinsons Galleria, extending their first Philippine visit into a three-day celebration with their supporters.

‘There’s no ghost project in my district,’ says Abante

‘There’s no ghost project in my district,’ says Abante

MANILA, Philippines — Manila 6th District Rep. Bienvenido Abante Jr. has emphasized that there is no ghost project or substandard projects under his district. Abante said this when asked in an interview over Bilyonaryo News Channel on Friday about the alleged anomalous flood control initiatives in different areas of the country. READ: No foreign trips for DPWH staff, execs amid probe “I would like to say that there’s no substandard project in my district. There’s no ghost project in my district that I could be able to assure the public about that,” Abante pointed out in the interview, as cited […]... Keep on reading: ‘There’s no ghost project in my district,’ says Abante

US champions `diversity' with Fil-Am bet in Miss Asia Pacific Int'l 2025

US champions `diversity' with Fil-Am bet in Miss Asia Pacific Int'l 2025

The United States is sending a Filipino-American woman to the Miss Asia Pacific International pageant, a competition that celebrates “beauty in diversity.” As a follow-up to Dominican-American contender Janelis Leyba, who bagged the title in last year’s competition, Kayla Jane Usison will bank on her mixed heritage to further push the pageant’s thrust. “Coming with a background of [human resources], one of the first things I’ve learned in a professional environment, or in life in general, is that diversity is important,” Usison told an intimate group of journalists and content creators at The Vault at the Bonifacio Global City in […]... Keep on reading: US champions `diversity' with Fil-Am bet in Miss Asia Pacific Int'l 2025

HUNTR/X, KATSEYE, Sabrina Carpenter, more nominated at 2025 MTV VMAs

HUNTR/X, KATSEYE, Sabrina Carpenter, more nominated at 2025 MTV VMAs

HUNTR/X — the fictional girl group from the smash hit “KPop Demon Hunters” — earned their first nomination at the MTV Video Music Awards, with “Golden” among those considered for Song of the Summer. Meanwhile, female sextet KATSEYE has solidified themselves as one of the biggest groups of the year, bagging the nomination for Group of the Year. Sabrina Carpenter is also one of the most recognized artists in this year’s MTV Video Music Awards with eight nominations. The artists who earned the most nominations at the awards ceremony are Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars and Kendrick Lamar with 12, 11 […]... Keep on reading: HUNTR/X, KATSEYE, Sabrina Carpenter, more nominated at 2025 MTV VMAs

US Open: Alcaraz, Djokovic into last 16 as Sabalenka avenges defeat

US Open: Alcaraz, Djokovic into last 16 as Sabalenka avenges defeat

NEW YORK, United States — Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic edged closer to a semi-final showdown at the US Open on Friday as Aryna Sabalenka avenged the memory of a bitter defeat to power into the last 16. Spanish second seed Alcaraz and Serbian legend Djokovic both booked their passage into the last 16 with comfortable victories and now stand just two wins away from meeting in the last four. Alcaraz breezed past Italian 32nd seed Luciano Darderi in emphatic fashion, winning 6-2, 6-4, 6-0 on the Arthur Ashe Stadium while Djokovic, who is chasing a record 25th Grand Slam […]... Keep on reading: US Open: Alcaraz, Djokovic into last 16 as Sabalenka avenges defeat

DPWH forms anti-corruption panel in response to public scrutiny

DPWH forms anti-corruption panel in response to public scrutiny

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) formed its Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Committee amid controversy surrounding some of its personnel, sparked by the government’s crackdown on irregularities in flood control projects. DPWH Department Order No. 166 series of 2025 dated August 28 created the committee. “The Committee is hereby granted the authority to… investigate graft and corrupt practices allegedly perpetrated by officials and/or employees of the Department,” the order read. READ: Bonoan: DPWH has more decent, hard-working people than scalawags The order also gives the committee the power to issue subpoenas to give testimony or […]... Keep on reading: DPWH forms anti-corruption panel in response to public scrutiny

DOH: Hand, foot and mouth disease cases rise to 39,893

DOH: Hand, foot and mouth disease cases rise to 39,893

MANILA, Philippines — Hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) cases have risen to 39,893, the Department of Health (DOH) announced. “An additional 2,525 cases was recorded in the past week from the 37,368 cases recorded last August 9,” the DOH said in a statement, written in Filipino, on Saturday. “Half of the reported cases are children ages one to three,” it added. HFMD is spread when infected saliva is transmitted by coughing, sneezing or speaking, according to the DOH. It may also spread by touching the eyes, the nose or mouth. Symptoms include fever, canker sores, sore throat or blisters […]... Keep on reading: DOH: Hand, foot and mouth disease cases rise to 39,893