Daily Tribune (Philippines)
DIZON CLEARED AHEAD OF SEA GAMES PROBE
THE 2019 SEA GAMES CONTROVERSY FIRST SURFACED THROUGH DAILY TRIBUNE’S INVESTIGATIONS, WHICH LATER DREW 46 CYBER LIBEL CHARGES — ALL ULTIMATELY DISMISSED. The Department of Justice (DoJ) on Thursday defended the National Bureau of Investigation’s probe...
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Sara camp opposes ‘fishing expedition’
Vice President Sara Duterte’s defense team and the House prosecutors laid out sharply contrasting views on the Senate impeachment court’s subpoena powers on Wednesday, with one side arguing that an impeachment cannot override constitutional rights and...
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DEFENSE TURNS PALACE DENIAL AGAINST NBI
Vice President Sara Duterte’s defense on Tuesday invoked the Marcos administration’s own public denials of any destabilization plot while attacking the National Bureau of Investigation’s (NBI) investigative methods, seeking to weaken the prosecution’s...
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Defense puts NBI probe on trial
The defense team of Vice President Sara Duterte on Monday challenged both the integrity of National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) case records and the impartiality of the bureau’s investigation into her alleged threats against President Ferdinand...
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13 Phl allies reject China’s sea claims
Thirteen countries allied with the Philippines collectively urged China to abide by the 2016 arbitral ruling, which they declared “final, legally binding and definitive.” The call came as Manila marked the 10th anniversary on Sunday of the historic...
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SC MUST RULE SOONER, NOT LATER
Legal experts have called on the Supreme Court (SC) to settle the dispute over the number of votes required for the conviction of an impeached official before the current Senate trial reaches a verdict. The vote that could determine whether Vice...
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SC won’t slice into Chiz query
The Supreme Court has dismissed a petition seeking to overturn a Commission on Elections (Comelec) ruling clearing Senator Francis Escudero of a P30-million campaign contribution from a government contractor, saying the case was filed under the wrong...
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‘TYPHOON SARA’ AWAITS SUMMONS
“Prepare for typhoon Inday.” This was the cryptic message delivered by Atty. Zuleika Lopez, the chief of staff of Vice President Sara Duterte, as she left the Senate Thursday, just days before her scheduled testimony before the impeachment...
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Defense: No proof Sara hired assassin
Lawyers for Vice President Sara Duterte said Wednesday that House prosecutors failed to prove she had hired an assassin to kill President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., arguing that the impeachment case rests on Duterte’s controversial 23 November 2024 press...
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SARA VIDEO IGNITES COURTROOM CLASH
The first major courtroom clash in Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial erupted Tuesday over the authenticity of her controversial livestream, with prosecutors seeking to establish the integrity of their digital evidence while the defense...
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Sara’s conviction needs 16 votes
The senator-judges on Monday elected Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero to preside over the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, with the former stressing that the conviction of the latter would require the votes of at least 16...
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Sara trial opens, history unfolds
The Senate impeachment court opens the trial of Vice President Sara Duterte on Monday, 6 July, setting in motion a constitutional process that will test not only the evidence against her but also the political resolve of the senatorjudges who will...
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Targeted solon will don robe
He is still entitled to due process and has the opportunity to present his defense before the court. Senator Rodante Marcoleta will be on the roster of senator-judges despite the Office of the Ombudsman filing a non-bailable plunder case and three...
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Marcoleta: Charges fabricated Plunder raps include Defensor, 2 others
As expected, the Office of the Ombudsman filed a plunder case yesterday in the Sandiganbayan against Senator Rodante Marcoleta linked to his receipt of P75 million in campaign donations before the 2025 elections. Before the foreign media, Marcoleta...
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ROBIN NEXT IN GOV’T CROSSHAIRS?
With the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte set to begin Monday, legal pressure on several senators perceived to be her allies has intensified, raising fresh questions over the rapidly shifting political dynamics within the chamber that...
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Group ask: Why no congressman arrested?
The Taumbayan Ayaw sa Magnanakaw at Abusado Network Alliance (TAMA NA) on Wednesday questioned why not a single member of the House of Representatives has been arrested in the government’s ongoing investigation into alleged corruption in...
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INC FLOODS EDSA; HITS SELECTIVE JUSTICE
Thousands of Iglesia ni Cristo members staged a surprise rally beginning very early on Tuesday morning, clogging major roads, including EDSA, in Metro Manila in protest over the looming arrest of Senator Rodante Marcoleta and what church leaders...
