Manila Standard
PBBM says 200k students to benefit from scholarship grants
PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Wednesday said the government aims to help more than 200,000 students complete their education through a nationwide scholarship program funded directly by barangays, citing concerns over rising college dropout...
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Cayetano-led majority continues with boycott
THE majority bloc led by Senate President Alan Cayetano continued with its “boycott” for a second consecutive day, leaving in limbo the Senate plenary days before Congress goes on recess this week. With no resolution in sight to the Senate standoff,...
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Jinggoy yields; Bonoan, 3 others also arrested Sandigan orders their detention for plunder over kickbacks
SENATOR Jinggoy Estrada was arrested Monday after the Sandiganbayan special anti-graft court ordered his detention over a non-bailable plunder case linked to an alleged P573-million flood control kickback scheme. Estrada turned himself in at the...
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Palace rips Cayetano, says others can be SP
MALACAÑANG on Sunday stressed that the Senate President must remain impartial and unbiased, saying the chamber's leader should not be beholden to any political alliance or evade responsibility. The Pa lace issued the seeming broadside at...
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Pentagon sounds alarm on China military buildup
SINGAPORE – Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth struck a measured tone towards China at a major defense forum on Saturday, noting “rightful alarm” over Beijing’s military build-up but saying the United States sought a “stable equilibrium” in Asia. Hegseth’s...
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Sandiganbayan orders Jinggoy, Bonoan arrest
THE Sandiganbayan Second Division yesterday issued an arrest warrant against Senator Jinggoy Estrada in relation to graft charges filed against him over the flood control mess. Estrada immediately posted P90,000 bail Friday afternoon. “I respect the...
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‘Senate gunfire, Bato escape linked’
THE May 13 shooting incident at the Senate and the escape of Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa hours later are “related,” the Philippine National Police - Criminal Investigation and Detection Group said yesterday. “Let me just say that the two incidents...
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Senate stalemate deepens
THERE is no immediate resolution in sight to the Senate impasse over a proposal to allow remote participation and voting, with both the majority and minority blocs taking a hardline stance on their respective positions on the issue with a little over a...
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Minority walks out vs. online vote bid
THE Senate adjourned early on Tuesday after minority senators walked out of the plenary session to protest a majority bloc attempt to amend legislative rules for remote participation and electronic voting. Their departure deprived the chamber of the...
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Biz groups slam Senate ‘chaos’
THE country’s biggest business groups called for a “principled realignment” of the Senate leadership amid what it described as “erosion of confidence” following the recent “drama and chaos” at the Upper Chamber. In separate statements, the Management...
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One dead, 23 trapped as building collapses
RESCUERS recovered the body of a Malaysian person with disability from a damaged hotel near the site of a nine-story building in Angeles City, Pampanga that collapsed early Sunday, as emergency teams continued searching for at least 23 people believed...
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More ICC arrest warrants out soon, says Matibag
THE International Criminal Court may issue additional arrest warrants soon in connection with the crimes against humanity case of former President Rodrigo Duterte, National Bureau of Investigation Director Melvin Matibag said. He said the NBI has...
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‘One article conviction enough to remove VP’
ACONVICTION on just one Article of Impeachment would be enough to remove Vice President Sara Duterte and impose on her perpetual disqualification from holding House lead prosecutor Rep. Gerville Luistro said senator- judges are expected to vote per...
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DOJ: Arrest ‘fugitive’ Bato
THE Department of Justice on Thursday ordered law enforcement agencies to hunt down and arrest Senator Bato dela Rosa, who was described as a “fugitive” wanted by the International Criminal Court over his role in former President Rodrigo Duterte’s...
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Gov’t readying infra to address ooding
PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Wednesday said the government is accelerating flood mitigation projects in Metro Manila, including drainage improvements, desilting operations, and pumping stations, as part of efforts to reduce chronic flooding in...
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‘No evidence of Senate attack’
INTERIOR Secretary Jonvic Remulla said Tuesday investigators found no evidence of an attack on the Upper Chamber during the May 13 shooting incident inside the Senate complex, as authorities released details of the timeline leading to the...
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Impeach court summons VP
THE Senate on Monday formally convened as an impeachment court and ordered the issuance of a writ of summons to Vice President Sara Duterte, setting in motion the chamber’s constitutional duty to hear the Articles of Impeachment filed against...
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Senate...
