Pope John Paul II had a close relationship with a married woman which lasted over 30 years, according to 350 letters were found at the National Library of Poland. The letters are the centerpiece of a documentary being shown by the BBC. The documentary does not claim then Cardinal Karol Wojtyla broke his vow of celibacy with Polish-born philosopher and writer Anna-Teresa Tymieniecka, but points to intense feelings between them. The two spent camping and skiing holidays together and went on country walks. In one letter from September 1976, he calls her a “gift from God”. Senior BBC journalist Edward Stourton said, “I would say they were more than friends but less than lovers.” John Paul II was pope from 1978 to 2005 and was made a saint by the Catholic Church after his death.

Read more on Pope John Paul’s letters to Polish writer.

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) said it included the name of Senator Grace Poe in the printed ballot as presidential candidate. Poe has pending cases against the Comelec before the Supreme Court (SC) after the poll body disqualified her. The SC has issued a restraining order against the Comelec’s decision. Roy Señeres is also in the list. He withdrew his candidacy for health reasons on February 5, and died 3 days later. Votes cast for him will be considered stray votes.

Read more on Poe’s name in list and the 2016 printing of ballots.

Despite her improving survey numbers, Liberal Party vice presidential bet Leni Robredo said the “real challenge” to her campaign remains to be northern Luzon, a bailiwick of rival Bongbong Marcos Jr. “There was an increase of 19% [in my ratings] in the span of two and half months. I hope it will improve to 30% after 3 months.” Robredo was in the province for a meeting with farmers and fisherfolk in Kabankalan City. In a chance interview at the Silay airport, Robredo was asked in which localities she is still weak. “The number one is northern Luzon. The surveys are very consistent.” The latest Social Weather Stations survey, conducted February 5-7, shows that Marcos is now tied with Senator Francis Escudero for the top spot in the vice presidential race while Robredo was up 2 points.

Read more on Leni’s challenge in Marcos country and her improving numbers.

Senator Gregorio “Gringo” Honasan II, a key player in the 1986 EDSA Revolution which toppled Ferdinand Marcos believes the strongman was a better president than Corazon “Cory” Aquino in the first 6 years of his presidency. Asked on TV to give a one-word answer to the question: “Who is the better president: Marcos or Cory?” The United Nationalist Alliance’s vice presidential candidate replied “Marcos”. In a phone call to Rappler, he clarified: “When I worked as a soldier and comparing their first 6 years, Marcos was the better president,” said Honasan. He added his answer no longer covers the latter years of the Marcos regime – a time marred by deaths, torture, disappearances, cronyism, and the loss of civil liberties. The senator was accused of plotting the December 1989 mutiny that brought down the Philippine economy and almost toppled Mrs Aquino. Honasan was jailed following his involvement in these attempts, and was dismissed from service.

Read more on Gringo comparing Cory and Marcos.

Philippine authorities pledged to auction off as soon as possible millions of dollars’ worth of jewellery recovered from late dictator Ferdinand Marcos and his family. The Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG), created to recover the millions stolen by Marcos and his allies, has also launched a website aimed at retrieving hundreds of art masterpieces believed to have been obtained by the Marcos family with “ill-gotten wealth.” The PCGG wants to auction off most of the jewels before President Benigno Aquino steps down in June. The long-hidden collection, seized in three batches after Marcos was overthrown in 1986, has been cited by critics as proof of how his family enriched itself. The renewed effort comes as Ferdinand Marcos’s son and namesake takes the lead vice-presidential race.

Read more on Marcos jewels.

Beijing says the deployment of a US missile defense system on the Korean peninsula in response to Pyongyang’s ballistic missile program would threaten China’s strategic interests. Foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei said China was concerned about the possible deployment of the THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense System) system saying it “covers a range that is far beyond the needs of defense of the Korean peninsula”. Beijing argues that the THAAD deployment would trigger an arms race in the region. The system fires anti-ballistic missiles into the sky to smash into enemy missiles either inside or outside the Earth’s atmosphere during their final flight phase. The interceptor missiles carry no warheads, instead relying on kinetic energy to destroy their targets. The US has long called for Beijing to use its role as Pyongyang’s most important ally to pressure the country into changing its behavior.

Read more on the deployment of THAAD to South Korea.

Rap megastar Kanye West takes to Twitter and says he’s “53 million dollars in personal debt”. He also reaches out to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Google founder Larry Page. Forbes listed Kanye as the 6th richest among Hip-Hop Cash Kings in 2014 with an estimated income of $30 million that year. The tweet comes after he released his new album The Life of Pablo and the latest collection in his clothing line, Yeezy.

Read more on Kanye’s debt.

NBA legend Kobe Bryant plays his final All-Star Game in Toronto, Canada. Bryant retires at the end of the season finishing a 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers. Bryant is a 5-time NBA champion and an 18-time All-Star. He was also the youngest player in NBA history to win 3 crowns back when he was 23 years old.

Read more on Kobe’s retirement.

Manny Pacquiao’s surgically repaired right shoulder looks strong on the first day of training for his third fight with Timothy Bradley. Pacquiao and Roach worked 7 rounds on the mitts together, with Roach frequently calling for double right hooks as part of combinations. The 8-division boxing champion said he had not trained for a single day in the boxing gym since his loss to Floyd Mayweather Jr last May.Despite skepticism over his retirement, boxing champ Manny Pacquiao said, “I don’t care what others think, but as for me, I will retire after the Bradley fight.” Top Rank Promotions chief Bob Arum says he’s not fully convinced Pacquiao will quit and refused to advertise the match as his farewell fight. Long-time trainer Freddie Roach also said he believes Pacquiao is not ready to quit boxing yet. Pacquiao is running for a senate seat in the Philippine elections in May.

Watch Pacquiao train with injured shoulder.

Valentines messages flew between US President Barack Obama to his wife, First Lady Michelle Obama on the Ellen DeGeneres’ show. Michelle on video said: “Roses are red / violets are blue / You are the President / And I am your boo.” President Obama then surprised the crowd by saying he came prepared with a message for his wife, too. “Somebody call the Situation Room, because things are about to get hot!”. He added later, “Because I love you so much, I ObamaCare about you more than you even know!”, a pun on the nickname of his Affordable Care Act, a health reform law signed in 2010 and considered a key moment in his presidency.

Read more on the Obama couple’s valentine messages.