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Metro Manila, Philippines – The Senate will not delay actions on the impeachment case of Vice President Sara Duterte, Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano said in a bid to douse speculations that the abrupt leadership change was related to the ouster case. In a chance interview on Tuesday, May 12, Cayetano said the Senate will act “forthwith” when asked if the Impeachment Court will be convened once the chamber receives the Articles of Impeachment from the House of Representatives. “I also consulted Senator Sotto. Sabi niya, process, ibigay muna sa committee on rules. [He told me the process, to give it to the committee on rules] So, we will do what has to be done and there won’t be delays,” he said, referring to his predecessor who had vowed to convene the court immediately.  “The country needs us in other capacities. So the longer this drags out, the more yung…

Metro Manila, Philippines – Senator Bato dela Rosa resurfaced in the Senate on Monday after a six-month hiatus, helping pave the way for a leadership shake-up ahead of the expected transmittal of impeachment articles against Vice President Sara Duterte. Shortly after session opened on May 11, then Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano took the floor to declare that a leadership change already had the support of the majority. “May I manifest that there are now at least 13 members of the Senate who wish to have a leadership change and that Senator Bato Dela Rosa is in the building,” Cayetano said.  Ahead of this, a number of senators publicly denied rumors of a coup. Senator Joel Villanueva then moved to declare all Senate seats vacant — a motion approved by 13 senators, effectively unseating Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III. Senator Imee Marcos nominated Cayetano as the new Senate…

Metro Manila, Philippines – The International Criminal Court has confirmed that the arrest warrant circulated in the media against Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa is an authentic document and reclassified the document from ‘secret’ to ‘public’.  “The International Criminal Court confirms that the document published by national authorities of the Republic of the Philippines and circulated in the media is indeed a formal ICC document,” ICC spokesperson Oriane Maillet told reporters on Monday, May 11. “This arrest warrant against Mr Ronald Marapon dela Rosa was issued confidentially, under seal, by Pre-Trial Chamber I of the ICC on 6 November 2025,” she added. Maillet said the ICC is “currently in the process of unsealing the warrant of arrest.” The ICC Pre-Trial Chamber I issued the arrest warrant against Dela Rosa last year over alleged crimes against humanity tied to the Duterte administration’s anti-drug campaign. The warrant identified Dela Rosa as an…

Metro Manila, Philippines – The Department of Energy announced on Monday, May 11, a further cut in diesel and kerosene prices, while gasoline will slightly cost more this week. The following price adjustments will take effect on May 12: Gasoline — (+) ₱0.47/l Diesel — (-) ₱9.57/l Kerosene — (-) ₱13.30/l Oil companies such as Petron, Seaoil, and Shell Pilipinas will implement the adjustments. Unioil will apply the same, except for kerosene, which it does not supply. Meanwhile, Jetti Petroleum will implement a ₱9.60/l rollback for diesel, while its gasoline products will increase by ₱0.40/l. For liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), prices will increase by ₱1.22 per kilogram, or ₱13.42 per 11-kg cylinder.

Metro Manila, Philippines – The House of Representatives impeached Sara Duterte on Monday, May 11, making her the first vice president in Philippine history to be  impeached and the first to go through it twice in two separate Congresses. A big majority of 257 lawmakers were in favor of impeaching Duterte, 25 were against, and 9 abstained.  The presiding officer initially announced in plenary that 255 out of 318 lawmakers voted yes, while 26 opposed. Senior Deputy Speaker Ferdinand Hernandez issued the correction before the session adjourned. The House only needs 106 votes to impeach the vice president.  The Articles of Impeachment recommended two penalties: removal from public office and perpetual disqualification from holding any government position. The House accused Duterte of betrayal of public trust, culpable violation of the Constitution, graft and corruption, bribery, and high crimes.  In particular, she supposedly mismanaged at least ₱612.5 million in confidential funds…