manilastandard.net
@ManilaStandardPH
@mnlstandardph
@manilastandard
@ManilaStandardYT
Missed your copy of Manila Standard? Call or text our Circulation Hotline at 0917-8848655 or email: circulation@manilastandard.net . For advertisement: email: advertise@manilastandard.net •09173382170 / 85646229
No giving up Kalayaan Islands, President says
Palace nixes Marcoleta tack, vows to defend WPS claims By Charles Dantes
M
ALACAÑANG on Friday rejected suggestions that the Philippines should give up the Kalayaan Island Group (KIG), stressing that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will not surrender any portion of the country's territory in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).
VOL. XXXIX • NO. 357 • 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P20 • SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2026 •
Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Claire Castro said the President remains firm in defending the country’s maritime claims and will continue to assert sovereignty through diplomatic and legal means. Castro was responding to remarks on Thursday by Senator Rodante Marcoleta, who suggested that the Philippines consider giving up the Kalayaan Island Group to simplify coordination in the disputed waters. In a Senate hearing, Marcoleta said the Philippines occupies four features in the KIG—Pag-asa (Thitu Island), Parola (Northeast Cay), Kota (Loaita Island), and Lankiam Cay—which he claimed are beyond the country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ). Next page
TRUMP INVITES PBBM TO BOARD OF PEACE NEWS/ A2
ICI SUBMITS FINAL 125-DAY REPORT NEWS/ A3
PH, ASEAN want hastened COC talks with China THE Philippines said on Friday it will seek to accelerate long‑running talks on a South China Sea Code of Conduct (COC) to a conclusion this year as chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) regional bloc. Foreign Affairs Secretary Theresa Lazaro told a forum in Singapore that ASEAN and China will increase the pace of working group meetings to monthly gatherings from the current three‑month intervals. The code has been under discussion for years, but the talks have stalled repeatedly over disagreements on its scope, enforcement and legal status. Lazaro said there will also be additional meetings between senior officials under the new schedule. Next page
Sotto pushes for one person, one socmed account By Ram Superable
VP Sara impeach raps now with Speaker—SecGen By Maricel V. Cruz HOUSE Secretary General Cheloy Velicaria-Garafil announced Friday that her office formally transmitted two impeachment Express vote complaints filed against eyed—Ridon Vice President Sara Duterte to the Office of Speaker Faustino Dy III. “Upon receipt and verification of
•
Next page
PROMOTIONS. President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. joins Education Secretary Sonny Angara and Makati City Mayor Nancy Binay in a photo with teachers and school heads of Metro Manila after they were promoted as part of the Expanded Career Progression program of the Department of Education. PCO
SENATE President Vicente Sotto III is pushing for a policy that would limit Filipinos to one verified social media account per platform to curb the spread of online trolls. “That would be the best approach. One person, one account," he said. The senate chief raised the proposal amid heightened online attacks linked to debates over the West Philippine Sea. “It should be one person, one account on every internet platform so that trolls will be eliminated. How do we do that? We need it," said Sotto. "It has to be coordinated with Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok. One person, one account, that’s clear. If it isn’t verified, remove it,” he explained. The Department of Information and Communications Technology is Next page
Impeach raps lacked merit, House did right in junking them—PBBM By Charles Dantes PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Friday dismissed the impeachment complaints filed against him as a political maneuver, saying the allegations lacked merit and were rightly junked by lawmakers. Speaking to reporters after the House of Representatives dismissed the complaints, Mr. Marcos said the outcome was expected after reviewing the accusations.
AFTER THE DELUGE. Residents and rescuers converge on the debris-covered Tubod Bridge which was rendered impassable after the Iligan River overflowed due to heavy rains caused by Typhoon Basyang (Story on A3). Jerlee Rivera
Oil prices to rise Cases against Co, Villanueva submitted for resolution— DOJ for the fifth time By Pot Chavez THE Department of Justice (DOJ) confirmed on Friday that the complaints filed against Senator Joel Villanueva and resigned Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Elizaldy Co have been submitted for resolution. "I think it was mentioned that the
case pending here at DOJ where Senator Joel Villanueva is charged with malversation is already submitted for resolution," prosecutor general Richard Anthony Fadullon said. He also clarified that he was not privy to other cases before the Office of the Ombudsman. Next page
next week—DOE
By Alena Mae S. Flores PUMP prices are expected to rise for the fifth consecutive week on Tuesday, with diesel potentially increasing by as much as P1 per liter due to heightened geopolitical tensions and global supply constraints. Next page
NEW LAWYERS.
More than 5,000 new lawyers who passed the 2025 bar exams took their oath yesterday in ceremonies held by the Supreme Court at the Philippine Arena in Bulacan. Supreme Court of the Philippines
“There were no real grounds for the impeachment. It was a political move, as usual,” the President said in an ambush interview in Manila. He said he was not alarmed by the impeachment bid, noting that the complaints would not prosper based on their content. “I wasn’t very worried because I saw the impeachment complaint and I knew that I would be all right in terms of the impeachment,” he said. Next page