Pope Leo XIV says that the Catholic Church’s teaching on sexual ethics must be less prioritized over “greater, more important issues.”
“We tend to think that when the Church is talking about morality, that the only issue of morality is sexual. And in reality, I believe there are much greater, more important issues, such as justice, equality, freedom of men and women, freedom of religion, that would all take priority before that particular issue.”
"But Naga City is pulling off something that feels almost alien in the Philippines right now. They are actually giving people the receipts. With the launch of their new People’s Budget Portal, Naga is staging a quiet revolution against traditional patronage politics."
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To be honest, when most Filipinos hear the word "budget," our minds instantly go to the worst place. We think of the massive flood control scandals, billions of pesos lost to ghost infrastructure projects, and the never-ending drama over confidential funds and hidden congressional budget insertions.
We’re so used to public money vanishing into a black box that we just assume corruption is the default setting.
But Naga City is pulling off something that feels almost alien in the Philippines right now. They are actually giving people the receipts. With the launch of their new People’s Budget Portal, Naga is staging a quiet revolution against traditional patronage politics.
Instead of hiding the city’s billions behind 500-page accounting spreadsheets designed to make your eyes glaze over, this platform lays everything bare. It translates dense government spending into eight simple, real-world goals you can actually track from your phone.
Things like building decent homes, keeping the streets walkable, and fixing actual flood-prone areas before the money even gets approved.
The real kicker, though, is that it stops politicians from playing gatekeeper with public funds. In a country where people often have to beg local officials for medical assistance or community funds, Naga’s People’s Budget Ordinance legally mandates that citizens and local groups get a direct seat at the table to decide where the money goes.
It effectively moves power out of closed-door city hall meetings and hands it straight to ordinary residents.
To top it all off, the entire digital blueprint is open-source and completely free for any other municipality in the country to copy-paste. At a time when public trust in government spending is at an all-time low, Naga is proving that transparency isn't some impossible, expensive dream. It just takes a local government with the political courage to stop hiding the numbers.
- Gerry Cacanindin
📸 Leni Robredo
BREAKING: Iran says the Strait of Hormuz will now remain fully closed even if the US fulfills all remaining MOU commitments, including the $300 billion reconstruction fund, frozen funds release, naval blockade removal and oil sanctions waivers, unless Israel fully and permanently withdraws from southern Lebanon and permanently stops all attacks in any form, per Tasnim.
Iran’s FM Araghchi and Parliament Speaker Ghalibaf have stated that the first clause requires Israel’s full withdrawal from Lebanese territory, with Iran emphasizing that opening Hormuz in exchange for merely lifting the naval blockade would be a “strategic mistake.”
This comes as Netanyahu has said Israel will remain in the Lebanese security zone “for as long as necessary,” and won’t withdraw, with Iran warning any further negligence will have “severe damaging consequences.”
JUST IN: The 24 Filipinos who have been released from detention in Russia following talks between President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Russian President Vladimir Putin will be arriving in the Philippines on Sunday, June 21, according to Malacañang citing information from the DFA. | via @HarleneDelgado
This is Damascus, the capital of my country.
Israel bombed it less than a year ago, despite the fact that not a single shot had been fired at Israel from Syria for over 60 years.
This had nothing to do with Iran, Hezbollah, or Hamas. It was part of Israel’s efforts to interfere in the country’s internal affairs and keep it divided and weak.
So when Israelis claim that Israel does not attack those who do not attack it, Damascus proves otherwise.
There’s no doubt that Putin fears the return of his army home. That is why he is so afraid of the war ending without victory. And there will be no victory. He is physically afraid of his own army. That is why, if there is no ceasefire backed by specific security guarantees, he will return to war. And this time, others may be the ones under attack.
Today, Ukraine is de facto the second army of NATO – one that is not inferior to the second army in the world. And that is why NATO needs us – specifically us – de jure. This is already a fact recognized by all leaders. Putin will remain in the Kremlin until his death, and he has one goal: the restoration of the Soviet Union. Without Ukraine, this is impossible, and that is why things are so difficult for us.
From answers to journalists’ questions. (3/3)
Just a few years ago, the Philippines has no modern Missiles to defend our skies, and we're just relying with manual AA guns. Now the @PhilAirForce 🇵🇭 was able to showcase the SPYDER-MR Surface-to-Air Missile System, and Mitsubishi J/TPS-P14ME Mobile Radar in a military parade.
UPDATE: The International Criminal Court has finalized the rules and timeline for the trial of former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, scheduling the formal reading of charges for November 30, 2026.
In a newly released directive, Trial Chamber III laid out rules to ensure a "fair and expeditious trial," requiring the prosecution to submit its detailed evidence list by August 31, followed by the defense response on October 30. #DuterteinICC | via @Beatrice_Cuadra
It should be very clear to everyone by now that the Israelis have dramatically different strategic goals than we do & will take our support while only pursuing their interests & expect us to just accept that as the status quo.
What should also be clear is that this status quo works against our strategic goals.
Bibi is helping to illustrate this:
BREAKING: The Iranian central military command says it has closed the Strait of Hormuz in response to Israeli attacks on southern Lebanon, describing the strikes as a breach of Iran’s agreement with the US.
🔴 LIVE updates: https://t.co/8Lc5f4pSe6
El presidente de los EEUU, Donald Trump, hizo un acuerdo de paz con la República Islámica de Irán, y como presidente de la República de Colombia, que hoy tiene la presidencia del Consejo de Seguridad de las Naciones Unidas, respaldo ese acuerdo y lo respeto, porque significa más Vida para el mundo.
Con la Biblia que he leído, las constituciones del mundo y el derecho internacional que ha construido la humanidad, ese acuerdo debe ser respetado por todas la naciones de la Tierra.
El Estado de Israel ha decidido seguir bombardeando con misiles la república soberana del Líbano.
Creo que es hora que el presidente Donald Trump tenga apoyo de la humanidad para cesar este terrible conflicto y que el pueblo de Israel nos ayudé a que su gobierno deje de agredir a sus vecinos que pueden ser sus hermanos y no sus enemigos.
Estamos con el Pacto por la Vida y por la Paz de la humanidad fraterna.
This is not a rant by a random genocidal lunatic. It's a public post by the national security minister of the Israeli regime.
The genocidal death cult headquartered in Tel Aviv is a threat to all of humanity. It threatens all humans. Its only interest is permanent war.
For the MOU to hold and result in a lasting peace, we must restrict aid to Israel immediately & make it clear that we will not defend them should Iran opt to strike in response to Israel’s attacks in Lebanon.
Israel has not responded to our verbal & written demands—that is not going to change, unless we change it by taking action.
Israel claims sovereignty & continues to threaten our peace deal, yet they rely on us to bail them out. This is calculated.
We have to respond accordingly and stop this cycle once and for all.
Lead with action: remove their leverage, otherwise they will not take us seriously.
An open SOH & peace in the region have to be our focus. Israel is playing spoiler—we must limit their ability to do so.