Eimor Santos, NewsWatch Plus, Author at newswatchplus.ph

Crisis aid fund balloons to ₱63.9B in conference committee

Eimor Santos, NewsWatch Plus — Wed, 17 Dec 2025 09:43:28 +0000

Metro Manila, Philippines – It’s settled. Funding for the controversial Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS) program now stands at ₱63.9 billion, following a huge hike pushed by members of the House of Representatives in the bicameral conference committee finalizing the 2026 national budget. The executive branch initially proposed ₱27.028 billion for AICS under

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Bong Revilla, Zaldy Co face probe for Bulacan ghost projects

Eimor Santos, NewsWatch Plus — Fri, 05 Dec 2025 10:16:07 +0000

Metro Manila, Philippines – A Department of Justice (DOJ) preliminary investigation into ghost flood control projects in Bulacan – initially focused solely on officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) – has been expanded to include two former lawmakers, Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. and Zaldy Co, who have been identified as the

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LIST: Areas that must brace for intense rains this weekend due to #UwanPH

Eimor Santos, NewsWatch Plus — Fri, 07 Nov 2025 11:51:20 +0000

Metro Manila, Philippines – The weather bureau has warned of heavy downpour in Luzon and the Visayas this weekend due to Severe Tropical Storm Uwan, which is expected to intensify into a super typhoon. The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) issued a heavy rainfall outlook on Friday, Nov. 7, covering a wide

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‘Emman Atienza Bill’ seeks up to 6 years jail time for online hate speech, harassment

Eimor Santos, NewsWatch Plus — Mon, 03 Nov 2025 17:57:37 +0000

Metro Manila, Philippines – A bill filed in the wake of the death of social media personality Emman Atienza, who was a victim of online bullying, seeks to impose jail terms for online hate speech and harassment. Senate Deputy Majority Leader JV Ejercito filed the Anti-Online Hate and Harassment Bill, which he called the “Emman

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Court: Guteza affidavit falsified; DOJ says testimony may stand

Eimor Santos, NewsWatch Plus — Thu, 30 Oct 2025 13:19:08 +0000

Metro Manila, Philippines – A Manila court has ruled that Orly Guteza — the controversial witness who claimed to have delivered suitcases of cash to then-Speaker Martin Romualdez — submitted a falsified sworn affidavit to the Senate, raising questions about the credibility and fate of his testimony. In an 11-page order dated Oct. 24, the

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Special courts to handle infra corruption cases

Eimor Santos, NewsWatch Plus — Wed, 29 Oct 2025 19:24:24 +0000

Metro Manila, Philippines – The Supreme Court will designate special courts to exclusively handle corruption cases involving infrastructure projects, amid expectations of a surge in cases in connection with the flood control corruption scandal. In a briefer released on Wednesday, Oct. 29, the court said it has directed the Office of the Court Administrator to

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SC junks Estrada bid to drop graft cases

Eimor Santos, NewsWatch Plus — Wed, 29 Oct 2025 18:07:30 +0000

Metro Manila, Philippines – Facing investigations for allegedly receiving kickbacks from flood control projects, Senator Jinggoy Estrada has failed to clear his pending graft cases in connection with the pork barrel scam. Estrada has denied involvement in both kickback schemes.In a press briefer on Wednesday, Oct. 29, the Supreme Court announced the dismissal of Estrada’s

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‘Big One’ quake fears prompt inspections in informal settlements

Eimor Santos, NewsWatch Plus — Thu, 16 Oct 2025 19:31:12 +0000

Metro Manila, Philippines – The government will begin inspecting buildings in informal settler areas amid fears that structurally unsound homes could lead to mass casualties if a major earthquake, or “The Big One,” strikes, Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla said. “If we do have The Big One, most of the casualties will come from the ISFs

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Zaldy Co inserted ₱500M intelligence fund in PNP budget – Remulla

Eimor Santos, NewsWatch Plus — Thu, 16 Oct 2025 15:25:39 +0000

Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla (left) and former Ako Bicol Party-list Rep. Zaldy Co (right)

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Budget woes force CHR to cut aid to rights victims

Eimor Santos, NewsWatch Plus — Wed, 15 Oct 2025 12:31:37 +0000

Metro Manila, Philippines – The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) said it was forced to reduce financial assistance for human rights victims over budget constraints in recent years, while appealing for higher funding to support programs in 2026. “In the previous years we were constrained to reduce the amount from the original rate of P30,000

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