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Metro Manila, Philippines – Ombudsman Boying Remulla has preventively suspended the Senate sergeant-at-arms, a retired police officer, over his actions on the volley of gunfire at the chamber, and sought a copy of the security camera footage. In a press briefing, Remulla announced that PMGen Mao Aplasca (ret.) was placed under a six-month preventive suspension without pay.  The ombudsman expressed dismay over Aplasca’s actions, in particular at firing the first shot during a standoff with agents of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) at the Senate on Wednesday evening, May 13.  The gunshots happened as tensions ran high amid reports of an impending arrest of Sen. Bato dela Rosa, who is facing a warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC) over cases related to the Duterte drug war. “It’s worrisome if we allow this to go unpunished and just ignore it. We cannot ignore something of this magnitude,” Remulla said.…

Metro Manila, Philippines – Former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV believes the International Criminal Court (ICC) may next issue arrest warrants for Senator Bong Go and former Philippine National Police chief Oscar Albayalde over alleged crimes linked to the Duterte administration’s war on drugs. In an interview on The Newsmaker, Trillanes said ICC investigations are ongoing even after the tribunal issued arrest warrants against former President Rodrigo Duterte and Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa. “This is just my assessment, personal assessment. I think Sen. Bong Go is up next and probably General Albayalde,” Trillanes said when asked if more warrants could be expected from the tribunal. He said possible warrants against Go and Albayalde may not come immediately. “That’s not going to happen anytime soon, probably a few months down the road,” the former senator said. The ICC prosecution identified Go and Albayalde among the alleged co-perpetrators in the Duterte case.…

Metro Manila, Philippines –  More than one million Department of Education personnel nationwide will begin receiving their mid-year bonus on Friday, May 15, ahead of the opening of the new school year, the agency said. The Department of Education said the release will cover around 900,000 public school teachers and more than 100,000 non-teaching personnel nationwide. It is equivalent to one month’s basic salary for personnel in regular, casual, and contractual positions. Employees must have rendered at least four months of service from July 1 of the previous year until May 15 of the current year, remain in government service as of May 15, and obtain at least a satisfactory performance rating in the latest evaluation period. “Ang maagang pagpapalabas ng mid-year Bonus ay bahagi ng ating pangako na unahin ang kapakanan ng mga direktang humuhubog sa kinabukasan ng ating mga mag-aaral,” said Education Secretary Sonny Angara.[Translation: The early release…

Metro Manila, Philippines – The Department of Energy (DOE) is seeking accountability from the grid operator following major transmission line disruptions that triggered widespread power interruptions across Luzon affecting thousands of consumers. In a statement on  Friday, the DOE said it has mobilized the Grid Reliability Task Force to conduct a full investigation on the May 13 tripping of the 500-kilovolt (kV) Tayabas-Ilijan and Ilijan-Dasmariñas transmission lines. This caused a loss of 2,462 megawatts of natural gas capacity from the Luzon grid and disrupted supply from Luzon to the Visayas in a critical supply condition. Energy Secretary Sharon Garin said the situation was unacceptable. “Libo-libong Pilipino sa Luzon ang naapektuhan ng mga aberyang nagmula sa Ilijan transmission disruptions at hindi po ito katanggap-tanggap,” Garin said. [Translation: Thousands of Filipinos in Luzon were affected by the disruptions caused by the Ilijan transmission problems and this is unacceptable.] “Karapatan ng publiko na…

Metro Manila, Philippines – Less than a week after the abrupt leadership change, Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano said there are efforts from the minority bloc to oust him. In an interview with reporters on Thursday, May 14, Cayetano accused the minority of persuading majority members to switch sides.  “Expected naman ‘yun eh [That’s expected],” he said, when asked if there’s a “coup” to unseat him.  Cayetano said some majority senators told him that minority lawmakers invited them for talks, with some supposedly issuing intimidations. He said he believes the 13-member majority will stay: “You’re always solid until you’re not. I believe in our 13. I believe in our cause” Cayetano unceremoniously replaced Tito Sotto on May 11 with the surprise appearance of Senator Bato dela Rosa – after months of absence – that solidified the majority vote. Dela Rosa has been hiding over a warrant of arrest from the…