MANILA, Philippines — The House prosecution is relying on its evidence to convict Vice President Sara Duterte in her impeachment trial — not a modified voting threshold, former Rep. Robert Ace Barbers, House prosecution adviser and spokesperson, said on Wednesday. Barbers stressed that point during a post-trial news briefing after being asked about Senator-Judge Imee Marcos’

BAGUIO CITY — A 62-year-old driver died while his three passengers were hurt after a van plunged into a 10-meter-deep ravine in the Benguet farming town of Atok on Wednesday. The accident occurred at 11:10 a.m. along Km. 38 in Barangay Abiang, but police were notified at about 1:40 p.m. Initial police investigation showed that

CITY OF ILAGAN, Isabela — After allegedly parking in a no-parking area, the husband of an Ilagan City councilor reportedly became furious and allegedly assaulted a traffic enforcer along a road in San Vicente village on Sept. 21. Bernardino Baldoz, 80, a former barangay chair, said he was managing traffic when he saw Policarpio Gaoiran,

MANILA, Philippines — A progressive group is seeking the assistance of the National Police Commission (Napolcom) in tracking and retrieving the mobile phones of two activists allegedly stolen during a martial law rally, with one supposedly traced from Camp Crame in Quezon City to Greenhills in San Juan City. In a letter dated Wednesday, Sept.

MANILA, Philippines — The new impeachment trial voting threshold of 14 can only be challenged in the Supreme Court if the senator-judges actually convict Vice President Sara Duterte, House prosecutor Chel Diokno said on Wednesday. Diokno stated that position after Senator-Judge Alan Peter Cayetano asked whether the Senate impeachment court or the SC should settle

RAMON MAGSAYSAY, Zamboanga del Sur — What began nearly two decades ago as a modest local association in Barangay Bobongan here has grown into a major engine driving Zamboanga Peninsula’s sustainable bamboo-based furniture making industry. The Ramon Magsaysay Bamboo Producers Cooperative (RAMAGBA) stands as the region’s sole bamboo processing facility capable of manufacturing engineered bamboo

MANILA, Philippines — The trough of a tropical depression will continue to affect Visayas and Mindanao, while localized thunderstorms may prevail over the rest of the country on Thursday, Sept. 24. This is the forecast from Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) at 5 p.m. today (Wednesday). The weather bureau reported that the

MANILA, Philippines — The tropical depression (TD) off Southeastern Luzon may intensify as it enters the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR) on Thursday morning, Sept. 24, the state weather bureau said.  The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) reported in its 5 p.m. weather advisory that the TD is likely to enter the

MANILA, Philippines — Education Secretary Sonny Angara commended Congress on Wednesday for ratifying the Basic Education Voucher Assistance Act, as it would strengthen the Department of Education’s private school assistance framework. “This legislation provides a pragmatic solution to public school constraints while giving families more equitable access to quality schooling,” Angara said in a DepEd

CALAPAN CITY, Occidental Mindoro – The Mangyan-Iraya Repungpungan sa Malatabako, an indigenous group in Abra de Ilog, Occidental Mindoro, has denounced what it calls “fabricated criminal charges” filed against its members by a real estate developer. They described the cases as retaliation for the legitimate defense of their ancestral domain. In a video statement posted by

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines may not achieve full electrification until 2033, five years later than the government’s target, Camarines Sur Rep. Arnie Fuentebella said Wednesday. Fuentebella said connecting remote rural areas to the electric grid could cost as much as P67 billion, with funding shortfalls potentially delaying the National Electrification Administration’s (NEA) rollout. He

MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang on Wednesday said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is inclined to support a proposal to suspend real property tax hikes amid private-sector concerns that higher valuations could increase property owners’ financial burden. Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said the Department of Finance (DOF) had already begun taking action on the issue following

MANILA, Philippines — The Quezon City police have recovered a Mitsubishi Montero during a follow-up operation in Mandaluyong City, they said on Wednesday.  In a report, the Quezon City Police District (QCPD) said its operatives seized the 2024 Mitsubishi Montero in response to a victim’s complaint filed at the District Anti-Carnapping Unit on Sept. 17.

