ZAMBOANGA CITY (MindaNews / 10 May 2026) — What is a radical? A radical is someone who refuses to accept appearances at face value. To be radical is to examine situations and conditions beyond what is visible, to take a
ZAMBOANGA CITY (MindaNews / 26 April) — On April 19, 2026, Alyssa Alano, a 22-year-old University of the Philippines student leader, was killed in Toboso, Negros Occidental, alongside 18 others in what the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) described
ZAMBOANGA CITY (MindaNews / 20 April) — The child was no more than two years old, the social media post of Jad Idah, a content creator from the Philippines, indicated. The video showed a boy crying for his mother as
SM Malls opened in Zamboanga City with its entire fourth floor devoted as an indoor park with children’s playground, live plants, coffee shops, and a sunset view. Photographed on Tuesday (31 March 2026), 11 days after the mall’s opening. MindaNews photo by JULES BENITEZ
Parties involved in the 17-year pagbanta signed Amicable Settlement Agreement on January 19 at the Ra’ayat Hall of the new Provincial Capitol in Barangay Sta. Clara, Lamitan city. (In the photo, seated, 3rd from the left is Cmdr Tand Yunus, 4th is Hji Gani Tiblani, 5th is Cmdr. Arasad Addala.) (MindaNews photo by JULES L. BENITEZ)
TUBURAN, Basilan (MindaNews / 18 January) – The provincial government of Basilan has allocated P70 million for the construction of madaris buildings across the province’s 11 municipalities and two cities in 2026. The announcement was made by Governor Mujiv Hataman
Basilan Gov. Mujiv Hataman and his wife Isabela City Mayor Sitti Djaliya Turabin-Hataman tour visitors to the peace monument in Sampinit Complex, a forested area that borders Lamitan City and the towns of Maluso and Sumisip.
The provincial government of Basilan launches a Shariah-based conflict resolution mechanism locally called “pagsusulut” in Zamboanga City on Tuesday (16 December 2025) during the pioneering training on the topic. MindaNews by JULES L. BENITEZ
Through the years, children from the sea community of Bajau have become a constant presence at the Isabela City wharf in Basilan, like the boys in this picture taken Thursday morning (11 December 2025), diving for coins thrown by travelers from arriving or departing passenger boats. MindaNews photo by JULES L. BENITEZ
Proudly displaying her “Os inalaman,” a tenun (Yakan weave) used as hip wraparound to complete a woman traditional attire, Mary Ann Taala, 45, is selling her produce at the provincial capitol of Basilan in Isabela City in time for the 18-Day Campaign to End Violence Against Women. The campaign runs from November 25 to December 12, 2025. MindaNews photo by JULES L. BENITEZ
ZAMBOANGA CITY (MindaNews / 6 December) — The arrest and continued detention of former President Rodrigo Duterte at the International Criminal Court (ICC) has once again divided the Philippines, heightened by the recent denial of the appeal for interim release
When a church born in defiance of colonial rule calls for a nationwide rally against corruption, the country should perhaps listen to what a century of being an independent and wholly Filipino Church is now saying. Iglesia ni Cristo (INC),
ZAMBOANGA CITY (MindaNews / 08 November) – The floods in Cebu were not a freak event. They are the latest chapter in a long, predictable story. Here across Mindanao, the same forces are at play: forests stripped bare, rivers choked
ZAMBOANGA CITY (MindaNews / 5 Nov) — In the face of mounting corruption scandals and economic instability, the Philippines finds itself at a crossroads. The public is angry, institutions are shaken, and the demand for moral leadership has never been
MANILA (MindaNews / 5 Sept) — “Mas madali pa ang umilag-ilag sa mga bala ng gyera sa aming lugar kaysa magsalita dito sa forum (It seems far easier to dodge bullets in the armed skirmishes in our village than to
PATIKUL, Sulu (MindaNews / 28 Aug) — In a region long scarred by armed insurgency, the municipality of Patikul has taken a transformative step toward healing and renewal. Local leaders, civil society groups, and government agencies gathered here Thursday to
PATIKUL, Sulu (MindaNews / 13 July) – From war zone to peace zone. For approximately 30 years, this municipality had been the site of many armed encounters between the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines
