Baste Duterte to serve as acting Davao City mayor
The elder Duterte, who won the mayoral election in May by a landslide with over 662,000 votes, remains in detention at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague.
The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) confirmed that the succession is in accordance with Section 46(a) of the Local Government Code, which provides that the vice mayor shall automatically perform the functions of the mayor in cases of temporary incapacity, whether physical or legal.
In addition, the DILG designated first-ranked Sangguniang Panlungsod Member Rodrigo Duterte II as acting vice mayor, in line with Administrative Order No. 15, series of 2018, which outlines the rules of succession in local government units.
Former President Duterte is currently facing charges of crimes against humanity before the ICC in connection with his administration's anti-drug campaign, which left over 6,000 people dead according to government data.
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Gulf Today
5 hours ago
- Gulf Today
Trump says he expects Hamas decision in 24 hours on 'final' peace proposal
US President Donald Trump said on Friday it would probably be known in 24 hours whether the Palestinian group Hamas has agreed to accept what he has called a "final proposal" for an Israel-Hamas ceasefire in Gaza. The president also said he had spoken to Saudi Arabia about expanding the Abraham Accords, the deal on normalization of ties that his administration negotiated between Israel and some Gulf countries during his first term. Trump said on Tuesday Israel had accepted the conditions needed to finalise a 60-day ceasefire with Hamas, during which the parties will work to end the war. He was asked on Friday if Hamas had agreed to the latest ceasefire deal framework, and said: "We'll see what happens, we are going to know over the next 24 hours." A source close to Hamas said on Thursday the Islamist group sought guarantees that the new US-backed ceasefire proposal would lead to the end of Israel's war in Gaza. Two Israeli officials said those details were still being worked out. Dozens of Palestinians were killed on Thursday in Israeli strikes, according to Gaza authorities. The latest bloodshed in the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict was triggered in October 2023 when Hamas attacked Israel, killing 1,200 and taking about 250 hostages, Israeli tallies show. Gaza's health ministry says Israel's subsequent military assault has killed over 56,000 Palestinians. It has also caused a hunger crisis, internally displaced Gaza's entire population and prompted accusations of genocide at the International Court of Justice and of war crimes at the International Criminal Court. Israel denies the accusations. A previous two month ceasefire ended when Israeli strikes killed more than 400 Palestinians on March 18. Trump earlier this year proposed a US takeover of Gaza, which was condemned globally by rights experts, the UN and Palestinians as a proposal of "ethnic cleansing." ABRAHAM ACCORDS Trump made the comments on the Abraham Accords when asked about US media reporting late on Thursday that he had met Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman at the White House. "It's one of the things we talked about," Trump said. "I think a lot of people are going to be joining the Abraham accords," he added, citing the predicted expansion to the damage faced by Iran from recent U.S. and Israeli strikes. Axios reported that after the meeting with Trump, the Saudi official spoke on the phone with Abdolrahim Mousavi, chief of Iran's General Staff of the Armed Forces. Trump's meeting with the Saudi official came ahead of a visit to Washington next week by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Reuters
Middle East Eye
12 hours ago
- Middle East Eye
Iranian 'freedom' won't come from Israeli bombs or US regime change
In an interview last month with the Saudi-funded network Iran International, during Israel's assault on Iran, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu - wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes in Gaza - boasted about what he called "the great slogan of 'Woman, Life, Freedom'". He recounted the story of an Israeli female pilot flying over Tehran, "targeting missile and nuclear sites, but in a way, fighting for Iranian women and all free peoples everywhere." Some in the Iranian diaspora have bought into this liberatory myth. But history shows how this ends. Look no further than the weapons of mass destruction (WMD) myth of Iraq, the "bombing women into liberation" myth of Afghanistan, and the regime change to "protect civilians" myth of Libya. Most Iranian Americans opposed the war and were horrified to see bombs raining down on Iran. But I watched a small, yet extremely vocal, minority of the Iranian diaspora draw radically different conclusions from the same horrors. This division unfolded at a moment when the stakes were life and death for a country of more than 90 million - and when Israel and the United States had carried out a genocide against Palestinians with near-total impunity for almost two years. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters As an Iranian American, I know this disunity isn't new, but experiencing it this time felt especially devastating - particularly knowing that the approximately five million Iranians living abroad play a significant role in shaping global perceptions of Iran, and that their perspectives significantly influence public opinion within Iran. Propaganda war In its attack on Iran, Israel followed the same Zionist playbook it has long used in Gaza and Beirut - most infamously through the "Dahiya Doctrine", which calls for overwhelming force and the destruction of civilian infrastructure. Criticise the genocide or Israel's aggression, and you're branded a 'regime apologist'. Support freedom for Palestinians and Iranians, and you're called a 'traitor' It also waged a parallel propaganda campaign targeting the Iranian diaspora, drawing on its Hasbara playbook to frame the violence as liberation. It became particularly evident during the "Woman, Life, Freedom" movement, when Iranian Americans opposing the war faced waves of harassment and bot campaigns - and it has only intensified over the past two years. Speak out against the genocide or Israel's aggression towards Iran, and these diaspora factions brand you a "regime apologist". Support liberation for both Palestinians and Iranians, and you're labelled a "traitor". Call for an end to the war without first denouncing the Iranian government and its crimes, and you risk doxxing and harassment. In 2022, these groups rightly joined the "Woman, Life, Freedom" movement to protest the Iranian government's violations against its people, which resulted in 550 people being killed by security forces. Yet when more than 900 Iranians were killed by Israel in just 12 days, they remained silent. Silencing