Andrea Del Rosario's unforgettable encounter with Vin Diesel

 

By Manila Bulletin Entertainment

Published Feb 9, 2026 01:05 pm

Actress Andrea Del Rosario recalled the surprising and memorable way she met Hollywood action star Vin Diesel, a chance encounter that left a lasting impression.

“I saw him—actually, no, he saw me. Syempre galing akong Boracay. Kamukha ko si Pocahontas. Tapos, my hair is up to—I don't know where. I was with another friend of mine at that time, Michelle Bayle.” (“I saw him—actually, no, he saw me. Of course, I had just come from Boracay, and I looked like Pocahontas. And my hair is up to—I don’t know where. I was with another friend of mine at the time, Michelle Bayle.”) said Andrea during an interview for the YouTube show "TicTaLK with Aster Amoyo."

Andrea Del Rosario (YouTube)

Andrea added, “So, ayun nag-invite lang siya (So he invited us) — ‘Hey, would you like to join us,’ and it’s a big group. We went as a large group to his Beverly Hills house. (Hey, would you like to join us?’ and it’s a big group. We all went as a big group to his house in Beverly Hills.)"

After accepting Vin's invitation, Andrea said they had a few conversations that helped build their connection.

“He shared that may twin brother ba siya? I don’t know, ha—correct me if I’m wrong. But he has a brother, married to a Filipina.” (He shared that he has a twin brother? I don’t know—correct me if I’m wrong. But he has a brother, married to a Filipina.) she stated.

When asked if they ended up together, Andrea was quick to clarify that nothing romantic happened.

“Hindi tita. Of course, it could have grown, but alam ko naman na we have different lives. Fairy tale kind of experience lang that I’ve met him.” (No, Tita, no… Of course it could have grown, but I knew we had different lives. It was just a fairy-tale kind of experience that I got to meet him)," she said.

The actress further explained that she and Vin did not communicate again after having a few encounters.

“I think when he promoted a movie here, I emailed him kasi email pa noon Tita, wala pa tayong instagram. I told him, ‘Hey, I heard you’re in town. Welcome, and I hope you enjoy your stay.’” (I think when he promoted a movie here, I emailed him because back then, Tita, we didn’t have Instagram yet. I told him, ‘Hey, I heard you’re in town. Welcome, and I hope you enjoy your stay)," she shared.   

Andrea also shared that Vin replied to her message, but that was the end of their exchange.

“Nakakatuwa lang, I never thought I'd meet somebody like him, di ba? He was very nice, he was a wonderful guy. Nakakatuwa lang na meron din pala siyang connection sa culture natin. (It was really nice, I never thought I'd meet somebody like him, right? He was very nice, he was a wonderful guy. It was also nice to learn that he has a connection to our culture)," she said.

Talking about her relationship with her husband, Anthony Garcia, Andrea joked that he resembles a Hollywood star.

“Tingnan mo si Anthony—kalbo, oh di ba? I got my local version of Vin Diesel. (Look at Anthony—he’s bald, right?)," she said.

Andrea also shared her heartfelt gratitude to her husband.

“I wanna say, thank you for being a wonderful partner, father, friend, polo teammate, babysitter, travel companion, sister, brother, son. You are amazing, and I just wanna say, thank you for being you. I’m just very grateful that God gave you to us. I know you care for us and love us, so thank you. Thank you for the love. We can’t wait to build more wonderful memories with you,” she added. (Elizza Callos, intern)

You nullify the word of God

 

By Manila Bulletin

Published Feb 10, 2026 12:05 am

REFLECTIONS TODAY

What is clear here is that Jesus accepts the Law in the Decalogue (Ten Commandments) as binding. What God said to Moses holds. On the other hand, Jesus assails the oral tradition which renders the true aim of the Law void. One such case is the qorban.

