Good day. Here are the stories of The Manila Times for Sunday, January 11, 2026.
Today’s episode is brought to you by Wilcon Depot, The Philippines’ leading home improvement and construction supplies retailer—your Trusted Building Partner.
READ: 4 dead, 35 missing in Cebu landfill collapse
The death toll from the landfill collapse in Barangay Binaliw, Cebu City, increased to four, as search and rescue teams continued operating under dangerous conditions on Saturday to locate 35 workers who remain missing beneath tons of garbage and debris. The four dead, including an engineer and a female office worker, were all employees of the landfill and waste management facility with a staff of 110, according to the mayor and police. The initial list of victims on Friday included two dead and 36 missing, which increased on Saturday to four dead, according to Mayor Nestor Archival, who did not provide an updated number of people missing. Authorities also reported that 12 workers were rescued alive and brought to nearby hospitals for treatment after being pulled from the rubble. The collapse occurred at 4:17 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 8, when a massive slide of accumulated waste swept through the private landfill facility operated by Prime Waste Solutions.
READ: Traslacion 2026 now longest in history
AFTER over 30 hours of traveling, the image of the Black Nazarene returned to Quiapo Church on Saturday. Church officials said two devotees had died during the procession, but offered no other details. The andas, or carriage, containing the Nazarene’s image arrived at the church at 10:49 a.m. on Saturday, after starting the procession at 3:59 a.m. on Friday, according to the Manila Public Information Office (PIO). The total running time of the Traslacion was one day, six hours and 50 minutes. This year’s Traslacion has officially become the longest procession in history, having surpassed the 22-hour, 14-minute record that was set in 2012.
READ: New Chinese envoy seeks ‘constructive engagement’
NEWLY appointed Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Jing Quan has expressed his intention to pursue constructive engagement with Manila despite long-standing diplomatic and security challenges, Sen. Rodante Marcoleta said on Friday. During the Jan. 9 episode of “Sa Ganang Mamamayan,” a public affairs radio program broadcast on Net 25 and co-hosted by Marcoleta, the senator said Quan articulated this viewpoint during a recent meeting they had. Marcoleta said both he and the Chinese envoy reached a mutual understanding that the relationship between the Philippines and China should not be framed as a zero-sum scenario, in which the gains of one nation inherently produce losses for the other. Instead, they emphasized the necessity of open, continuous and meaningful dialogue to address shared concerns, prevent misunderstandings and mitigate the potential for conflict.
READ: Standby funds a safety net, not a political fund, DBM says
THE Department of Budget and Management (DBM) said on Saturday that the unprogrammed appropriations (UAs) serve as a “safety net” and not as a “politician fund,” ensuring the lawful and transparent release of the budget. In a radio interview, DBM Acting Secretary Rolly Toledo maintained that there is nothing irregular with the inclusion of the UA in the 2026 General Appropriations Act (GAA). Toledo said the executive branch, with the consent of Congress, has been granted the authority to fund select programs or projects that are not financed under the programmed appropriations in the 2026 GAA.
READ: Alex Eala soars to new career-high in WTA live rankings
FILIPINO tennis ace Alexandra “Alex” Eala is set to reach a new career-high at the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) rankings after her semifinal finish at the ASB Classic in Auckland, New Zealand. As per the live rankings on Saturday right after her semis loss to Chinese Wang Xinyu, 7-5, 5-7, 4-6, Eala will seize a career-best 49th place, a notch higher than her previous high and four higher than her current ranking at 53rd. The new rankings will reflect on the WTA website on Monday in Manila.
SPORTS: SMB, TNT eye 3-1 semis lead
SAN Miguel Beer and TNT shoot for a commanding 3-1 lead in their respective PBA Season 50 Philippine Cup semifinal series as action shifts on Sunday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay. The Beermen captured their second straight win in the series following their 91-85 victory last Friday against the Barangay Ginebra Kings. SMB will be shooting for a third straight victory when it faces Ginebra again at 5:15 p.m. The charges of coach Leo Austria dropped the series-opening game, 99-90 last week. The 7:30 p.m. will then feature TNT looking to bounce back from its 97-89 defeat in Game 3 when it battles a resurgent Meralco side.
BUSINESS: AVPN, Asean Foundation to train MSMEs on AI
AVPN, Asia’s largest network of social investors, has partnered with the Asean Foundation to enable micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the region to use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to help their businesses. Called the AI for MSME Advancement in Asean (Aim Asean) Program, the two partners, with support from Google.org and the Asian Development Bank through the AI Opportunity Fund: Asia Pacific, will train at least 100,000 MSMEs across the region learning materials that would reflect real-world challenges and goals of business owners. In an exclusive interview with The Manila Times, AVPN Director for Special Projects Young Park said that the AI Opportunity Fund is a “training initiative to help communities across different regions in Asia Pacific to keep pace with the rapid change of AI advancement.”
READ: Opinion and editorial
Marlen Ronquillo is today’s front page columnist, saying there is a “pygmy” on the global stage.
Today’s editorial talks about the “naked aggression” of US President Donald Trump. Read the full version in the paper’s opinion section or listen to the Voice of the Times.
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Source: HEADLINES: 4 dead, 35 missing in Cebu landfill collapse | Jan. 11, 2026
