News

Metro Manila, Philippines – The House prosecution panel has listed over 30 witnesses for the looming impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, Batangas 2nd district Rep. Jinky Luistro, lead prosecutor, said on Monday, June 15.  The list of witnesses is part of the pre-trial briefs submitted by the prosecution panel to the Impeachment Court ahead of the closed-door conference on Thursday, June 18. House Secretary General Cheloy Garafil submitted the document to Senate Secretary Rey Bantug. Luistro’s count is higher than the initial 25 witnesses disclosed last week. She said prosecutors want to make sure that all testimonies will be presented in court. “Ang malinaw po dito, sa ilalim po ng ating rules, kapag ang testigo, hindi mo naisama ang pangalan dun sa pretrial, generally speaking, hindi po siya papayagang tumistigo during the trial,” she said.  [Translation: What is clear here is that, under our rules, if a witness’s…

Metro Manila, Philippines – Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) men’s basketball team head coach Tab Baldwin and team manager Epok Quimpo have resigned from their posts, according to The GUIDON, the official student publication of the university. At a press conference on Monday, June 15, University President Fr. Roberto Yap, SJ, said the institution accepted the resignations of both Baldwin and Quimpo.  This follows the death of student athletes Rene Baterbonia and Divine Adili during a team building event in Aurora province on June 8. Both cagers drowned after rogue waves swept them away.  Fr. Yap disclosed to the media that the university has extended financial assistance to Adili’s family in Nigeria, covering round-trip flights to the Philippines and all funeral expenses.  Meanwhile, Ateneo de Davao University has offered scholarships to Baterbonia’s six siblings, covering their schooling from basic education through college.

Metro Manila, Philippines – President Bongbong Marcos has called Congress to a special session on Wednesday, June 17, to fast-track priority measures on social protection, education, health care, and assistance for vulnerable sectors. Under Proclamation 1318, signed on Monday, June 15, the president asked lawmakers to act on the following bills:  +anti-political dynasty +assistance to individuals in crisis situations +amendments to the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act. The special session will also target measures aimed at improving nutrition, health care, and access to education. Marcos said there is an urgent need to address the impact of recent calamities, including the Mindanao earthquake, as well as energy security challenges arising from the Middle East conflict. Palace press officer Claire Castro earlier said the president would only call a special session if the Senate could resolve the leadership gridlock between Senate President Pro Tempore Win Gatchalian and Sen. Alan Peter…

Metro Manila, Philippines – The death toll from the magnitude 7.8 earthquake that devastated Mindanao has risen to 65, the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) reported on Monday, June 15. The number of injured individuals has climbed to 1,447, while disaster response figures show that the disaster has affected 176,186 families, or approximately 736,386 individuals. To date, 14 cities and municipalities have declared a state of calamity. According to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs), a total of 6,058 aftershocks have been recorded as of Monday following last week’s massive tremor. These aftershocks have ranged in magnitude from 1.2 to 6.4. Early estimates from the OCD project up to ₱1 billion in infrastructure damage across the region, with 10,023 homes classified as totally destroyed. In a positive development exactly one week after the devastating earthquake struck, the General Santos International Airport officially resumed commercial operations on Monday.

(Reuters) – U.S. and Iranian officials said on Sunday they had agreed on a framework to end their war, halt the U.S. blockade of Iran and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a preliminary pact that sent oil prices falling but leaves the fate of Iran’s nuclear program to further negotiations. “The Deal with the Islamic Republic of Iran is now complete,” U.S. President Donald Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform around 5:30 p.m. ET local time in Washington (2130 GMT) on Sunday. His post came shortly after Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, whose country has served as a mediator, announced a deal had been struck early on Monday local time. The memorandum of understanding is scheduled to be officially signed on Friday in Switzerland. The precise terms were not immediately known. Sharif said in a post on X that the pact called for “the immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon.” Lebanon has…