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Metro Manila, Philippines – Vice President Sara Duterte was absent on the fourth day of impeachment hearings at the House of Representatives on Wednesday, April 29, effectively skipping all proceedings held by the House justice committee. Duterte’s defense team previously maintained that they would skip the proceedings, in accordance with their petition before the Supreme Court challenging the legality of the hearings over supposed constitutional flaws. In her opening statement, House justice committee chairperson Jinky Luistro slammed Duterte’s refusal to face the committee proceedings. She also criticized the defense team’s statement asking the public to be cautious of the impeachment raps. “Napakasimple ng tanong: may pera ba o wala? Mayroon bang P6.7 billion na gumalaw sa ilalim ng mga pangalan nila? At kung mayroon—saan galing? Tapos tayo ang pinag-iingat? “Be cautious daw. Anong klaseng sagot iyan?,” she said. [Translation: The question is very simple: is there money or none? Was…

Metro Manila, Philippines – President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will not issue an apology over developments involving fugitive former lawmaker Zaldy Co, despite public criticism following his earlier announcement that Co had been under Czech jurisdiction, Malacañang said.. Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said the president’s statements were based on verified information at the time and did not warrant an apology. “Ibalik ko ang tanong: Saan po siya dapat mag-apologize?” Castro said when asked if Marcos should apologize.  [Translation: I will return the question: Where should he apologize?] “Ang kaniyang ini-report naman po ay tama… wala po tayong nakikita na maaaring sabihing pagkakamali ng Pangulo,” she added.  [Translation: What he reported was correct… we see no mistake on the part of the President.] Castro said Marcos was “disappointed” over the latest developments, with Co no longer in Czech custody and believed to be in France, where he has reportedly sought political…

Metro Manila, Philippines –  The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) has directed a tax audit on Vice President Sara Duterte, her spouse Mans Carpio, and nine business entities linked to them. In a press statement on Tuesday, April 28, the agency said it has ordered letters of authority to conduct a tax probe on the couple and their firms, after finding probable cause for an audit investigation. The move allows revenue officers to examine their books of accounts and accounting records. This comes as impeachment proceedings against the vice president are already underway over a number of allegations, including unexplained wealth. The BIR said it took note of the testimony of the ombudsman and the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) during the impeachment hearing on April 22. The AMLC earlier disclosed that Duterte and Carpio registered at least ₱6.77 billion in covered and suspicious bank transactions from 2006 to 2025, which…

Metro Manila, Philippines – Fugitive former lawmaker Zaldy Co has filed a petition for political asylum in France, Malacañang said Tuesday, April 28, raising new challenges in efforts to bring him back to the Philippines. Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said the Department of Foreign Affairs received “highly reliable information” that Co is now under the jurisdiction of French authorities after seeking asylum on grounds of political persecution. “Nasa France na po siya dahil doon po siya nag-file ng petition for asylum,” Castro said.  [Translation: He is already in France because he filed a petition for asylum there.] She clarified that Co is not in detention but was transferred to France following his pending asylum request. Justice officials confirmed that Co is no longer in the custody of Czech authorities, where he had earlier been held over the use of invalid travel documents. Castro said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has…

Metro Manila, Philippines – The International Criminal Court (ICC) has constituted Trial Chamber III to handle the case of former President Rodrigo Duterte as he stands for trial on charges of crimes against humanity over killings linked to his anti-drug campaign. According to the ICC decision shared by the court on Tuesday, April 28, Duterte’s case will be tried by the three-member panel of judges Joanna Korner of the United Kingdom, Keebong Paek of South Korea, and Nicolas Guillou of France. None of the three were part of the unanimous decision in the pre-trial chamber that previously confirmed all three counts of crimes against humanity against Duterte. Here are details of what we know about these three judges. Judge Joanna Korner, UK The senior among all three is Korner at 74 years old. She has spent 45 years in criminal law. Korner spent eight years as an International Criminal Tribunal…