Author: ko66bet

Once allies during the 2022 elections, Duterte Diehard Supporters (DDS) and Marcos loyalists now differ in their calls during their separate protest actions outside the premises of the Senate as it convenes as a court for the trial of impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte.

Aside from the erstwhile supporters of the UniTeam alliance, members from the left-wing Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) — who reiterated their mantra that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Duterte are “no different” from each other — also staged demonstrations in front of the upper chamber headquarters.

Pro-Marcos Filipinos Do Not Yield (FDNY) movement dared the senators to convict Duterte, while the DDS group Hakbang ng Maisug warned of “zero votes” for senators who will vote to do such a move.

On the other hand, Hakbang ng Maisug protesters hold placards which stated in Filipino: “Make accountable and do not vote for the congressmen and senators who favor the impeachment of VP Inday Sara Duterte.”

Since then, Duterte has been impeached by the House of Representatives twice. 

In November 2024, Marcos admitted that he had told House lawmakers not to file an impeachment complaint against Duterte. But on Feb. 5, 2025, the House impeached Duterte for the first time, but the Senate moved to archive the articles of impeachment on Aug. 7 the same year.

“We should not forget that Marcos Jr. is also accountable,” said Bayan president Mong Palatino in his speech. “He is the reason why the impeachment is delayed, because he blocked the impeachment last year.” 

Palatino said they made the protest action to remind senators that the people are closely watching their actions.

“So if the Senate does not act, we the people are ready to act,” Palatino said.

The local government unit (LGU) here has turned over seven tractors worth about P1.356 million each to seven barangays in this agricultural town, funded through tobacco excise tax revenues.

The beneficiary barangays are Lipay, San Blas, Unzad, Labit, Bacag, Tombod, and Amamperez.

This marks the third consecutive year that the municipal government has distributed tractors to villages. In 2025, the LGU also turned over six tractors to six barangays, while two units were earlier awarded to farmers’ associations a year before.

Some barangays opted to receive alternative support such as solar power generators, other farm equipment, and farm-to-market road projects, also funded by the tobacco excise tax.

Mayor Dita Abrenica said the turnover on May 14 is part of the town’s continuing program to support local farmers and strengthen agricultural productivity.

He added that the barangays will oversee the lending system for farmers, with rental fees set lower than prevailing market rates.

Known as the vegetable bowl of Pangasinan, Villasis also produces native tobacco locally known as “batek” and burley tobacco after the rice harvest season.

A Quezon City court has convicted a Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) member for violating the Public Assembly Act over a highway blockade staged during the 2024 police operations against televangelist Apollo Quiboloy. 

The Metropolitan Trial Court Branch 39, Quezon City found Eduardo Corda guilty of violating Section 13(a) of Batas Pambansa Bilang 880, or the Public Assembly Act of 1985, in connection with protests conducted during the August 2024 standoff at the KOJC compound in Davao City.

In its ruling, shared by former Philippine National Police (PNP) chief and now Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) general manager Nicolas Torre III on his social media account on May 1, the court sentenced Corda to four months’ imprisonment.

Torre, in his caption, said, the decision is “not a celebration” nor “revenge,” but a reminder that “the law is the law.”

According to the decision, demonstrators occupied portions of the Philippine-Japan Friendship Highway using vehicles and other barricades, causing public obstruction during the police operations.

While the group had secured a permit for a “prayer rally and candle lighting” activity, the decision said it only covered an event strictly inside the “KOJC compound.”

“By barricading a national thoroughfare with heavy equipment, the participants exceeded the spatial authority granted. In this regard, a permit is not a license to occupy any public space at will; it is limited by the conditions and locations specified therein,” the court said.

Corda’s camp had argued during trial that he merely acted in a ministerial or peacekeeping role during the gathering and did not organize unlawful activities.

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has submitted its findings on the shooting at the Senate last week to the panel investigating the incident.

“The Department of Justice and the Office of the Ombudsman already created a panel to investigate,” NBI director Melvin Matibag told reporters in Camp Crame on Tuesday.

“Today, we submitted a report, the findings of the NBI, but we reserve our right to submit additional findings,” he said.

However, Matibag confirmed that the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG)– National Capital Region visited the NBI’s main office in Pasay City on Monday as part of the investigation.

The Office of the Ombudsman on Tuesday was urged to investigate allegedly anomalous flood control projects in Davao City’s first district worth over P4 billion, a move which the district representative said was done to “demonize” the Duterte family.

In his letter, Tinio said the P4.44 billion worth of projects, done from 2019 to 2022, was allegedly found to have red flags.

He said 65 contracts worth P3.5 billion allegedly lacked station numbers or defined lengths, “making verification impossible and enabling ghost projects.” 

Ten contracts worth P713 million remained incomplete years past their expiry dates, including three which he alleged are “paradoxically” tagged “100% complete” yet still “on-going,” while one project is only 64% complete after five years.