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BONOAN AS ‘STATE WITNESS’ QUESTIONED
The Office of the Ombudsman has moved to drop plunder and graft charges against former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Manuel Bonoan in exchange for his testimony in the government’s multibillion-peso floodcontrol scandal. The...
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EDSA protest tags BBM, Sara ‘corrupt’
Organizers of Sunday’s White Ribbon March demanded that both President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Vice President Sara Duterte be held accountable for alleged corruption. The White Ribbon Movement (WRM), in a statement issued before the march to the EDSA...
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VP Sara: Junk biased impeach
Since her detractors in the House of Representatives have long intended to oust her, Vice President Sara Duterte asked the Senate impeachment court to dismiss the Articles of Impeachment against her, saying the complaint is constitutionally...
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HOSTILITIES START OVER SEALED BOX
The Senate impeachment court has entered the next phase of the trial proceedings as it is set to release the pre-trial order on Monday, even as the fireworks has started over the sealed Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) box containing the tax papers of...
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Sara camp unfazed by plan calling ‘Mary Grace’ as witness
The defense team of Vice President Sara Duterte on Thursday shrugged off the House prosecution panel’s plan to call “Mary Grace Piattos” as a witness in the impeachment trial, saying it is prepared to cross-examine anyone who may appear when the...
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15-year-old charged, 14-year-old exempt
Criminal complaints have been filed against the 15-year-old student in connection with the shooting at San Jose National High School in Tacloban City that left three students dead and others wounded on 22 June, authorities said. Investigators said...
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TEENS PLANNED TACLOBAN SHOOTING
The two minors believed behind the deadly school shooting in Tacloban City that left three students dead and 13 others injured appeared to have carefully planned the attack, police said Tuesday, as investigators looked into bullying and the suspects’...
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3 dead, 7 wounded in school shooting
TACLOBAN CITY — Warning signs had been flashing online days before gunfire shattered the halls of San Jose National High School on Monday. In the days leading to the campus carnage, a 15-year-old student had been posting disturbing images of firearms,...
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Survey ‘slap’ hits Marcos apologists
‘Sweet words and coming up with alibis cannot excuse the plummeting net satisfaction rating of the President.’ The precipitous decline in the Marcos administration’s satisfaction rating reflects growing public frustration over stagnant wages, rising...
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MARCOS GOV’T RATING HITS ROCK BOTTOM
Public satisfaction with the Marcos administration plunged to a record low negative 13 net rating in March 2026, marking the sharpest downturn in public sentiment since President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. assumed office and the lowest administration rating...
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Bye ‘Floodgate’ probe?
Senate President Win Gatchalian has pushed back against the claim of Senator Alan Peter Cayetano that the recent leadership change in the upper chamber was backed by Malacañang and intended to cover up the so-called “Floodgate” scandal. As of Friday,...
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GO LEAVES FATE TO GOD AMID ICC WARRANT CLAIM
Senator Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go on Thursday said he was leaving his fate to God following a claim that the International Criminal Court (ICC) had issued a warrant for his arrest. The claim was made by Davao City Rep. Paolo Duterte who said on...
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Win voted SP, deadlock ends
After a two-week leadership deadlock, Senator Sherwin “Win” Gatchalian got his 13th vote and was finally installed to the chamber’s top post on Wednesday after Senator Joel Villanueva switched camps from the rival faction of Senator Alan...
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SC traCkS P500-B Padding in BiCam
The Supreme Court (SC) put its foot down on the shadowy Bicameral Conference Committee (Bicam) yesterday as it directed the House of Representatives and the Senate to submit supporting documents to explain hundreds of billions of pesos in changes...
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A CHINESE research vessel,
identified by the Philippine Coast Guard, is seen towing a floating structure near Scarborough Shoal in the disputed South China Sea on Monday, raising fresh concerns over continued Chinese activity in waters claimed by the Philippines. (See story on...
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Villanueva sparks Senate shift buzz
Senator Joel Villanueva vowed Sunday to attend a special session if one is called by the President to advance stalled legislation, even as pundits see it as an avenue for a complete takeover of the Senate leadership by the bloc of Senator Sherwin...
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BRICK RICE, SLOW RESPONSE RAPPED
A grim scenario is emerging in southern Mindanao — which was devastated by a magnitude-7.8 earthquake last Monday — where the desperate victims are demanding a faster response from the national government. As of yesterday, 61 people have died, more...
