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IMPEACH TRIAL TO PROCEED BARRING SC INTERVENTION — HOUSE By Maricel V. Cruz and Katrina Manubay
VOL. XL • NO. 96 • 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P20 • THURSDAY, MAY 21, 2026 •
THE Senate impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Zimmerman Duterte should proceed under the regular process unless the Supreme Court (SC) issues a ruling that affects the case, said House trial spokesperson, Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong of Lanao del Sur. Meanwhile, the Office of the Vice President (OVP) on Wednesday confirmed it had received the summons issued by the Senate impeachment court.
In a statement, the OVP said it received the summons and a copy of the Articles of Impeachment at around 10:40 a.m. Tuesday. The writ compels Duterte to respond to the impeachment charges within 10 days from receipt. This as the House prosecution panel considers regular press briefings during the impeachment trial to help the public understand the proceedings and prevent confusion over legal issues raised before the Senate impeachment court. In a related development, the Bible Believers League for Morality Next page
CIDG seeks criminal raps vs. Aplasca GETAWAY. Video footage submitted by the Senate to the DILG, DOJ, and Ombudsman and shown during a Palace briefing shows, left photo, Sen. Robin Padilla, at left in barong, and Sen. Bato dela Rosa, at right wearing a cap, and heading toward a parked vehicle, right photo. Senate CCTV footage released by PCO
SC denies Bato’s plea for TRO vs. ICC arrest Palace: Warrant is valid; Torreon: We will appeal By Pot Chavez, Charles Dantes, Rolando Ng III, Joel Zurbano Maricel Cruz
T
he Supreme Court on Wednesday denied a petition of Senator Bato Dela Rosa for a temporary restraining order on enforcement of an
arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court over his role in the Duterte administration’s deadly drug war. “The Supreme Court, in a vote of 9-5-1, denied the prayer for a temporary restraining order and/or status quo ante order filed
by Senator Ronald ‘Bato’ M. Dela Rosa,” the High Court said. The High Court said its interim ruling only decided on Dela Rosa’s prayers for interim relief, and the 15-member tribunal has yet to decide on the other issues raised by the senator, such as whether local officers may enforce the ICC warrant without a local Next page
By Joel Zurbano, Vince Lopez and Charles Dantes POLICE on Wednesday recommended the filing of criminal charges against suspended Senate Sergeantat-Arms Mao Aplasca and two of his men over the May 13 shooting incident at the Senate. Criminal Investigation and Detection Group director Maj. Gen. Robert Alexander Morico II said investigators found no legal basis for Aplasca’s use of firearms under Republic Act No. 11917 or the Private Security Services Industry Act. Aplasca, however, accused authorities of splicing the CCTV footage of last week’s shooting incident to “support their narrative.” “We are preparing the complete video, because what they did, they spliced the videos and they just selected the videos that will support their narrative. That’s not correct,” Aplasca said. Aplasca, who hails from Davao, is Next page
Risa blasts shooting; Pia calls it traumatic By Ram Superable SENATOR Risa Hontiveros on Wednesday condemned the recent shooting incident inside the Senate premises, warning that the violence has deeply damaged the institution’s moral authority and dignity before the public. During a privilege speech, Hontiveros expressed frustration over the chamber’s apparent return to business as usual following last week’s pursuit and gunfire. “Has politics completely distorted our standards of how we treat our fellow human beings? The situation stooped so low that here, in and around these same august halls, someone could cock a gun in front of civilians... that has never happened in the Philippines even during times of coups, not even during the darkest days of Martial Law did gunfire erupt within our halls,” she said. Next page
IN DEFENSE. A teary-
Gov’t readying infra to address flooding
eyed Sen. Pia Cayetano responds to Sen. Risa Hontiveros’ remarks on the shooting incident at the Senate. Lino Santos
By Charles Dantes
GETTING READY. President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., accompanied by DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon, inspects the ongoing G. Araneta Drainage Improvement Project ‘Oplan Kontra Baha’ program along E. Rodriguez Sr. Avenue in Quezon City. Inset shows a Davao resident wading in knee deep flood triggered by heavy rains on Monday. Revoli Cortez, PIA
PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Wednesday said the government is accelerating flood mitigation projects in Metro Manila, including drainage improvements, desilting operations, and pumping stations, as part of efforts to reduce chronic flooding in densely populated urban areas. Speaking after inspecting a drainage improvement project along E. Rodriguez Avenue and G. Araneta Avenue in Quezon City, Marcos said the area remains Next page
DOH updates protocols to counter Ebola threat By Ram Superable THE Department of Health (DOH) will issue updated protocols this week to counter the spread of the Ebola disease following a global alert from the World Health Organization (WHO). Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa explained that the upcoming guidelines are modeled after the
protocols established during the 2014 international emergency caused by the Orthoebolavirus zairense strain. “We don’t have a problem yet... there is no need to worry about this. It’s a warning that is normally given by WHO when they have an outbreak like this,” he added. According to Herbosa, the new health protocols will heavily focus on strengthening surveillance measures
at national borders, specifically targeting arriving airplanes and maritime vessels coming from the affected regions. The latest global alarm was triggered by confirmed infections in the Central African nations of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda. Incoming passengers from these areas will be required to fill out digital Next page
GUINNESS RECORD HOLDER
Newlyappointed DBM Secretary Kim Robert de Leon beams as he shows off his collection of papal stamps which earned him a Guinness world record in February 2024.