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Son of taxicab driver, vendor is PMA class baron
E. Visayas readies show of force for Alyansa senatorial candidates By Maricel V. Cruz and Rachelle Tonelada LAKAS-CMD and Tingog party-list will spearhead a major show of force in Eastern Visayas today (Thursday) to rally the region’s 3 million Waray voters to support the senatorial candidates of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s Alyansa Para sa Bagong Pilipinas.
This as Alyansa bets continued to dominate the Senate race, the latest Tugon ng Masa survey by OCTA Research showed. Conducted from April 20 to 24, 2025, the survey revealed that 18 candidates—of which 10 are from Alyansa—currently have a statistical chance of winning one of the 12 Senate seats up for grabs.
THE International Criminal Court (ICC) Pre-Trial Chamber I denied the request of former President Rodrigo Duterte’s legal team to remove two judges from his ongoing crimes against humanity trial. In their petition, the former leader’s lawyers cited possible “perceived
A 23-year-old son of a former taxi driver and a vendor from Quezon City has emerged as the top graduate of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) Sundalong Isinilang na Kasangga at Lakas ng Ating Bayan para sa Kalayaan†(SKLAB-Laya) Class of 2025. The PMA graduation rites will be held on Saturday, May 17. Next page
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ICC junks Rody’s petition seeking removal of 2 judges from his trial By Rachelle Tonelada
By Dexter A. See
bias” based on the judges’ previous rulings on similar matters. Specifically, they sought to excuse Judges Reine Adélaide Sophie Alapini Gansou and María del Socorro Flores Liera from the case. A document released by the Office of the Prosecutor dated May 6 showed that Duterte’s defense filed the petition Next page
Cadet first class Jessie JR R. Ticar (Dexter See)
VOL. XXXIX • NO. 81 • 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P20 •THURSDAY, MAY 8, 2025 •
Palace: All systems go for May 12 elections PNP: 100% ready to secure polls; int'l observers gear up By Charles Dantes and Vince Lopez
I
T’S all systems go for Monday’s midterm polls, Malacanang said as the Philippine National Police starts its “full deployment” on the ground today to ensure the security of elections. “Our teachers and Education personnel and the entire government force will be there to safeguard, support, and protect our elections,” Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Claire Castro said. She said DepEd is deploying its Election Task Force nationwide on Sunday for real-time monitoring and incident response. The Integrated Bar of the Philippines and the Public Attorney’s Office are also on standby to provide free legal aid to teachers facing harassment or legal threats. PNP chief Gen. Rommel Francisco Marbil said every plan to ensure a peaceful and orderly May 12 midterm polls is now in place, especially the deployment of around 163,000 police personnel across the country. Next page
Palace officials to cooperate with Ombudsman By Charles Dantes MALACAÑANG yesterday assured that administration officials will comply with the Office of the Ombudsman’s directive requiring them to submit counter-affidavits concerning the arrest of former President Rodrigo Duterte by the International Criminal Court (ICC). The probe stems from a request filed by Senator Imee Marcos, who called for an inquiry into the involvement of certain high-ranking officials in Duterte’s crimes against humanity case with the ICC. Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Undersecretary Claire Castro acknowledged the Ombudsman’s swift action and affirmed that the administration would cooperate fully. "We are aware of the powers of the Ombudsman," Castro Next page said.
ALL SET FOR MAY 12. A statue of the Virgin Mary graces the new command center of the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) on the 2nd floor of the PLDT building in Sampaloc Manila. The Command Center, consists of individual cubicles for volunteers who will participate in the auditing of the transmitted vote where physical election returns from across the country will be compared to the transmitted election return. Inset shows the official ballots for the City of Manila being checked under the supervision of the Commission on Elections after being delivered yesterday at the Manila City Treasurer’s Office. Norman Cruz
Marbil sacks two cops moonlighting as Rep. Pulong Duterte's bodyguards By Vince Lopez PHILIPPINE National Police (PNP) Chief Gen. Rommel Francisco Marbil on Wednesday ordered the dismissal of two police officers allegedly moonlighting as bodyguards for Davao City First District Representative Paolo Duterte.
Speaking to reporters at Camp Crame during the activation of the Media Accreditation Center, Marbil said the two police officers from Davao and two Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) personnel had been identified in CCTV footage linked to an alleged altercation involving Duterte at a Davao City bar. Next page
Next pope faces ‘difficult, complex’ point in Catholic Church’s history CONCLAVE EVE MASS. Catholic cardinals and faithful gather at the St. Peter’s Basilica on May 7, 2025 for a special mass (inset) ahead of the conclave. Vatican Media/AFP
THE cardinal leading the last mass before a conclave to elect a new pope urged his peers Wednesday to choose someone able to protect the Catholic Church's unity and lead a "difficult and complex" point in history. Cardinals from five continents held a final mass in St. Peter's Basilica in
the Vatican before shutting themselves away to choose a new leader for the world's 1.4 billion Catholics. A total of 133 cardinal electors are set to take part in the conclave, the voting process to pick a successor to Pope Francis, who died last month after a 12-year papacy. Next page