Publication

POA ADMITS HE ALSO FACES LIABILITY IF VP FOUND GUILTY

Despite saying he had little personal knowledge of how confidential funds were used, the former chief of staff of Vice President Sara Duterte acknowledged the ‘possible’ legal action against him if his boss is proven to have misused the money.

STUCK ON NLEX: ‘AS IF WE WENT ABROAD’

These detours are not the happy kind. Several netizens shared their experiences of driving for hours over the weekend due to heavy traffic along the North Luzon Expressway (NLEx), amid flooding brought by days of torrential rains. Many towns in...

FLOOD CONTROL PROJECTS FAIL CENTRAL LUZON FOLK

SAN ANTONIO, ZAMBALES— Flood control measures in Central Luzon region, including an ongoing river dredging program for the past seven years and the construction of flood control structures along major waterways, have proved ineffective in the past days...

DPWH STOPS TAGUIG RECLAMATION PROJECTS

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has ordered a halt to these allegedly illegal projects and will meet with ‘stakeholders to determine the way forward.’ Sen. Panfilo Lacson has identified some projects in his inquiry since last month.

WEEKS OF FLOODING, SLIDES KILL OVER 30

Four tropical cyclones entering the Philippine area of responsibility in less than a month have taken their toll on 10 regions, mostly in Luzon, as they enhanced monsoon rains that spelled misery for around 8 million people. Damage to infrastructure...

META SHARING USER DATA TO HELP PH FLAG THREATS

American technology firm Meta Platforms Inc., which owns Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, has made a commitment to the Philippine government to remove harmful artificial intelligence (AI)-generated deepfakes from its platforms and cooperate with...

HIMALAYAN ‘TSUNAMI’: OVER 350 DEAD, 1.4K MISSING

A Filipino was reported to be among the more than a thousand people missing in the flash floods and landslides that occurred on the Nepal-Tibet border, where the confirmed death toll had reached at least 359 people as of Thursday. The lone Filipino...

AIDE: ONLY SARA, LACHICA KNEW WHERE FUNDS WENT

Lemuel Ortonio, the third ranking official in the Office of the Vice President, testified Wednesday that only Vice President Sara Duterte and her former security chief, Col. Raymund Lachica, knew how the P500-million OVP confidential funds were spent.

LACHICA ‘PREPARED TO TELL TRUTH’ IF CALLED TO TESTIFY

Army Col. Raymund Dante Lachica, whose name has repeatedly cropped up in the investigation of Vice President Sara Duterte’s alleged misuse of confidential funds, has declared his readiness to “tell the truth” if called to testify in her impeachment...

GOV’T RELEASES P1-B FUND FOR PROJECT NOAH

The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has released P1 billion to the University of the Philippines (UP) for Project Noah’s artificial intelligence (AI)-powered flood forecasting and real-time hazard monitoring. The DBM made the announcement as...

HOUSE PROSECUTION BACKS MOVE TO HASTEN VP TRIAL

The House prosecution panel said on Sunday it was ready to revise the schedule of Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial, trim its witness list and work with the defense, in a bid to hasten the proceedings but not at the expense of due...

‘WE NEED TO LISTEN TO THE YOUTH’

NINOY DAY A CALL TO PROTECT FREEDOM, DEEPEN UNITY–MARCOS

President Marcos on Friday commemorated Ninoy Aquino Day by calling on Filipinos to continue drawing inspiration from the late senator in safeguarding the country’s freedom and charting its progress. It marked the fifth time for the Marcos...

PUMP-PRIMING

President Marcos, along with Metropolitan Manila Development Authority Chair Don Artes, inspects the pumping station at Tripa de Gallina in Pasay City on Thursday, which was put to the test by recent flash floods. The government is planning 13 more...

30 NCR SITES EYED AS RAIN BASINS

The government has picked 30 sites where large rain catchment structures can be built to ease the perennial flooding problem in the National Capital Region (NCR), according to President Marcos. The sites, which were identified by Dutch engineering...

ATENEO DE ZAMBOANGA SHOOTING: 2 STUDENTS DEAD

Police say the shooter, a Grade 9 student who wielded two firearms, killed a schoolmate before turning the gun on himself. The government considers a review of campus security protocols as attack comes two months after a similar incident in Tacloban.

WITNESS: SECURITY CHIEF GOT P 125M ON VP’S ORDER

Vice President Sara Duterte personally ordered the release of P125 million in confidential funds to her security chief in December 2022, Gina Acosta, a former special disbursing officer (SDO) of the Office of the Vice President (OVP), told the...

BUDGET SCRUTINY FLAGS BALLOONING LGU FUND

Former Finance Undersecretary Cielo Magno warns that Malacañang’s increasing Local Government Support Fund, now at close to P60 billion, could be used for political patronage ahead of the 2028 polls and must be allotted under clear guidelines.

