News

Metro Manila, Philippines — Former members of rival UP student political groups SAMASA and Nagkaisang Tugon have set aside their differences to jointly call for the resignation of Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano over the controversy surrounding Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa’s supposed “protective custody.” The coalition described the incident as a grave failure of leadership, judgment, and institutional responsibility, accusing Cayetano of turning the Senate into a platform for political theater, confusion, and brinkmanship during the standoff involving dela Rosa. The group said Senate leadership assumed responsibility over dela Rosa while allegedly delaying lawful enforcement efforts, adding that the incident weakened public trust in democratic institutions and reinforced perceptions that laws are applied differently to the politically connected. “What makes this especially significant is that this call now includes members of Nagkaisang Tugon itself — the very student political formation under which Alan Peter Cayetano once served as a…

Metro Manila, Philippines – The Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) has asked the Supreme Court to deny the petition filed by Senator Ronald dela Rosa in connection with the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) investigation into the Duterte administration’s war on drugs. In a comment submitted to the high court, the OSG said in its filing that Dela Rosa’s motions should be dismissed “for utter lack of merit.” “This is a case study in how the powerful corrodes the rule of law,” the OSG said in its filing, referring to Dela Rosa’s alleged refusal to recognize the enforcement of an ICC warrant against him. The OSG said Dela Rosa went into hiding after reports surfaced about a possible ICC warrant, resurfacing only to vote for Alan Peter Cayetano as Senate President before allegedly leaving the Senate premises again on May 14. The filing also revisited Dela Rosa’s role as former…

Metro Manila, Philippines – Former President Rodrigo Duterte may face trial for his crimes against humanity case at the International Criminal Court (ICC) beginning Nov. 30 based on a proposal by prosecutors. The prosecution panel said it expects to complete pre-trial preparations by Sept. 30, adding that the proposed timeline would make Duterte’s case “one of the fastest” to proceed to trial following the confirmation of charges. According to the filing, prosecutors still need to complete reviewing evidence, finalizing investigations, preparing witness testimonies, and securing protective measures for witnesses. The prosecution said it plans to rely on around 60 to 70 witnesses during trial, including insider witnesses, crime-base witnesses, and expert witnesses.  Around 25 to 30 witnesses are expected to testify live in court, while others may provide previously recorded testimony. Prosecutors estimated that direct examination of witnesses could take up to 200 hours due to the scale of the…

Metro Manila, Philippines – Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla on Saturday called out the Senate for supposedly refusing to receive a subpoena seeking security camera footage and other records related to the May 13 standoff inside the Senate building. Remulla said the subpoena is considered served. “Nagkakaproblema ha ‘yung aming process server, ayaw tanggapin sa Senate, pero may notice na,” Remulla said in an interview. “Hindi ko sila naintindihan. Basta sa akin considered served na ‘yan kahit hindi nila tinanggap.” [Translation: Our process server is encountering problems because the Senate refused to receive it, although notice has already been given. I do not understand them, but for me, it is considered served even if they did not accept it.] The ombudsman also referred to remarks by Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano on possible charges against National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Director Melvin Matibag, as it showed that Senate officials were aware…

Metro Manila, Philippines — Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano, in a letter to his colleagues, said the Senate will convene as an Impeachment Court on Monday, May 18, to prepare for the looming trial of Vice President Sara Duterte. In the letter dated May 15, Cayetano said the chamber had received the House of Representatives resolution containing the Articles of Impeachment and related annexes on May 13. “Pursuant to Rule I of the Senate Rules of Procedure on Impeachment Trials and consistent with its mandate under Article XI, Section 3 of the Constitution, the Senate has taken proper order of the impeachment and shall immediately proceed to its consideration,” the letter read. Cayetano said the Senate had communicated its action to the House through a letter addressed to Speaker Bojie Dy dated May 14. He said the Impeachment Court will convene at 3 p.m. The letter also reminded senators to…