The latest news from the Philippines

PHILIPPINES – The Philippines government on Friday officially approved a controversial toothpaste for the treatment of skin cancer, which is already being widely used in the Philippines and overseas.
The government said the toothpaste is a “natural product” and was not made with chemicals or any additives.
The announcement came after a public hearing on the tooth paste on Friday.
It was part of the Philippines’ effort to expand its toothpaste production.
The approval comes as the Philippines is struggling to combat a wave of toothpaste-related skin cancer cases.
The country has reported a staggering 8,000 cases since October, and the death toll has climbed to more than 30.
The toothpaste, called Bixi Baxi, is already approved for the use of a handful of countries in the region, including the Philippines.
The Philippines has a growing number of foreign residents in the country, with more than 100,000 of them in the past five years, according to data compiled by the government.
The FDA approved the toothpastes for use in the US and Canada in January and in China in June.
The toothpaste in the U.S. has not been approved yet.
The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization said last month that Bixit is not a safe product for the Philippines because it contains chemicals and preservatives that may worsen the effects of the disease.
The Philippines has reported more than 8,300 cases of the skin cancer over the past year.
More than 1,000 have died.