ATOM HITS MARCOS CLAIM ON ‘ILL-GOTTEN’ WEALTH

The August Twenty-One Movement (Atom) on Saturday slammed President Marcos for claiming that his family’s wealth was not ill-gotten and it lamented that not one member of his family has spent a day in jail since his father and namesake was toppled in...

TRUTH BODY ON DRUG WAR STARTS WITH A MOTHER’S TALE OF WOE

The nongovernmental Truth Commission inquiry into the drug war killings during the Duterte administration opened its first hearing on Friday with the testimony of the mother of a 19-year-old disabled man, who was shot dead by masked gunmen in 2017 on...

DOE BARES POTENTIAL SITES OF 7 NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS

SEVERAL AREAS IN LUZON UNDER STATE OF CALAMITY

CALUMPIT, BULACAN—The combined fury of the seasonal monsoon and recent weather disturbances like Tropical Depressions “Luis” and “Maymay” has taken a toll on communities that are still ill-equipped to solve flooding. That includes this Bulacan town...

FLOOD CONTROL BACK IN PALACE’S 2027 BUDGET PROPOSAL

Flood control spending, an item removed from this year’s budget, has been included in the proposed P7.2-trillion national budget for 2027 that the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) submitted to the House of Representatives on...

‘HOLY (FLOOD)WATER’

Parishioner Efren Cruz surveys the flooded nave of Sto. Niño Parish Church in the City of San Fernando, Pampanga, on Monday. The weather bureau warns that the southwest monsoon may bring torrential rainfall through Tuesday, threatening low-lying...

CRITICAL RISE

BRINK OF OVERFLOW An inspector at La Mesa Dam goes out in the rain on Sunday to monitor the water level (inset) now past the reservoir’s 79.50-meter threshold and approaching its 80.15-meter spilling level, amid the continuing monsoon rains. Any...

EALA: BEYOND THE FAIRY TALE

It was a Monday afternoon in Washington, DC, but the loudest cheers came from half a world away. Philippine flags fluttered in the stands. Chants of “Let’s go, Alex!” echoed through the stadium, and tournament officials marveled at a Monday final...

GRIM PROTEST

A policeman checks an area along Gil Puyat Avenue in Makati City where a wooden casket was left by unidentified people early Friday. Photos of Chinese officials and a red banner with the statement “Greedy! Salot!” are left beside the casket, one of...

OBSTRUCTION AS ATTRACTION

Water bursts from an open manhole along J.P. Rizal Avenue in Makati City, drawing a smile from a passing jeepney driver who may still have a long, soggy day ahead of him as “Maymay” enhanced monsoon rains in Metro Manila and other parts of Luzon on...

DEFENDING IP DOMAIN

Representatives of 19 indigenous peoples (IPs) gather in Quezon City on Wednesday to show their collective stand against the revised guidelines adopted by the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples on how they are to deal with business activities...

SHE FEELS THE LOVE: FANS BOOST EALA TO 1ST WTA TITLE

The 21-year-old tennis star again made Filipinos cheer (and stay awake in the wee hours) with her dominant closeout of a rain-delayed match against the formidable Jessica Pegula in Washington.

BOXES OF EVIDENCE

Lawyer Roderick Wamil (top photo, on witness stand), former state auditor for the Commission on Audit’s (COA) Intelligence and Confidential Fund Audit Office, testifies as the Senate impeachment court on Monday tackles Vice President Sara Duterte’s use...

ERC ORDERS ₱9.5-B REFUND TO MERALCO CUSTOMERS

More than 8 million consumers of Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) are poised to benefit from a slight reduction in electricity costs with the rollout of a P9.5-billion refund. In its decision dated July 31, the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) ordered...

OMBUDSMAN: REVILLA YET TO RETURN P124.5M

For Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla, if Ramon ‘Bong’ Revilla Jr. can easily raise a P1-million bail in his ongoing malversation case linked to the flood control scandal, the former senator should have the money to also settle his civil liabilities of...

BATTLE FOR FOOD SECURITY

‘BIYAYANG BIGAS’ Those are not sandbag fortifications but sacks of rice unloaded near the Bonifacio Shrine outside Manila City Hall for the city’s free rice distribution program. The initiative seeks to cushion the impact of rising food costs and daily...

SARA AGAIN SPEAKS OF HIT JOB SCENARIO; PROSECUTORS TAKE NOTE

For the second time, Vice President Sara Duterte spoke publicly of a scenario involving hiring a gunman. Addressing a group of supporters at The Hague in the Netherlands on Wednesday, Duterte tried to illustrate how some of the killings that happened...

