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Metro Manila, Philippines – Vice President Sara Duterte said she has changed her overseas travel plans after the Office of the President approved her trip authorization only hours before her intended departure. In a statement Thursday, Duterte criticized the timing of the approval for her planned travel from April 23 to May 15, saying it created uncertainty over whether she would be allowed to leave. “Thank you for the last-minute issuance of the travel authority. I regret to inform you that the plans have since changed due to uncertainty whether I will be permitted to depart,” she said. Duterte said she would submit a new request and urged authorities to process such documents earlier. “You will be receiving a new request soon. Please ensure that the necessary documents be processed and issued promptly, allowing sufficient time for travel preparations rather than only a few hours before the intended departure,” she…

Metro Manila, Philippines – Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac assured the safety of 412 Filipino seafarers deployed in the Persian Gulf.   In a press release, the agency said it had met with Zamil Offshore, a leading marine service provider in Saudi Arabia, which confirmed that the seafarers are provided with sufficient food and other necessities. “Tiniyak din ng kumpanya na ang lahat ng kanilang crew, kabilang ang mga Pilipino, ay maayos na inaalagaan,” the agency said. [Translation: The company also assured that all crew, including Filipinos, are well cared for.] Zamil Offshore CEO Babak Jabbari said the company is interested in hiring more Filipino seafarers in the future, noting their high level of “knowledge, competence, and seamanship.” Meanwhile, planes carrying repatriated Filipinos from Dubai, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait are set to arrive Thursday, April 23. Additional flights from Kuwait and Qatar carrying repatriates are also expected to arrive on…

Metro Manila, Philippines – The Sandiganbayan has barred former House Speaker Martin Romualdez from leaving the country through a precautionary hold departure order (PHDO) pending an investigation on his possible involvement in the flood control scandal. A high ranking official from the anti-graft court told NewsWatch Plus that the court’s seventh division approved the ombudsman application. “The above-entitled application having been filed against the respondent…and appears to the satisfaction of the court after examining under oath the witnesses of applicant Office of the Ombudsman, through the Office of the Special Prosecutor, and the supporting complaint-affidavit, that there is probable cause to believe that respondent will depart from the Philippines to evade arrest and prosecution of crime/s being charged against him,” the document read. The pending case involves plunder, direct bribery, graft, indirect bribery, and money laundering. The court directed the Bureau of Immigration to bar Romualdez from leaving the country.…

Metro Manila, Philippines – Lawmakers flagged billions in bank transactions—some of which have been declared suspicious—linked to Vice President Sara Duterte, as they noted a disparity in her declared net worth. During the impeachment hearing of the House justice committee on Wednesday, April 22, the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) flagged ₱6.77 billion in covered and suspicious transactions tied to Duterte and her spouse, Mans Carpio, from 2006 to 2025. The AMLC defines covered transactions as transactions exceeding ₱500,000 in one day, while suspicious transactions are questionable regardless of the amount. Of the total, 630 were covered transactions under Duterte and Carpio, while 33 were suspicious. The total amount of transactions for Duterte stands at ₱3.7 billion, and ₱2.9 billion for Carpio. Bicol Saro Rep. Terry Ridon, justice committee member, pointed out red flags in these transactions, stressing disparity with the statements of assets, liabilities, and net worth (SALN) of Duterte. …

Metro Manila, Philippines – The International Criminal Court rejected former President Rodrigo Duterte’s challenge to its jurisdiction, clearing the way for a possible trial of the high-profile crimes against humanity case linked to the bloody drug war. Presiding Judge Luz del Carmen Ibáñez Carranza delivered the Appeals Chamber’s ruling Wednesday, April 22, in open court in The Hague, Netherlands. The chamber rejected all four grounds of the defense. “In the present case, the Appeals Chamber by majority confirms the impugned decision,” she read. It affirms an earlier ruling by the Pre-Trial Chamber, which found that the court retains jurisdiction over alleged crimes committed while the Philippines was still a member of the Rome Statute, the treaty that created the ICC. The defense challenged the ICC jurisdiction after the Philippines withdrew from the treaty in March 2019. Carranza said the statute’s purpose would be undermined if states could avoid scrutiny by…