Latest news with #Filipinos
GMA Network
14 hours ago
- Sport
- GMA Network
Gilas Youth staves off Indonesia to remain unbeaten in FIBA U16 SEABA qualifiers
Gilas Pilipinas Youth fended off a late barrage staged by Indonesia, 77-68, to preserve its unbeaten run in the FIBA U16 Asia Cup SEABA Qualifiers on Wednesday at the Bren Z. Guiao Sports Complex. The Filipinos led by as much as 14 midway through the fourth period, but unlike their previous outings they won in dominant fashion, they nearly lost steam in the endgame this time around. The wards of head coach LA Tenorio, however, found the finishing touch to remain spotless at 4-0. The win also allowed the hosts to deal the Indonesians their first loss of the tournament. Heroes were plenty for the Philippine side with Prince Cariño leading the way with 15 points laced with six rebounds while Travis Pascual and Jolo Pascual chipped in 13 and 12 markers apiece. A Cariño jumper sent Gilas Boys to a comfortable 63-49 lead at the 7:08 mark of fourth quarter, but the Indonesians found the stops and offense as they trimmed the gap to a single digit. Benjamin Piet Hernusi completed a layup that saw Indonesia cutting the deficit to nine, 74-65, with 1:52 left in the game. They further pulled within six when Hernusi once again sank a clutch basket for a six-point affair, 74-68. Travis Pascual then saved the day for Gilas Youth from the free throw line, splitting his charities off an unsportsmanlike foul from Seiya Yube with 31 ticks left. He would complete a pair of charities to win it for Gilas. Hernusi paced Indonesia with 23 points, three steals, one rebound, and one block while Gede Dio Arghya Naranatha and Yabe chimed in with 11 and 10 markers apiece. —JKC, GMA Integrated News
GMA Network
16 hours ago
- Business
- GMA Network
IT expert calls for crackdown on unlicensed crypto platforms
An information technology (IT) advocate called on the government to crack down on unlicensed cryptocurrency platforms, claiming these exchanges have become the financial backbone of kidnappings, human trafficking, large-scale scams, and even drug and illegal gambling operations. In a statement on Wednesday, European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (ECCP) ICT Committee co-chair Reyner Villaseñor claimed that unlicensed cryptocurrency exchanges 'operating without regulatory oversight' have become the financial tool of organized crime syndicates operating within and beyond the country's borders. 'Criminal syndicates are exploiting regulatory gaps to carry out diverse illegal activities, using unlicensed and unregulated cryptocurrency platforms as their tools,' Villaseñor said. The IT expert said the unlicensed cryptocurrency platforms enabling criminal syndicates to move millions in illicit funds 'with little to no trace.' Citing data from the Global Anti-Scam Alliance, Villaseñor said Filipinos have lost an estimated P460 billion to online crime in 2024—equivalent to 1.9% of the country's gross domestic product (GDP). 'These numbers paint a grim picture: the Philippines is now in the midst of a digitally enabled crime epidemic - one that calls for immediate public vigilance, private sector safeguards, and proactive regulatory intervention and law enforcement action,' he said. Without properly audited KYC or Know-Your-Customer and anti-money laundering controls—standards mandated on licensed platforms—these rogue exchanges offer near-total anonymity, according to the IT expert. Villaseñor said criminals are exploiting blind spots to launder ransom payments, conceal profits from human trafficking, and move massive sums without triggering regulatory red flags. With this, the IT expert called for an urgent, coordinated crackdown from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), and other relevant agencies. —RF, GMA Integrated News
The Star
18 hours ago
- Politics
- The Star
Philippines to US: Deport our citizens to Manila, not El Salvador
WASHINGTON: The United States has a right to deport any Filipino illegal immigrants, but the Philippine government will 'definitely not' allow them to be brought to El Salvador or any third country. Jose Manuel Romualdez (pic), Philippine ambassador to the US, made this clear Tuesday (May 27) when asked of the matter. This came after Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele agreed to house in its mega prison hundreds of migrants expelled by the US government. While most of them are from Venezuela, Bukele previously offered to detain in their prisons US-deported immigrants from those countries that do not take their citizens back. 'I think it's something that the Philippines, we Filipinos, will never allow something like that to happen to us,' Romualdez said of the El Salvador scenario in an interview with reporters at the Philippine Embassy here, adding that even dual citizens are covered by this. 