As Mark explains it to his non-Jewish readers, qorban means “dedicated,” a gift given to God. People dedicate some things to God, reserving them for sacred use and withdrawing them from their intended use. In a hypothetical situation suggested by Jesus, the son declares his property qorban, legally excluding his parents from its use. Should he regret his decision, he must submit his case to the Pharisees and scribes for arbitration. In this case, to satisfy God’s legal claim, the experts of the Law tell him that his vow must be honored, thus not allowing him to help his parents in need. This tradition may be based on honoring one’s vow (Dt 30:2), but this should not be used to negate the greater commandment of honoring and supporting one’s parents in their old age. There is a saying in Latin, ubi maior, minor cessat. “Where the greater is there, the lesser ceases.” Before the greater commandment of honoring one’s parents and caring for them, the qorban becomes negligible.

Gospel • Mark 7:1-13

When the Pharisees with some scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus, they observed that some of his disciples ate their meals with unclean, that is, unwashed, hands. (For the Pharisees and, in fact, all Jews, do not eat without carefully washing their hands, keeping the tradition of the elders. And on coming from the marketplace they do not eat without purifying themselves. And there are many other things that they have traditionally observed, the purification of cups and jugs and kettles and beds.) So the Pharisees and scribes questioned him, “Why do your disciples not follow the tradition of the elders but instead eat a meal with unclean hands?” He responded, “Well did Isaiah prophesy about you hypocrites, as it is written: This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines human precepts. You disregard God’s commandment but cling to human tradition.” He went on to say, “How well you have set aside the commandment of God in order to uphold your tradition!

For Moses said, Honor your father and your mother, and Whoever curses father or mother shall die. Yet you say, ‘If someone says to father or mother, “Any support you might have had from me is qorban” ’ (meaning, dedicated to God), you allow him to do nothing more for his father or mother. You nullify the word of God in favor of your tradition that you have handed on. And you do many such things.”

Source: “365 Days with the Lord 2026.” E-mail: publishing@stpauls.ph; Website: http://www.stpauls.ph.

„Unmöglich, es aufzuhalten“: Neue Plage rückt Europa näher – Parasit bereitet große Sorge

 

Stand:

09.02.2026, 17:17 Uhr 

Von: Martina Lippl   

Tödlicher Parasit aus Asien bedroht Europas Bienen: Tropilaelaps-Milbe ist verheerender als Varroa und breitet sich nach Westen aus.

Frankfurt – Es ist ein winziger Schädling, der sich auf den Weg nach Europa macht – und er könnte verheerender sein als alles, was Bienenvölker bisher erlebt haben. Die Tropilaelaps-Milbe ist gerade mal so groß wie ein Stecknadelkopf, aber alles andere als harmlos. Der Parasit ist in Asien verbreitet und hat bereits Georgien erreicht. Fachleute in Europa sind alarmiert.    

Gefährlicher Parasit aus Asien: Die Tropilaelaps-Milbe hat vier Beinpaare und ist mit dem bloßem Auge sichtbar. © EU RL Bee Health/anses

„Die Globalisierung, der Klimawandel und andere Faktoren lassen uns sicher sagen, dass er früher oder später zu uns kommen wird und wir müssen bereit sein“, warnt Marco Facchinelli, Präsident des Imkerverbands Trentino in der italienischen Zeitung Il Dolomiti. Der Parasit ähnelt zwar der bereits bekannten Varroa-Milbe, ist aber deutlich gefährlicher. „Es ist unmöglich, es aufzuhalten. Wir müssen versuchen, die Ausbreitung zu verlangsamen, sobald sie auftritt“, so Facchinelli.   

Exotischer Parasit Tropilaelaps bedroht Bienen in Europa

Die Tropilaelaps-Milben sind flink und bewegen sich schnell über Brutwaben, heißt es im Steckbrief des Friedrich Loeffler Instituts (FLI). In kurzer Zeit könnten Honigbienenvölker zugrunde gehen, warnt das FLI. Die Milben ernähren und vermehren sich in der Brut von Bienenlarven und -puppen. Sie schwächen aber auch erwachsene Bienen erheblich. Befallene Völker zeigen verkrüppelte Flügel, Beine und Fühler sowie geschrumpfte Körper. Für den Menschen stellen Tropilaelaps-Milben kein Gesundheitsrisiko dar, betont das FLI.

