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“That’s a blatant lie,” Dela Rosa said during Thursday’s Senate committee on foreign relations hearing, which continues to probe former President Rodrigo Duterte’s arrest and ICC detention. “There were spot reports, progress reports, development reports—all the way to the filing of cases with the DOJ. We made sure every case had a file,” Dela Rosa said. Source: Bato Slams Remulla Over Claim of Missing Police Reports in Drug War Deaths - Rapid News PH

Source: Trump slaps 17% tariff on Philippine exports

“China’s state security authorities have uncovered a case of Filipino espionage and apprehended three Filipino nationals suspected of spying in the country,” Global Times said on X (formerly Twitter). “The investigation revealed that Philippine intelligence agencies have long been focused on gathering information about China’s military deployments,” it added. Source: 3 Filipinos nabbed for suspected espionage in Beijing —Chinese state media

China’s foreign ministry on Wednesday, April 2, urged certain people in the Philippines not to make “unfounded comments” regarding Taiwan, warning “those who play with fire will burn themselves.” Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun’s remarks at a regular press conference came in response to Philippine armed forces chief Romeo Brawner telling soldiers to “start planning for actions in case there is an invasion of Taiwan.” Source: China urges Philippines not to play with fire on Taiwan question

This was after these officials skipped the senate committee on foreign relations hearing on Thursday. Among the subject of the subpoenas are Philippine National Police (PNP) Director General Rommel Francisco Marbil, PNP Spokesperson Brigadier General Jean Fajardo, and Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) Chief Brigadier General Nicholas Torre. These officials played major roles in Duterte’s arrest. Marcos argued that police officers are not covered by executive privilege since they are not cabinet members. Source: https://www.brigadanews.ph/senate-subpoenas-pnp-top-officials-on-icc-arrest-of-duterte/

The renewed deployment of American troops to the Philippines, as confirmed by US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth during his Manila visit last week, was met with criticism within Filipino fishing communities. "We are not soldiers, but we are the first casualties in this conflict. Every time there is a military exercise, we lose access to traditional fishing grounds. Explosions in the sea drive away fish, and pollution resulting from military drills poisons the waters. It's destroying our livelihood," a fisherman who requested anonymity told The Manila Times in Filipino. Source: 'US military presence harmful to fishing communities'

Sources: https://thehill.com/opinion/international/5223762-trump-china-russia/ Opinion - Trump needs to realize — China and Russia are a package deal

Last week, Putin suggested the possibility of a UN-run government in Ukraine to organise new elections and then begin peace talks. Trump's comments mark a change in tone towards Putin. Over the past six weeks, Trump has publicly harangued Zelensky and demanded numerous concessions from Ukraine's president. Source: Donald Trump 'very angry' with Vladimir Putin over ceasefire negotiations

"Nakakalungkot naman kasi alam ninyo maraming tanong pa rin,” Senator Imee said. “Ang dami nga nagti-text, nagtatanong. And there are new information. “They said it’s because of executive privilege and [the case being] sub judice, but we all know that the Supreme Court has prohibited that. ES Bersamin is a former chief justice, and he knows that executive privilege is not a blanket authority. You invoke that depending on the question fielded, one by one,” Senator Imee said. “Walang pangkalahatan na executive privilege na [para sa] lahat ng topics,” she added. Source: Imee: Cabinet officials won't attend Day 2 of Senate probe into Duterte arrest

The US will not get Greenland, its new prime minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, has said in response to Donald Trump’s latest statements that he wants to take control of the vast Arctic country. “President Trump says that the United States is getting Greenland. Let me be clear: the United States won’t get that. We do not belong to anyone else. We determine our own future,” Nielsen said. Source: Greenland’s new PM rejects Trump’s latest threat: ‘We do not belong to anyone else’

FBI agents assigned in Southeast Asian countries, including in the Philippines, engaged in sexual encounters with prostitutes ρáíd for by local law enforcers, a U.S. Department of Justice watchdog revealed. The report, released on March 27 and cited by the New York Times, details incidents of FBI employees paying for or accepting sexual services during social events with local police in several Southeast Asian countries, including the Philippines. These activities reportedly occurred between 2009 and 2018. Source: FBI agents in Manila accepted prostitutes ρáíd for by local police – report

British-Israeli lawyer Kaufman, 56, said the Philippines' withdrawal from the court had become effective well before an investigation was authorized. "Coming back to the jurisdictional point, obviously you don't need to be the dean of a law faculty to realize that that's going to be a huge issue at pre-trial," he said. Source: Duterte lawyer: 'Compelling' grounds to throw case out

