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Metro Manila, Philippines – The Manila Electric Company (Meralco) announced a one-and-a-half-centavo per kilowatt-hour (kWh) decline in electricity rates for May as a result of lower charges in a number of billing items, foremost of which is the transmission cost. The power distributor announced on Wednesday, May 13, that the ₱0.0151/kWh reduction brought the overall rate for a typical household to ₱14.334/kWh from ₱14.3496/kWh in the April billing statement. Meralco said the slight reduction was a result of Energy Regulatory Commission-approved measures that offset higher generation charges. “Despite initial indications of an increase, Meralco power rates this May had a modest reduction,” said Joe Zaldarriaga, Meralco vice president and head of corporate communications . The lower rates were a result of Meralco’s refund for residential customers, lower transmission charges, and reduced taxes and other charges. The generation charge, which has a 55 percent share in the billing statement, was at…

Metro Manila, Philippines — The tandem of Leni Robredo and Raffy Tulfo edged out the tandem of Sara Duterte and Imee Marcos in the latest hypothetical 2028 presidential race survey conducted by OCTA Research. The Q1 2026 Tugon ng Masa survey showed the Robredo–Tulfo tandem garnering 44% support nationwide, compared to 40% for the Duterte–Marcos tandem, while 16% of respondents remained undecided. OCTA noted that this marks the first recorded instance in its comparable tandem surveys where a Robredo-led alliance numerically surpassed a Duterte–Marcos pairing in a direct hypothetical matchup. The polling firm also highlighted the increasingly regionalized nature of the race, with the Robredo–Tulfo tandem dominating the National Capital Region at 61% and Balance Luzon at 57%. The tandem also led in the Visayas with 48%, against 40% for Duterte–Marcos. Meanwhile, the Duterte–Marcos tandem maintained overwhelming support in Mindanao, where it secured 86% preference, compared to only 5% for…

Metro Manila, Philippines –  Malacañang said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is not yet considering rejoining the International Criminal Court, but clarified that the president is not closing the door on reviewing the country’s membership in the future. “Ang huli niyang sinabi ay hindi pa po magri-rejoin,” Castro said during a palace briefing.[Translation: The last thing he said was that we will not rejoin yet.] “So, kung kinakailangan po sigurong aralin sa mga susunod na araw ay hindi naman po sarado ang pangulo diyan,” she added. [Translation: So, if there is a need to study it in the coming days, the president is not closing the door on that.] Castro made the statement after renewed calls for the Philippines to return to the Rome Statute amid questions on how the government would handle the reported ICC arrest warrant against Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa. The Philippines withdrew from the ICC in…

Metro Manila, Philippines – Malacañang cautioned senators against going beyond the limits of the law amid moves to place Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa under Senate protective custody after the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant against him. During a Palace briefing, Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro said lawmakers should know the extent of their authority as senators. “Well, ayaw nating pangunahan ang mga senador but dapat alam nila kung ano ang batas kasi mambabatas sila,” Castro said.[Translation: We do not want to preempt the senators, but they should know the law because they are lawmakers.] “So, alam nila kung ano ang limitasyon nila, ano lang iyong kanilang authority, ano lang iyong power nila but they should not go beyond the law,” she added.[Translation: They know their limitations, their authority, and their powers, but they should not go beyond the law.] Castro made the remarks after former Senator Antonio Trillanes…

Metro Manila, Philippines – Former President Rodrigo Duterte has tapped veteran British lawyer Peter Haynes to take over his defense before the International Criminal Court following the withdrawal of lead counsel Nicholas Kaufman and associate counsel Dov Jacobs. The appointment was disclosed in a public ICC filing, where Kaufman identified Haynes as Duterte’s replacement counsel. “Yesterday, the Defense team visited Mr Duterte and documented both Mr Duterte’s release of Counsel from his representation and his desire to hire replacement Counsel – Mr Peter Haynes,” the filing stated. Kaufman also said Haynes had already agreed to immediately assume Duterte’s defense and would be prepared to attend the next status conference on May 27. Haynes is considered one of the leading practitioners in international criminal and humanitarian law, with more than 25 years of experience before tribunals in The Hague, including the ICC, the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, and…