
Mindanao in 2025 was your typical year — of a people enjoying and celebrating life, interrupted every now and then by violence and disasters. But somehow managing to stand up as usual and go on with life. The issues that

KORONADAL CITY (MindaNews / 13 January) – The provincial government of South Cotabato has declared Friday, January 16, a holiday for government or public offices in the area in observance of the sacred Al-Isra’ wal-Mi’raj or the Night Journey and

COTABATO CITY (MindaNews / 13 January) — The Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) finally passed a new districting law for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) at 12:33 a.m. on Tuesday, after a 10-hour deliberation, paving the way for

MALAYBALAY CITY (MindaNews / 12 January) – By now, retired Air Force General Romeo V. Poquiz must have realized that calling for a withdrawal of support from the administration isn’t enough to instigate a coup. History shows that successful coups

A member of the Philippine Marine Corps is arrested after taking his live-in partner hostage Saturday, January 10, 2026 in Zamboanga City. Photo courtesy of Marine Battalion Landing Team 1

Power lines supply electricity to residents within the Tampakan project in this photo taken on January 16, 2020. MindaNews photo by Bong S. Sarmiento

Progressive groups in Davao City is calling for the resignation of both President Ferdinand Marcos Jr and Vice President Sara Duterte amid allegations of corruption in the country. MindaNews photo by Antonio L. Colina IV

(A look back on the year that was in Mindanao, and Mindanawons in the national and international scene) DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 11 January) – The year 2025 yielded a harvest of at least 27 Mindanao books, 20 of them published

DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 11 January) – The continued detention of former President Rodrigo Duterte “remains necessary” because there has been no change in circumstances that would require the Chamber to reverse its previous determination, and there are recent developments

KORONADAL CITY (MindaNews / 11 January) – At least P40 million has been allocated to rehabilitate the old City Hall building of Koronadal, where a branch of the National Museum of the Philippines (NMP) will be housed, Senator Loren Legarda

The search is on for the first-ever National AI Team to represent the Philippines on the global stage, where they will join hundreds of fellow students from over 60 countries in the development and responsible use of artificial intelligence. The

KORONADAL CITY (MindaNews / 10 January) – Koronadal marked its 86th foundation anniversary on Saturday, with thousands of residents and visitors celebrating the milestone via the Hinugyaw Festival. Thousands lined up the streets in the morning to watch the civic-military

MANAY, Davao Oriental (MindaNews / January 9) – Only 22 full-time responders are employed by the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO) in this town of 39,000 residents that had been hit by three strong earthquakes since October

(A look back on the year that was in Mindanao, and Mindanawons in the national and international scene) DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 10 January) — Environmentalists cheered as the Supreme Court on July 1 issued a Writ of Kalikasan against the Department

(A look back on the year that was in Mindanao, and Mindanawons in the national and international scene.) DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 10 June) – Of 33 cities in Mindanao, three — Davao, Bayugan and Marawi — elected mayors, vice

DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 9 January) – The country aims to reestablish air connectivity from Davao City to Manado and Kuala Lumpur to strengthen air linkages among members of the Brunei Darussalam–Indonesia–Malaysia–Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area or BIMP-EAGA. During the

CAGAYAN DE ORO (MindaNews / 9 January) — Many of the devotees who joined the Traslacion, the annual procession for the replica of the Black Nazarene, here Friday expressed through prayers their outrage over corruption involving high public officials. Fr.

Devotees fill the Cagayan de Oro Metropolitan Cathedral for the vigil on the eve of the annual Traslacion in honor of the Black Nazarene, on Thursday, 9 January 2025. MindaNews photo by FROILAN GALLARDO

MANAY, Davao Oriental (MindaNews / 9 January) – Toilets at the Bayanihan Village here have been used beyond capacity, affecting 50 families who were housed in modular shelter units after the doublet earthquake that struck in October last year. In

(MindaNews / 08 January) — When the Supreme Court released the 2025 Bar Examination results yesterday, revealing that 5,594 out of 11,425 examinees had passed, the headlines naturally focused on the improved 48.98% passing rate. But here in Mindanao, we

Aerial view of the damaged, three storey rectory of San Ignacio de Loyola in Barangay San Ignacio, Manay, Davao Oriental. MindaNews photo by Yas D. Ocampo

Julienne Stephanie Fabie, managing director of Pagbayaw, Inc. during the turn-over or equipment from the staff of Sen. Loren Legarda through the Department of Labor and Employment. Photo courtesy of Pagbayaw, Inc.

Local surfers during a their daily routine of cleaning up the beach of small plastics brought in by the tides at the scenic Barangay Dahican in Mati City. Photo taken on the morning of January 8, 2025. MindaNews photo by Yas D. Ocampo

An Alegria Elementary School teacher reminds pupils to follow the Drop, Cover, and Hold On safety routine even after safely evacuating their classrooms during the January 7 earthquake. Photo courtesy of Regine Lagutom.

Foreign vessel MV Sun Gold unloaded cement from Vinh Tan, Vietnam, on 5 January 2026. Photo courtesy of Polloc Freeport and Ecozone

Bukidnon State University College of Law Batch 2025 graduate Gerilin Ano-os Gascon posted an 89.79% rating, ranking 14th nationwide. Gascon, who is also a certified public accountant, is among the 5,594 examinees who passed the 2025 Bar Examinations out of 11,424 who completed the three-day tests, according to figures issued by the high court. Photo courtesy of the Bukidnon State University (BSU) Information Unit.

