VP Sara attends thanksgiving Mass after peaceful elections in Davao City
King Pandia of Super Radyo Davao reported on Dobol B TV that the Mass was held at 9 a.m. at the Carmelite Church in Bajada. The mass was presided over by former Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) President and Davao Archbishop Romulo Valles.
Duterte was joined by his brother, Davao City Representative Paolo Duterte, and her nephew, councilor-elect Rodrigo "Rigo" Duterte II, as well as other local officials. —VAL, GMA Integrated News
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GMA Network
2 days ago
- GMA Network
Group calls for good governance, transparency amid VP Sara impeachment issue
Several senator-judges vote in favor of returning the Articles of Impeachment against Vice President Sara Duterte to the House of Representatives, after the Senate convened as an impeachment court earlier in the day, on June 10, 2025. Joseph B. Vidal/OSP An anti-corruption group on Thursday called for transparency and good governance in public service amid the issue of Vice President Sara Duterte's impeachment. In a press release, Democracy Watch Philippines (DemWatch) said it has convened student leaders from 16 universities and various youth-led non-government organizations in Metro Manila to promote good governance as well as to urge the youth to partake in civic engagement and political participation. 'Transparency isn't just a buzzword—it's the frontline of accountability. If we don't know what our leaders are doing, how can we hold them responsible? If public service is cloaked in secrecy, can we still call it democratic?' DemWatch convenor Lloyd Ian Zaragoza said in a press release. 'We must understand who these politicians are and what they are scared of. It's actually the voters. It's us, the people, who hold the power to elect and are empowered to hold them accountable,' he added. The House of Representatives impeached Duterte on February 5 with more than 200 congressmen endorsing the verified complaint against her, which has been transmitted to the Senate for her impeachment trial. The Senate sitting as an impeachment court however voted last June 10 to return to the House of Representatives the Articles of Impeachment against Duterte without dismissing or terminating the case. Duterte entered a 'not guilty' plea in the verified impeachment complaint filed against her, which she called merely a 'scrap of paper.' Zaragoza, meanwhile, pointed out that the issues surrounding the impeachment case were supposedly muddled by misinformation. He cited the importance of empowering the youth as the next generation of voters to raise awareness on relevant social issues and put public pressure on leaders to serve honestly. 'You are not a silent generation. You are asking the hard questions. You are calling out injustice. You are not here to inherit a broken system—you are here to help fix it,' said Zaragoza. — BM, GMA Integrated News
GMA Network
3 days ago
- GMA Network
Impeachment prosecutor Chua: No legal basis for 2nd certification requirement
The Senate impeachment court's requirement that the House of Representatives submit another certification, one stating that it is still willing to pursue the impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte in the 20th Congress, has no legal basis, a member of the House prosecution panel said. "Sa akin kasi yung second requirement na binabanggit nila, actually to be honest with you, itong nire-require po sa amin, we believe na parang medyo hindi... may problema talaga, questionable," Impeachment Prosecutor Rep Joel Chua of Manila 3rd district told reporters in an interview. "Wala namang legal basis eh," he added. (For me, this second requirement that they are talking about, to be honest with you, we believe that there's a problem with it; it's questionable. There no legal basis for it.) Chua declined to comment on whether this new requirement was a "trap," as stated by Akbayan Representative Chel Diokno, who is expected to join the House prosecution panel. But Chua said the prosecution team is studying how to comply with the requirement as it does not want to be accused of delaying the impeachment proceedings. "But just the same, the reason why we are complying with it, because ayaw naman namin na mapagbintangan kami na [we don't want it said that] we are delaying the hearing, the impeachment hearing. So kaya nga sa feeling namin, in fact, pati yung submission ng certification na hindi naman kailangan eh, di ba?" Chua said. (So we feel like we have to comply, including with the submission of the certificate that isn't needed, right?) "How can we comply with the second requirement when the 20th Congress has yet to start, di ba? So maybe, pag-aaralan na lang namin kung ano yung proper na next step na gagawin namin [we will have to look into what our next proper step should be]," he added. Chua said the House prosecution panel is extra careful with its moves. "What is the effect if we will comply? So we have to balance everything. We have to be very careful. Baka mamaya... lahat na lang binibigyan nila ng ano. So alam mo, yung impeachment kasi hindi naman dapat sobrang higpit. [The impeachment should not be that strict.] This is not a court of law," he explained. Chua insisted that there is no legal impediment for the impeachment trial to proceed. "When we transmitted the Articles of Impeachment to the Senate, there is always a presumption of legality. So wala kami nakikita doong [We don't seen any] legal impediment. So dapat under the Constitution , under the law, dapat they should have proceeded with the trial," he said. On