Less than a week after a sudden coup d’etat installed Cayetano as Senate President in place of Senator Tito Sotto, Senator Erwin Tulfo said Sunday he had “no idea” whether another leadership shake-up was being planned. “Pertaining to the media on a...
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Senate refused subpoenas, request for CCTVs–Remulla
THE Office of the Ombudsman is facing difficulty serving subpoenas to the Senate in connection with its investigation into a shooting incident inside the chamber this week. Speaking on DZRH’s “Executive Session” on Saturday, Ombudsman Jesus Cripin...
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Ombudsman suspends Aplasca
ACTING Senate Sergeant-at-Arms Mao Aplasca was placed under preventive suspension without pay for six months by the Ombudsman for discharging his firearm that triggered the shooting incident in the Senate last Wednesday. Senator Bato dela Rosa, on the...
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Dela Rosa flees Senate refuge
THE chief enforcer of the Duterte administration’s deadly drug war has fled the Senate, where he had sought refuge this week to escape arrest for crimes against humanity, Senate President Alan Cayetano said. "The sergeant at arms has confirmed that...
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PBBM:...
and to make sure the investigation is independent,” Cayetano said. ‘Armed men entered Senate’ In their joint media interview late Wednesday evening, Remulla and Cayetano confirmed that OSAA personnel, who were seen in various television reports...
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Protect me, Bato appeals to PBBM
“PROTECT me.” Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa made this appeal to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. after the International Criminal Court confirmed it has issued an arrest warrant against him for crimes against humanity. “President BBM, I am a Filipino....
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House impeaches VP Sara again
LAWMAKERS voted on Monday by a wide margin to impeach Vice President Sara Duterte, making her the first Philippine official to be impeached for a second time in a row and throwing her announced 2028 presidential run into doubt. The motion was backed...
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Minority seeks ouster of Sotto ahead of trial
SENATE President Vicente Sotto III said Sunday he was leaving his political fate to “God’s plan” as the minority in the chamber tries to get the 13 votes required to unseat him ahead of the expected impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte this...
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ICC clarifies: No new arrest warrants issued in PH
The International Criminal Court clarified it has not yet issued any new public arrest warrants in the Philippines amid reports that an order has been released to nab Senator Bato dela Rosa in connection with the crimes against humanity case against...
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ASEAN backs regional grid, fuel-sharing pact
LAPU-LAPU CITY, Cebu — Leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations outlined action areas for resilience in response to the evolving situation in the Middle East – including a fuel-sharing pact and a regional power grid – highlighting the...
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PH HOSTS TRILATERAL TALKS WITH THAILAND, CAMBODIA
manilastandard.net @ManilaStandardPH @mnlstandardph @manilastandard @ManilaStandardYT CAMBODIA and Thailand agreed to continue direct dialogue and avoid actions that could escalate tensions over their long-running border dispute, following a...
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Japan joins US, PH forces in antiship missile strike
A DECOMMISSIONED Philippine Navy battleship was sunk on Wednesday during a simulated maritime war exercise off Paoay, Ilocos Norte in connection with the ongoing multilateral Balikatan Exercise, with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. as a key...
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DOE open to lifting VAT on power to lower prices
THE Department of Energy said Tuesday it supports all proposals aimed at lowering electricity prices, including the possible reduction or elimination of the value-added tax on power. “Our goal is clear: More affordable, stable, and reliable...
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House panel approves VP Sara impeachment Unanimous adoption of report clears way for plenary vote
THE House Committee on Justice, through a unanimous vote of its 55 members, approved yesterday its report and resolution setting the Articles of Impeachment against Vice President Sara Duterte, clearing the way for a plenary vote likely next week. The...
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Gov’t mobilizes for Mayon
PRESIDENT Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Sunday ordered full mobilization of government agencies to respond to ashfall from Mayon Volcano, with clearing operations, medical aid, and evacuations underway in affected areas of Albay. In a statement...
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‘106 votes to impeach VP not difficult to reach’
THE one-third vote needed to impeach Vice President Sara Duterte and move toward a Senate trial is “not difficult to surmount,” House Committee on Public Accounts chairman Terry Ridon on Saturday said. He said the House Committee on Justice’s 53–0...
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PBBM: Pinoy workers country’s ‘backbone’
PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. recognized Filipino workers as the country’s “backbone” as he affirmed his administration’s push to create more and better jobs. “As we face changing economic pressures, rest assured that this administration stands firm...