dissent Many Iranian Americans, including myself, have been horrified by Israel's genocide and feared that if such atrocities could be committed with impunity, nothing would stop them from targeting Iranians as well. While mainstream media outlets consistently gave a platform to pro-Israel voices, our perspectives were largely ignored. Over the past year, I interviewed 25 members of the Iranian diaspora - research published in Jadaliyya - to understand why so many Iranians support Israel. Recurring themes emerged: frustration with Tehran's regional priorities over domestic welfare; collective trauma entangled with anti-Arab and Islamophobic attitudes; and, in some cases, sheer opportunism. Their opposition to the Iranian government distorts their judgment, blinding them to the reality that Israel is not a rational actor - it deliberately targets civilians across the region with impunity. During the war, these themes - amplified by Hasbara tactics - became even more pronounced. Images of Iranian children buried under rubble and reports of hundreds killed were quickly dismissed as state propaganda, with claims that all the victims were affiliated with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps - echoing Zionist dismissals of Palestinian death tolls because they are from the "Hamas-run health ministry". When Israel bombed the gates of Evin Prison - killing at least 71 Iranians, many of whom were imprisoned political dissidents and their families - few paused to ask: why was Israel bombing a prison at all? Does bombing a prison where some of the government's most vocal critics are held bring the people any closer to freedom? Manufactured consent The embrace of Israeli aggression as a path to Iranian "liberation" partly stems from the most hawkish voices in the diaspora, who frame Israel as the eventual saviour of the Iranian people - as if bombing our own is the price of "liberation". Most notably, the self-declared "born-again Zionist" Reza Pahlavi, exiled son of the deposed Shah, posted videos declaring "the Islamic Republic's end is near". How supporters of 'Woman Life Freedom' in Iran rejected Israel's assault Read More » Since the war, he has continued to outline a new future for Iran with himself at the centre - even as numerous civil society movements inside the country call for a future determined by Iranians on the ground, who are at the forefront of the struggle. These same Israeli-backed figures have long fuelled warmongering and posed as diaspora spokespeople - convenient native informants for US and Israeli interests. Both before and during the war, Israel exploited this fragmentation, tailoring propaganda for Iranian audiences through Persian-language social media posts by its military and subtitled speeches by Netanyahu. Even the name "Operation Rising Lion" nods to the Shah's emblem, signalling regime change. As we reflect on the tremendous loss these 12 days of war brought, we must recognise that Israeli impunity is to blame - and so are the diaspora figures who cling to the simplistic "enemy of my enemy is my friend" logic, becoming blind to how they help manufacture consent for the killing of our own. Even among self-identified, less hawkish, non-monarchist segments of the diaspora, there has been - and still is - a troubling reluctance to criticise Israel. They often frame its genocidal actions as no worse than the Islamic Republic's crimes over the past 46 years, even now. Inside Iran, however, the war triggered a natural rally-around-the-flag response. Even former and current political prisoners, including those from the "Woman, Life, Freedom" movement, rejected US-Israeli aggression and called for it to end. Shared struggle The links between Palestinian and Iranian liberation have never been clearer. This unprovoked aggression has shown us how Zionist violence, repackaged as "liberation", can reach Iran - with support from our own. Freedom for Iranians cannot come from external actors, especially not from genocidaires. Neither Israel nor the US will save our people If the diaspora remains divided by anti-Arab racism, Islamophobia or political posturing, we serve only the systems we claim to resist. If the diaspora remains divided by anti-Arab racism, Islamophobia or political posturing, we serve only the systems we claim to resist. Considering Israel's more than 1,000 ceasefire violations, we must ensure this ceasefire is upheld. Only with genuine ceasefires in Gaza and Lebanon, too, can the first step towards just peace - grounded in accountability - become possible for the entire region. Iranians have been fighting for freedom for decades. But that freedom cannot - and will not - come from external actors, especially not from genocidaires. Neither Israel nor the US will save our people. And until we face these truths collectively, we betray both our cause and the people and places we love - from Karaj to Kermanshah, Tabriz to Tehran. The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Eye.
ARN News Center
12 hours ago
- ARN News Center
Trump says he expects Hamas decision in 24 hours on 'final' peace proposal
US President Donald Trump said on Friday it would probably be known in 24 hours whether Hamas has agreed to accept what he has called a "final proposal" for a ceasefire in Gaza. The president also said he had spoken to Saudi Arabia about expanding the Abraham Accords, the deal on normalisation of ties that his administration negotiated between Israel and some Gulf countries during his first term. Trump said on Tuesday Israel had accepted the conditions needed to finalise a 60-day ceasefire with Hamas, during which the parties will work to end the war. He was asked on Friday if Hamas had agreed to the latest ceasefire deal framework, and said: "We'll see what happens, we are going to know over the next 24 hours." A source close to Hamas said on Thursday the group sought guarantees that the new US-backed ceasefire proposal would lead to the end of Israel's war in Gaza. Two Israeli officials said those details were still being worked out. Dozens of Palestinians were killed on Thursday in Israeli strikes, according to Gaza authorities. The latest bloodshed in the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict was triggered in October 2023 when Hamas attacked Israel, killing 1,200 and taking about 250 hostages, Israeli tallies show. Gaza's health ministry says Israel's subsequent military assault has killed over 56,000 Palestinians. It has also caused a hunger crisis, internally displaced Gaza's entire population and prompted accusations of genocide at the International Court of Justice and of war crimes at the International Criminal Court. Israel denies the accusations. A previous two month ceasefire ended when Israeli strikes killed more than 400 Palestinians on March 18. Trump earlier this year proposed a US takeover of Gaza, which was condemned globally by rights experts, the UN and Palestinians as a proposal of "ethnic cleansing".