'It's just not in our DNA to allow that to happen,' he noted, saying illegal Filipinos who committed crimes should answer to the local laws. 'We will accept any Filipino, no matter what their status is.' With the Trump administration saying it's exploring other third countries apart from El Salvador to house expelled migrants rejected by their own country, Romualdez said that Manila quickly informed Washington that it will take care of its own. Romualdez said: 'In fact, when there was talk about third countries, we immediately communicated our desire with the United States government that if there's any Filipino that needs to be deported, we would like to be informed and we would be pleased to work with them in having them deported to the Philippines.' According to the Department of Foreign Affairs, there are around two million Filipinos here, of whom there could be as much as 300,000 staying illegally. Romualdez, however, believes that the number of Filipino illegals is 'probably much less than that.' 'Filipinos will always, most Filipinos, that is, will always, especially those that have been here for many years, will find a way to be able to stay here,' he said. 'And I think, more than ever now, this is a clear sign that, you know, the best way to always have a good night's sleep is to always follow the legal path in anything that you do,' he went on. 'The old Filipino style of palusutan (looking for workarounds) and everything like that … that's the worst thing you can do because you think you can get away with something today, but you can't get away with it forever.' - Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN
GMA Network
20 hours ago
- Politics
- GMA Network
PH asks US not to deport illegal Pinoys to third country like Libya
WASHINGTON — The Philippine government has requested U.S. immigration authorities to allow illegally staying Filipinos facing deportation to return directly to the Philippines and not banish them from America through a third country like Libya, Manila's top diplomat to Washington said Tuesday. Ambassador Jose Manuel Romualdez said he conveyed the Philippines' request to U.S. authorities for all prospective Filipino deportees, including Filipino Americans, amid reports that the Trump administration is planning to deport a group of illegal migrants, including Asians, through Libya before they are flown back to their own countries. "We definitely would not want them to be deported to a third country. If they are facing any criminal liability, then we will accept them to come to the Philippines and they will probably have to face our laws," Romualdez said. "If you're a Filipino, then you have every right to be deported to the Philippines," Romualdez told a small group of visiting Philippine and Japanese journalists, including from the GMA News Online, on a reporting tour to the U.S. that is funded by the State Department. "It is not in our DNA to allow that to happen. We will accept any Filipino to the Philippines, no matter what their status is," Romualdez said. Libya's provisional Government of National Unity earlier declared that it would not accept deported immigrants from the U.S. without approval from Libyan authorities. Hundreds of deportees, who have been staying illegally or have committed crimes in the U.S., were also being flown from America to a maximum-security prison in El Salvador, according to U.S. news reports. The Trump administration has forged agreements with a number of countries, including Panama, to house the deportees from the U.S. America has sent Venezuelans to a notorious prison in El Salvador, for example, under an 18th-century wartime law but its action is being challenged in courts. Since returning to the White House, President Donald Trump has been enforcing tough immigration laws and ordering the mass deportation of illegal migrants, one of his top campaign promises. Romualdez acknowledged that every country has a right to deport anyone staying illegally in any country, saying "we're doing the same thing in the Philippines." "For us to insist that they'd be allowed to stay here is not only out of this world, but it is something that you cannot insist on doing if they're here illegally most especially if they have committed any kind of crime," Romualdez said. However, Romualdez said the Philippine Embassy in Washington D.C. is committed to help Filipinos in need of assistance on immigration issues "within legal parameters." That is "the most that our government can do, because we have to maintain good relations with our host country," Romualdez said. "If you have good relations with the government, then they would be kind enough to let us know whether there is a particular citizen of our country that needs to be deported and certainly we will find ways and means to be able to get them back to the Philippines," he said. The Philippine Embassy will soon sign an agreement with a group of U.S.