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ICC to rule on full trial in 60 days Both prosecution, defense confident in arguments presented in Rodyâs case
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OTH the defense and prosecution teams have expressed confidence in the strength of their respective arguments in the crimes against humanity case against former President Rodrigo Duterte before the International Criminal Court. As the four-day confirmation of charges hearing at The Hague ended yesterday, the three-judge ICC panel now has 60 days to decide whether to proceed to a full trial. The judges can confirm all of the charges and proceed to trial, throw out
some of the charges, or reject the case outright, in which case Duterte would walk free. Summing up for the prosecution, ICC prosecutor Julian Nicholls said Duterte killed thousands during his anti-drug campaign. Next page
VOL. XL ⢠NO. 18 ⢠5 SECTIONS 24 PAGES ⢠P20 ⢠SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2026 â˘
INSIDE ANNIVERSARY SUPPLEMENT (PART 2)
Nicholas Kaufman
CLOSING ARGUMENTS.
Relatives of alleged drug war victims hold a candlelight vigil at the University of the Philippines while prosecution and defense lawyers wrapped their arguments at the end of the pre-trial proceedings on the crimes against humanity charges against former President Rodrigo Duterte at the International Criminal Court. Joshua EspaĂąol via Tinig ng Plaridel, ICC
PAGE TO THE FUTURE SECTIONS D & E
Defensor admits aid to âex-Marines,â denies part in raps By Maricel V. Cruz
Julian Nicholls
Lotilla gets post at Holy See as Cuna takes DENR Former DENR Secretary Perpetuo Lotilla
Next page
By Charles Dantes
US, Japan, PH militaries hold air, sea exercises in Bashi strait
PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has appointed Environment Secretary Raphael Lotilla as the countryâs ambassador to the Holy See, with Undersecretary Juan Miguel Cuna named acting head of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), MalacaĂąang announced Friday. Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Claire Castro said Lotilla was not removed from his post but had requested a âlighter assignmentâ after serving as both environment and Next page
Sokor president to visit Manila next week South Korea President Lee Jae Myung
By Charles Dantes SOUTH Korean President Lee Jae Myung is scheduled to visit the Philippines from March 3 to 4 upon the invitation of President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. The visit marks Leeâs first to the country and his first state visit since Next page
FORMER Anakalusugan party-list Rep. Mike Defensor on Friday admitted he is part of the group supporting the 18 personalities presented as âformer Marinesâ who alleged they delivered suitcases of money supposedly amounting to P805 billion to several politicians. But the ex-lawmaker denied having any role in the preparation of their affidavit, saying he was âshockedâ by its contents. Defensor also said he was taken aback by the scope of the allegations contained in the affidavit, which mentioned high-ranking officials and key government institutions. âI do not know about their affidavit. I just saw their draft but I did not intervene, I cannot. I am not in touch with
BASHI CHANNEL EXERCISE. US, Japan and Philippine militaries conducted a sea and air patrol for the first time along the Bashi Channel (see map inset) â a strategic waterway that separates the Philippines and Taiwan. AFP
THE Philippine, US and Japanese militaries conducted joint exercises this week over the Bashi Channel that separates the Philippines from Taiwan, officials said Friday. Aircraft from the three nations patrolled over the Philippines' northernmost Batanes islands in drills aimed at showcasing their "ability to operate seamlessly together in mplex maritime environments", the Philippine military said in a statement. It marks the first time that socalled Multilateral Maritime Cooperative Activities (MMCAs)
involving the countries have expanded beyond the South China Sea, where the Philippines and China have engaged in repeated clashes over disputed territory. Little more than 100 kilometers (60 miles) separates the Philippines and self-ruled Taiwan, which China views as its territory and has not ruled out taking by force. "Air operations were conducted within airspace over Philippine territory and its territorial sea, north of Luzon," the Philippine military said in a statement, adding naval vessels had stayed west of the Batanes isNext page land chain.
China embassy working to put PH ties on track By Katrina Manubay THE Chinese Embassy in Manila said it is working to bring bilateral ties âback on trackâ following a meeting between Chinese Ambassador Jing Quan and Sen. Erwin Tulfo, according to embassy spokesperson Ji Lingpeng. In a statement on Thursday, Ji clarified that Jingâs earlier remark â âletâs talkâ â referred to resolving maritime disputes through dialogue and consultation and did not mean the embassy was initiating talks with specific Philippine legislators or attempting to suppress public debate. Next page
Pag-IBIG backs pre-cast housing with Megawide, targets 7k houses STATE-RUN Pag-IBIG Fund eyes 7,000 homes in two years, citing the role of public-private partnerships and modern construction technology in accelerating delivery of socialized housing services. Pag-IBIG issued the statement during the ceremonial launch on Monday, Feb. 16, of a precast manufacturing facility in Taytay, Rizal attended by President Marcos, no less. The facility, operated by Megawide Construction Corp., will produce precast housing components for the
governmentâs Expanded Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino Program (Expanded 4PH) developments financed by Pag-IBIG Fund. The precast components are designed to significantly speed up construction of quality yet affordable socialized housing units. The launch, held in conjunction with the anniversary of the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development, showcased how industrialized construction methods can help deliver Next page
LAVA DOME COLLAPSE. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and
Seismology (Phivolc) on Friday reported two pyroclastic density current (PDC) events or âusonâ at Mayon Volcano in Albay. The first was observed at 12:40 p.m., followed by another lava-collapse PDC event at 2:05 p.m., each lasting about one minute. Phivolcs