BARMM (Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao) has declared the day a regular non-working holiday. Sultan Kudarat has declared March 31 a special non-working holiday, with classes at all levels in public and private schools also suspended for the day. The University of Santo Tomas' General Santos City campus has suspended work and classes for the day. Source: March 31, 2025 a non-working holiday in some areas for Eid’l Fitr

The 17 Filipinos arrested and detained are being investigated by the Qatari government for suspected unauthorized political protests, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs. Penalties for holding îllégâl public demonstrations in Qatar range from deportation, imprisonment for up to 3 years, and a fine of up to 50,000 Riyals. Read: https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/3/29/dfa-17-filipinos-in-qatar-under-investigation-over-political-protests-1657

“I cried. I was sobbing,” Roque said in Filipino, recalling the moment his application was formally received at Ter Apel, the IND center where all asylum seekers begin their process. Roque emphasized that the formal acknowledgment of his application would ensure his protection under the principle of non-refoulement, which stipulates that no individual should be returned to a country where they face threats of persecution. Source: Harry Roque gets first asylum interview as opposition mounts

Ikaw ba naman pag bantaan na babarilin ka pag nakita ka, sino di mapapasugod sa stasyon ng pulis 🤣 Hahah "May real life consequences ang behavior sa internet, mga pre." - TPC Kahit anong yabang ang makita mo sa isang tao, mali parin ang magbanta lalo yang mga "Death Threat" -- init pa naman ng diskusyon sa Non-DDS, Pinklawan, at mga kulto ng DDS sa Drug on war dahil most ng nararape at may nababalitang namamatay e may kinalaman sa droga. Hayok Pilipinas, hirap mong mahalin sa ngayon hahaha ano thoughts nyo dito?

Findings: 1. No warrant was issued by a Philippine court. 2. No court order was issued mandating that the former president be taken out of the Philippines against his will. 3. The Philippines had no legal obligation to arrest Duterte and turn him over to the International Criminal Court (ICC) given the admission that the Philippine government only received a diffusion notice and not a red notice from the International Criminal Police Organization or the Interpol. 4. Duterte was deprived of the right to be visited or have conferences with immediate members when CIDG Chief Nicolas Torre III did not allow Vice President Sara Duterte to visit her father while in Villarmor Airbase. 5. Duterte was denied the right to be brought to judicial...

Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto emphasized the importance of transparency and good governance in government projects. In his message during the Ceremonial Contract Signing for the New City Hall Project on Monday, January 13, Sotto underscored that quality government projects can be achieved without corruption. "Posible na gumawa ang gobyerno ng proyekto na dekalidad, sa tamang presyo, at walang korapsyon," Sotto said, revealing that systemic issues like "SOP" or automatic kickbacks for officials often range from 20% to 40%, significantly inflating costs. Sotto highlighted Pasig City's efforts to eliminate such practices through open and competitive bidding processes, which initially faced resistance but ultimately led to substantial...

“Clearly there were actions taken by the administration which run counter to my ideals and principles," Imee said. "Thus, I cannot stand on the same campaign platform as the rest of the Alyansa. As I have stated from the outset of the election period, I will continue to maintain my independence,” she said. “Over and above political advantage, the sovereignty of the country and the interest of true justice for every Filipino must remain paramount,” Imee said. Source: Imee ditches brother Bongbong’s admin slate, cites Duterte’s ICC arrest

China has issued a warning to the Philippines ahead of United States Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's scheduled visit to Manila this week, urging the Philippine government to "stop serving as other countries' mouthpiece" and to avoid being used as "chess pieces" in regional power plays. Source: China tells Philippines: Stop serving as other countries’ mouthpiece

Former president Rodrigo Duterte's partner, Honeylet Avanceña, and their daughter Kitty arrived in The Netherlands on Wednesday, where they went straight to the detention center of the International Criminal Court (ICC). Avanceña and Kitty arrived in the Netherlands in time for the elder Duterte's birthday on March 28. Source: https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/3/25/duterte-camp-insists-to-sc-former-president-abducted-1247

Han Duck-soo took over as acting leader from President Yoon Suk Yeol, who was himself impeached over his short-lived declaration of martial law in December. Han was impeached on Dec. 27 after clashing with the opposition-led parliament by refusing to appoint three more justices to the Constitutional Court. The justices on the court ruled seven to one to strike down the impeachment on Monday. Five of the eight justices said the impeachment motion was valid, but there were not enough grounds to impeach Han as he did not violate the constitution or the law, according to a court statement. Source: South Korea's constitutional court reinstates impeached prime minister as acting president

