The Wire

Quezon City will suspend classes in all public and private schools on Monday for President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s fifth State of the Nation Address, Mayor Joy Belmonte told The Manila Times on Thursday.

Belmonte said the decision was made to ease expected traffic congestion and manage major road closures around the Batasang Pambansa Complex on July 27.

City officials are still deliberating whether to suspend work at City Hall, while a municipal liquor ban is expected to run from 12:01 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Monday.

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Tropical Depression Kiyapo is expected to bring heavy rain to Northern Luzon as it approaches the mainland, according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa). The depression is currently 950 km east of Central Luzon and moving west northwest at 20 kilometers per hour with maximum sustained winds of 45 kilometers per hour. Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal No. 1 has been hoisted in several provinces including Batanes, Cagayan, Isabela, Apayao, Abra, Kalinga, Mountain Province, Ifugao, Ilocos Norte, and Aurora, Red Mendoza reports for The Manila Times.

The United States and Australia have condemned China's latest act of aggression in Ayungin Shoal, where a Philippine Navy personnel was injured. US State Department spokesman Thomas Pigott stated that the actions undermine regional peace and stability. Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong expressed concern over the incident and assured the Philippine Coast Guard of Australia's support. The Philippines raised the issue at the ASEAN foreign ministers' meeting but received no immediate response, as discussions between Manila and Beijing were ongoing, Evelyn Macairan reports for the Philippine Star.

Vice President Sara Duterte has left for The Hague as her impeachment trial enters its third week. According to a '24 Oras' report, her defense team informed her of the Senate impeachment court's decision to subpoena her financial records and those of her husband, Manases Carpio. In response, Duterte said, 'okay, you know what to do naman.' The Office of the Vice President confirmed her travel for personal reasons across Europe but stated no public funds were used, GMA News reports.

The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration-Davao Region (OWWA-Davao) expects an increase in the number of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) returning to Davao as conflicts in the Middle East continue. Regional Director Mohammad I. Victor stated that a total of 526 OFWs have arrived at Davao City International Airport (DIA), with most coming from Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia. The government provides financial assistance amounting to P10,000 each for some OFWs upon their return, along with free tickets and reintegration programs including livelihood opportunities, SunStar reports.

Some senator-judges have expressed reservations over a Senate impeachment court's decision to issue a subpoena for Vice President Sara Duterte and her husband Manases Carpio's financial records, beginning in 2007. In a press conference on Tuesday, Impeachment Court spokesperson Regie Tongol said Senator-Judges Alan Peter Cayetano, Pia Cayetano, Loren Legarda, Imee Marcos, Camille Villar, and possibly Bong Go have submitted separate manifestations regarding the subpoena. Marcos stated that she is only opposed to issuing subpoenas for records covering periods outside of Duterte's current term as Vice President, while Villar argued that the records should be confined to her term and required to show direct relevance to the matters before the court, GMA News reports.

The Senate impeachment court has granted the prosecution's request to subpoena Vice President Sara Duterte's bank and tax records, drawing parallels with a similar move against former Chief Justice Renato Corona in 2012. During Corona’s trial, his bank records were also subpoenaed as part of the investigation into his financial declarations. The court allowed the use of Corona’s Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN) as evidence, despite his defense citing the Bank Secrecy Law to block the request. In both cases, the impeachment court overruled the defense's objections, emphasizing that the Bank Secrecy Law exempts impeachment trials from such laws, GMA News reports.

The Department of Migrant Workers renewed its call for shipping firms to reroute vessels from the Black Sea and other high-risk areas following the deaths of two Filipino seafarers in recent drone strikes, said Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac on Tuesday. The Black Sea is now classified by the International Bargaining Forum as a warlike area, and Cacdac said Filipino seafarers must be informed of risks and given the option to refuse assignments without facing discrimination or losing future employment.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has ordered the DMW to extend legal aid to the families of the two killed seafarers and to determine whether deployment and protection protocols were properly observed. "If they learn that any local manning agencies or foreign principals violated [this requirement], their license can be revoked," said Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Claire Castro. The government is investigating whether any risk report had been made before the seafarers were deployed, Dan Madrazo reports for The Manila Times.

