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Metro Manila, Philippines –  Twenty-four Filipinos detained in Russia for nine months are set to return home after Russian authorities ordered their release following President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the city of Kazan. Marcos announced the development Friday, June 19,  saying the Filipinos, alleged illegal recruitment victims, would be deported and repatriated to the Philippines. “After nine months in detention, 24 Filipinos in Russia will finally be on their way home to be reunited with their families,” Marcos said in a Facebook post. The president said he raised the detainees’ situation during his meeting with Putin on the sidelines of the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations)-Russia Commemorative Summit. Marcos said Putin was initially unaware of the case but immediately ordered Russian officials to review the matter. “They have not been charged with any wrongdoing, but they have still been kept in detention for…

Metro Manila, Philippines – Naga City Mayor and former Vice President Leni Robredo commended the Marcos administration’s housing program and said that  the national government is pursuing housing projects more aggressively than in previous years. Speaking during the signing of a housing agreement between the Pag-IBIG Fund and the Naga local government, Robredo recalled her experience as chairperson of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC) and noted that housing initiatives had faced funding constraints. “For a very long time, hindi natin nakita na ganito ka-aggressive ang national government as far as housing is concerned,” Robredo said on Thursday, June 18. [Translation: For a very long time, we have not seen the national government become this aggressive when it comes to housing.] Robredo said the housing sector lacked sufficient resources in the past, making it difficult to pursue large-scale projects. “Noong ako ang chair ng HUDCC, wala kaming budget…

Metro Manila, Philippines – The tropical depression east of the country may bring rains and stormy weather in parts of northern Luzon this weekend, the weather bureau said on Friday, June 19. The weather disturbance, to be called Tropical Storm Francisco, may reach typhoon category by Sunday, though a  landfall scenario is unlikely at this time, said the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration or PAGASA. The bureau said it is also monitoring the still-tropical depression over waters west of Guman, for its possible enhancement of the southwest monsoon (habagat) by the middle of next week. PAGASA said the tropical cyclone’s closest approach to land mass may trigger raising Wind Signal No. 1 over parts of northern Luzon. As of 10 a.m., the weather disturbance was spotted 1,850 kilometers east of Eastern Visayas, with center winds of 55 kilometers per hour (km/h0 and gusts of up to 70 km/h.

Metro Manila, Philippines – Filipino tennis ace Alex Eala stunned World No. 2 Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan, 7-5, 6-4, in the WTA 500 Berlin Tennis Open on Wednesday, June 18. The higher-ranked Rybakina came out strong, using her powerful serve to build a 4-1 lead in the opening set. The Kazakh star fired several aces and looked in control early. Eala, however, remained composed and cut down on her errors. She broke Rybakina’s serve to trim the deficit to 4-3, then leveled the set at 4-4 with a strong serving of her own. The Filipina completed the comeback late in the set, capitalizing on a string of Rybakina errors to take the opener, 7-5. Eala carried that momentum into the second set, earning an early break for a 2-1 advantage and maintaining control with steady serving and aggressive shot-making. The world number 35 eventually sealed the match after forcing another…

Metro Manila, Philippines — Spokespersons of the House prosecution panel criticized the submissions made by Vice President Sara Duterte’s defense team during the Impeachment Court’s pre-trial conference, saying they lacked substance and failed to address the allegations against her. “It’s purely general denial and basically ang nakasaad doon sa kanilang [what was stated in the] pre-trial brief ay pagko-question mismo nung proseso [is questioning the process] which basically it’s (the) narrative of the defense from the very start,” Lanao del Sur Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong said in a press conference on Thursday, June 18.  “Wala silang naipresenta na [They did not present] substantive controverting evidence,” he added.  Adiong said the defense failed to present evidence to rebut allegations of misuse of confidential funds, accumulation of ill-gotten wealth, and bribery. “Maganda sana kung meron silang maiprepresenta na mga witnesses namagpapatunay kumbaga na sila si Kokoy Villamin, sila si Mary Grace Piattos,”…