Residents and visitors flock to Tanduh Beach in Parang, Sulu on Saturday, 05 July 2025. The beach is a 30-minute ride from the capital town of Jolo. MindaNews photo by JULES L. BENITEZ
Friday morning (4 July 2025) finds Inah (mother) preparing breakfast at the kusina for facilitators of Bridging Leaders Associates, who are conducting community rehabilitation and reconstruction planning in Barangay Kabbon Takas Patikul, Sulu, five years after the war against the Abu Sayyaf. The initiative is supported by UNDP and Australian Aid. MindaNews photo by JULES L. BENITEZ
Local tourists enjoy the scenery in the half-kilometer long Tanduh white beach in Barangay Tumangas, Parang municipality in Sulu on Monday (30 June 2025). The beach is located 25 kilometers away from capital town Jolo. MindaNews photo by JULES BENITEZ
At noontime on 27 May 2025, the temperature in Zamboanga City was recorded at 31°C along the city’s baywalk, known for its colorful vinta sails. Temperature in the city rises to as high as 36°C during summer. MindaNews photo by JULES L. BENITEZ
When President Manuel L. Quezon visited the province of Sulu, he took a swim at Barangay Igasan’s white sand beach in the municipality of Patikul. Since then, it was named Quezon Beach. MindaNews photo by JULES L. BENITEZ
This makeshift classroom in Barangay Maligay in Patikul, Sulu caters to 40 Kindergarten up to Grade III students. Residents constructed the school as part of their community rehabilitation program after Patikul was declared insurgency free in December 2023. MindaNews photo by JULES L. BENITEZ
MAGLALAHING. A copra producer (maglalahing) in Barangay Tugas in Patikul, Sulu works in his small tapahan (kiln) on Tuesday (20 May 2025. Copra production is the main agricultural product of Sulu, apart from fisheries. MindaNews photo by JULES L. BENITEZ
ZAMBOANGA CITY (MindaNews / 30 March) — Daang Mendiola, that short street, 0.578 kilometers, leading to the gates of Malacañang Palace where the seat of political power in the country operates, clarifies who the parties in a conflict are. I
Motorcade for FPRRD
Close to 350 motorcycles and private cars join the motorcade in Zamboanga City on Saturday evening, March 22, 2025 to express support for former Philippine President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, who has been detained since March 12 at the International Criminal Court on alleged crime against humanity in The Hague, the Netherlands. Riders are urging national government to “bring him home.” MindaNews photo by JULES L. BENITEZ
ZAMBOANGA CITY (MindaNews / 13 March) — Some 2,000 Zamboangueños stage a rally supporting former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte Wednesday evening (12 March 2025) at the Abong-abong Park in Pasonanca, Zamboanga City. Hastily organized, the rallyists called on the International
For a brief moment, the horizon in the east looks pinkish as the sun rises in Cagayan de Oro, known as the City of Golden Friendship. MindaNews photo taken shortly after 5:30 dawn Tuesday (21 January 2025) by JULES L. BENITEZ
Sama Bangingi family transports the firewood they collected in Bisaya-Bisaya islet to the neighboring islet in Once Islas, Zamboanga City. MindaNews photo by JULES L. BENITEZ
Once Islas, a tourist destination about an hour away from the city center of Zamboanga, offers 11 scenic islets where visitors can swim in cool waters and chill amid the fresh sea breeze. Catered food is offered upon prior booking with the City Tourism Office. MindaNews photo taken 28 December 2024 by JULES L. BENITEZ
The sight of individuals sleeping along the walkway is a common sight at the Zamboanga City Medical Center, a public hospital catering to patients in Region IX. MindaNews photo taken on December 26 by JULES L. BENITEZ
Families take turns to pose with not just one but three Santa Claus in a mall in Cagayan de Oro City. MindaNews photo by JULES L. BENITEZ
The city government of El Salvador in Misamis Oriental offers free movie at the park fronting the city hall. Decorated with Christmas lights, decors, and booths, the feeling of a festive season is alive every night. MindaNews photo by JULES L. BENITEZ
Gaining attraction from tourists, Barangay Datu Salumay in Marilog District, Davao City hosts several mountain resorts that offer swimming pools, overnight cottages, and endless view of mountain ranges. The cold weather brings sea of clouds early morning on Saturday, 23 November 2024. MindaNews photo by JULES L. BENITEZ.
