Author: Patricia Dela Roca

A wave of Filipinos, joined by celebrities and public figures, filled the streets of Manila over the weekend for massive anti-corruption rallies.Dubbed as “Baha sa Luneta” and the “Trillion Peso March,” the protests demanded accountability from government officials and stronger action against systemic corruption. Actress Maris Racal was among the first spotted at the demonstrations, with photos and videos of her leading chants circulating online. Using a megaphone, Racal led a crowd with the words: “Serbisyo sa tao, huwag gawing negosyo.” The “Sunshine” star also shared photos on Instagram holding placards that read “Lahat ng korap dapat managot” and “Filipinos…

JYP Entertainment founder and CEO Park Jin-young takes on a new role with a mission to promote South Korean pop culture worldwide. On Sept. 9, the presidential office announced that South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has tapped Park to serve as co-chair of the newly established Presidential Commission on Pop-Culture Exchange, a ministerial-level committee tasked with promoting South Korean culture abroad while widening exposure to international pop culture domestically. Presidential chief of staff Kang Hoon-sik, in a briefing, described Park as one of the most “prominent” figures in K-pop, noting his role in bringing the genre to international audiences.…

Vice Ganda made a contestant’s heart swell with gratitude through this act of generosity. In the Sept. 9 episode of the noontime program’s “Laro Laro Pick” segment, one of the players was 63-year-old Jovie who works as a balut vendor to provide for his family. As Tatay Jovie shared his stories and experiences, including fun facts about his livelihood, the exchange with the comedian and co-hosts Anne Curtis and Vhong Navarro took an emotional turn when he was asked what winning the game would mean for him. For the balut vendor, the show’s half-a-million grand prize represented more than just…

Internet was left horrified over police’s discovery of a woman’s decomposing corpse inside the impounded car of American singer-songwriter D4vd. Los Angeles Police were responding to reports of a “foul-smelling odor” coming from an impounded Tesla at a tow yard in Hollywood when they uncovered human remains in the vehicle’s front trunk. The car was registered in Hempstead, Texas, to D4vd, whose real name is David Anthony Burke. The 20-year-old artist with over 30 million listeners on Spotify, is known for his hit songs “Here With Me” and “Romantic Homicide”. At the time, D4vd was performing in Minneapolis, according to…

Senator Kiko Pangilinan recently demanded a public apology from the hosts of a Net 25 program who brought up his wife, actress Sharon Cuneta, in discussions over the ongoing investigation on ghost flood control projects. The issue stemmed from a segment from the network’s program “Sa Ganang Mamamayan,” where Senate Blue Ribbon Committee chair Senator Dante Marcoleta appeared as a guest. It focused on Pangilinan’s supposed proposal to establish an independent body to probe alleged corruption in flood control projects, an investigation already under the jurisdiction of Marcoleta’s Blue Ribbon Committee. This prompted one of the program’s hosts mention of…

Coleen Garcia has given birth to her and husband Billy Crawford’s second child, a baby boy named Austin, whom she had delivered in an unexpectedly quick and painless delivery. In her Instagram post on Monday, Sept. 1, the actress shared the surprising turn of events that led to her son’s arrival a few weeks ago, calling it an “experience of a lifetime.” “On August 17, we welcomed our beautiful baby boy, Austin, into the world. And it was the experience of a lifetime,” the celebrity mom wrote. Originally planning for another water birth similar to her first daughter Amari’s birth…

The pair of boxing gloves used by former Philippine National Police (PNP) chief General Nicolas Torre in his supposed boxing match with acting Davao City Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte is being sold for P500,000. Comedian Eric Nicolas appeared in an episode of the YouTube vlog series Pinoy Pawnstars, where he tried to sell Torre’s boxing gloves to host Boss Toyo. According to Nicolas, the gloves were personally autographed by Torre after he hosted the event where the former PNP chief and Davao mayor were set to face off in a charity match last July. Torre was declared the winner by…

Neil Arce, film producer and husband of Angel Locsin, came to the defense of actress and political scion Gela Alonte amid renewed backlash against her online. The controversy stemmed from heightened scrutiny of children of political families after President Bongbong Marcos Jr. ordered a probe into politicians allegedly tied to questionable government flood control projects. The move triggered what many described as “online shaming” of so-called “nepo babies” with netizens targeting the perceived “lavish and aesthetic lifestyles” flaunted by some politicians’ children on social media. Gela, daughter of Biñan City Mayor Gel Alonte, drew attention again in the wake of…

Jimin of K-pop supergroup BTS was recently caught in a dating scandal with South Korean actress Song Da Eun after videos from their time as a couple resurfaced online. The issue sparked after Da Eun uploaded a video on her TikTok account supposedy showing Jimin arriving at what appears to be her residence. In the clip, the actress is seen waiting by an elevator before surprising the BTS member as he stepped out from it. Appearing startled, Jimin can be heard reacting to Da Eun, “Did you know I was coming in? I purposely didn’t tell you I was on…

Filipino filmmaking legend Mike de Leon has passed away. His death was first reported by France-based film distributor Carlotta Films on Thursday, August 28. The Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) paid tribute to De Leon in a Facebook post, mourning his passing and honoring him as a “voice for the unheard.” “Mike de Leon shone a light on the beauty and pain of the downtrodden and repressed, bringing their stories to the cultural forefront. May he rest in peace,” the FDCP said in its statement. FDCP Chairman Jose Javier Reyes also expressed his grief, saying, “His life was…