HOUSE TEAM: SECRET FUNDS ‘NO EXCUSE’ TO FAKE NAMES

House prosecutors in the Senate impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte began the presentation of evidence in support of the accusation that Vice President Sara Duterte misused P612.5 million in confidential funds. They anchored Article I of...

CHINESE-OWNED STEEL PLANT LINKED TO SUBSTANDARD BARS

MABALACAT CITY—Substandard steel products manufactured by a Chinese-owned steel plant in Magalang, Pampanga, may have already been used in buildings and other infrastructure across the country, potentially leaving them vulnerable during future...

AT A GLANCE

Length: 85 minutes with at least 93 rounds of applause and two standing ovations. Around 8 minutes longer than Sona 2025 HIGHLIGHTS •Starts with updates on the investigations on corruption allegations on flood control projects •Tackles the effects...

PNP MULLS SOCMED BAN FOR MINORS

The Philippine National Police said it was considering a proposal to ban social media use for minors following the shooting attack carried out by two students aged 14 and 15 on their school in Tacloban City on June 22. The proposal was raised at the...

1 DEAD, OVER 1K DISPLACED IN DAVAO CITY FLOODS

MORNING-AFTER CLEANUP A pickup truck ends up like just another piece of debris on Saturday after the flash flood at Barangay Talomo in Davao City, where the river overflowed due to nonstop rains. Neighborhoods start the weekend washing off the mud...

US SLAPS PH EXPORTS WITH HIGHER 12.5% TARIFF

TRUMP TO MARCOS: WILL RAISE PH CONCERNS WITH XI

President Marcos spoke on the phone late Thursday with United States President Donald Trump where the US leader said he would “take up concerns of the Philippines” with China in his next meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, the Presidential...

MARCOS, RUBIO DISCUSS LUZON DEV’T, PAX SILICA

Washington commits to deliver over $100 million in new foreign assistance to Manila as a Palace meeting between President Marcos and visiting US Secretary of State Marco Rubio touches on major economic initiatives that are taking shape.

MARCOS SUMMONS CHINESE ENVOY OVER AYUNGIN INCIDENT

President Marcos summoned Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Jing Quan to Malacañang on Tuesday, a day after two Filipino soldiers were injured in a violent confrontation with China Coast Guard (CCG) personnel at Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal in the...

AFP: CHINA COAST GUARD ASSAULTS PH NAVY PERSONNEL AT AYUNGIN

CONFRONTATION These images grabbed from a video by the Armed Forces of the Philippines, show the moment China Coast Guard personnel attacked Philippine Navy personnel at Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal on Monday. A Filipino Navy man (lower right photo)...

SENATE COURT TO VOTE ON SARA’S FINANCIAL DOCS

Poa maintained that the Anti-Money Laundering Act and the National Internal Revenue Code contain no impeachment exception for AMLC reports and tax records, and objected to including Carpio’s records because he is not an impeachable official. ‘Second...

MARITIME PAST

The B.B. Florentino Das, a replica of the ancient Filipino boat known as the balangay, is docked along the Pasig River at the Intramuros Esplanade in Manila on Saturday. Precolonial Filipinos relied on such a vessel for trade and cultural exchange...

RESIDENTS NEAR MAYON SLOPES PREPARE TO EVACUATE

SECURITY PARTNER

The Japan Coast Guard training vessel Itsukushima arrives in Manila on Thursday for a four-day port visit, part of its global training mission that began May 1 in Kure, Japan. Tokyo and Manila have been stepping up cooperation in the areas of maritime...

THIS IS NOT YOUR USUAL DRILL

Aside from holding the usual earthquake drills on campus, public schools nationwide are now expected to prepare students, teachers and other personnel for “active shooter’’ scenarios, like in the simulation held for the first time by the Department of...

BIRTHDAY IN THE SUN

President Marcos, along with Meralco chair and CEO Manny Pangilinan, leads the inauguration of the MTerra solar power project’s Phase 1 in Gapan, Nueva Ecija, on Tuesday. The occasion also marks Pangilinan’s 80th birthday, with retired Chief Justice...

VP THREATS VS MARCOS ‘SERIOUS, REAL’–NBI EXEC

House prosecutors on Monday strengthened their impeachment case against Vice President Sara Duterte, presenting a National Bureau of Investigation official who testified that her alleged threats against President Marcos, first lady Liza Araneta-Marcos...

ALEX EALA GETS HERO’S WELCOME

Alex Eala returned home on Sunday for a short vacation in Manila before her US Open swing. The 21-year-old arrived at Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 to a hero’s welcome following her historic run at Wimbledon in London, where she became...

EDITORIAL: AN AWARD THAT ENDURES

FLOOD MESS REMINDER

Commuters and motorists brave the flash flood near the intersection of Taft and UN Avenues in Manila as Typhoon “Inday” (Bavi) enhanced monsoon rains on Friday. The yearly urban ordeal refreshed memories of the public works corruption scandal that...

