President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has appointed former public works secretary Rogelio “Babes” Singson, Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong, and seasoned accountant Rossana Fajardo to the independent commission tasked with investigating anomalies in the government’s multibillion-peso flood control and other infrastructure projects. He is expected to announce the commission’s chair in the coming days. Palace press...
Author: Nestor Corrales
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Escudero loses Senate presidency to Sotto as scandal over multibillion-peso flood projects rages
Francis Escudero lost the Senate presidency to Vicente Sotto III on Monday, just over a month after his reelection to the post—a sign that senators are listening to public opinion, according to a political analyst. The change in leadership in the Senate occurred in the face of growing public anger over the government’s multibillion-peso flood...
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Ex-police intelligence officer is convicted in Duterte-era drug war killing
Nearly a decade after the deed, a police intelligence officer in then President Rodrigo Duterte’s administration has been convicted of homicide for the death of a drug suspect in Baguio City in July 2016. It is only the fifth known conviction related to Duterte’s “war on drugs” that has resulted in the extrajudicial killing (EJK)...
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Marcos ready for lifestyle check and release of SALN, but analysts say genuine reforms necessary to address corruption
President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. is prepared to undergo a lifestyle check, including the release of his statement of assets, liabilities, and net worth (SALN), but political analysts said such a move must be paired with genuine reforms and must also address the corruption issues that attended his father and namesake’s strongman rule. “All members of...
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Marcos relieves ‘high-performing’ Torre as PNP chief in what lawmakers see as ‘escalating internal conflicts’
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has relieved Gen. Nicolas Torre III of his post as Philippine National Police (PNP) chief—a sign of growing conflict within his administration, according to some lawmakers. The move was “by order of the President” and “effective immediately,” Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin told Torre in a letter dated Aug. 25. “For the...
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The government wants a record P90B for the AFP modernization program
The Armed Forces of the Philippines is allocated a record ₱90 billion for its revised AFP Modernization Program in the proposed 2026 national budget, with P40 billion in programmed funds and ₱50 billion in unprogrammed appropriations. The proposed amount is ₱15 billion higher than the ₱75-billion budget included in this year’s General Appropriations Act. Of the...
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Senate ‘kills’ Duterte impeachment case; law expert says accountability mechanisms weakened
The Senate voted on Wednesday night to archive the impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte, “killing” it before it could reach trial and weakening accountability mechanisms for public officials, a law expert warned. Voting 19-4 with one abstention, the Senate agreed on the amended motion of Sen. Rodante Marcoleta to archive the articles of...
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Inside the once-bustling Pogo hub in Bamban, everything is covered in dust
BAMBAN, Tarlac—The once-bustling Philippine offshore gaming operator (Pogo) hub in this second-class town 100 kilometers from Manila is now eerily quiet. The 10-hectare Baofu compound just behind the municipal hall is a haunting reminder of a criminal enterprise that thrived under the watch of then Mayor Alice Guo, also known as Guo Hua...
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Mary Jane Veloso is still languishing in jail. ‘What are you waiting for, Mr. President?’
More than a decade after being saved from a firing squad in Indonesia, former overseas Filipino worker Mary Jane Veloso remains in prison, this time in her own country. The mother of two has been held at the Correctional Institution for Women (CIW) in Mandaluyong City since Dec. 18, and her plea for executive clemency...