The new majority in the Senate solidified its grip on Wednesday after forming a 13-member bloc that elected Sherwin Gatchalian as Senate president. The vote was unanimous for Gatchalian, who on June 3 was elected Senate president pro tempore by the then 12-member bloc. This time he was voted president of the chamber during the...
Author: Christine O. Avendaño (Christine Avendaño)
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Joint testimony of 18 ex-bodyguards of Co mostly hearsay, says NBI
The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has found that the joint testimony of 18 former bodyguards of fugitive and former Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Zaldy Co, alleging they delivered billions of pesos in flood control funds to lawmakers, has “no probative value,” as it was mostly hearsay and a “coordinated narrative.” “The evidence is weak....
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New majority elects Sherwin Gatchalian as acting Senate president
A new Senate majority unexpectedly emerged on Wednesday, with 12 senators electing Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian as Senate president pro tempore and acting Senate president, ending the chaotic three-week leadership of Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano. The change occurred after the Cayetano bloc’s Sen. Francis Escudero showed up and joined the 11-member minority on the last session day...
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Sotto: Any Senate leadership change should occur before Congress adjourns next week
Any change in the two-week-old, controversy-plagued Senate presidency of Alan Peter Cayetano should happen in the last three session days next week, before Congress goes into sine die adjournment on June 6. And with Congress out, the Senate leadership becomes even more crucial as the chamber is set to embark on one of its important roles:...
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Senate impeachment court convened, VP Duterte summoned to respond
Amid loud rumors of another shakeup in its leadership, the Senate convened on Monday as an impeachment court to try Vice President Sara Duterte. The court immediately ordered that a writ of summons be issued to Duterte to respond to the articles of impeachment against her. She had skipped the entire impeachment proceedings of the House...
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House impeaches VP Duterte again, votes to send her case to the Senate for trial
For the second time, and now with an overwhelming majority, the House of Representatives voted on Monday to impeach Vice President Sara Duterte on accusations of misuse of confidential funds, unexplained wealth, and threats to have President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. killed. Duterte is the first Filipino official to be impeached twice. The first time was in 2025, with...
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Only 2 more signatures needed for flood control corruption report to reach Senate floor
Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson is seeking two more members of the blue ribbon committee that would sign the controversial partial report on the flood control corruption so the chamber can push for reforms to “dismantle” its “very anatomy.” Reporting on the partial committee report on Tuesday on the floor, Lacson acknowledged that only...
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Unanimous vote for articles of impeachment vs VP Duterte
The impeachment case against Vice President Sara Duterte is one step away from being tried in the Senate, with the House justice committee unanimously approving on Monday the committee report finding probable cause to impeach her. It took almost two hours before 55 members of the committee voted unanimously for the amended committee report and...
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House justice committee finds probable cause to impeach VP Sara Duterte
After a total of six hearings that looked into Vice President Sara Duterte’s alleged unexplained wealth, misuse and abuse of confidential funds, and grave threats against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., his wife, and then Speaker Martin Romualdez, the House of Representatives’ justice committee has found probable cause to impeach her. The vote was unanimous in the committee’s...
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The House justice committee enters ‘a territory of forensic truth’
Vice President Sara Duterte had billion of pesos in transactions that were flagged by banks to the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC), despite declaring official income and net worth way below her bank records. For certain years, she failed to declare her cash on hand and cash deposits in her statements of assets, liabilities and net...