‘PREPARE FOR TYPHOON INDAY’

That’s all Zuleika Lopez, the chief of staff of Vice President Sara Duterte, has to say to the press when she showed up at the Senate on Thursday for some “administrative matters” relating to her appearance as a prosecution witness in her boss’...

DEFENSE ARGUMENT: SARA’S THREAT NOT A HIGH CRIME

The Vice President’s legal team maintains there is no proof that she actually hired an assassin and her threat against the President can’t be considered an impeachable offense. For the prosecutors, the testimony of their first witness remains solid.

VP TRIAL STARTS: CHIZ PRESIDES, SETS RULES

The Senate, sitting as impeachment court, elected Sen. Francis ‘Chiz’ Escudero, a lawyer, to preside over Vice President Sara Duterte’s trial. The court set a 16-vote conviction threshold, resolved procedural issues and heard the parties’ opening...

THAT (ONCE) LITTLE GIRL

In a three-minute, 33-second-post match interview that she started as an emotional wreck, Alex Eala let the world know what the path that got her this far was all about. And what making the round of 16 of a Grand Slam event after dethroning Wimbledon...

EALA OUSTS WIMBLEDON DEFENDING CHAMP

CANADA CONNECTIONS

President Marcos, with first lady Liza Araneta-Marcos by his side, is received by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney at the Vancouver Convention Centre at the start of Mr. Marcos’ official visit on July 2. The two countries later signed declarations...

PRETRIAL PRAYERS

BLESSING Members of the House prosecution team in the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, which is set to begin on July 6, receive a blessing from Catholic priests during a Mass held on Thursday at a chapel of the Immaculate Conception...

PH ATTAINS ‘UPPER MIDDLE INCOME’ RANK–WORLD BANK

MARCOS WANTS ‘MAXIMUM TOLERANCE’ FOR PROTEST THAT RUINED HIS SKED

FOOD AID FOR SENIORS

BASIC NEED First lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, assisted by San Juan City Mayor Francis Zamora, leads a rice distribution activity under the government’s “Bawat Bayan Makikinabang” program at FilOil Centre on Monday. Nearly 9,000 senior citizens in San Juan...

‘BLOODY’ BICAM SEEN OVER ANTIDYNASTY BILL

Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian said he expects heated and “bloody” debates when members of the bicameral committee finally meet to reconcile the House and Senate versions of the long-awaited antidynasty law, due to major differences between the...

HAZING RAPS PUSHED VS ATENEO EX-COACH, STAFF

Two members of the Ateneo de Manila University men’s basketball team drowned after being subjected to “intense physical activity” and hazardous sea conditions, the Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG) said on...

AFTER THE CUTTING COMES THE PLANTING

MAKE-UP ACT? Unable to prevent the recent cutting of some 200 trees on Quirino Avenue in Manila to make way for a road project, the government plants saplings along Roxas Boulevard on Thursday. Mayor Francisco Domagoso and Environment Secretary Juan...

HOUSE PROSECUTORS: OPEN BOX OF VP’S TAX RECORDS

The House prosecution panel has formally called for the unsealing of the box containing Vice President Sara Duterte’s tax records so that these can already be marked at the pretrial stage of her impeachment case. The team maintained that its request,...

GOV’T BLOCKS VIOLENT ONLINE GAME AFTER TACLOBAN SCHOOL SLAYS

The government on Tuesday ordered the temporary blocking of the online shooting game GoreBox as authorities intensified their investigation into whether exposure to the platform may have influenced one of the teenage suspects in the school shooting in...

PROSECUTORS’ GOAL: VP’S CONVICTION REGARDLESS OF VOTE LIMIT

The goal of the private prosecution team in Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial is to build a case with overwhelming evidence, regardless of how the constitutional provision on the vote threshold is interpreted, lawyer Benjamin Tolosa Jr....

GOV’T TO PROBE ALLEGED ILLEGAL RECRUITMENT OF RUSSIA OFWS

The government on Sunday said it would look into reports that the 24 Filipinos recently repatriated from Russia were victims of illegal recruiters. The Filipinos—22 women and two men—arrived in Manila in two batches over the weekend after they were...

DRILON WARNS VS ‘SECOND ENVELOPE’ CRISIS IN VP TRIAL

The former Senate President, who took part in two impeachment trials during his 24 years as senator, says the suppression of evidence during the impeachment trial of President Joseph Estrada created political instability in 2001. The decision to stop...

GROUPS OPPOSE CHIZ RETURN AS IMPEACH TRIAL PRESIDER

As senators get back on track following a short-lived but tumultuous Senate leadership, a broad coalition of activist groups and concerned individuals warned on Friday that designating Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero as the presiding officer of the...