Daily Tribune (Philippines)
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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Batangas solon drags Recto into flood-control scandal
Batangas Representative Leandro Leviste on Monday escalated his attack against Executive Secretary Ralph Recto, alleging the Palace official is tied to a lawmaker at the center of a multibillion-peso public works controversy. In a series of social...
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‘Impeach Sara, oust marcos!’
a protest march along ayala avenue on Sunday turned into a broader indictment of the country’s political accountability mechanisms, as demonstrators demanded the impeachment of Vice president Sara duterte and another group questioned the swift...
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June impeach trial brews
June, usually the start of the typhoon season, will also likely be the start of a political tempest with the opening of the possible impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte — despite moves to immediately convene the Senate as an impeachment...
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Battle royale, good to go VP Sara ready for all possibilities
The camp of Vice President Sara Duterte, on one side, and the House majority who pressed for her impeachment, on the other, are gearing up for a landmark battle to convince members of the Senate court to vote their way as the transmittal of the...
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EU ENVOYS JUNK CO BANDWAGON
european diplomats are not playing along with the Palace’s wild goose chase after fugitive former Ako bicol Partylist representative Zaldy Co, on the heels of the failure of a high-level delegation led by Justice secretary Fredderick Vida to bring Co...
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Doubts raised: Did Co get outside help?
The Philippine government’s failure to bring back former ako Bicol Partylist Representative elizaldy “Zaldy” Co is raising questions over possible lapses in coordination with other countries and whether the fugitive lawmaker is receiving assistance to...
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Co slips through porous EuropE
Former ako Bicol Partylist Representative Zaldy Co has slipped out of Czech custody and is now believed to be moving quietly across europe’s open borders, exposing how little control Manila has once a fugitive enters the Schengen maze. Justice...
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How did he get in?
A shooting at a high-profile gala attended by President Donald Trump has raised questions over security arrangements after an armed suspect was able to enter and move within the hotel where senior US officials were gathered. Authorities identified the...
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Sara damned herself with threat video, says Ridon
The video recording of Vice President Sara duterte allegedly threatening high-ranking officials would be sufficient to prove that the remarks were intentional, even without additional evidence from the national Bureau of investigation (NBI), according...
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Say ‘I am sorry,’ Marcos urged
Amid Justice Secretary Fredderick Vida’s declaration in Prague that it was “possible” that former Ako Bicol Partylist Rep. Elizaldy “Zaldy” Co was no longer within the Czech Republic’s jurisdiction, critics of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. are...
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NO RETRIEVAL OF CO, JUST PRAGUE JUNKET
The large contingent sent to fetch fugitive legislator Zaldy Co in Prague failed to impress critics, who said the trip was either unnecessary or amounted to a junket, using the unlikely repatriation of the former House appropriations chair as...
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NEXT, MARTIN’S ARREST AFTER HDO?
Former House speaker Martin romualdez pushed back on Thursday against what his camp described as an attempt to paint him as a flight risk, after the sandiganbayan issued a hold departure order (Hdo) as requested by the ombudsman. The anti-graft...
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ICC asserts jurisdiction over Duterte case
The International Criminal Court (ICC) appeals Chamber on Wednesday dismissed former Philippine President Rodrigo duterte’s challenge to the court’s jurisdiction, effectively clearing the way for the continuation of the proceedings against him over...
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Martin: ‘i won’t fall alone’
Former House Speaker Martin romualdez decried on Tuesday being turned into a “fall guy,” even as ombudsman Jesus crispin “Boying” remulla denied his request to travel to Singapore for a medical checkup following a recent angioplasty. remulla openly...
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Zaldy may be deported — to Portugal
While legal luminaries debate the likely fate of fugitive former Ako Bicol Rep. Zaldy Co, complex geopolitical realities militate against his early return. A seasoned jurist raised the possibility that, once the country of origin — the Czech Republic...
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Lacson prosecutes, Marcoleta defends?
Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson on Sunday stirred fresh intrigue in the looming impeachment trial of Vice President Sara duterte when he quipped that Senator Rodante Marcoleta could “join her defense team.” The jab came with an edge: If...
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SKEPTICISM SWIRLS OVER PRAGUE
Two days after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. reported the arrest of former Ako Bicol Partylist Rep. Elizaldy “Zaldy” Co on social media posts on the evening of 16 April, the government has not presented any visual proof of the incident. The lack of...
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CO’S ARREST PUTS HEAT ON MARCOS
If a person possesses multiple nationalities in a third state, the third state considers that person a citizen or a national of only one state that is closest to them, which is the philippines. Former Ako Bicol Partylist Rep. elizaldy “Zaldy” Co’s...
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ZALDY CO NABBED ENTERING PRAGUE
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. confirmed late Thursday the arrest in Prague of fugitive former ako Bicol party-list rep. Zaldy Co after he allegedly crossed into the Czech republic illegally. “Zaldy Co had been caught,” Marcos said in Filipino in a...
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Año resigns, ending DU30 Cabinet line
the last holdout from the Cabinet of former president Rodrigo duterte, national Security Adviser eduardo Año, has stepped down. Malacañang on Wednesday announced the resignation of Año, who was duterte’s interior and Local government...
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OUST VP SPARKS FUROR
Tensions flared in the opening of the House Justice Committee’s “clarificatory” hearing on the impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte yesterday when Sagip Partylist Rep. Rodante Marcoleta challenged the supplemental affidavit of detained witness...
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U.S. blockade of Hormuz sparks oil shock fears
The United States has begun a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, marking a sharp escalation in global maritime tensions that could disrupt one of the world’s most critical oil transit routes. The announcement came despite a ceasefire agreed on last...
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Fuel relief may come slowly — even after truce
Prices of petroleum products in the Philippines are unlikely to drop immediately despite a conditional two-week ceasefire among the united States, Israel and Iran, experts said Wednesday. dr. Renato de Castro, an international relations expert, said...
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SC TOLD: UA STEALS FILIPINOS’ FUTURE
the Supreme court heard pointed arguments on tuesday questioning the legality of “unprogrammed appropriations” (Ua) in the national budget. appearing as an amicus curiae (friend of the court) in consolidated petitions challenging the 2026 general...
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Plunder charges set for Romualdez, Escudero
Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla on Monday said former House Speaker Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez and former Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero will soon face a plunder case linked to the preparation of the national budget and alleged...
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CIa ruse, firepower save downed U.S. pilot
US President Donald Trump on Saturday (easter Sunday in Manila) declared both american airmen downed inside Iran “safe and sound” after a high-risk rescue operation shaped by a covert CIa deception campaign, heavy firefights, drone cover and the...
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NAIA mishap recalls bollard debacle
The Senate Committee on Public Services is weighing an investigation into the integrity of the ongoing rehabilitation of Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 1, following a second major incident at the facility within a year. The airport...
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‘Stations’ of the cross
Safety, security and sublime patience cross paths in the metro’s main bus terminals. Among the scenes captured on Holy Wednesday, 1 April, the National Capital Regional Command with its K9 dogs inspect luggage at provincial bus terminals in Quezon City...
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‘YOUR LEGACY IS YOUR CORRUPTION’
Davao city rep. Paolo “Pulong” Duterte didn’t hold back on tuesday, taking a hard swipe at President ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. over what he said was the latter’s concern about his “legacy” at a time filipinos are dealing with rising costs and a...
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