"Sana po ay malaman po nila na ang gobyerno ay tumutupad lamang sa ating batas,” Castro said. "Kung hindi po sila magkakaroon at hindi sila magri-remit ng kanilang mga maaaring ipadala sa mga pamilya nila, hindi lamang po gobyerno ang maaapektuhan, pati ang kanilang mga pamilya" she said. Source: 'Remittance stoppage' won‘t just affect gov’t, Palace warns | Philippine News Agency

ICC spokesperson Dr. Fadi El Abdallah told GMA Integrated News in an exclusive interview that Duterte’s bid for interim release needs to be discussed before the judges. “As a matter of general principle, all these conditions and questions need to be discussed before the judges,” Abdallah said in a report of Mariz Umali on Unang Balita Wednesday. “The technical measures and conditions have to be decided on a case-by-case basis by the judges and have to be accepted by a certain state for it to be ordered by the judges,” he added. Source: ICC on Duterte's bid for interim release: PH should accept conditions

“Sa totoo lang wala talaga akong nararamdaman. Hindi ako galit, hindi ako disappointed. Nothing at all. Kasi pointless naman na… magharbor ako ng feelings about what happened. Hindi na siya maibabalik. Hindi na mababalik si Pangulong Duterte sa Pilipinas. So what we should do as a country is move on from what happened. What will we do as our ways forward as a country and as a people from what happened?” Duterte said in Filipino during a press conference yesterday streamed on the OVP’s Facebook account. Source: Sara: Duterte can no longer return to Philippines

Ayon kay Escudero sumulat sa kanya at kay Sen. Imee Marcos si Executive Sec. Lucas Bersamin at ipinaalam na maaring igiit ng mga miyembro ng gabinete na haharap sa pagdinig ang kanilang “executive privilege.” Sa “executive privilege” mananatiling confidential ang mga pakikipag-usap ni Pangulong Marcos Jr., sa mga miyembro ng kanyang gabinete ukol sa pagsisilbi ng arrest warrant ng International Criminal Court kay Duterte. Source: https://bandera.inquirer.net/410785/executive-privilege-sa-senate-hearing-ipinaalam-kina-escudero-at-imee

A report by US-based Defense News said the US Army's 3rd Multidomain Task Force unit is "standing up its long-range fires battalion over the next year, including readying its Typhon battery for deployment in the Pacific theater." This marks the Army's second such missile system to enter the region. Source: https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/3/25/afp-welcomes-possible-deployment-of-second-typhon-missile-to-ph-1301

Sen. Ronald Dela Rosa confirmed on Tuesday that his security detail was withdrawn by the Philippine National Police (PNP), days after the arrest of former president Rodrigo Duterte by the International Criminal Court (ICC). He revealed that he was informed about the recall only upon his arrival in Davao on March 24. Source: Dela Rosa says security detail withdrawn

Mohagher Iqbal, chief of the MILF peace implementing panel, said the government’s appointment of the new chief minister and other personalities not endorsed by the MILF violated the spirit of the peace deal and put in question the sincerity of the government, even if newly appointed Chief Minister Abdulraof Macacua came from the MILF. “What we are invoking is the agreement and what was provided in the law passed by Congress,” Iqbal said. “We do not question the authority of the President to appoint anyone, but on the basis of the CAB and the BOL, there are provisions that [were] violated.” Source: MILF to question BARMM chief’s appointment

It is produced by TheNerve, a data forensics company that enables changemakers to navigate real-world trends and issues through narrative & network investigations. Source: [DECODED] YouTubers posting lies, propaganda on Duterte-ICC issue can earn up to P20,000 daily

"China has never received any so-called application from former president Duterte and his family to seek asylum from the Chinese government,” foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun told reporters on Monday. “Regarding some so-called informed sources that are made out of nothing or have ulterior motives, I hope that media friends will carefully identify and not believe them easily.” Source: China ‘never received’ asylum application from former Philippine leader Duterte

A day after making no mention of Sen. Imee Marcos during a campaign rally in Cavite, President Marcos again omitted her name in his remarks on stage, this time during a sortie in Sta. Rosa, Laguna. There was no mention of his reelectionist sister who, like in the last two provincial programs, was again absent. Toward the end of his speech, Marcos referred to the Alyansa slate as being composed of “11 candidates”—not 12. Source: Marcos again skips mention of sis Imee in Alyansa sortie