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PBBM ENDORSES WIN, CALLS HIM SP
Freedom Day took on a decidedly political dimension yesterday, beyond the street clashes between rallyists and anti-riot police, as President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. publicly addressed Senator Sherwin “Win” Gatchalian as Senate President for the first...
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GATCHALIAN BLOC COURTS MORE SENATE DEFECTORS
Senator Erwin Tulfo revealed Thursday that members of the Gatchalian-led bloc were actively courting some of their colleagues in the Cayetano faction to finally put an end to the persistent leadership dispute in the upper chamber. Tulfo stopped short...
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Sen. Joel may Jump bloc, end Stalemate
As the battle for control of the Senate rages on, lawyer and political analyst Edward Chico believes the camp of Sen. Sherwin “Win” Gatchalian is only one senator away from securing what he described as an absolute and uncontestable majority capable of...
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Erwin Tulfo eats crow, says sorry
Senator Erwin Tulfo, a member of a family long known for made-fortelevision tough talk, found himself walking back his own rhetoric on Sunday after threatening to have political rivals arrested and dragged out of the Senate. Tulfo apologized to Sen....
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apc: Lacson plots with Malacañang
Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano, who is engaged in a battle for leadership of the chamber against Senate Pro Tempore Win Gatchalian, accused Senator Panfilo Lacson of using the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee he headed as a political weapon in...
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DEFENSOR PUTS TULFO FLOOD PROBE IN DOUBT
The Senate’s rival flood control investigations hurtled toward a showdown on Monday, 8 June, as the so-called 18 ex-Marines withheld a commitment to appear before the Blue Ribbon Committee hearing to be chaired by Senator Erwin Tulfo, one of the...
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FLOODGATE TRAIL LEADS TO MARCOS
The so-called “18 ex-Marines,” the whistleblowers in the corruption scandal facing the Marcos administration, doubled down on their explosive allegations against the President and his allies in Congress, including opposition lawmakers whom they accused...
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SENATE ‘COUP’ ROCKS BLUE RIBBON PROBE
Senator francis “Chiz” escudero’s surprise appearance at the Senate plenary on Wednesday shifted the chamber’s balance of power, allowing the minority lawmakers to form a quorum and move to declare all leadership positions vacant, including the Senate...
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WHEN IT RAINS, IT STILL FLOODS
Amid the lingering public anger over last year’s flood control scandal, which left many communities submerged and claimed dozens of lives, the Marcos administration on Tuesday acknowledged that it cannot guarantee a flood-free Philippines this rainy...
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Jinggoy arrested, booked for plunder
Remulla said Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano initially objected to the arrest, citing the independence of the Senate, but the authorities proceeded with serving the warrant anyway. Senator Jinggoy Estrada surrendered on Monday after the...
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Spurs oust Thunder, reach NBA Finals
The San Antonio Spurs, sparked by superstar Victor Wembanyama, advanced to the NBA Finals by dethroning defending champion Oklahoma City 111-103 on Saturday, booking a championship showdown against New York.
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Defiant VP keeps edge in surveys
Vice President Sara Duterte has maintained her position as the country’s most popular national official, but the latest survey results may fuel rather than cool an already overheated political season. Two separate surveys showed her support holding...
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Estrada posts bail, freedom hangs
Senator Jinggoy Estrada posted bail on Friday before the Sandiganbayan after the anti-graft court’s Second Division ordered his arrest over graft charges stemming from alleged kickbacks linked to flood control projects. His freedom, however, may be...
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JINGGOY FACES P573-M PLUNDER, GRAFT CHARGES
The Office of the Ombudsman has filed plunder, graft and bribery complaints before the Sandiganbayan against Senator Jinggoy Estrada and several former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) officials over what prosecutors described as a...
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IMEE: 13 SENATORS BEING TARGETED
“All 13 of us are being targeted.” Senator Imee Marcos said the Senate majority bloc is facing a wave of legal pressure, with the recent filing and intensified pursuit of the cases against Senate majority members Rodante Marcoleta, Jinggoy Estrada and...
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FILIPINOS TURN MORE CRITICAL OF MARCOS
Public dissatisfaction with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. climbed to its highest level in March, dragging his net satisfaction rating down to negative-15 amid the rising economic pressures and lingering concerns over his health, according to the...
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Senate firestorm
There was no leadership shakeup during Monday’s first session of the week, but the chamber was rocked by heated exchanges among senators over Senator Imee Marcos’ privilege speech alleging a Charter change plot. Senators Francis Pangilinan, Tito Sotto,...
