A group of Islamic militants, believed to be the Abu Sayyaf, have release a video of three foreign men and a Filipina who were kidnapped in Samal Island in September. The video, uploaded on YouTube on Monday, October 12, shows the hostages sitting on the ground, surrounded by men holding high-powered firearms. The militants demanded that the military stop its assault against the group before negotiations over the release of the hostages can begin. Security analysts say the victims could be held on Jolo Island, the stronghold of the Abu Sayyaf group. The Abu Sayyaf currently has 3 other foreigners as hostages, used as bargaining chips in return for large sums of ransom money.

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Presidential wannabes continued to come out of the woodwork to file their certificates of candidacy (COCs) in an increasingly crowded field. On Tuesday, October 13, 15 more candidates filed their COCs for the top presidential post, bringing the total number of candidates for president to 37 by the end of day 2, on Tuesday at the Commission on Elections (COMELEC). Among those who filed were Marita Arilla who aims to create an absolute monarchy in the country and Arturo Pacheco Reyes who wants to legalize the 4 seasons in the Philippines. A majority of these candidates could be considered nuisance candidates by the COMELEC if they fail to meet the criteria set by the poll body. Also on Tuesday, senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr filed his COC as a vice presidential candidate. Marcos is one of 3 senators from the Nacionalista Party who have announced their intention to seek the vice presidency.

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Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago announced on Tuesday, October 13 her intention to run for president in 2016. Saying she has “nothing left to do” after surviving her battle with lung cancer, the popular senator added she would like to end her career in public service. In July 2014, the 70-year-old Santiago revealed she had stage 4 lung cancer and subsequently took a leave from the Senate. A year later, in July, she declared that her lung cancer had been “licked”. She told reporters on the sidelines of her book launch that her running mate is someone who has already announced his vice presidential bid, but she declined to name him. Santiago previously ran for president in 1992 but lost to president Fidel V. Ramos.

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China’s middle class has overtaken the United States to become the world’s largest, Credit Suisse said Tuesday, October 13, in its latest report on global wealth. The Swiss bank said that with 109 million adults, the Chinese middle class for the first time outnumbered that in the US at 92 million. The bank adds it sees the continued growth of the Asia’s middle class as well. The impact of a growing economy will also change consumption patterns as well as societal changes, its analysts said. China now accounts for a fifth of the world’s population, while holding nearly 10% of the global wealth. But China’s economic growth has slowed down in recent years, prompting a shift in strategy towards more domestic consumption instead of export-led growth.

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Public satisfaction over the way President Benigno Aquino III’s government has administered the country rose by 6 points in September, according to the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey. The Aquino administration obtained a “good” +37 net satisfaction rating for September, up from +31 in March. Survey respondents rated the government’s performance as good for its ability to help the poor and how it managed its foreign relations. On the other hand, respondents ranked as “bad” the government’s handling of the Mamasapano operation which led to the deaths of elite police troopers. The survey results mirror the net satisfaction rating of President Aquino for the same period.

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Air crash investigators concluded Tuesday, October 13, that Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 was shot down by a Russian-made BUK missile fired from war-torn eastern Ukraine last year killing all 298 people on board. “Flight MH17 crashed as a result of the detonation of a warhead outside the airplane against the left-hand side of the cockpit,” the chairman of the Dutch Safety Board, Tjibbe Joustra, told a press conference. The report, however, did not name who could’ve been responsible for firing the missile. The highly anticipated findings could further strain ties between Russia and the west. Moscow quickly disputed the findings. The BUK missile system was developed and manufactured in Russia. Theories have abounded pointing at pro-Russian rebels or secret security forces as being responsible for the attack, while Russia blames the Ukranian government.

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The Asia Society awarded world boxing champion Manny Pacquiao as the 2015 Asia Game Changer of the Year for using his sport and his star power as forces for good in the fields of education and human trafficking. “The Asia Game Changer Award recognizes those making a transformative and positive difference for the future of Asia and the world. This award recognizes extraordinary global game-changers with a widespread influence,” said Asia Society Philippines Executive Director Suyin Liu Lee. Pacquiao was more humble about his receiving the award saying, “the award describes me as a world famous boxer and humanitarian force. It makes me sound like a superhero. But I am not. In reality, I am but a man blessed by God.” Honorees for the Asia Game Changer Award are selected through a global survey of more than 1,000 thought leaders. In 2014, Alibaba CEO Jack Ma was given the Asia Game Changer award. Pacquiao will receive the award at the United Nations in New York City.

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The United States and its Pacific ally Australia warned China on Tuesday, October 13, that they remain committed to freedom of navigation in the waters of the South China Sea. China has maritime territorial disputes with several of its southeast Asian neighbors and is trying to bolster its claim by building artificial islands. Washington is reportedly drawing up a plan to sail by these disputed islands in the coming days or weeks. “Australia and America both want to sustain and renew an Asia-Pacific regional security architecture where everyone rises and everyone prospers,” US Defense Secretary Ash Carter said. “But make no mistake,” he warned “the United States will fly, sail and operate wherever international law allows, as we do around the world. And the South China Sea is not and will not be an exception.”

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Popular men’s magazine, Playboy, will stop publishing photographs of fully nude women, declaring nude photos have become “passe” in the Internet age where free pornography is ready available. Starting in March of 2016, Playboy’s revamped print edition will still include photographs of women in provocative poses, but will exclude nude photos. With pornographic images now so readily available online, Playboy is selling fewer and fewer copies. The magazine’s circulation decreased from 5.6 million in 1975 to about 800,000 now. In addition to its sexy centerfolds, the magazine is also known for its fascinating interviews with defining cultural icons of the moment. But, in a world used to associating Playboy with nudity, the magazine publisher is hoping this move to cover up will still turn pages.

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A missing Indonesian man was found alive, naked and floating in a huge volcanic lake on Tuesday, October 13two days after the helicopter in which he was traveling crashed. The man, named in local reports as Fransiskus Subihardayan, was rushed to hospital after being found conscious but very weak, and wearing only a black watch, in Lake Toba, into which the aircraft is believed to have plummeted, on western Sumatra island. The survivor, in his 20s, was one of 5 people aboard the Eurocopter EC-130 when it disappeared Sunday during a short flight from Samosir island, a popular tourist spot on the lake, to the city of Medan. According to the survivor, the 5 passengers of the helicopter managed to jump off as it crashed. They stayed afloat by holding on to water hyacinths but then they were separated. The 4 other passengers remain missing.

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