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY — A cascading “collapse” of family guidance, school security, and government regulation is turning Philippine classrooms into killing fields, a criminology expert said on Wednesday. Dr. Gerry Caño, president of the Asian Criminology Society and Professional Criminology Associations in the Philippines, criticized the Philippine National Police (PNP) and state agencies for

MANILA, Philippines — Senate finance panel vice chair Sen. Pia Cayetano confirmed with the National Privacy Commission (NPC) on Wednesday whether it could investigate the publishing of her flight details. She inquired about the matter after her flight details were made public when she and her brother, Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano, took a trip to

MANILA, Philippines — Kamanggagawa Party-list Rep. Elijah San Fernando criticized the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) for its proposed funding for the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) for 2027. The lawmaker on Wednesday emphasized that the proposal is not even enough to sustain the university’s operations next year.  During the House sponsorship and

MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang on Wednesday dismissed Caloocan City Rep. Edgar Erice’s description of the almost P60-billion Local Government Support Fund (LGSF) as a “presidential pork barrel,” calling it an attempt to stir controversy. Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said Erice was free to challenge the legality of the LGSF before the Supreme Court but

MANILA, Philippines — Even if the Senate Impeachment Court has ruled to allow a lower number of votes to convict Vice President Sara Duterte, the job of the prosecution panel would not be easier as there are no changes to its role of presenting evidence, Akbayan party-list Rep. Chel Diokno said. Diokno, a member of the House

CALASIAO, Pangasinan — The police in the Ilocos region confiscated a total of 41.82 grams of suspected shabu worth an estimated P297,976 in a series of anti-illegal drugs operations in four provinces on last Tuesday, Sept. 22 The operations were conducted in Pangasinan, La Union, Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur, with Pangasinan accounting for the

MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte’s defense team on Wednesday said raising the recent ruling modifying the two-thirds conviction threshold before the Supreme Court (SC) is a “real possibility.” However, Defense spokesperson Atty. Michael Poa said this would still depend on their discussions with Duterte. READ: Senate impeach court reduces conviction threshold “‘Yung pag-akyat

MANILA, Philippines — The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has opened a new clearance center in Kabankalan, Negros Occidental. In a press release on Wednesday, the bureau said the facility aims to enhance additional accessibility to its services. Inaugurated on Sept. 8, the new outlet is located at the Old Public Market in Barangay 4.

MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is open to amendments to the anti-espionage law, which seeks to expand the scope of the existing law, Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said. The House approved on third and final reading House Bill  9642, or the proposed “New Espionage Act,” after gaining 247 affirmative votes, 10 negative votes, and no abstentions.  The

MANILA, Philippines — Many erring personnel of the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR)  have been investigated and charged in connection with alleged abuses linked to the issuance of letters of authority (LOAs),  according to BIR Commissioner Charlito Martin Mendoza. Mendoza mentioned this in response to Sen. JV Ejercito’s query at a budget hearing in the Senate on

IRIGA CITY, CAMARINES SUR — Former Iriga City Mayor Madelaine Arlene Yorobe Alfelor has been detained while a second former city official was arrested on Tuesday (September 22). These action happened on the strength of an arrest warrant issued by the Fourth Division of the Sandiganbayan over the alleged 2022 malversation of P31 million in

MANILA, Philippines — A very strong El Niño is likely to emerge between September and December 2026 and may continue until the first half of 2027, the state weather bureau said on Wednesday. Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) Climate Monitoring and Prediction Section chief Ana Liza Solis said that based on climate

MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang on Wednesday said Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla may be called out over his incorrect pronouncement about former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque’s asylum bid. On Tuesday evening, Remulla admitted that he was wrong when he earlier announced that Roque’s asylum bid had been rejected, saying the correct status was that the application remained

BAGUIO CITY — For 15 farmers and fisherfolk in Luna, Apayao, a 400-square-meter fishpond is becoming more than a source of tilapia. It is a step toward building a livelihood they can sustain on their own. The ST Tilapia Productions Association harvested its first batch of fish Sept. 3, yielding 57.8 kilograms and P9,826 in gross

MANILA, Philippines — The Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) on Wednesday allowed online platform Reddit to establish a presence in the country beyond the initial 24-hour deadline in a bid to strengthen cooperation. The move follows the CICC’s earlier directive to Reddit and Discord to set up offices in the country as part of

MABALACAT CITY — Policemen arrested a patrolman for firing his service firearm into the air during an argument with his father before midnight on Tuesday in Victoria, Tarlac.  The incident took place at 11:50 p.m. in Rigor Compound, Barangay San Nicolas, the Central Luzon police said in a report on Wednesday. “Initial investigation showed that

CALAPAN CITY, Oriental Mindoro — Two women were arrested, and around 112 grams of suspected shabu worth an estimated P761,600 were seized in a drug bust operation in Naujan town on Tuesday, authorities said. A 33-year-old assistant cook from Barangay Sto. Niño, Calapan City, and a 36-year-old unemployed woman from Barangay Mahabang Parang in Naujan