Author: 1tnb0ltop

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Tuesday raised national security concerns over alleged links between a raided steel plant in Misamis Oriental and foreign influence operations, following the arrest of dozens of Chinese nationals and the discovery of hazardous materials inside the facility.

AFP spokesperson Col. Francel Margareth Padilla said the military provided security and operational support during the May 15 inter-agency operation at Philippine Sanjia-Steel Corp. in Tagoloan town, where authorities arrested 69 Chinese nationals and one Filipino for alleged violations of Philippine laws.

“The AFP provided security and operational support to the inter-agency team that implemented this lawful search warrant,” Padilla said during a press briefing at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City.

“Our role for this was to help ensure the safety of our government personnel and maintain peace and order in the area and secure the area during the conduct of the said operation,” she added.

Padilla said the facility had already been flagged by authorities as early as September 2024 over alleged links to Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (Pogo), which she said had been “known to double as hubs for foreign influence and malign interference and criminal syndicate activities.”

Sen. Mark Villar has been elected chairman of the Senate committee on finance, replacing Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian.

This new assignment was made in the Senate plenary upon a motion of acting Majority Leader Joel Villanueva before the session was adjourned on Tuesday.

Sought for comment on his replacement, Gatchalian expressed  confidence that Villar could run the panel well, citing the latter’s family background and his experience as former head of Department of Public Works and Highways.

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“The finance committee is a position of trust,”  he said in an interview. “When I handled it for one year, I saw the power of the finance committee. For me, it is one of the most powerful — if not the most powerful — committees because you handle the country’s entire budget.”

Gatchalian was the fifth minority senator who lost a committee leadership after voting last May 11,2026 for Sen. Vicente “Tito” Sotto III, who lost the Senate presidency to Alan Peter Cayetano.

On Monday, four Sotto allies, Senators Risa Hontiveros, Bam Aquino, and siblings Erwin and Raffy Tulfo were also stripped of their committee assignments. 

Hontiveros was removed as head of the committee on health and replaced by  Sen. Christopher “Bong” Go while Aquino’s chairmanship of the basic committee panel was given to Sen. Loren Legarda.

Raffy Tulfo, on the other hand, was replaced as Senate committee on public services chairman by Sen. Rodante Marcoleta, while his brother, Erwin, lost his chairmanship of the committee on games and  amusement to Sen. Jinggoy Estrada.

As the impeachment of Vice President Sara Z. Duterte moves closer to trial, the 11-member House prosecution panel on Tuesday laid out each prosecutor’s specific assignments, signaling the panel’s readiness for the long-awaited Senate proceedings.

During a press conference, lead prosecutor and House Committee on Justice Chairperson Gerville “Jinky Bitrics” Luistro of Batangas announced how the panel would divide responsibilities across the four articles of impeachment.

At the same time, Luistro named Kabataan Party-list Rep. Renee Co and House Assistant Majority Leader Zia Alonto Adiong of Lanao del Sur as House trial spokespersons.

The impeachment articles stem from the justice committee’s clarificatory hearings on the latest impeachment bid against Duterte, as well as the Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability’s probe into the alleged misuse of confidential funds by her offices during the 19th Congress.

Luistro said each prosecutor would be assigned to at least two articles, allowing the panel to share the burden of presenting evidence, examining witnesses, and defending the charges against Duterte. Each article will also have a lead prosecutor and second lead prosecutor.

Two officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) in Cordillera Administrative Region have been relieved from duty over a road accident in Benguet. 

In a memorandum made public on Tuesday, DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon ordered the removal of Isagani Cayme as the district engineer and Marjory Banao as the chief of the Maintenance Section of Benguet 1st District Engineering Office.

“To ensure the uninterrupted delivery of public service, you are further directed to conduct an inventory, accomplish, complete, and sign all pending documents and deliverables, and formally turn over all official records, papers, and properties in your custody to the appropriate office,” the order read. 

The DPWH noted that the lack of road safety signages and traffic control devices such as concrete barriers at the collapsed portion of a road in Beckel, La Trinidad, Benguet led to the death of a cyclist. 

Reports said that a 13-year-old cyclist died after he reportedly fell from a damaged portion of Beckel road. 

The Council for the Welfare of Children (CWC) condemned the physical abuse of a three-year-old child in Taguig City, calling it an unacceptable violation of children’s rights.

In a statement Tuesday night, the CWC denounced the incident, which took place in Sitio Bagong Pag-asa, Barangay Western Bicutan, after a video showing the child-victim went viral on social media.

The council said any form of violence against children is highly alarming and unacceptable. Moreover, hurting a defenseless child is a violation of their dignity, rights and safety as a child.

“Walang batang dapat lumaki sa takot at pananakit. Tungkulin nating lahat na tiyaking ligtas, inaaruga, at napoprotektahan ang bawat batang Pilipino sa tahanan man o komunidad (No child should grow up in fear and pain. It is our collective duty to ensure that every Filipino child is safe, nurtured and protected whether at home or in the community),” CWC Undersecretary Angelo Tapales said.

The public is reminded that state laws explicitly prohibit acts of cruelty against minors under Republic Act 7610 or the Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act, and that violators will face the full force of the law.