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MAY DAY MURAL.
Artists put on finishing touches on mural depicting worker solidarity in the fight for a living wage for today’s Labor Day rallies.
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VP Sara hired an assassin to carry out threat vs. PBBM—NBI
THE National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) on Wednesday confirmed that Vice President Sara Duterte had contacted an assassin to carry out her threat to kill President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. In the same hearing, the NBI said it was following leads on...
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CELEBRATING BATTLE OF MACTAN.
A triumphant Datu Lapulapu lords it over a Spanish fighter in a reenactment of the historic Battle of Mactan at the Liberty Shrine in Mactan island, Cebu as part of the commemoration of the 505th anniversary of the Battle of Mactan organized by the...
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‘House poised to impeach VP’
THE House of Representatives is poised to vote in favor of impeaching Vice President Sara Duterte and transmitting the case to the Senate for trial, Batangas Rep. Gerville Luistro said Sunday. Luistro noted that even the Duterte defense team’s...
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EQUAL RIGHTS.
Participants march along the streets of Manila during the Summer Pride Parade 2026 on Saturday, April 25, 2026, celebrating diversity and inclusion. The event gathered members of the LGBTQIA+ community and allies. Norman Cruz
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State witness earns ire of Sandigan justice over flood control testimony
FORMER state witness Gerald Opulencia earned the ire of Sandiganbayan Third Division chairperson Associate Justice Karl Miranda over claim that he had no knowledge of “commitments” for contractors and proponents. “Are you kidding us? You were given...
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Rody to face ICC trial as charges confirmed
THE Hague, Netherlands— Former President Rodrigo Duterte will face trial at the International Criminal Court after judges on Thursday confirmed charges of crimes against humanity over his so-called "war on drugs." Duterte would be the first Asian...
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ICC UPHOLDS JURISDICTION OVER RODY, CLEARS WAY FOR LIKELY TRIAL
manilastandard.net INTERNATIONAL Criminal Court judges Wednesday threw out a challenge against the court’s jurisdiction by former President Rodrigo Duterte, which means he could still stand trial for crimes against humanity over his war on drugs. The...
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‘VP Sara impeach trial to proceed forthwith’
THE Senate as an impeachment court may start trial as early as mid-May as the leader of the Upper Chamber vowed to act “definitely forthwith” on the articles of impeachment against Vice President Sara Duterte once these are transmitted by the House of...
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Gov’t caps oil price hike, rollback
THE government is setting a limit to price adjustments implemented by oil firms to prevent profiteering under the declared energy emergency, Energy Secretary Sharon Garin said yesterday. “We are not capping the price, but we are capping the...
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House targets April 29 to end impeach probe
THE House Committee on Justice is targeting April 29 to conclude its impeachment hearings against Vice President Sara Duterte, a member of the panel said Sunday. A committee report could be transmitted to the House plenary when Congress resumes...
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Iran opens, then closes again Hormuz Strait
IRAN’S military declared the Strait of Hormuz closed again on Saturday, its military command said, hours after reopening it and with more than a dozen commercial ships passing through the vital waterway. The toing and froing over the strait cast doubt...
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PH-Czech talks start for Co’s deportation
THE Philippines has started coordinating with the Czech Republic to bring back former lawmaker Zaldy Co, a process that Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla said may take up to two to three weeks. In his update yesterday, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr....
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STRONG MAN.
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. laughs as he lifts a bag of rice during the rollout of the Biyayang Bigas para sa Maynila program yesterday at SM Manila in Manila. PCO
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PBBM calls for Asian energy security
PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Wednesday urged Asian leaders to accelerate regional energy security measures, warning that recent global supply disruptions have exposed deep vulnerabilities across interconnected fuel supply chains. In an...
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Madriaga bares plot to depose, kill PBBM
IMPEACHMENT resource person Ramil Madriaga disclosed a plot to depose President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. through a coup d’etat, assassination, or an armed assault of Malacañan Palace if he reneges on an alleged power-sharing deal with Vice President Sara...
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MidEast braces for more fighting
ASENSE of dread spread across the Middle East after talks between the US and Iran collapsed, as fears of renewed fighting rattled an already tense region with US President Donald Trump ordering a naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. The US military...
