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Metro Manila, Philippines – The prosecution panel said it is anticipating “more objections” on the second week of the impeachment trial on July 13 to 15, where Zuleika Lopez, Office of the Vice President chief of staff, is expected to take the witness stand on the article concerning grave threats to the president. House prosecutor Bel Zamora made this remark in a press briefing on Thursday, July 9, a day after the Impeachment Court wrapped up the first week of trial against Vice President Sara Duterte. “Of course, we’re expecting more objections next week…Mangyayari po talaga mago-object ang kabila dahil syempre ayaw nilang tumuloy ang testimonya ng kahit sinong witness ng prosekusyon,” she said. [Translation: The other side will naturally object, because of course they don’t want the testimony of any prosecution witness to proceed.] Prosecution and defense lawyers exchanged objections during the examination of National Bureau of Investigation senior…

Metro Manila, Philippines –  The impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte is proceeding in accordance with the Constitution, with no apparent basis for Supreme Court intervention at this stage, said former Supreme Court Justice Adolfo Azcuna, one of the framers of the 1987 Constitution. In an interview on The Newsmaker, Azcuna said the impeachment proceedings should continue unless the court stops it. “Unless there is a TRO (temporary restraining order), the trial is presumed legal and has to proceed,” he said. Azcuna said he sees no constitutional issue that  justifies intervention by the high court. “I cannot really predict what the Supreme Court will do, but so far, from my point of view, there is nothing that would justify at this point for the Supreme Court to intervene in the proceedings,” he said. He said that based on how the proceedings have unfolded, the trial is lawful. “I am…

Metro Manila, Philippines – The Department of Foreign Affairs said it is looking into a supposed heckling of Palace press officer Claire Castro during President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s visit to Canada last week. In a statement, the DFA said Foreign Affairs Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro has directed the Philippine embassy in Ottawa and the Philippine consulate general in Vancouver to coordinate with Canadian authorities to determine the circumstances surrounding the incident. “The Department of Foreign Affairs is looking into the incident involving Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Claire Castro during the visit of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to Vancouver, B.C., Canada last week,” the department said. The DFA said Philippine diplomatic posts have been instructed to coordinate with Canadian authorities “in determining the specifics of the incident as well as the applicable laws and security protocols covering visiting foreign dignitaries.” Castro was confronted by a group of Filipinos while accompanying…

Metro Manila, Philippines –  The constitutional requirement of at least 16 votes to convict an impeached official prevents any attempt at manipulating the impeachment process, said former Supreme Court Justice Adolfo Azcuna, who warned that lowering the threshold based on vacancies or absent senators may be open to abuse. In an interview on The Newsmaker, Azcuna, one of the framers of the 1987 Constitution, said the two-thirds requirement is based on the Senate’s full membership of 24, even if some senators are unable to participate. “The fact that they are absent for one reason or another, detained or hiding, does not mean that they are no longer senators,” Azcuna said. “So as long as they remain senators, kasama iyan sa computation… two-thirds is 16 pa rin,” he added.  (Translation: So long as they remain senators, they are included in the computation… two-thirds is still 16) Azcuna said the constitutional threshold…

Metro Manila, Philippines – The weather bureau raised Signal No. 2 over Batanes on Thursday, July 9, as typhoon Inday moves closer to land mass.  While the cyclone has weakened slightly, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) warned that peripheral areas may have heavy rainfall and strong winds.  The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority requested Manila-based malls and their Luzon-wide branches to open parking facilities overnight for private vehicle safety, beginning Thursday evening up until the passage of the typhoon.   PAGASA said “Inday” may pass closest to extreme northern Luzon between Friday, July 10, and Saturday, July 11, and move farther away from the country after that. It said these areas are under Signal No. 1:+Cagayan including the Babuyan Islands +Isabela +Northeastern portion of Quirino +Apayao +the northern portion of Abra Kalinga +the eastern portion of Mountain Province +the eastern portion of Ifugao +Ilocos Norte +the northern portion…