the Senate Impeachment Court's statement that it cannot convene while the House prosecutors have not yet been elected, Chua replied, "Yung sa election ng House prosecutors, while I understand na 11 ang kailangan, but then again yung siyam, yung existing na nine, puwede pa naman silang mag-function. Pwede naman kami mag-function pa eh, di ba?" (As to the election of House prosecutors, I understand that 11 are needed, but the existing nine can still function. We can still function, right?) Chua also believes that trial can be held even before Congress is officially constituted on July 28. "Sa akin kasi, I believe that the Senate is a continuing body. So iba naman yung legislative function namin dito sa impeachment. Dahil dapat nagtutuloy-tuloy na ito eh. We should be proceeding with the trial already," he stated. (The Senate's legislative function is different from its impeachment function. This should be continuing.) Chua added that the House prosecutors will be filing motions in the next few days, including one for holding a pre-trial. 'Enough of delays' ML Party-list Representative Leila de Lima also criticized the Senate impeachment court, saying it expects the House of Representatives to comply with its requirements even if these have no constitutional or legal basis. "It's one ultra vires [beyond their power] act after another being committed by the Senate as an impeachment court. The Senate is treating the House's role in the impeachment like a dog-and-pony show, that the House should perform whatever it demands even if these are not found anywhere in the Constitution or its own Rules of Impeachment. We are not here for their amusement. The House is here to perform a constitutional mandate and prosecute an impeached official. The House has done and is doing its job. The Senate should do theirs as well," de Lima told GMA Integrated News. De Lima also said the Senate should not use the House's non-submission of the second certification to justify the impeachment court's delays. "Huwag dapat nilang ginagawang rason ng tila ba pattern of delay on the Senate's part yung supposed still non-compliance by the House of certain orders," de Lima said. She called on the Senate to convene the impeachment court, hold the trial, and render a verdict. "Insofar as the House is concerned, nagawa na nito ang kanyang trabaho sa pag-initiate ng impeachment complaint at pag-transmit ng Articles of Impeachment sa Senate, dahil yan ang utos ng Konstitusyon. Gawin na rin dapat ng Senado ang tatlong utos sa kanila ng Konstitusyon: 1. Convene (or re-convene as an impeachment court; 2. Hold impeachment trial; and 3. Render a verdict," de Lima said. "Enough of delays and excuses!" she added. — BM, GMA Integrated News
GMA Network
3 days ago
- GMA Network
EU observers give Comelec their final report on Eleksyon 2025
The European Union Election Observation Mission (EU EOM) turns over its Final Report and Recommendations for the May 12, 2025 National and Local Elections to the Commission on Elections at Comelec headquarters in Palacio del Gobernador, Intramuros, Manila on Wednesday, July 2, 2025. Photo: Commission on Elections The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Wednesday said it will review the recommendations of the European Union (EU) poll observers on the recent 2025 national and local elections (NLE). Members of the EU observation mission met with Comelec officials to formally turn over their final election observation report and recommendations, months after the conclusion of the May 12 midterm polls. 'Ang pangako ng lahat ng bawat isang miyembro ng Comelec kanina, aaralin at kung may mga bagay na maisasama sa proposal na revised Omnibus Election Code (OEC) ay isasama pa namin para maisaayos,' Comelec spokesperson John Rex Laudiangco told reporters. (The promise of each and every Comelec en banc member is to review the report and if there is any recommendation that may be included in the proposal for the revised OEC, then we will include it.) In April, the EU launched the election observation mission for Eleksyon 2025, deploying an initial 200 observers. More poll observers arrived in the country the following month. The international observers released their initial report on May 14, flagging widespread vote-buying; the continued dominance of political families; election-related violence, including on election day; and a legal framework that is fragmented and lacks grievance mechanisms. According to Laudiangco, among the EU poll observers' recommendations are decreasing the number of voters per precinct to shorten lines. They also reiterated the issues on vote buying, and violence, and lauded the poll body's transparency efforts, engagement with media, and expeditious actions on complaints of discrimination, and red-tagging. 'Mukhang ang susi kasi sa lahat ng nakitang observations, dalawang bagay: pagbabago sa legislation at pagpapalaki ng pondo. Kung masosolusyunan ang dalawang bagay na ito, tingin namin pareho, magagampanan namin ang sinasabi nilang international standard at mas magandang pagpapalakad ng halalan,' he added. (We saw that the key to these observations are two things: the amendment of election laws and a higher budget for the polls. If a way can be found for these, we think we will be able to attain the international standard and a better way of conducting elections.) The EU observation team said it will also submit its final report and recommendations to Congress. The Philippines held its midterm polls on May 12. — BM, GMA Integrated News For more Eleksyon 2025 related content and updates, visit GMA News Online's Eleksyon 2025 microsite.
