US, Israel launch strikes vs. Iran
Palace says PBBM ‘well and working,’ denies hospital rumors By Charles Dantes MALACAÑANG on Saturday dismissed rumors circulating online that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. had been brought to St. Luke’s Medical Center. “The President was in a private meeting with PMS (Presidential Management Staff) this morning. He is well, healthy, and working even on a Saturday,” Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Claire Castro told reporters in a message. Her statement came after unverified posts claimed the President had been admitted to the hospital. Castro, however, did not elaborate on the nature of the meeting. Malacañang has repeatedly cautioned the public against spreading unverified information, particularly on matters involving the President’s health, and urged reliance on official channels for updates. Mr. Marcos, 68, has maintained a regular public schedule in recent weeks, including official engagements and meetings with government officials and stakeholders.
Tehran retaliates by hitting Bahrain, Qatar, UAE, Saudi Arabia
T
HE United States and Israel launched strikes against Iran on Saturday, with Israel’s public broadcaster reporting that supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had been targeted, as the Islamic republic retaliated with barrages of missiles at Gulf states and Israel.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, the ideological arm of the Islamic republic, said they had targeted the US Fifth Fleet in Bahrain, other American interests in the Gulf and Israel. Iran’s regionwide missile salvo could be heard in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, and the UAE, as well as Israel and Iraq, in the hours following the first strikes, after it had repeatedly vowed to retaliate fiercely should it be attacked. In Manila, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Saturday said the safety of Filipinos in Iran and across the Middle East remains the government’s top priority following reports of airstrikes that hit Iran.
20 .00
IN METR
MANILAO
l
l
Marcos orders DFA to secure Pinoys in ME World leaders voice fear of escalation
Turn to A4
VOL. XL • NO. 19 • 3 SECTIONS 12 PAGES MARCH 1, 2026
CONFLICT IN THE MIDDLE EAST. US President Donald Trump, left photo, announces attack on Iran in a video message posted on his social media site while he spent the weekend at his Florida golf club. Top right photo shows an explosion in Tehran while a retaliatory missile strike, bottom right photo, hits a US base in Bahrain. AFP
www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com
Palace urges INC to wait for resolution of cases By Charles Dantes and Joel Zurbano
Rody’s jokes, hyperboles, and figures of speech won’t stand as defense for drug war EJKs—solon By Maricel V. Cruz A HOUSE leader on Saturday rejected the argument raised before the International Criminal Court (ICC) that former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte’s drug war remarks were merely jokes, hyperbole or figures of speech, saying such a defense cannot apply to the country’s highest officials. Bicol Saro Party-list Rep. Terry Ridon, chair of the House Committee on Public Accounts, said the issue goes beyond semantics and strikes at how government pronouncements
are treated in practice. “You know, everything that the senior leaders of the government say, it is treated as the future policy. That means, there is no hyperbole, there is no room for figures of speech in laying down policies,” Ridon said during the Saturday Media Forum at Dapo Restaurant in Quezon City. He said that whether one is president or vice president, statements made publicly are not treated as jokes, especially when they involve threats and come from the country’s highest official who exercises author-
Tarriela promoted to Rear Admiral WORLD / A4
Neil Sedaka, 86 WORLD / A4
manilastandard.net
Turn to A4
ity over the police and the military. Ridon’s comment came after defense lawyer Nicholas Kaufman argued during ICC confirmation-ofcharges proceedings that Duterte’s public statements — frequently cited by prosecutors — should not be taken literally but understood as political rhetoric. The ICC case involves alleged crimes against humanity linked to thousands of deaths during the Duterte administration’s anti-drug campaign. Turn to A4
House eyes Madriaga’s affidavit as new evidence By Maricel V. Cruz THE affidavit of Ramil Madriaga, who claims to be a former military agent and alleged bagman of Vice President Sara Duterte, is the “new evidence” in the fresh impeachment proceeding against her, a key member of the House committee on justice said on Saturday. Bicol Saro Party-list Rep. Terry Ridon, who chairs the House Committee on Public Accounts, also said the panel would be fair in handling the four impeachment complaints against Duterte. “We will look at all these
@ManilaStandardPH
MALACAÑANG called on the Iglesia ni Cristo to wait for the resolution of the cases on alleged irregularities in flood control and other public works projects that have already been forwarded to the Office of the Ombudsman and the Department of Justice (DOJ). The religious group, through spokesperson Edwil Zabala in its NET 25 program “Sa Ganang Mamamayan,” earlier questioned what it described as the government’s lack of visible action more than three months after it held a“rally for transparency, accountability, justice, and peace” from Nov. 16 to 17, 2025.
In a statement on Friday evening, Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Claire Castro said the executive branch would allow the legal process to take its course. “The Ombudsman and the DOJ have the other recommended cases. Let’s wait and see what their resolution is. That’s what is called the rule of law and due process,” Castro said in mixed Filipino and English in response to a statement issued by the INC. In its statement, the INC said Filipinos were still waiting for concrete steps to address alleged large-scale corruption, including the supposed misuse of more than P1 trillion allocated for flood control and other infrastructure projects.
RECORD DIVIDEND. Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development Secretary Jose Ramon P. Aliling and Pag-IBIG Fund Chief Executive Officer Marilene C. Acosta announce the highest dividend payout in its 45-year history. Pag-IBIG
allegations, particularly the allegations of Ramil Madriaga with a very critical eye. Kasi very important po na ma-vet thoroughly lahat po ng babanggitin niya, lahat ng nakasaad sa kanyang affidavit,” Ridon said. “So if the question is what is new in this impeachment proceeding, it would be the Madriaga affidavit,” he stressed. Madriaga has alleged in his affidavit that funding for VP Duterte’s national election campaign came from drug lords and illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO).
@mnlstandardph
Pag-IBIG declares record dividends, highest in its 45-year history PAG-IBIG Fund declared P64.34 billion in dividends for 2025, the highest dividend payout in its 45year history, Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development Secretary Jose Ramon P. Aliling announced on Saturday. Aliling, who chairs the Pag-IBIG Fund Board of Trustees, also said the Fund’s regular savings dividend rate rose to 6.62%, while the Modi-
Turn to A4
@manilastandard
@ManilaStandardYT
fied Pag-IBIG 2 (MP2) savings rate climbed to 7.12%, reflecting the agency’s solid financial position and strong operational performance. The announcement was made during the Pag-IBIG Fund Chairman’s Report held on Feb. 27 at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City. Turn to A4
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