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Cries from rubble fuel race vs time
Rescuers clawed through the wreckage of a collapsed nine-story building Sunday after hearing cries and voices from beneath the rubble, raising hopes that survivors remain alive even as authorities raced against time to reach them. The building, which...
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EXPECT SPARKS AS WIN CLOSES IN
Expect another twist Monday in the ongoing Senate soap opera, when the 11-member minority bloc will likely launch a bid to wrest the presidency from Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano and Senator Sherwin Gatchalian. Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan,...
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OMBUDSMAN TARGETS MARCOLETA, DEFENSOR
Investigators from the Office of the Ombudsman have recommended plunder and indirect bribery charges against Senator Rodante Marcoleta and former Congressman Michael Defensor, both opposition stalwarts perceived as allied with Vice President Sara...
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WILL SEN. pIa REOpEN FLOOD CONTROL pROBE?
Senator Pia Cayetano has been named chair of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee (BRC), putting her in charge of the chamber’s probe into the flood control corruption investigation. Her appointment raised fresh questions over whether the inquiry would...
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Bato asks sC: BloCk ICC arrest warrant
Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa’s camp has challenged the International Criminal Court (ICC) before the Supreme Court, arguing that no foreign-issued warrant can be enforced in the Philippines without the authority of local courts. In a 117-page reply...
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Coup talk fizzles out; all eyes on Sara trial
The Senate impeachment court is likely to hold the trial proper for the impeachment case of Vice President Sara Duterte in June, during the congressional break, Senate President Alan Cayetano announced Monday. Congress is scheduled to adjourn sine die...
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Will Cayetano fall before Sara trial?
Before Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano can worry about being charged with obstruction of justice, he may first have to survive growing rumblings of a counter-coup against him in the Senate. On Sunday, the uncertainty cast a cloud over Cayetano’s...
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Senate, Executive impasse worsens
The standoff between the Executive agencies and the Senate over the siege of the chamber last Wednesday to effect an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant on Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa intensified yesterday, Senate President Alan...
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IBP, EXPERTS WARN VS STAGED CRISIS
Suspicions the high drama in the Senate were stage-managed, particularly in the run-up to the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, have grown stronger, with the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) on Friday expressing “grave concern”...
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Bato gives NBI the slip
Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa sneaked out of the Senate complex early Thursday morning following the chaotic shooting incident and lockdown on Wednesday night, prompting National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) director Melvin Matibag to describe the...
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Bato arrest try ignites Bedlam
Chaos descended on the Senate Wednesday night after more than a dozen gunshots rang out inside the building at around 7:30 p.m., amid reports of Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa’s arrest on an International Criminal Court warrant. Panic swept through...
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WHERE’S SMOKING GUN?
Vice President Sara Duterte’s legal team on Tuesday insisted there was no “smoking gun” to link her to the allegations contained in the impeachment complaint, as the camp prepared for what is expected to be a politically charged Senate trial. Defense...
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High drama in Senate
Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa finally showed up at the Senate session hall on Monday with National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) agents hot on his tail, in a bizarre turn of events that overshadowed the upper chamber’s leadership change. CCTV...
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CIDG subpoena forcing Bato to resurface
Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla said Sunday that the Philippine National PoliceCriminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG) will subpoena Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa in connection with investigations into alleged extrajudicial killings...
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ICC debunks Bato warrant
The International Criminal Court (ICC) shot down reports, which resurfaced on Saturday, saying that an arrest warrant has been issued for Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa over crimes against humanity allegations linked to the Duterte administration’s...
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ASEAN goes on offensive
MACTAN, Cebu — Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) leaders are moving toward a regional fuel reserve system and a Philippinebased maritime center as the bloc scrambles to manage the fallout from the Middle East conflict, rising oil prices,...
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GUNFIGHT AT BATANGAS CORRAL
Batangas Representative Leandro Leviste on Wednesday escalated his public feud with Executive Secretary Ralph Recto, flatly denying allegations that he offered bribes, operated troll farms and spread disinformation, while challenging the Palace...
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Erice: Flood control ‘whole of gov’t’ op
The multibillion-peso flood control corruption scheme was carried out under a “whole of government” approach involving coordination among the Executive, the Senate, and the House of Representatives, according to Caloocan 2nd District Representative...
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RECTO ACCUSES LEVISTE OF BRIBERY, P24-B ‘SCAM’
Executive Secretary ralph recto on Tuesday pushed back against the barrage of allegations of Batangas rep. Leandro Leviste, whom he accused of spreading falsehoods and attempting to manipulate political outcomes through bribery and...
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