-based immigration lawyers to provide legal assistance to Filipinos with deportation problems, Romualdez said. Romualdez estimates that there may be 100 to 300 Filipinos who may face deportation across the U.S. for various reasons. The figure is much lower than estimates circulating in Philippine media. It is also a small number compared to the thousands of deportees from countries like Mexico and Venezuela. Romualdez urged Filipinos who entered the U.S. illegally or have overstayed their tourist visa to leave voluntarily to avoid very troublesome immigration ordeals. "The best way is to always follow the legal path in anything that you do. You think you can get away with something today, but you can't get away with it forever," Romualdez said. The Philippines is a longtime treaty ally of the U.S. and security relations with Washington have strengthened both under Trump and former President Joe Biden. In March, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth traveled to the Philippines as the first Asian country he visited in the Indo-Pacific region. — VDV, GMA Integrated News
GMA Network
a day ago
- General
- GMA Network
History and fun facts behind the Philippine flag, according to historian
National Flag Day is celebrated on May 28 every year, as declared in the Presidential Proclamation 374 under then-president Diosdado Macapagal in 1965. Historian Professor Xiao Chua shared with GMA News Online the history of the occasion as well as a few fun facts about the Philippine flag. According to Chua, the Philippine flag was designed by General Emilio Aguinaldo and was sewn by three women in Hong Kong including Marcela Agoncillo, her daughter Lorenza, as well as Delfina Herbosa de Natividad. 'Ito ay tinahi ng tatlong babae sa Hong Kong: Si Marcela Agoncillo yung isa, Delfina Herbosa, at anak ni Marcela si Lorenza,' he said. (It was sewn by three women in Hong Kong: Marcela Agoncillo, Delfina Herbosa, and Marcela's daughter Lorenza.) 'Sa Hong Kong after i-design ito ng Hong Kong Junta sa pamumuno ni Emilio Aguinaldo. So dala-dala ni Aguinaldo yung flag na yan noong muli tayong lumaban para sa ating kasarinlan noong nanalo tayo after 300 years of Spanish colonialism, napalaya natin ang Pilipinas, June 12, 1898,' he added. (In Hong Kong after it was designed by the Hong Kong Junta led by Emilio Aguinaldo. So Aguinaldo carried that flag when we fought again for our independence when we won after 300 years of Spanish colonialism, we liberated the Philippines, June 12, 1898.) The Philippine flag was first raised on May 28, 1898, Chua said. 'Noong May 28, sa araw na tinatawag natin ngayong Flag Day, nanalo ang mga puwersa ni Heneral Emilio Aguinaldo sa Battle of Alapan dito sa Imus, Cavite,' he said. (On May 28, the day we now call National Flag Day, the forces of General Emilio Aguinaldo won the Battle of Alapan here in Imus, Cavite.) 'Sa battle na yan na nanalo tayo laban sa Espanyol, sinelebrate yan sa isang teatro sa Cavite City noong gabi na yun. Doon unang inilabas ang watawat ng Pilipinas,' he added. (In that battle that we won against the Spanish, it was celebrated in a theater in Cavite City that night. That is where the Philippine flag was first raised.) According to the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP), the Philippine flag was banned in 1907 when Americans took over the Philippines. The NHCP adds that the Philippine Commission enacted the Flag Law of 1907 that prohibited Filipinos from displaying the Philippine flag even inside their homes. Senator Rafael Palma in 1919 sponsored Senate Bill No. 1 after Gov. Gen. Francis Harrison recommended that the law should be repealed since the distrust between the Filipinos and the Americans no longer exists. In the same year, the new law was approved and repealed the ban of the Philippine flag. Chua reminded Filipinos that the Philippine flag is a product of the Philippine revolution. He said that the Philippine flag also symbolizes the oneness of the Filipino people despite differences. 'Tandaan natin na yung watawat ng Pilipinas ay produkto ng kasaysayan ng himagsikang Pilipino. Ibig sabihin, nabuo yan dahil sa struggle natin to independence,' he said. (Let us remember that the Philippine flag is a product of the history of the Philippine revolution. It was created because of our struggle for independence.) 'Iyan yung mahalagang simbolo na kapag tumingala tayo, iisa yung watawat natin, iisa yung awit natin. It reminds us that, yes, we are different, iba-iba tayo, pero iisa din tayo,' he added. (That is the important symbol that when we look up, our flag is one, our anthem is one. It reminds us that, yes, we are different, but we are also one.) — LA, GMA Integrated News
