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Metro Manila, Philippines – The pre-trial conference for the impeachment case against Vice President Sara Duterte ended on Thursday, June 25, leaving the crucial box of her tax records sealed and unmarked as evidence. Senate Secretary Renato Bantug, who sits as clerk of court, announced the termination of the five-day pre-trial proceedings, which began on June 18.  The pre-trial conference is the stage where the prosecution and the defense mark evidence, submit a list of witnesses and stipulation of facts, and discuss trial dates and the order of presentation of evidence. “Ever since our objective is to finish expeditiously. And that is why we would like to express our thanks to the impeachment court because the goal was achieved,” said lead prosecutor and Batangas 2nd district Rep. Jinky Luistro, noting that the prosecution considers the pre-trial a success. The prosecution and the defense spent longer time to mark evidence related…

Metro Manila, Philippines – The alias ‘Mary Grace Piattos’ and the defense lawyer of Vice President Sara Duterte are among confirmed witnesses of the prosecution panel in the looming impeachment trial.  On Thursday, June 25, Manila Rep. Joel Chua said Piattos, the alias of a supposed recipient of Duterte’s confidential funds, was listed as a witness in the pre-trial brief submitted to the Impeachment Court.  Piattos – a combination of a popular restaurant and snack brand – surfaced in 2024 at a hearing of the House committee on good government and public accountability as a supposed recipient of the vice president’s confidential funds. In December 2024, the Philippine Statistics Authority said it has no civil registry records of a “Mary Grace Piattos.” “Malalaman po natin kung totoo siya,” Chua said in a text message when asked the significance of including Piattos in their witness list. [Translation: We will know if…

Metro Manila, Philippines – The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) will recommend amendments to firearm ownership laws and the Juvenile Justice Act in light of the Tacloban school shooting and rising school violence. Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla on Thursday, June 25, said authorities thwarted another possible attack on the Tolosa National High School in Leyte. He said this recent spike in school violence raised “infirmities” in the law which he would recommend for Congress to revise. He said the implementing rules and regulations of gun ownership and responsibility should be rewritten to include a criminal liability for the illegal use and transfer of firearms, and that gun owners should be responsible “100 percent of the time” for their firearms. “In case one, the firearm used was a service pistol of a police officer. Ang charge lang ay malversation, walang criminal liability ayon sa batas…In the other case, security…

Metro Manila, Philippines – Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla said that another planned attack on a school, which he described as a shooting or stabbing, was prevented in Tolosa, Leyte. “At 8 o’clock last night, Senator Bam Aquino called me up and gave me a tip that there was chatter in Tacloban that there was an impending mass shooting that was about to occur,” Remulla said on Thursday, June 25. He read out a message supposedly hinting at the attack: “Hello, send this to your friends. Yo, from Tolosa, prepare yourselves, especially you as you owe me. Get ready. I will disrupt the school. You won’t know me, but you will recognize me. There’s no time, no day. Be prepared for whoever gets shot or stabbed. We don’t care, good luck to you at Tolosa Leyte National High School.” Remulla said the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) investigated the threat…

(Reuters) – Strong earthquakes struck west of Venezuela’s capital on Wednesday afternoon, bringing down buildings in Caracas, trapping people in the rubble and prompting scientists to warn of potentially heavy casualties and widespread destruction across the South American country. A magnitude 7.2 earthquake hit about 160 km (100 miles) west of Caracas, followed less than a minute later by a magnitude 7.5 tremor, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). “High casualties and extensive damage are probable and the disaster is likely widespread,” the USGS said, initially estimating the death toll would most likely range from 10,000 to 100,000. Authorities did not immediately provide a national toll for deaths or injuries, but local officials and witnesses reported collapsed buildings, rescues and a growing number of injured. “We have buildings, homes and houses which have collapsed and we are taking care of things with everything we have available in terms of security, civil…