Tropilaelaps-Alptraum aus Asien: Gefährliche Milbe breitet sich nach Westen aus

Der Parasit stammt ursprünglich aus Asien und war auf Riesenhonigbienen spezialisiert. Mittlerweile haben sich die Tropilaelaps-Milben von Iran bis Papua-Neuguinea ausgebreitet – nach jüngsten Berichten der Europäischen Union (EU) ist der exotische Schädling bereits in Georgien bei Westlichen Honigbienen (Apis mellifera) aufgetaucht – ein alarmierendes Zeichen.   

Bienen in Europa

Bienen sind für Umwelt und Wirtschaft von entscheidender Bedeutung. Schätzungen zufolge tragen Bestäuber, darunter Honigbienen, Hummeln und Wildbienen, jährlich mindestens 22 Milliarden Euro zur europäischen Landwirtschaft bei. Jährlich produzieren rund 600.000 Imker mit 17 Millionen Bienenvölkern 250.000 Tonnen Honig. Die Europäische Union ist nach China der zweitgrößte Honigproduzent der Welt.
Quellen: EURL Bee Health,  Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie (IZSVe)   

Tropiaelaps-Milben als gefährliche Bienenkrankheit eingestuft   

Tropialaelaps-Milben sind zwar bislang noch nicht in Deutschland, Italien oder anderen EU-Ländern aufgetreten. Doch die EU sowie die Weltorganisation für Tiergesundheit (WOAH) haben Tropilaelaps bereits als gefährliche Bienenkrankheit eingestuft, um ihre Einschleppung und Ansiedlung durch Importe zu verhindern. Der Internationale Imkerverband Apimondia forderte im Dezember 2025 koordinierte Maßnahmen auf europäischer Ebene, um das Risiko der Einschleppung und Verbreitung der Tropilaelaps-Milbe in die Europäische Union zu verringern.     

„Hat sich Tropilaelaps erst einmal etabliert, ist eine Ausrottung nicht mehr möglich“, heißt es auf der Webseite des Deutschen Bienenmonitoring (DeBimo) in einem Artikel aus dem Jahr 2023. Nach den historischen Winterverlusten im Jahr 2003 haben sich Bieneninstitute unter DeBimo zusammengeschlossen, um die Gesundheit der Honigbienen zu überwachen. Auch andere Insekten machen Europa zu schaffen: „Tödlichstes Tier der Welt“ wird resistent – Studie entdeckt neue Hotspots in Europa. (Quellen: European Union Reference Laboratory for Bee Health,  Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie (IZSVe), Il Dolomiti, FLI) (ml)

Auch interessant

Why do 98% of Miss Philippines contestants not look Asian? They look Latin American or with substantial European blood

 

Kiersten Jayne

 · 

Chemist at Bureau of Internal Revenue Philippines (2019–present

Simply put, most of the contestants they send to these beauty pageants are half-white, half-Filipino. Some are half-Asian (some other Asian ethnicity aside from Filipino) and half-Filipino. Some look typically Filipina (morena).

Megan Young: Dad is American, mom is Filipina

Pia Wurtzbach: Dad is German, mom is Filipina

Charlene Gonzalez-Muhlach: She’s mixed with European blood (Spanish) but not sure how much percentage

Karen Ibasco: Dad is Chinese, mom is Filipina

Venus Raj: Dad is Indian, mom is Filipina

Janine Tugonon: no significant mixture, she’s pure Filipina

Shamcey Supsup: no significant mix too

But to end this answer, you can agree with me that they are all equally beautiful, right? :)

Filipina beauty is diverse.

Seventh straight hike pushes diesel prices up P6.40 since start of 2026

Dominique Nicole Flores - Philstar.com

February 9, 2026 | 10:24am

Motorists queue at a gasoline station in Quezon City on July 7, 2024.

STAR / Miguel De Guzman

MANILA, Philippines — Motorists will brace for another fuel price hike of up to P1 per liter on Tuesday, February 10, as gasoline posts its fifth straight weekly increase, while diesel and kerosene climb for a seventh week.

Oil firms will increase gasoline and kerosene prices by P0.60 per liter and diesel by P1 per liter, with diesel recording the biggest gains among petroleum products in the past month.

Shell Pilipinas, Seaoil, CleanFuel and PetroGazz announced the upward price adjustments on Monday, February 9. 

