Speaker Bats for Bill to Protect 'Ugly, Rich Spouses'

Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez

Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez batted anew for a bill that will protect the rights of "ugly" spouses whose partners may have married them just for their wealth. Under the civil union bill, the property of couples will stay separate even after the wedding ceremony, reports ABS-CBN News.

PH Will Remain Fastest Growing Economy in ASEAN -- World Bank

The World Bank expects the Philippines to sustain robust economic growth in the next three years even as public investments are seen slowing down, reports Inquirer.net. “The Philippines will continue to be the fastest-growing economy in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean)," according to the World Bank.

Fil-Am Iraq War Vet Quits Trump, Will Run for Congress to Fight Him

Gina Ortiz Jones

Gina Ortiz Jones, a Filipina American career civil servant, Air Force veteran in Iraq under George W. Bush and an intelligence officer under Barack Obama quit working under the Trump administration in disgust and will run for Congress from her hometown in Texas, reports Inquirer.net.

Fil-Am Jersey City Councilor Sworn In

Rolando R. Lavarro Jr.

Despite temperature in the teens, and negative wind chill weather, Filipinos from this city and nearby townships trooped to City Hall to witness the inauguration of Mayor Steven Fulop and the elected members of the City Council led by Fil-Am Councilman-at-large Rolando R. Lavarro Jr., reports Filipino Reporter.

PH 3rd Happiest Country in the World -- Gallup Int'l

Despite disasters, calamities and conflict, the Philippines ranked third among the happiest countries of the world, according to Gallup International’s 41st annual global year-end poll, reports Inquirer.net.

Filipina Named ‘Global Visionary’ By Banking Giant

New York-based Analisa Leonor Balares was handpicked by Swiss global banking giant UBS as one of its inaugural batch of “Global Visionaries,” described as a select pool of 10 extraordinary people who dedicate their lives to projects, research, movements and technologies that have the potential to profoundly impact on society, reports Inquirer.net.

New Year's Day Cyclone Warning for East of Mindanao

A low pressure area (LPA) located more than a thousand kilometers east of Mindanao may form into a tropical depression as the country welcomes the New Year. Ariel Roxas of weather bureau PAGASA told Super Radyo dzBB that as of Saturday morning, the LPA was estimated at 1,175 kilometers east of Mindanao, reports GMA News.

37 Dead in Davao Mall Fire

At least 37 people, including call center staff from American firm SSI, are believed to have perished in a fire that engulfed a shopping mall here from Saturday morning , reports Philstar.com.