Students from the Polytechnic University of the Philippines and the University of the Philippines have built an AI-powered chatbot called "Legit ba 'to?" that helps Filipino internet users verify online claims through Facebook Messenger and Instagram, according to reporting by BusinessWorld. The tool accepts links, screenshots and social media posts, then checks them against news reports, fact-check databases and official sources before responding.

"Fact-checking is a very manual human effort because generating fake news just happens way more often," said project lead Lesmon Andres L. Saluta. The chatbot is trained to recognise Filipino satire, memes and AI-generated content to avoid mislabeling jokes as false information.

Since launching on July 11, the tool has handled more than 100 verification requests. A 2025 Social Weather Stations survey found 59% of Filipinos view fake news as a serious problem, while 65% said they struggle to determine whether online content is false.

The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration will launch its fourth OFW lounge on September 16 at Clark International Airport-Terminal 2, following a memorandum of agreement signed with airport operator Lipad Corporation on July 21, according to SunStar.

Owwa Administrator Patricia Yvonne Caunan said the lounge will provide resting space, meals and welfare assistance to overseas Filipino workers before departure. "Many of our OFWs travel for hours from their hometowns before they even reach the airport. When they arrive at Clark, we want them to have a place where they can sit down, rest, enjoy a meal, and seek assistance if they need it," she said.

The three existing lounges at NAIA Terminals 1 and 3 and Mactan-Cebu International Airport have served about two million OFWs since the first opened in January 2024, the Department of Migrant Workers said.

Police attempted to restrain and handcuff photojournalist Bullit Marquez while he was documenting a protest in Pasay City on July 22, breaking his camera in the process, according to media reports and footage of the incident. Marquez said officers tried to block him from photographing a protester being arrested, then pulled him and began handcuffing him after his camera fell to the ground. He was released after fellow photojournalist Maria Tan intervened.

"Journalists and photojournalists perform a vital public service by documenting events of public interest. They must be allowed to carry out their work without threats, obstruction, or intimidation," the Photojournalists' Center of the Philippines said in a statement condemning what it called harassment and intimidation. The group called on authorities to investigate and hold those responsible accountable. The Southern Police District had not issued a statement as of publication, Ian Laqui reports for the Philippine Star.

The Municipality of Kalayaan said China is living in the "Imperial Era" after a China Coast Guard attack on Philippine Navy personnel at Ayungin Shoal on Monday left one Filipino sailor with a head wound requiring medical evacuation. "Their mere presence itself is illegal and intimidating," the local government unit said in a statement Wednesday. "So much with the barbarism and violence."

Kalayaan stressed that Ayungin Shoal is part of its municipality, which sits under Palawan's jurisdiction. The town called for sanctions against China and unity among Filipinos regardless of political affiliation. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. summoned Chinese Ambassador Jing Quan to Malacañang to discuss the incident, while Foreign Affairs Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro protested the confrontation to Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi at an ASEAN meeting in Pasay, GMA News reports.

A senior Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas official has criticized the Philippines' decades-old bank secrecy laws after the House prosecution's attempt to examine Vice President Sara Duterte's money trail hit a wall: foreign currency deposit accounts that remain beyond reach even in impeachment cases, Rappler reports.

BSP Deputy Governor Elmore Capule made the complaint during a speech on Wednesday, July 22, as the Senate impeachment court grapples with subpoenas it approved for Duterte's bank and Anti-Money Laundering Council records. FCDU accounts — commonly denominated in US dollars and other foreign currencies — fall outside the court's reach under current law, despite the court's order to open other bank deposits.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro raised the Philippines' "strong" protest over the China Coast Guard's July 20 baton attack on Filipino Navy personnel at Ayungin Shoal during a bilateral meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Wednesday, the Department of Foreign Affairs said. One Navy sailor suffered a bloody head injury in the incident; China has accused the Philippines of "distorting facts" and claimed its personnel struck first.