Elias Leano, spokesperson for the National Bureau of Investigation-Davao (right), and Police Capt. Hazel Caballero Tuazon, spokesperson of the Davao City Police Office, during Davao Peace and Security Press Conference at the Royal Mandaya Hotel on Wednesday, January 7, 2026. (MindaNews photo by Antonio L. Colina IV)

Image from the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) website shows the epicenter (red dot) of the earthquake.

Members and supporters of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) inside the front’s Camp Rajamuda in Pikit, North Cotabato. At least 928 MILF members have so far applied for amnesty. MindaNews file photo by BONG S. SARMIENTO

PBBM assured the public that many of those involved in the flood control scam would spend their Christmas in jail. But Christmas 2025 is past and gone, yet we have not heard of anyone moaning or singing sorrowful carols in

What no one tells you about turning 25 is that it sneaks up on you—bringing a gamut of moments when you feel societal pressure, find yourself outwardly without goals, or simply feel less motivated to achieve any of them, especially

DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 06 January) — Nearly 10 months after former President Rodrigo R. Duterte was arrested and flown to the International Criminal Court (ICC), his children have asked the Supreme Court (SC) to direct the Philippine government to

(A look back on the year that was in Mindanao, and Mindanawons in the national and international scene.) DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 06 January) — Mindanawon students – individuals and teams – brought honors not only to their schools and hometowns

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (MindaNews / 6 January) — Stalled vehicles stretching for at least two kilometers approaching the landslide area in Bukidnon have prompted the local government of the municipality of Quezon to appeal to the Department of Public

Towering over Davao City’s skyline is The Marco Polo Hotel, which closed in June 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, photographed on Tuesday (6 January 2026). Many Dabawenyos yearn for the long-awaited reopening of The Marco Polo while still holding on to the hope of welcoming home former President Duterte. MindaNews photo by DANILO A. BALUCOS

COTABATO CITY (MindaNews / 6 January) — Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) Speaker Mohammad Yacob on Tuesday called for a special session on January 12 to pass the new districting law so the twice-postponed 1st Bangsamoro Parliamentary Elections can push through.

ZAMBOANGA CITY (MindaNews / 6 January) — For PO3 Al-Shier Alimuddin, a Philippine Coast Guard personnel assigned in Siasi in Sulu, it was a case of being at the right time at the right place that he was able to

(A look back on the year that was in Mindanao, and Mindanawons in the national and international scene.) DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 06 January) — Just as the year was ending, Mindanao was thrust back into the international limelight as “terror

(A look back on the year that was in Mindanao, and Mindanawons in the national and international scene.) COTABATO CITY (MindaNews / 6 January) — The fledging Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) has surpassed its investment target months

Northern Mindanao workers get ₱39 wage hike Effective January 16, minimum wage earners and household workers (or kasambahay) in Northern Mindanao will receive an increase in their salaries, the Regional Tripartite Wage and Productivity Board in Region 10 ruled. Agriculture

DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 5 January) — Amid rumors that the International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued an arrest warrant against Senator Ronald dela Rosa, the Police Regional Office (PRO)-Davao said there is no order from the Philippine National Police

DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 5 January) — Police authorities here are investigating the possibility that the gunmen behind the December 14 mass shooting at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia, had traveled to Cotabato province after phone signals from one of

COTABATO CITY (MindaNews / 5 January) — Amid the politics and various issues confronting the Bangsamoro Parliament, a few legislators have been quietly introducing bills that will help the region’s voiceless and vulnerable sector — persons with autism. This development

MindaNews / 5 January — 2025 started with the closing of BookSale stores in Davao, leaving book readers brokenhearted. It ended with another bittersweet moment as the homegrown Victoria Plaza, bidding goodbye to Dabawenyos after 32 years. Nostalgia poured over

(A look back on the year that was in Mindanao, and Mindanawons in the national and international scene.) DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 04 January) — While traveling across Mindanao during the election campaign period, there is no need for a

(A look back on the year that was in Mindanao, and Mindanawons in the national and international scene.) DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 04 January) — Political dynasties continue to rule Mindanao’s 28 provinces and 33 cities as voters gave their

(A look back on the year that was in Mindanao, and Mindanawons in the national and international scene.) CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (MindaNews / 04 January) — A portion of the highway in Quezon, Bukidnon that collapsed on October 18

KORONADAL CITY (MindaNews / 4 January) – Three Mindanao regions recorded a combined mangrove forest area of 106,248 hectares as of 2020, landing them in the top five regions of the country with high concentration of mangroves, latest data from

CAGAYAN DE ORO (MindaNews / 3 January) — The detour road in Sitio Kipolot, Barangay Palacapao, Quezon town in Bukidnon will again be closed starting 4am Sunday, January 4, officials said. The detour road lies next to an unpaved one-lane

TBOLI, South Cotabato (MindaNews / 3 January) – For 12 years now, the mystical and scenic Lake Holon, a popular trekking spot here, is taking its annual respite starting Saturday, January 3. Councilor Kirk Tuan, chairperson of the Sangguniang Bayan’s