Daily News Highlights – March 27, 2016 Edition

Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle opened the Easter celebration by reminding Catholics to “look for Jesus” despite “tombs” in the world such as the recent attacks in Brussels, Belgium. Speaking in the Easter Vigil Mass at the Manila Cathedral, Cardinal Tagle urged Catholics not to let “the bombs and the gunfire dominate our ‘alleluia.'”

Read the full story on Cardinal Tagle’s homily for the Easter Vigil Mass. 

A man officially identified as Faycal C, who is believed to be the third Brussels airport bomber, was charged with terror offenses on Saturday, March 26. Investigators are now working on the theory that he could be the man in a hat and white jacket pictured with two other airport bombers, but whose device failed to go off. The Brussels airport, meanwhile, said it will not reopen before Tuesday at the earliest. 

President Benigno Aquino III, in his last Easter message as the Philippines’ leader, called on Filipinos to “seek the light amidst the clouds of uncertainty.” He also urged them to continue supporting the reforms under his administration. Aquino’s call comes around 6 weeks before Filipinos head to the polls to choose his successor.

The local campaign period has officially kicked off, and #PHVote, Rappler’s comprehensive coverage of the 2016 Philippine elections, is here to help voters make an informed choice. Rappler has a page for each of the 1,489 municipalities, 145 cities, 81 provinces, and the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. These local pages feature a list of candidates for every position, information about incumbent officials, issues that matter to voters in the area, and much more.

Take a look at what the #PHVote local pages have in store for you.

Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte said he just plans to “sleep the whole day” when he turns 71 on Monday, March 28. The presidential candidate, who was born in Maasin, Southern Leyte on March 28, 1945, told reporters that he has “never celebrated a birthday.” It will be Duterte’s first birthday as a national figure. He is the second oldest presidential candidate after Vice President Jejomar Binay, who is 73 years old.

Read more about Duterte’s birthday plans.

Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders won the caucuses in Alaska and Washington, giving his campaign a much-needed boost. Hillary Clinton, however, remains far ahead in terms of total number of delegates. Going into Saturday, Clinton already had 1,711 delegates, compared to 952 for Sanders. To win the Democratic nomination, 2,383 delegates are needed.

Here are the latest developments on the Democratic front.

The Philippines’ first microsatellite, the Diwata-1, finally reached the International Space Station (ISS). Diwata-1 is part of the payload of unmanned cargo ship Cygnus, which successfully docked at the ISS on Saturday, March 26. Cygnus also brought 7,900 pounds of supplies for the ISS crew of 6 astronauts, as well as components to support dozens of science and research probes.

Read more about Diwata-1 and Cygnus’ tasks. 

Firemen have been dispatched to the Mt Apo summit to respond to a reported fire in the area. According to businessman Philip Dizon, his friend told him that the fire started around 1 pm on Black Saturday. Kidapawan City Mayor Joseph Evangelista also said that the blaze was first noticed from the Kapatagan, Davao del Sur area. Mountaineers have been evacuated to safer ground. 

Get updates on the Mt Apo fire. 

American boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr, who is 6 months into retirement following his last bout against Andre Berto, has been talking about possible fights. In an interview with FightHype, Mayweather brought up the possibility of facing either Gennady Golovkin or Danny Garcia, who are both undefeated like him. But he also said he wanted to enjoy his retirement – for now.

Take a look at Mayweather’s latest remarks.