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Metro Manila, Philippines – President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has appointed former Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos as cabinet secretary, returning him to the administration after his failed bid for the Senate in the 2025 midterm elections. Abalos resigned as secretary of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) in 2024 to pursue a Senate seat. Press officer Claire Castro on Wednesday, June 8, said the appointment fulfills Marcos’ earlier statement that he wanted Abalos to again serve in the Cabinet. “Minsan na po siyang tinanong kung magiging parte ng kabinete niya si dating DILG Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. at sinabi naman po niya na nais naman niyang makatrabaho rin ang dating DILG Secretary.” said Castro. [Translation: He (President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.) was previously asked whether former DILG Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. would become part of his Cabinet, and he said he wanted to work with the former interior secretary…

Metro Manila, Philippines – As the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte enters its third day, counsel for public prosecutors Amando Ligutan and defense attorney Cj Narvasa are set to face off again on Wednesday, July 8, over Duterte’s alleged kill threats against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez.  At the end of the second day on July 7, the prosecution panel said it scored points over the defense on the first day as it managed to summon a government agent as witness and presented the video of Duterte uttering threats against Marcos Jr.  The defense panel will cross-examine National Bureau of Investigation special agent John Mark Calilung, who authenticated the video and documented it from the social media platform source. Ligutan and Narvasa are expected to engage in another legal tussle. Ligutan is the managing partner at SALiGAL Law. He graduated…

Metro Manila, Philippines – Senator Erwin Tulfo on Wednesday, July 8, filed a complaint for grave oral defamation against lawyer Levito Baligod, former lawmaker Mike Defensor, Quezon City Councilor Ranulfo Ludovica, and three others with the Mandaluyong City Prosecutor’s Office. Other respondents were self-proclaimed ex-bodyguards of fugitive and former Rep. Zaldy Co Jeron Valderama and Bernard Gumban, as well as lawyer Virgilio Garcia. The complaint is in connection with statements during what Tulfo described as an unauthorized Blue Ribbon committee hearing held on June 16 at the Doublegem EDSA Garden Events Place. In his complaint affidavit, Tulfo said some of the defamatory statements included claims that he received two suitcases allegedly containing ₱40 million to ₱50 million before the senatorial elections and that cash was delivered to his residence in Greenhills, San Juan. He said the statements, which he attributed to Valderama and Gumban during the event, were false, malicious,…

Metro Manila, Philippines – Super Typhoon Inday slightly intensified on Wednesday, July 8, as it continued moving west northwestward over the Philippine Sea east of northern Luzon, according to the state weather bureau. The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said Inday’s maximum sustained winds increased to 195 kilometers per hour (kph) from 185 kph earlier in the day, with gusts of up to 240 kph. As of 10 a.m., the center of the typhoon’s eye was estimated at 1,270 kilometers east of northern Luzon, moving west northwestward at 20 kph. Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal (TCWS) No. 1 is raised over Batanes, Cagayan including the Babuyan Islands, Apayao, Kalinga, Isabela, Ilocos Norte, and portions of Aurora, Catanduanes, Quirino, Ifugao, Mountain Province, and Abra. PAGASA said the enhanced southwest monsoon, or habagat, and the typhoon’s outer circulation will continue to bring strong to gale-force gusts across large parts of…

Metro Manila, Philippines – A member of the House prosecution team claimed having ‘scored’ points on the second day of the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte in presenting the first witness, as well as the video showing the supposed threats against the president and members of his family.  “Score kami sa video na lumabas na dapat makita ng Senate Impeachment Court. Score kami sa ibang statements pa na lumabas galing sa bise presidente na sumusuporta sa articles of impeachment,” said House prosecutor and Iloilo Rep. Lorenz Defensor at a press briefing after the trial on Tuesday, July 7. [Translation: We scored points with the video that was presented because it’s something the Senate Impeachment Court should see. We also scored on the other statements made by the vice president, as they support the articles of impeachment.] The lawmaker is the lead prosecutor on the impeachment article on supposed…