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PICTURE PERFECT. Baguio visitors watch a colorful sunset and vivid cloud hues from the promenade of SM Baguio. Dave Leprozo
VOL. XL • NO. 98 • 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P20 • SATURDAY, MAY 23, 2026 •
‘One article conviction enough to remove VP’ Lacson opposes online voting for Dela Rosa’s participation
By Maricel Cruz and Joel E. Zurbano
A
CONVICTION on just one Article of Impeachment would be enough to remove Vice President Sara Duterte and impose on her perpetual disqualification from holding House lead prosecutor Rep. Gerville Luistro said senator-judges are expected to vote per article after the presentation of evidence on all four Articles of Impeachment. The Articles of Impeachment accuse Duterte, the first Philippine official to be impeached for a second time in a row, of graft, corruption, bribery and an alleged assassination threat against former ally President Ferdinand Marcos. “The voting must happen per article, but the way I see it, the presentation of the four articles will be completed first, and then the senator-judges will be asked to vote individually. For example, the first article is confidential funds, and they will be called one by one to vote, then on the second article,” Luistro said in an interview on dzMM. ‘One is enough’ “A conviction in just one article – that should be enough… If we get 16 votes in one article, that should be enough to convict the impeachable official and to impose upon her the penalty of perpetual disqualification,” she added. Next page
Tracker teams now hunting Bato; Red notice sought too By Vince Lopez, Rolando Ng III, Pot Chavez, Joel Zurbano, and Maricel Cruz LAW enforcement agencies have launched coordinated nationwide operations to locate and arrest Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa after the Supreme Court denied his request for a temporary restraining order against an International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant for his arrest, allowing local authorities to enforce it. The government is also seeking an Interpol red notice against Dela Rosa, who has been in hiding for months since the ICC issued the warrant in November 2025 over alleged crimes against humanity tied to the Duterte administration’s anti-drug campaign. Next page
Ping: Let agencies do remedial probe on Senate shooting By Joel Zurbano
FLAG DAY. A seamstress checks out a Philippine flag as orders pour in Atlas Super Flags in Sta. Cruz, Manila ahead of the National Flag Day. Today’s Philippine flag was hoisted for the first time on May 28, 1898 in Imus, Cavite after Filipino revolutionaries led by Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo defeated the Spanish forces in the Battle of Alapan in 1898. Norman Cruz
Cha-cha rumors flat, outright lies—Lacson By Joel E. Zurbano FLAT, outright lies. SENATOR Panfilo Lacson made this observation as he dismissed Senator Imee Marcos’ claim that there
was an attempt to take control of the Senate leadership to pave the way for constitutional amendments meant to extend the terms of top government officials. Lacson said the Senate minority
bloc where he belonged has never heard of such narrative, much less taken it up during their caucuses. "Those are flat, outright lies. We never took it up in our caucuses. We Next page
ICC junks Rody appeal on charges By Pot Chavez THE International Criminal Court (ICC) pre-trial Chamber I has rejected the appeal to reconsider the confirmation of charges against former President Rodrigo Duterte. In a 12-page decision dated May, 2026, the Chamber rejected the de-
PORT VISIT. An officer of the Royal Netherlands Navy frigate HNLMS De
Ruyter (F804) welcomes media after it docked at Manila Port, as part of the Netherlands’ five-month Indo-Pacific deployment mission ’Pacific Archer.‘ The port visit aims to strengthen maritime cooperation, freedom of navigation, and defense ties between the Netherlands and the Philippines as the two countries commemorate the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations this year. Norman Cruz
fense team’s appeal, saying it does not constitute an appealable issue. An appealable issue as an identifiable subject or topic requiring a decision for its resolution, not merely a question over which there is conflicting opinion and it must emanate from the relevant decision itself Next page
Marcos orders hike in pork imports By Charles Dantes PRESIDENT Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. issued an executive order increasing the minimum access volume (MAV) for pork imports by
150,000 metric tons for 2026, citing supply shortages caused by African Swine Fever and persistent increases in pork prices. Under Executive Order No. 116, Next page
SEN. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson on Friday said any Senate investigation into the May 13 shooting incident inside the Senate premises should focus on remedial measures and administrative reforms rather than determining criminal liability. “I will suggest that we let the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) or the Philippine National Police (PNP) or even the Department of Justice (DOJ) do the investigation,” Lacson said. “Limit the Committee of the Whole inquiry into coming up with remedial legislation or administrative remedies Next page
FUEL PRICES SEEN HIGHER NEXT WEEK NEWS / A3
OMB seeks plunder raps vs. Marcoleta, Defensor OMBUDSMAN probers have recommended filing a plunder complaint and three counts of indirect bribery against Senator Rodante Marcoleta, former Rep. Mike Defensor and two others over campaign donations worth P75 million. According to a GMA News report, Defensor, Joseph Espiritu and Aristotle Viray donated P30 million, P25 million and P20 million for Marcoleta’s senatorial bid in January 2025. Next page