Context Dispatch

The Bureau of Customs at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (BOC-NAIA) today (13 May 2025) confiscated six parcels containing Ecstasy and heroin valued at approximately PhP4.43 million.

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. lauded the Bureau of Customs (BOC) for its instrumental role in the Philippines’ successful removal from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) Grey List, ending a three-year effort to meet global anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing standards. The President cited BOC’s enhanced monitoring of cross-border cash movement as a major contributor to the country’s compliance with FATF action items. He recalled issuing a directive in October 2023 instructing key government agencies—including the BOC—to implement reforms aligned with the FATF’s recommendations.

A moderately explosive eruption occurred at Kanlaon Volcano early Tuesday, sending a 4.5-kilometer-high ash plume southwest and triggering pyroclastic materials down its southern slopes, PhilVolcs reported. Audible rumbling and light ashfall were reported in nearby towns, while ballistic fragments ignited vegetation near the summit. The eruption lasted five minutes, with thermal and visual monitoring confirming localized impacts. With Alert Level 3 still in effect, magmatic unrest continues, raising the risk of further short-lived eruptions that could pose serious hazards to communities within the danger zone. Damage caused by this latest Kanloan eruption has yet to be reporter.

Tens of millions of Filipinos are expected to cast their votes today, May 12, in midterm elections that will fill 18,280 national and local posts—including 12 Senate seats that could reshape the political landscape for Vice President Sara Duterte and her critics; VP Sara faces impeachment charges before the Senate.

Japanese Ambassador to the Philippines Endo Kazuya on Friday delivered a compelling lecture at Ateneo de Manila University as part of its “EmbLEM: Embassy Lectures, Encounters, and Masterclasses” series, reinforcing the strong and evolving bilateral ties between Japan and the Philippines.