Lazaro also strongly objected to a China Daily video released July 10 that depicted Filipinos as monkeys, telling Wang Yi that "disagreements over legal and political issues do not justify resorting to disturbing imagery." She reiterated calls for removal of remaining Chinese structures at Bajo de Masinloc and urged both sides to resolve disputes peacefully under international law, GMA News reports.

Pulse Asia president Ronald Holmes said a conviction in Vice President Sara Duterte's impeachment trial could effectively end her political career, but the Duterte family would likely field another candidate to remain a major force in the 2028 elections.

Duterte leads the latest 2028 pre-election survey with 49 percent support for president, ahead of Naga City Mayor Leni Robredo at 26 percent and Sen. Raffy Tulfo at 14 percent. The survey was conducted from June 28 to July 6 amid ongoing impeachment proceedings against Duterte, One News reports.

Senator Robin Padilla told House prosecutors during Vice President Sara Duterte's impeachment trial not to be "one-sided," drawing puzzled looks and murmurs from the prosecution panel. "Siguro mas nakakapagtaka kapag naging neutral ang prosecution," House lead prosecutor Gerville Luistro responded, saying it would be stranger if prosecutors were neutral or defended the respondent.

Padilla had questioned the credibility of witness Arturo Lascañas, noting his affidavit contradicted an October 2016 statement clearing former president Rodrigo Duterte. The remark prompted presiding officer Chiz Escudero to call for order, James Patrick Cruz reports for Rappler.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines has strongly rejected the Chinese Coast Guard's claim that it permitted the medical evacuation of an injured Philippine Navy officer at Ayungin Shoal, saying the Philippines does not need permission to conduct operations in its own Exclusive Economic Zone.

"Any claim by the CCG that it 'permitted' the operation is a false narrative intended to project illegitimate authority where none exists," the AFP said in a statement. The injury occurred on July 20 when a Chinese crew member struck a Philippine serviceman on the head with a wooden baton during a confrontation between a Chinese vessel and the BRP Sierra Madre.

The AFP reiterated that Ayungin Shoal lies within the Philippines' 200-nautical-mile EEZ as affirmed by the 2016 Arbitral Award. "We remain steadfast in fulfilling our constitutional mandate to protect Philippine sovereignty and sovereign rights, and we will continue to conduct lawful operations throughout the West Philippine Sea without seeking the approval of China or any other foreign state," it said, SunStar reports.

The European Union condemned the July 20 confrontation between Philippine and Chinese personnel at Ayungin Shoal that injured two Filipino Navy servicemen, saying it "firmly opposes any unilateral actions that endanger the safety of personnel at sea and threaten to undermine regional stability," GMA News reports.

The EU Delegation to the Philippines reaffirmed that the 2016 arbitral tribunal ruling on the South China Sea is "final and legally binding," and called for disputes to be resolved "through dialogue and peaceful means, in accordance with international law." China has rejected the tribunal's decision, which invalidated Beijing's claims to historic rights over the nine-dash line area.

China's account of the July 20 incident differs sharply from the Philippines'. The Armed Forces said Chinese personnel hit a Filipino sailor on the head with a wooden baton and damaged a Philippine boat, while Beijing accused Philippine boats of ramming a Chinese vessel and said Filipino personnel used oars and sticks. President Marcos summoned Chinese Ambassador Jing Quan to the palace on Tuesday to discuss the confrontation and broader security concerns in the West Philippine Sea.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said on Tuesday that while the Philippines remains committed to diplomacy, its resolve on territorial integrity is non-negotiable, speaking at the AFP's change of command ceremony.

"We seek cooperation but we will never compromise our sovereignty. We extend friendship to all, but we will never abandon our national dignity," Marcos said at the retirement ceremony of outgoing AFP Chief Gen, Allen Limos reports for The Manila Times.

