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GILAS BEATS IRAQ, STAYS ALIVE IN ASIA CUP
REMULLA NOT GIVING UP ON OMBUDSMAN POST
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VOL. XXXIX • NO. 175 • 2 SECTIONS 12 PAGES AUGUST 10, 2025
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A traditional Igorot dance is performed to mark the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples at the Maryhill School of Theology in Quezon City on Saturday August 9, 2025. Manny Palmero www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com
House to abide by SC final ruling on MR for VP’s trial Says it won’t cause Consti crisis even as it fights for truth
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By Maricel V. Cruz
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HE House of Representatives vowed to abide by the Supreme Court’s decision should it rule against the motion for reconsideration on its decision junking the Articles of Impeachment against Vice President Sara Duterte. At the same time, lawyer Antonio Bucoy, spokesperson for the House prosecution panel, assured no constitutional crisis will happen even as lawmakers continue their search for justice and accountability. “The House will not disobey. We will abide by the SC’s final ruling,” Bucoy said in a news forum on Saturday. “The House will not cause a constitutional crisis. The reason, the catalyst for the constitutional crisis will never be caused by the House,” he added. House Deputy Speaker Janette Garin added: “It is our obligation to the Filipino people to keep our focus on the problems they are facing, with-
The House will not disobey... The House will not cause a constitutional crisis. —House prosecution panel spokesman Antonio Bucoy out bypassing accountability and working for whatever is in the interest of the general public.” The Supreme Court earlier unanimously ruled to declare the Articles of Impeachment filed against the Vice President as unconstitutional for violating the one-year bar on multiple impeachment proceedings against one official. Bucoy said the House filed the motion for reconsideration to correct factual misreadings and retroactive procedural burdens imposed by the High Court, which he said undermine both the Constitution and the people’s right to demand accountability from high officials. “The motion for reconsideration is not for criti-
cism, it is not for rejection. This is to call your attention, to plead that you revisit your decision which we think, and we presented in our motion for reconsideration, is wrong from letter A to letter Z,” he said. On Friday, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said the Supreme Court’s decision on the impeachment case addressed only procedural flaws and not the merits of the impeachment complaint. “We have to make very, very clear to everyone that the Supreme Court decision does not have any bearing on the rightness or wrongness of the merits of the impeachment case. They’re not saying that there was no wrongdoing,” he said. “Neither are they saying there was wrongdoing. All they’re saying is you did not handle it properly. That’s it,” Mr. Marcos added. Speaker Martin Romualdez also earlier vowed to continue the fight for truth and accountability even as he lamented the killing and “rushed burial” by the Senate of the impeachment complaint. “On Aug. 5, the House of Representatives filed a motion for reconsideration. The court found our arguments serious enough to require the respondents, including the Vice President, to submit their comment,” he said.
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Lawyer hits Leonen for ‘bogus’footnote in impeach ruling A LAWYER has questioned Associate Justice Marvic Leonen for basing his Supreme Court decision on the imeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte on a “bogus footnote.” In a Facebook post, lawyer Wilfredo Garrido Jr. said Leonen’s ponencia rested on “a single footnote” that misquoted ABS-CBN News reports on the events that led to the transmittal of the Articles of Impeachment to the Senate. “The news org’s clarification prompted some Filipinos to call out the high court, saying that it did not practice enough prudence in making high-impact decisions,” Garrido said. “Such dishonest citations have no place in our jurisprudence,” he said, noting that even Senate Minority Leader Vicente Sotto III pointed out “clear and blatant errors” in the ruling. Part of Leonen’s ponencia reads: “At 4:47 p.m. of February 5, 2025, House Secretary Velasco transmitted the Articles of the Impeachment to the Senate even without a plenary vote.” Turn on A4
19 DOH hospitals open ‘fast lanes’ as leptospirosis cases may still rise By Katrina Manubay NINETEEN Department of Health hospitals in the National Capital Region have opened “fast lanes” specifically for leptospirosis cases, DOH said yesterday. In a radio interview, DOH spokesperson Albert Domingo said the number of leptospirosis cases may still rise in the coming days. He said it has only been two weeks since the series of tropical cyclones and the southwest monsoon
or “habagat” caused heavy rains in several parts of the country, forcing many to wade through floods. “The incubation period of leptospirosis is one to two weeks. So the number of cases may still go up. We hope that won’t happen,” he said. In a social media post, DOH said the fast lanes would be used to evaluate whether a patient requires hospital admission. “Here, they will also assess the patient’s risk level to provide a prescription
TIMELY ASSISTANCE. Personnel of the Philippine Red Cross are deployed to San Lazaro Hospital amid the rise in leptospirosis cases in Manila. PRC
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PBBM says he was unaware of GSIS e-gambling investment By Charles Dantes PRESIDENT Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. said he was unaware that the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) had invested in an online gambling company. “I didn’t even know about that… The complaint against any of these activities is really the social cost,” the President said when asked about reports linking GSIS to a stake in online gambling firm DigiPlus.
The GSIS earlier defended its P1billion investment in DigiPlus Interactive Corp., asserting that the pension fund remains “strong, secure, and actuarially sound.” In an official statement, GSIS said it welcomes the “scrutiny and call for public disclosure” and is prepared to present all relevant documents to regulatory bodies. “As stewards of public trust, we affirm our unwavering commitment to act
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Marcos to OK postponement of barangay, SK polls By Charles Dantes CITING the need to focus government resources on the upcoming Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) polls, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said he will sign into law a measure post-
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poning the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections (BSKE). He cited the warning of the Commission on Elections that holding the barangay polls alongside the BARMM parliamentary elections in October would stretch its capacity, especially after the recently concluded midterm
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elections. “This BARMM election is the first time we have ever had this kind of election in our history. If it fails, it will be a big setback to the peace process,” Mr. Marcos said, adding that ensuring its success is a top priority. Turn on A4
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