ASH CLOUD. Thick smoke from Mayon Volcano is seen from Camalig town Saturday, May 2, 2026. Phivolcs said pyroclastic density currents or ‘uson’ followed a lava collapse and minor Strombolian eruptions. Alert Level 3 remains in effect, which bars entry into the volcano’s sixkilometer radius permanent danger zone. Michael Alvarez via Albay PIO Facebook page
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1.3K PINOY CREW CROSSED HORMUZ
GIBO JUNKS PEACE TALKS WITH REDS
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Lacson to give progress report on flood control probe this week By Joel E. Zurbano SENATE President Pro Tempore Panfi‑ lo Lacson said he will give a progress report next week on the Blue Ribbon Committee’s probe into anomalous multi-billion-peso flood control pro‑ jects. Lacson, who chairs the commit‑ tee, said he may deliver his privilege speech on May 4 or 5 where he would present the Chairman’s Progress Re‑ port containing the panel’s findings on the flood control scandal. He noted the privilege speech may also Turn to A4
Rody’s dismissal of ex‑Deputy Ombudsman void, says SC
‘106 votes to impeach VP not difficult to reach’
Ridon says public prosecutors to be named after plenary vote By Maricel V. Cruz and Joel Zurbano
T
HE one-third vote needed to impeach Vice President Sara Duterte and move toward a Senate trial is “not difficult to surmount,” House Committee on Public Accounts chairman Terry Ridon on Saturday said. He said the House Committee on Justice’s 53–0 vote finding probable cause on the consolidated impeach‑ ment complaint puts the Lower Chamber on track to secure the re‑ maining 106 votes needed. Out of more than 300 House members, Ridon said reaching the
Malacañang has issued a travel authority allowing Vice President Sara Duterte to embark on rescheduled overseas travels from May 2 to 15. Duterte earlier submitted a travel plan covering several European and Asian destinations from April 23 to May 15, but had to reschedule as the previous travel authority was approved at the last minute, the OVP said.
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Iran military official says renewed war with US ‘likely’
By Pot Chavez THE Supreme Court has voided the dismissal of former Overall Deputy Ombudsman Melchor Arthur Caran‑ dang, ruling that former President Rodrigo Duterte had no disciplinary authority over him. In a 28‑page decision made pub‑ lic Satur‑ day, the Cour t ’s T h i r d Division denied
required one-third vote threshold is well within reach. “If the minimum requirement is just 106, I don’t think it would be dif‑ ficult to reach, but at the very best, we would want to get 215 minimum number of votes,” he said. For his part, Senate President Pro
Tempore Panfilo Lacson said the actu‑ al trial may not commence until June as the Upper Chamber will still have a pre-trial. Lacson said that although Senate President Vicente Sotto III is eager to convene the impeachment court immediately, a timeframe of at least three weeks will likely be required to complete essential procedures. These include the issuance of sum‑ monses and replies, as well as the holding of a preliminary conference aimed at establishing stipulations and possibly marking evidence before the actual trial commences. “Once the Articles of Impeachment are transmitted to us, if we follow the
TEHRAN – A senior Iranian military officer said on Saturday that re‑ newed fighting between the US and Iran was “likely,” hours after Presi‑ dent Donald Trump said he was “not satisfied” with a new Iranian negoti‑ ating proposal. Iran delivered the draft to media‑ tor Pakistan on Thursday evening, state media reported without detail‑
ing its contents. The war, launched by the United States and Israel in late February, has been on hold since April 8, with one failed round of peace talks having taken place in Pakistan since then. “At this moment I’m not satisfied with what they’re offering,” Trump told re‑ porters, blaming stalled
talks on “tremendous discord” with‑ in Iran’s leadership. “Do we want to go and just blast the hell out of them and finish them forever – or do we want to try and make a deal?” he added, saying he would “prefer not” to take the first option “on a human basis.” On Saturday morning, Moham‑ mad Jafar Asadi, a senior figure in
the Iranian military’s central com‑ mand, said “a renewed conflict be‑ tween Iran and the United States is likely,” in quotes published by Iran’s Fars news agency. “Evidence has shown that the United States is not committed to any promises or agreements,” he added. Turn to A4
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AI-generated actors, writers not eligible for Oscar win—Academy
STRENGTHENING SPORTS COOPERATION. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. welcomes Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad
Al-Thani, President of the Olympic Council of Asia and the Qatar Olympic Committee, during a courtesy call in Malacañan Palace on Friday, May 1, 2026. Joining them are Philippine Olympic Committee president Abraham Tolentino and Philippine Sports Commission chairman Patrick Gregorio. PCO
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LOS ANGELES – Actors created with artifi‑ cial intelligence will not be eligible for an Os‑ car, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said as it launched a crackdown on the use of AI. New rules include a requirement that only real, live human performers – not their AI avatars – are eligible for the film world’s biggest prizes, and screenplays must have been penned by a person, rather than a chatbot. “In the Acting category, only roles cred‑ ited in the film’s legal billing and demon‑ strably performed by humans with their consent will be considered eligible,” the Academy said. Turn to A4
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AI ACTOR. This AI–generated
handout image courtesy of First Line Films shows an AI-generated likeness of actor Val Kilmer for his posthumous role as Father Fintan in the upcoming movie ‘As Deep As The Grave.’ AFP
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