Australia announced more than P1.09 billion in fresh maritime assistance for the Philippines on Tuesday, including a P413 million drone package for the Philippine Coast Guard and a P678 million civil maritime cooperation program over four years, the Australian Embassy said. Foreign Minister Penny Wong made the announcement as the countries marked 80 years of diplomatic relations.

The drone package includes long-range aerial drones, heavy-lift unmanned aircraft, underwater drones and counter-drone technology with operator training. It raises Australia's total drone support for the Coast Guard to P578 million since April 2025, when earlier assistance delivered 35 drones.

Ambassador Marc Innes-Brown said the drones benefit "millions of everyday Filipinos who rely on an open and accessible maritime domain for their livelihoods and commerce." The four-year Civil Maritime Advancement program will fund operational equipment, maritime training, environmental protection, governance reforms and scholarships on the Law of the Sea, William B. Depasupil reports for The Manila Times.

General Antonio Nafarrete, newly installed as Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff, declared that strengthening territorial defense and operationalizing the Comprehensive Archipelagic Defense Concept will be central to his leadership, speaking at his assumption ceremony presided over by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. at Camp Aguinaldo on Tuesday.

"We seek peace, we support dialogue, we respect international law, but our desire for peace must always be supported by credible capability, sustained readiness, and the resolve to defend what rightfully belongs to the Filipino people," Nafarrete said. He identified deeper defense cooperation with allies, preservation of internal security gains, and acceleration of the AFP Modernization Program as strategic priorities, emphasizing that human capital development would remain central to building a modern armed force.

Marcos expressed confidence in Nafarrete's readiness, citing his previous commands of the 1st and 6th Infantry divisions, Western Mindanao Command, and the Philippine Army. The President reiterated that while the Philippines pursues peace and cooperation, it will not compromise its sovereignty, SunStar reports.

Rep. Paolo Duterte said Monday the House prosecution panel appeared to lack sufficient evidence when it approved Articles of Impeachment against Vice President Sara Duterte, pointing to its move to seek subpoenas for additional financial records as proof the case was still being built.

"If your case was already complete when the House approved the Articles of Impeachment, why are you only now looking for documents that you should have already had?" Duterte said, arguing that impeachment "is not a fishing expedition" where evidence is gathered after charges are filed.

Duterte questioned why prosecutors were seeking documents he said had already been submitted to the Senate and returned to the Bureau of Internal Revenue, and compared the case unfavourably to ongoing investigations into alleged flood control irregularities that were still gathering evidence. He suggested the proceeding followed "impeach first, then look for evidence" and alleged political motives were at play, James Daniel Danio reports for The Manila Times.

Sen. Loren Legarda filed Senate Bill 2255 on Tuesday, proposing to raise the annual income tax exemption threshold to 400,000 pesos, exempting workers earning up to about 33,000 pesos a month from income tax. The Keeping Incomes Tax-relieved and Augmented Act would also increase the tax-free bonus ceiling to 150,000 pesos and remove tax entirely on service charges, overtime pay, holiday pay, night-shift differentials, and hazard pay for service industry workers.

The bill also seeks to exempt honoraria and allowances paid to election poll workers from tax. Legarda said the measure aims to keep take-home pay in step with the cost of living and remove unfair taxes on ordinary workers' earnings, Catherine S. Valente reports for The Manila Times.

The Senate impeachment court granted the prosecution's request for a subpoena on Vice President Sara Duterte's tax and bank documents and those of her husband Manases Carpio on Monday, with presiding officer Sen. Francis Escudero ruling the records are "reasonably described, readily identifiable and prima facie relevant and material" to unexplained wealth allegations.

Malacañang said it is up to the Senate to issue orders as an impeachment court, with Palace press officer Claire Castro saying the Office of the President has not received a request to authorize the unsealing of Duterte's tax documents. "The impeachment court is really the one that issues orders and subpoenas," Castro said.

House prosecutors hailed the decision. "This is a watershed moment in this impeachment case and a landmark decision by the impeachment court," said Rep. Leila de Lima. "Truth finally prevailed, and not confidentiality." Alexis Romero reports for the Philippine Star.