Bihing Tahik Resort in Bongao, Tawi-Tawi features the island province’s first infinity pool, which offers a vista of the Sulu Sea and Bud Bongao. MindaNews photo taken on Sunday (17 November 2024) by JULES L. BENITEZ
Fastcrafts are now plying the sea route from Bongao, capital town of Tawi-tawi province, to Sibutu and Sitangkai, two major agar-agar producing municipalities in the region. It took six to eight hours to reach these islands before but via fastcraft, it takes only 45 minutes to one hour. MindaNews photo by JULES L. BENITEZ
Farmers prepare to plant agar-agar in Sibutu, Tawi-Tawi on Friday (15 November 2024). Bajau farmers are complaining about the high cost of agar-agar seedlings. Relief International and UNHCR are working with the municipal government to improve the Bajaus economic productivity. MindaNews photo by JULES L. BENITEZ
A Bajau mother prepares dinner for the family consisting of boiled rice and steamed freshly caught fish, as the sun is setting in Barangay Ligayan in Sibutu, Tawi-Tawi on November 15, 2024. MindaNews photo by JULES L. BENITEZ
After roughly 10 hours of night boat ride from Zamboanga City, one reaches the Port of Jolo in Sulu shortly before 6 o’clock in the morning to the welcoming sight of the Grand Mosque and the calls of the Bajau in their bancas. MindaNews photo by JULES L. BENITEZ
Hapipa Albani, a fortyish Sama Badjau in Maluso, Basilan, and all her children have no birth registration. The municipal government is working with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, UNICEF, Community and Family Services International, and Relief International to provide her and other Sama Badjau access to registration and economic uplift. MindaNews photo taken 17 September 2024in Barangay Shipyard Tabuk, Maluso by JULES L. BENITEZ
After typhoon Ferdie (international name Bebinca), Basilan Strait between Zamboanga City and Basilan Island is again calm. Shown in this photo taken around 9am on 16 September 2024 is Malamawi Island, fronting Isabela City. MindaNews photo by JULES L. BENITEZ
A learning center for food research, innovation, and training is operational now in the heart of the Mindanao State University campus in Sanga-sanga, Tawi-Tawi. MindaNews photo by JULES L. BENITEZ
Municipal Administrator Rhosatina Matolo inquires with a Sama Badjau fisherman how the community’s dried fish productivity can be improved in this photo taken Wednesday (11 September 2024) in the island of Dalo-dalo, Sapa-sapa municipality in Tawi-Tawi.MindaNews photo by JULES L. BENITEZ
Once a day a small boat, or lantsa, transports products and people from Languyan island-municipality to Bongao, the capital town of Tawi-Tawi. The travel takes about five hours and costs P300 per passenger. MindaNews photo by JULES L. BENITEZ
NOT A DRILL. Guests of Park Inn, Lanang, Davao City, were evacuated to ground safety when a Magnitude 6.8 earthquake off Surigao del Sur shook parts of Mindanao at 6:22 a.m. on Saturday, 03 August 2024. MindaNews photo by JULES L. BENITEZ.
Mornings seem to be the best time to be awe-inspired by Lake Sebu in the hinterlands of South Cotabato province. Lake Sebu is considered among the important watersheds in Region 12. MindaNews photo by JULES L. BENITEZ.
Youths from Masiu, Lanao del Sur participating in a “culture of peace” training on July 13 to 15, 2024 in Iligan City draw their interpretation of “Kabataan ang pag-asa ng kapayapaan.” The training, participated by 35 youths, was conducted by Relief International and supported Australian Aid. MindaNews photo by JULES L. BENITEZ
Gingoog Park in Misamis Oriental glistens as rain drizzles Tuesday evening (2 July 2024), a reminder that rainy days are here once again. MindaNews photo by JULES L. BENITEZ.
Gingoog City promoted this waterfalls in barangay Lawit, 30 minutes by motorcycle from the city center, as a major tourist attraction. However, the site has been closed to the public for two years now because of hazards posed by landslides ang falling boulders along the way. MindaNews photo by JULES L. BENITEZ
Two fishermen prepare their nets for fishing as dusk falls on barangay Lower Banlas, Mambajao in Camiguin Island. MindaNews photo by JULES L. BENITEZ