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US-Iran talks fail; region hopes fragile truce holds
IRAN and the United States failed to strike a deal Sunday to end the war in the Middle East, but there was no immediate return to hostilities, and the region clung to hope that a fragile truce would hold. US Vice President JD Vance left Pakistan after...
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US, Iran ‘make or break’ peace negotiations start
ISLAMABAD – Senior Iranian and American delegations met Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Islamabad on Saturday to begin negotiations toward a deal to end the Middle East war unleashed six weeks earlier by US-Israeli strikes on Tehran. With...
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Oil price rollback likely—Garin
CONSUMERS may see some form of relief with a possible rollback of oil prices next week, Energy Secretary Sharon Garin said. She said oil prices have softened following the announcement of a ceasefire between the United States and Iran. “If the...
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Strait of Hormuz closed anew
IRAN said traffic in the Strait of Hormuz has stopped after a massive wave of Israeli strikes on Lebanon killed more than 200 people, which it said was a violation of the ceasefire agreement between Tehran and Washington. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary...
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Fragile ceasefire holds, for now
• Wary of US, IRG says ‘finger on the trigger’ • Vance: Don’t mess around with Trump ACEASEFIRE between the United States and Iran appeared to be holding yesterday after the rivals agreed a two-week truce to the war that has killed thousands and...
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DOE...
opment Secretary Arsenio Balisacan, among others. The UPLIFT (Unified Package for Livelihoods, Industry, Food, and Transport) program was created after Marcos signed Executive Order 110, declaring a state of national energy emergency on March 24,...
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Diesel nears P200/liter; LPG almost P1,600/tank
DIESEL prices are rapidly climbing and could move closer to the P200-per-liter mark as intensifying hostilities in the Middle East continue to disrupt global oil supply, raising concerns over the Philippines’ vulnerability to external shocks, officials...
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DA forms food security group, eyes trucker aid
THE Department of Agriculture has created a Food Security Task Force to strengthen monitoring and response mechanisms for potential disruptions in agricultural supply, prices and trade, as the country tries to keep the cost of goods down amid an...
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PBBM signs oil excise tax law to ease price spikes
PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. yesterday signed into law a measure allowing him to temporarily suspend or reduce excise taxes on fuel to shield consumers from surging pump prices amid the ongoing tensions in the Middle East. This as an industry source...
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TRUMP HALTS STRIKES ON IRAN POWER PLANTS FOR 5 DAYS ‘AFTER TALKS’
US President Donald Trump said Monday he will hold off on attacking Iranian power plants for five days after "very good" talks with Tehran, an abrupt shift that immediately eased pressure on rattled markets. But Iranian media said there were no...
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Trump threatens Iran: Open Hormuz or else
US President Donald Trump vowed to "obliterate" the Islamic republic's power plants unless the Strait of Hormuz swiftly reopens in 48 hours. But Iran's military operational command responded that if the country's facilities were hit, "all energy,...
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Pump prices to spike as much as P17.50/l
DOMESTIC pump prices are expected to increase even higher than earlier projections next week, with diesel prices likely to reach P132 per liter amid the ongoing crisis in the Middle East. An industry source said diesel prices may go up by P16.50 to...
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Diesel prices may hit P129.40/l
CONSUMERS must brace for another substantial increase in fuel prices next week, with diesel expected to rise by as much as P14.50 per liter as the conflict in the Middle East shows no signs of letup. An industry source said diesel prices could climb...
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Peso hits record low at P60.10: $1
THE Philippine peso plummeted to a new record low of 60.10 against the US dollar Thursday, losing 58 centavos from Wednesday’s close of 59.52 as intensifying external pressures weighed on the domestic market and the government scrambles to shore up...
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CHECKING ON PRICES.
President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr., upper right photo, checks market prices at the Agora Public Market in San Juan City together with Agriculture Secretary Francisco Laurel Tiu and Trade and Industry Secretary Cristina Roque even as women leaders of...
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HOUSE, SENATE TO RECONCILE VERSIONS OF FUEL EXCISE BILL
THE House of Representatives and the Senate will reconcile today its versions of a measure giving President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. the power to suspend or lower excise taxes on fuel. Senate President Vicente Sotto III said the two chambers will settle...
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Congress rushes fuel tax bill OK
CONGRESS is pulling out all the stops to pass measures aimed at cushioning the impact of rising global oil prices on Filipino consumers, including the temporary suspension of fuel excise tax and amendments to the Biofuels Act of 2006. The two...
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