A clash between Philippine and Chinese sailors at the Second Thomas Shoal threatened to overshadow an Asean foreign ministers meeting in Manila on Tuesday, as the US condemned "dangerous" Chinese actions in the contested waterway, Reuters reports.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who arrived in the Philippines on Tuesday, wrote in an op-ed that "if these waters were to fall under the control of a power willing to use trade as a geopolitical weapon, both the United States and the Asean states would face serious new threats to their sovereignty, security, and economic future" — a direct reference to China.

Meanwhile, the Asean foreign ministers expressed serious concern over renewed hostilities between the US and Iran, calling on "all parties concerned to exercise utmost self-restraint and avoid any acts that may further aggravate the situation."

On Monday, Manila said China Coast Guard personnel had assaulted Filipino sailors near a beached vessel serving as a garrison on the disputed shoal — the first serious seaborne encounter in months, according to AFP, Bernadette E. Tamayo reports for The Manila Times.

National Bureau of Investigation Director Melvin Matibag testified on Tuesday that Vice President Sara Duterte's remarks about wanting President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s head constitute a threat to national security, not mere political speech. Under cross-examination, defense lawyers challenged Matibag's credibility, noting he assumed office in February but based testimony on an NBI probe launched in November 2024, and questioning potential bias given his wife's role in endorsing the impeachment articles.

Matibag rejected a defense argument that Duterte's increased trust rating in a recent survey undermined allegations of betrayal of public trust, saying the NBI "could not be swayed by public opinion" in conducting investigations. Defense counsel Michael Poa said Duterte is currently in The Hague after securing travel authority. The cross-examination will resume Wednesday, GMA News reports.

China summoned the Philippine ambassador on Tuesday after a clash at the Second Thomas Shoal, where the Philippine military accused the China Coast Guard of clubbing a Filipino sailor with a baton as they approached a grounded vessel serving as a Philippine garrison, according to Agence France-Presse.

China's foreign ministry said the Philippines "provoked first, yet it has turned the blame upside down, distorted the facts, and maliciously hyped the issue." The clash drew swift condemnation from Manila's allies: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemned Beijing's "dangerous and aggressive actions," and Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong slammed China's "destabilizing and dangerous conduct."

Rubio landed in Manila on Tuesday for an Asean summit where Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will also attend. The two have not publicly confirmed talks, though they met last year in Kuala Lumpur and in Munich in February.

The National Bureau of Investigation is down to fewer than 20 names in its search for a person Vice President Sara Duterte allegedly contracted to kill the president, NBI director Melvin Matibag told the impeachment court on Wednesday. Matibag placed his chances of identifying the alleged assassin at six to seven out of 10, with identification possible in three to six months, though he conceded the search may end with nothing.

Senators pressed Matibag on what they saw as a double standard in how the NBI treated Duterte's remarks versus similar statements by Davao City Mayor Baste Duterte. Sen. Ping Lacson noted the bureau referred its complaint against the vice president to the Department of Justice, while Baste's case remains at the law enforcement level. Sen. Raffy Tulfo said the NBI wields an "iron fist" for ordinary citizens and "kid gloves" for the powerful, citing cases from the Duterte administration where a teacher, construction worker and college graduate were arrested over threats against the former president, Cristina Chi reports for the Philippine Star.

The National Bureau of Investigation said "men in uniform and in active service" are among persons of interest in its investigation into an alleged assassin contracted by Vice President Sara Duterte to kill President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez, NBI Director Melvin Matibag told the Senate on Wednesday.

Matibag said the agency has identified members of Duterte's security detail among the persons of interest and that some families of those identified are already cooperating. "We cannot yet confirm, regarding the remaining number of persons of interest, whether one of them is the actual person who was contracted or if it involves a group," he said. He estimated the identification process could take three to six more months and said investigators are also examining the possibility of foreign involvement in the alleged plot, SunStar reports.