Jetti Petroleum President Leo Bellas attributed the anticipated fuel price hike to several factors, including persistent geopolitical tensions in the Middle East that directly affect supply flows as Europe shifts away from Russian oil imports.   

Bellas said Lunar New Year festivities may also have a short-term impact on domestic prices, as higher demand during the period may have reduced diesel exports from China. Escalating threats between the United States and Iran could also further accelerate the rise in oil prices, he added.

The Department of Energy (DOE) also projected that shifting weather conditions would play a role in fuel demand, as warmer temperatures reduce heating fuel consumption, while cooler weather boosts demand.

However, Bellas noted that oil prices "seesawed" last week, fluctuating on expectations of a possible de-escalation in US-Iran tensions and fears of disruptions to oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz, which pushed prices higher. 

Last week's price hike was steeper, with gasoline rising by P0.80 per liter, kerosene by P1.10 per liter, and diesel by P1.60 per liter.    

Based on DOE's monitoring, petroleum products sold at Metro Manila stations for the week of February 3 to 9 fell within the following price ranges:

• Gasoline (RON97/100): P52.20 to P74.63
• Gasoline (RON95): P50 to P75.89
• Gasoline (RON91): P49 to P67.39
• Diesel: P48 to P67.25
• Diesel Plus: P55.15 to P77.38
• Kerosene: P75.00 to P96.49 

After this week's hike, gasoline prices would have a year-to-date increase of P3 per liter, while diesel and kerosene would climb by P6.40 and P4.40 per liter, respectively — almost double the net increases recorded over the same period in 2025.   

— with reports from the Philippine News Agency

No retirement for learning

BY ELEANOR PINUGU

FEBRUARY 9, 2026

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Many people grew up subscribing to the traditional three-stage model of education-work-retirement for mapping out their future. Education is about equipping oneself with knowledge, work is about building a career, advancing professionally, and saving for the future, and retirement is about pursuing rest and leisure. This trajectory has always been a linear way of dividing one’s pursuits into chapters that correlate well with the natural stages of youth, maturity, and old age. At Arizona State University (ASU), however, there is a pioneering community for senior citizens that is creatively reframing retirement as an opportune time to be an active member of the academic ecosystem.

Mirabella at ASU is a university-based retirement facility that promotes active, purposeful aging through intergenerational learning. The community, which currently houses 400 older adults, encourages its residents to go back to school and audit university classes that they are interested in. The center promotes itself as enabling senior citizens to major in “having the time of your life.”

What distinguishes the Mirabella model is that it does not see senior citizens as passive recipients of care. Instead, it recognizes how they can bring their lived experiences into learning spaces. Intergenerational classrooms have been shown to enrich discussions, improve critical thinking, and promote empathy. Young people offer boundless energy and fresh ideas, while the “seasoned” older adults help provide context, judgment, and more tempered perspectives. The result is reciprocal education where everyone learns and connects more meaningfully.

BARMM voter registration resumes Feb. 9

 

By Philippine News Agency

Published Feb 8, 2026 08:53 pm

Voter registration in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) for the November 2026 barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections (BSKE) resumes on Monday, Feb. 9.

In a social media post, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) called on those qualified to be voters in the barangay and youth polls to visit local Comelec offices or designated satellite registration centers in their city and municipality to list up.

The offices of the Election Officers are ready to accept applications for registration from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Mondays to Saturdays, including holidays, unless there is an announcement from the Comelec.

BARMM provinces are Maguindanao del Norte, Maguindanao del Sur, Lanao del Sur, Basilan, Tawi-Tawi, and Special Geographic Areas.

Those who are eligible to register as regular voters must be 18-years-old and above, residing in the Philippines for at least one year, and residing in the area where he/she is looking to get registered for at least six months before Election Day.

For SK voters, those eligible to register are at least 15 but not more than 30 years of age, and residing in the barangay for at least six months on or before Sangguniang Kabataan elections.

Aside from application for voter registration, the poll body is also accepting applications for change of name and status, correction of entries, reactivation of registration records, inclusion of registration records and reinstatement of name in the list of voters.

Also accepted are applications for updating the records of persons with disabilities, senior citizens and members of indigenous peoples and indigenous cultural communities, and transfer from overseas to local.

The registration period will end on March 31. (PNA)