Today on Rappler – the latest news in the Philippines and around the world:

• More than 55,000 Negros Occidental families spend Christmas homeless

Close to 56,000 families in Negros Occidental are spending Christmas Eve knowing they have no homes to return to. As of Friday, December 24, at least 42 persons are confirmed dead and 104 injured because of Typhoon Odette, international name Rai.

• Lalamove asked to explain ‘December fee’ for Christmas deliveries

The Department of Trade and Industry asks delivery service app Lalamove to explain why it is charging a ‘December fee’ of up to P100 for parcel deliveries. This fee is placed on top of the base price and high demand surcharge.

• In Comelec’s updated tentative list, presidential bets down from 97 to 15

The number of presidential aspirants for the 2022 elections decrease significantly after the Commission on Elections (Comelec) removed names of nuisance candidates on its tentative list of candidates.

• Heightened DDoS attacks target critical media

The cyberattacks against the websites of newsgroups ABS-CBN News, Rappler, and Vera Files may have been initiated by the same groups. Sweden-based digital forensics nonprofit Qurium Media says the attacks bore the same ‘distinctive’ signatures.

• BTS’ Suga tests positive for COVID-19

BTS’ Suga tests positive for COVID-19 after returning to South Korea from the United States. A statement by BTS’ management BIGHIT Music announces this December 24. – Rappler.com